Europa League preview: Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
It was December 2007, and at the height of Rafael Benitez’s fallout with Liverpool’s American owners, when the Reds manager repeatedly told assembled journalists that he was solely focussed on “coaching and training” his team in the wake of some not-so-helpful transfer advice from Tom Hicks.
Two-and-a-half years later, coaches and trains of a different kind have dominated Benitez and his team’s pre-match build-up, and dominated is certainly the right word.
You may just have heard about Liverpool’s travel arrangements ahead of their fourth European semi-final in six years under their Spanish manager. Whether it was via 24-hour rolling news channels, live blogs or a Google map of their circuitous route, it was hard to ignore.
The Reds’ 26-hour journey between Runcorn and Madrid – via London, Paris and Bordeaux – cemented their place as the poster boys of the Icelandic volcano travel disruption, and while the hysteria surrounding the sight of Premier League footballers on a train – a train! – will eventually die down (one day, maybe) the Reds could put all of the talk of “travel chaos” to bed with a good performance in the Vicente Calderón Stadium tonight, but before that, the most important things to put to bed must have been themselves.
Has the long journey affected the players? No, said Javier Mascherano (pictured) at yesterday’s press conference, but his eyes conveyed a different message.
The weary-looking Argentina captain and his manager revealed how the trip has helped foster a team spirit and togetherness, qualities that have often been missing during the Reds’ struggles this season.
Dropping into the Europa League wasn’t what they would have had in mind at the beginning of the campaign, but since their demotion to Europe’s second-tier competition they’ve taken to their task superbly – with their 4-1 demolition of an impressive Benfica side last time out a particular highlight. One man on the scoresheet that night won’t be again this evening though.
When the possibility of Atlético facing Liverpool in a semi-final cropped up, then all thoughts turned to Fernando Torres – as fierce an Atléti as they come – and his return to the Calderón, yet fate has once again intervened.
Last season, injury forced Torres to miss the two Champions League group encounters between the club he loves and the club he has grown to love, while his absence this time around will once again be keenly felt, both by home fans and away players.
Dirk Kuyt is likely to take over from David Ngog in the lone striker role, while Maxi Rodriguez – who scored for Atlético at Anfield last season – didn’t embark upon Liverpool’s grand tour as he’s cup-tied. He played for tonight’s opponents at the start of this season’s European campaign, and – just like their domestic season – it has been a strange one for Madrid’s second club.
Rarely can a team arrive in a European semi-final having won just one match in continental competition all season.
Atlético dropped out of the Champions League after three draws and three defeats in their group – one of each against Chelsea – and have progressed to the semi-final of the Europa League via two away goals wins and a victory over Galatasaray courtesy of a last-minute Diego Forlán strike.
The ex-Manchester United forward – a very different, i.e. better, player than the one who was at Old Trafford – will lead the line tonight in the absence, through suspension, of exciting Argentinian Sergio Aguero, who is viewed as Torres’ heir on the Calderón terraces and continues to be linked with several big money moves elsewhere.
Tenth in La Liga, their league campaign has been – like Liverpool’s – a forgettable one, and the Reds know that tough test lies in store for them tonight.
Defenders Jamie Carragher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos – an excellent triple word score on the players’ editions of Travel Scrabble – will have to be on their game if the Reds are to take a good result back to Anfield for the second leg, not that a narrow defeat would be catastrophic – Liverpool have lost their first legs in both of the last two rounds.
That certainly won’t be the aim though, but after a week that’s seen the Reds stage their own version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, tiredness would be an easy excuse for failure.
But failure shouldn’t be an option, Liverpool haven’t come all this way to lose after all.
A win, and they can start checking the train timetables to Hamburg for the final.
Prediction: Atlético Madrid 1 Liverpool 1
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