History: 2000-2001 Season Review

SEASON SUMMARYIn 2000-2001, Liverpool FC did the unthinkable. They won all three cup competitions they were involved in… the first and so far only time this has ever happened in England. LFC first won the League Cup, thanks to a glorious volley from Robbie Fowler, and went on to win on penalties 5-4, with Jamie Carragher being the unlikely last scorer. Next up was the FA Cup, and after falling behind to Arsenal 0-1, Michael Owen famously turned it all around with two goals in the last 10 minutes despite Arsenal completely outplaying us for the first 80 minutes. Having dumped Barcelona out at the semifinal stage, the UEFA Cup Final was next and it was to be another Spanish opponent. Alaves gave us an incredible encounter, but we edged it 5-4 in dramatic circumstances. Markus Babbel and Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead, but Alaves pulled one back and it was 2-1. Gary McAllister bumped it back to 3-1 right before halftime with a penalty, and it was 3-1. Unfortunately, we’d blow that lead and it was 3-3. With only 17 minutes to play, however, Robbie Fowler scored an incredible mazy dribble of a goal and looked to be the hero at 4-3. Lady luck, though, was not on our side quite yet, and ex-Scum Jordi Cruyff equalized with only minutes left to play. At 4-4, and in extra time with only three minutes before a potential second penalty shootout final in 3 cups, Vladimir Smicer won a free kick in a precarious position on the left flank. Gary McAllister whipped in a fantastic cross, and Alaves’ Geli could only deflect it behind him and into the top corner for a highly depressing own-goal (as far as he was concerned!), but a highly fantatsic golden goal for Liverpool. 3 cup finals, 3 cups to Anfield. What an amazing season! And to top it all off, we finished 3rd, bringing us back to the Champions League… where we belonged!

The 2000-2001 season will most likely be remembered for being the season we won “The Treble,” but I’ll remember it for other reasons, as well. First off, it was the first season where I was able to watch FULL live matches. In my first season as a full time” supporter, in 1999-2000 (I was only a “fan” in 1998-1999), I only had access to highlight packages on Fox Sports Net (LONG LIVE LIONEL BIENVENU!!!) and was therefore only able to see the goals and saves… not the passage of play that truly defines your team. What I found out was that we were very structured, incredibly organized, and full of ability, though not necessarily of the creative kind. My first match I watched from minute 0 to minute 90 was the 4-0 home thrashing of Arsenal. Quite the start, I’d say! And it only got better, as I was able to watch us defeat countless others down the years. That Arsenal victory was on the coat-tails of defeating Manchester United at Old Trafford 1-0, and we’d end up doubling over the Mancs for the first time since the 1970s when Gerrard and Fowler scored beauties in a 2-0 win at Anfield. There were so many wins in this campaign, and so many that were just absolute demolitions, that it was like supporting a brand new team. In 1999-2000, Liverpool would squeek out the victories… not so much in 2000-2001. We would thump teams, or we’d blow it and lose. A very strange season in that respect, and often times we lost to teams that were far inferior to us (like Boro and Spurs)… or to Leeds (twice), who were also having a cracking season.

So what changed in 2000-2001 to make it so incredible? First off, the signing of Heskey at the end of the 1999-2000 season really paid off. His 22 goals were crucial, and many of them came when Owen was injured. Additionally, Robbie Fowler was fit and healthy again, even if he wasn’t always first choice. Our defensive pairing of Hyypia and Henchoz really grew, too, and this provided confidence in our ability to keep out goals and protect our victories. But I think the #1 important change in 2000-2001 was the emergence of a young player that has become quite possibly the best Red since Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, and perhaps actually belongs in the same category as them. That would be Steven Gerrard, a player who would truly catch the attention of England and indeed the world in 2000-2001. He scored 10 goals, most of them beauties, and was earning a reputation as a tough-tackling and sublime passer of the ball. Gerrard won the PFA Young Player of the Year, and would go on to earn caps for England, as well. Steven Gerrard’s contributions to this season, in addition to Owen’s blossoming as a goalscorer, were probably the main reasons we did so much better in 2000-2001 than in previous seasons.

