If there was any justice in this world we'd have come away from this game with maximum points. I thought the lads were magnificent (© Phil Thompson), and still can't believe we didn't win. That it took a late goal just for us to get a share of the spoils is hard to comprehend given how well we played, but if you miss as many chances as we did then you are always going to have problems. I'm not really a superstitious person, but I'd watched the Kiev and Man Yoo games in the One Four in town, and seeing as how they went so well me and Smithy decided not to tempt fate by going anywhere else to watch it. Graham Suppiah, being far more wealthy than Smithy and me, made the trip to 'Hell' and will be posting a report on here soon, but for now you'll have to make do with my TV based assessment of the game.
I wrote after last weeks goalless draw at Anfield that I saw no reason why we couldn't go to Istanbul and win, and as the game drew closer my confidence soared on an hourly basis. I was convinced we'd win this, and even though my prediction proved to be as inaccurate as usual, the game actually went exactly as I thought it would do. The only thing I didn't see happening was us missing so many clear cut chances.
Right from the start we looked up for the game, and Heskey and Owen were looking particularly sharp. The man pulling all the strings though was Danny Murphy, rightly given the central midfield slot which he should always fill when Stevie G is missing. Danny's passing was superb, as he carved open the home defence time and again.
I've taken a bit of stick for some of the praise I've given Murphy recently, but I make no apologies for it. If he plays badly I'll say so, so when he plays well I'll give him credit. It's a shame some other fans can't adopt the same policy. Many fans are quick to slaughter him when he has an off game, but refuse to give him the credit he deserves when he plays well. In the first half of this game Murphy was head and shoulders above anyone on the pitch, and I defy anyone to disagree.
The reds were defending well, and breaking with real purpose and menace. I remarked to Smithy when the teams were lining up that they were a really small side and that we should have a lot of joy from set-pieces, particularly long throws. Riise twice went close from Murphy corners, and every time the ball was lofted into their box we looked like we would get something from it.
It wasn't just set pieces where we looked dangerous though, as we played some delightful, incisive football at times. Smicer should have scored after a wonderful move involving Heskey and Owen. Mickey's pass looked simple, but it was brilliantly executed. He couldn't have just rolled it along the floor to Vladi because the Czech would have had too much ground to make up. By lofting the ball Michael not only put the ball into the perfect spot so that Smicer didn't even have to break stride, but he was also able to give Vladi enough time to get there. The pass deserved a goal, but sadly Smicer's finish was weak and allowed Mondragon to save comfortably.
Murphy forced the Colombian into another comfortable save with a snapshot from 25 yards, and then Owen shot agonizingly wide after cleverly creating space for himself in the box following Smicer's excellent pass. Riise had been getting a lot of joy down the left, as Murphy picked him out time and again, and it seemed only a matter of time before we got a goal.
At the other end, Gala were creating a few problems of their own, and Kirkland had to pull off two fantastic saves to keep us level. The first was a fine low stop with his fingertips, and the second was an excellent double stop, as Carragher's sliced clearance created panic in the reds box. The young keeper did well to clear first with his feet, and then produce a brilliant flying stop stop seconds later after Hyypia had cleared off the line.
In between those stops, Kirkland had an anxious moment as he spilled a swerving long range effort, and was relieved to see the follow up blazed wide. Overall the youngster had an excellent game, although the length of time he takes to clear the ball is becoming very irritating I have to say. This was especially annoying after we'd equalised and were looking to push on and win the game.
The most frustrating thing about this game was the amount of free-kicks awarded by the referee. We thought the Turks had been diving at Anfield, but in this game they took it to a whole new level. Quite simply they were an absolute disgrace, particularly the baldy bastard in midfield. Hasan Sas I believe his name is. Damn good player, but a horrible little cheating shit and I admire the restraint of our boys for not lamping him.
The only booking of the half was awarded to Didi Hamann, and to be fair he could have few complaints given the amount of fouls he gave away. What amused me though was when Didi decided enough was enough, and in the second half he played them at their own game. Nobody can milk a foul like our Didi, and in the second half he must have won at least half a dozen with dramatic falls. He's like a big oak tree falling to the ground at times.
