by Chocolate Thunder Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:37 am
RAFA PREVIEWS THE MARSEILLE GAME
After Manchester United, Rafa, it's off to Marseille where we kick off our Champions League campaign. How much are you looking forward to getting back onto the European stage again?
We are really pleased to play again in the Champions League, so I think to qualify for the group stages five years running is very positive for the club. To start again against Marseille will be a very good game for the fans.
After last season's group campaign, where you made life very difficult for yourselves, you must be desperate to get off to a good start this time around and not have to play catch up...
Yes. Clearly if you start winning then it puts you in a fantastic position for the next games because you will play with more confidence.
We last saw Marseille of course back in December in the 4-0 victory at the Stade Velodrome, have they changed much in terms of personnel since then?
They have changed some players, I think that they are really focused and have started the season really well but the majority of last season's players are still there.
What have your scouts told you about their early season form?
They are playing well, winning games and scoring goals. It will be tough and they are a good team, but we are playing well at the moment.
Bolo Zenden is still part of the scenery at Marseille, I'm sure he's a player and a person you have a lot of respect for...
Yes, Zenden is a fantastic person and a great professional. He is a good player, so everybody here will be really happy if he plays well for them during the season. Not in the Champions League against us, but in the rest of the season.
What type of side are they? Do they like to play attacking football, do you expect them to come at you?
They play offensively. Marseille have some players with pace and a lot of ability so I think it will be an open game.
We remember before your game in Marseille last year people said it's one of the most intimidating arenas in European football to play in. But you made it look easy on that night...
Yes, we scored a few good goals and it was a massive difference to the game at Anfield. And I think we were the first English club to win there, so I think it was a very good result. But because we won 4-0, maybe the people don't realise how important it really was.
You've had some great European matches during your time as Liverpool manager. Where does that one rank in terms of the performance of the team?
If you talk about away matches, I think it is one of the best or maybe the best.
What is your best memory from that night?
The goal from Fernando Torres was fantastic. The team was very well organised, they played very well on the counter attack. The mentality of the players was very good, so everything was almost perfect.
Do you think the 4-0 defeat will be in the minds of the Marseille players once this game gets underway?
I think so. When you score four goals away, the home team will be thinking, 'Be careful'. But I think this game will be different because there are different players and it is a different situation.
In terms of the team talk you give to the players, will you be reminding them of last season and how quickly you can quieten the crowd if you do things right early on?
If you score a goal when you play away, the supporters will be thinking about what is going on, so it will be the right message for the supporters to keep them calm.
Because it was such a memorable performance, are you superstitious in that you might have the same plan this time around in terms of schedule before the game, training and travel?
Not really, no. When we are doing things it depends on what is going on each time. If we need to change things then we will change them, it is not a problem.
Although we have spoken about the great performance in Marseille – of course they beat us at Anfield – so they are not a team to be taken lightly...
Clearly they have some good players and they were really good at Anfield. It was difficult to control them and we were trying to push, but they played on the counter-attack so they are a very good team.
You've had to work so hard to qualify for the group stages and get past Standard Liege. Are you confident your players have stepped up a level and will improve on a display that we saw against the Belgians?
I think everybody could see that Standard Liege was a very good team, so it was a tough tie and we needed to be really good. But we got into the group stages and that is very positive and we will play without the same pressures as before.
You mentioned the pressure from before, and also in Marseille last season when we had to win and that was the only result acceptable. This time with it being the first game, is it a different mindset? Would a draw be a good result, or do you just go there to win?
Not really, we want to win. As we said before, it's important we start winning in the competition so we will try to get all three points. You never know, sometimes a draw can be a good result but our idea is to try to win.
No doubt you've analysed the other teams in your group as well – Athletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven – how difficult will it be to qualify from this group?
I think it is a difficult group. PSV is a good team with experience in Europe so we know them really well and they know us. Atletico Madrid is also a very good team, their strikers are playing very well – they are scoring a lot of goals and the team has more balance than last season so it will be tough.
It would be a great boost for everyone if you could come back from France with your first victory under your belts, wouldn't it?
Clearly, three points is the best medicine for everything.