So Big A Win, I Don't Quite Know Where To Start

The LED Ain't Broken, Mind You

Scorers:
*takes in deep breath*

LIV - Crouch (19, 89), Benayoun (32, 53, 56), Gerrard (69), Babel (78, 81);

Liverpool broke the Champions League record by scoring a mind-blowing 8 goals past Besiktas, the very team that defeated the Reds just only 2 weeks ago in Istanbul. The victory definitely painted a very different pictures depending on how you see things.

The Besiktas we saw was SO bad that I've absolutely no idea how did we 'managed' to lose to these bunch, so convincingly, in the last round.

But we all know at the way we play in recent weeks, I shall quote Russell Peters and say 'somebody's gonna get hurt REAL bad!'. We played okay and created enough chance but just not putting them into the net.

Liverpool kicked off the game knowing that the European nights in Anfield are numbered because the Liverpool City Council has given a go-ahead for their new stadium and what a way to commemorate the milestone, with a record win.

After a cagey start, Liverpool started to gather momentum and Yossi Benayoun seemingly, at the thick of action most of the time. A sign of a great performance, perhaps?

Liverpool v besiktas 06.11.07 itv brief highlights
Uploaded by drogballs

Through some serendipity and luck, Liverpool got the opening goal, one the relieves the tension and pressure of the players and the fans heaved a collective sigh of relief. Peter Crouch went through and though his initial shot was blocked, he was able to follow up and the out-of-favour striker finally found his scoring touch again.

Yossi Benayoun added a second with a highly controversial build-up to the goal but take nothing away from that finish. It was dead accurate, leaving Hakan Arikan with no chance. Well, he didn't have much for the entire 90, did he?

Flood gates opened and Liverpool relentlessly pounded Besiktas and all was over when Benayoun added a second after half time. Besiktas' players head dropped and looking like a caged animal, trapped and no way out.

Benayoun got what he fully deserved with a simplest of hat trick and Gerrard scored from probably the move of the game, combining excellently with Andiry Voronin before Ryan Babel coming on to make some major impact.

Two goals from the Dutch forward and both weren't conventional goals you'll see in a match. A brilliant Henry-esque back heel goal and also his determination allowed him to pressure Toraman into hitting the ball straight into his back and very fortunately, beyond Arikan's reach.

Crouch rounded things up with a 'rare' headed goal after a brilliant cross from who else but Yossi Benayoun and it indeed, concluded a night of massacre of the highest order.

Besiktas was frankly 'pants' and clueless most of the time but to smash 8 goals past a professional team is no mean feat. Credits to where it is due and although I've been critical on Liverpool for the past however long it is, I must say 'what a performance'!

Plenty still to do though. Porto win means we really need to win the remaining two games while Rafa will have to work a way as to how to bring this form back to the Premiership this weekend.And the man of the moment, Yossi Benayoun. A hat trick and two assists. He was the hero and played a vital and pivotal role to Liverpool's biggest Champions League win. What a performance. That'll certainly keep Pennant out for the side (despite his injury) for quite some time.

3: Peter Crouch vs Galatasaray

One of the two bycicle kicks he scored last season.

It's so difficult to see a 2 metre tall giant bean pole doing that and even though Galatasaray isn't the best opponents out there, still it was pretty spectacular to score that and not much have been said about Finnan's crossing but on his day, his crossing is probably the best in the squad.

Second place tomorrow!

The 2008 Oscars Best Actor Award

And the winner is...

Alberto Gilardino of Italy



Fantastic acting skills. Just pure class. He acted superbly even though he knew he could've scored the goal. That's professionalism from the man and he deserves everything.

Battle At The Catalunya

It's Champions League time and it'll be a clash of the titans, although Liverpool will surely go into this tie as an underdog. Don't listen to Barcelona players saying about how they're the underdogs. Because on paper, the difference is there for everyone to see.

It's the 2005 European champions taking on the champions in 2006.

Played at the intimidating Nou Camp, which could pack a total of 98,000 fans, this tie will be a fascinating one indeed. Barcelona won't forget the way Liverpool bored them to tears back in 2001 UEFA Cup when Liverpool went there and parked not only a bus, but several bull'dozers' and trucks as well.

