10th of March, 2009. The scoreboard at Anfield reads Liverpool 4, Real Madrid, 0. Benitez got the sack that year, and the red men have not been seen in the competition since. Although a similar scoreline this time round seems an impossible feat, most of us reds fans will be hoping for damage limitations when Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, and Rodriguez come to town.
Following a very frustrating match at 20th place QPR on Sunday, which epitomized Liverpool's rugged start to the season, a match against Real Madrid does not make matters any easier. Madrid are a team in unbelievable form at the moment, with Ronaldo looking likely to score a hat-trick every time he steps onto a football pitch. One thing is for certain, Rodgers' men will need to be noting short of exceptional come Wednesday night, if we are to go away with any form of result.
Previous Meetings
Liverpool will be somewhat buoyed by the fact that Real Madrid have failed to score a single against the reds in the three meetings the two teams have encountered. Could the statistic remain intact? With the current reds' back line as shaky as it is at the moment, whilst looking at Madrid's attack prowess, it looks extremely unlikely. Stranger things have happened however, and here is the team Rafa put out the last time the 'galacticos' visited Anfield:
Reina
Arbeloa Skrtel Carragher Aurelio
Mascherano
Gerrard Alonso
Kuyt Torres Babel
As unbelievable as Liverpool's line up was that day, I have to admit that this current crop of Anfield players are not even close to being up there quality wise. That middle three of Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano were the reason Liverpool had the best midfield in the world back then, as Rafa's reds ran riot in a 4-0 thumping of the ten times winners.
That was not the most recent of matches between the two however, as the return fixture at the Bernabeu saw Benitez's boys knick a 1-0 away win. This proved to be one of Rafa's final matches before he got the sack, which is quite hard to put your head around. Will Brendan be shown the door if his team were to accumulate a 5-0 aggregate this time? (I will give the likeliness of us winning by 5 goals a 1 %, followed by the likeliness of Rodgers being sacked afterwards at 0.5 %).
Will Sturridge's Continuous Injury Woes Dampen the Mood?
Us reds fans were all left swearing at our telly box when the news broke out late Friday evening. Yes, Daniel Sturridge will miss a further three to four weeks, which will see him unavailable for both Madrid matches, something that will give Rodgers a selection headache as we enter the big match. It has been proven with our performances thus far this season that we cannot cope without Sturridge. Our new star signing Balotelli seems a massive liability at times, and whether the future return of Sturridge will boost Mario's confidence remains to be seen.
There is no doubt that Rodgers will look to the January window as a possibility to bring in another striker to add to the squad. That is, of course, if Lille refrain from sending us Divock Origi earlier than supposedly, which will be the best of the two option. I reckon that with Sturridge in the starting 11 we would find it extremely difficult to break Madrid's core down. It is now looking a near impossibility without him in the squad though. Rodgers will need to rally every single one of his players, as Liverpool could be in for a tiresome night indeed.
Listen to Carra? Drop Balotelli?
A massive statement from reds legend Jamie Carragher, and one that if Rodgers considers, could make or break his relationship with the Italian. Carra has recently come out and said that the number 45 should be dropped for the big game on Wednesday, with Sterling replacing him as the 'false number nine'. The line up would look something like this:
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Lovren Moreno
Gerrard
Henderson Allen
Coutinho Lallana
Sterling
Could this be the way to approach a game as big as this? Should Rodgers risk a new style of play in a match of this magnitude? Here I have to disagree with Carragher. (There is a first for everything, I guess). Putting Balotelli's lacklustre and disappointing start in a reds shirt to one side, he is a crucial player for Liverpool Football Club and if he plays to his capabilities, Madrid's defence could be in for a 'real' test on Wednesday. (Let us not forget that they have defensive problems of their own).
As for young Raheem as 'false number nine'? I do not think we should risk that just yet. Sticking with an 'out and out' striker in that position is the way forward for this match at least, in my opinion.
The Fans' Support Will be Fundamental in Determining Outcome of Performance
"I don't think fans singing 'YNWA' was fundamental in Liverpool's comeback, but it helped."
