Comments on: Liverpool 4 – 0 Real Madrid: Plague of Toads, Curtain of Lightning http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/ Attacking Football Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:36:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brian Phillips http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4508 Brian Phillips Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:51:19 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4508 Yeah, that's why I said "arguably." That was a really astonishing game. Yeah, that’s why I said “arguably.” That was a really astonishing game.

]]> By: A. http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4507 A. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:44:18 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4507 The problem with Madrid, obviously, is that they don't know their limitations and therefore don't have the right game plan nor do they seem to understand their opponent's game. They only know one way to play. Liverpool and Benitez understand better than most their capabilities and the capabilities of their opponents, and play accordingly in Europe. Look at how the first goal came. A long hopeful hoick/clearance from deep inside Liverpool territory which found centre backs out of position and stretched. If your not good enough to beat them like that, as you proved in the first game, why not do a Liverpool and shore-up and hit on the counter? p.s. Brian, I don't know about the Man Utd v Roma match. Utd were taking a deficit into the second leg having been summarily outplayed in the first. The resulting scoreline was out of the blue for mine. The problem with Madrid, obviously, is that they don’t know their limitations and therefore don’t have the right game plan nor do they seem to understand their opponent’s game. They only know one way to play.

Liverpool and Benitez understand better than most their capabilities and the capabilities of their opponents, and play accordingly in Europe.

Look at how the first goal came. A long hopeful hoick/clearance from deep inside Liverpool territory which found centre backs out of position and stretched. If your not good enough to beat them like that, as you proved in the first game, why not do a Liverpool and shore-up and hit on the counter?

p.s. Brian, I don’t know about the Man Utd v Roma match. Utd were taking a deficit into the second leg having been summarily outplayed in the first. The resulting scoreline was out of the blue for mine.

]]> By: j http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4506 j Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:28:38 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4506 i'm not trying to compare the two at all; they're isolated in in just about every way two CL draws could be. however, i also know what a funny phenomenon form is, even in my limited time with the game, and that it will try and disperse with even more aplomb than it arrived with. the first game at the bernabeu was more the shocker, i think, than these faux galacticos going to Anfield and getting rightfully reamed, which isn't to say i expected this William Blake painting. From a Liverpudlian standpoint, that's absolutely what it was, but the 09 Madrid is more akin to something from Francis Bacon's brush, equal parts beautiful (not tuesday), dissonant, and chaotic. i suppose i had meant to, in the words of Finley Peter Dunne, afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, though it seems i may have my stars misaligned. hence, a defense of sporting. i’m not trying to compare the two at all; they’re isolated in in just about every way two CL draws could be. however, i also know what a funny phenomenon form is, even in my limited time with the game, and that it will try and disperse with even more aplomb than it arrived with. the first game at the bernabeu was more the shocker, i think, than these faux galacticos going to Anfield and getting rightfully reamed, which isn’t to say i expected this William Blake painting. From a Liverpudlian standpoint, that’s absolutely what it was, but the 09 Madrid is more akin to something from Francis Bacon’s brush, equal parts beautiful (not tuesday), dissonant, and chaotic.

i suppose i had meant to, in the words of Finley Peter Dunne, afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, though it seems i may have my stars misaligned. hence, a defense of sporting.

]]> By: Brian Phillips http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4504 Brian Phillips Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:19:48 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4504 Again, I'm not saying that what Bayern did wasn't a big deal. It was a big deal in the same way that Liverpool's 8-0 win over Beşiktaş last year was a big deal, or (arguably) Man Utd's 7-1 win over Roma. It just wasn't Book of Revelations big. 12-1 is extremely impressive. But five years from now when we look back on this Champions League, I think we're going to remember what happened to Real Madrid a lot more vividly. Again, I’m not saying that what Bayern did wasn’t a big deal. It was a big deal in the same way that Liverpool’s 8-0 win over Beşiktaş last year was a big deal, or (arguably) Man Utd’s 7-1 win over Roma. It just wasn’t Book of Revelations big.

12-1 is extremely impressive. But five years from now when we look back on this Champions League, I think we’re going to remember what happened to Real Madrid a lot more vividly.