Liverpool eventually knocked them out of the competition and surely, the Barca fans will feel this is the perfect time to avenge that heart break 6 years ago.

But now, Liverpool have undergone major changes and with Rafa's Spanish armada flying the flag high over at Merseyside. It'll present a totally different challenge to the European champions as they embarked on the journey to retain the crown, which is deemed impossible thus far.

Rafa Benitez himself plotted the downfall of Barcelona and Real Madrid 4 years ago when he took over Valencia and knocked the 2 Spanish giants off their perch and won 2 Spanish La Liga title with them. He also has a pretty good record against Barcelona while he's at the Mestalla and the one reason which will give the Liverpool fans some confidence would be the fact that Rafa knows Spanish football well and he knows Barcelona inside out.

This could present Barcelona with some problem as they haven't been at their best for quite some time. Perhaps the pressure of retaining the La Liga title and European crown are taking it's toll on Ronaldinho. & Co.

The Samuel Eto'o's public spat match with coach Frank Riijkard and Ronaldinho was well documented and one could question whether the unity in the squad is taking the heat. Liverpool got some bad press off them as well just last week, when tabloid newspaper reported incidents where the players didn't behave themselves and the headlines were splashed across the front page of the newspapers.

Off the field problem aside, it'll be an intriguing tie between two heavy weights. I foresee this game to be a very cagey one at the beginning as both teams wouldn't want to throw away the tie unnecessarily at such an early stage. Barcelona knows that they would need to get something out of this game and at the same time, stop Liverpool from scoring the all important away goal.

Drogballs' Prediction: Barcelona 1-1 Liverpool. A very tight game to call. I'll sit on the fence for this one. But I have complete faith in the team that they'll put up a decent performance and get something out of this game.

Football Dipped To New Low?

Rejoice football fans! The long awaited Champions League is finally back after the draw was been made back in December of 2006 and fans and neutrals alike were anticipating this week for quite some time.

But the return of Champions League was marred by controversies and things that should never happen in a football ground.

Of course, we're talking about the match between French side, Lille and Man Utd. A match that seemed so harmless and looked like an easy walk-over for United turns out to be an ugly one and of course, it exposes the flaws of the game and that we all still need to take a serious look at stadium security and how the authorities handle the fans.

Because what happened yesterday could've been another disaster like Hillsborough and Heysel.

It might not be serious as there were only some victims with minor injuries. But it serves us as a warning that even till this day, there are stadiums around with security problems and UEFA will have to investigate and football should not be something which take the lives of people away.

Crowd trouble once again rings the alarm bell of the football governing body as only recently, Italian football came under scrutiny for the way they handled the death of the policeman during the Catania - Palermo game.

The modern game should not be marred by this sort of things already. It's time the authorities have a good look at things and ensure the safety of the tens of thousands of fans within the stadium.

Next major talking point in the game would have to be Ryan Gigg's quickly taken free kick that resulted in a goal. Lille felt unjust and rewind to a month ago when the Thai players walked off the pitch after they felt they're treated unfairly by the referee, it was like a deja vu feeling.

When did footballers became such a bunch of unsportsmanlike 'sportsmen'?

To me, I'm never for the idea of taking free kicks quickly. They're seemed to be used only in amateur football games but the thing now is that it's the gray part of the rule book whereby it's not entirely clear whether when is taking a quick one right or wrong.

But that's beside the point now. Although we do need clarification as to when is a quick free kick allowed and how do we all know whether the referee of the game will allow, the main point will be the way the Lille players reacted after that.

Disgraceful.

But we know all humans shows emotions and it was when the emotions ran high, adrenaline pumping and knowing that your team have lost a game that they're so capable of winning. Peter Odemwingie thought he had put them ahead just before the incident but he was adjudged to have pushed Nemanja Vidic before latching on the ball with a header. It was ruled out for a foul.

Very soft if you ask me. Vidic is built like a brick sh*t-house and I don't think a little hands on his back will cause any sort of problems for him to stay on his feet.