TOP 5 MOMENTS

5) Steven Gerrard’s rocket and Fowler’s touch of class give us 2-0 win over Man U at Anfield for “the double.”

After Danny Murphy’s free-kick gave us a win at Old Trafford back in December, a March fixture at home gave us a real tasty test against the champions. Man U were out to get revenge, but Steven Gerrard had read a different script. Instead of revenge, United suffered the humiliation of two absolutely stunning goals flying by them. Gerrard’s was the pick of the bunch, as he picked the ball up from a Fowler knock-on, and let rip from 35 yards out. The ball knuckled and hardly even took a full spin it was hit so hard, and it flew into the top corner past a desperate Fabien Barthez. Steven Gerrard had indeed arrived. And then to make matters worse for United, Robbie Fowler added a second when he pulled down a lovely cross that had gone over his head, brushing aside Gary Neville, and smashing it high into the net for 2-0. A very memorable victory.

4) Gary McAllister pulls a rabbit out of his arse for a 3-2 late winner over Everton at Goodison Park

Gary McAllister entered the world of “cult hero” on the night of April 16th, 2001, as he defeated Everton 3-2 with a 40 yard freekick in the last minute of the match. Not only was it needed to finish third and to gain entry into the Champions League, but it was the first time Liverpool had won at Goodison Park since 1990… a run that desperately needed to end. Igor Biscan had been sent off, Fowler had missed a penalty, and Hyypia had been harshly charged for a foul that really didn’t exist and Everton scored the penalty as a result. At 2-2 (Babbel and Heskey being our scorers), we needed the miracle, and McAllister stepped up to deliver it. It was a clever one, but wow… it should have never happened. Regardless, we won and it was a WONDERFUL moment!

3) Liverpool win first trophy since 1995 with League Cup Final success over Birmingham City

I’ll sound like a broken record throughout these reviews, but who says the League Cup doesn’t matter? To people in Liverpool, the League Cup triumph in 1995 had been our only trophy in a ten year span before the Treble season, so I’d say it certainly mattered to them (and to me!). The final began brilliantly for us, with Robbie Fowler’s dipping volley over the head of Bennett giving us a 1-0 lead. It was definitely one of the better cup final goals you’ll ever see, and it seemed to be the winner until the second minute of stoppage time when Henchoz took out O’Connor. Darren Purse scored the penalty, and we looked doomed from there. The two 15 minute periods of extra time were relatively eventless, with the exception of Hamann’s wonderstrike that hit the post, and it was off to penalties. McAllister, Barmby and Ziege all netted for Liverpool, but Hamann missed. Birmingham had also scored 3 out of their first 4, and we were into the dreaded sudden death situation. Robbie Fowler cheekily roofed ours, and Hughes obliged with Birmingham’s 4th, as well. The sixth taker for us was the one and only Jamie Carragher, who brilliantly cranked his PK into the top corner. Then Andrew Johnson stepped up and kicked it right at Westerveld, and the cup was ours!!!

2) 5-4 THRILLER in the UEFA Cup Final over Alaves gives us our Treble

This match was not what the pundits expected. Pragmatic, organized Liverpool versus the Spanish equivalent in Alaves. Surely it would be won 1-0 or 0-0 on penalties? Think again. Markus Babbel made sure it wouldn’t be goalless quite early, scoring a header in the first 4 minutes! After 16 minutes, Steven Gerrard began his journey in scoring in every Final possible with his strike that was too hot for the keeper to handle. Alaves pulled one back, but McAllister scored a penalty to make it 3-1. Unfortunately, our trend of making life more difficult for ourselves in he final (which would continue for years!) struck yet again, with Alaves netting twice on set-pieces. At 3-3, Robbie Fowler took over, scoring one of the goals of the season with a mazy run through the defenders, and tucking in what looked like the winner. It wasn’t. 4-3 became 4-4 as Jordi Cruyff dramatically headed in. With three minutes remaining in extra time, though, Geli’s unfortunate OG gave Liverpool the win, sparking mayhem amongst our players. Whew!

