la mi temps d'istanbool

ceci est un récit d'une partie de ce qu'il s'est passé dans le vestiaire d'istanbool .je vais pas tout traduire(d'ailleurs je n'ai pas lu tout l'article mais c'est la classe,on s'y croirait).sinon,tous les détails ne sont pas là mais rafa est en train d'écrire un livre avec un ghost writer pour expliquer sa finale d'istanbool.
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'YOU ARE LIVERPOOL ..GET YOUR HEADS UP, GET OUT THERE AND DO IT FOR THE FANS'
BENITEZ UNCOVERED: INSIDE THE DRESSING ROOM ON THAT AMAZING NIGHT IN ISTANBUL
Martin Lipton
RAFAEL BENITEZ has finally revealed the chaos and confusion from which he conjured Liverpool's greatest triumph out of impending disaster.

Giving the first in-depth account of what really happened in the dressing room as his side faced up to the mountain they had to climb from a 3-0 half-time Champions League Final deficit against AC Milan, Benitez admitted he did not know if he could find the words to bring his team back from the dead.

The Liverpool manager also confessed that at one stage he was sending out a 10-man team for the second half in Istanbul as his plans verged on bedlam.

While his players were reeling, Benitez strode from the dug-out and down the tunnel at Attaturk Stadium to find a Liverpool dressing room in a state of shock and knowing he had a brief window of opportunity to get across the most important message of his career.

"I walked into the dressing room rehearsing what I was going to say to them but also how I was going to say it," he said. "It's really difficult to come up with all the things you want to say in a foreign language. I was trying to find the right English words.

"We talked about what we were going to change. It's tough enough motivating a team which is losing 3-0 in Spanish. In English, it is much, much tougher.

"But the words came more easily than I could ever have hoped. The important aspect was to lift their spirits.

"I started with a motivational speech to get them fired up. I demanded they start working again and emphasised there were 45 minutes left and we had to come off the pitch proud of ourselves because we'd done everything in our power.

"So I reminded them it had been a hard battle to reach such a massive game and that we owed something important to all the Liverpool people. I said if we scored we would totally change the course of the game. I emphasised it was the most important challenge.

"I said: 'Don't let your heads drop. We're Liverpool. You're playing for Liverpool. Don't forget that. You have to hold your heads high for the supporters. You have to do it for them.

'You can't call yourselves Liverpool players if you have your heads down. If we create a few chances we have the possibility of getting back into this. Believe you can do it and you will. Give yourself the chance to be heroes'."

It was a chance that was gloriously, unforgettably taken and Benitez broke open the secrets of his finest moment in A Season On The Brink, a new authorised account of his first term at Anfield, by distinguished Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.

But the Liverpool chief told how even after he had given the exhortation that changed everything, his plans were enmeshed in a few minutes of sheer chaos.

Benitez wanted to introduce Didi Hamann and told Djimi Traore he was coming off - but then learned Steve Finnan's injury was too bad for him to continue.

Benitez added: "I started to write the new formation on the board. I told Traore to get changed and that Hamann was coming on for him. The idea was for Hamann to make Kaka's life much tougher.

"I took Didi up to the whiteboard so he understood what I wanted and explained the tactical changes to the rest of the side. Then I was told Finnan was injured.

"Finnan was unhappy. He believed he could keep going. But I reckoned if he told me midway through the second half I'd have to make a change beyond my control.

"It was a total mess for a while. I was reckoning on Djibril Cisse on the right but someone pointed out I'd have no more substitutions.

"So I took Cisse out but also deleted Luis Garcia from the board because I wanted to move him. Now I only had 10 players in the team. The system was changed several times on the board and it created havoc.

"The idea was to play 3-4-2-1 with John Arne Riise tucked in. But with the realisation Finnan wasn't fit to stay on, the logical thing was to tell Traore he wasn't being taken off. By this time he had his boots off and was on his way to the shower."

Somehow, despite the flurry of thoughts and the situation, the seeds of glory were being sown.

