A FIRST half injury to Steven Gerrard means that Liverpool’s captain has to be a doubt for the Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege a week from now but if Rafael Benitez is looking for leaders in midfield he need look no further than a galvanised Xabi Alonso.
A dip in form last season, the disagreement with his manager when he attended the birth of his first child when the team were playing at Internazionale and losing his place in the first XI all pointed to Alonso heading for the Anfield exit door this summer.
Liverpool’s very public pursuit of Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry seemed to be hastening the Spanish international’s departure, particularly as it was suggested that they would need to sell him to fund a deal for the England midfielder.
But despite interest from the likes of Juventus and even Arsenal – who tested Liverpool’s resolve with a cheeky enquiry way below the player’s valuation, nobody has yet come in with a satisfactory offer for the former Real Sociedad man.
So seven days before the start of Liverpool’s competitive season with Barry still at Villa Park having missed the registration deadline for Champions League qualifiers and Gerrard possibly on the sidelines, Alonso is standing up to be counted.
Rather than waiting for an offer to come in like a man resigned to his fate, Alonso has metaphorically rolled up his sleeves to try and convince Benitez around to the thinking of so many Liverpool fans that he still justifies his place in a red jersey.
Although Valerenga were technically the home side last night, there didn’t seem to be much home advantage for them at an Ullevaal Stadion which seemed to have more red-shirted spectators than those sporting the hosts’ blue and white colours.
Many of Liverpool’s enormous Norwegian fanbase were making their presence felt at the stadium and those travelling among the visiting contingent from closer to home were vastly outnumbered by their Nordic counterparts.
Followers of football in these parts have long had a soft spot for English club football where many of their leading players go to play.
But Liverpool’s Scandinavian support existed many years before John Arne Riise’s arrival at Anfield and given this showing will no doubt continue for long after his departure from the club.
It’s often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and with their replica kits and scarves, your typical Norwegian Liverpool fan looks as much the part as the average Kopite.
Yet for all their enthusiasm, they still lack a certain degree of sportsmanship that Anfield regulars have been educated with as their booing of the home side’s players before the kick-off suggested.
However, such lessons could undoubtedly be learned with frequent trips to their heroes’ ground and given the sky high cost of living in Norway and the generous wages that go hand in hand, it comes as little surprise that so many of their fans embark on a modern day Norse invasion across the North Sea to English stadia each weekend – given the rising price of Premier League tickets and credit crunch back home, they could soon be the only supporters who can afford to get in.
Those present in Oslo last night saw a Liverpool starting line-up showing just one change to the side that began Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of Rangers at Ibrox.
As manager Rafael Benitez looks to draft in more of his regulars ahead of the competitive season, Alonso, a second-half scorer from the penalty spot against the UEFA Cup finalists, replaced youngster Damian Plessis in central midfield.
Showing a determination to fight for his Anfield future with no suitors yet to meet the £16million price tag placed on his head, the Spanish playmaker who Benitez insists he wants to keep, has spent the summer with the spectre of Barry looming over him.
An ability to place shots, even from the longest of range, has always been a major weapon in Alonso’s armoury but with a need to impress it seems that he is now becoming more single-minded than ever when attempting to find the net from distance.
But the policy could well prove to be beneficial for both the player and his club and after a couple of off-target efforts as he found his range, Alonso opened the scoring in Oslo in spectacular fashion 19 minutes into the contest.
A neat exchange of passing from the right hand side involving Alvaro Arbeloa, Dirk Kuyt and Robbie Keane culminated with the Irishman back-heeling the ball into Alonso’s path and he curled the ball around Valerenga’s American goalkeeper Troy Perkins with perfect precision from 25 yards out.
Eight minutes later, Liverpool skipper Gerrard gingerly made his way to the sidelines to be replaced by youngster Jay Spearing but the visitors continued to have the upper hand and almost doubled their lead in bizarre circumstances just before the interval when home defender Adrian Reid headed against his own right-hand post from a Yossi Benayoun left wing cross.
Valerenga, who currently lie seventh in the 14-team Tippeligaen – Norway’s top division – rarely threatened the Liverpool goal all night but they levelled proceedings just three minutes into the second half when Pepe Reina, who had replaced Diego Cavalieri at the break, was beaten from the edge of the area by a shot by Serbian left winger Bojan Zajic who was played in by Jamaican Luton Shelton’s lay-off.
The home side’s joy was short-lived though as Liverpool re-took the lead less than two minutes later while the PA system was still announcing the equaliser.
Fernando Torres shrugged off the attentions of Reid in the box to slip a low effort past substitute keeper Oyvind Bolthof, who had replaced Perkins at the interval.
From then on Liverpool took control but one player who didn’t enjoy the most successful of evenings by his own high standards was Keane.
The £20million striker, obviously so eager to break his scoring duck for his new club, seemed almost twitchy when in front of goal but his nerves will undoubtedly ease when he does get off the mark.
A moment of Benayoun magic brought Liverpool’s third goal on 61 minutes when Torres threaded the ball through to the Israeli, who dribbled wide to the left-hand side of the area before dispatching a glorious left-foot effort into the top corner.
A series of mass substitutions midway through the second half didn’t stop the visitors’ progress though and as he had done in Scotland just three days earlier, the precocious 19-year-old David Ngog produced a sparkling cameo off the bench.
With six minutes remaining, the French youngster was played through by fellow teenager Danny Pacheco and coolly struck a low effort beyond Bolthof’s reach.