1) Owen’s late double sinks Arsenal to win the FA Cup

When Liverpool win FA Cups, they generally do so with a player who takes over and wins it on their own. Keegan in ‘74, Rush in both ‘86 and ‘89, Gerrard in ‘06, and of course this one with Owen in ‘01. Freddy Ljungberg (of Seattle Sounders fame!) and his striking red spiky hair-do gave Arsenal a deserved 1-0 lead after Westerveld (as expected) fluffed his clearance, and the Swede was sent through by Pires, and all he had to do was round Sander and tuck it in, which he did with ease. 10 minutes later, though, and Owen popped up as the hero. The ball seemed to magnetically fall to Owen, and he slid in the equalizer from about 8 yards out. 1-1 soon became 2-1 as Patrik Berger’s incredible ball allowed Owen to outpace Dixon and then slip in the winner into the side-netting with his unfavored left foot past the rushing David Seaman. The stadium burst into scenes of craziness, and Owen’s flip celebration and look of complete euphoria said it all. Owen just became more of a hero than he already was, which was saying something… what an incredible match. “The Owen Final” will always go down as an FA Cup classic!

TOP 10 BEST GOALS

10) Heskey v. Coventry City

Emile Heskey was absolutely on-fire in 2000-2001, scoring 22 goals. Many of these goals came in bunches, and crucially a lot of them were during a time that Michael Owen was out with injury. One of these goals was against Coventry City in a 4-1 win. In a bit of an unorthodox strike, Heskey chested down a Coventry clearance at the top of the 18 yard box, and rather than volley it with his left foot- which would have been the more natural approach- he swung the outside of his right boot at it, looping it over Chris Kirkland and it nestled into the far top corner. It was a cheeky goal to say the least!

(watch me! I’m a 4:47, but be sure to watch in “HQ”)

9) Fowler @ Charlton

Robbie Fowler has scored a cracker or two in his time at Liverpool, but this one definitely ranks up there with the most clever of his goals. A Liverpool corner on the last day of the season was palmed out by the goalkeeper, and as Fowler ran towards the rebound, nobody would have thought he had any sort of chance at a goal. Wrong we all were! As the ball bounced, Fowler did a crafty overhead kick, looping the ball into the far corner from about 12 yards out. The goal was crucial, as well, as we would now be guaranteed 3rd place and a spot in the Champions League!

(watch me! I’m at 22 seconds)

8 ) Heskey @ Derby County

Emile Heskey’s goals were generally headers or low hard drives, but this one against Derby broke that mold. He definitely hit it hard, and he certainly placed it perfectly. In a match we won 4-0 thanks to a Heskey hat-trick, Derby just couldn’t handle us. But who could’ve handled this one. At the top of the 18, and a bit right-center, Heskey ripped a shot extremely hard off of the laces after Fowler had sent him through and it flew like a torpedo towards the top corner. Power, accuracy, perfection. Wonderful strike from Emile.

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7) Fowler v. Birmingham City

Who says “route one” doesn’t work? In the League Cup Final against Birmingham City, Westerveld’s long kick was flicked on by Heskey, and Robbie Fowler expertly volleyed in the ball over the head of the keeper and in! The goal was brilliant, mind you. Fowler had the intelligence to see that Bennett was off his line, and the composure to hit it hard, but not too hard. As far as cup final goals are concerned, you really won’t find much better than this one.

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6) Smicer v. West Ham

Vladimir Smicer definitely had a bit of ability to him, and in 2000-2001, he showed that ability on a much more consistent basis than in other campaigns. One fine example of this was against West Ham at Anfield, when he took the ball from around the midway circle, dribbled into space, and unleashed a howlitzer of a shot in the low corner from about 30+ yards out. It was a goal of such confidence that one wonders why he didn’t do that more often… oh wait, he did… ISTANBUL!

