Baros reveals why he couldn't fill Reds strikers' shoes

IT’S EASY to be nice when your team are winning, but the Czech Republic side made even more friends after their semi-final defeat to Greece on Thursday night. Disappointed coach Karel Bruckner was more talkative than at any other point in the competition while none of their players showed the petulance of Italy’s Christian Vieri in refusing to speak to the press after the game.

Milan Baros, scorer of five goals in the competition which will secure him the Golden Boot, spoke of his disappointment. "Maybe in a few days I will be happy to have been the tournament’s top scorer but that is not the way I feel at the moment. We are disappointed not to be playing in the final, and we were so close to getting there."

Baros, the star of the tournament, has been a hero in his homeland since scoring on his international debut in April 2001. He was only 19 when he replaced veteran striker Pavel Kuka - posters of whom then adorned his bedroom wall - and scored an equaliser in a friendly against Belgium. His international record remains impressive, five goals in as many Euro 2004 games making a total of 21 goals in 30 appearances.

Soon after that strike against Belgium, Liverpool approached his club Banik Ostrava and outbid Sparta Prague, Internazionale, and Juventus to sign Baros for £3.2m. He played at Ostrava until December 2001, when he became eligible for a work permit. "I was glad that a club from England wanted me, especially a club as famous as Liverpool," Baros recalled. "It was like a dream come true."

Baros struggled to make the breakthrough at Anfield. Gerard Houllier was recuperating from heart surgery when he finally moved and stand-in coach Phil Thompson preferred Emile Heskey up front. "I knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought I would at least get a chance," Baros said. "I was hoping that things would get better when Houllier came back. He chose me for Liverpool."

Instead, Houllier signed Nicolas Anelka on a six-month loan. Baros was despondent but starred that summer for the Czech Republic as they won the Under-21 European Championships in Switzerland. His former coach at Banik, Werner Licka, told him that French side Lens wanted him. "They promised him a starting place and the perfect conditions but Milan answered in one second," said Licka. "He smiled and said, ‘Thanks but no thanks. I want to make it at Liverpool.’"

Baros showed better form in his second season, scoring an encouraging nine goals in 27 games. "My football was improving. Everything was faster and harder, players having to make do with one or two touches."

Baros played well in the first five games of last season, but then broke his ankle against Blackburn at Ewood Park. "The first few hours after the injury were terrible and I actually thought my career was over. I lay in the dressing-room and was feeling weaker and weaker. The club doctor was saying to me, ‘Don’t sleep, don’t sleep.’ I was hysterical. Five minutes later, Jamie Carragher came in and he was also injured. I said to myself: ‘What’s happened? Is it half-time already?’"

The injury came three days after Baros had helped the Czech Republic qualify for Euro 2004 with a 3-1 win over Holland. After surgery later that month, Baros began his rehabilitation: "It was a tough fight," he said. "I did the same things over and over in the first two months and it was so boring. I could only go on the bicycle and develop and tone up my body. When I sat in the stands during the match, my legs twitched with a desire to play. I wanted to be on the pitch again. It was a really difficult time."

Baros was out for five months and made his comeback in a reserve game in February against Newcastle. By the end of the month, he was back in the Liverpool first team, scoring one and setting up another in a 2-2 draw against Leeds. He made only one more start and was on the bench for ten of Liverpool’s last eleven games. "I don’t know why I wasn’t in the side but I didn’t think it was fair," he said. "I was very hurt that I didn’t play when I was fit and I wanted to leave Liverpool after the season."

Because he ended the season feeling low on confidence, Baros was worried about his form when he met up with the national squad. "I only felt better after spending time with the national team at their training camp in Austria. I lost weight, gained some mental belief and got my motivation back. That was very important for me before such a major tournament."

Bruckner was credited with bringing the best out of Baros but denied it: "I don’t see why people seem to think I have some kind of secret with Mr Baros. He has an instinct for scoring and it’s natural that he is the top scorer."

But there is a secret: a pair of blue boots Baros first wore in March. He has scored eight goals in his last seven internationals, a run that started in the 2-1 defeat to Republic of Ireland back in March. "I tried on a pair of blue boots for that game, it was my first in the national team for ages since my injury and I scored. That’s why I kept them instead of my normal silver boots. And they have worked so far!

"A lot of my form has been down to self-confidence. I scored three goals before the European championships and I have felt better since I joined the national team. I have found it easier to score goals and I am hungry for goals.If you are physically down, you don’t score - I have felt great though."

Now he has to recover from the disappointment of missing the final before proving himself all over again at Liverpool. "The arrival of a new coach has changed my situation and every player will start next season from the same point. If you have a good championship, sometimes it can help you get a better situation at your club. We will see what happens."