]]> By: KingSnake http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4502 KingSnake Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:15:42 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4502 This is football. Even when teams are severely over-matched, they rarely lose by more than two goals, and certainly don't give up five and seven goals in two straight matches. Even if Chelsea played ... oh ... Pro Vercelli, that would not happen. This is football. Even when teams are severely over-matched, they rarely lose by more than two goals, and certainly don’t give up five and seven goals in two straight matches. Even if Chelsea played … oh … Pro Vercelli, that would not happen.

]]> By: Brian Phillips http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4500 Brian Phillips Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:01:46 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4500 That's true, A. The atmosphere got cozy fairly quickly. Actually, that probably showed more contempt for Madrid than bloodthirsty chanting would have. That’s true, A. The atmosphere got cozy fairly quickly. Actually, that probably showed more contempt for Madrid than bloodthirsty chanting would have.

]]> By: A. http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4499 A. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:32:31 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4499 Agreed Brian though I have to say the crowd at the Olimpico in Turin sounded more threatening than the one at Anfield on the night. The Anfield wasn't the most boisterous I have heard from there, so much as I can tell from the TV transmission. Agreed Brian though I have to say the crowd at the Olimpico in Turin sounded more threatening than the one at Anfield on the night. The Anfield wasn’t the most boisterous I have heard from there, so much as I can tell from the TV transmission.

]]> By: Brian Phillips http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4497 Brian Phillips Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:09:37 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4497 A. --- The penalty was part of it, absolutely. It wasn't just Liverpool's skill that came down on Madrid, it was <em>everything</em>, from the crowd to the officials to the basic functioning of gravity. (Tell me that wild dipping shot from Mascherano that forced one of Casillas's best saves of the match in the first half would have gone anywhere close to the goal on a normal night.) j --- Really, you think Liverpool-Madrid was in the same category of mismatch as Bayern-Sporting? Even considering that Madrid are the defending champions of Spain, are the richest club in the world, have won 10 of their last 11 games, have conceded three goals in their last 11 games, and have been making up ground on Barcelona like they'd brought the power of the tesseract to the league table? And I don't want to be hard on Sporting, but just about the only things they have in common with the Mourinho-era Porto is that they both play in Portugal and they both had one Russian substitute in their last Champions League game. Sporting isn't even doing that well in Portugal this season. A. — The penalty was part of it, absolutely. It wasn’t just Liverpool’s skill that came down on Madrid, it was everything, from the crowd to the officials to the basic functioning of gravity. (Tell me that wild dipping shot from Mascherano that forced one of Casillas’s best saves of the match in the first half would have gone anywhere close to the goal on a normal night.)

j — Really, you think Liverpool-Madrid was in the same category of mismatch as Bayern-Sporting? Even considering that Madrid are the defending champions of Spain, are the richest club in the world, have won 10 of their last 11 games, have conceded three goals in their last 11 games, and have been making up ground on Barcelona like they’d brought the power of the tesseract to the league table?

And I don’t want to be hard on Sporting, but just about the only things they have in common with the Mourinho-era Porto is that they both play in Portugal and they both had one Russian substitute in their last Champions League game. Sporting isn’t even doing that well in Portugal this season.

]]> By: A. http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4496 A. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:40:42 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4496 The match turned on a unbelievable bad decision by the ref to award a penalty which essentially had Real needed 3 goals. It wasn't that Real were any good in the period up to that penalty but as long as there was a way, will might have been found. After the penalty, there was nothing left to do but collapse in a heap as Liverpool brilliantly locked up the midfield in their half and broke like a blitzkrieg on the counter. The match turned on a unbelievable bad decision by the ref to award a penalty which essentially had Real needed 3 goals. It wasn’t that Real were any good in the period up to that penalty but as long as there was a way, will might have been found.

After the penalty, there was nothing left to do but collapse in a heap as Liverpool brilliantly locked up the midfield in their half and broke like a blitzkrieg on the counter.

]]> By: Tips Supremo http://www.runofplay.com/2009/03/10/liverpool-4-0-real-madrid-plague-of-toads-curtain-of-lightning/#comment-4495 Tips Supremo Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:04:13 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/?p=7938#comment-4495 Everything just went the right way for Liverpool. A REAL shocker! Everything just went the right way for Liverpool. A REAL shocker!

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