SOCCER/Champions League: Gerard Houllier may experience a strange mix of joy and nerves before kick-off tonight. It is not just that this is the Liverpool manager's first away game since September.
The Frenchman believes that only by winning the Champions League can he be considered an Anfield great. Houllier is already highly regarded at Liverpool having delivered three trophies last season, hauled the club into the Champions League and started the process of restoring past glories. Yet he feels that this competition offers the ultimate gauge of a successful manager.
It is a sign of the determination that drives Houllier and the confidence he has in his squad as they prepare to take on Bayer Leverkusen. He knows they stand four matches from true hero worship at Anfield.
With a 1-0 lead from last week's first leg, Liverpool are in what Houllier describes as a "good position".
This promises to offer a serious test, but Houllier's confidence is based on an unbeaten run of 15 European away matches stretching back to 1998-99. He hardly expects his team to be overawed.
"When the desire is there and they really want a result they can be unstoppable and unbreakable," he said. "I've never spotted any arrogance in my team. If I did see something like that I would get rid of the player: arrogance is a cancer for a team."
There was not a trace of it from Houllier. He was respectful of Leverkusen, four points clear in the Bundesliga and who have beaten Juventus and Deportivo La Coruna here this season. Yet he was keen to stress the quality and scoring potential of his squad.
"I like to hear them laugh and I try to improve the team bonding," he said. "People say there is a lot of pressure on us; but what pressure? Maybe there is pressure for the team at the bottom but not for us."
If many are surprised that Liverpool stand 90 minutes from a possible semi-final against Manchester United, one suspects Houllier is not shocked. His desire to make this trip shone through. The last one was at Newcastle, a couple of weeks before he underwent heart surgery.
"The surgeon has given me the green light to go," he said. "In an ideal world he probably wished I had waited a bit more. At the same time he felt I was becoming a bit itchy and wanted to go. As I said to the boys, 'I want to share these moments because these nights in Europe have always been special'."
He knows Liverpool must find the resilience which has earned them 0-0 draws at Barcelona, Roma and Borussia Dortmund. If Sami Hyypia's goal at Anfield proves decisive it would be apt, given his defensive qualities which have done more than anything to carry the team to this juncture.
Leverkusen's coach Klaus Toppmoller has promised to throw everything at his opponents, and his team score goals. Unlike at Anfield, they will start with two up front.
Yet Houllier will be aware his players could all but kill the tie on the counter-attack, using the pace of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey.
If Liverpool score Leverkusen will need three, and Jerzy Dudek has been beaten only once in his past six Champions League matches.
Potential sources of danger are Turkey's Yildiray Basturk and the Brazilian Ze Roberto, who could be looked after from right back by Abel Xavier, with Jamie Carragher switching to the left. John Arne Riise would then push into midfield at Vladimir Smicer's expense.
Houllier expects a tight match. "\ has a lot of common points with us. They are a strong side and very physical: a combination of speed and power. They play as a team and seem to have the same work ethic and team ethic."
If Liverpool prevail, Houllier expects humility from his players.
"This is what I like about my team," he said. "We don't have anybody boasting or shouting."
In any event, the manager knows that only winning this competition counts.
Guardian Service
POSSIBLE TEAMS
BAYER LEVERKUSEN (4-4-2): Butt; Zivkovic, Lucio, Nowotny, Placente; Schneider, Basturk, Ballack, Ze Roberto; Neuville, Brdaric.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Dudek; Xavier, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher; Murphy, Gerrard, Hamann, Riise; Owen, Heskey.
Referee: V Melo Pereira (Portugal).
Bayer Leverkusen v Liverpool
Kick-off: 7.45
On television: TV3
