Patrik BERGER

By the end of Euro '96, English football had really woken up to the potential of foreign players. What had previously been a trickle turned into a flood as, boosted by Sky's millions, English clubs started scrambling over each other to spend their cash on the first foreign player that caught their attention. Having surprisingly made it to the final of the European championships, Czech players in particular were in huge demand. Liverpool were one of those caught in the rush with Karel Poborsky being the object of their desire. The right winger ultimately opted for Manchester United but Liverpool boss Roy Evans wasn't to be denied. He switched his attention to Patrick Berger and this time succeeded in getting his man. Berger arrived at Anfield with a huge reputation. This was backed up by the glowing praise that his previous employers at Borussia Dortmund had showered on him. What they failed to mention, however, was that no one knew exactly where best to play Berger. He wasn't particularly fast, which ruled him out from being an out-and-out winger, yet his main strength was in cutting inside from the left - a talent that would have been wasted had he been played in the middle.

Although capable of scoring goals, he was never clinical enough to be considered as an out-and-out striker. Evans was caught in this dilemma and it quickly became apparent that he had as little idea of where to play Berger as those who had coached him before. His solution often was that of leaving him out only to bring him on as a substitute when the team needed inspiration. This frustrated the supporters who had been treated to glimpses of pure class, particularly during Berger's first year at Anfield when he scored nine times. But Evans wasn't to be swayed - so much that he eventually brought in Oyvind Leonhardsen, a player with less talent but perhaps more willing to work for the team. For many, this move signalled the end of Berger's time at Anfield but the Czech midfielder decided to stick it out and try to reclaim his place in the team. For varying reasons he managed to do this to a certain degree, even though Evans never really seemed convinced about the player. A hat-trick against Chelsea early on during the 1997-98 season was just about as good as it got for him in what seemed might be his final season with the club. (Paul Grech)

Through his own admission, Patrick Berger was about to leave Liverpool by the time Gerard Houllier was brought in as joint manager to Roy Evans in 1998. So much so that he had already agreed to join Serie A side AS Roma. But Houllier had other ideas and immediately set about convincing the Czech midfielder that he had a role to play in his side. Berger was impressed by what Houllier had to say and immediately took a liking to his no-nonsense approach to training. Suddenly he seemed a revitalised player. More at ease on the left hand side of the four man midfield adopted by Houllier than the somewhat more central role often reserved for him in Evans' 3-5-2 formation, he quickly became a key player. Berger seemed more determined, going into tackles that earlier he would have left for the next Liverpool man. He also exhibited a penchant for scoring, often through screamers from outside the penalty area, although it has to be said that for every shot that found the target three or four would end up in the crowd. During Houllier's first season in charge (1998-99) he scored nine times, a feat that he repeated in the following campaign. At long last, Berger was playing like the quality player that he had always threatened to be. Then, things started going wrong.

A series of injuries kept him out for long stretches and, when he returned, he found it difficult to get back into the first team. Houllier still considered him a valued member of the squad, but Berger's lack of fitness often ruled him out. Still, he was often a good bet to throw on as a substitute, something that Houllier did to great effect in the 2001 FA Cup Final at Cardiff. Many recall this as Michael Owen's cup final, but Berger - who like Owen came on in the second half - also had an important role to play: it was his beautiful raking pass that turned defence into attack and put Owen in a position to score the winner. That was, perhaps, his final major Liverpool contribution. Over the next months he was once again forced into the sidelines before being surprisingly thrown on as a substitute in Liverpool's crucial final game of the 2002-03 season at Chelsea. It was a strange decision by Houllier, who perhaps wanted to give a good Liverpool servant his final chance to soak up the fans acclaim. Sadly, Berger's last game for Liverpool was overshadowed by the fact that they had missed out on the Champions League and his Anfield career came to this inglorious end. That summer he moved on to Premiership new boys Portsmouth on a free transfer having made a total of 148 league appearances during his time at Anfield. (Paul Grech)