Benitez added: "In the first half we weren't threatening around their box. We wanted to change the pattern by using two players in the hole between midfield and Milan Baros.

"The task was to produce terrific movement and also put massive pressure on Milan building out of defence through Pirlo. We felt we could slam the brakes on the damaging work which Gatuso, Seedorf and most of all Kaka were doing.

"Using three centre-halves would make us more secure by staying tight on the runs of their strikers. You can try anything tactically if you've worked hard on such ideas in training. We had."

In that instant, a voice cried out, reminding the players of the second half comeback against Greek side Olympiakos that had brought the Reds back from the brink in their final group game.

Outside, the stunned Liverpool fans were singing the roof off the stadium, not even dreaming of what would follow in front of their disbelieving eyes.

Benitez said: "Normally it's Xabi or Carra or Gerrard who shouts 'Come on boys' when it's needed. In the first few minutes there wasn't any of that.

"But in the last couple of minutes before going back out, the animation and noise hit a normal level.

"We needed to attack and they let us. We scored and started to look confident all over the pitch. When a team loses control of a match, it can take 15 minutes to get it back. While they are recharging their batteries, anything can happen.

"I didn't hear the fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone from the dressing room. On the way out I did hear it but I was lost in my thoughts."

The thoughts had changed everything. What followed is now legendary.CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, HALF TIME: AC MILAN 3 LIVERPOOL 0Liverpool players don't know what has hit them as the Italian giants race to an emphatic lead_ - the Champions League trophy seemingly in their hands..CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL WIN ON PENS!But an amazing fightback thanks to goals from Steve Gerrard, Vladimir Smircer and Xabi Alonso within five minutes brings them level before winning in sudden death

ceci est le récit de la finale donné par carragher dans le daily mail le 27 septembre.

”From Humiliation to Jubilation in Istanbul”
(Taken from Daily Mail Sept 27)

The room was quiet. Nothing was being said. Nothing could be said. We were 3-0 down to AC Milan in the biggest game of our lives. We were being slaughtered; the only noise was the manager working away on the board trying to find a way back.

Suddenly, through the silence you could hear ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ as our fans incredibly found their voice once more. I’d like to say that it inspired me and made me want to go out and claw the three goals back, made us turn in the performance of our lives to pull off that incredible comeback; but if I’m honest it just made me feel that much worse.

‘They’re doing their bit but we haven’t done ours’ I thought. I felt like crying for them at that point.



Beating Chelsea in the Champions League Semi-Final had brought a sense of triumph to the city of Liverpool. The fans were nuts with expectation.

They had chosen to ignore how bad we’d been in the Premiership. Some of our players were better suited to the Champions League because – and this doesn’t sound a nice thing to say about your team-mates – it was less of a battle.

It sickens me to think how close we came to going out to Chelsea, but we were going to Istanbul and our fans were convinced we were going to win the European Cup.

The buzz was almost unbearable but I wasn’t nervous. I slept fine the night before, no problem. I had another kip in the afternoon. The game was on my mind though. You watch the match in your head. I just want to start the game well, get a few good touches early on, relax into it, ease in.

We couldn’t have been better prepared. We had ten days between our last Premiership game and the final and so every day we were working on one thing: playing against AC Milan. We were recreating possible scenarios. How do we play if we’re winning 1-0 with ten minutes to go, how do we play if we are 1-0 down with ten minutes to go? Rafa’s good, but even he didn’t practise what we should do if we were 3-0 down at half-time!

Before the game we went out on the pitch, thinking ‘bloody hell, look at how many fans we have here’. I loved the banners. Some of them even had my name on. God, that made me feel good. I knew how much tickets were costing some. You were talking £1,000 and that’s before you add the ale money.




The game started, we were all focused. And then boom, we’re losing. It was our kick off! How did they score a goal from our bloody kick off? Djimi Traore was a bit nervous and he lost the ball and then gave away a foul. From that free-kick Paolo Maldini scored. We had built up to this for ten days, and then within a minute we are 1-0 down. None of us had had a kick and it’s killed everything. The game plan, the atmosphere, it’s all gone.

