On the 9th April 2002, a particularly catastrophic tactical decision by Gerard Houllier robbed Liverpool FC of the chance to participate in what would undoubtedly have been the game of the century.
On the night in question, Liverpool faced Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Awaiting the winners was a mouth-watering, once in a lifetime semi-final tie against…Manchester United.
Liverpool-United in a CL semi? It’s the stuff of dreams, especially since both teams have never before crossed swords in European competition.
At the time, I (and every other LFC fan!) was massively excited at the prospect; I had no doubt Liverpool would beat Leverkusen, especially with a 1-0 aggregate advantage from the first leg at Anfield.
And given the club’s record v United that season – A 3-1 win at Anfield and a 1-0 win at Old Trafford – I was 100% confident that we would beat United and reach the final.
Gerard Houllier sent out a strong team that included the likes of Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, but within 15 minutes, Leverkusen had taken the lead with a Michael Ballack special.
With the aggregate score at 1-1, things were tense. Michael Owen squandered chance after chance and Emile Heskey limped off injured and was replaced with Finnish maestro Jari Litmanen.
Then, just before the interval, Abel Xavier headed-in a precious away goal from a Danny Murphy cross. 2-1 on aggregate with the advantage of an away goal. Job done, right?
Wrong.
In the 61st minute, Houllier made a decision that to this day I cannot understand.
He replaced Dietmar Hamann with Vladimir Smicer.
Before this substitution, Liverpool were keeping Leverkusen at bay, thanks mostly to Hamann’s outstanding defensive work. The team was 2-1 up on aggregate with the advantage of an away goal and would only go out if Leverkusen scored two goals.
Clearly, the right move here was to protect the lead and preserve the prospect of dream date with Man United in the semi-final. That possibility was, however, destroyed as soon as Smicer set foot on the pitch.
Within two minutes of the substitution, Michael Ballack scored again to bring the tie level on aggregate. A brilliant solo goal by the Jari Litmanen swung the game back in Liverpool’s favour, but by this time, Leverkusen were growing in confidence, sensing a weakness in midfield, which they exploited to the full.
Without Hamann’s physical presence, positioning and organisation, Leverkusen poured forward, completely bypassing Liverpool’s now non-existent (and lightweight) midfield and scored a further two goals, giving them a 4-3 aggregate victory.
The dream was dead. Liverpool were out of the competition and the fans were cruelly robbed of the game of the century.
Having watched the game many times, it is crystal clear that the turning point was the substitution. Indeed, I have absolutely no doubt that if Hamann had stayed on the pitch, Liverpool would’ve beaten Leverkusen.
This contention is supported by the other evidence, namely Hamann’s impact in the 2005 CL final against Milan. Liverpool’s midfield was ripped apart in the first half and it took the introduction of Hamann to really swing the game in Liverpool’s favour.
What was Houllier thinking?! What possible tactical advantage was gained by removing one of Liverpool’s most effective players and replacing him with one of the club’s most inconsistent, lightweight performers?
Houllier’s disastrous decision not only cost us the sublime satisfaction of knocking United out of the European Cup, it arguably cost us another European trophy. With Zinedine Zidane in his prime, Real Madrid would’ve been a tough prospect in the final, but they were definitely beatable.
Due to Houllier’s gargantuan blunder, it was sadly not to be. The players picked themselves up and went on to finish second in the league that year, but for me, the Leverkusen disappointment but a dampener on the whole season.
That decision by Houllier still makes me feel sick to this day. Opportunities to face United in a CL semi-final (or Final for that matter) don’t come around that often. Indeed, in the previous 47 years of the competition, it didn’t happen once.
Hopefully, Liverpool fans won’t have to wait another 47 years before we get to experience the pleasure of knocking Man United out of the Champions League.
On the night in question, Liverpool faced Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Awaiting the winners was a mouth-watering, once in a lifetime semi-final tie against…Manchester United.
Liverpool-United in a CL semi? It’s the stuff of dreams, especially since both teams have never before crossed swords in European competition.