It's disappointing to see the return of the so called 'biggest' league in the world with the most concentration of football stars marred by incidents that shouldn't even have been part of football. And to think that FIFA are looking into things like restricting players to some 'celebration styles' rather than the safety of the supporters and players behaving like kids throwing toys out of the pram, it just saddens me a little.

The Lille players should be punish heavily for their unsportsmanlike behavior while stadiums across Europe should conduct a thorough check and make sure they pass the standards set by the governing body. Or even better, review the safety standards of the stadiums.

3 Places For Champions League Then...

Platini Elected UEFA President

Michel Platini celebrated being voted in as the new UEFA president and then announced he will push ahead with controversial changes to the Champions League.

Platini, who won a tough contest against incumbent Lennart Johansson, will present proposals in April which from 2009-10 would limit the number of clubs in Europe's elite competition to three from any one country.

The Football Association and Premier League are expected to go to work to try and persuade Platini to maintain the status quo which allows England, Spain and Italy to have four clubs qualify.

Platini said: "The new format of the Champions League is for 2009.

"I talked about finding a better equilibrium for the number of clubs and that's for 2009-10.

"The final decision will be (by UEFA's executive committee) in April so we have a few months still to see which way we will go, but I would like a better equilibrium, it is very close to my heart."


Drogballs: First of all, I'm a fan of this man. He's a great player and I have a lot of respect for him. I even think he should run for FIFA presidency and kick that Sepp Bladder(sp) off his arse and I'm sure he'll bring changes to the game because he truly loves the game.

But now look at the new format he's going to introduce to the Champions League presumably in 2009. 3 teams from all major leagues including our own English Premiership, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Although he wants the competition to stay 'true' to it's name as a league for the Champions, what he's doing is systemically marginalising teams and might even widen the gap between the top 2/3 teams and the rest of the teams in their respective league.

Think about this. Teams competing in the Champions League will get major TV rights while the rest languished in second rated UEFA Cup or what have you. They get perhaps 10 or more so million into their coffers and gets stronger with new recruits in every season.

The rest of the league struggle to compete in terms of financial strength. And every season will just be like going through motion. You could already tell who the teams are to compete for that 3 places and what's the rest going to play for? Already with 4 places, the predictability is there and we all know which 4 teams are going through (if nothing goes wrong, of course).

He might have a point that it'll increase the level of competitiveness in the league. But I believe that it'll only increase the level of competitiveness at the top of the table perhaps top 5 or 6 teams. Other teams will either be fighting for survival or, languishing with mediocrity.

Teams like Everton (not like I care), Spurs, Bolton and Portsmouth will feel hard done with. When they actually thought they could push for fourth and qualify for the Champions League, now they'll feel like standing in front of a close shop with barricades around it. And all these years of building and fighting might make them feel as if all the efforts have gone down the drain.

Another concern would be the way the G14 will react. They're a group formed by Europe's 14 most influential clubs and will they threaten to break away? If they do, what will the Champions League be like? And will this group of renegades form a so called European Super League?

It's certainly an intriguing episode yet again that could change the face of football. I believe this change in system is a significant one and how football will develop will probably base on how well the plan is implemented and received by the football clubs.

The Video That Makes Me Weep Again...

It's John Aldridge in the commentary box, I think. Brings back nice memories and how beautiful football can be, sometimes.

Messi Speaks Out

Barcelona winger Lionel Messi reckons Liverpool will be scared stiff going into their Champions League clash with the Spanish champions.

The 19-year-old, who is targeting the fixtures for his return from injury, believes his side are firm favourites to progress into the quarter-finals.

"Any rivals are dangerous in Europe at this time but Liverpool are a team that can be beaten by Barcelona. Lyon are the most difficult today," said Messi.

"I expect an open game because the English play without defensive caution and with a style similar to Barcelona.

"Sincerely, I believe Liverpool are worried about playing against us because we are the champions of Europe and that strikes fear in any rivals.

"I desire to travel to Liverpool with much work done and holding an advantage to qualify for the next round.

