Liverpool 3 Bordeaux 0 - CL Group Match (Oct 31 2006)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 3 Bordeaux 0

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Luis Garcia (2), Steven Gerrard Half Time - 1-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sat 28 Oct 2006 Star Man - Steven Gerrard

 

 

 

 

 

There will have been a lot of disappointed faces in the Anfield Press Box when the team selection for this game was announced. The hacks have gone into overdrive this past week hyping up the 100th consecutive game that Rafa will have failed to name an unchanged side, so you can imagine their irritation when they were run out on 99. Rafa certainly has a mischevious side!

For a lot of this game however, he may have been wishing he had freshened his side up a bit, as the performance was pretty lacklustre up until the point Bordeaux were reduced to ten men. The first half was virtually a non-event, with Luis Garcia’s well taken goal the only real incident of any note.

It was a well worked goal, as Crouch cleverly ducked under Gerrard’s deep cross and Garcia thumped the ball back across goal into the far corner. Garcia is always a threat at Anfield, and even more so when European opposition roll into town.

The reds enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half, but the visiting keeper didn’t really have much to do at all. With Bordeaux offering about as much threat as Pat Nevin in an ‘Ultimate Fighting Tournament’, it made for a pretty dull opening 45 minutes.

Had this been a weekend league game, you’d have heard a pin drop inside Anfield, but the Kop kept themselves entertained by randomly singing players names throughout the first half. The ‘Team of Carraghers’ got a full airing, Alonso, Gerrard, Sissoko, Hyypia and Garcia all got their name sung as did Vladimir Smicer, who was watching from the stands.

I’ve got to say I’m seriously disappointed with how his homecoming was handled. The club should have insisted on bringing him out onto the field either just prior to kick off, or preferably at half time. Vladi would have loved to do that, but he was never going to ask the club to allow it. He wanted the chance to wave to the fans, and had asked his coach if he could be on the bench just so he could warm up in front of the Kop, but understandably the coach refused. This was after all a competitive game for Bordeaux, not a testimonial game.

The club should have done something to mark his return though. All we got was Phil Easton announcing before the teams came out that Vladi was in the stadium. Big fucking wow. If it had have been up to me, I’d have put the European Cup in Vladi’s hands at half time and told him to do a lap of honour. He’d have had a night he’d never forget, and we’d have a chance to thank him. It’s too late now though, it’s highly unlikely he’ll have the chance to come back here again, and in sticks in the throat that we didn't get a proper chance to thank him.

On the plus side, someone else is unlikely to be back at Anfield after the events of yesterday. Again, if it had been up to me he’d have been brought HIM onto the pitch at half time too, but his reception would have been far different to the one Smicer would have had. At one stage in the first half I heard a few voices on the Kop chanting ‘Noel White shite, Noel White shite’ but at the same time another song started up elsewhere on the Kop and they were drowned out.

Mr White’s attack on Rafa in the press was cowardly and also baffling, but ironically it seems to have pulled everyone together at a time when things were looking like they were on the verge of falling apart. Morale in the squad looked to be at a very low ebb following the surrender at Old Trafford, but the criticism of the manager (and his signings) by the press and of course Mr White, coupled with the continued stream of media bullshit surrounding Steven Gerrard may just have created something of a siege mentality. The skipper in particular has looked determined to make his point in the last couple of games, and he was apparently livid at the weekend’s fabricated stories of a rift between himself and Benitez.

Along with Alonso he was our most impressive performer in the first half, and even in the second half when our performance dropped off even more up until they were reduced to ten men, Gerrard was still trying to make things happen.

The sending off was a key moment in the game, because we had started to look very edgy and Bordeaux were getting a bit of a foothold in the game. Reina had made a crucial save from Darcheville at the start of the second half, and the visitors had several other sights of goal which came to nothing due to wayward shooting.

Momo had been booked, and when he caught one of their players with his studs after he’d clearly won the ball first, they swarmed around the referee to try and get him sent off. Their lad looked like he was making a meal of it, so Riise didn’t give them the ball back from the throw in, instead sending Garcia in behind their sleeping defence. Actually, they weren’t sleeping, they were still in our half trying to persuade the ref to send off Momo.

