Liverpool V Deportivo Saprissa at 10:20am in the World club championship

galwaydude

From the bbc website

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists his side will not lack motivation in Thursday's World Club Championship semi-final against Deportivo Saprissa.
The trophy is the only one the club have never won, although they have twice fallen in the final.

"This competition is very important to us because of that," said Benitez.

Saprissa beat Sydney to book a meeting with Liverpool, a match coach Hernan Medford described as "maybe the most important in Costa Rica's history".

Medford's side is made up mostly of native-born or naturalised Costa Rican players, with veteran striker Ronald Gomez providing the Purple Monsters' attacking threat.

"My team and Liverpool have two different styles, totally different," said Medford.

We have changed the habits of the players, in terms of when they eat and sleep, to avoid jet lag

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

"We play technical football, touch football. English football is more powerful, they have a lot of power in the game with some very good individuals on the team.

"So it's going to be a great match, a difficult match but we are very excited about playing in this competition."

The winner of Thursday's semi-final will play Sao Paulo in the final on Sunday.

Benitez dismissed concerns that the Reds could suffer because of the nine-hour time difference between the UK and Japan.

"We have been doing a special plan for the past week to try and win back time," he told the Liverpool website.

"That involved changing the habits of the players, in terms of when they eat and when they sleep.

"We wanted to acclimatise them to the time difference before we travelled, so we had to do this.

"In normal circumstances, you need a week to acclimatise to such a big time difference. We had to start in England because we have a match three days after our arrival."

If liverpool play the way they have been playing over the last month or so then we should win by 2 goals or maybe more. Gerrard and moro should get the goals as both are flying at the moment.

On the downside liverpool shouldnt underestimate them as everyone remembers burnley last season even if liverpool did play a bunch of kids in the match.

And hopefully sunday a nice new trophy for the ever expanding trophy room at anfield. If liverpool do manage it will be the 6th trophy that benitez has won since he joined.

LizardKing

Anyone know any Streams for this match , would be nice ???

Vokes

If anyone is at home, like me, its on BBC2 at 10am.

mchurl

Can't see past a comfortable win for liverpool in this one. Any team line-ups yet?

redspider

I saw a bit of the semi-final that Sao Paulo won. They are a typical Brazillian team, and anyone that followed the Campeanato on C4 in recent years will be aware of the skills that this league has. The only problem I see for Sao Paulo is that they are a shadow of their former selves, having had a terrible season finishing mid-table and are generally not on form.

For Liverpool, this game will be weird, a new type of experience as seldom do Liverpool meet teams that are so "foriegn" apart from tour matches, and seldom do South American and European teams meet. I think more meetings are needed.

I like Brazllian soccer, its skillful, full of incident and very competitive as a league. One thing which will be interesting is that most Brazillans are on average smaller than Europeans, and it will be interesting to see if Benitez plays Crouch. Most Brazillian teams also have dodgy keepers, but this team has one of the best and one that could play in Europe.

Liverpool should win it judging by Sao Paulo's current form, etc, but its a hard game to predict, and at the end of the day its not very important. It is a trophy that Liverpool have not yet won, although as the format has changed so much over the years and in many years the competition did not even take-place, it is not a "valid" trophy. Gerrard should be up for it though and many of the Liverpool team, so lets see what happens.

redspider

yom 1

LizardKing wrote:

Anyone know any Streams for this match , would be nice ???

Bump!

meditraitor

Come on guys, one of you internet wizzzards must know one:v: :rolleyes:

emc2

Reina
Josemi
Hyypia
Carragher
Traore
Gerrard
Sissoko
Alonso
Riise
Crouch
Cisse

Josemi and traore I don't think it's going to be that easy!

Chardee MacDennis

crouch 1-0

zAbbo

Anyone got a working 5 live link?

Guy:Incognito

wtf? Troare starting? What better game is there to give Warnock a run. Why does rafa have a mental block when he is picking the left full?