The referee was worrying me quite a bit, as he seemed incapable of spotting the blatant diving from the Turks. Any time one of them went to ground, a free kick was awarded, and the booking he gave to Heskey has to rank as THE worst decision I have EVER seen in all the years I've been watching football. I was furious that he'd even awarded a foul, and then he produces a yellow card. How Emile managed to restrain himself after that I'll never know, but he deserves a lot of credit for keeping his cool.
We'd come out of the traps flying at the start of the second half, but still couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Owen was played through by a fantastic pass from Murphy, but his scuffed left foot shot went straight at Mondragon. Then a terrific move saw Riise played in on the left (by Murphy again I think, although it could have been Smicer), and I can't have been the only one who thought it was certain goal. Riise in that position on his left foot usually only produces one outcome, and I couldn't believe it when he drove the ball straight at the keeper. It was going to be one of those nights.
You know that when you miss so many chances that the first opportunity the opposition get they'll stick away, and that's what happened. There wasn't really much that could have been done about it either. The guy got in front of Sami, but no real blame can be attached to the skipper (who was his usual magnificent self) and Kirkland had no chance as the ball powered its way into the corner.
It was a hammer blow for the reds, who really should have been out of sight by then, but they bounced straight back and created a golden opportunity to equalise within 60 seconds. Carragher played in Riise down the left, and the Norwegian produced a fabulous cross which found Smicer with the goal at his mercy. What followed is something which the Czech will probably be haunted by for the rest of his career. He was immediately replaced by the Mighty Mullet.
Jari hasn't been given a fair crack of the whip, and the fans are split over this. There are some who have bought into the management's assertion that he doesn't do enough defensively and isn't mobile enough, whilst there are others, such as myself, who feel that there have been many times this season (particularly at home) when we have been crying out for the genius of our mercurial number 37.
Jari has often been used as a late substitute when we've needed someone to bail us out of the shit, and more often than not he's delivered. It must be extremely demoralising for someone of his talents (for me he's the most talented creative player in the Premiership by a distance) to be used as a bit part player. To his credit, he's never complained, and has always shown an excellent attitude when he has played. He made an instant impression against the Turks, getting on the ball and orchestrating attacks, and of course he made the equaliser.
The cool head he showed when the ball dropped to him from Riise's long throw was vintage Jari. One touch to control the ball, a slight delay as he sucked in THREE defenders, before delivering the ball at just the right time in just the right place for Emile to smash home the equaliser. It was no more than the reds, and Emile, deserved.
Heskey was excellent, as was Owen. They caused the Turks all kinds of problems, and had the referee not allowed their centre halves to get away with constant shirt pulling and buffeting, then they'd have had a lot more joy. Hamann and Murphy were excellent in midfield, and Riise was a constant threat down the left. The back four played well, although far too many attacks came down Xavier's side of the pitch for my liking. That's not a criticism of Abel in particular, merely an observation.
Steph had a bit of a shaky start, but recovered well to turn in another fine European performance, and Carragher made so many crucial blocks and interceptions. In the One Four, one arsehole sat behind me was slating JC because of the sliced clearance in the first half, but the pitch was poor and the ball bobbled up. Other than that Carra was immense, but I guess there's just no pleasing some people.
I would have given Kirkland the star man award, but Murphy's performance (especially in the first half) really impressed me. Not that it will be enough to get the idiots off his back of course. He could have scored a hat-trick in this game but you can be sure the first time he gives the ball away in the next home game they'd be on him.
Anyway, the draw keeps our hopes alive, even if it has now become a tall order to qualify. We can win in the Nou Camp, because despite all the hype, Barca ARE NOT that great. They lost 3-0 in Rome, and regular watchers of La Liga on Sky will know that they may have great players, but they aren't a great team. There's rumblings that GH may make his return for the game in the Nou Camp, and that would give us an almighty lift.
Smithy has banned me from making anymore predictions, so I'm not going to say whether we'll go through or not, but let's just say that I haven't given up hope by any means.
TEAM: Chris Kirkland; Abel Xavier, Stephane Henchoz, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher; Vladimir Smicer (Jari Litmanen), Danny Murphy, Didi Hamann, John Arne Riise; Michael Owen, Emile Heskey:
