As opposed to the previous time these two behemoths of European football had met, in a European final which was one of the dullest, achingly-slow elite matches you could wish to suffer, that 2009 Champions League tie was jam-packed full of daring, energy, power and unfettered attacking.

The 1984 European Cup final was one of the ultimate lessons in the means justifying the end.

Mixing the velvet glove with the iron fist

When I was writing my book about the ‘Inside Story of La Roja’s Historic Treble’ I phoned Graeme Souness to talk about the role and skills of Madrid’s talented, creative central midfielder that day in Paris: one Vicente del Bosque.

He told me: “I looked back at that final a couple of months ago because Jamie Redknapp rang me to tell me it was on television. I realised, watching it after such a long time, that for players like del Bosque in Madrid’s midfield Liverpool must have been a nightmare to play against because we were already putting into practice many of the things which are in vogue now: pressing all over the pitch, full-backs pushed high up their touchline so that I stayed sitting in front of the two centre-backs protecting them. I see much of that as central to the success of Barcelona and Spain nowadays.”

At the time Graeme didn’t mention the modern Madrid, but he could have done.

In 1981 the club didn’t learn from Liverpool’s brand of football, didn’t understand that mixing the velvet glove with the iron fist was something which would still function as well in 2014 as it did when Bucksfizz were winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2009 they did learn.

If you recall the Anfield ambush, Madrid were not only hammered 4-0, they couldn’t compete.

They couldn’t keep up mentally or physically: with each passing quarter of an hour the self-belief and stamina diminished to the point that the Reds, inspired and led by one of the great Stevie Gerrard performances, were shooting fish in a barrel.

If you are able to go back and luxuriate in the images, or if, as a Koppite, they are still seared on the brain, then just call up the bewildered looks on the faces of Raul, Heinze and Gago as they thought only about ‘what just happened?’, ‘how soon can this be over?’

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Stevie wonder

I’ve spoken to Liverpool players from that night and their verdict is unanimous. They knew, in advance, that they’d be able to out-sprint, out-last, out-jump and out-muscle Madrid – the out-playing would follow as a natural consequence.

They already knew that Raul was no longer a real threat when the contest was hi-energy, that he epitomized the ‘faded greatness’ of the Madrid era.

The great difference in the ‘lessons’ which were nearly three decades apart is that Madrid assimilated and applied the latter one.
A strategy was adopted.

They wanted Jose Mourinho even then – Florentino Perez wanted to Liverpool-ise, or better still, to Chelsea-ise Madrid.

They wanted to modernize. To blend technique with intensity, power with pace, creativity with coruscating energy.

The coach that night was Juande Ramos who’d achieved just those things with Sevilla, who’d regularly put Madrid through the wringer using players like Luis Fabiano, Freddie Kanouté, Seydou Keita, Ivica Dragutinovic, Julio Baptista, and the late Antonio Puerta. Their 3-5 win at the Bernabéu in the Supercopa was the template. Power, height but oodles of technique.

Juande Ramos didn’t work out at Madrid but Sevilla, Chelsea and now Liverpool had shown the men in grey suits that they were gonna have to use some grey matter. To catch up.

Heinze and Cannavaro out. Raúl directly after.

Sequentially: Alonso, Arbeloa (both alumni of the Anfield ambush), Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Garay, Angel di Maria in.

Strength in numbers

You see the pattern? You see the influence? Height, power, grit, Premier League experience, intensity – all of them tick some or all of those boxes.

Then, one year later, Mourinho. Now Bale.

Height, power, stamina, aggression but, in due course, more weights in training, more gym work, faster paced, more direct football. The Spanish title, three straight Champions League semi finals and then, in Lisbon, La Decima.

There’s a line of cultural change which can be traced from Anfield in 2009 until now.

Painful and humiliating though the experience was.

A brand of thinking at the Bernabeu, particularly around their Valdebebas training centre, that the powerful mix of Spanish craft, technique and strategy when blended with the power, height, pace, commitment, stamina and directness of the Premier League was not only the way forward generally but a means of waging football ‘war’ on the prettier, possession based football at Barcelona.

