Liverpool free to focus on league title
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Liverpool free to focus on league title
Anfield club's exit from Champions League gives key players more time to recover full fitness for championship run-in
Liverpool, eliminated from all the cup competitions, have a simple task between now and the end of the season: to win their six remaining Premier League games and hope that United, who have a match in hand as well as a one-point lead, drop enough points to ensure that the league title goes to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
In one sense their field is now clear to focus on six Premier League matches in 39 days, but Liverpool's players struggled to put such a brave face on matters after their performance in the stunning 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday yielded a 7-5 aggregate defeat.
“You never know what the effect will be,” Xabi Alonso, the midfield player, said when asked about the impact of Champions League elimination on Liverpool's title challenge. “Logically, we should have more time to rest, but sometimes you prefer to keep playing games. We are not happy because we are out. It is very difficult [to win the league], but we have to go and try to win all our games.”
Even before the first leg against Chelsea, Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, had taken issue with Ferguson's appraisal of the tie's potential repercussions, suggesting that the United manager would prefer the Merseyside club to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League because it might affect their title challenge adversely.
“If we are not in this competition [the Champions League], then he knows we will be a bigger threat in the Premier League,” Benítez said on April 7, the day before his team were beaten 3-1 by Chelsea at Anfield.
What is certain is that Liverpool now have time to relax between matches and to focus firmly on their Premier League matches. They will have had a seven-day break by the time they return to action against Arsenal at Anfield on Tuesday evening and, although they have another game away to Hull City four days later, their final four matches are spaced at least six days apart, meaning that Benítez, a big believer in recovery times, will have every hope that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will regain full fitness during the run-in.
Speaking before Tuesday's game, in an interview broadcast on Sky Sports last night, Benítez suggested that his team were fit enough to maintain the pressure on United between now and the end of the season. “I think we are strong enough,” Benítez said. “Some players may be a little bit tired because this week we are playing three games in a few days, but still we have fresh legs and people who can play every single game at a high level. It's one game at a time, keep winning and put Manchester United under pressure.”
Gerrard and Torres are expected to be fit to face Arsenal on Tuesday, the London club's third game in six days after last night's Champions League tie against Villarreal and the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday.
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liverpool can focus all they want.
Man u is still going to own !!
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not an easy task leh,winning all matches and having to see man u face.they must pray for a real upset alr.
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The only potential hiccup for Man U is their game against Arsenal.
Assuming they lose that game, then you hope that they get a surprise draw against one of their other remaining teams.
Liverpool still has to win all their remaining games.
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LIVERPOOL
April
21 Arsenal (H)
25 Hull (A)May
2 Newcastle (H)
9 West Ham (A)
16 West Brom (A)
24 Tottenham (H)
CHELSEA
April
18 Arsenal (N) (FA Cup)
22 Everton (H)
25 West Ham (A)29 Barcelona (A) Champions League (SF - 1st leg)
May
2 Fulham (H)6 Barcelona (H) Champions League (SF - 2nd leg)
9 Arsenal (A)
16 Blackburn (H)
24 Sunderland (A)
MANCHESTER UNITED
April
18 Everton (N) (FA Cup) (Wembley)
22 Portsmouth (H) - (Replacement for Postponed match)
25 Tottenham (H)
29 Arsenal (H) Champions League (SF - 1st leg)
May
2 Middlesbrough (A)
5 Arsenal (A) Champions League (SF - 2nd leg)
9 Man City (H)
13 Wigan (A) - (Replacement for Postponed match)
16 Arsenal (H)
24 Hull (A)
ARSENAL
April
18 Chelsea (FA Cup)
21 Liverpool (A)
25 Middlesbrough (H)29 Man United (A) Champions League (SF - 1st leg)
May
2 Portsmouth (A)5 Man United (H) Champions League (SF - 2nd leg)
9 Chelsea (H)
16 Man Utd (A)
24 Stoke (H) -
but still, things are not at liverpool's side.
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On Pool, I think they still have a very good chance for the title now that United are in the CL semis... Pool only has a few games left and they are spread out nicely giving their players proper rest and concentration for each match as they come...
United on the other hand could encounter some problems with away matches like Boro and Wigan... Even their home match with Spurs and Arsenal are tricky...
Somehow, I am beginning to think it's becoming Pool's year... The 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster all those things... Like last season United's 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster...
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Originally posted by zocoss:
On Pool, I think they still have a very good chance for the title now that United are in the CL semis... Pool only has a few games left and they are spread out nicely giving their players proper rest and concentration for each match as they come...
United on the other hand could encounter some problems with away matches like Boro and Wigan... Even their home match with Spurs and Arsenal are tricky...
Somehow, I am beginning to think it's becoming Pool's year... The 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster all those things... Like last season United's 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster...
well, last season, MU got double... don't think Poo going to emulate that.
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and TS, you are so kind, "free" to focus... they are kicked out of UCL, league and FA cup leh.. if given a choice, they would want to be in this competitions la..
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liverpool can go holiday liao
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"and TS, you are so kind, "free" to focus... they are kicked out of UCL, league and FA cup leh.. if given a choice, they would want to be in this competitions la.." by icefatboy
how true.
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true liverpool can really focus for now.
the prob is, whether they can do it or not
i hope can lar, as a fan... but the ball is always round, & anything can happen -
Arsenal is not title contender, but is the crucial link...
they have a game with each of the top 3 in premier league.... a fa cup tie with chelsea, a cl tie with man u...
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Originally posted by limpper:
true liverpool can really focus for now.
the prob is, whether they can do it or not
i hope can lar, as a fan... but the ball is always round, & anything can happen
Yeah the ball is round, the big 4 teams have dropped points this season. -
Originally posted by brokenluv:
Yeah the ball is round, the big 4 teams have dropped points this season.agreed
esp liverpool
drawing 10 games and losing to boro -.-
utd drew 5, if only the remaining 5 could be turned into wins
liverpool will have an additional 15pts now
very wasted i would say