Liverpool Home 2004/2005

Liverpool Home 2004/2005
Liverpool finished fourth in the previous Premier League season. However, they were unable to improve on this position finishing in fifth place, 37 points behind eventual winners Chelsea with a record of 17 wins, 7 draws and 14 defeats. Liverpool fared better in cup competitions. Although they were eliminated by Burnley in the third round of the FA Cup, they reached the final of the League Cup, which they lost 3–2 to Chelsea. Despite their lack of success domestically, Liverpool were successful in the UEFA Champions League. They won the competition for the fifth time, defeating Italian team Milan in the final.

Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Djibril Cissé, Xabi Alonso and Luis García. They were supplemented by the arrival of Mauricio Pellegrino, Fernando Morientes and Scott Carson during the January transfer window. A total of four players departed including Markus Babbel, Danny Murphy and Michael Owen, who were all transferred in the summer transfer window. Stéphane Henchoz left the club during the winter transfer window.

Thirty-two different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 17 different goalscorers. Liverpool’s top goalscorers were Milan Baroš, Steven Gerrard and García with 13 goals each. Defender John Arne Riise made the most appearances during the season with 57.

Liverpool did not win any trophies in the 2003–04 season. The team finished fourth in the Premier League, securing a return to the UEFA Champions League. But they finished 30 points behind eventual winners Arsenal. They fared little better in the cup competitions, exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round losing 1–0 to Portsmouth in a replay after the original tie finished 1–1. A 3–2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers resulted in Liverpool’s exit from the League Cup in the fourth round. Liverpool reached the same round of the UEFA Cup before they were eliminated by Marseille 3–2 on aggregate.

Following the end of the season, manager Gérard Houllier was replaced by Rafael Benítez after six years in charge. Benítez had won La Liga and the UEFA Cup with Valencia during the 2003–04 season. Several new players were brought in as well as Benítez. A deal for striker Djibril Cissé was secured before Houllier left, while Benítez’s first signing as manager was defender Josemi from Málaga. Antonio Núñez, Xabi Alonso and Luis García were the remaining transfers made in the summer transfer window. A further three players were signed in the January transfer window with defender Mauricio Pellegrino, striker Fernando Morientes and goalkeeper Scott Carson joining the club.

Several players left Liverpool during the season. Defender Markus Babbel joined VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer after his contract had expired. Midfielder Danny Murphy joined Charlton Athletic for £2.5 million. Forward Michael Owen joined Real Madrid for £8.5 million plus Núñez after talks stalled on a new contract. Benítez stated he was happy for Owen to stay but contract issues made that difficult: “I was very happy with Michael and I wanted him to stay. The problem was he only had a year left on his contract.”Defender Stéphane Henchoz was sold to Celtic during the January transfer window.

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