(watch me! I’m at 1:03)

5) Berger @ Derby

Thought that Heskey’s goal against Derby in this fixture was nice? This one was even better, as it involved about 8,003 passes along the way. My favorite part of it, though, was that after all this, the last play was Nick Barmby playing a cheeky dummy for Berger to collect the ball about 10 yards from the top of the D. Anyhow, Berger took a touch, and then unleashed what can only be described as a rocket into the side netting and in. 4-0, and perhaps the most “Argentina World Cup 2006″ style goal I’ve ever seen us score.

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4) Gerrard @ Aston Villa

It is difficult for me to rank this one as low as 4th, but when you see the top three you’ll understand. The quality of this goal is absolutely incredible. Gerrard began the move, laying the ball off to Jari Litmanen. Litmanen then threaded a sublime throughball into the path of Murphy. During this, Gerrard charged through the Aston Villa defense and was taking a wide position on the right. Murphy spotted the run, and spun a one-time pass with the outside of his left boot PERFECTLY into the path of Gerrard, who cranked a beauty of a shot from the top-right of the 18 (about 25 yards out) into the top of the net. A goal of pure beauty!

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3) Hamann v. Manchester City

Didi Hamann was beginning to develop a habit of scoring wonderstrikes against Manchester City, and this was the beginning of it. A cross that was intended for Heskey was cleared out by City, and the ball fell into the path of Hamann. He chose not to just trap it, though. Instead, he chested it and volleyed it with his unfavored left foot from the top of the D (20+ yards out)and it curled magnificently into the near post top corner! Unbelieavable strike from Hamann, his first for the club!

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2) Gerrard v. Manchester United

Steven Gerrard’s birth as a Liverpool legend was perhaps already underway, but this goal went some way in creating a player that would become one of the all-time greats at the club. Robbie Fowler was the lucky recipient of a horrific clearance by Barthez, and he touched the ball into the path of Gerrard from about 40 yards out. Gerrard took a few touches in stride, and then uncorked a fantastic strike from 35 yards out into the top corner. The ball hardly moved on the way in, and Barthez had absolutely no chance. A goal of the utmost quality and ferocity.

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1) Gerrard v. Southampton

Any goal that is struck from 40 yards out and hits the underside of the crossbar and in WITHOUT being a curling strike must be something special. Gerrard indeed hit the ball so hard that even striking it from 40 yards made no difference. After a build up involving McAllister and Smicer, Gerrard took the ball at the midway circle, dribbled past the Southampton defender, and unleashed a bobbling ball with supreme intensity and perfection onto the bar and in from no less than 40 yards out in front of the Kop. BRILLIANT goal.

(watch me!)

TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT GOALS

10) Heskey v. Wycombe

Wycombe Wanderers were the Cinderella story of the 2000-2001 FA Cup, making it all the way to the semifinals of the competition and holding off Liverpool for a full 78 minutes! That was, of course, until Emile Heskey came flying in with a bullet of a header after a lovely cross from the right flank. Embarrassment avoided, and a lovely Fowler freekick followed in a 2-0 victory that had us headed to Cardiff for #2 of the three cups.

9) McAllister v. Barcelona

Just the thought that we’d sign a 35 year old is crazy, but that he would be the one to score the winner in the UEFA Cup semifinals against Barcelona is far crazier than that. In fact, McAllister would go on to score in the final itself and in the following season’s Charity Shield against Manchester United. In this match against Barca, Patrick Kluivert’s handball (unneccesary one, mind you!) gave McAllister a chance from the spot against, guess who, a young Pepe Reina with hair! The man without hair on the occasion was McAllister, and he duly obliged with a goal from the spot to send us to the third cup final out of three competitions.