Let us face it, Carlo Ancelotti must feel sick to the stomach to the day whenever a mention of that night in Istanbul comes into conversation. I will have a look at the opposition in a moment, but for now I will stick to talking about Liverpool's unbelievable support, with another quote from Ancelotti's pre-match press conference on Tuesday morning to draw from:
"It's always been a club that excites me. The 'YNWA' they sing is incredible. Nobody sing an anthem like Liverpool fans."
No Carlo, you cannot have Brendan's job. Jokes aside, the Kop support will prove to be a key factor in determining Wednesday night's key battle. If the reds fans come in full force, as they usually do for every European night at Anfield, then we are in for a spectacle of a match. Any past performances and results will be put to bed for the present moment, as all focus will be on the 90 minutes that lay ahead of us. A word of caution though if you are visiting Anfield for the first time on Wednesday, because once that 'YNWA' is blasted through Anfield's speakers, be prepared for a heart-aching, tension filled two hours to come.
A Look At the Opposition
Although form is thrown out of the window in matches like this, Real Madrid are definite favourites entering this mouth-watering fixture. Missing out on last season's La Liga title to bitter rivals Atletico did not seem to faze the 'galacticos', and Madrid have started this campaign in even better form. (If that is possible). Ancelotti has spent very wisely in the summer window, splashing the cash on super-stars like Kroos and Rodriguez, whilst ex-reds icon Alonso exited the club for Bayern. (The thought of facing his old club was too much for the Spaniard to bear). Let us not forget the already star-studded line up the Spanish giants already possess, with one of these being the ex-Mancunian Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here is an unbelievable statistic for you ; Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in 8 matches thus far this season, which accumulates into two goals every game he plays. Quite staggering indeed. I am generally worried, looking at our current defensive shenanigans. One plus point to take into Wednesday's match? Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos are both ruled out through injury. It helps of course, however we still need to stop the likes of Benzema, Rodriguez, Kroos, Isco, and Cristiano, who he himself can expect to be faced with a gruelling reception from the Anfield faithful throughout. Unfortunately, Ronaldo seems to have one bad game in fifty. Will that one come in a stadium where he has previously always struggled?
My Prediction and Probable Starting Line Up
Here is where I put my red tinted specs on and write down a prediction as a die-hard Liverpool fan. I am going to say a 2-2 draw. I think that although a European night at Anfield is a test for any visiting team, and Rodgers will think that his team can knick it right at the death, that a draw would be more than satisfying and would leave us reds fans with a content feeling whilst making our way our of Anfield. Anything bar a loss would do in my opinion, especially looking at our frailty at the back, and lack of fire-power up front. An early goal conceded though, and we could be in for a very long night indeed.
As for my predicted line up, I am going with this, which is similar to the one I put out in my QPR preview :
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Lovren Moreno
Gerrard
Henderson Allen
Coutinho
Balotelli Sterling
Subs: Jones. Toure, Enrique. Lucas, Lallana. Markovic, Lambert.
Come 7:45 pm on Wednesday night, as Anfield arises for the ever so famous 'You'll Never Walk Alone', which is followed by loud roars from the Kop and the sounding of the whistle for kick off, be prepared for a wild 90 minutes indeed. If Liverpool are to pull off the unexpected and run away with a win against the European holders, Rodgers will need every single one of Liverpool's '12th man' in full force throughout. Will the occasion prove too much for one or two of Liverpool's European newbies? Will Brendan rally his team on from the sidelines? And finally, will Super Mario net that fifty yard screamer in added time and finally silence his critics?
One thing that is in Rodgers' hands this time round is the fact that his side are not considered favourites. If we lose, then we would have come second best to an unbelievably good team in Madrid. We will then move on and look towards our meeting against Hull on Saturday. Real Madrid are the team with heaps of pressure surrounding them, which is something that could play nicely into Brendan's hands throughout the night.
On the night, there is no doubt Liverpool can beat any team in world football, and Wednesday is no different. If Rodgers' team does manage to get the result he wants, we could be witnessing the start of a very promising time ahead for the Anfield club.
My team-talk to the players if I were Rodgers?
"Enjoy it, play without pressure and if it is meant to be, then the goals will come. Stick with the principle, even though you might be chasing the ball for long parts of the match. Do not give up, we are all behind you."
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YNWA !!
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