Liverpool’s triumphant comeback to win the 2005/06 Champions League final in Istanbul
against a heavily favoured A.C. Milan side saw one of the classic finals in European
football.
Milan, with the genius of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, the tenacity of Gennaro Gattuso and the
elegance of Paolo Maldini, took a 3-0 lead, but were pegged back after Liverpool, helmed
by Rafa Benitez, made several tactical changes.
It was a victory for heart and head, with skipper
Steven Gerrard to the fore.
A.C. Milan lined up in a diamond formation, with Pirlo and Kaka both between the lines,
shielded by the energy of Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf, and with additional width on the
right provided by Cafu.
Liverpool surprised many by starting with a 4-4-1-1, which could also be seen as a 4-1-3-1-1,
with Harry Kewell in the hole behind Milan Baros, Xabi Alonso patrolling the space in
front of the back four, and John Arne Riise playing
left midfield to shore up Djimi Traore’s side
defensively and counter the wide threat of Cafu, Milan’s main threat from the flanks.
Liverpool’s intention appeared to be to create a screen for the back four, using Alonso
to disrupt Kaka when defending, before transitioning
wide to Riise or Luis Garcia on the right with long balls, pushing Gerrard up in support
of Kewell, and playing Baros in either from wide or pushing up so he could play of the
shoulder of the Milan centre-backs.
Milan were slower at the back and up front, and Liverpool hoped their pace would unsettle
the Italians, and also that Kewell playing off Baros would tie up Pirlo and limit his
creative input, or drag Gattuso or Seedorf back to
mark.
It didn’t initially work as Milan scored from a corner through Maldini and then, with
Liverpool creating chances, Kewell limped off after 23 minutes.
Vladimir Smicer, who knew he was leaving the club, came on and took
up the right midfield berth, with Luis Garcia playing off Baros.
Milan took a 3-0 lead into the half-time break, having dominated the first half.
While Liverpool did fashion chances, notably through
Luis Garcia and the set-piece deliveries of Gerrard, and had a good penalty decision turned
down, Milan looked the more cohesive, comfortable side and even had a goal disallowed
for offside.
Three goals down and facing a side playing with swagger, Liverpool had to change and
did, switching to a 3-4-2-1, with the injured Finnan
coming off and Didi Hamann coming on into midfield.
Gerrard played in the hole with Garcia behind Baros, with Alonso and Hamman anchoring
the midfield and Riise and Smicer playing as shuttling wide midfielders.
This immediately increased Liverpool’s width, and three men
at the back could cope ably with the talented, but not enormously quick, Hernan Crespo and
Andriy Shevchenko.
While A.C. Milan had a superb side, like any diamond formation they
were vulnerable to width and, as their own width was provided by the full-backs, putting
them on the defensive reduced Milan’s own ability to attack from wide.
Cafu and Maldini were pinned back more, Gerrard could unsettle Pirlo and direct attacks
himself in much the same way Kaka had been doing for Milan, and Liverpool now had two
attackers targeting Milan’s centre-backs, with both Garcia and Baros willing runners
who could drift into the half-space channels.
Liverpool also pressed much more in the second half, and with the midfield more congested,
could deny Milan quite so much time on the ball.
Hamann was a more adept pressing defensive midfielder than either Gerrard or
Alonso and the shift also allowed Gerrard more
freedom to drive into space, knowing he had a solid midfield axis behind him.
Liverpool’s first goal, Gerrard’s header, came from
this very change, as the Liverpool captain had the
licence to push into the box and, with Garcia and Baros tying up markers, found the space
to convert Riise’s cross.
Substitute Smicer scored the second, before Xabi Alonso roofed in the rebound after his
penalty for a foul on Gerrard was saved by Dida.
In extra time, Milan sought to add width by bringing on Serginho for Seedorf, a more direct
winger.
Liverpool swapped Smicer for Gerrard, utilising the captain’s energy
to nullify the new threat.
The penalty shoot-out, won by Liverpool and Jerzy Dudek’s two saves, was also informed
by Benitez and his coaching team’s studying
of how A.C. Milan’s players took their spot kicks.
The winning penalty, scored by Smicer, completed the most extraordinary victory in recent
European football, a win for tactics as much as for belief and resilience.