from the normal media channels - match previews...
Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen
Kewell's craft on call to fill the Gerrard gap
Dominic Fifield
Tuesday February 22, 2005
The Guardian
Frustration is eating away at Rafael Benítez. Last week he felt compelled to denounce his players' inconsistencies, and yesterday he voiced public irritation at comments made by Harry Kewell's entourage. Yet underpinning his concerns is the knowledge that Liverpool enter this evening's pivotal tie with Bayer Leverkusen stripped of their captain and inspiration, Steven Gerrard.
The Merseysiders have had more than two months to come to terms with the repercussions of the midfielder's caution for a foul on Olympiakos's Ieroklis Stoltidis at Anfield in the last group game. There were bullish words from John Arne Riise last night, an effort to persuade all that Liverpool can cope without their captain, though the fact that the Norwegian also described him as "the best midfielder in the world" tempered any optimism.
Liverpool have needed to prove they are more than a one-man team for some time, though that they must do just that tonight against Leverkusen - the side who knocked them off their stride when Gérard Houllier claimed they were "10 games from greatness" three years ago - is daunting. Xabi Alonso, their only other player in Gerrard's class, is a long-term injury absentee, with Igor Biscan and Dietmar Hamann left to fill the void as best they can.
Gerrard will be in the dressing room for Benítez's final team talk. "Stevie is the best midfielder in the world," said Riise. "He's proved time and time again how important he is for us. It gives you confidence playing alongside him, knowing he's there, but we'll have to do without that. This is a challenge to show we can cope without him. He was injured for around two months earlier this season and we got by, so we know we must do that again."
Liverpool's record was hardly staggering in that period between September and November, with four points gleaned from three Champions League fixtures and two defeats in seven Premiership matches, though such inconsistencies have been par for the course this term.
"Steve is an important player, and even more so given we've lost Xabi," said Benítez. "Didi Hamann and Biscan are different types of players, but Gerrard is similar to Xabi in terms of the pace he puts on the pass. They are the best passers [at the club] but we must cope."
Benítez's mood has not been improved by comments made by the Australia coach Frank Farina over the weekend suggesting Liverpool were risking Kewell's wellbeing by refusing to allow the midfielder to undergo surgery to cure a long-standing groin problem. The 26-year-old, whose agent Bernie Mandic has been equally eager to voice his concerns publicly, is likely to return to the side tonight for the first time since the 3-1 win over Newcastle in December.
Liverpool are suspicious that both Mandic's and Farina's priorities are the Confederations Cup in the summer rather than Liverpool now. "He's fit and has been training normally for the last nine days," said an irritated Benítez. "We have a very good medical department who have assessed his fitness, and he can play. A lot of people around Harry are always talking about him but he's our player; we pay his wages so we control him.
"I'm not happy with the peo ple around Harry talking all the time and not doing the best things for the player. We want to see the best of Harry Kewell, and not hear people around him - Mr Farina, his agent - talking. I don't know whether the manager or the agent are doctors. I doubt they are. I don't like the fact that they talk about our player. We've only seen him at his best sometimes, not all the time."
Kewell has yet to justify a lofty reputation this season, though the knockout tie should provide an opportunity to excel. Leverkusen may have won four of their past five Bundesliga games but they are not the force they were when eliminating Liverpool and, in the semi-finals, Manchester United in 2002.
Their captain Jens Nowotny is injured, and much of the travelling squad's kit was left accidentally on the plane which returned to Germany yesterday. Theirs has been a troubled build-up.
There is also revenge to drive Liverpool on. Under Houllier, Bayer were beaten 1-0 at Anfield at the quarter-final stage and, when pegged back to 3-2 in the return, were within six minutes of elimination on the away-goals rule. The Brazilian Lucio's late fourth saw them prevail in the Ruhr that night, with Riise's memories of that occasion still laced with regret.
"Everybody thought that was going to be our year," he added. "When Jari Litmanen scored to make it 3-2 we were sure we'd go through. So it was devastating when they scored at the end and killed us. I suppose this is a chance to put that right, but the new manager's proven to us already that we are going to win trophies under him. This club is going upwards."
