Liverpool FC Forum

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:43 pm

The fact that we have 10 days to prepare for the final means that fatigue or lack of preparation time will not be a problem.Rafa will be able to fine tune any tactics and relax the lads.

I was just wondering how long AC Milan would have to prepare and it turns out that they play on the 22nd May (Sunday) against Palermo, that leaves them only 2 days in between to recover and travel, with the final on the 25th May (Wednesday). They also play on the 29th May against Udinese, and at this time it is likely that the Secadeto will still not be decided.

With AC Milan already tiring, and the lack of rest time, I think this will play a major factor.

by **yckatbjywtbiastkamb** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:32 pm

Cool Hand Luke wrote:The fact that we have 10 days to prepare for the final means that fatigue or lack of preparation time will not be a problem.Rafa will be able to fine tune any tactics and relax the lads.

I was just wondering how long AC Milan would have to prepare and it turns out that they play on the 22nd May (Sunday) against Palermo, that leaves them only 2 days in between to recover and travel, with the final on the 25th May (Wednesday). They also play on the 29th May against Udinese, and at this time it is likely that the Secadeto will still not be decided.

With AC Milan already tiring, and the lack of rest time, I think this will play a major factor.

well thats the price for having a winter break, we dont so our season ends a bit earlier.

by **JBG** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:16 pm

Milan will have a league match to play after the final. They lost to Juventus this weekend but hopefully they'll still be in with a shout of winning Serie A at the last weekend. :;):

by **76-1115222408** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:30 pm

John Barnes' Granny wrote:Milan will have a league match to play after the final. They lost to Juventus this weekend but hopefully they'll still be in with a shout of winning Serie A at the last weekend.

Yea a draw would have been better to keep them on the same number of points. But hopefully juve will slip up somewhere and let Milan back in and keep it going to the final weekend(29th).

YNWA

by **almada** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:49 pm

I have two tickets (category I) for Istambul. Champions League Final.
Price 1000 euros both tickets.
email me
almada42@hotmail.com

Location on stadium:
Tribune: EAST
Level: LOWER
Block: 328
Row: 20

by **Paul_Poland** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:35 am

Pablo_Escobar wrote:Jurek has been always solid at CL We're taking the Trophy home
Can't wait for the final
Gonna be celebrating all night
RED ARMY IS GONNA ROCK ISTANBUL !!

I`m really mad that I won`t be there

But I`ll celebrate at home :buttrock

I`m a little bit concerned after game with Arsenal... Defence was leaky

But Milan it`s not Arsenal
It will be piece of cake

and then after 90 min in Istanbul :rasp

EVERYBODY - YWNWA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by **ivor_the_injun** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:41 am

My line-up for the final:

Dudek

Finnan Carragher Hyypia Traore

Kewell Gerrard Alonso Riise

Garcia

Baros

I know that Harry's a risk on the right wing, but I just don't trust Garcia or Nunez to do a job there for us. To be fair to Kewell, he's looked up for it in the little action he's had since he came back from, ahem, "injury". And let's face it, if he's looking for either a new contract or another big club, where better than the CL final for him to finally pull his finger out?? Also, Garcia's worrying habit of giving the ball away would be less of a concern if he's operating closer to their area than ours.

Hamann, Igor and Cisse on the bench will give us plenty of options if things aren't working out. It'd actually be tough on Biscan to not make the starting line up after some stunning CL performances this year, but with Gerrard and Alonso fit it's hard to see where to accommodate him. If Kewell isn't working out, I'd definitely suggest bringing Igor on and moving Stevie out to the right.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:07 am

ivor_the_injun wrote:My line-up for the final:

Dudek

Finnan Carragher Hyypia Traore

Kewell Gerrard Alonso Riise

Garcia

Baros

I know that Harry's a risk on the right wing, but I just don't trust Garcia or Nunez to do a job there for us. To be fair to Kewell, he's looked up for it in the little action he's had since he came back from, ahem, "injury". And let's face it, if he's looking for either a new contract or another big club, where better than the CL final for him to finally pull his finger out?? Also, Garcia's worrying habit of giving the ball away would be less of a concern if he's operating closer to their area than ours.

Hamann, Igor and Cisse on the bench will give us plenty of options if things aren't working out. It'd actually be tough on Biscan to not make the starting line up after some stunning CL performances this year, but with Gerrard and Alonso fit it's hard to see where to accommodate him. If Kewell isn't working out, I'd definitely suggest bringing Igor on and moving Stevie out to the right.

I like the look of that line-up my only concern would be, not having Hamman in front of the back four.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:32 am

It's a really thorny one - for the first time this season, we've suddenly got 4 in-form central midfielders available for selection. Sorry to say that Biscan's almost certainly 4th in the pecking order as well.

The only way to accommodate Hamann as I see it is to drop Kewell to the bench, have Garcia out on the right, and then have Gerrard advanced slightly of a midfield 4 between them and Baros. Alonso, Gerrard and Garcia are clearly going to start, so it's a matter of how you work the team around them.

Dudek

Finnan Carragher Hyypia Traore

Hamann

Garcia Alonso Riise

Gerrard

Baros

by **66-1112520797** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:52 am

Or swap Gerrard for Garcia and Baros for Cisse

by **merge** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:20 am

I have seen something on TV about football match in Turkey. Violence in Football. Can Liverpool fans or Milan fans be in safe in CL Final Match?

