Former AC Milan defender Jaap Stam has opened up on the 2005 Champions League final loss to Liverpool.
The final in Istanbul is perhaps the greatest Europe’s premier club competition has ever seen. With the Reds 3-0 down at half-time to a super Milan team, things looked done and dusted. But led by Steven Gerrard, Liverpool famously roared back.
The comeback was made all the more impressive given the gap in quality between the squads of the two teams. But asked on the Stick To Football podcast whether Milan underestimated the Reds, Stam – who played at centre-back for Milan that day – refuted the suggestion.
“When you played in a Champions League final you would normally expect probably stronger opposition in some ways, we had only finished fifth in the Premier League. You must have been supremely confident,” asked Jamie Carragher, who was in the Liverpool XI.
“I think that’s a bit how Liverpool fans approach the story from your point of view,” replied the 51-year-old. “In terms of maybe we think Liverpool is a weaker side or a have weaker players. That is not how we approached it. We approached that game very professionally, as you might think, with all the players in that team, all the ability in that team, all them know exactly what can happen in football.
“So if you are a young player and you are looking at team sheets, then you can think okay we are going to beat them. But an experienced player who had been playing so many years at the top level is not going to think going into a game and underestimate the opposition. So, our meeting with our manager, Carlo Ancelotti, we never did that.”
Stam makes Istanbul claim
Over the years, the final in Istanbul has of course passed into legend. One of the stories of that day is how the Milan players believed their job to be done with the score-line at 3-0.
Gerrard famously took issue with what he saw as disrespect from midfielder Gennaro Gattuso in particular heading into the dressing rooms at half-time.
However, although this is an accepted version of events from a Liverpool perspective, Stam has strongly refuted that anything of the sort happened.
“Even during, there has been talks I have heard and it really disturbs me, half-time people are saying we were already celebrating and stuff like that,” says the Dutchman. “Can you imagine players of this level going into a dressing room? Okay you’re 3-0 up but thinking we’re going to celebrate. It’s done.”
Time has a funny way of changing things in our minds. All of Gerrard, Carragher and Stam were there on May 25th 2005 and all of them will have seen similar things. But, funnily, they all seem to remember it differently.
In fairness to Stam, all of what he is saying makes total sense. Part of the reason why Liverpool felt they had little chance was because of the experience in the Rossoneri’s team. Players like Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko and Stam himself had been there and seen it all. Why would they think the game was won?
But such occasions can also sometimes get the best of you. Gerrard was adamant that celebrations were heard from the Milan dressing room. That same group of players let a 3-0 lead slip. Something must have happened to them at half-time.
Whatever Stam says, it will never change the truth of the matter, anyway. This will always remain one of the greatest days in the history of Liverpool FC. And it will always sting for Milan.
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