At the time, I (and every other LFC fan!) was massively excited at the prospect; I had no doubt Liverpool would beat Leverkusen, especially with a 1-0 aggregate advantage from the first leg at Anfield.
And given the club’s record v United that season – A 3-1 win at Anfield and a 1-0 win at Old Trafford – I was 100% confident that we would beat United and reach the final.
Gerard Houllier sent out a strong team that included the likes of Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, but within 15 minutes, Leverkusen had taken the lead with a Michael Ballack special.
With the aggregate score at 1-1, things were tense. Michael Owen squandered chance after chance and Emile Heskey limped off injured and was replaced with Finnish maestro Jari Litmanen.
Then, just before the interval, Abel Xavier headed-in a precious away goal from a Danny Murphy cross. 2-1 on aggregate with the advantage of an away goal. Job done, right?
Wrong.
In the 61st minute, Houllier made a decision that to this day I cannot understand.
He replaced Dietmar Hamann with Vladimir Smicer.
Before this substitution, Liverpool were keeping Leverkusen at bay, thanks mostly to Hamann’s outstanding defensive work. The team was 2-1 up on aggregate with the advantage of an away goal and would only go out if Leverkusen scored two goals.
Clearly, the right move here was to protect the lead and preserve the prospect of dream date with Man United in the semi-final. That possibility was, however, destroyed as soon as Smicer set foot on the pitch.
Within two minutes of the substitution, Michael Ballack scored again to bring the tie level on aggregate. A brilliant solo goal by the Jari Litmanen swung the game back in Liverpool’s favour, but by this time, Leverkusen were growing in confidence, sensing a weakness in midfield, which they exploited to the full.
Without Hamann’s physical presence, positioning and organisation, Leverkusen poured forward, completely bypassing Liverpool’s now non-existent (and lightweight) midfield and scored a further two goals, giving them a 4-3 aggregate victory.
The dream was dead. Liverpool were out of the competition and the fans were cruelly robbed of the game of the century.
Having watched the game many times, it is crystal clear that the turning point was the substitution. Indeed, I have absolutely no doubt that if Hamann had stayed on the pitch, Liverpool would’ve beaten Leverkusen.
This contention is supported by the other evidence, namely Hamann’s impact in the 2005 CL final against Milan. Liverpool’s midfield was ripped apart in the first half and it took the introduction of Hamann to really swing the game in Liverpool’s favour.
What was Houllier thinking?! What possible tactical advantage was gained by removing one of Liverpool’s most effective players and replacing him with one of the club’s most inconsistent, lightweight performers?
Houllier’s disastrous decision not only cost us the sublime satisfaction of knocking United out of the European Cup, it arguably cost us another European trophy. With Zinedine Zidane in his prime, Real Madrid would’ve been a tough prospect in the final, but they were definitely beatable.
Due to Houllier’s gargantuan blunder, it was sadly not to be. The players picked themselves up and went on to finish second in the league that year, but for me, the Leverkusen disappointment but a dampener on the whole season.
That decision by Houllier still makes me feel sick to this day. Opportunities to face United in a CL semi-final (or Final for that matter) don’t come around that often. Indeed, in the previous 47 years of the competition, it didn’t happen once.
Hopefully, Liverpool fans won’t have to wait another 47 years before we get to experience the pleasure of knocking Man United out of the Champions League.
2 COMMENTS:
You should have the decencly to expand on that. Don't stoop to name-calling. Let's know what your opinion is.
I remember this game, though not as clearly as you do clearly do. I remember that they couldn't get a grip on us, and their eccentric-looking coach getting very animated on the touch-line with his team.
Hadn't we knocked them out of the UEFA the year previous without much fuss, despite the reputation of Ballack?
I remember having high hopes about Smicer before he came along, only for that expectation to fall flat. Conversely, I hadn't got any expectations of Didi - good or bad - only for him to become Mr Dependable.
Curious note: Hamann was the last Dalglish "signing" to play for Liverpool, though Dalglish wasn't the Liverpool manager when he signed him. Good for a pub brain-teaser! I'm sure there's a 'six degrees of Kevein Bacon' trivia game in there.
Post a Comment