‘Madrid have it all’

Without pre-judging the result, the master-pupil roles have been reversed from 2009 until now.

Liverpool are patently in the process of trying to reestablish some of the Spanish football credo which they had in their very best years – brilliant, quick passing above all.

But Brendan Rodgers unsurprisingly told Guillem Balaque for AS newspaper this week: “Right now Madrid is a team which can perform at a high level the like of which I’ve not seen in years. They have it all. Great players, speed, technique, fantastic team spirit, experience and a marvellous coach. They play well in tight spaces and if you leave them big spaces on the pitch there’s no team in the world better at exploiting them. My view is that when you mix the technique of the Spanish and or Dutch with the British spirit then it’s very very hard to beat.”

But, to business. To play the first of the two games at Anfield is an advantage. To play Madrid when Bale is out, Ramos is out, Benzema and Varane are both just back from illness and Casillas is searching for confidence and match sharpness – all of this is helpful.

So is the fact that the Clásico is on the horizon.

Form, talent and impetus still suggests that between Ronaldo, James Rodríguez, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos the European Champions can score and return home without losing, quite likely win.

Sterling: the jewel in Liverpool’s crown

However, Martin Skrtel recently organised Slovakia to shock and humiliate Spain, his and Balotelli’s aerial ability directly correlate with the weakest point in Madrid’s armoury.

And then there’s Raheem Sterling.

The jewel in Liverpool’s crown.

I will put a wager of a nice bottle of wine that within a season or two Real Madrid will, literally, not be able to resist his particular charms.

He has everything that the Spanish club adore… and more. And, for the moment, the best thing he can do is torment Marcelo and get that ball into the middle.

No matter how anglified, no matter how Liverpool-ised Madrid have become since 2009 they don’t like a good old fashioned English football aerial bombardment. Tin hats on, everyone.

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A fantasy too improbable even for Hollywood. Unless the creative kid knocked on the door of Casa Bumper Graham up on Laurel Drive.

// ‘);jQuery(elementIdentifier).show()}}};jQuery(document).ready(function(){window.omgBanner=new omgBannerImage;var custPrefs=omgBanner.checkCookie(“cust_prefs”);if(typeof custPrefs==”undefined”||!custPrefs){omgBanner.showBanner(“#omg-banner”,”//i.ppstatic.com/content/landingpages/Scholes-Blog-Image-Join.PNG”,”http://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/clk/282172547;108966587;x?http://content.paddypower.com/ppc-pages/enhanced-campaign/social/sportsbook/blog/blog-scholes.html”)}}); // ]]>I think it’s quite understandable if people reckon the Jacksonville Cougars or Crew Alexandra have a better chance of winning the Brazil world cup than La Roja do. Understandable if some critics think that at the World Cup the Spanish federation is sending a gentle golden labrador out to do the job of a fit young German Shepherd.

It’s all understandable – just wrong.

First, the hurdles. Unless you see them and plan for them  you can’t jump them.

Spain, and all the European countries, have their major rival as Brazil. Not the team, the country. Only if you’ve researched well, planned well and probably employed a few Brazilian movers and shakers to make things  move and shake for you will any side from this continent stand a chance.

The country is vast, diverse, challenging, hot, humid, rainy and a kind of Club 18-30 for mosquitos. This is where the crazy, 24-hour, tequila-fuelled mossies go to party. And I mean Paaaartaaaayy!

But, here, Spain have a tiny advantage. The Confeds Cup wasn’t a thing of beauty and joy for ever as far as Spain was concerned. Hotel problems, travel problems, humidity problems, social disorder and a spanking from Brazil in the final. But La Roja, these days, are astute learners. They’ve honed down the take-home messages, planned for them and having a ‘set’ base in Curitiba is like catnip to them. European autumnal weather, privacy. It’s the laboratory from which the tournament win will be planned. Last summer they were constantly on the road from game to game. Not this time.