"A 2-0 or 3-0 score will be perfect for Barca.

"Always, we need to not concede a goal in Camp Nou to avoid problems at Anfield."

The Argentinean admits having a Spanish contingent could work in Liverpool's favour.

He said: "The Reds are a peculiar team. They play in England but the style of the coach and many of the players is nearly Spanish. This will be an extra problem for Barcelona."

Is it me, or does anyone lost a little of your respect for that little winger. Yes, he's currently one of the most promising star for the future and the closest thing to Maradona in that long list of 'Next Maradona'.

Well I guess you have to play us before you learn to respect us. Thinking about us being pushovers and that might just be the first step into oblivion. In a war, once complacency seeps into the team, it might just be the catalyst of the failure.

So now, I'm looking forward to this match even more because of comments like that. I hope Gerrard & Co. prove them wrong, big time.

2-0 or 3-0 will be a perfect score for Liverpool. COME ON!

Liverpool Draws Barcelona In Knockout Round

Ah, the team that nobody wants to draw got drawn with Liverpool. Barcelona from Spain, playing as the Champions League defending champions up against England's very own Spanish armada led by Rafa Benitez, the very man who pipped Barcelona and Real Madrid during his time at Valencia.

Initially, it was a shock. "What? BARCELONA?! OH MY GOD!" Indeed, but I personally feel that Barcelona is very beatable and that if we're going to win it the 6th time, we must face them sooner or later. Obstacles are always in the way but I hope the players will put up a fight just like David against Goliath. We're going to be the underdog for this game and we have always revelled in that role.

Of course everyone would've hoped for easier draws but we can only play what's ahead of us and since it's fate that we're to meet the Spanish champion, then let's show what we're made of.

Rafa himself knows the Spanish game at his finger tips and I'm sure he'll be happy with the draw. On paper, of course, Liverpool will be the weaker team. Samuel Eto'o is on long term injury and that might be a huge boost. But even without Eto'o, they'll have a Ronaldinho, Messi, Deco and many other top class players.

It might be a tough draw but we have prospered when we're against the odds. The fact that we'll have the second leg played at Anfield, this will certainly help us a little with the Anfield crowd cheering and the re-enacting of the past European nights.

Come on you reds!


Other Draws:

PORTO v CHELSEA

CELTIC v MILAN

PSV EINDHOVEN v ARSENAL

LILLE v MAN UTD

ROMA v LYON

BARCELONA v LIVERPOOL

REAL MADRID v BAYERN MUNICH

INTER MILAN v VALENCIA

News On FA Cup & Champions League

The News I Forgot To Report On:

I nearly forgot to update you people about the FA Cup draw Liverpool was in last Friday (I think). By now most of you might have known that we're once again drawn with the Gunners just as we did in Carling Cup.


Well, we it's just a matter of time before we face a major team and why not as soon as possible. I know we lost at the Emirates 3-0 earlier last month but this time round it will be at Anfield just like the Carling Cup tie. If we can't beat them, then we have no right of winning the FA Cup again. So let's do it, boys!


Champions League Who's Who:

Okay, I know. I do not need to introduce you the teams in the last 16 already because there isn't any surprises other than Lille or maybe Celtic. But as group leaders, we will only be able to draw teams that finish second and are not from England (country protection).

The draw will be made on 15th December.

We could face Barcelona, Inter Milan, Roma, Real Madrid, Celtic, Porto or Lille. ALl pretty strong teams, eh? Facing Barcelona could be a daunting task and I think they're the team everyone is praying to avoid while there are other gargantuans such as Inter and Real.

Tough one. Who's hoping for Celtic? I would love another round of "Battle of Britain" and of course who could sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" louder.

No More Mighty Comeback This Time

But Invaluable Lessons For Youngsters

UEFA Champions League Group C

Galatasaray 3 - 2 LIVERPOOL

Scorers:
GAL - Ates (24min). Buruk (28min). Ilic (79min);
LIV - Fowler (22min, 90min);

Match Highlights:



A year on and a return to the Ataturk stadium, where Liverpool won their 5th European title. The conclusion of the story isn't as miraculous as the previous encounter there, but with nothing to play for, Liverpool fielded a weakened side to face Galatasaray, who are so formidable at home. Welcome to hell, boys.