This evening they must demonstrate that much even without Gerrard in their number.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200405/story/0,15008,1419788,00.html?gusrc=rss_______
Bayer can turn over Liverpool says Nowotny
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AFP) - Bayer Leverkusen captain Jens Nowotny is convinced his team can record another famous victory over Premiership side Liverpool when the pair clash at Anfield on February 22 in the Champions League.
In the 2002 quarter-finals Bayer defeated Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate, before going on to reach the final, and Germany international Nowotny believes his side are favourites this time around.
"Judging from current form we are probably the favourites over the two legs," explained Nowotny. "I think we have a really good chance of reaching the next round."
Injury-ravaged Liverpool crashed to their tenth league defeat of this season over the weekend with Birmingham City running out 2-0 winners.
Bayer triumphed 2-0 over Mainz to move into sixth in the Bundesliga but like Liverpool have a reputation as a Jekyll and Hyde team.
At home Bayer have won eight of their ten home matches but have just two victories from eleven attempts on their travels.
But manager Klaus Augenthaler is confident having already defeated Real Madrid (3-0) and Roma (3-1) this season.
"I look forward to this match as Liverpool were the opponents we wanted," said Augenthaler.
"We have picked up four points against Roma and Real Madrid so I think we have a good shot at progressing."
The first leg takes place at Anfield on February 22 with the return leg at the BayArena on March 9
http://www.espnstar.com/chl/chl_newsdetail_1431257.html_________
Gerrard backs Liverpool stand-ins to keep Reds dream alive
By Angus MacKinnon
LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Steven Gerrard will be sorely missed when Liverpool begin their bid to claim a place in the Champions League quarter-finals against German side Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
But the Reds skipper, suspended for the first leg at Anfield, is confident his team-mates can do enough without him to keep the tie alive going into the second leg in Germany in a fortnight.
"It is a massive frustration for me to be suspended but hopefully the lads can pull a result out of the bag and keep me involved for the second leg."
Liverpool badly need a good performance against the 2002 finalists to help get their season back on track following a recent dip in form which has seen them go out of the FA Cup and falter in their chase of Everton in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.
"The Champions League is massive for us," Gerrard acknowledged.
"It is important that we stay in for as long as possible, not only for financial reasons but also because our league form has been so up and down."
Gerrard scored a spectactular late goal against Olympiakos to put Liverpool into the knockout stage when they were just seconds away from elimination.
Having come through the final eliminators, progress from the group stage could be viewed as a significant achievement in manager Rafael Benitez's first season in charge at Anfield.
But Liverpool's European traditions are such that the Spaniard is still likely to come under renewed pressure if his side fail to sustain their run after avoiding the tournament's biggest guns in the draw.
A place in the last eight of the tournament could also be just enough to convince Gerrard, who nearly joined Chelsea last summer, that the club is moving in the right direction to satisfy his ambitions for silverware.
Benitez has been critical of his players' attitude in recent weeks but it is also undeniable that he has been cursed by miserable luck at Anfield since arriving from Valencia in the summer.
Long-term injuries have sidelined Xabi Alonso and Djibril Cisse -- two of the players recruited to try and lift Liverpool back to the top -- as well as the young French striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
On Tuesday, Liverpool will also be without striker Fernando Morientes and defender Mauricio Pellegrino, who are both cup-tied having played for, respectively, Real Madrid and Valencia earlier in the competition.
Leverkusen however have injury problems of their own following the knee ligament injury which has ruled their hugely influential skipper, Jens Nowotny, out of the match.
The 31-year-old centreback hobbled out of Saturday's 4-2 win over FC Nuremberg and there are fears the injury could end his career.
Brazilian defender Roque Junior, a flop when he played for Leeds, is expected to stand in for Nowotny.