The fact that there are young, hungry, athletic squads in the way of the reigning champions is another jab to the Spanish solar plexus. Holland is one, awaiting in the banana-skin first group game – Brazil another.

However this is where the Spanish talent factory has functioned. Yes, the vets will be vital. Del Bosque needs big tournaments from Iniesta (30) Alonso (32) and Casillas (33) – Xavi we will come back to. Nevertheless the ‘relevo’ is in place.

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The relief watch. In England and in Spain you’d find few, only the lame of brain, who denied that two of the players of the season were Cesar Azpilicueta and ‘Koke’. Add Jordi Alba, Diego Costa and Javi Martínez and you get a clutch of 22-25 year old talents, three of whom making their debut in a major tournament, whose talent, energy and ‘major’ experience at club level can make an enormous difference to whether or not Spain retain this trophy.

Which is where the Xavi factor comes in. It’s not a sin that, aged 34, his athleticism has changed. What Del Bosque must manage, brilliantly, is how and when to use him. Go back over the last three tournament wins and the assessment of how brilliant Xavi has been changes with retrospect compared to some of the stuff I heard spouted in real time.

But teams target him, try to pressurise him in possession and count on him NOT tracking back thus leaving opposition teams with 3 v 2 or 4 v 3 situations. Believe me, he will not be alone in putting in a few 55-65 minute matches this tournament. The concept of all the major players in any team, with the possible exception of Brazil, winning a tournament while consistently playing 90 minutes is, I think, anathema to this country’s size, geography and climate.

The key creative men will rack up several ‘impact’ performances – either the first hour or the last thirty minutes. Which is where Spain will miss Jesús Navas more than most people have appreciated. He was Del Bosque’s ‘go-to’ man. On the hour, almost every hour, he’d come on and wreak ‘Road-Runner’ havoc. For the manager this little fella is a gigantic loss. More emphasis, now, on the pace of Pedro and the potential ‘impact’ of players like Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla.

Then there is Spain’s often ineptly described playing style.

Asking La Roja to play with fizzing, daring brilliance is like letting a mugger put his hands round Adele’s larynx then asking her voice to soar and inspire. Teams routinely try to asphyxiate them, bank after bank of defense and fouls. But IF La Roja keep the ball well and make other teams work/chase in this humidity then the last 15-20 minutes of matches will yield even more Spain goals than normal.

Champions routinely go out in the group stage of the next edition of their tournament – check France in 2002, Greece in 2008, Italy in 2010. Spain have a nasty wee group but if they navigate those choppy waters then they possess a ruthless knockout mentality and …. reach the final.

Someone call Hollywood.

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The trip to the Liberty Stadium is the longest one any Premier League fan can make, with the Toon Army poised to cover around 700 miles in getting to and from South Wales. As a result, they will certainly be hoping it is worth it as they keep their fingers crossed Newcastle can make it three straight wins. A European spot looks all but assured after last week’s 2-0 win over Liverpool gave them a 10-point lead over seventh-placed Everton.

While the Reds were bad last week, Newcastle looked eager to end the season well having exceeded all expectations up to this point. Manager Alan Pardew has turned the Magpies into a formidable outfit with some shrewd signings, none more so than Papiss Cisse. The Senegal striker has seven goals in eight appearances since his mid-season switch from Freiburg, four of which have been the first goals of the game. As such Cisse to break the deadlock again at 11/2 may be worth an investment.

Newcastle’s last away trip resulted in a 3-1 win over West Brom but before then Pardew’s men hadn’t been prolific at picking up points on their travels recently. Before the victory at the Hawthorns they had managed two wins in a nine away matches, a run of which includes six defeats.

Given Swansea’s excellent home form this season it’s tough to see Newcastle coming away with all three points.  If you do fancy Newcastle to become only the third team to win at the Liberty Stadium then they can be backed at 2/1, with the Swans 11/8 and the draw 12/5 in the match betting.

While Newcastle fans may feel they have overachieved this season then there is no doubt Swansea’s campaign has exceeded the expectations for their supporters. The Swans are on 39 points heading into the Easter weekend and, barring a remarkable comeback by those at the bottom, should be safe even if they don’t win another game.

