ATHENS '07: XABI ALONSO INTERVIEW
Liverpoolfc.tv 21 May 2007
Spanish midfield maestro Xabi Alonso speaks to Liverpoolfc.tv ahead of the clash in Athens and insists confidence is high that the Reds can win European football's most prized trophy for the sixth time.
Does the fact you're in the Champions League final mean this has been a successful campaign?
At the moment it has been a successful campaign but obviously finishing with this final means we have a massive motivation for the last game. Once we start the final we just want to play and win it, but we know it will be difficult.
You must have been hugely impressed with AC Milan in their two semi-final matches. United were under strength but Milan played some terrific football didn't they?
Especially in the second leg at the San Siro when Milan played really well. They were dynamic, playing with a very good tempo over the 90 minutes and they played much better than Manchester United. The final will be different and hopefully we will play the way we know.
Everyone talks about Kaka but do you believe they are too reliant upon him because they don't seem to have the goal threat they did two years ago with Shevchenko and Crespo?
They have different players but two years ago we conceded in the first minute and that broke the plan we had. They had space and Kaka played really well in the first half. We will try to make sure that doesn't happen again and do our plan the way we want.
For the second half in Istanbul you changed tactics when Didi Hamann came on and you played a bit deeper. Do you think that's going to help you knowing now how to deal with Kaka?
Yes. I think it's important not to let him have any space because that's when he plays very well and he is strong, quick and very gifted with the ball. If we don't allow him to play then we will have a lot of possibilities. We will have to be very compact in midfield and not give them a lot of space.
Are Milan as strong as they were two years ago?
To me they look really strong. They have a couple of different players but they haven't changed many things and they are still a very good team. Thinking about ourselves, I think we have improved as well and we have progressed in two seasons.
What do you like most about Milan?
I think they play as a team. They have experience and know what to do and have confidence in themselves. They are a really good team and have a good manager as well.
They have a great balance in midfield and play a different game to Liverpool...
Yes, they have a very powerful midfield with a lot of qualities. The playmaker is Pirlo in front of their defence and Kaka creates the chances. They have powerful players in Ambrosini and Gattuso who also do great defensive work. They have a really good and well balanced team but we have a good team as well and we will try to win.
I think it's quite a level final and I can't see a clear favourite. You never know what is going to happen. I remember two years ago everybody was expecting a close final and there were a lot of goals scored so you never know what can happen.
So what is your plan for the game?
Well that's why we have been preparing in Spain for the match! That's something we will have to keep to ourselves.
Because of what happened in 2005 this is being billed as a revenge final so that does put more pressure on you?
No because I think that once you are playing in the final you can feel the pressure and you can handle it. It's like a revenge game for them but for us it's another final and a very good chance for us to lift another cup.
What are your memories from that night?
It's going to be unforgettable for a lot of us. I think in the history of football you won't see many finals like that. Going in at half time 3-0 down and then to score three goals in six second half minutes was just unbelievable but that's the past now and we have to look to the future.
You do look to the future but you can't forget about what's happened...
No I don't want to take that away as it's something we will keep in our memories forever. Right now, though, we are just thinking about May 23 and the final.
Have you been paying attention to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson who has been saying he's ready to celebrate with a bottle of wine for Milan?
We'll see what happens. I'm not really bothered about what he will do, I'm more bothered about what we will be drinking when we hopefully win! We are just thinking about ourselves.
Has the manager made it clear he doesn't fancy another penalty shoot-out this time?
[Laughs] We would love to go to penalties if it finishes in the same way! Of course those kind of finals are stressful but that's Liverpool. I remember watching the final against Alaves as well and that was quite an exciting game. If it finished that way again I would be happy to suffer the penalties again.
Joking apart, Liverpool are very good at winning games on penalties...
We will practice as it's always important to be prepared. I remember in Istanbul Jerzy was a key player for us and now it could be Pepe. He practices in training and if we do reach penalties at the end in the final we will feel confident.
Athens will be very similar to Istanbul in terms of the weather...
Yes, that is something that is very different from England. It's going to be warm, the humidity is going to be high and it will be late at night but that's why we have been to Spain to acclimatise a bit better.
Do you have a snapshot in your mind from Istanbul and do you remember the fans and the part they played?
I remember a lot of things. It was really special to go out onto the pitch for the second half and to hear the fans singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and that's when we felt we had the absolute support of the fans even though we were 3-0 down. It gave us a lift and it was a boost for the team and they played a really important role in that game. I'm pretty sure they will play another important role in Athens.
We know there were a lot of Liverpool fans inside that stadium and there will be more than 17,000 in Athens won't there?
I'm pretty sure of it because I remember in Istanbul half of the stadium were all Liverpool fans and in the Italian area there were a few Liverpool flags, so that's going to happen again. It's a shame what's happening with the tickets but there will be a big support for us.
It was a magical night in Istanbul but is it important to learn from what went wrong because to be 3-0 down at the break must have been mentally well as physically draining for you?
It was a great night but the first 45 minutes weren't very great! That's why we can't allow them to score as quickly as they did and we can't afford to make big mistakes. That's something we are working on and we will try not to repeat that.
Rafa's made the point several times about the size of the squad and the need to rotate but how disappointing was it for you to be left out of the team for the semi-final?
As players we want to play in the big games and the second leg here at Anfield was a big game. It's normal to be disappointed when you are left out of the team but when you are on the bench you have to support your teammates and be ready for when you come on. That's what happened and I was ready.
I want to play in the final, we all want to play in the final. The manager has a decision to make but we will all have a part to play.
