ON Saturday 9 August 2003 Liverpool played a friendly at Anfield against Spanish side Valencia, who were managed by a certain Rafa Benitez.
The game was significant for two reasons. First, it marked the debuts of new "edge of the seat" signings Harry Kewell and Steve Finnan. And, second, Liverpool could not get the ball off their opponents.
And when I say couldn't get the ball off them I don't just mean the Spaniards enjoyed long spells in possession, I mean they literally could not get the ball off them.
We had seen plenty of crack European sides at Anfield prior to this game, of course, but there was something different about this and the home fans knew they were seeing something truly special.
Valencia won 2-0 thanks to goals from Rodriguez and Carew but the result didn't matter too much, it was only a pre-season warm up match after all.
It was the style of their performance that captured the imagination though with a rock solid defence being complimented by a midfield which was both water tight and creative and an attack which combined pace, power and ingenuity to devastating effect.
Pablo Aimar and Ruben Baraja stood out as the creators supreme (it's fair to say El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao didn't create the same dazzling impression!). Everything went through them and they really were a joy to watch. It was one of those rare occasions when you have to put your love for your own team to one side and just enjoy the skill and talent of the opposition.
But it wasn't just their ability that stood out like David Unsworth at a slimmers convention, it was their work rate.
Whenever and wherever a Liverpool player had the ball they chased and harried him until he gave it up. And they didn't wait until the Reds entered their half either, they pressed higher up the pitch than any away team had ever done at Anfield before.
It's fair to say that that particular Liverpool team couldn't cope and Valencia's stranglehold on the game gave them an easy win that left most Reds fans purring.
Everyone knew they had witnessed something special and our only regret was that it wasn't our team that was turning on such scintilating style.
Well, on Saturday it was.
I know it was only Derby and I know they were so bad they made Sunderland look good but that should not take anything away from a Liverpool performance which was one of the finest - and most exciting - I've seen at Anfield for a long time.
Yes, there have been much bigger games when we have secured magnificent victories, often against the odds.
But Saturday was different. For the first time since the Fowler, McManaman, Collymore inspired team of the mid-1990s we were watching a team which is ready to run amok.
Every single team we attacked in the second half it looked like we would score and quite often we did.
But it wasn't so much the creativity that stood out for me, it was the Valencia-style pressing game that led to at least two of the goals.
Fernando Torres will quite rightly get the plaudits for the way he took his first, as he slalomed away from two defenders before calmly rolling the ball past Derby keeper Stephen Bywater.
But it was what led up to it which should live longest in the memory as the cumbersome Bob Malcolm had the ball taken off his toes by the fantastic Javier Mascherano.
It was far from being the first time we have seen the little Argentinean deprive someone of possession - and it certainly won't be the last - but what made this incident stand out was Liverpool's holding midfielder was doing his "holding" 25 yards yards from goal.
This is Benitez's pressing game in all its glory. You don't wait for your opponents to give you the ball, you go and get it off them, the further upfield the better.
And this is one of the reasons why he signed Torres. Yes, he'll score goals, terrify the life out of defenders and provide a genuine focal point to the team.
But he will also defend from the front, in a manner reminiscent of a certain Ian Rush.
If defenders didn't know it already, they certainly will after Saturday because Torres didn't give Derby's back four a minute's rest.
Even when Liverpool were four goals to the good and could have quite easily coasted to victory there was still no let up.
Derby had possession and were ready to work the ball out of defence but Torres chased it down and harried the full back until he submitted.
Liverpool took control and scored a fifth - and it all came about because Torres was not willing to allow his opponents to have easy possession just yards away from their own goal line.
It was these two moments, involving Mascherano and Torres, which took me back to the visit of Valencia four years earlier.
On that day, Liverpool were pressed into defeat. But, on this occasion, it was they who were doing the pressing and they who looked majestic in victory.
The Spanish revolution at Anfield undoubtedly has a Valencian air.
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Liam wrote...
You've hit the nail on the head there Tony. I was only thinking about that game last Sunday and how alike the two respective teams were in their style of play.
Then I thought back to the games against Barca, Chelsea (CL) and United (home) last season and we were trying to do the same thing in those games. But only now do we have the genuine quality to carry out Rafa's plans with the same ruthless efficiency as his impressive Valencia side.
If Rafa would have had the same financial backing earlier in his reign I’m sure he would have reaped far greater rewards for his astuteness in the transfer market. Daniel Alves for little over £8m would certainly be one key squad member now had the funds been available a couple of seasons ago, then we could have sold him to Chelsea for £25m this summer!
Posted by: Liam | September 5, 2007 10:33 AM