Europa League preview: Trabzonspor v Liverpool (agg: 0-1)
It is perhaps no surprise that, as the club continue to make heavy weather of takeover matters off the pitch, Liverpool should continue to make things difficult for themselves on it.
A goal up heading into the second 45 minutes of their home leg of this Europa League play-off tie with Trabzonspor, the Reds proceeded to miss several opportunities to extend their lead. Joe Cole saw a penalty saved, goalkeeper Onur Kivrak kept out wave after wave of efforts, and even when he was beaten, Reds debutant Christian Poulsen had a goal controversially disallowed.
And so 1-0 it stayed, ensuring that the second leg in Turkey was going to be tricky, and it’s just got trickier. Never mind takeovers, the Reds could be overtaken in the Europa League tonight.
Neither Steven Gerrard nor Fernando Torres have made the over 2000-mile trek to Trabzon, and with Javier Mascherano still sulking his way into a move to Barcelona, plus injury and illness ruling out Maxi Rodriguez, Daniel Agger and Milan Jovanović, boss Roy Hodgson has been forced to include some inexperienced players in his squad, but one of them is confident that he can make a difference.
“I was at home one day and the manager rang me and said he wanted me to change my shirt number from 47 to 12, and go into the first-team dressing room,” says Dani Pacheco. “Of course I said 'Okay'.”
Easy decision, and the 19-year-old Spaniard has got the talent to back up such a promotion, as anyone who saw the recent European Under-19 Championships – where the attacking midfielder finished as top goalscorer – would testify. His successful summer tournament was followed by 90 minutes in the previous Europa League qualifying round against FK Rabotnicki, and after he appeared for the closing stages of Monday’s miserable defeat at the hands Manchester City, he’s got his eye on more first team outings.
“It's a long season and this is another competition,” says Pacheco, who previous Reds boss Rafael Benitez signed from Barcelona as a 16-year-old in 2007.
“There are four competitions and I hope I can get some minutes in the Europa League and some of the others. The manager has told me he doesn't want me to go away on loan. He wants me to stay here and be a player for the first team. I hope I finally break into the first team this season but I'll have to work hard for this.
“I am only 19-years-old, so to hear these things from a manager who has so much experience is really good for me. I am really happy working with Hodgson. He's doing great.”
Such early positivity about the veteran Englishman was widely shared amongst the Reds faithful, but that has been checked by that defeat at City, which was admittedly played out amidst the backdrop of Mascherano’s refusal to play, a decision that forced Hodgson into a change of personnel and therefore tactics.
Hardly ideal preparation for a tough game, but neither is being without your brightest two stars, and Liverpool will know that they are in for the toughest of tests in Turkey. As the Reds were slipping to defeat at Eastlands, Trabzonspor were beating Fenerbahçe 3-2 in the Turkish League, their second successive win at the start of their domestic campaign.
They did cause Liverpool a few problems at Anfield, with only a world-class save from Pepe Reina denying Umut Bulut what would have been a priceless away goal, and attacking talents such as him, Selçuk İnan and the Colombian Teófilo Gutiérrez will fancy their chances up against a Liverpool side who’ll be low on confidence.
It is up the Reds to keep them out, and with the knowledge that should Ryan Babel’s goal at Anfield be added to by one away strike tonight meaning that the Turks will have to score three, Liverpool are likely to keep it tight and hope to hit their opponents on the break.
All of which means that it might not be pretty, with Hodgson’s only goal being just that, to score once.
Do that, and he and his club be through.
Fail, and it may not just be Mascherano who doesn’t feel like playing for Liverpool again.
Prediction: Trabzonspor 1 Liverpool 1 (agg: 1-2)
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