Manchester Utd v Liverpool, Sunday, 2.0, Cardiff
(Sky Sports 1)
Gerard Houllier will not let sentiment cloud his long-term vision for Liverpool even if his under-achieving side defeat Manchester United in Cardiff tomorrow.
he Frenchman leads out his team at the Millennium Stadium for the fifth time in three seasons with a revamp in personnel still inevitable in the coming summer, whether or not Liverpool win their fourth trophy in little more than two years.
"Even if we beat United I still think they are a better side than ours, so a win against them doesn't mean we are at their level," said Houllier, whose team have won five of their last six games against Alex Ferguson's side. "When you are the manager you can't just consider one game.
"We'll give our all on Sunday but, whatever the performance, you have to look at the team over the course of the whole season.
"Winning the competition doesn't suddenly change what we have to do to improve. There's still a lot of work to be done.
"We are on our way to the top and the path to success implies that, at some stage, you have some hiccups. United are at the top. By a European standard, they are even ahead of Arsenal, even if they are not in terms of the Premiership over the last season and a half.
"United's players are far more experienced than mine, but that will come with us. Look at the number of games they have played in the Champions League over the last seven years. Even when we beat them last season in the Charity Shield I said it didn't mean we were better than them - even though we went on to have a better season."
With that in mind, their rugged success against Auxerre in the UEFA Cup to set up a quarter-final with Celtic may be pivotal to Liverpool's development though Houllier, having spent heavily last summer, will be anxious to further improve his team this time round.
Liverpool's league campaign has faded, with victory tomorrow unlikely to paper over the cracks.
"I know we are not playing well in the league," added the Frenchman, who is confident Stephane Henchoz will recover from a groin strain picked up during Thursday's 2-0 success.
"I know we are underachieving, but we are not on the verge of collapse. As a manager you always look at yourself before you look at your players to try to see where you made mistakes. I do have regrets in the league this season, but you have to have some perspective."
Meanwhile, Ferguson felt Roy Keane was so comfortable in his new central defensive role on Tuesday against Juventus that he could have completed the game wearing "a bowler hat and white gloves". Yet he will not hesitate to restore his captain to his usual midfield spot for the final.
Ferguson stunned the travelling support in the Stadio delle Alpi by opting to drop Keane into defence alongside Rio Ferdinand, even though he could have played John O'Shea in the same position and moved Phil Neville to full back.
However, any doubts over the Corkman's suitability for the role were quickly dispelled as he turned in a superb display as United cruised to their memorable 3-0 triumph.
By his own admission, the rigours of injury - in particular his troublesome hip - have inhibited Keane's all-action style, leaving some pundits to suggest that the defensive duties may become more permanent.
Ferguson has admitted it is an option open to him but Keane is not believed to be in favour and the return of Mikael Silvestre for tomorrow's clash will ensure United's influential leader can step back into the midfield holding role he has earmarked for the current stage of his career.
"It took Roy about 15 minutes to settle into Tuesday's game but once he started to make sure he could see his opponent, he grasped the role very quickly," he said.
"In the end, he could have played with a bowler hat and white gloves on it was so easy for him.
"He is a marvellous player and choosing him in defence is certainly an option but Mikael Silvestre and John O'Shea should be fit and I have a back four in my mind."
Guardian Service