With key players such as Gerrard, Hyypia and Reina rested back in England, Rafa sent out several young guns to brood them and let them learn on the pitch. I must say it must be a very invaluable lesson for players like Peltier & Guthrie because how many of the reserve players can actually claim they played a game for the Reds in a European competition?

It might not be a pleasing results, with some mistakes here and there. But hey, we scored 6 goals in 2 away games!

With distractions off the pitch and already sealed their place as group leaders in group C, many can argue that match as a mere 'testimonial' match for a ground that holds so much memories for fans and players a like. Millions across the world including me shed tears during the finals and even though we're physically away from it, we felt the attachment to the venue and the occasions itself.

Even stadiums have souls.

So now we enter the last 16 as group leaders but there is also chances of us meeting up with the big guns. Just as Rafa mentioned, this is where the Champions League begin. With Barcelona, Inter and Roma finishing 2nd in their group, they are all our potential opponents in the next round which we will know next Friday.

Reds Top Group After 2-0 Win

But Hit By Triple Injury Woes

UEFA Champions League

LIVERPOOL 2 - 0 PSV Eindhoven

Scorers:
LIV - Gerrard (65min), Crouch (89min);

1-0 Gerrard:



2-0 Crouch:

Our dear cable provider decided to show the match late (6am in the morning, dude) and I was sick for couple of days already. The medicine made me drowsy and couldn't wake up for the live streaming. Whatever it is, I'm still here to type something at least for a show and to express my pleasure of seeing our beloved Reds finally scoring again after such a long time. It felt like years since we scored, eh.

So Liverpool now top Group C with 14 points with Dutch counterpart PSV Eindhoven joining us in the Knock-out round or the Last 16. It was a fairly meaningless match but Liverpool wanted to claim the top spot in order to sort of draw the team that finish second elsewhere. It might NOT be an easy team, but the plus point is of course we get to play at Anfield for the second leg.

Steven Gerrard impacted the game from the middle of the park and drew praise from Rafa and Ronald Koeman. The injury to Alonso now makes it more obvious that Gerrard will now play a more central role in weeks to come. Peter Crouch then left it late with a header which ensures all 3 points for the home side.

The victory was marred by injuries. Terrible luck. Mark Gonzalez was rumoured to came off the worst with torn hamstring while Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant were carried off the pitch as well.

So what will Rafa do now? Of course I believe the squad depth is there and there's always possibilities, like what Rafa always said. The reasonable change will be Warnock at left back, pushing Riise on to left midfield. Zenden will get an automatic place alongside Gerrard while Garcia will be on the right.

But who knows. Rafa might spring a surprise like calling up Paul Anderson to the right or even Lee Peltier and then Finnan to play at the right wing slot. Now Rafa will have the little liberty to reshuffle his pack without getting bombarded with the reason being injury.

I hope that the injuries aren't too serious and will not have an adverse effect on our already very disappointing Premiership campaign. With Sissoko already out till the new year, the central midfield area is just about enough to cover and hopefully, Xabi won't be out for too long.

This is certainly a morale boosting victory which is hard earned and I think we deserve it after toiling and trying so hard against Boro over the weekends. Goals will come when confidence is back up and may the spirit of Istanbul/Cardiff live on.

We might be far off pace from the Premiership. But seriously, who knows what will happen?


Other Results:
Bordeaux 3-1 Galatasaray
Levski Sofia 0-2 Barcelona
Werder Bremen 1-0 Chelsea
Inter 1-0 Sporting
Shaktar 1-0 Roma
Valencia 2-0 Olympiakos
Spartak 2-2 Bayern Munich

Thanks to GettyImages for the pictures

ShunsuK-Oed

Not gloating at the United fans, but what a brilliant freekick from Nakamura. You do the Asians proud my friend (although I do not have much love for the Japoonese)



So good that he scored twice against United with his wonderful left foot.

