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No fear Fearless Alaves bids to prevent Liverpool treble
DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) -- Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier will hope his own words do not come back to haunt him after Wednesday's UEFA Cup final against little-known Spanish side Alaves. "On some occasions the will to win is more important than the skill to win," Houllier said after Liverpool's 2-1 victory over an Arsenal side that outplayed them for long periods in Saturday's FA Cup final in Cardiff. Liverpool, which has won the European Cup four times, the UEFA Cup twice and will be bidding to win their third trophy of the season, starts as a strong favorite against an Alaves side in its first European campaign. But on Wednesday they will come up against a team confident in their own ability and fearlessly determined to land their first trophy in their fourth season of successive improvement. "It's true that Liverpool are more used to this type of game than us," said Alaves coach Jose Manuel Esnal, who is known as Mane. "But we will line up against them with absolutely no fear. We're conscious of our own modest status but our morale will be at a peak going into the final." FaithMane confounded the pundits in Spain, who predicted he would jump ship at the end of the season, by signing a one-year extension to his contract at the small Basque club. That show of faith has raised hopes in Vitoria that Alaves are in the process of building something for the future. Victories over Inter Milan in the fourth round and Kaiserslautern in the semifinals, the latter by a staggering 9-2 aggregate, have demonstrated their ability and in goalkeeper Martin Herrera and 21-goal striker Javi Moreno they have two of the most highly regarded players in Spain. But they have yet to come up against a side as well organized and full of confidence as Houllier's Liverpool, who are two wins away from claiming success on four fronts. Saturday's victory over Arsenal brought their second trophy of the season, following another win in Cardiff against Birmingham City in the League Cup. The side have also managed to stay on course for a place in the Champions League. Victory over Charlton on the final day of the season would secure third place in the Premier League and achieve the primary goal of the current campaign. But it is in the run to their first European final since 1985 that Liverpool have really impressed this season. Victories over Olympiakos, Roma, Porto and Barcelona have shown that Houllier's quiet revolution is taking shape and brought the team cautious comparison with the great sides of the 1970s and 80s. ReturnAlaves' hopes of bringing Liverpool's run to an end will be boosted by the return of Jordi Cruyff, Oscar Tellez, Delfi Geli and Ivan Alonso. They were all left out of the starting line-up for Friday's 2-1 defeat against a Deportivo Coruna side that played 75 minutes with 10 men. Houllier faces tougher decisions over his selection after Saturday's erratic display against Arsenal. The introduction of Gary McAllister just after the hour mark gave a more fluent look to the midfield and the veteran Scot should start against Alaves. Robbie Fowler may also be recalled to play alongside Saturday's two-goal hero Michael Owen, with Emile Heskey dropping down to the bench. Alaves are well aware of the threat Liverpool pose but they refuse to be overawed by the prospect of Wednesday's mismatch in terms of reputation. "Liverpool's success this year has been based on solid defense, a competitive spirit and great quality, with Owen, Fowler and Heskey up front," said Mane. "But we know after our wins against Inter Milan and Kaiserslautern that we can beat anyone. "Sometimes a game can come along at just the right time." Possible teams Alaves: 1-Martin Herrera; 2-Cosmin Contra, 5-Antonio Karmona, 6-Oscar Tellez, 7-Delfi Geli; 14-Jordi Cruyff, 15-Ivan Tomic, 16-Hermes Desio, 3-Ibon Begona; 19-Ivan Alonso, 9-Javi Moreno Liverpool: 1-Sander Westerveld; 23-Jamie Carragher, 2-Stephane Henchoz, 12-Sami Hyypia, 6-Markus Babbel; 17-Steven Gerrard, 21-Gary McAllister, 16-Dietmar Hamann, 15-Patrick Berger; 9-Robbie Fowler, 10-Michael Owen Referee: Gilles Veissiere (France) Reut05:41 05-15-01 Alaves wants to finish the jobIt's time to finish the job. The dream run of Alaves through the UEFA Cup has come to the final challenge. "We've had a tremendous season, but we have to finish it off tomorrow," said Alaves midfielder Jordi Cruyff, speaking Tuesday, a day before the final against Liverpool. Liverpool's storied history speaks for the English club, but that's where Alaves players see their chance as well. "Every single round we were not the favorites, and yet all others have gone home except us," said Cruyff, who has found a home at Alaves after being cast off by Manchester United and Barcelona. "It's one of our strengths and we've come here to win." "There must be a reason why we've come so far. I have a positive feeling about this game," he said. "Sometimes football doesn't work the way you expect it," Cruyff said of Liverpool being the odds-on favorite. Jose Manuel "Mane" Esnai, the Alaves coach, says the Basque are a betting people. "I didn't get the odds I liked," he said