For those who have forgotten
8th December 2001 we beat Boro 2-0 Hamann injured till his return early January 2002
We went on to win just one of the next six premiership games, against Villa
Liverpool 0 Fulham 0 No Hamann
Chelsea 4 Liverpool 0 No Hamann
Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2 No Hamann A win in this game would have seen us finish just one point behind Arsenal the following May. Gerrard was in appalling form that day. McAllister tried his best but it was too much for him to make up the deficiencies in Gerrard's and Murphy's ability
West Ham 1 Liverpool 1 Last minute goal from Michael Owen No Hamann surprise surprise
Hamann returned early in the new year and we went on from there to lose just two more games that season. The first defeat was against Southampton in his first game back.
So why was his loss such a catastrophic one for the team? First of all, Gerrard's weakness without a senior player of Hamann's calibre was banely exposed and other teams took full advantage. Secondly we had to rely too heavily on "clever" midfielders, like Murphy, Gerrard, and McAllister. And thirdly Hamann's absence crucially exposed the weakness at the heart of Hyypia's game, which is that he's Ok if he has an arch-protector in front of him but a useless donkey when actually called upon to defend.
-- + His Holiness Pope Pompous XVIII
"May those who love us love us, and may God turn the hearts of those who don't love us. And if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, so we will know them by their limping" -- Irish Proverb