Do You Need Some Inspiration?

Everyone's so down. Player's down and fans give up. But hey, if you need something to cheer you up, get emotional and to reconnect your love with the club, look no further.

One Night In May:







Let's hope the spirit of Istanbul is not forgotten by the players, because the fans will never forget. We might be like 3-0 down right now but you'll never know what will happen next.

Thanks to Psychohare for uploading.

Rafa 'Sticks Three Up' The Critics As Reds Advance To The Last 16

UEFA Champions League Group C

LIVERPOOL 3 - 0 Bordeaux

Scorers:
LIV - Luis Garcia (23min, 76min), Gerrard (71min)

(Stevie breaking his scoring duck)

1-0 Luis Garcia; 23min:




2-0 Gerrard; 71min:




3-0 Luis Garcia; 76min:

Liverpool became the first British team to advance into the Champions League knock-out round after they cruised past French side Bordeaux at Anfield last night. Following the magnificent 3-1 win over Aston Villa over the weekends, Rafael Benitez surprised everyone including me, by naming a totally unchanged side. It was such a brilliant move that you could point out that this single move could equate to 'one stone killing three birds'.

Firstly, this plan to name a unchanged side must have taken the national printing press and tabloids aback. I'm very sure that even before the game had begun, they have already prepared a '100 GAMES WITHOUT A SETTLED SIDE' headline that is ready to be placed once the game is finished. This move must have made them feel silly and to shut those people up. They have banged on how Rafa constantly changing the squad without looking from another perspective and these lazy journalist have been found out by a wonderfully foiled plan.

Next, a egg on face situation for the just departed Noel White. If you're not aware, this man is the board member who went to the press and spout a whole lot of bollocks. He claimed Rafa 'spent too much money on limited players' and 'doesn't know what his best team is'. So by naming an unchanged side, Rafa is effectively sending a word that 'hey dude, I know what I'm doing and I know what my best team is'. Oh by the way, he had resigned from the Liverpool board and this obnoxious man will no longer be part of the Reds.

Finally, after so much talk of us being a better team than last season, there is no stronger evidence to that statement than last night's performance. It wasn't as pretty as the one we had against Aston Villa, but it was effective and again, we did played some fantastic football at times.

(Gerrard celebrating with Kuyt)

I was most pleased to see Steven Gerrard finally getting on the scoresheet. He has been really unlucky so far this season with a few close shaves and many other which have hit the framework of the goal. The captain of Liverpool, who's last goal was against West Ham in that dramatic FA Cup final was again presented with several chances throughout the matches and when everyone thought that it was just not his day, he ran clear of the Bordeaux defence and place the ball past Ulrich Reme. It wasn't the best of finish, but with a huge sigh of relieve, the ball went in and the Kop roared as the captain punched the air with delight.

And of course his contribution was much more than just a goal. His cross from the right found Luis Garcia at the backpost and the enigmatic Spaniard smashes the ball past Reme for Liverpool's first goal. It was a well worked move with Dirk Kuyt heavily involved.

People have again and again doubted Gerrard's ability to play as a right winger and once again, he and Rafa made those people eat humble pie. His ability to drift inwards and influence the game was for all to see and thoe powerful marauding runs he made terrified the Bordeaux defence. Not only did he excelled there last night, but later he played as a support striker behind Kuyt and also as a central holding midfielder in which he sprays ball around just like what Alonso always did.

Luis Garcia topped the icing on the cake with a brilliant steal and a composed finish. The Spanish striker who has been criticised lately started to find some feet last week, scoring against Aston Villa and last night, he showed us why he's fit to wear the red shirt. His 10th goal in 17 Champions League game tells us how important he is to Liverpool and he will now pose serious threat to Gonzalez/Aurelio/Kewell's place on the left.

(Markus Merk sent Fernando off)

But game was marred with an ugly incident which saw Bordeuax midfielder, Fernando sent off. In a heat of matter, he headbutted John Arne Riise and was spotted by the TV crew. Replay showed he did make some contact with Riise, who was hurt on his forehead.