8 ) Owen @ Roma

Michael Owen was going through a bit of a rough patch during the winter of 2001, having sustained a very nasty concussion against Derby and struggling to find his best form. So to score a double AT Roma was a massive triumph for Owen, and for Liverpool. Turns out it was necessary, as well, with Liverpool losing 0-1 at Anfield only a few weeks later. Owen’s first came after a Roma backpass gone arry, and Owen did well to calmly finish his chance with a typical well struck one-on-one chance. Off to the next round we went!

7) Barmby @ Leeds

In an FA Cup tie that saw little action until the last few minutes, Nick Barmby nicked in a rebound that had hit the post, and Heskey went on to smash an even later second. Robbie Fowler’s effort struck the wordwork on 88 minutes in this 4th round match against a Leeds side that beat us twice in the Premiership, but Barmby as usual was there to finish the chance and give us an unlikely passage into the next round.

6) Owen v. Arsenal (goal 1)

Michael Owen would never have had the chance to be a hero in the FA Cup Final had it not been for his first goal against Arsenal. Down 0-1 and with only about 10 minutes left to play, the ball was having a hard time leaving the penalty area. It was as if Owen’s chance to be a hero was written in the stars, because the ball found its way to the diminutive striker, who had nothing special to do other than track the ball carefully in the air and smash it with about 8 players crowding his space. In other words, it was a much more difficult goal to score than at first glance. And an important one, as Owen would go on to score the winner only moments later.

5) Murphy @ Manchester United

Murphy’s first in a trio of Old Trafford winners in 1-0 victories came in 2000-2001 with a lovely piece of mastery from a free-kick. Gary Neville’s handball put the ball in a nice locale, just slightly off to the side of the D and far enough out that Murphy could curl it in past the wall and in, rather than having to smash and hope. Curl it he did, spectacularly around the wall and in the corner, with Barthez having no chance at all at stopping it. Emile Heskey’s backside helped, too, as he pushed the wall out to the side! Our first win at Old Trafford in what seemed an eternity!

4) McAllister v. Everton

This goal has been talked about for years, and is most certainly one of our finest in a Merseyside Derby, particularly at Everton’s pitch. Nobody would have predicted that McAllister would go for goal from 40 yards, nor did anyone think we’d take the three points after being levelled at 2-2 with not much time remaining. But this match was already a classic, and it seemed destined that there would be a winner. McAllister’s goal was definitely needed, as we squeeked into third place right at the death after a great run of results to conclude the season.

3) Fowler v. Alaves

With the scores level at 3-3, Robbie Fowler decided to turn hero. Dribbling through a maze of players and shaping to shoot throughout the entire run, Fowler underlined his ability as a world-class finisher, scoring into the corner with conviction despite it not being his favored foot. By the end of the match, we would go on to win 5-4 and capture our first European trophy since 1984. Realistically, the own-goal at the end was the more important of the two, but I just have a hard time granting a #3 most-important-goal to an OG! So I’ve gone with this one…

2) Fowler v. Birmingham City

Without the first cup out of the three total cups, would there have even been other cups to win? This victory gave us the confidence to go ahead and win all the competitions in which we partook. Fowler’s 30 yard volley over the head of Bennett was absolutely amazing, yes, but also important in our collection of trophies… and this one was our first in six seasons.

1) Owen v. Arsenal (2nd goal)

Back in the day, Michael Owen was revered as one of the most lethal and charismatic forwards in all of the world. Injuries were just considered a hindrance of what was sure to be a career of one of the game’s greats. This goal against Arsenal went some distance of enhancing this burgeoning reputation. Berger’s pass sent Owen on his way, but he still had a lot to do, outpacing Dixon and sliding it past David Seaman with his left foot. One of the most dramatic FA Cup Final goals I’ve ever seen, but then again it is Liverpool in a cup final… we don’t like it easy! Definitely one of the crowning moments of the modern Liverpool FC generation.

