The Art Of Painting Europe Red

190x263 - Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager reacts to a decision on the pitch during the UEFA Champions League first knockout round, second leg match between Inter Milan and Liverpool at the San Siro on March 11, 2008 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Despite being criticised in the British media this season for some ineffectual performances in the league, Rafael Benitez remains one of the most astute tacticians in the game.

This is especially true in European competition, where Benitez has guided the Reds to two Champions League finals in the last three seasons – lifting the trophy in his first season in charge in 2005.

Steven Gerrard has scored in each of the last five Champions League games and has netted 19 goals in all competitions so far this season.

The talismanic captain has a reputation for pulling his team back from the brink, most notably in the dramatic fight back against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005, scoring an outrageous header as the Reds overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit.

Gerrard’s dramatic equaliser against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final – a 35-yard injury-time screamer – set up a penalty shootout where the Reds claimed yet another piece of silverware.

250x138 - Liverpool's Steven Gerrard (L) scores a penalty against West Ham giving Liverpool victory in the English FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, 13 May 2006. AFP PHOTO/CARL DE SOUZA (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

Since losing 2-1 at Besiktas in November, Liverpool have scored 19 goals in five Champions League games, conceding just one, in the process knocking out many people’s tournament favourites, Inter Milan, 3-0 on aggregate in the Last 16.

Iconic 23-year-old former Atletico Madrid captain Fernando Torres is fast becoming one of the leading strikers in Europe. Torres needs four Premier league goals to break Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goalscoring record for a foreigner’s debut season, having netted 20 Premier League goals – the first Liverpool player to reach this milestone since Anfield legend Robbie Fowler 12 years ago.

In total, Torres has scored 27 times in all competitions, including four in Liverpool’s last four Champions League games.

250x189 - Jamie Carragher of Liverpool is brought down by David Suazo of Inter during the UEFA Champions League first knockout round, second leg match between Inter Milan and Liverpool at the San Siro on March 11, 2008 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Jamie Carragher reached a milestone of his own in the victory over Inter, becoming the first to play 100 European games for Liverpool. While the Reds are effectively out of the Premiership race, Carragher believes they can hold their own against Europe’s finest.

 

“Nobody will want us in the draw because of our record … There’s a bit of mystique about us,” claims the vice-captain.

Several other recruits are settling in well. Giant Slovakian central defender Martin Skrtel is strong, quick and skillful, while Ryan Babel is exhibiting startling similarities to a young Thierry Henry.

Tenacious 23-year-old Argentine Javier Mascherano – who recently secured a permanent move to the club for £18 million – has been a revelation in the holding midfield role alongside Brazilian youngster Lucas Leiva or Xabi Alonso in Benitez’s new 4-2-3-1 formation.

This allows Gerrard to roam behind Torres, with Babel and Dirk Kuyt out wide. The team looks far more impressive fielding this formation than the 4-4-2 previously employed.

In the quarterfinals, the Reds will meet high-flying Arsenal at Highbury on April 2nd, with the return leg at Anfield on the 9th. If they prevail, they could face Chelsea in a repeat of the 2005 semifinal, which Liverpool won 1-0 on aggregate.

Quarterfinal draw:

Liverpool v Arsenal
Manchester United v Roma
Chelsea v Fenerbache
Barcelona v Schalke

* All statistics correct as of 17.03.2008