EDIT YAY 1-0EDIT

rahim

5 Live says UK only. How annoying!!

yom 1

"1022: GOAL Deportivo Saprissa 0-1 Liverpool
It is a perfect start for the Reds. John Arne Riise lofts a chip into the box which is touched from Djibril Cisse into the path of Peter Crouch, the striker rifling a right-foot volley past the statuesque goalkeeper."

Lovely Jubbly:D

redspider

I got a bit ahead of myself and commented on the wrong match! ie: the final, which we all expect to happen against Sao Paulo on Sunday.

Today, its against the Cost Rican team Deportivo Saprissa.

Crouch has scored after 3 mins - a cross in from the right, low, was knocked down around the 12-yard mark by Cisse with his foot on the left hand side of the box and Crouch, who was about 5 yards away further left, struck it on the volley after a bounce into the goal on the right hand side/corner, from about 15 yards out.

A goal from Crouch, an assist from Cisse, this doesnt happen often! Mind you, the Costa Ricans werent marking very tightly. Liverpool are very much in control, especially in defence, no threats from the opposition as yet. It looks like a stroll in the park.

Liverpool's team (4-4-2):
Reina,
Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore
Gerrard, Sissoko, Alonso, Riise
Cisse, Crouch

Substitutes: Dudek, Warnock, Finnan, Kewell, Luis Garcia, Sinama Pongolle, Carson, Hamann, Morientes.

Deportivo Saprissa are unchanged from the side that beat Sydney FC in their last match and it is a team made up completely of Costa Ricans.


redspider

eirebhoy

Its on:
Starsport with ppstream.
Guangdong with the newest version of pplive.
CCTV 5 with PPstream, pplive or Sopcat.

LizardKing

eirebhoy wrote:

Its on:
Starsport with ppstream.
Guangdong with the newest version of pplive.
CCTV 5 with PPstream, pplive or Sopcat.

nice one got it on sopcat ... CCTV 5 :-)

Big Nelly

links?

LizardKing

Big Nelly wrote:

links?

download Sopcast www.sopcast.org , install -> open and select Sports | CCTV 5 (test) as channel ... it should open up in media player then ...

MrJoeSoap

2-0

Crouch (missed this one)
Gerrard (super volley)

Chardee MacDennis

amazing volley by gerrard, 2-0

super_furry

Watch it live via the BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/#

Pigman II

Call_me_al wrote:

amazing volley by gerrard, 2-0

It was a great shot alright but in fairness there wasn't a Saprissa player within about 10 yards of him when he shaped up to strike it. Terrible defending.

I presume this lot beat the best in Mexico to get here but I can't really see how based on this evidence.

LizardKing

yeah great cross and finish but ****e marking ... are they not costa rican ??

Chardee MacDennis

btw finnan's not playing because he is very jet lagged

Pigman II

LizardKing wrote:

yeah great cross and finish but ****e marking ... are they not costa rican ??

Yes they are but aren't they the NorthAmerican representative hence (I presume) they must have won some competition against Mexico, USA etc?

rahim

Call_me_al wrote:

btw finnan's not playing because he is very jet lagged

Are you serious???

RE*AC*TOR

Two great goals. Its obvious the liverpool lads are taking the foot off now and then. Quality of the opposition is fairly mediocre - especially in defense.

Tusky

rahim wrote:

Are you serious???

Yeah...not surprising, they have only been there two days. Great professional performance from Liverpool against a mediocre side. Both goals were fantastic, specially Gerrards. Terrible marking, Liverpool players are constantly finding themself in space on the right.

Cisse is actually playing quite well so far too.

LizardKing

Some funny live text commentary from the Guardian
http://football.guardian.co.uk/news/matchreport/0,9752,1667836,00.html

Chardee MacDennis

so apparently the sao paulo keeper takes penalties and free kicks, never really liked those types of keepers!!

MrJoeSoap

3-0 Crouch.

MrJoeSoap

Call_me_al wrote:

so apparently the sao paulo keeper takes penalties and free kicks, never really liked those types of keepers!!

He has 53 goals in his career, scored an excellent penalty in the 3-2 win the other night.

