Carragher: Champions League exit no disaster for Liverpool
Tuesday November 24 2009
Jamie Carragher last night prepared Liverpool for the likelihood of elimination from the Champions League by insisting it would not be "a disaster" and declaring that the Europa League would still present them with the chance of winning silverware against a strong field.
Carragher has always ranked the UEFA Cup triumph, which was part of Liverpool's 2000-01 treble, as an even greater achievement than the side's Lazarene recovery in the Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul four years later.
Although Liverpool's prospects of progress in the elite tournament are not entirely dead ahead of tonight's encounter with Debrecen here, he insisted that the side must "accept it and move on" if they are eliminated at the group stage for the first time in manager Rafael Benitez's five-year tenure.
"I think because we have done well in recent seasons other people outside the club tend to take it a little bit for granted that Liverpool will get into the knockout stages," Carragher said. "But it isn't easy."
Liverpool's destiny lies 450 miles away in Florence tonight, where Fiorentina will progress with Lyon from Group E if they defeat the French side.
But providing Liverpool defeat the Hungarian champions, a draw in Florence would leave Benitez's side needing to beat Fiorentina 3-0 at Anfield. If Lyon win, any victory for Liverpool in the final game would see Benitez accomplish another piece of Champions League escapology.
Worst
Carragher is preparing mentally for the worst, though. "Stevie (Gerrard) and myself won what was the UEFA Cup back (in 2001) and it was a great moment," he said. "It is still a chance to win silverware and there are some great teams in that competition. Obviously, we are all hoping we are in the Champions League come Tuesday night."
The Liverpool manager, who travelled yesterday morning without Fernando Torres, has ruled out Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun (hamstring) said he was not fit to play a full game. "I can't see myself playing the full 90 minutes," he said.
Benitez is in a tighter spot than ever before. Liverpool had the same four-point tally from four games two years ago and advanced at Marseille's expense by winning in southern France.
But they trailed Marseille by three points after four games, while Fiorentina are five points clear of them. They will need to make history again, not least by winning a match on Hungarian soil for the first time. The last man to find the net for them in this country was Emlyn Hughes, in a 1-1 draw at Ferencvaros, 39 years ago. (© Independent News Service)
- Ian Herbert in budapest
Irish Independent
