John Arne Riise's ludicrous own goal 4 minutes into injury on Tuesday was hard to take for Liverpool fans. However, judging by the performances of the two teams, the Reds should go into the deciding leg with a lot of confidence. Although they have not scored at Stamford Bridge for 8 games, that doesn not mean a thing. Chelsea have found it difficult to score against a resolute Liverpool defence in recent years, and all it takes is a goal from the away side, preferably in the first half, to put them firmly in the driving seat. Apart from the injured Aurelio, Benitez should keep the same team and formation. Alonso and Mascherano gradually took control of the midfield on Tuesday, although Chelsea will be boosted by the return of Michael Essien from suspension which poses a problem for Benitez.
One player who stood out for me was the ever dependable Jamie Carragher. His committment and attitude is vital to this Liverpool team, and he generally had Drogba in his back pocket for most of the game. Carragher will be required to be at his best on Wednesday night. John Terry's late booking will hopefully make him subconsciously aware that another will rule him out of the final and thus allow more freedom for Torres and Gerrard. I am fairly optimistic that Liverpool can get the result they need to progress, although it will be one heck of a nervy 90 minutes. Better get a spare pair of undies just in case :-)
2 comments:
i'm gonna wear my brown trousers too, as a precaution.
Carragher played well, as did Skrtel. For me Mescherano and Alonso were the main men on Tuesday. Well them and Dirk obviously. ;-)
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