After Saturday’s game, Rafa Benitez was asked about Tuesday night.
“We won’t play for a 0-0, ” he said.
His press minder smiled when he said that.
So we know what to expect. It’s down to Arsenal to score first at Anfield. If Liverpool score first, Arsenal still have to score. And it might be 1-1 after 90 and go to extra time.
So one of the questions you’ll have to ask yourself on Tuesday is : If this goes to extra time, who do I fancy?
On Wednesday, Liverpool came for a draw.
But on Saturday they played to win. They went 1-0 up, Arsenal made it 1-1, Rafa went for it. He went for the win. He brought on Gerrard, then he brought on Torres, then he brought on Voronin, who missed the best late chance of the game when Crouch set him up.
So Liverpool behaved like a big club should behave. They came to play in the first half and tried to win it in the second. Give them credit for that.
True, Rafa made eight changes. But Arsene made five changes and the game, theoretically, meant more to him.
Except that Arsene was spinning a yarn on Friday when he said, “The title race is still alive.”
It was NOT and that’s why he fielded the team he did.
The subtext of Arsene’s after-match spiel was, “My squad’s not big enough.” Fine. We all know that. We knew it last January and last August. We all thought it, we all said it, we all wrote it.
In a football season, you have to be at your best in March and April. So you need to give yourself a chance by assembling a squad that can survive injuries, setbacks and tiredness.
Arsene didn’t do that. He tried to do it on the cheap, like last season. And he’s been found out, like last season, but later than last season. The biggest difference is that this time he didn’t waste a lot of energy playing four FA Cup battles with Bolton and Blackburn. Those four battles impacted on the PSV flop last season. This year he did not want to do that again. So he chucked the FA Cup as soon as the chance presented itself. And then he was able to beat AC Milan, which was an improvement on losing to PSV.
Talking about Anfield on Match of the Day, Lee Dixon said, “There’s a lot of football to be played.”
I love Lee. But he would say that.
Middlesbrough 2 Man United 2 was a surprise.
Sir Alex started Tevez for the first time in a while and found out that Tevez had lost his rhythm. Had to take him off and put Park on. Vidic is out for three weeks and now Rio Ferdinand is crocked and doubtful for Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday.
That 2-2 makes Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Man City look like a great result.The gap is only three points with five games left to play.
If Avram wins the title, Jose will be mortified.