rafa's valencia

[Shaggy]

That Barca side wan't a patch on Valencia. They only "took us apart" for about 10 minutes when we were chasing the game.

Exactly. And we scored against Barca and could/should have extended our lead.

Valencia barely gave us a kick.

[Shaggy]

They scored a goal against us at Anfield that was just perfect precision ping pong passing. They were glorious to watch, in a horrible, depressing, they're-miles-better-than-us sort of way.

Honourablegeorge

Yup. I was more frustrated that night at Anfield than I think I ever have been, watching the Reds. I thought we had a good side.

It must be said that Valencia not only passed us to death, but they also killed the game completely after going 1-0 ahead. Every trick in the book. Whenever we got a sniff off momentum, one of their players would go down, stay down, and take the sting out of the game. I was frothing at the mouth in the Centenary Stand in sheer frustration.

[redlancer]

Honourablegeorge

Yup. I was more frustrated that night at Anfield than I think I ever have been, watching the Reds. I thought we had a good side.

It must be said that Valencia not only passed us to death, but they also killed the game completely after going 1-0 ahead. Every trick in the book. Whenever we got a sniff off momentum, one of their players would go down, stay down, and take the sting out of the game. I was frothing at the mouth in the Centenary Stand in sheer frustration.

was in the KOP and came away thinking with a bit of luck.

Whereas 3 times Rafa's Valencia battered us and I came away thinking we lost fair and square to one of the best team display's I've seen.

[enema of the state]

Exactly. And we scored against Barca and could/should have extended our lead.

Valencia barely gave us a kick.

agree

we went 1-0 up with owen going clear and he missed a second chance when clean through.

they equalised with an offside goal by kluivert and we only got a chasing once we were 2-1 behind

rafas valencia never gave us a single clear chance in 180 minutes

[rushscored4]

Winning the league excites me more than the brand of football...

However, I've seen Rafa's Valencia three times "in the flesh" as it were and was always very impressed. Indeed I was at the Mestalla when they beat us 2-0 (was it really nearly 5 years ago?) and they were awesome. They could - and should - have beaten us by a hatful that evening and don't forget we'd won five trophies the previous year...

[enema of the state]

the best sides to play at anfield since the mid 1970's are arsenal 1990-91 (the most physically dominant team ever - very far from the best technically), everton 1984-6, scum 1993-4 and chelsea 2004/5. The best overseas sides would be rafas valencia and the tiblisi side of the late 1970's that tore apart the lfc side above.

the best club side - that never made it to anfield - in this period was the AC milan side of the mid to late 1980s imo

of note: lfc1976-84, milan 1983-88 and rafas valencia all played a very similar system. this system seems to me to be rafas blueprint

[bazza76]

They scored a goal against us at Anfield that was just perfect precision ping pong passing. They were glorious to watch, in a horrible, depressing, they're-miles-better-than-us sort of way.

Leading up to that game, we were running away with the league and unbeaten, I think at one stage about 9 points clear of second place, we had just won all of the cups in the season previous. That defeat knocked the stuffing out of us, and then we went on a run of something like 12 games without a win. Ive never seen us been given such a footballing lesson before.

[rushscored4]

of note: lfc1976-84, milan 1983-88 and rafas valencia all played a very similar system. this system seems to me to be rafas blueprint

I think Liverpool fans will always look back on that golden era with red-tinted nostalgia. Yes we were very effective and winning teams are always enjoyable to watch but we could grind the opposition down with the best of them and come away with a dull 1-0 win from a deflection in the last minute. Just like the great Milan side, Valencia under Rafa and, more recently, Chelsea...

[enema of the state]

I think Liverpool fans will always look back on that golden era with red-tinted nostalgia. Yes we were very effective and winning teams are always enjoyable to watch but we could grind the opposition down with the best of them and come away with a dull 1-0 win from a deflection in the last minute. Just like the great Milan side, Valencia under Rafa and, more recently, Chelsea...

not really in my case.

the hardest games against your hardest opponents all tend to be hard fought and close with a lot of "grinding out"

the 1987-8 side tended to win a lot of games in style but thats really a function of them being far better than their opposition of the day than a measure of their all-time greatness.

i really appreciate footballing technique and tactics well executed. id rather see us shut out a quality side like chelsea and win 1-0 than batter some inferior opponents with spectacular goals flying in from all angles...thats just me.

[redlancer]

Leading up to that game, we were running away with the league and unbeaten, I think at one stage about 9 points clear of second place, we had just won all of the cups in the season previous. That defeat knocked the stuffing out of us, and then we went on a run of something like 12 games without a win. Ive never seen us been given such a footballing lesson before.

We were not given a football lesson that night, we were chasing the game and they expoited it brillianlty but that was it. And it was only for about 10 minutes.

As for this knocking our confidence we were playing crap and the 7 points i think we were clear was a false position but this was a good month after the Barca game - Arsenal came and with 10 men if I remember right tore us apart
Every walk from the ground it was we've won another and don't know how.

[bazza76]

We were not given a football lesson that night, we were chasing the game and they expoited it brillianlty but that was it. And it was only for about 10 minutes.

As for this knocking our confidence we were playing crap and the 7 points i think we were clear was a false position but this was a good month after the Barca game - Arsenal came and with 10 men if I remember right tore us apart
Every walk from the ground it was we've won another and don't know how.

Barca game? I think we are talking about different games here mate.
Arsenal? We didn't play them until December that season either apart from the charity shield in pre. season.
I have my memories of the games, and "I" think we were given a footballing lesson in both the home and especially the away leg.

[enema of the state]

Barca game? I think we are talking about different games here mate.
Arsenal? We didn't play them until December that season either apart from the charity shield in pre. season.
I have my memories of the games, and "I" think we were given a footballing lesson in both the home and especially the away leg.

barca game????

if this was nov 2002 then it was after the valencia game that we went on a dreadful run

the barca game was nov 2001

[redlancer]

Barca game? I think we are talking about different games here mate.
Arsenal? We didn't play them until December that season either apart from the charity shield in pre. season.
I have my memories of the games, and "I" think we were given a footballing lesson in both the home and especially the away leg.

I was talking about Barca's 3-1 win in the CL group stages and playing Arsenal a month later just before chrimbo.

[enema of the state]

I was talking about Barca's 3-1 win in the CL group stages and playing Arsenal a month later just before chrimbo.

barca 2-1 2001 same season as 10 man arsenal trounced us

7 points clear (briefly) was nov 2002 - same season as the 2 valencia defeats

[bazza76]

I was talking about Barca's 3-1 win in the CL group stages and playing Arsenal a month later just before chrimbo.

I was at the Barca game, and I agree, the scoreline flattered them. However, I did also think our formation looked a mess and we totally lost the run of ourselves in the latter stages. It was horrible watching them pass the ball around like that in the lead up to one of their goals.