For Liverpool, Harry Kewell is in line for a comeback after recovering from a groin injury but Benitez may opt to play Vladimir Smicer as a second striker behind Milan Baros with the Australian on the bench.
http://www.espnstar.com/chl/chl_newsdetail_1437548.html________
Townsend on Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen
08:50am 22nd February 2005
Steven Gerrard disappointed
Missed: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard
Liverpool must utilise the pace of Milan Baros against Leverkusen. The Germans are ponderous at the back.
They've had bad news, losing the experienced Jens Nowotny and the good news for Liverpool is that Roque Junior comes in. On his day he can be very good but, as we saw when he was at Leeds, he can also be very average.
The Anfield crowd will demand better fare than has been served up recently but if they are patient - and they must be - and the team keep their shape and defend well, they can hit Bayer on the counter-attack. Anything clipped in behind the Germans will cause them trouble, but it's not a night for gung-ho football.
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* Guide: Andy Townsend's Euro files
* Gallery: Champions League ones to watch
With their talisman Steven Gerrard sat in the stand suspended and Morientes ineligible it's time for someone else to step up and take centre stage. Baros, top scorer in Euro 2006, needs to be that man.
ACE TO STOP: Berbatov.
VERDICT: Must get a lead.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=338721&in_page_id=1779_______
I can't see Liverpool winning both games this week
Feb 22 2005
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post
Rafael Benitez
WHAT a week for Liverpool. The return of the Champions League followed by the Carling Cup final is an exciting double by anyone's standards. Both games will be difficult, and as I write this, I can't see Liverpool winning both of them.
The match they will have more trouble with is tonight's at Anfield. That is not to underesti-mate Chelsea, but instead is a recognition of the players available to Rafael Benitez, and the negative attitude the Germans will almost certainly have.
Looking at Liverpool first - no Steven Gerrard, no Xabi Alanso, no Fernando Morientes. That leaves them with only Jamie Carragher and Milan Baros left of their key men.
Imagine Manchester United without Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistlerooy and Paul Scholes, or Arsenal without Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry to get some idea of how important the Anfield trio are.
In my opinion, that means Benitez has no option but to pack the midfield with Baros as a lone striker, in the hope of breaking the visitors down through move-ment and incisive passing.
That will be a big ask though because even though Leverkusen are not Inter Milan or Real Madrid, they will be well organised and resolute, as well as keen to snatch a goal on the counter-attack.
It places a lot of pressure on the likes of Harry Kewell, John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia, who will have to support Baros as much as they can.
As it stands, I think Benitez would happily accept a 1-0 scoreline to take to Germany, but 0-0 is more likely.
Come Sunday and the cavalry arrives over the hill. Gerrard and Morientes will come back into the side and they will be needed because Chelsea have been very strong this season.
However I think Liverpool have a great chance of beating them, because unlike the Germans, Chelsea have to come out and play which will leave gaps.
They are also struggling at the moment and have to play tomorrow, 24 hours closer to the final than Liverpool. A bad result against Barcelona and their players will start to look at themselves a bit closer, with a bit more doubt seeping in.
The key for Liverpool is to ensure Gerrard can get forward to support Baros and Morientes, but also to attack with width, because Chelsea are very strong through the centre.
Leaving aside any sort of footballing logic, I also have a hunch that Liverpool are due a victory over Chelsea. They were unlucky at Anfield against them, and I am backing them to come through.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_objectid=15217576%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=i%2dcan%2dt%2dsee%2dliverpool%2dwinning%2dboth%2dgames%2dthis%2dweek-name_page.html__________
Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen - Key battles
Feb 22 2005
Phil Barnett assesses where the game tonight will be won and lost
Daily Post
Sami Hyypia v Dimiter Berbatov
Having scored three goals in the competition so far this season in one of the least creative sides involved, Berbatov is a striker Hyypia and company must be careful not to under-estimate.
Useful at set-pieces and with a keen eye for goal, the 23-year-old Bulgarian sent shockwaves around the Bernabeu stadium by putting Leverkusen 1-0 up in their group-stage meeting in November before Raul's equaliser in the second half.
Dietmar Hamann v Bernd Schneider
An all-German showdown in midfield could be key to the outcome of the match. Schneider has firmly established himself as Leverkusen's main man with his combative yet creative style.
His Champions League performances so far this term have been influential as Leverkusen beat Real Madrid, Roma and Dynamo Kiev to top spot in the 'group of death'. Schneider is the man charged with making things happen for Klaus Augenthaler's side and links up with Berbatov to good effect.
A lot of responsibility will fall on Hamann's shoulder's in Steven Gerrard's absence and he will hope to deny his compatriot space to manoeuvre.
Luis Garcia v Diego Placente
Former Barcelona man Luis Garcia quickly won over the Liverpool faithful with his sparkling performances at Anfield following his summer switch. Injury and a subsequent loss of form then prevented him from cementing his place in November, but
the skilful attacker will be keen to show what he can do on the big stage. Argentinian defender Placente is a versatile option for Augenthaler and may be deployed to keep Luis Garcia quiet should Benitez hand him his favoured free role.
Milan Baros v Sascha Dum
Reds striker Baros will look to capitalise on Dum's lack of experience. Baros represents little in the way of aerial threat but has a knack of contorting his body to pounce on the ball in the penalty area.
Dum - just 19 - only made his first team debut at the weekend when Jens Nowotny was carried off with another suspected cruciate injury in his side's 4-2 win over Nurnberg.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_objectid=15217583%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=liverpool%2dv%2dbayer%2dleverkusen%2d%2d%2dkey%2dbattles-name_page.html____________
Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen: 'we'll miss Gerrard - but he'll be back to lead us into the last eight' says Riise!
By Brian Beard 22-Feb-05
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW
Liverpool go into their Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen badly under strength with arguably their biggest loss the fact that talismatic skipper Steven Gerrard is suspended.
The Reds will also be without new arrivals Fernando Morientes and Mauricio Pellegrino, who are cup-tied, and Gerrard has all but written off Liverpool's chances of winning the competition, saying: "Let's be realistic, there are some fantastic teams left in it and we are just going to try and stay in as long as possible. But we realise that maybe it's not our year."
Rafa Benitez shrugs off the absence of his skipper, saying: "Of course, it's a problem for us to be without Gerrard but the game is at Anfield and that means we will have the fans with us. Normally you prefer to play the second leg at home but maybe this time it will work to our advantage."
But it isn't all bad news for the Liverpool boss who looks likely to recall Harry Kewell, after his recent Achilles problem, though he does so with a warning for the Aussie that now is the time to deliver, especially after his Aussie international manager, Frank Farina, voiced concerns about how Kewell's injury was treated by his club.
"We know what to do with the player and the only thing the other people have to do is to say to Harry 'play as well as possible'.2
Luis Garcia could also figure after returning from suspension but Neil Mellor is also a doubt for the game at Anfield with a knee injury.
Leverkusen will be missing the hugely influential Jens Nowotny after he sustained a knee ligament injury recently. Croatian midfielder Mako Babic is also missing with an ankle injury.
The Leverkusen coach, Klaus Augnthaler, has warned his side about what they will face at Anfield, something he has personal experience of having played there, for Bayern Munich in 1981. He said: "The tight tunnel leading to the pitch is enough to send shivers down your spine. The atmosphere in English stadiums is fantastic and Liverpool are still one of the biggest clubs in Europe."
Liverpool have the Carling Cup Final coming up and that probably represents the club's best chance of silverware this season but they can also give thanks that of all the teams left in the Champions' League, at this stage, Bayer Leverkusen is the most beatable. If Liverpool can get into the semi finals then anything is possible but a lack of goalpower, in this tie against the German side, could prove too problematic.
At the very least Liverpool must look to keeping a clean sheet at Anfield. If they can manage that and maybe sneak a goal then it could all be set up for a storming second leg in Germany.
Reds defender John Arne Riise admitted the loss of Gerrard was a big blow, but insisted it would not wreck Liverpool's chances. "We hope we give him a platform to come back into the second leg and lead us into the quarter finals," he said.