SIGNINGS AND DEPARTURES

Signings:

On the face of it, the signings of the summer of 2000-2001 weren’t really that spectacular. In fact, looking back it, it was a dismal looking set of signings. Christian Ziege (over-rated and no natural position)… Gary McAllister (35 and past his prime)… Nick Barmby (average international at best)… Markus Babbel (decent defender, nothing more)… and a host of sub-par talent, such as Diomede, Arphexad, and Vignal. Not exactly the stuff that Trebles are built upon. But each had their role, minus Ziege, in highly contributing to the successes of the season. McAllister scored in five straight crucial matches towards the end of the season, and at 35 you have to wonder how that was possible! Barmby had his one and only good season with us, scoring multiple critical goals in the UEFA Cup and grabbing a header against his former club Everton. Then you have Babbel, who scored in the Merseyside Derby, had a late winner against Southampton, and scored the first goal in the UEFA Cup Final. Interestingly enough, all three of these players only lasted as important players for this one and only season.

In the winter, Igor Biscan and Jari Litmanen arrived. Biscan collected several red cards, and was definitely not the kind of player we needed. He would spend several seasons being a frustrating player for us, but oddly would go on to have a great last season for us in 2004-2005. Was he a central midfielder, a central defender, or even a footballer? It was hard to tell at times. With Litmanen, we were signing another old player with class oozing out of his every touch on the ball. What a delightful player to watch at times. I say “at times,” though, because he was slow, weak on the ball, and not always impactful on matches. He was brought on as a free, like McAllister and Barmby (good business, I’d say!), but would really not have a massive impact at all times. That said, he did have some critical moments for us in 2000-2001, scoring a late equalizing penalty at Sunderland and also scoring from the spot against Man City. His passes were pretty important, as well.

Departures:

After a season in 1999-2000 where Liverpool were back to winning ways, it was time to trim the squad of its deadwood. Funny how often this happen. Success breeds a sense of urgency of more success, so people not contributing are immediately cast into the fire. This was definitely evident in the summer of 2000, as Houllier wielded the axe and got rid of a host of the old Evans guard. Exits included Phil Babb, Stig Inge Bjornebye, David Thompson, Dominic Matteo, Titi Camara (the most shocking one, in my opinion), Rigobert Song, Brad Friedel (who turned out to be GREAT for Blackburn, but didn’t do well for us), Steve Staunton, and the the cult-hero of all cult-heroes, Erik Meijer. A slimmer looking squad definitely gave players a better understanding of where they stood at the club, and I believe this was a major reason we found more success in this season. I compare this to the summer of 2008-2009, where Rafa slimmed his squad to the point where you KNEW who the subs would be. There wasn’t a cue of players looking for spots. Sometimes it is hard to see these fringe players go, but you know it is the best for the overall health of the reserves, subs, AND starting XI.

TOP 5 PLAYERS

5) Gary McAllister

For the first few months of the season, Gary McAllister played bit-roles in our success. Half of the time he started, the other half of the time he was used as a substitute. By January, however, Houllier found it difficult to leave McAllister out of the lineup. It helped that Murphy was out with injury, but sometimes that’s how you get in! For McAllister, his real impact came in April, when he scored in five consectuive matches, often in astonishingly dramatic circumstances. It all began at Everton with a late 40 yard free kick, continued on to Barcelona where he scored the winning penalty to send us to the UEFA Cup Final, and then to Tottenham, where he scored yet another penalty to give us the lead. Freekicks against Coventry City and Bradford City of the utmost quality followed, and McAllister showed that even at 35 you can play the game at the highest level and STILL make a significant impact.

4) Sami Hyypia

Once again, Sami Hyypia showed his class. Of all the seasons, perhaps 2000-2001 was Hyypia’s best. In this season, Sami Hyypia was made captain, which was well deserved due to his excellent commanding performances and his leadership by example. Sami developed an outstanding partnership with Stephane Henchoz, and often times saved Westerveld’s bacon by being there to clear the lines. In the FA Cup Final, he did this on SEVERAL occasions. It was just his nature to do it this way. And his late header against Coventry City was very important at the end of the season in getting us to 3rd place. Once again, typical Sami Hyypia.

