From the Telegraph
England expects more fireworks from semi-final
By Henry Winter in Turin
(Filed: 15/04/2005)
In pictures: Champions league quarter-finals
The Premier League reacted with delight yesterday at the progress of two English teams to the Champions League semi-finals. "Chelsea and Liverpool have shown there is a sophistication to the English game that hitherto the Europeans have poured scorn on," said a Premier League spokesman, Dan Johnson.
"It gives the lie to the myth that the Premiership is all about bluff and bluster, that there is no technique or defensive nous in it," added Johnson. "We are high-profile anyway, being screened in 195 countries, but the success of Chelsea and Liverpool in Europe is an endorsement of the aims and objectives of the Premier League, which is the pursuit of excellence."
Much of this pursuit of excellence has been shaped by foreign managers, such as the inspirational Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and the understated but hugely influential Rafael Benitez with Liverpool. Many of the players who will contest the first leg at Stamford Bridge on April 27 and Anfield's second leg on May 3 also hail from overseas.
Yet three of those on view, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and the Chelsea pair of John Terry and Frank Lampard, are English and their season-long excellence was saluted yesterday when they were named on the Professional Footballers' Association shortlist for Player of the Year. Chelsea's Petr Cech is also among the six, as are Crystal Palace's England international, Andy Johnson, and Arsenal's Thierry Henry. Terry is favourite, hotly pursued by Lampard. Liverpool centre-half Jamie Carragher failed to make the list but has enjoyed an outstanding year.
For all their European success, Carragher's club have failed to impress domestically, particularly away from home, and it is only half in humour that fans are suggesting Liverpool should base themselves on the Continent before visiting Chelsea.
Gerrard will be back, doubtless burning to make up for his own goal in the Carling Cup final defeat by Chelsea. It will be interesting to see whether Igor Biscan shrinks back into Gerrard's colossal shadow again; the Croatian midfielder often delivers his most assertive displays when Gerrard is absent.
If Benitez's side upset the odds and reach the Istanbul final, Anfield will brace itself for a stream of "Rafa for Real" stories flowing from Spain. Benitez is much admired in Madrid, not simply for his impressive work at Valencia but for his time as a junior coach for Real.
The road to Istanbul witnessed some ugly ambushes in Piedmont and particularly Lombardy this week, highlighting the fan trouble scarring Italian football. In Turin, Liverpool supporters had around five flares launched at them. In Milan the previous evening, AC's goalkeeper, Dida, was hit by a flare thrown by an Inter fan.
To combat such mayhem, the Italian government yesterday announced legislation that would force a match to be immediately abandoned if missiles are thrown, with the miscreant fans seeing their side penalised with an automatic 3-0 loss. It will be interesting to see whether such measures are enforceable. An Inter supporter could enter the Milan end, launch a missile and get his rivals punished.
After confirming yesterday that Milan will progress from the abandoned tie, UEFA will today decree the length of Inter's exile from Europe. Like the Italian clubs, UEFA are hardly blameless, having allowed the excesses of the tifosi to go unchecked for some years.
UEFA admit to a frustration that the nine-inch-long fireworks are successfully smuggled into grounds. Italian ingenuity knows no bounds; fans buy ham baguettes en route to matches, remove the meat, insert the firework and saunter through the turnstiles confident that hard-pressed stewards are unlikely to inspect refreshments. Another tifosi trick is to ask girlfriends to carry fireworks through, knowing only male fans get searched.
Newcastle followers have been on the receiving end of flares, lighters, coins and bottles thrown by Inter supporters in recent years; offences that rarely occur in the Premiership. In Turin, Liverpool fans received warm praise from the Italian authorities yesterday. "The Liverpool fans behaved very well," said Cecilia Tartoni, of the Turin police. "They respected all the rules and did not react to the heavy provocation directed at them by Juventus fans."
The English generally cannot completely claim the moral high ground against the Italians. Serie A has been blighted by hooliganism, yet the Italians tend not to export trouble. When Milan met Juventus in the European Cup final at Old Trafford in 2003, there were four arrests, all of them English.
The security focus now switches to the May 25 final. Given recent Anglo-Turkish tensions, the authorities in Istanbul must have been queuing to throw themselves off the Bosphorus Bridge on learning the English were coming. Whether Liverpool or Chelsea, Turkey can expect an invasion numbering at least 20,000 excited English fans.
With a possible Manchester United-Arsenal FA Cup final and the European Cup climax certain to enjoy an English hue, either the blue of Chelsea or red of Liverpool, the season looks like ending in spectacular fashion.