The referee blew his whistle to stop Garcia in his tracks, but I don’t actually know what his reason was for stopping the game. It was forgotten instantly anyway because of what followed, as Riise was butted by snidey midfielder Fernando. This guy was a disgrace in the first game, flinging himself to ground at every opportunity and just generally being a twat. After this incident, he’ll be in big trouble with UEFA.

At the time, I didn’t know what had happened, and it looked like Riise had been a bit of a fanny, turning away and holding his face. I thought the guy had probably put a hand in his face or something trivial like that, but when I saw Riise charging off with blood streaming to down his face I did feel a bit guilty for doubting him. Sorry John!

Riise deserves great credit actually for not making more of it. There are some players who’d have still been rolling around the ground even now had that happened to them, but John didn’t make much of it at all. Good to see.

From that moment on, we were in complete control. The one thing Bordeaux had done well up to that point was work hard and close us down well. With a man short, they were unable to do that as effectively and suddenly we were finding gaps in their final third. Gerrard especially began to get a lot of joy surging through the centre.

His performance was the main plus point to come out of this game for me. He looked much more like his old self and could have had a hat-trick. On another day he would have, but the lack of goals this season was clearly weighing on his mind as he snatched at two glorious chances. First he raced onto Crouch’s clever header but blazed a left foot shot well wide, and then he was sent clear by Finnan’s excellent ball over the top but once more his shot was wayward.

Clearly it was playing on his mind that he hadn’t scored this season, and the Kop responded by chanting his name. The chant was still ringing around when substitute Zenden – on for the injured Alonso – slid a perfect pass into Gerrard’s path and his low finish just about beat the keeper. His relief was there for all to see, and surely this will set him off on a run of goals now.

Garcia made it 3-0 with a neat finish after he’d robbed the ball off a defender, and it could easily have been four or five in the end. Fowler came on and looked very sharp, twice going close to grabbing the goal that would have sent everyone home delighted. Hyypia should have scored too, when he headed over the rebound after Gerrard’s powerful shot was only parried by the keeper. Even Momo got in on the act, having a sweetly struck shot parried over the bar.

There was a comical moment in the closing stages of the game which many people will have missed. It happened right down in front of where I sit, so I had a clear view of it. Robbie closed down a defender by the corner flag, and put the ball out for a throw in. He ended up right in the linesman’s face as he appealed for the throw in, but the linesman gave it the other way. Robbie smiled and then appeared to tweak the linesman’s bollocks. The linesman just laughed. As I say, a lot of people won’t have seen it but I’m pretty sure it happened.

All in all, another good night. We didn’t go through all the gears, but we didn’t need to. It was a comfortable performance where we did enough to get the win. Bordeuax just seemed happy to be here, and aside from a ten minute spell in the second half they never looked like they believed they could get anything.

Their fans were kept in afterwards and apparently gave our players a great reception when they came out for the warm down. They were also chanting ‘Liverpool’, which seems to happen a lot in these games. It’s part of what makes European nights so special at Anfield, and this result ensures we’ll be having at least two more of them this season. PSV will come here for the game that will probably decide the group.

Generally, winning the group increases your chances of getting an easier draw, but with Barcelona looking like finishing second in their group, there’s no telling whether winning the group is an advantage or not.

In the meantime, we need to continue picking up points domestically, and a home game with Reading looks like a great chance to do just that. With Garcia and Alonso both picking up knocks in this game, Rafa maybe forced to make some changes for that game, but if he does don’t expect the press to make allowances for injuries, it’ll be ‘Rafa the Rotator’ up to his old tricks again.

By the way, whichever dick came up with that ‘Rafa the Rotator’ crap deserves to die a slow and painful death, or alternatively be locked in a room listening to Robbie Earle and Andy Townsend for three hours. I don’t mind which, I’d even let him choose as either is fine with me. I’d take option one myself though, I think.


Team: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Gerrard, Alonso (Zenden), Sissoko, Garcia (Fowler); Crouch (Pennant), Kuyt: