Litmanen gives Totti a lesson in the total arts

It can be fairly assumed that one man leaving Anfield last week would not have been seduced by talk of the decline of Italian football. Sven Goran Eriksson is too wise a head to indulge a notion which, come Elland Road this Wednesday night, might prove to share the same long-term future as an Italian government.

The significant feature of a survey carried out by Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sports newspaper, in the aftermath of Roma's exit from the Champions' League was not the distribution of blame for the absence of any Italian club in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive season – variously ascribed to the lack of quality in homegrown players and the influx of foreigners – but the fact that more than 70 per cent of the readers polled suggested that the national team's chances in the World Cup had remained unaffected by the demise of the clubs and, by implication, the fading quality of Serie A, once regarded as the best league in the world.

Though Italy are notoriously idle when it comes to playing friendlies and Eriksson's England will not be at full stretch, the proximity of World Cup selection will guarantee a valid test of the theory when the two countries meet for the second time in 16 months this week in Leeds. Damiano Tommasi, Vincenzo Montella and Francesco Totti – if selected and declared fit – might be particularly anxious to eradicate from the mind of Giovanni Trapattoni, the coach of Italy, their fitful contributions to Roma's European cause across the Pennines. For a player touted as one of the potential stars of Japan and Korea, Totti was a lost soul at Anfield, handed a masterclass in the art of No 10 play by Jari Litmanen, while Tommasi failed to get to grips with either John Arne Riise or, when he was switched inside midway through the first half, with the driving physical presence of Steven Gerrard.

By the time the last drip of emotion had been squeezed out of a capacity crowd, Anfield was littered with portents, national and international. For Fabio Capello, the Ides of March came four days late, though, for once, defeat was not followed by betrayal. "It is not just about technical and tactical things," said Roma's distinguished coach. "It is about other things." Namely, spirit, heart, belief, qualities which Liverpool showed in abundance on a night charged with meaning by the return of Gérard Houllier. If Liverpool felt magic in the air, so too did Roma, who were left in no doubt about their designated role for the evening. From the moment Houllier walked slowly to his old place on the bench to be greeted by a warm embrace from Capello and hysteria on the Kop, Roma's equilibrium, still recovering from the post-match brawl with Galatasaray the week before, was lost. Conceding an early goal, from a penalty, merely confirmed their fears. "You need technique, yes, and the right tactics," mused Litmanen. "But you also need those things in the mind and we were a little bit better there, I think."

Trapattoni's dismay at the apparent fragility of Roma's international core would have been tempered by the knowledge that Italy, alone of the major European nations, will be free to complete their World Cup preparations without the distraction of the Champions' League. Milan and Inter's continued involvement in the Uefa Cup will mean a maximum of three further matches; the draw for the Champions' League has ensured a long spring for a good percentage of the squads from England, Spain and Germany.

That thought doubtless coloured the view of Eriksson, who otherwise must have been delighted by the mature performances of Gerrard and Emile Heskey in such exalted company. Heskey's battle with Walter Samuel, the rugged Roma centre-back, defined the balance of power on the night. The wound to the head which left the Argentinian bandaged and bloodied will heal soon enough, but the damage to the psyche inflicted by Heskey's muscular presence will last until the pair meet again in Sapporo on 7 June. "Heskey was the key," said Capello succinctly. It is not the first time that the big Liverpool forward has terrorised an Argentinian defender; he did the same to Roberto Sensini on his full England debut two years ago.

Heskey's mighty contribution, which included the decisive second goal, was all the more spectacular when set against that of his opposite number, Gabriel Batistuta, mystifyingly chosen ahead of Montella and reduced to a shadow of a great striker before his inevitable withdrawal at half-time. Batistuta's contract with Roma reportedly dictates that he must start if he is fit – there can be few other reasons for Montella's continued demotion – but no such guarantee exists on his international career and it is hard to see the Argentinian's fortunes reviving quickly enough for him to figure significantly in the World Cup. Cause for rejoicing in the England camp if a host of world-class replacements – Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez and Javier Saviola, to name but three – were not on standby.

For Liverpool, though, not just the victory, but the style of the victory, could be the pivotal moment of a bewildering season. For the first time in Europe, Liverpool were asked to dominate a team at home and did so, from first to last, even without the services of their two most influential players, Michael Owen and Dietmar Hamann. "This was a different Liverpool," said a visibly bemused Capello. "I have not seen them play like this before." Nor had most of Anfield.

Instead of relying on the pace of Heskey and Owen to exploit space behind the defenders, Liverpool deployed Vladimir Smicer alongside Heskey and used Litmanen, praise be, to provide the creative link between defence and attack which has been desperately lacking for so much of the season. Had Owen been fit, the Finn would probably have been consigned to his usual bench-warming duties. Or, perhaps, Litmanen was being kept under wraps for just this sort of make-or-break night.

Liverpool's counter-attacking ability has never been in question, but discovering a talent for overpowering teams at home, which has been at the heart of Manchester United's success, has lent their challenge for the Champions' League a new resonance. As they proved by winning the Uefa Cup last season, Liverpool have not forgotten the art of winning two-leg ties in Europe.

"It's a good sign," reflected Litmanen late on Tuesday. "We know now we can play a different kind of system with different players and different football and still get results. That will be very good for our self-confidence. If you look at the past, we get good results in two-leg knockout ties. You can't compare the Champions' League with the Uefa Cup because it is on a different level, but this phase of the tournament can be good for us. In the group stages, we had a lot of difficulties, but we won through. So, you never know. We have a chance to win the title, but every team will say the same and you cannot have eight teams in the final."

Though Houllier and his assistant Phil Thompson will underestimate Bayer Leverkusen at their peril, avoiding Barcelona, Real Madrid and, until the semi-final at least, Manchester United will only add to the growing air of confidence around Anfield, though Chelsea, another team under Italian guidance, will provide a further test of their domestic credentials this afternoon.

Whether the encounter at Elland Road this week will clarify selection for either Eriksson or Trapattoni must be a matter of debate. Trapattoni's experiment of pairing Marco di Vaio of Parma and Antonio Asta of Torino in Italy's last friendly against the USA backfired and only a goal midway through the second half by Alessandro del Piero spared Italy's blushes. "When it comes to the World Cup, there will be no room for any fooling around," thundered Gazzetta dello Sport. It would be no great surprise if the dark ages of Italian football ended quite dramatically in Japan in early July. Even a half-strength Azzurri will provide Eriksson with a realistic measurement of England's progress.