3) Steven Gerrard

The PFA Young Player of the Year was a fantastic surprise in 2000-2001. It was very obvious during the previous two seasons that Gerrard had some major talent in his locker, but nobody quite knew how good he could really become. His ten goals were often of the spectacular variety (Southampton, Aston Villa, and Man Utd., for example) or of supreme importance (the Man U goal, again, and the UEFA Cup Final goal against Alaves). It was very apparent that he was starting to boss the match regardless of who we were playing, and that he was one not just for the future, but for the present. He was head and shoulders above the rest in our midfield, and it was highly encouraging that he was avoiding some of the injury problems from the last two seasons. Steven Gerrard was becoming the legend we all know and love…

2) Emile Heskey

If only every season could have been like this for Heskey. 22 goals, some absolute crackers, and goals in big matches. Heskey had power, pace, and confidence, as well as a nice little hammer of a shot. He scored a lot of goals in the absences of Owen throughout the season, and it was clear that he was being favored over Fowler. The contribution of Heskey was at its highest, however, when both he and Heskey were in the lineup. “Big man, little man.” Heskey’s influence often created a slight over-reliance on the longball, but what it did more than anything was cause absolute havoc amongst the defenders, which was perfect for nippy players like Smicer, Barmby, Owen and Fowler. Without Heskey’s goals throughout the season, I fully believe that we wouldn’t have had the impact on the cup competitions that we were able to have. He was CRUCIAL to our success, and it was sad that this did not continue into future seasons.

1) Michael Owen

The “Boy Wonder” was now beginning to grow into a man of a footballer. Owen’s pace was obvious, but after a horrific hamstring twinge in 1999, he needed to find another way to become a superstar. He did this by becoming smarter than the opposition. He started the season brilliantly, hit injury problems as usual about midway through the season (a freak concussion being the main problem), and then finished the season like the World Player of the Year… or in his case, the European Player of the Year is what he won. The key figures are these: 7 goals in the first two months, 8 goals in the next seven months, and NINE GOALS IN THE MONTH OF MAY. NINE! Unbelievable stuff from Owen. His double against Arsenal was the most memorable, but a double against Chelsea and Roma and hat-tricks against Aston Villa and Newcastle were just as fantastic. Owen could do no wrong by this point, which translated into a brilliant 2001-2002, as well. I fear that people will forget this season from Owen and will always judge him for the way he left the club to Real Madrid. Face it, people, Owen was absolutely amazing for us during that stretch, particularly in this quite memorable Treble-winning season.

TOP 3 FLOPS

3) Sander Westerveld

Westerveld was a nervous wreck at times in the back, despite having a few fine moments (penalty save in the shootout, for example). Punching the ball into his own net against Chelsea for many supporters was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and for others it was his horrific display in the UEFA Cup where he showed no command in the box at all. For me, I never liked him, and he always appeared to be a bit of a jackass. To say the Kop didn’t like him is a bit of an understatement…

2) Djimi Traore

Hard to remember this, I know, but Djimi Traore was with the Reds back in 2000-2001! In that season, he played 12 times and gave up about 23 penalties. Maybe not quite that bad, but he was horrendous for us when Houllier put him at his unfavored position of leftback. Funny that it worked with Rafa, but under Houllier in both 2000-2001 and in 2002-2003, this role did not work whatsoever for us.

1) Christian Ziege

The signing of Ziege was supposed to give us solidity on the left side of defense, a position that had been troubling for us for quite some time. But it really didn’t pan out. Ziege was slow, dallied too much on the ball, and never really seemed to fit in. By November, it was clear he wasn’t going to be the player Houllier had hoped. The problem was, he was signed to be an important player and there was a lot of hype behind it. Not to mention that there was controversy in the way we pipped him from Middlesbrough. So not only were the club in slight trouble, which eventually amounted to nothing fortunately, but the trouble was all for naught because Ziege was crap for us! By the end of the season, when we were at our best, Carragher had won the leftback spot and Ziege was generally coming off of the bench or was not used at all. He was sold the following season. Truly disappointing.

STATISTICS