Reading Paul T's thread I think people here agree with most of what I've said. Spooky how the Fulham comparison came out a few times huh?? Anyway...
LFC 0 Thespians 0 – Points dropped, Fulham style
Galatasary went home today with a point, a few Baftas and an Oscar. Despite Lucescu’s comment that his was the “better side” for a long spell and “should have been infront”, it wasn’t deserved. He must have been watching the wrong play or something. You see, from my vantage point in the upper circle (Kop block 204), only the width of the woodwork, some poor finishing and a fine performance from Mondragon spared the Turks an Ipswich or Leeds style scoreline…
This was always going to be a highly charged evening. Everyone has a comment to make about Galatasary, their fans and “Hell” but this was surely the moment to move on. This is Anfield, this is Liverpool and this is about European football, no room here for any tabloid hack to distract us from the main feature. We were intent on bringing that special European night atmosphere back to Anfield after the winter break and Galatasary had brought their Energiser bunny fans to entertain us in the far corner. The stage was set, so to speak.
I did have a few pre-match comments to make about the Gala team and players. I was set to mention the quick footed skill, crisp passing and off the ball movement that brought Gala their home championship last season but I’m not sure it’s called for. In short, the visitors skill was overshadowed by a level of play acting that sickened me. Why any team blessed with such undoubted ability needs to indulge in Olympic diving displays and histrionics is beyond me. Sure, I had expected the customary levels of stalling and time wasting that many away sides employ to disrupt the flow, but this was special. So, with the exception of Mondragon (who’s job it is to dive), I’ll be subbing in the names of great British luvvies to represent the Turkish drama group here.
I’ve not been in the Kop for a while now and it didn’t disappoint. There can be few greater feelings than belting out YNWA without being able to hear your own Stella lubricated voice. There are few greater vantage points to see and be involved with such a spectacle. I was wrapped. Apparently there was a Shankly banner passed overhead. Right… OK. But I did see the game, standing on the Kop.
The early exchanges looked tetchy. A very familiar Liverpool 4-4-2 saw Carra at left back and Xavier on the right. Murphy and Riise were to provide our width for the evening. Galatasary lined up with a five man chorus line in midfield and initially looked sharper. White shirts were finding white shirts, red shirts were finding white shirts. Gradually the composure returned and chances followed.
Gerrard had one free kick comfortably saved and Riise rolled a second for Hamman to rifle narrowly wide. On the half hour Hamman returned the favour for Riise to sting Mondragons fingers with a blistering effort that moved a good metre or two in the air. Either that or I was swaying a bit, one of the two. Gala had their chances too. Lawrence Olivier had a long range dipper tipped over and Richard Attenborough’s swerving free kick was easily held by Kirkland. Later on Edward Fox was to silence the ground with a snap shot that grazed the side netting but it wasn’t RADA stuff. The Kop gave Chris K. an “England’s number one” tribute for his troubles but he wasn’t going to be able to show many of his skills tonight.
Liverpool struggled to maintain any sustained periods of possession with the ball often pinging around midfield like Alex Higgins in a bar. One such episode developed into a Wild West scene. I’m sure it wasn’t in the script but it was comical. Riise, Murphy, Gerrard and Hamman put in four crunching tackles in quick succession. James Mason, Alec Guinness and Kenneth Brannah, three Gala players in all, were left mortally wounded but play continued. The Gala officials were out of the orchestra pit in a shot, incensed at the lack of direction… I mean refereeing. But it was clear to all that each challenge was aimed at - and got the ball. We’re not top of the Premiership fair play league for nothing.
Inevitably these events raised the tempo and the noise levels in Anfield, not least when a free kick on the left gave us another “Rio Ferdinand” style opportunity. Hamman curled it in and it was Hyypia whose glancing header came back off the post. Great. Didi, cruising to man of the match, had two further efforts saved before half time. He made good “three iron” contact for both but the first was tipped over and the second put round the post. From the resulting corner came a goal mouth scramble that saw Peter Ustinov clear off the line. This was getting to be a bit too much like a replay of the Fulham game for me now. Plenty of chances but no conversion, it was time for a lucky sausage roll.
The team did look as organised and solid as ever. For me the question was how to retain possession in midfield long enough to create something for the front and wide players to build on. So when the second half started I was looking for higher quality passing, something with more of a zip about it to test Galatasary. We needed to leave their players out of position to give Mikey and Emile more space than they’d seen so far. To an extent this did happen as the reds attacked the favoured Kop end.
Murphy chanced his arm soon after the restart with a 30 yarder that shaved Mondragon’s left post. His face said it all. How many times had that same shot found the top corner at Melwood, Spud? Then came another training ground “certainty”. Riise placed a Main Stand corner on Heskey’s head at the near post. The ball crashed against the crossbar and looped into the fans below me, most with head in hands and all taking that deep breath of disbelief.
It was all Liverpool now as a modicum of space opened up and Xavier pressed forward with some joy. Xavier played a fabulous game. While others were pressurised into conceding possession, I’m struggling to recall a Xavier missed pass. Each one was gift wrapped for it’s intended team mate. In contrast, I’m not sure Owen had his Sporties for breakfast. The movement was there but the half chances he often buries were taken early (skied into the stand), hurried (hit at the keeper) or just didn’t arrive. The most frustrating of these was Danny Murphy’s run. Spud had happily skipped past James Mason and nut megged Oliver Reed on a direct run into the box. One final touch brought a shooting opportunity that he scuffed badly. The face this time just said “fuck”. Michael’s face was less forgiving, a pass five yards to his left would have given him and open goal and Liverpool three points.
While I might slate their players, the Gala fans were superb and deserve a mention. They conducted themselves impeccably and had travelled a couple of thousand miles to sing their hearts out. We hope you enjoyed your time in Liverpool and enjoyed what was a colourful and atmospheric evening of European football. I personally loved the conductor you brought along to organise the singing (even if I couldn’t hear you). Good luck in the remainder of the competition and here’s to the return leg.
Ultimately then, this was a frustrating game that was there to be won. On the night Liverpool worked hard both individually and as a team. The rub of the green, a keeper stumble or a tad more composure would have won the game. Instead, as the curtain fell on this one and Gala exited stage left, we’re left to rue missed chances. Didi said "We probably had more chances than against Ipswich" and Thommo “It just wouldn't go in tonight". I’m inclined to agree.
We’re bottom of Champions League Group B but it couldn’t be much tighter. Only Barca have won a game so everyone’s within three points of qualification. Suddenly our preference to play away at the moment doesn’t look so bad and I for one fancy us to get a result in Istanbul and Barcelona. Then it’ll be down to a repeat home tie against Roma and some serious nail biting. That said, for me the Champions League plays a supporting role to the Premiership this season. Good news then that Stevie G could recover from a groin strain in time for the Bluenoses and we all know what their fans and their Hellish stadium are like.