Download the video attached below.

Violence

You can see the photos on the pages of related topic.

Pictures

by **Roger Red Hat** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:02 pm

news just in that we are playing in RED! liverpoolfc.tv report

by **ArgentinaCRESPO** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:05 pm

who is coming here istanbul can you bring to me a ticket please lets go together match if you want to live one week in istanbul you can come my home ok

by **ArgentinaCRESPO** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:13 pm

HEY LIVERPOOL WE(BESIKTAS) SUPPORT LIVERPOOL

by **stmichael** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:43 pm

Ex-gooner Alan Smith has been scouting Milan for the Daily Telegraph. Here is an article from today which is interesting reading.

Milan wilting before their big day in the sun
By Alan Smith
(Filed: 09/05/2005)

AC Milan's strengths and weaknesses

The merchandise sellers, as usual, didn't hang around. With only three days' notice, the quick-witted traders surrounding the San Siro had various scarves and flags for sale to commemorate AC Milan's latest achievement - a showdown with Liverpool in the Champions League final, the 10th time the Rossoneri had made it this far.

Yet that May 25 date in Istanbul seemed some distance away yesterday as nearly 80,000 fans gathered in the sunshine for a different sort of showdown. Juventus were in town to contest the scudetto. Level on points with four games to play, these Italian giants knew that the winner would move into the championship box seat.

And that fact, in many ways, could work in Liverpool's favour. After all, Carlo Ancelotti's side, under increasingly warm conditions in Italy over the next few weeks, will expend a lot of energy trying to peg back their old rivals, who nudged ahead yesterday with a 1-0 win. Liverpool, meanwhile, with any hope gone of catching Everton to grab fourth place in the Premiership, can at least take things a little easier, gather their thoughts and use the fortnight to rest.

Judging by yesterday's performance, one or two Milan players could use a break, too. It wasn't that they played particularly poorly, more that their edge had been dulled by the sheer weight of competition. They have run into a wall. You could see the evidence last Wednesday in their Champions League semi-final second leg, when the Italians were outplayed by an extremely lively and robust PSV Eindhoven side who were dreadfully unfortunate, after winning 3-1, to get knocked out on away goals.

Milan's defence that night - Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Jaap Stam and Cafu, the same back four who boast the best defensive record in Serie A - seemed incapable of coping with decent crosses. That weakness, what is more, did not look a one-off when Alessandro Del Piero, the smallest player on the pitch, crept behind Stam yesterday to head against the crossbar.

STRENGTHS

1 The tactical acumen of their coach, Carlo Ancelotti.
2 Lethal Andriy Shevchenko (pictured) up front leading the charge.
3 In Cafu, Jaap Stam, Clarence Seedorf and Paolo Maldini, they have bags of experience of the grand occasion.
4 The wealth of options at Ancelotti’s disposal.

WEAKNESSES

1 A dislike of quality crosses delivered with pace.
2 As things stand, lack of confidence and form, but that could change by May 25.
3 A touch of fatigue, both mental and physical, from a team who should be vying with Juventus for the Serie A title all the way to the end.

The midfield area, too, is not in its best shape. Nothing, for instance, came off for Clarence Seedorf, who was roundly whistled by the locals before being withdrawn. Andrea Pirlo, normally so consistent in front of his back four, also had an off day in a disjointed display. Gennaro Gattuso was better, his normal ebullient self, a natural candidate to keep an eye on Steven Gerrard. But with Rui Costa, Massimo Ambrosini and Serginho starting on the bench at the San Siro, Ancelotti certainly has options when deciding what kind of shape and personnel best suit the challenge.

While a few were struggling for form, an exception was Andriy Shevchenko, whose cute runs off the ball, honed in Italy's tough man-marking school, are second to none, extremely difficult to counter. Not only that, he works hard for the team with a selfless attitude that makes him even more dangerous. An obvious challenge here for the redoubtable pairing of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia, neither of whom would catch the Ukraine flier in a straight race.

They'd probably catch Kaka, the lavishly gifted young Brazilian who roams just behind, but that is probably a job for the shrewd Dietmar Hamann, so wonderfully effective in discouraging Chelsea.

For the visit of Juventus, Ancelotti had decided to make just the one change, bringing in another forward, Jon Dahl Tomasson, to partner Shevchenko.

Who knows, maybe the coach had been swayed by a friendly ticking off from Silvio Berlusconi, the club's owner, who criticised Ancelotti last week for being over-cautious in often fielding only one striker. "If he doesn't change, I'll send him home," joked the Italian premier. Yet Berlusconi, known for his love of adventurous football, probably won't get his way in the final. Ancelotti, a defensive midfielder in his playing days with Milan, will be loath to change the system that paved the way to Istanbul, especially with Rafael Benitez likely to continue with his own five-man midfield.

From the start of Europe's premier competition, Milan have looked strong. Carragher, for one, thought they were the best team by far. But once the Liverpool defender had climbed back on board the coach outside Highbury yesterday, disappointed to have lost to Arsenal, he might have been interested to hear the result from Milan; intrigued, furthermore, to hear how they had played. The news is, not particularly well. But if there is one thing Milan have, it's heart. Once the other bits come back, as you have to think they will, they should prove extremely worthy opponents.

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