"There are players coming in for the ones missing who have the opportunity to prove something, and that is why we have a big squad. Steven is a very important player for us, but it is not about just one player in a team. We need everyone to be up for the game."
http://www.givemefootball.com/display.cfm?article=6017&type=1________
Champions League: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen - Expect Liverpool to take a lead to Germany
It may be remarkable to find Premiership stragglers Liverpool included in Europe’s elite 16 clubs, but that is exactly the situation as they prepare to take on German outfit Bayer Leverkusen in tonight’s (February 22) Champions League, second round, first leg tie at Anfield.
Domestically, Liverpool have been labouring terribly as they attempt to ensure their presence in next season’s Champions League. Chasing neighbours Everton for that all-important fourth spot, they fall flat on their faces at regular intervals, usually when it looks most likely that they have finally got their act together.
Aside from this erratic behaviour, the main stumbling block to their progression into the quarter finals of Europe’s premier club competition would seem to be absentees. The talismanic, often superhuman Steven Gerrard will be missing from the first leg of the Leverkusen tie due to suspension, while Djibril Cisse and Xabi Alonso remain long-term absentees. Recent signing Fernando Morientes is cup-tied after an earlier appearance for Real Madrid - as is awkward, comedy defender Mauricio Pellegrino. Pellegrino’s absence may not be felt all that severely, such is his own incompetence, and the impressive form of the Hyypia - Carragher centre-back pairing this season.
Bayer will be without a defender of their own, as German international Jens Nowotny has damaged knee ligaments. So shocking is this injury, in fact, that there are fears over the player’s career. Former Leeds lunatic and World Cup winner Roque Junior also misses out, and so there could be a place in the side for young defender Jan Ingwer Callsen Bracker. This is one possible weakness for the reds to exploit, but you would have to assume that it very much depends on which Milan Baros turns up for the game. In full flow, the Czech star can turn any game, but if it is not his day expect to him to travel down a series of blind alleys before falling over, fixing a hopeful glance at the referee in the process.
Baros looks set to play alone up-front, so overcrowded is the Anfield treatment room at the moment. As well as Cisse, Liverpool’s striking corps is further diminished by the absence of Florent Sinama Pongolle, and doubts about the fitness of Neil Mellor also. Add this to Morientes’ ineligibility, and a problem starts to develop. This is eased slightly by the prospect of a return to first-team action for Harry Kewell, and pushing him further forward in the home leg could be an option for manager Rafa Benitez. However, Kewell has been out of action since mid-December and starting him has to be considered a risk, but with the emphasis on taking a lead to Leverkusen for the second leg, it may be a risk that Benitez has no choice but to take.
Recent previous between the two points to Leverkusen advancing to the quarter finals. The two met at that stage of the 2002 competition and although the Reds were able to win 1-0 at Anfield thanks to a Sami Hyypia goal, they were downed 4-2 in the return and crashed out. Leverkusen went on to the final that year, but came up short against the might of Real Madrid pre-Beckham.
The omens look good for the first leg at least for Liverpool, as they have never lost a home match in European competition against German clubs, a run that has spanned 14 games. Also, Leverkusen have been defeated on English soil no fewer than four times, including that 2002 defeat at Anfield.
History too, points to a Liverpool win. They have conquered Europe on four occasions, while the 2002 final was the closest Leverkusen have ever come to getting a grip on the trophy. However, Liverpool’s last European Cup win came in 1984, and much has changed at Anfield, and in football in general since then.
Steven Gerrard has already written off his team’s chances of winning the competition outright this year, but the draw has been about as lenient as it could have been at this stage. It would be no surprise, given their unpredictable nature, and remembering the captain’s last-gasp heroics against Olympiakos in the first phase, to see Liverpool dining at the top eight table.
Verdict; Liverpool never look good without Gerrard, and sometimes even with Gerrard, so don’t expect a goal glut. However, home advantage and the return of Kewell could see them snatch a narrow win. Bayer have the potential to score a vital away goal, also. 2-1 to Liverpool.
http://www.squarefootball.net/content/article/article.asp?aid=1706