Liverpool: Live on Channel Five
Wed Nov 25 08:58AM
To look on the bright side, at least we have been spared a repeat of Andy Gray wailing "Oooooooh yoooooo beeeeautaaaaaay!!" after another dramatic Liverpool comeback. Liverpool are out of the Champions League after their 1-0 win at Debrecen was rendered academic by Fiorentina's victory over Lyon by the same scoreline, and they now drop down to the Europa League - dubbed by a couple of this morning's back pages as the "booby prize".
The performance in Budapest was one of those laboured 'professional' jobs that are so often sufficient to progress in Europe but, with viewers aware that Fiorentina were ahead for so long, it wasn't so much like watching two bald men fighting over a comb as watching them carving one out of wood from scratch.
Watching the Liverpool players huddled round a screen in the bowels of the Ferenc Puskas Stadium awaiting the result in Florence was like seeing a group of newly drafted recruits en route to the D-Day landings, condemned to their fate.
Steven Gerrard tried his best to brush aside disappointment and look forward to a campaign in UEFA's second-tier competition, but his furrowed brow more than ever resembled the isobars on a weather chart.
Gerrard's partner-in-Scouse, Jamie Carragher, said in the build-up to the match that failing to qualify from Group E would not be a disaster.
Carragher has been playing at the club long enough to hold their recent achievements in perspective, but that assertion will certainly be put to the test when they travel to Goodison Park on Sunday. Such will be the glee with which their local rivals will greet their fallen neighbours, perhaps even a trip to Old Trafford would have been preferable. You can only imagine what will be written on some of the beach balls that will inevitably be brought to the ground.
Whereas Gerrard was focused on entering the brave new world of Thursday nights live on Channel Five, Benitez was more concerned with the bigger picture.
"When you are in the Champions League five years in a row and you haven't qualified, it's part of the game," said Benitez.
"Now we have to do well, win against Fiorentina and see what happens in the Premier League. I'm 100 per cent sure we'll finish in the top four."
Of all the Premier League's 'big four' sides, Liverpool are the club that can least afford to lose out on the £10m plus for reaching the latter stages of the Champions League - and that's just in the short term. Should they fail to make the competition next season, even the winner's share of the £135m cash pot from the Europa League won't fully make up for that.
Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow came out to see that Benitez's job is safe, and that the club's financial position was still on a sure footing.
Purslow said: "Assuming we have a reasonable run in the Europa League then we are financially neutral for this year."
What is it they say about assumption?
- - -
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "When you lose the first two games 4-1 you have to come up with something that you think might help. As it turned out it didn't help that much - so it's all my fault!" - Walter Smith falls on his sword after Rangers crashed out of Europe with a whimper following their 2-0 defeat to Stuttgart at Ibrox.
FOREIGN VIEW: Paraguayan champions Cerro Porteno have been fined $30,000 and banned from holding matches at their home ground for four games after fans ran riot at a Copa Sudamericana match.
Cerro fans threw objects at visiting Brazilian side Fluminense and Argentine referee Hector Baldassi after their team lost 1-0 in the first leg of the semi-final in the South American equivalent of the Europa League two weeks ago.
The referee, his linesmen and the Fluminense team had to wait more than 20 minutes in the middle of the pitch at the General Pablo Rojas stadium, also known as Olla Monumental, until they were able to leave the field.
The CSF said in a statement that Baldassi and the fourth official "reported the throwing of a great number of projectiles onto the field of play... creating danger to the physical integrity of the visiting players".
COMING UP: No such potential for drama in Manchester United v Besiktas or Porto v Chelsea this evening, as both sides have cruised through their respective groups, but there is potential for more schadenfreude in the form of Bayern Munich v Maccabi Haifa. If the German giants do not better Juventus's result at Bordeaux, they are out. Follow every Champions League match LIVE here this evening.
There are also two Premier League clashes this evening - you can follow Fulham v Blackburn and Hull v Everton, if that is your thing.
MORNING!
From kfn_99 on Wed Nov 25 08:59AMLOSERPOOL!! you will always walk alone - in Europa league
From aimug on Wed Nov 25 09:02AMLiverpool aren't good enough to win the Europa League.
From jay8my on Wed Nov 25 09:04AMFORZA VIOLA!!!
From alagerdrinker on Wed Nov 25 09:11AMBringing Aquilani on in the 91st minute of a match, 14 weeks into a season = £20m well spent Rafa!
Europa League s.ucks but is good enough for our performances this season
From who_are_ya_85 on Wed Nov 25 09:21AMDa skouse are in big trouble. They can't get rid of Benitez as this would cost too much, but they can't keep him, as this is costing them possibly more in the long term. Oh dear, the future is not bright, and unfortunately the only red future is in manchester, possibly along the Arsenal way.
