Bouncing Back

Great teams bounce back. Period. So when two supposed favorites in the Champions League lost their respective games, it took exactly 4 days for each to show whether or not they had what it takes.

Guess what? Liverpool isn't just a two-man team. Technically, they can be a one-man team when Fernando Torres is given half a chance. In seriousness, Liverpool played like their title hopes depended on this game, which they did. And they came through admirably, beating Manchester United comprehensively. It's not as though ManU has lost its bite after Ronaldo and Tevez left; they've simply reorganized at the front. They're more of a squad club now.

Liverpool has two world class players, a couple of very very good players, and the rest simply good players. When one of those world class players, Torres, comes through for them, they're unstoppable. It shows real character to beat one of their biggest rivals after losing 4 straight.

Now granted, without Ronaldo and Tevez, Manchester United have scored fewer goals. Their strikers consist of a semi-injured poacher, a languid playmaker, and a top-quality support striker. Who is going to take the initiative? Nobody, and that's why Carragher and Agger dealt so smoothly with everything United had to offer. With the aging Rio Ferdinand and the temperamental Vidic in the back, Liverpool know that it's only a matter of time before they set Torres loose. They played like winners today, and considering the state of the boardroom, finances, and record of the club, that's quite a compliment.

Real Madrid on the other hand has the raw talent to win the treble. The question is, will they? With them, the problem is mental. Nobody is saying that a team with Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Raul, Benzema, and Casillas in the back isn't good enough... nobody, that is, except for the players themselves. The draw with Sporting Gijon highlights the problems with buying a team instead of building one. Not only do the players have to gel together, but they have to get used to winning. Neither of these things have happened, and it will start to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more they lose, the more they'll believe they can't win. There's really only one thing that can halt this slide, and I hate to say it: Cristiano Ronaldo. He single-handedly wins games and he makes players around him better just by being on the pitch. When he's in the game, players are mentally more confident because they know that he can pick up the pieces. If Ronaldo's return doesn't bolster the failing Madrid, then we will see quite a few changes in the management. Hell, Pellegrini could be sacked this weekend.

Liverpool are used to winning. This Madrid team isn't. That mentality is the difference between a three goal comeback in Instanbul, and a 0-0 draw to a relegation-tipped side. Don't expect too much from the Merengues this season.