Anfield Red

As LFC fans begin the difficult task of processing the disappointment of Athens there has begun a period of honest and brutal reflection from the likes of Benitez and Carragher. Winning would of been just reward for hard work, determination, belief and a fans base that is probably unrivalled across the globe.

For sure, it would have been a marketing dream for the new owners, given fans a summer of ecstasy and players a shot in the arm. However, winning would have also brought about a different set of challenges and problems. There are obvious well published reasons to look forward with the new spending power at the club. However, as Benitez frequently points out, football is often about details.

5 Reasons for Optimism

1. Winning the most coveted trophy may have been a welcome, but could have acted as a mirage that disguised our clear inferiority in the Premiership and inability to beat top sides.

2. Premiership teams and fans would love to beat European Champions and the media would have been more critical of LFC – inevitably clubs and fans would put more effort to beat us or not loose. Are LFC ready to mount a serious challenge to the Premiership with this additional pressure?

3. Liverpool’s control and confidence, especially in the first half, deserved a goal. Liverpool played an expansive game against the best side in Europe that weeks earlier destroyed English champions Manchester Utd.

4. Against Barcelona, Chelsea and AC Milan we have defensively stifled teams for long periods. This bodes well for Liverpool. Benitez is building a squad that dominates games and this needs to be translated into a squad that will aim to dominate football.

5. The likes of Carrager, Gerrard, Riise, Reina and Agger are self-reflecting athletes that will learn from this disappointment. Minutes after the final whistle, Carragher had the ability to be humble in defeat and accept he should have known better when he cleared the ball that pressurized Alonso into giving away the free kick that led to the first goal.

As the cog of the Rafalution turns and enters a new phase this summer, it may well be worth remembering the words of Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa;

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey

(27 August 1896 – 21 September 1933)

Watch this space.