Liverpool 4, Olympiacos 3 (D,Post)
Jul 25 2005
By Andy Kelly
IT was a tale of two strikers in Liechtenstein on Saturday night, and just as well - the defenders didn't bother turning up. One of those front men was playing his first game in a red shirt, the other possibly his last.
Peter Crouch will have enjoyed his debut appearance for Liverpool, helping set up the opening goal and turning in a solid if unspectacular 45 minutes.
It was perhaps fitting that the 6ft 7ins striker should start his new career in a stadium 1,500 ft above sea level with the towering Alps providing a most appropriate and picturesque backdrop.
But it was some decent work on the ground in Vaduz rather than his aerial prowess which will have helped those Anfield regulars still concerned about Crouch's £7million price-tag sleep easier in their beds tonight.
If all eyes were on Crouch for the first 45 minutes, then it was difficult to take your eyes off Milan Baros during the second.
The ball seemed to follow the Czech star everywhere as he scored two, set up one and missed another couple of more than presentable chances thanks to some excellent movement and amateurish defending.
Whatever Benitez has told Baros about his future at Anfield, perhaps he should tell the same to every other member of the squad before the season starts as well.
The subsequent improvement in performance would surely see Liverpool win that coveted 19th league title in a hack canter.
It's difficult to know quite what to make of the player we're currently seeing as Baros's appearances have all been in uncompetitive friendlies with Benitez keeping his value intact by leaving him out of the Champions League qualifiers.
You can't argue with the performances but what is the motivation?
Is the 23-year-old genuinely fighting for his future on Mersey-side or, spurred on by agent Pavel Paska, is he performing a superb marketing job, metaphorically raising a "come and get me" flag to Europe's footballing elite?
Maybe the prospect of Aston Villa or West Ham is simply too much to bear.
Whatever the cause, Baros's second-half introduction was one of the main reasons why this entertaining seven-goal exhibition ended in Liverpool's favour.
The first half belonged mostly to their rivals, 33 times Greek champions and featuring in the shape of Rivaldo a player who is worth watching however uncompetitive the match is likely to be.
The Brazilian, who inadvertedly sparked Liverpool's run to Champions League glory with that wonderfully executed free-kick at Anfield in December, was the dominant player for the first 45 minutes, backed up by a strong midfield performance from Yaya (brother of Kolo) Toure.
Liverpool's defence, including once again French youngster Carl Medjani, struggled to cope with the 33-year-old Brazilian and that wand of a left-foot.
Often holding their line too far up the pitch, Sami Hyypia and friends left too much space in behind for the former Barcelona man to exploit.
Only the generosity of a linesman prevented two throughballs finding their mark in the first dozen minutes and when Rivaldo decided to take the flag out of the equation by playing a give and go with himself, Hyypia's uncompromising block seemed lucky to escape censure.
The defensive frailties didn't seem to do much for the confidence of Scott Carson in goal either and, after he wrongly decided to come a long way for a hopeful but hardly dangerous cross in the 13th minute, he was lucky to see Konstantinou's header drop wide.
Liverpool weren't offering a lot, though early on Cisse had used his pace to whip in a good cross which the Greek's new Belgian keeper Erwin Lemmens bravely gathered at the feet of the advancing Crouch.
A good debut was not to end, though, with a goal but Crouch did have a major part to play in the opener, which came rather against the run of play.
Picking up the ball well outside the box, he skipped past two challenges with some nifty footwork before apparently being forced down a blind alley by Michalis Kepsis.
The defender tried to be too elaborate with his challenge on Crouch and the ball broke to Luis Garcia whose left-foot effort had enough power to beat Lemmens.
The little Spaniard will have been grateful for the chance after missing an easy opportunity two minutes earlier when, with just the Belgian to beat, his attempted chip barely got off the ground.
Liverpool weren't ahead for long and the Greeks restored parity within eight minutes with Rivaldo deservedly getting on the scoresheet, stroking home a left foot shot after an excellent pullback from Kafes.
Seven new players arrived for Liverpool at half-time and it took Xabi Alonso just 35 seconds to hit his first superb 30-yard pbutt and set Liverpool on their way to seizing the momentum.
The Greeks seemed to have beome infected by their opponents' kamikaze off-side tactics and were quickly made to pay for it.
Alonso dinked a ball through another flat defensive line for Baros to coolly avoid Lemmens' badly-judged rush from the line and pull back for Morientes to shoot home a low volley.
Warnock and Zenden were forming a likeable partnership on the left and four minutes later combined for the former to wrap his foot round a delicious cross from the by-line. Baros couldn't miss the free header and didn't.
Liverpool were rampant now and stretched the lead again on the hour mark. Momo Sissoko's throughball released Baros again and he was able to lift the ball past Lemmens and hold off a challenge to slot home.
The Czech was thriving on the wide open spaces and set up a good chance for Morientes to add a fifth with a good ball from the right into the Spaniard's path but Lemmens did well to palm it away.
Morientes returned the favour later with a lovely reverse ball on the edge of the box, which Baros should have blasted home but chose to try to round the keeper, who stood up well.
You're still never quite sure if Sissoko's feet know what his head is thinking and somehow he managed to pick up a yellow card in this friendly. One suspects it will not be last in the uncompromising Malian's career at Anfield.
Liverpool were cruising but somehow almost managed to let the Greeks snatch a draw.
Okkas got goal side of Whitbread in the 77th minute and the American international's rather clumsy challenge in the box was deemed worthy of a penalty, which Djordjevic converted.
Seven minutes later he was on the scoresheet again, played into a frightening amount of space behind a horribly flat Liverpool defence by a simple angled ball. Taking it past Carson, he shot into an empty net.
There was still time for the Greeks to almost snatch a barely-deserved draw when Whitbread and Warnock both missed a cross but Rivaldo's shot was too close to the goalkeeper.
So far, so good then for Rafael Benitez.
Within a week his team has travelled from Switzerland to Austria to Wrexham and back to Liechtenstein.
FINNAN: WE WON'T UNDERESTIMATE KAUNASSteve Finnan will not fall into the trap of underestimating Liverpool's forthcoming Champions League opponents FBK Kaunas but he's confident the Reds have enough in their armoury...
It has been mission accomplished every time - he must hope a similar scenario emerges from Lithuania tomorrow.
LIVERPOOL: Carson; Medjani, Josemi (Carragher 54), Hyypia (Whitbread 46), Riise (Warnock 46); Potter (Le Tallec 68), Hamann (Alonso 46), Gerrard (Sissoko 46), Garcia (Zenden 46); Crouch (Baros 46), Cisse (Morientes 46).
OLYMPIACOS: Lemmens, Kafes, Kapsis, Rival-do, Djordjevic, Schurrer, Maurogenidis (Stoltidis), Toure, Kustoulas, Georgatus (Bulut 45), Konstantinou (Okkas 61)
REFEREE: Retu Rutz (Switzerland)
ATT: 2,500
NEXT GAME: FBK Kaunas v Liverpool, Champions League second qualifying round first leg, tomorrow 7.45pm
