SSC Napoli Competition

Date: 4 November 2010 Times Guardian Mail Opposition: SSC Napoli Telegraph Independent Mirror Echo Competition: Europa League Gerrard has Kop in full swing again in one-man demolition 'We owe a big debt to Gerrard' says Hodgson Liverpool 3 Gerrard 75 88pen 89 Lavezzi 28 Napoli 1 Managers may change, owners may change and the calibre of competition at The scale of the task facing Damien Comolli was laid bare last night as Liverpool Anfield may also alter, but one truism about Liverpool in Europe remains. When again had to rely on a rescue act from Steven Gerrard, their captain and talisman, the team are in trouble, call for Steven Gerrard. His latest rescue act spared Roy to secure victory. Hodgson an awkward first date with the new Liverpool hierarchy last night. Liverpool's newly appointed and fancy-titled director of football strategy took in For 74 minutes against Napoli this was a discomfiting evening for the Liverpool his first game since accepting the role and if he was not aware of the enormity of manager. John W Henry was present for his first home game since the takeover the challenge, he will be now. Gerrard, a second-half substitute, was a man apart by New England Sports Ventures, so too Damien Comolli following his with his hat-trick and it would not be stretching credulity to suggest anything appointment as the club's first director of football strategy on Wednesday. The other than without him, Liverpool could have lost. display served up demonstrated why the Frenchman was hired and Anfield was in For the newly recruited Comolli, a seat in the directors' box afforded him the unforgiving mood. Another bout of soul-searching, even for a reshuffled side that perfect vantage point from which to discover why his services were sought. Half a shone briefly then petered out, was being prepared. Fifteen minutes later the dozen signings from the past two summers made Roy Hodgson's starting line-up, mood, the result and the repercussions were transformed by Gerrard's 36th, 37th all of whom are yet to make a significant impression or have already been and 38th goals in European football and Hodgson was in Rafael Benitez and damned as products of a flawed transfer policy. Gerard Houllier territory, giving thanks to the gift from Huyton. Glen Johnson, an England international who cost [pounds sterling]17 million but "Outstanding," was the manager's verdict. "His entry on to the field in the second who has rarely come even close to justifying his hefty price tag, has become half was a catalyst. It galvanised the crowd and the team and I thought the way he symbolic of a strategy that has failed to pay dividends. With Comolli's arrival scored the first goal epitomised the energy and spirit the team showed in the shifting towards the acquisition of quality young players for non-exorbitant fees, second half. We owe a big debt of gratitude to him but he'd be the first to join me the days of buying the likes of Johnson are over for Liverpool and all the right back and say it was a good team performance in the second half. We deserved to win can do is attempt to disprove the growing theory that he provides little by way of the game." value for money. Given the eyes in the directors' box behind him and Anfield's obvious desperation The visit of Napoli at least allowed Liverpool the opportunity to provide value for to punish Napoli, the fourth hat-trick of Gerrard's career offered a cathartic their fans, ticket prices being reduced to take into account the secondary status of release for Hodgson. Three consecutive victories at least give Liverpool the Europa League in relation to the Champions League. momentum ahead of Sunday's visit of Chelsea when, for so long, it appeared to It also afforded Hodgson the opportunity to rest a number of his star names, have been derailed by Walter Mazzarri's team. With Gerrard introduced as a half- Gerrard and Fernando Torres being the most notable omissions at the start, time substitute for the ineffective Milan Jovanovic, they picked the wrong night - without fear of accusations of short-changing the supporters. and the wrong opponent - to reveal their self-destructive side. At times during the first half, events on the pitch seemed secondary to This was not the low-key affair commonly found at this stage of a Europa League happenings on it as the tense atmosphere from the previous meeting between group, on or off the pitch. Attacks on Liverpool supporters in Naples a fortnight the clubs in Naples a fortnight ago, when a number of Liverpool fans were ago combined with a sizeable Italian support here put Merseyside police on high stabbed, spilt over into this one. alert. There were anxious looks among the stewards in the Main Stand when