Some extracts abt
Crouch on his European debut:-
The mystery is gone but the mystique is
growing.
Already the taunts which haunted the 24-year-old, from Priestfield
to Edgeley Park, are sounding ridiculous. This was a powerful and
impressive debut in Europe's elite club competition, an hour-long
performance which combined neat touches with strength in the air
and his back to goal. Sven-Goran Eriksson, swatting away midges in
the stands, might even have managed a sigh of relief.
Some still find it hard to believe that the 6ft 7in striker, all
thin limbs and awkward gait, is a Liverpool player. They may think
again if he continues to perform like this. He spent much of his
fourth appearance in red cradling passes flung by Xabi Alonso and
the centre-halves as BenÃtez demanded the direct. He rarely
conceded possession despite a marker, Juanito, snapping at his back
and, when the home captain hovered too close, Crouch flicked the
ball away and turned slickly to force the Spaniard to drag him
illegally to the turf.
By then Liverpool led the game to prove that, sometimes, Crouch
does not even need his own touch to torment. Juanito and David
Rivas had been panicked by the forward's presence within two
minutes, allowing Florent Sinama-Pongolle to cushion the ball on an
instep and lob Antonio Doblas to put the visitors ahead. Twelve
minutes later he summoned a reverse pass to flummox the home
defenders and allow Boudewijn Zenden to collect, cross and supply
Luis Garcia's scintillating second.