However, manager Brendan Rodgers won’t be allowing his players to think about their summer holidays just yet and despite losing at Tottenham last week they put in a much improved display at White Hart Lane after a limp-wristed defeat against Everton at home.

In front of another bumper crowd Rodgers will be hoping his team can claim another big scalp, having beaten Arsenal and Manchester City and taken points off Chelsea and Tottenham. Having worked with opposite number Pardew while working as a coach at Reading, Rodgers might have a few ideas as to what the Toon might throw at them.

The goalless draw at St James’ Park certainly gave an indication that Rodgers’ team can stifle the north-east outfit, although there was no Cisse for the Toon that day.

The partnership of Cisse and Demba Ba could be the deciding factor but if Swansea can keep them quiet and play their own game there is no reason why they can’t get a result. Draw HT/ Swansea FT is 9/2 and could be the value bet for punters.

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Macclesfield v Swindon (7.45pm)
Swindon are one of the bets of the weekend at 5/4, as Paulo Di Canio takes his side to the North West to take on a Macclesfield side who prefer to be playing their football away from their beloved Moss Road.

The Robins will be buoyed by their recent 4-0 win over Barnet and seem to have got their season back on track with four wins coming from their last five league games.

The Italian, given his first shot at management at Swindon, had made a slow start to his campaign as boss at the County Ground, however, things seem to be moving in the right direction for the club now, and they are be expected to be in the mix come the end of the season.

Their 3-0 win over league favourites Crawley at the Broadfield Stadium proved they are capable of beating anyone in this league on their day.

Macclesfield on the other hand are going to struggle to progress further than the bottom quarter of the table this season. They were the first side to lose to a struggling Plymouth side last weekend and have only had one win in their last five games.

Macc will struggle to match the class of Di Canio’s side and may just suffer another embarrassing defeat, this time on their home turf, as they go may go down 3-0 to the Robins, the correct score can be backed at 9/1.

Southend v Shrewsbury (7.45pm)
Second takes on third on Friday evening at Roots Hall, as two of the league’s early season fliers have the opportunity of moving up to first place in the league, until Saturday at the least.

There is not much to separate these two sides, and both managers will settle for a draw that can be backed at 12/5.

The Shrimpers have lost just one game at Roots Hall so far this season, after making an unexpected flying start to their campaign.

Shrewsbury travel down to the south coast on the back of their 2-0 win over Torquay.  The Shrews have been pushing for promotion in the past 2-3 seasons now and must have every opportunity of doing so this season. They have experienced the disappointment of the play-offs, therefore the aim for Graham Turner’s side this season is automatic promotion into League One.

The Shropshire side will be boosted by the news that defender Shane Cansdell-Sherriff is fit to return to the side. The Australian has a wealth of experience at this level and will offer support at the back, following his hamstring injury.

However, Reuben Hazel is out of the side and must visit a specialist to find out the extent of his knee injury.

If this fixture was played last season, the visitors would be warm favourites, but Southend are playing with confidence, and manager Paul Sturrock has made a remarkable turnaround with the club.

Both teams will probably find the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw which is a price of 6/1.

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All three British sides left in have a realistic chance of going through and here we preview their respective third-round, second-leg ties.

Hajduk Split v Stoke (agg 0-1)

The Potters’ first foray into Europe for 37 years ended in a narrow win in the first leg against the Croatian outfit thanks to Jon Walters’ early goal at what was a rocking Britannia Stadium last week.

Tony Pulis’ side wasted several good chances to extend their lead in the tie and, while they would have wanted more goals to take to Split, Stoke remain in pole position to make it through.

However, they are sure to be tested by their opponents on Thursday in front of what is expected to be a hostile home following. Pulis is likely to go with a defensive-minded formation but if any side can go and shut up shop and kill a game then it’s the Potters.

Go with 0-0 at 7/1 – just enough to extend their European adventure for at least two more games.