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...70521-1557.htm
Liverpoolfc.tv 21 May 2007
Spanish midfield maestro Xabi Alonso speaks to Liverpoolfc.tv ahead of the clash in Athens and insists confidence is high that the Reds can win European football's most prized trophy for the sixth time.
Does the fact you're in the Champions League final mean this has been a successful campaign?
At the moment it has been a successful campaign but obviously finishing with this final means we have a massive motivation for the last game. Once we start the final we just want to play and win it, but we know it will be difficult.
You must have been hugely impressed with AC Milan in their two semi-final matches. United were under strength but Milan played some terrific football didn't they?
Especially in the second leg at the San Siro when Milan played really well. They were dynamic, playing with a very good tempo over the 90 minutes and they played much better than Manchester United. The final will be different and hopefully we will play the way we know.
Everyone talks about Kaka but do you believe they are too reliant upon him because they don't seem to have the goal threat they did two years ago with Shevchenko and Crespo?
They have different players but two years ago we conceded in the first minute and that broke the plan we had. They had space and Kaka played really well in the first half. We will try to make sure that doesn't happen again and do our plan the way we want.
For the second half in Istanbul you changed tactics when Didi Hamann came on and you played a bit deeper. Do you think that's going to help you knowing now how to deal with Kaka?
Yes. I think it's important not to let him have any space because that's when he plays very well and he is strong, quick and very gifted with the ball. If we don't allow him to play then we will have a lot of possibilities. We will have to be very compact in midfield and not give them a lot of space.
Are Milan as strong as they were two years ago?
To me they look really strong. They have a couple of different players but they haven't changed many things and they are still a very good team. Thinking about ourselves, I think we have improved as well and we have progressed in two seasons.
What do you like most about Milan?
I think they play as a team. They have experience and know what to do and have confidence in themselves. They are a really good team and have a good manager as well.
They have a great balance in midfield and play a different game to Liverpool...
Yes, they have a very powerful midfield with a lot of qualities. The playmaker is Pirlo in front of their defence and Kaka creates the chances. They have powerful players in Ambrosini and Gattuso who also do great defensive work. They have a really good and well balanced team but we have a good team as well and we will try to win.
I think it's quite a level final and I can't see a clear favourite. You never know what is going to happen. I remember two years ago everybody was expecting a close final and there were a lot of goals scored so you never know what can happen.
So what is your plan for the game?
Well that's why we have been preparing in Spain for the match! That's something we will have to keep to ourselves.
Because of what happened in 2005 this is being billed as a revenge final so that does put more pressure on you?
No because I think that once you are playing in the final you can feel the pressure and you can handle it. It's like a revenge game for them but for us it's another final and a very good chance for us to lift another cup.
What are your memories from that night?
It's going to be unforgettable for a lot of us. I think in the history of football you won't see many finals like that. Going in at half time 3-0 down and then to score three goals in six second half minutes was just unbelievable but that's the past now and we have to look to the future.
You do look to the future but you can't forget about what's happened...
No I don't want to take that away as it's something we will keep in our memories forever. Right now, though, we are just thinking about May 23 and the final.
Have you been paying attention to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson who has been saying he's ready to celebrate with a bottle of wine for Milan?
We'll see what happens. I'm not really bothered about what he will do, I'm more bothered about what we will be drinking when we hopefully win! We are just thinking about ourselves.
Has the manager made it clear he doesn't fancy another penalty shoot-out this time?
[Laughs] We would love to go to penalties if it finishes in the same way! Of course those kind of finals are stressful but that's Liverpool. I remember watching the final against Alaves as well and that was quite an exciting game. If it finished that way again I would be happy to suffer the penalties again.
Joking apart, Liverpool are very good at winning games on penalties...
We will practice as it's always important to be prepared. I remember in Istanbul Jerzy was a key player for us and now it could be Pepe. He practices in training and if we do reach penalties at the end in the final we will feel confident.
Athens will be very similar to Istanbul in terms of the weather...
Yes, that is something that is very different from England. It's going to be warm, the humidity is going to be high and it will be late at night but that's why we have been to Spain to acclimatise a bit better.
Do you have a snapshot in your mind from Istanbul and do you remember the fans and the part they played?
I remember a lot of things. It was really special to go out onto the pitch for the second half and to hear the fans singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and that's when we felt we had the absolute support of the fans even though we were 3-0 down. It gave us a lift and it was a boost for the team and they played a really important role in that game. I'm pretty sure they will play another important role in Athens.
We know there were a lot of Liverpool fans inside that stadium and there will be more than 17,000 in Athens won't there?
I'm pretty sure of it because I remember in Istanbul half of the stadium were all Liverpool fans and in the Italian area there were a few Liverpool flags, so that's going to happen again. It's a shame what's happening with the tickets but there will be a big support for us.
It was a magical night in Istanbul but is it important to learn from what went wrong because to be 3-0 down at the break must have been mentally well as physically draining for you?
It was a great night but the first 45 minutes weren't very great! That's why we can't allow them to score as quickly as they did and we can't afford to make big mistakes. That's something we are working on and we will try not to repeat that.
Rafa's made the point several times about the size of the squad and the need to rotate but how disappointing was it for you to be left out of the team for the semi-final?
As players we want to play in the big games and the second leg here at Anfield was a big game. It's normal to be disappointed when you are left out of the team but when you are on the bench you have to support your teammates and be ready for when you come on. That's what happened and I was ready.
I want to play in the final, we all want to play in the final. The manager has a decision to make but we will all have a part to play.
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...70521-1557.htm
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