Bacchus

Classic stuff from the Guardian


13 mins: Sorry about that. Things you've missed while I was switching PCs. Me swearing loudly because nothing works. Me being told that Liverpool are playing Deportivo Saprissa, not Deportivo "Caprisso". Not much else.

6 mins: The computer I'm working on is ridiculously slow - I'm going to go and find a faster one. Back in five minutes. "No change there, then," says you.

Big Nelly

This is best statement from Guardian

If Paulo Wanchope doesn't play for them, then I can claim to know nothing whatsoever about. If he does play for them, then we'll see him taking on Djimi Traore - Bambi On Ice v Bambi On Ice. A delicious prospect.

After first Crouch goal: Whisper it, but he has a good touch for a big man.
After second goal: And he has a good touch for a big man, don't you know?

Great defending, not so great ... eh, the opposite of defending. Attacking, that's the word I'm looking for.

rahim

From the Guardian:
"A twitch from the Deportivo Saprisso corpse. They win a free-kick just outside the Liverpool box, Saborio tries his luck and Reina sees it late. He parries and Carragher hacks clear. I'm just making up names at this stage - it could have been anyone."

Classic stuff.

LizardKing

Are these Saprissa guys anything to do with harchester ??
http://www.saprissa.co.cr/

bennyc

It has to be the guys from the Fiver in the Guardian excellent read every day

Highlander

From BBC Sport


1200: A little under 10 minutes to go and never mind the Purple Monsters, Deportivo have been more like Barney the purple dinosaur from that children's show - cute, cuddly and not very threatening.

MrJoeSoap

LizardKing wrote:

Are these Saprissa guys anything to do with harchester ??
http://www.saprissa.co.cr/

I've no idea but I like that tune!

yom 1

excellant result for the pool

another 2 goals from crouch can do his confidence no harm at all

and 11 games without conceeding a goal !:p

hopefully its more of the same on sunday

RE*AC*TOR

So, relatively convincing win. The defense did look a little shakey after Hyppia came off, but nice to see a new club record for consecutive clean sheets.

Sunday should be a different prospect - a more competitive match I'd imagine.

BaZmO*

LizardKing wrote:

Some funny live text commentary from the Guardian
http://football.guardian.co.uk/news/matchreport/0,9752,1667836,00.html

Some of that stuff is hilarious.

B.

jesus_thats_gre

Good win.

BaZmO*

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

Good win.

Dunno about that. It sounded like a walk in the park for Liverpool.

B.

Big Nelly

BaZmO* wrote:

It sounded like a walk in the park for Liverpool.

B.

Watched most of the game and it was. The other team was poor to say the least.

mayordenis

liverpool did well, id even say very well considering they didnt push themselves whatsoever.

redspider

Liverpool 3-0 Dep Saprissa

A good safe win by Liverpool. Crouch finished well for his first but missed a couple of other chances. Gerrard's finish for the 2nd was top-class. Crouch did well for the third too, but the build up was fortunate and poor defending by the Costa Rican's allowed him to get in and slot past the keeper.

Cisse and Liverpool created several more chances that they should have scored, and on occasions in the 1st and 2nd half had situations of 3 v 2 and 3 v1 but failed to capitalise. Overall, they should have scored a few more goals.

To be fair to the opposition, they came into the game more in the 2nd half and had a lot more possession and plenty of threats. Reina did well on several occasions with some good stops and Liverpool managed to keep a clean sheet.

A few others got run-outs including Pongolle who looked lively and perhaps is trying to play in the same mode/position as Garcia.

Overall, a good result for Liverpool which should give them the basis to give a good display on Sunday and hopefully to take the win and the trophy.

redspider

emc2

I suppose that you can only beat what's put in front of you. Sunday should be interesting against a team that play a high tempo of football.

Oriel

Yeah, that Guardian stuff is very funny. Somebody sounded as if they were still drunk...

LostinBlanch

Yeah Barry Glendenning is nealry always like that (in his commentaries anyway :rolleyes: ). I think he's from Offaly, I heard him on an interview on Newstalk106

mchurl

good win for the 'pool but saprissa were very poor. Should be a different kettle of fish against sao paulo