Fulham v RNK Split (agg 0-0)

Fulham have had it relatively easy in the Europa League so far but will have been disappointed to have come away from Croatia – against the lesser-known Split outfit – without a victory.

A goalless draw away in Europe is always viewed as a decent result, however, and, like Stoke, the Cottagers are in a good position to advance into the play-offs ahead of the second leg in London.

Martin Jol set his stall out in this competition in the early qualifying round against Northern Irish minnows Crusaders when he named a surprisingly strong side – despite the fact it was mid-July – and he is obviously keen to do well in the tournament after taking over from Mark Hughes this summer.

The likes of Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora and recent signing John Arne Riise all started in the first leg and they will again be charged with disposing of RNK this time around. Expect a fairly comfortable home win here with 4-0 to the Cottagers at 15/2 representing good value.

Hearts v Paksi (agg 1-1)

Hearts gave themselves every chance of securing a play-off spot with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Hungary last week against the relatively unknown Paksi, who certainly punched above their weight last season when finishing second in the Hungarian league to earn a shot at the Europa League.

The first leg was generally controlled by the Jambos but, after falling behind against the run of play, they failed to find enough to come back and win. However, an away goal and a score-draw is always welcome in Europe so expect the SPL side to have too much for Paksi in Edinburgh.

Hearts have been in the news this week when Jim Jefferies became the latest managerial casualty of controversial ‘hands-on’ owner Vladimir Romanov. And, despite the off-field shenanigans proving to be a distraction in the past, these latest developments are unlikely to affect them too much for the second leg and a handsome Hearts win looks on the cards for new man in charge Paulo Sergio (Hearts 23/20 – HT/FT).

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All three British sides left in have a realistic chance of going through and here we preview their respective third-round, second-leg ties.

Hajduk Split v Stoke (agg 0-1)

The Potters’ first foray into Europe for 37 years ended in a narrow win in the first leg against the Croatian outfit thanks to Jon Walters’ early goal at what was a rocking Britannia Stadium last week.

Tony Pulis’ side wasted several good chances to extend their lead in the tie and, while they would have wanted more goals to take to Split, Stoke remain in pole position to make it through.

However, they are sure to be tested by their opponents on Thursday in front of what is expected to be a hostile home following. Pulis is likely to go with a defensive-minded formation but if any side can go and shut up shop and kill a game then it’s the Potters.

Go with 0-0 at 7/1 – just enough to extend their European adventure for at least two more games.

Fulham v RNK Split (agg 0-0)

Fulham have had it relatively easy in the Europa League so far but will have been disappointed to have come away from Croatia – against the lesser-known Split outfit – without a victory.

A goalless draw away in Europe is always viewed as a decent result, however, and, like Stoke, the Cottagers are in a good position to advance into the play-offs ahead of the second leg in London.

Martin Jol set his stall out in this competition in the early qualifying round against Northern Irish minnows Crusaders when he named a surprisingly strong side – despite the fact it was mid-July – and he is obviously keen to do well in the tournament after taking over from Mark Hughes this summer.

The likes of Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora and recent signing John Arne Riise all started in the first leg and they will again be charged with disposing of RNK this time around. Expect a fairly comfortable home win here with 4-0 to the Cottagers at 15/2 representing good value.

Hearts v Paksi (agg 1-1)

Hearts gave themselves every chance of securing a play-off spot with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Hungary last week against the relatively unknown Paksi, who certainly punched above their weight last season when finishing second in the Hungarian league to earn a shot at the Europa League.

The first leg was generally controlled by the Jambos but, after falling behind against the run of play, they failed to find enough to come back and win. However, an away goal and a score-draw is always welcome in Europe so expect the SPL side to have too much for Paksi in Edinburgh.

Hearts have been in the news this week when Jim Jefferies became the latest managerial casualty of controversial ‘hands-on’ owner Vladimir Romanov. And, despite the off-field shenanigans proving to be a distraction in the past, these latest developments are unlikely to affect them too much for the second leg and a handsome Hearts win looks on the cards for new man in charge Paulo Sergio (Hearts 23/20 – HT/FT).