jokingly when asked if he'd bet. Mane's team will try do what even the mighty Barcelona could not, having been knocked out by Liverpool in the semifinal. "I think our will to win will be the difference, that'll be our motivating force," the coach said. "We have a clear objective and that's to win the final," he said. To win the final, Alaves will have to stop Michael Owen, who has scored eight goals in the last four games. "He's had a tremendous run. He looks at his best when he's got the ball and when he has the space. Our job will be to make sure he has neither," Mane said. Antonio Karmona, the Alaves captain and defender, said the team was not planning any changes in its system to try to stop the Liverpool striker. "The key to stopping him is finding a way to cut off his supply, we shouldn't focus too much on him," Karmona said. Don't expect a rousing soccer spectacle at the Westfalenstadion. "The key is not to make mistakes. You can't give up much space, there is no time to correct mistakes in a final," he said. This would indicate a cautious approach, since both teams are adept at fast breaks. It will a showdown between the competition's most prolific offense with 31 goals in 12 games for Alaves, and the stingiest defense. Liverpool has conceded only 5 goals in its run to the final. Karmona said he'd been a Liverpool fan since his childhood. "It's a team with a great history and it will mean a lot to me if we can beat them," he said. "This is the match we'd wanted all season," Karmona said. "After every round we passed, sitting in the locker room we would be speaking about the next opponent and all us always wanted Liverpool to be the next." "It didn't happen until the final" Mane said he had a lot of respect for Liverpool's history, international experience of its stars, its organization. "But tomorrow, many factors will be decisive, not only soccer factors. Mental attitude, little details. My players will be liberated from tension," Mane said. Liverpool spent the last decade living in the shadow of Manchester United, which has won the league title seven times in the last nine seasons. The Merseyside club now has a chance to add to the four Champions Cups and two UEFA Cups it won between 1973 and 1984. Liverpool hasn't been in a European final since 1985. Alaves not frightened of Liverpool, says coachAlaves coach Jose Manuel Esnal says his side will have respect but no fear of Liverpool when they meet in the UEFA Cup final. The Alaves chief, known in Spain as Mane, has been asked time and again if he plans anything special to contain the Liverpool attack, and particularly the free-scoring Michael Owen. Mane was generous in his praise of Liverpool on Tuesday but remained confident in his side's ability to cope with the biggest match in the Basque club's history. "What I've seen of Liverpool this season, in UEFA Cup games against Roma and Porto and in the FA Cup final on Saturday, is their ability to mix up their tactics," he said. "They're a flexible side. They can sit back and play on the counter-attack but they can also dominate games if that's what they have to do. "We'll find out tomorrow what tactics they'll be playing and we'll do our best to be ready for it. Not afraid"Being afraid of Liverpool just doesn't come into it, though. In football you have respect for your opponents, not fear." There has been speculation ahead of the game that Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier could rest Owen, who has scored eight goals in the last four games, as the club look ahead to Saturday's crucial final league match against Charlton. Victory over the Londoners would guarantee Liverpool a Champions League place next season. "I understand Liverpool have to husband their resources at this stage of the season," said Mane. "It's not for me to comment. "Owen is in great form at the moment. He's hit one of those purple patches. "His main virtue is his pace and he plays best when he's given space to control the ball. If he plays we'll try to stop him from finding that space." Mane's only concern going into the game is that the form of his players is not affected adversely by the atmosphere in the stadium. Tension"It's my job to make sure the tension doesn't get to the team," he said. With that in mind, Mane will look to the members of his team with international experience to show the way and the best known player of all is clearly relishing the occasion. "It's a great achievement for the club to be in the final," recognized Jordi Cruyff, who moved to Alaves from Manchester United before the start of the current season. "But I didn't join this club just to enjoy myself. "We've come here with the idea of winning. It's been a fantastic season and we can really finish it off tomorrow." Asked about his team's chances against a side with a far greater European pedigree he was insistent that history will count for nothing when the match kicks off. "The fact that Liverpool were one of the great teams in Europe 15 or 20 years ago means very little," he said. "I'm being realistic when I say we have a chance. We've got here for a reason and I think we could make our dreams a reality on Wednesday."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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