(Riise's sweat and bleeds for Liverpool)

That sending off completely washed out the Bordeaux team as they faded out and lost the fighting spirit. After being on the back foot for majority of the first half, they came out for the second half stronger and nearly equalised on several occasions. But other than the one on one with Reina, they didn't really threaten much other than trying their luck from long range. The defence consisting of Hyypia and Carragher made some vital blocks and interceptions and their performance seemed to have improved tremendously.

A great win for the Reds as we marched into the last 16 of the Champions League and not only the victory was sweet, revenge and justice for Rafa was done as well, in a single night. The night we shut the critics up. The night we proved them wrong. The night we surprised everyone and got the result in the end. Brilliant move Rafa, I'm looking forward to the next match already.

CREDITS TO GETTYIMAGES FOR THE PHOTOS.

Crouchy's Goal

Reds Hung On For Win

UEFA Champions League

Bordeaux 0 - 1 LIVERPOOL

Scorer:
LIV - Crouch (56min);

It was scrappy and it wasn't pretty at all. But Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start in Champions League group C with a 1-0 win over French side Bordeaux. Peter Crouch scored from a Craig Bellamy corner to give Liverpool side a much needed boost and hopefully he can carry on his good scoring records against ManYoo this Sunday at Old Trafford. The defence kept a clean sheet as well, albeit a few nervous moments near the end.

After a disappointing start to the season, Liverpool came into the game like a car with punctured tires. Struggling to kick into any sort of rythmn or form, the Reds struggled on the domestic front and a win in France was a much needed one. We had a poor record playing in France and it's most definitely a concern for Rafa Benitez as he set out a team which was without Steven Gerrard, who had a minor hamstring problem.

The game started off well and with good tempo. But as Bordeaux drew energy from their home support, Liverpool were forced deep into their own half and were forced to play counter-attacking football. But surely Rafa forseen it and the inclusion of Mark Gonzalez proved so. His pace and energy was needed to break down the Bordeaux defence which left spaces behind for the speedy players to exploit.

Craig Bellamy nearly put Liverpool one up but his indecision costed a wonderful chance. That was about it for Bellamy in the first half as he was isolated up front with Crouch operating very deep and never really provided any support for the Welshman.

Although Liverpool were pinned back most of the time and Bordeaux having a lion share of possesion, they seldom threaten Reina's goal. But they did manage to put in a few decent set pieces and Liverpool were nearly punished on two occasions.

Peter Crouch's third Champions League goal came as a surprise as the chances Liverpool had were scarce and didn't force Ulrich Ramé into any sort of saves. Bellamy's corner was headed in from Crouch, who had Hyypia doing a smokescreen right in front of him and all he needed to do was to place it beyond the 'keeper's grasp.


The tempo did picked up a little after the goal, but Liverpool were unable to capitalise with the panic in the Bordeaux team. Soon the rythmn dropped off and the Reds were again pinned back and have to do a lot of defending. They conceded far too many free kicks at the edge of the area and were giving the Liverpool fans a hard time watching.

Near the end, homegrown Liverpool player, Stephen Warnock nearly doubled the scoreline with a wonderful run into the penalty box. But his finishing was poor and placed the shot straight at the 'keeper. He did so well until the finish to be exact.

It wasn't a good performance from the Reds, but the Liverpool fans surely can't complain much after a rather disappointing weekend. It's understandable that they got pinned back due to the nature of playing an away game and hitting them on the counter-attack was the initial plan. The loss of Steven Gerrard didn't help as Zenden was playing in the central role with minimal impact.

The positives points are there to be taken note of especially Sami Hyypia rising to the occasion. He has been criticized previously as 'pass his sell out date' but he showed us tonight that he still has something to offer to the club. His form had been patchy at best but he was strong tonight and did no wrong.

A clean sheet will be an encouraging one as Liverpool seeked to gain momentum and will look to build on this vital win in France. But first, they must overcome ManYoo this Sunday and we all know how difficult that match will be. The performance isn't convincing enough to suggest we will be able to beat them. But who knows, this is football and everything is possible. That's at least what Liverpool fan can hope and pray for.