HERO HYYPIA GIVES CAPTAIN'S PERFORMANCE
Player performance analysts Opta Index have decided to investigate just how important the Finnish defender has been to the club's fortunes. His domineering displays have been a mainstay of Liverpool for the last couple of seasons and arguably helped the Merseysiders climb back to the top and re-establish themselves amongst the elite in Europe.
While his tap-in against Leverkusen on the stroke of half time may have been one of the easiest goals of his career after some good set-up play by Michael Owen on the left, Hyypia still displayed good positioning to anticipate the ball come flying across the face of the goal for him to prod home.
Such fine anticipation is a key element of Hyypia's game and his total of 428 clearances this season is the highest tally made by an individual in the English Premiership. His partnership with Stephane Henchoz has made Liverpool such an impregnable force to break down that the Reds have not lost a European away tie since the pair came to the club in the summer of 1999.
In those 15 outings, the club has remain undefeated at places like Barcelona and Roma twice and must give the team confidence ahead of next Tuesday's trip to the Bay Arena in Leverkusen.
Having already helped the team to a shutout in Germany at Borussia Dortmund this season in addition to clean sheets at the Nou Camp and Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Hyypia is being widely tipped to lead Liverpool into the semi-finals.
The former Willem II defender has made 71 headed clearances - the most in the Champions League this season - and it is little wonder that the likes of Juventus and Internazionale have been sniffing around this £15 million rated defender. Juve see him as a perfect replacement for Uruguayan Paolo Montero.
But with Liverpool on the verge of greatness, it may be a foolish move for him to chance his luck in Serie A. With the full support of the Kop behind him, Hyypia has the opportunity to make himself an Anfield legend as the team seek glory in both the Premiership and Champions League this season.