Then we lost Harry Kewell; it was all going wrong out there. Djmi was still a bit nervous and needed talking to. We needed to hold a stronger line. He switched on and was immense in the second half.

Then we were 2-0 down. Kaka put in Andriy Shevchenko, who crossed it past me and Hernan Crespo scored. I was lying on the turf thinking ‘that’s it…’

Difficult was about to turn into nigh-on impossible. Kaka played through a brilliant pass which I stretched for but couldn’t intercept. At the time I thought, “oh s***, I’ve made a mistake there’ but I’ve watched it since and realise it was just a class ball. Crespo’s finish was incredible and at 3-0 it’s a rout.

Now I was just embarrassed. You don’t go 3-0 down before half time in a European Cup Final. It’s not done. If someone had said to me then, ‘this’ll finish 3-0’ I’d have taken it. That sounds mad now, but at the time I just wanted to stop the rot. I was really thinking that this could finish 6-0.

The manager was calm at half time. There was no big talk or anything. He just got on with sorting out the tactics and said ‘let’s try and get the first goal’. To be honest, I think he shared our worries that this could be five or six.

He was all set to bring Djimi off. He hadn’t had the best of games, although he’d been better towards the end of the half. He was all undressed and ready to get in the shower when Steve Finnan said his knee was sore. So Djimi had to get dressed again, get his boots on and get ready to play another half.

We got out there, but again looked shaky and I remember Jerzy Dudek let an easy ball ricochet off his knees for a corner. I gave him a talking to for that one. I’ll b****** anyone. It doesn’t bother me. The most important thing is the football match. It doesn’t matter if you lose friends now and then, the most important thing is to win.

We didn’t come out flying in the second half, but then we scored. Stevie Gerrard’s goal didn’t have me celebrating, but at least it lessened the embarrassment. The fans started to sing and it got everyone out of the doldrums.

It certainly brought down Milan a bit. If you look at their performance in the second half, it suggests that they lost it. We were good, but they were bad. For six or seven minutes they seemed dazed. Milan weren’t tackling us!

I was seeing a lot more of the ball and getting into their half. I could sense their fear. Then Vladi Smicer banged one in and they really panicked.

Stevie won a penalty, I ran into the box and grabbed the ball. Garcia came over to take it off me, but I wasn’t having any of it. ‘You’re not taking it’ I told him. It had been agreed before the game that Xabi Alonso would be on them. He had never taken one in anger, but to be honest we didn’t have a regular penalty taker.



Xabi scored the rebound after Dida saved his kick. It was 3-3; now Milan upped their game. Fatigue was always going to come into it and I found myself lunging in for tackles where I might have stayed on my feet. I was booked for a tackle on Shevchenko and got an evil glare from the Ukrainian. Oh well!

We were knackered. Our fans, who must be world famous now, tried to lift us again.

Then I stretched to stop a Serginho cross and my groin and calves tightened with cramp. I was splayed out on the turf in pain. Our physio is being all nice and polite and waiting to be invited on to the pitch by the ref and I’m swearing. ‘f***ing get on, forget the f***ing ref.’ The problem was, straight away another ball was whipped in and I’ve had to throw myself at it again. My legs were in bits, our nerves were frayed.

In the last moments Shevchenko knocked a header goalwards and from there it’s slow motion; you’re just waiting for the net to bulge and to this day I can’t believe he’s missed it. Credit to Jerzy, he pulled off one amazing save and then followed up with another block, but it’s a bad miss. I couldn’t believe that once again we were still in the game and I just grabbed Jerzy and told him I loved him. I meant it too.

When the game went to penalties I ran over to Jerzy and gave him the pep-talk. I don’t care what you call it – gamesmanship, cheating – I just wanted to win the European Cup and I told him to do his best to put them off.

Jerzy is a dead nice fella, probably too nice, and I knew he’d be dead courteous to them and shake their hands and all that. I said ‘Don’t worry about them. Put them off lad.’ It worked. Shevchenko missed with one of the worst penalties I’ve ever see.



