Sliding Doors
June 2006
It is perhaps not wise to highlight one single moment when everything changed, The Butterfly Moment. It is of course many factors that bring about change as big as the change which has happened at Anfield over the past 18 months, but the night when Liverpool failed to score 3 against Olympiakos and so made there exit from the Champions League certainly stands out as a turning point.
Perhaps if Steven Gerrard had managed to convert his half chance from twenty five yards he would still be at the club instead of plying his trade in Madrid. He was the driving force behind the Liverpool team that Bentiez seemed to be shaping into a very good team. A team that had just beaten Arsenal, a team that qualified for the semi-final of the League Cup while playing untried kids. The mentality shift Liverpool were so desperate for seemed to be coming. How that fateful night changed everything.
In the derby and the following games against Portsmouth and Newcastle the bravery Liverpool had shown disappeared. Four consecutive defeats saw Gerrard leave in the January transfer window and probably also had a hand in Morrientes deciding to opt for Monaco. Despite valiant effort from Rafael Benitez Liverpool were on a downward slope and nothing seems to have stopped them yet.
In the past Liverpool finishing in mid-table would simply have been unacceptable, to the fans it still is, but the actuality is that they were probably lucky to finish tenth this season. Benitez has a big job on his hands to resurrect this team.
Sliding Doors
June 2006
It is perhaps not wise to highlight one single moment when everything changed, The Butterfly Moment. It is of course many factors that bring about change as big as the change which has happened at Anfield over the past 18 months, but the moment when Steven Gerrard smashed in a goal that secured Liverpools qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League last year certainly stands out.
Looking back now the irony of the goal scorer isn't wasted. Steven Gerrard was at the time being reported to be questionning whether he could realise his lofty ambitions at his hometown club. He needn't ask that question anymore. For the remainder of last season Liverpool still struggled with injuries and for the kids to have beaten Chelsea's millionaires in the League Cup must have been evidence enough for Gerrard to know that Liverpool had a very special manager. If that wasn't evidence enough the performances that Liverpool put in in early 2005 would have convinced anyone.
To climb the league in the fashion they did with the newly signed Morrientes scoring twenty goals in just 18 games was hugely impressive, indeed if the league started at Christmas Liverpool would have won it, but to finish 10 points clear of Manchester United in third was still something to make scousers smile. Something else to make them smile was the performance of the team in The Champions League, reaching the semi-finals was more than they would have hoped for at that stage. Rafa had said anything last season was a bonus and so expectations were brilliantyly surpassed. Baros reaffirming himself as a true world class player by finishing the season with the golden boot just put some nice trimmings on the season.
Well if the scousers were smiling last season, how muts they be feeling now?
Premiership Champions
Champions League Winners
FA Cup Winners
The whole of the red half of Liverpool is like a toothpaste advert right now.
Smiling more broadly than most is Steven Gerrard! Recently voted world player of the year, playing in a team that most would agree deserve the accolade of team of the year. He has achieved everything he dreamt of. You wouldn't know it, he has said that yesterday's wins count for nothing "Liverpool Football Club should be winning trophies every season" he said recently.
I hope that when he retires he has chance to look back and remember all the successes and enjoy them. If it crosses his mind where did it all start? When did we turn the corner? When did Liverpool set off on the road to becomming great again? I'm sure the 48 thousand fans who were at Anfield that night will mention a certain 86th minute goal!