It was an excellent finish to Liverpool’s pre-season travels on the continent this season and on this form there should be few worries for Benitez when his troops begin their competitive European campaign in just a week – whether their skipper makes the game in Belgium or not.
A dip in form last season, the disagreement with his manager when he attended the birth of his first child when the team were playing at Internazionale and losing his place in the first XI all pointed to Alonso heading for the Anfield exit door this summer.
Liverpool’s very public pursuit of Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry seemed to be hastening the Spanish international’s departure, particularly as it was suggested that they would need to sell him to fund a deal for the England midfielder.
But despite interest from the likes of Juventus and even Arsenal – who tested Liverpool’s resolve with a cheeky enquiry way below the player’s valuation, nobody has yet come in with a satisfactory offer for the former Real Sociedad man.
So seven days before the start of Liverpool’s competitive season with Barry still at Villa Park having missed the registration deadline for Champions League qualifiers and Gerrard possibly on the sidelines, Alonso is standing up to be counted.
Rather than waiting for an offer to come in like a man resigned to his fate, Alonso has metaphorically rolled up his sleeves to try and convince Benitez around to the thinking of so many Liverpool fans that he still justifies his place in a red jersey.
Although Valerenga were technically the home side last night, there didn’t seem to be much home advantage for them at an Ullevaal Stadion which seemed to have more red-shirted spectators than those sporting the hosts’ blue and white colours.
Many of Liverpool’s enormous Norwegian fanbase were making their presence felt at the stadium and those travelling among the visiting contingent from closer to home were vastly outnumbered by their Nordic counterparts.
Followers of football in these parts have long had a soft spot for English club football where many of their leading players go to play.
But Liverpool’s Scandinavian support existed many years before John Arne Riise’s arrival at Anfield and given this showing will no doubt continue for long after his departure from the club.
It’s often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and with their replica kits and scarves, your typical Norwegian Liverpool fan looks as much the part as the average Kopite.
Yet for all their enthusiasm, they still lack a certain degree of sportsmanship that Anfield regulars have been educated with as their booing of the home side’s players before the kick-off suggested.
However, such lessons could undoubtedly be learned with frequent trips to their heroes’ ground and given the sky high cost of living in Norway and the generous wages that go hand in hand, it comes as little surprise that so many of their fans embark on a modern day Norse invasion across the North Sea to English stadia each weekend – given the rising price of Premier League tickets and credit crunch back home, they could soon be the only supporters who can afford to get in.
Those present in Oslo last night saw a Liverpool starting line-up showing just one change to the side that began Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of Rangers at Ibrox.
As manager Rafael Benitez looks to draft in more of his regulars ahead of the competitive season, Alonso, a second-half scorer from the penalty spot against the UEFA Cup finalists, replaced youngster Damian Plessis in central midfield.
Showing a determination to fight for his Anfield future with no suitors yet to meet the £16million price tag placed on his head, the Spanish playmaker who Benitez insists he wants to keep, has spent the summer with the spectre of Barry looming over him.
An ability to place shots, even from the longest of range, has always been a major weapon in Alonso’s armoury but with a need to impress it seems that he is now becoming more single-minded than ever when attempting to find the net from distance.
But the policy could well prove to be beneficial for both the player and his club and after a couple of off-target efforts as he found his range, Alonso opened the scoring in Oslo in spectacular fashion 19 minutes into the contest.
A neat exchange of passing from the right hand side involving Alvaro Arbeloa, Dirk Kuyt and Robbie Keane culminated with the Irishman back-heeling the ball into Alonso’s path and he curled the ball around Valerenga’s American goalkeeper Troy Perkins with perfect precision from 25 yards out.
Eight minutes later, Liverpool skipper Gerrard gingerly made his way to the sidelines to be replaced by youngster Jay Spearing but the visitors continued to have the upper hand and almost doubled their lead in bizarre circumstances just before the interval when home defender Adrian Reid headed against his own right-hand post from a Yossi Benayoun left wing cross.
Valerenga, who currently lie seventh in the 14-team Tippeligaen – Norway’s top division – rarely threatened the Liverpool goal all night but they levelled proceedings just three minutes into the second half when Pepe Reina, who had replaced Diego Cavalieri at the break, was beaten from the edge of the area by a shot by Serbian left winger Bojan Zajic who was played in by Jamaican Luton Shelton’s lay-off.
The home side’s joy was short-lived though as Liverpool re-took the lead less than two minutes later while the PA system was still announcing the equaliser.
Fernando Torres shrugged off the attentions of Reid in the box to slip a low effort past substitute keeper Oyvind Bolthof, who had replaced Perkins at the interval.
From then on Liverpool took control but one player who didn’t enjoy the most successful of evenings by his own high standards was Keane.
The £20million striker, obviously so eager to break his scoring duck for his new club, seemed almost twitchy when in front of goal but his nerves will undoubtedly ease when he does get off the mark.
A moment of Benayoun magic brought Liverpool’s third goal on 61 minutes when Torres threaded the ball through to the Israeli, who dribbled wide to the left-hand side of the area before dispatching a glorious left-foot effort into the top corner.
A series of mass substitutions midway through the second half didn’t stop the visitors’ progress though and as he had done in Scotland just three days earlier, the precocious 19-year-old David Ngog produced a sparkling cameo off the bench.
With six minutes remaining, the French youngster was played through by fellow teenager Danny Pacheco and coolly struck a low effort beyond Bolthof’s reach.
It was an excellent finish to Liverpool’s pre-season travels on the continent this season and on this form there should be few worries for Benitez when his troops begin their competitive European campaign in just a week – whether their skipper makes the game in Belgium or not.
