VS on the 2005 Champions League final…
It was the best moment in my career. Playing in the Champions League final was something special, not only because of the way the game went but because it was my last game for Liverpool. To be involved in a game like that was unbelievable and one of my greatest memories.
When we came back in the second half and I scored the second goal it was then that I felt we had a really good chance of getting back in to the game.
We went into extra time very tired and Milan really started to push us but I knew we weren’t going to give up.
Once Jerzy Dudek made that unbelievable save from Andriy Shevchenko, I knew we were going to go on and win it. After the game, lifting the cup, it was something special and the crowd in the stadium couldn’t believe it and neither could we.
VS on preparing as a substitute…
I was very surprised to be honest as no one expects to come on so early in a Champions League final.
I knew Harry Kewell had problems with his groin but I didn’t expect to come on, as Dietmar Hamann and Djibril Cisse had played more games than me and were contributing more to the team. I was so happy to be involved in the game, it’s a dream for every player to play on such a huge stage. I had just come back from a six-month knee injury too, so I wanted to show the world I could still play at the highest level.
VS on his goal in the Champions League final…
It was the most important goal of my career because if I had not scored it, we would never of touched the Champions League trophy. In my opinion, the World Cup is the pinnacle of football, but the Champions League is next so to win that was an amazing achievement.
VS on Rafa Benitez’s half time talk…
He was just trying to motivate us. As you can probably imagine, being 3-0 down in a Champions League final isn’t an ideal situation to be in, so he tried to keep the team positive and stated that we needed to change something to put Kaka under more pressure.
To do so, he brought Hamann on, told him to man mark Kaka and then changed the system to 3-5-2. All we needed to do was get the next goal and then momentum would shift in our favour, and that’s exactly how it panned out.
VS on Liverpool this season…
This season I’ve seen Liverpool play some really exceptional games, but also, unfortunately, they’ve lost points against teams they should’ve beaten. For Liverpool to have a successful season, they must win the Europa League but there are four very good teams left in the competition, so it’s going to be difficult.
VS on Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool…
I am happy with Klopp’s first season. He changed the team and the players and now they are playing better football, showing more enthusiasm in the game and I think the fans are appreciating it. However, if the team are to improve next season, he must buy two or three quality players.
Leicester City have shown how unpredictable the Premier League can be and I think that Liverpool can compete with the best teams in England at the moment. There is not a big difference between the top teams and if we make good signings this summer, I think we can push on and challenge for the title next season.
VS on the Hillsborough disaster…
As a foreign player, when I came over to Liverpool I only knew a little bit about the tragedy, but learned more about it across my time there. I talked with the fans and players and you soon start to understand how enormous a tragedy it was for Liverpool and English football. I think it shows Liverpool’s great respect for the fans as every year we would remember those who tragically lost their lives. For me, it just shows why Liverpool are such great club.
VS on playing in Euro 96…
I was 23-years-old at the time and it was my first major international tournament – I hadn’t played that many games for the national team. We were the real outsiders of the competition, with Germany, Italy and Russia in our group and no one expected us to go through.
Honestly, we didn’t even expect to go through from the group so when we beat Italy it changed everything as, all of a sudden, we were getting lucky. We were not a team that outplayed the other teams, we were set on defending well and then hitting teams on the break and it worked brilliantly as we reached the final against Germany.
To be complete outsiders, a young generation full of hungry players, we wanted to show the world that we were ready to compete in the final.
VS on playing on the big stages…
We didn’t feel any pressure playing in the quarter finals and semi-finals, because we weren’t experienced enough to know what it was like to play in those sorts of matches.
We just felt that every game we won from then on was a bonus, an addition to an incredible journey. At Euro 2004, we were in a different situation because we felt we had a strong team, we wanted to play in the final and then we felt a different kind of pressure. We knew we were good enough to play in the finals compared to the Euro 96.
VS on Czech Republic’s chances this tournament…
I think our group is one of the tightest in the tournament because every team has a chance to progress, it’s difficult to call it.
Spain will come in as favourites to win the group but Croatia, Turkey and Czech Republic all played well in qualification. As we had Croatia in our qualifying stage group we know them well, which is an advantage. It is also an advantage that three teams can qualify from the group, which is different to how it used to be. I think we’ve got a good chance to qualify for the knockout rounds.
VS on Arsenal players Petr Cech and Tomas Rosicky and their importance to the Czech team…
These are two top class players who are widely respected by not just the Czech Republic team, but fans and media alike.
Unfortunately, Rosicky hasn’t played too many games this season due to injury, and we still don’t know if he will be available for the Euros, but he remains an important player for us if fit. The rest of the squad doesn’t have too much experience and a lot of players are currently plying their trade in the Czech league. A lot of these players are under the radar, so they could spring a few surprises.
VS on where Czech Republic will finish…
I would be very happy if we reached the quarter finals but if we’re being realistic, getting out the group is a good result.
Once you’re in the knockout stages anything can happen. Maybe we can surprise the other teams, but it’s hard to predict. We have to be effective on the break to do well this tournament, as we won’t be dominating the ball. It will come down to how well we play defensively and tactically against the better teams. We’re really lacking star qualities so it will come down to how well we play as a team.
Prediction: Quarter final
Key Player: Petr Cech