A large-scale police operation was deemed necessary by the Merseyside Napoli came out for their warm-up and dozens of Italians - who should have been authorities, and the sight of minor skirmishes breaking out between rival sat in the Anfield Road - stood up to applaud. supporters in the Main Stand, which had been infiltrated by hundreds of Napoli Their concerns were realised during the game when police and stewards were fans, confirmed that their assessment was apposite. forced to form a cordon to separate the rivals. The Kop made its feelings clear in A number of derogatory banners were unfurled on the Kop referring to the public an array of derogatory banners, ranging from the blunt 'Napoli Merda' to sanitation problems in Naples. "Usate Acqua E Sarone" (use soap and water) read commentary on the city's badly run refuse collection service. one. "Get a shower you stink", another declared. If flags were all the police and Ezequiel Lavezzi posed Napoli's greatest threat in the first encounter and stewards had to deal with, they would have enjoyed an easy night, but just as maintained that menace at Anfield. The latest Argentinian to be given the they attempted to maintain segregation and restore order in the Main Stand, sobriquet of the "new Maradona" prospered in front of the Liverpool defence but Napoli scored, prompting pockets of their fans in home sections to celebrate. it required an abysmal header from Christian Poulsen to present him with the The goal was as unnecessary as the trouble that preceded it as Christian Poulsen, breakthrough. Poulsen, a pounds 5m summer signing from Juventus who another example of why Comolli's influence is deemed necessary, unwittingly demonstrates why Comolli has been taken on board, misdirected his touch started the move that put Liverpool in arrears. Presented with the simple task of towards the Liverpool goal. Edinson Cavani headed between Johnson and Jamie dealing with an aerial ball near to the halfway line, Poulsen succeeded only in Carragher and Lavezzi - more Carlos Tevez than Maradona - scurried through to heading directly into the path of Edinson Cavani, who supplied Ezequiel Lavezzi beat Jose Reina. with a through-ball that the forward finished with aplomb. Liverpool tailed off badly as the first half wore on and it was a reflection of Poulsen almost salvaged the situation within minutes, setting up David Ngog for a Hodgson's unease that Gerrard was introduced with Chelsea looming. The captain half-chance that was squandered. immediately injected more urgency into Liverpool's attacking play but, with David That was the best that Liverpool offered during a first half in which they failed to Ngog and Raul Meireles squandering glorious chances to equalise, Hodgson impose themselves to any meaningful extent. appeared destined for a night of torment. In the short term, that responsibility fell to Gerrard, who was brought off the But then Andrea Dossena, the former pounds 7m Anfield signing whose only bench after the interval and asked to reprise his long standing role as Liverpool's previous positive contribution for Liverpool came with a goal at Old Trafford, main rescue act. The introduction of their talisman almost paid instant dividends provided a gift to his old club. Napoli had smothered Jonjo Shelvey's run when as his rampaging efforts pinned Napoli back to such an extent that Raul Meireles Dossena took possession and rolled a slovenly back-pass towards his keeper, was able to take possession deep in the opposition penalty area before squaring Morgan De Sanctis. Gerrard read the telegraphed invitation perfectly, dived in on to Ngog, whose close-range shot was saved. De Sanctis and got enough of the ball to force it over the line. "That was a At least Liverpool were beginning to build up some pressure, though, as Napoli captain's goal," Hodgson said. "That was the goal of a guy that wanted to get his attempted to hold on to their slender advantage by retreating into their own half. team back in the game and was determined even at the risk of injury to get the Meireles should have equalised when presented with the best opportunity of the ball into the goal." night by Ngog but, with the goal at his mercy, the midfield player could only shoot Gerrard's second was an emphatic penalty after Salvatore Aronica, who escaped wide. with a disgraceful stamp on Ngog, felled Glen Johnson inside the area. His third The reaction of John W. Henry was telling, a shake of the head from the new was sublime, latching onto the loose ball after Lucas had challenged Dossena and owner illustrating that, while he may not have been involved in football for long, beating De Sanctis with a nonchalant chip.

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