From xxlegionxx009 on Wed Nov 25 09:25AMGood for Arsenal, sad for Liverpool, but they'll be back. Too big a club not to come back.
From james_ssmith on Wed Nov 25 09:27AMEuropa League is more suited to teams like Arsenal as they have never even won the European Cup or Uefa Cup.... Cup Winners Cup LMAO
From who_are_ya_85 on Wed Nov 25 09:30AMUnlucky Kev - Big question now is can they pick themselves up to win at Everton?
From doobie.doobiedoo on Wed Nov 25 09:32AMCannot agree with 9. No club is too big look at Leeds, Nottm Forest, Blackpool. The list goes on. I genuinely feel this is the beginning of the end. It's going to take years or some major investment. Big trouble
From xxlegionxx009 on Wed Nov 25 09:34AMgood luck Everton.....oh wouldnt we all love watching Everton kick the @#$% outta liverpool in the Europa League.....hahahahahaha......ill even stay awake till late to watch that happen.....Liverpool will win nothing this season as usual and Rafa will say "Well the team played well and we just didn't take our chances, but there is always no guarantee with Liverpool that we can win everything".......yeah right Rafa you'll never win anything...forget everything!!! Oh im loving this......YNWA YNWA.....lol!!!
From rush_bach on Wed Nov 25 09:35AMWelcome to what the united fans call the No-Hoper league you dirty reds, looking forward to telling you's all about it come saturday lunchtime
From squirrel4481 on Wed Nov 25 09:35AMArsenal did win the uefa it was just called the fairs cup then. If that doesn't count maybe all the European cups and old titles don't count because they were called something different back then
From xxlegionxx009 on Wed Nov 25 09:36AM#15 - UEFA do not recognize it as one of their accolades!
From who_are_ya_85 on Wed Nov 25 09:50AMthe demise of the scouse in europe under the man brought in to win something.....time to wake up a serve the coffee raffa!....
From stuartxland on Wed Nov 25 09:50AMMaster European Tactician Senor Benitez ,brought his secret weapon Aqualani on for 2 mins last night .......not even enough time to boil an egg...?
From imanerdo99 on Wed Nov 25 09:51AMcouldn't have happened top a more deluded club!
From stuartxland on Wed Nov 25 09:53AMhi ED, did you hear about the croatian goalkeeper who got a yellow card for escorting a stray cat off the pitch this weekend?
From sameenuk on Wed Nov 25 09:55AMI won't deny I've had a little chuckle at the scousers this season, partly thrown back in my face by the United result. But the Liverpool fans should take heart where they can, it was Uniteds early exit from the Champions League a few years ago that forced Ferguson to strip the team back to basics and re-build, concentrate on getting things right in the league and start winning titles again. Whether Benitez has the same skill and vision to sort Liverpool out I have my doubts, and If you don't get into the top four this season you can probably say goodbye to Torres.
From rob_snaith on Wed Nov 25 09:57AM10 LOL No Arsenal haven't won the European cup
You must be really GUTTED today to have to use that one again. Bye bye league Cup and Champions League LMAO!!From jay8my on Wed Nov 25 09:57AMliverpool will come back, despite the way the owners have let them down, despite N"Gog being a diver and their captain behaving like a thug. But because of the support that they have, these people have football in their blood. The only club with support to match is celtic. I wish Man U supporters had the same passion.
From gtam154 on Wed Nov 25 09:58AM#12, Blackpool?
From davidhindle1961 on Wed Nov 25 10:03AM#17.................since when?????????????????
From janandandyp on Wed Nov 25 10:05AMthis is bril' lfc-endofseasonparty with a dot and a com.
From twomjc on Wed Nov 25 10:08AMI thought this was a must win game ?
From arttidesco on Wed Nov 25 10:12AMI guess by losing Liverpool have put themselves top of the list of English teams most likely to win a European Title this season
From arttidesco on Wed Nov 25 10:13AMI bet Ayatollah Ferguson sometimes gets the urge to through bottles of cheap red wine at match officials with the intention of creating danger to the physical integrity of match officials
From arttidesco on Wed Nov 25 10:17AMpassion wins the premier league....under achievement and a deluded manager, players, owners and fans wins....nothing!....bye bye raffa, torres and any chance of finishing in the top ten!..GGMU!
From stuartxland on Wed Nov 25 10:18AMAssumption is the mother of all ***k ups - Sir Frank Williams
From arttidesco on Wed Nov 25 10:18AMMust be time to restock the shelves in super markets up and down the country it's very quiet here today
From arttidesco on Wed Nov 25 10:20AM
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