Houllier promises more quality

Liverpool FC manager Gérard Houllier was delighted with a 1-0 win against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Wednesday but is convinced that his side can play better.

Slender advantage
The French manager was pleased to see his side take a slender advantage into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie but is sure that the display at Anfield did not reflect what his side are capable of.

'A very good result'
"I think it is a very good result," he said. "When you reach this stage you know the physical commitment will be high but I think that we needed a bit more composure in the final third. I know we have more quality than we showed tonight. The second leg is going to be very exciting."

Five-man midfield
A five-man Leverkusen midfield neutralised much of Liverpool's attacking muscle in the first half and strikers Michael Owen and Emile Heskey were unable to rely upon the kind of service they have been receiving in their FA Premiership games.

'A good position to qualify'
"They sometimes played the long ball a bit too much and that's why Michael Owen suffered," explained Houllier. "But the first game in a European tie is always the most important one and we have put ourselves in a good position to qualify, although we could have added one more goal. The team is learning very fast and we are confident that we can do well home and away."

Severe problems
However, the manager is in no doubt that Leverkusen will pose Liverpool some severe problems in Tuesday's return leg at the BayArena. "Leverkusen showed why they were top in their group," said Houllier. "They have a very strong team and they play good football."

Defensive error
Houllier's opposite number Klaus Toppmöller agreed that his side had played well at Anfield but could not hide his disappointment after they were undone by what he saw as a defensive error.

'A silly goal'
"I think we had a good game this evening," he said. "It is just unfortunate that we gave a way a silly goal just before half-time. I think we gave away too many passes which led to the dangerous situation that caused the goal. I know that my players can play better, especially the defence."

'We can go through'
However, defeat in England has not altered Toppmöller's belief that his side are capable of winning the game. "We think we can go through," he said. "The team is definitely up for it. We know that 1-0 is a dangerous situation because of what Emile Heskey, Steven Gerrard, and Michael Owen can do."

BayArena hope
In the end, the coach could only praise his side for their willingness to challenge what he sees as being a strong Liverpool side and hope that they could overturn the one-goal deficit when his side host Liverpool next Tuesday.

'Liverpool play a man's game'
"Liverpool play a man's game," said Toppmöller. "They go for a lot of 50-50 balls. They pressed us very hard in the second half and desperately wanted a second goal. We have got 90 minutes to get the goal back and having Jens Nowotny back in the team will help."