Nervous Tension (Champions League Final Preview)

What its all about

Today (well tomorrow my time) will see Liverpool playing in their first European Cup final for 20 years. Being a little removed from it is probably a blessing but my stomach is still swimming with a nervous energy about the impending match.

On paper Milan should comfortably beat us the likes of Dida, Maldini, Cafu, Stam and Nesta at the back would send most seasoned strikers into panic.

That the two guys chosen to face that back line have played 3 whole games since Christmas is worrying.

To be fair Djibril Cisse is a must starter for me as he gives the team much more than the hunched up shoulders of Barros (who looks like he's a step away from a winge at all times).

But Harry Kewell, ah the enigma that is Harry Kewell, the boy who hasn't played a decent game of football since Leeds were in the Champions League. Is he the renascence man were looking for? I hope he is, I just feel that compared to Cisse's desire to win Kewell has a somewhat cavalier attitude to his chosen profession.


Luis Garcia, Steven Gerrard & Xabi Alonzo

Moving to the midfield it will see the gnarly Gattuso up against Stevie ("I'm on the next plane to Heathrow if we loose this...geezer") G. A lot has been said about the importance of Gerrard but I feel that he's building himself up for a fall, there is a chance after all that we'll see the Gerrard of a few years ago who mistakes the difference between being fired up and making reckless challenges (a problem that Rooney suffers from).

For me Liverpool's key player in midfield will be Xabi Alonzo, the Spaniard exudes a confidence and calm that Gerrard as captain should, he also holds his position well. This is a problem that Gerrard possesses, he feels that under the doctrine of being captain one must win every ball a la Beckham against Greece if the match is going away from the team. This is all well and good but loosing shape against a well drilled Milan team would be suicidal.

Luis Garcia will also be key down the right side of midfield to how much he can get forward and help Cisse and Kewell and how much he can expose Kakladze's defensive weaknesses.

Likewise Riise should use his engine to push back Cafu and stop the Brazilian captain from flooding the midfield and giving the Milan side width.

Liverpool's defence will depend on 3 factors how Hyypia and Carragher deal with Shevchenko and Crespo, how well Djimi Traore times his tackles and how solid Jerzy Dudeck is at the back (or maybe how many times the defence allow him to be called into action). There's no doubt in my mind that the Poles erratic performances could well drive me to drinking at daft o'clock in the AM.

All in all I feel its going to be a tight affair, I'm just hoping that we can get the first goal and by 5:45 I can be jumping round the living room of my house like a nutter. Whatever happens I'm going to be tired tomorrow.