Pandemonium.

To see that trophy with our red ribbons around it was unbelievable. Halfway through the season we were losing at Southampton, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, and Burnley even. Now we were European Champions.

Everybody you meet has a story about what they did or how they felt at half time. In one pub all the Everton fans were doing a conga; a few lads I know wouldn’t go out and watch it but at half time they all phone each other and say ‘Lets get our gear on and go to the pub for a good gloat.’ They’ve got their Everton tops on and as they walk into the boozer it’s 3-3!

My medal sits proudly in the house. My dad has been taking it around the local schools for the kids to have photos taken with it. I still have to do a double-take when I see the words Liverpool, European Champions, but that’s what the night made us and nobody can take that away.

I got married just weeks after the final and had the trophy at my wedding. They allowed me to bring it along and we had it on the top table. What a guest of honour, what a match.

superbes recits surtout le 2eme!!

Yes, Clive, le récit de Carra est superbe.

Quote :

Difficult was about to turn into nigh-on impossible. Kaka played through a brilliant pass which I stretched for but couldn’t intercept. At the time I thought, “oh s***, I’ve made a mistake there’ but I’ve watched it since and realise it was just a class ball. Crespo’s finish was incredible and at 3-0 it’s a rout.

---> ca se voit a sa tete quand il essaie de prendre le ballon en tacle

Quote :

Stevie won a penalty, I ran into the box and grabbed the ball. Garcia came over to take it off me, but I wasn’t having any of it. ‘You’re not taking it’ I told him. It had been agreed before the game that Xabi Alonso would be on them. He had never taken one in anger, but to be honest we didn’t have a regular penalty taker.

----> si j'ai bien compris c'est Luis Garcia qui veut prendre le ballon des mains de Carra ? Et qu'il y avait pas de tireur désigné ?

Quote :

In the last moments Shevchenko knocked a header goalwards and from there it’s slow motion; you’re just waiting for the net to bulge and to this day I can’t believe he’s missed it. Credit to Jerzy, he pulled off one amazing save and then followed up with another block, but it’s a bad miss. I couldn’t believe that once again we were still in the game and I just grabbed Jerzy and told him I loved him. I meant it too.

---> que c'est mignon


Sinon bas je trouve que c'est très bien raconté (pour ce que j'en ai compris)

Howa wrote:

----> si j'ai bien compris c'est Luis Garcia qui veut prendre le ballon des mains de Carra ? Et qu'il y avait pas de tireur désigné ?

oui,c'est ça.ils s'etaient tous mis d'accord pour que ce soit alonso qui les tire avant la finale,pcq'ils n'avaient pas de tireur de penalty officiel donc ils ont choisi collectivement alonso.
garcia a pris le ballon pcq'il voulait le tirer car il n'etait pas content de la faute et voulait faire la justice. mais carragher lui a pris le ballon en lui signifiant que c'etait alonso le tireur désigné.

Cela confirme aussi ce que l'on savait depuis longtemps :

Le public de Liverpool FC est le meilleur du monde !!!

Je ne sais pas ce qui s'est raconté dans les vestiaires d'Istanbul ... puisque j'étais dans les tribunes

Yves wrote:

Je ne sais pas ce qui s'est raconté dans les vestiaires d'Istanbul ... puisque j'étais dans les tribunes

le chanceux!!!!bravo!

Yves wrote:

Je ne sais pas ce qui s'est raconté dans les vestiaires d'Istanbul ... puisque j'étais dans les tribunes

Si vous n'avez pas vu le dvd de france football au sujet des 50 finales de coupes d'europe, il ya une interview de Stevie G ou il dit à peu près ceci:
"Je n'y croyait plus et j'espérais seulement que Milan ne marquerai pas à nouveau. Je me disais aussi que j'allais beaucoup à la fin du match! Mais quand j'ai entendu nos fans entonner You'll never walk alone, j'ai su que nous n'avions pas le droit d'abandonner!"
On connait la suite