| LEAGUE:
second |
| FA
CUP: fourth round |
| WORTHINGTON
CUP: third round |
| UEFA
CUP: quarter-final |
| PREDICTION:
runners-up |
| TITLE
ODDS: 7-2 |
| OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.liverpoolfc.tv |
Key man: Michael
Owen
How did Glenn Hoddle, then England’s coach, ever claim
Owen was not a natural goalscorer? Hard work on his left
foot and first touch have improved a striker who is made for
Liverpool’s counter-attacking approach. Defenders are
petrified of a man whose scorching pace and accuracy of
finish dictate that holding a high defensive line becomes a
dangerous business
Coach: Gerard
Houllier
If anything,
his recovery from life-threatening heart surgery last autumn
appears to have sharpened, rather than diminished, his
ambitions for his beloved Liverpool. Few managers can match
the former schoolteacher’s professionalism, but some fans
feel his team is too defensive and lacks width
| Full
squad |
|
| Goalkeepers
12 Jerzy Dudek 19 Pegguy Arphexad 22 Chris
Kirkland, Patrice Luzi |
Defenders
2 Stephane Henchoz 3 Abel Xavier 4 Sami Hyypia 6
Markus Babbel 14 Vegard Heggem 23 Jamie Carragher 27
Gregory Vignal 29 Stephen Wright 30 Djimi Traore, 36
Jon Otsemober |
| Midfielders
7 Vladimir Smicer 13 Danny Murphy 16 Dietmar Hamann 17
Steven Gerrard 18 John Arne Riise 20 Nick Barmby 24
Bernard Diomede 25 Igor Biscan 26 Ritchie Partridge,
28 Bruno Cheyrou, 31 Alou Diarra, 32 John Welsh, 35
Stephen Warnock, 38 Michael Foley, 15 Patrik Berger,
Salif Diao |
Forwards
5 Milan Baros 8 Emile Heskey 10 Michael Owen
34 Daniel Sjolund 37 Jari Litmanen, 9 El Hadji Diouf,
33 Neil Mellor |
Strongest
XI
Nationalities
England (13), France (7), Czech Republic (3),
Finland (3), Norway (2), Germany (2), Senegal (2), Poland
(1), Switzerland (1), Portugal (1), Croatia (1), Ireland (1)
Total 37
Players in
El Hadji Diouf, Bruno Cheyrou, Alou Diarra, Patrice Luzi,
Salif Diao (arrives December)
Players out
Jamie Redknapp, Frode Kippe, Gary McAllister, Nicolas
Anelka, Jorgen Nielsen
Instant expert
Ground Anfield Rd, Liverpool, L4 0TH
Telephone 0151 263 2361
Capacity 45,362
Shirt sponsor Carlsberg
Ticket office 0870 220 2345
Can I get a ticket? Adult ticket prices range from £22 to
£27. Phone sales start 23 days before matches
How to get there Lime Street station is
just two miles walk from Anfield
Club call 09068 121184
Club shop 0151 263 1760
New boy: Alou Diarra
The French youth defensive midfielder arrives from
Bayern Munich on a free transfer after failing to break into
their first team last season. Lacks pace but is a strong
tackler and good passer. Now 21, he will not settle for
reserve-team football at Anfield
Money talk
Top earners Owen £69,000, Heskey £52,500, Gerrard
£42,000
Total wage bill
£48.8m
Last year's runners-up pay the second highest wages
in the country but their turnover is also a more than
healthy £82.15, the highest figure in the Premiership
Where are they now?
Mike Hooper The former keeper is an ornithologist
who spends his days bird watching and his evenings as
nightclub security
