Udinese...

06-12-2012

Focus on the opponent: Liverpool coming to the Friuli

Udinese take leave of the Europa League with a dream match: a team that has written the history of football is about to set foot at the Friuli, Liverpoo (!!!), the 5-time European champions, 3-time winners of the UEFA Cup and of the Europe Super Cup, 18-time champions of England (“English champions”?), 7-time FA Cup winners and 8-time League winners. A full, impressive wall (!!!), a history to be feared and a present to be respected, with first-level players.

The squad hasn’t made a good start this year: 19 points in 15 matches and 11th place on the table, Europe far far away (“Europe is far, far away”?). This is why the match against Udinese is a crossroads for the whole season. The Reds are second together with Young Boys, but ahead of them in knock-out (“knockout”?) games. Only a win would mean certain (“a sure” or “a certain”?) qualification.  Their coach is Brendan Rodgers, from Northern Ireland, who sparkled (like champagne?) on Swansea’s bench. Liverpool play (“plays”?) in an offensive way with him (“with Rodgers”?): 4-2-1-3 with Pepe Reina between the posts since 2005, Kelly and Johnson on the flanks and the central couple Agger-Skrtel to grant physical strength and reliability. The strongest and most representative player is in the middle: Steven Gerrard. A life spent for the Reds, he is the symbol of the squad, the one who lifted the Champions League (“Champions’ League”?) Cup (and scored one goal) in the Istanbul night in May 2005, 593 appearances for Liverpool and 53 goals scored. Joe Allen is there to assist him, the player who came to Liverpool together with Rodgers and who has always played since then. According to the situation (which situation, the one in Syria or the one in the Gaza Strip?), they can be helped either (“by either”?) the Turkish player Nuri Sahin, lent by (“lent to Liverpool by Real Madrid”?) Real Madrid, or Jonjo Shelvey, from the youth sector. Ahead (where?), room for Stewart Downing, Luis Suarez and Oussama Aissaidi.