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‘Keeping the faith
With Kaka and Steven Gerrard on the pitch, Pepe Reina and Nelson Dida will have their work cut out between the posts. Richard Godden of Calcio Italia magazine analyses the role the two custodians will have to play in Athens
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When asked to name the best goalkeeper in the world, you’d find very few people willing to make a case for Nelson Dida or Pepe Reina. The two Champions League Final ‘keepers are prone to the odd calamitous clanger – the Brazilian makes a habit of dropping crosses, while the Spaniard was the laughing stock of the Premiership after he gifted Andy Johnson a goal in the Merseyside derby – but they go some way to making up for this with their shot-stopping ability. And, of course, their penalty shootout exploits.
Dida shot to fame in 2003 for his role in Milan’s triumph over Juventus with some stunning saves from the spot, albeit from virtually the six-yard box as he leapt off his line. Reina, meanwhile, is widely regarded as the best penalty saver on the planet, regularly making a mockery of claims that a spot-kick decider is a lottery. He has been involved in two shootouts since arriving at Anfield – against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final and in this year’s Champions League semi-final success over Chelsea. In those games he faced seven penalties, saving five of them. Prior to that, he had helped Villarreal qualify for the Champions League in 2004-05 by saving seven of the nine Primera Liga penalties he faced.
Obviously, being an expert at saving penalties is not enough to mark the duo out as top goalkeepers, but it does go some way to boosting their credentials. Given that the 2005 Final couldn’t see the two sides separated after 120 minutes of action, it could also be a potentially vital attribute to have in their locker in the 2007 repeat. Jerzy Dudek made himself an Anfield hero with his exploits just as Dida had done at Old Trafford when overcoming Juventus.
But before a spot-kick settler can take a place the two ‘keepers will have to be on top of their game to ensure it goes that far. Although neither the Reds or the Rossoneri have been particularly prolific in the competition this term, they have both been clinical. Anyone who witnessed the brilliance of Kaka’s quick-fire brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford will testify to that. Therefore it is vital that the net-minders remain focused during what could, potentially, be large periods without much goalmouth activity. Reina proved he could do it against Chelsea in the semi-final with a stunning stop from Didier Drogba, arguably the Blues’ only decent chance in the second leg.
All eyes will be on superstars like Kaka and Steven Gerrard, but perhaps the spotlight would be more suitably focused on the goalkeepers. After all, if the aforementioned duo are on top of their game then it will be the custodians who will be the busiest men on the pitch…
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