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Reading’s

The Royals looked all set for a mid-table finish a couple of months ago, but since then Brian McDermott’s side have purred into top gear and won eight on the spin to not only move into the play-off places, but also into contention for automatic promotion.

Winger Jimmy Kebe has been inspirational in that superb run, with Irish strikers Shane Long and Noel Hunt eagerly waiting to put away the chances, with the latter having scored five times in his last eight games and priced 6/1 to open the scoring at Elland Road.

Leeds’ own automatic promotion hopes have all but disappeared during a nervy run of results and they now need to get back on track to ensure that they do not compound their misery by missing out on the play-offs altogether.

A loss at home to the Royals would open the door for Nottingham Forest to overtake the Whites by winning at home to East Midlands rivals Leicester City.

Earlier this season an Andy King goal settled a tense derby at the Walkers Stadium and another tight encounter is on the cards, albeit with a few more goals due to both teams’ defences having started to creak at the wrong time of the season.

The odds of both sides finding the net during the game are 4/5.

Relegation matters also feature heavily, with both Doncaster Rovers and Crystal Palace hoping that Scunthorpe United come unstuck at Coventry City.

The Iron currently occupy the final relegation spot, being three points adrift of Rovers and five behind the Eagles with just four games to play, having won 2-1 at Crystal Palace last weekend.

However, with Doncaster and Palace meeting at the Keepmoat Stadium, a Scunthorpe win at the Ricoh Arena could make things very hairy.

The arrival of new manager Alan Knill, who previously made his name with Bury, has provided a much-needed spark, even if his reign at Glanford Park started in a 6-0 thrashing at Norwich City.

Loan striker Joe Garner could have made the difference at Coventry, but his red card at Palace could prove costly, with Scunthorpe available at 8/5 to score first in the game.

No doubt phones and radios at the Keepmoat Stadium will be relaying news of events in Coventry back to the nervous fans of both teams in action, with the Rovers faithful particularly on edge after a run of eight games without a win.

Palace, like Rovers, appeared to be safe a matter of weeks ago, but a 2-1 home loss to Scunthorpe last time out plunged them right back into the mire and having won just once on their travels this term, they cannot head to South Yorkshire full of confidence.

The Eagles have shipped 44 goals away from home this term and netted a mere 15 and so can be backed at 11/4 to keep a rare clean sheet.

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Newly appointed West Ham boss Avram Grant is hoping to bring the good times back to Upton Park and is looking forward to the challenge of next season.

The Hammers struggled last season under the leadership of Gianfranco Zola and only managed to secure their place in the Premier League with a couple of games to spare.

Zola was axed by co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan as soon as the season was over and it soon became clear that Grant was the man they wanted.

Slaven Bilic, Sam Allardyce and Ian Holloway had all been linked with the job but Grant was always hot favourite to take the job as soon as his duties with Portsmouth came to an end.

The Israeli worked wonders under very difficult circumstances at Fratton Park and even though they were relegated after being deducted nine points for going into administration, he still managed to guide them to the FA Cup final before losing to Chelsea.

Grant admitted that leaving Pompey was always going to be tough after building up a great relationship with the fans and he will be looking to do that again at Upton Park with the Hammers faithful.

“I’m proud and honoured to be the manager of West Ham. It’s an exciting challenge and I’m ready to do my best,” Grant told the club’s official website.

“West Ham is a fantastic club with great fans and a history that is respected around the world. I’m already looking forward to getting to work with my players in July and preparing for the new season.”

Grant now has the job of making sure the Hammers are nowhere near the drop zone next season and if he gets the backing of the board, he should be able to get the club moving in the right direction.

The former Chelsea boss inherits a squad of talented players that boasts the likes of Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole and Scott Parker and he will be hoping to keep hold of his star trio before adding to his ranks.

The board have said everyone apart from Scott Parker is up for grabs but Grant will want to keep his key men if he is to get the Hammers pushing for the top 10.

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