Forget the result. Forget the performance. Forget the impressive Anfield debut of Bruno Cheyrou, the continued good form of young Djimi Traore, and even the welcome return to Anfield action by the brave Markus Babbel. Tonight's game will be remembered by those in attendance for one reason and one reason only: Stephane Henchoz had a shot!
Yes folks, it did happen. Not only did Steph venture over the halfway line on several occasions (he even went up for a few corners), but after keeping us waiting for three long years the Swiss stopper finally managed a strike on goal. Whatsmore, it was a fine effort, beautifully struck from 35 yards and forcing a smart save from the Lazio keeper.
Other than that, this game was pretty forgettable. A couple of well struck long rangers from the impressive Cheyrou, another good strike from Smicer and a couple of penalty appeals aside, Lazio weren't troubled too much. They didn't offer much threat of their own either though in fairness, and certainly didn't do enough to justify their win.
One swift move and smart finish on the stroke of half time was all it took though for them to record the win, in a game in which both sides' priority seemed to be giving everybody in their squad a run out. Only Pegguy didn't get on for us, whilst Lazio also made a string of changes.
Bizarrely, the only reds' outfielder to complete 90 minutes was forgotten man Bernard Diomede. Presumably, Dio-Dio's surprise first team opportunities are more to do with keeping him in the shop window than anything else, but I would venture that our chances of getting rid of him would be improved if people didn't have the opportunity to see him play. He wasn't that bad against Lazio, and in fairness produced some quality crosses from the left, particularly in the 1st half, but he clearly isn't up standard.
Djimi Traore may also be 'in the shop window' but the youngster is doing his chances no harm right now. He was excellent against Wolfsburg, and produced another fine 45 minutes against Lazio, no mean feat considering he was up against a front pairing of Crespo and Claudio Lopez. Aside from a few slightly misdirected headed clearamces, Djimi was excellent. My only criticism of Djimi has been that he has a tendency to produce one howler every game. If he could cut that out, then maybe he'd finally be able to turn potential into performances.
El Hadji Diouf was the star man against Wolfsburg, and for me he is the most exciting signing we've made since Collymore. Diouf is a player who you would pay to watch. He was a lot quiter against the Italians, but still showed some lovely touches, and an admirable work ethic. We also saw that he still hasn't managed to eradicate diving from his game, with one effort in particular a bit of an embarrassment. He doesn't want to get a reputation for that, as he is the type of forward who will be fouled constantly. If refs think he's trying to con them, then he won't get the decisions even when he deserves them.
Alongside Diouf, Owen was very quiet. Michael is clearly pacing himself so he peaks when the season starts, and rightly so. At the moment he's operating at about 50%, which is probably wise considering his past injury problems. Michael knows his body, and he won't be extending himself too much in pre-season games, and nor should he of course. It won't bother me in the slightest if Michael doesn't find the net at all in pre-season, as you know that he is Michael Owen and when it really matters he'll come up with the goods.
Although we didn't create too many clear cut opportunities, the performance was lively and bright at times. Smicer looked fresh and sharp on the right in the first half, and Cheyrou was pulling the strings in the middle. The French midfielder has a touch of the Zidane's about him. Tall, elegant and graceful, he seems to glide across the turf and has a touch to die for. Predominantly left footed, he's also fairly adept with his right, and is excellent in the air. Mind you, he's a lot taller than I was expecting, and I also reckon he's a dead ringer for Jamie Carra.
His midfield partner in the 1st half was Didi Hamann, and he was his usual effective self. There was a nice balance in the midfield with Cheyrou and Hamann, and it will be interesting to see what role Cheyrou is given once Stevie G returns. If no further signings are made, then Stevie may be asked to fill the right sided berth, which I doubt he'll be particularly thrilled about. The alternative option would be for Cheyrou to play on the left, but so far in pre-season he's been used only in the centre, so I'll be curious to see how he is used in the remaining friendly fixtures.
Danny Murphy did his chances no harm with an excellent second half display. Danny was the instigator of every move. He was always looking for the ball, and produced some wonderful searching passes out wide. Still wasn't enough for some idiot sat behind me though, who waited for Danny to make his first bad pass before jumping straight on his back. With the summer break I'd forgotten how annoying that is.
Sami made his first appearance of the pre-season, and looked as though he'd never been away. The guy is such a class act, and we're very lucky to have him. The best defender in the world? He's got my vote anyway.
The man who currently occupies that title in the eyes of many would be Allessandro Nesta. The Italian is a fine defender, but is far too much of a pretty boy to be a centre half! He came on to replace Fernando Couto with about 20 minutes to go, and was given a bit of a shock by young reds'substitute Neil Mellor (see below).
Anyone who reads the reserve and Academy reports on this site will know the high regard we have for the Boy Mellor. I'm made up for the lad that he's getting some 1st team action, as I'm positive if he was given the opportunity he'd score goals. There'll be times when he'll look clumsy and a bit out of his depth, but when the ball goes into the box he always looked like getting on the end of it.
Three times he was close to getting on the end of something against Lazio, only to be denied by last ditch headers or clearances. If he keeps getting selected, then it's just a matter of time before he finds the net. Scoring goals is what he does best, but there are other things to look out for over the coming weeks if he stays involved with the first team. So here's a brief run down of what I like to call "Mellorism's"
"The Trademark Mellor Celebration" - Seen after every goal, it's a bit like Shearer's celebration but better! Right arm raised high in the air as he sets off on a mad run, it will hopefully become a regular sight at Premiership grounds over the coming years.
"The Mellor Maddie" - After finding the net, the adrenalin is obviously flowing and for the next couple of minutes he'll be seen charging around all over the place like a dog chasing its tail. A sight to behold this is!
"The Mellor Crunch" - The lad fights for every ball and doesn't know the meaning of the term 'lost cause.' He constantly chases across the line and puts pressure on defenders, and the end result is often the 'crunch' when he leaves his foot in after trying to charge down a clearance. whether it's an u19 left back from Sunderland or the so called "World's top defender" Allessandro Nesta, it matters not to the boy Mellor!
"The goalie charge" - Similar to the defender crunch, except there's not usually any contact (although there have been exceptions!). Whereas most strikers don't bother chasing backpasses, Mellor always does. Goalkeepers always have to be on their toes when Mellor is about.
So far, the goal celebration and subsequent 'maddie' have not yet been witnessed for the first team, but it's something for you all to look out for! The Kop got its first glimpse of 'the crunch' though, when Mellor and Nesta chased a loose ball and the fancy dan Italian got crunched! The Lazio players were furious, and confronted the young striker, as I sat there in the Main Stand pissing myself and thinking "vintage Mellor!." It certainly earned the approval of the Kop, who even began chanting his name.
So although it's never nice to lose, does anyone really care about this defeat? I know I don't. I saw Henchoz have a shot, and saw Mellor clatter the world's most lauded defender, so I'm happy!
It's Real Madrid next up for us on Friday, and I just can't shake the image of Mellor coming on as a sub and dumping Hierro on his arse! Now that would be something to see that!
Team: Jerzy Dudek; Markus Babbel (Abel Xavier), Sami Hyypia (Stephen Wright), Djimi Traore (Stephane Henchoz), John Arne Riise (Gregory Vignal); Vladimir Smicer (Nick Barmby), Didi Hamann (Danny Murphy), Bruno Cheyrou (Neil Mellor), Bernard Diomede; El Hadji Diouf (Patrik Berger), Michael Owen (Milan Baros):
