Worst game I have seen in a long long while - Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool

Article by Paul Tomkin. I dun agree with him fully....


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The Fulham fixture was the penultimate match in a run of 11 games with no fewer than eight away, and only three at home. Only two of the past seven games have been at Anfield. So it was a horrible sequence, and far from indicative of the roughly 50-50 split you expect. It also included games against Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal, plus Fiorentina and Lyon in the Champions League. None was against a team lower than mid-table. So, despite poor results, it was not your average run of games. Of the defeats, only those against Fiorentina, Lyon (which could have been so different had the second goal come) and Sunderland were hard to argue with (even if the Sunderland goal was worth a full-blown argument). By December 5, the sequence will extend to 11 away games compared with a paltry five at home. So on paper it doesn't get any easier. Thankfully it then switches, with four out of the next six at Anfield. Add in a bit of an injury crisis, with almost an entire team absent at Craven Cottage, a thoroughly ludicrous red card (Degen) and goals conceded against the run of play, and it all got a bit surreal. Liverpool were not outstanding, but they were not awful either; for the first 60-or-so minutes it was the kind of fairly impressive 'by the book' possession-based away display you'd have seen 25 years ago, just lacking a bit of cutting edge, as might be expected with so many of those who can supply it absent. But by the end, with nine men, and an incredibly young set of players left out there, it was desperate stuff at times, as you'd expect. No red card at all last season, or this, until last week; now three in two league matches. Jamie Carragher found himself in three similar situations, and while none looked a clear sending off to me, there was probably a totting up process involved, even if that's not legal in terms of the decision process; in other words, the benefit of the doubt ran out, whether or not it was fair. In each instance he was putting pressure on the forward, but on no occasion did they have the ball under control. Going to a place where United were well beaten last season with so many players absent made it tougher; as did the need to not cause a recurrence of Torres' injury. At Anfield I'd have still expected a victory, but away from home it's naturally more tricky, especially when the pressure is on. At 1-1 Liverpool were in control, although the sight of Torres leaving the field will have lifted the home team, and the Reds were not creating enough clear cut chances. That would be my main criticism. The second Fulham goal was particularly frustrating, as Kuyt had bust a gut to keep the ball in, only to find his hard work rewarded Fulham. In hindsight, he'd have been better letting it go for a throw. But hindsight really is a wonderful thing. With that in mind, I would ask this: why does the average fan, or, given their ceaseless negativity, almost every football pundit (who have never managed, yet appear to know it all) have to 'understand' a manager's decision? It's fine to have your opinions. But they, like mine, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. They are made without full knowledge, from the safety of... ( – wherever – ). These opinions do not affect anything, and they are not affected by the realities of what is taking place. We can say "keep Torres on!", but we do not know what could have happened had he stayed on; we wouldn't have had to carry the can for any aggravation of his injury, or get flak for losing while he was in the treatment room. If he'd stayed on and got injured, we could have said "You should have taken him off!" Commentators joke about it "being a lot easier up here", but still put the boot in all the same. Against United, Torres was sacrificed after 80 minutes, with the game delicately poised. It was barely mentioned. In the event, his replacement sealed the victory. Of course, had United equalised, or worse still, gone on to win, the Torres decision would have been ripped apart, even though it was a necessity. Because, as observers, we can always have it both ways. We can always damn for what happens and also condemn for what might have happened. If every decision a manager makes is understandable, then that would suggest that they are easy, and obvious. Therefore, it suggests a job that anyone could do. Clearly this is not the case. We ask our accountants, or computer technicians, or mechanics, to do work we don't understand. We trust that they know better; if we tried to tell them how to do their job better, without similar training, experience or knowledge, they'd tell us where to go. We trust that they understand the small details. Not so with football managers. With football, everyone knows better. As a bit of fun, a bit of banter, that's all right. But as a proper reasoned analysis, I'm not convinced. And what alarms me is the utter certainty of people who've probably never even been near a football pitch in their lives, either to watch or to play, and of those who know the game, but not the role of management. For instance, taking off Benayoun at Fulham to bring on a fresh, eager young goalscorer. Whether or not you agree with that is up to you; it’s a judgement call. It comes with no guarantees. But as a decision it is effectively rendered null and void by the immediate dismissal of Philipp Degen, for what was never a sending off in a million years. (David Bentley wasn't even booked for a far worse tackle earlier in the day.) Any chance Nathan Eccleston had of coming on and making a name for himself, with a bit of league debut energy, was curtailed not by Benitez but by the referee's bizarre decision. While Liverpool equalising looked far from a certainty, there will have been more of a chance than before Degen's dismissal. That put Liverpool under far greater pressure, and led to the Carragher sending off, with the Reds outnumbered. Taking off Torres is another decision that seems easy to attack, but the season lasts well beyond Fulham and Lyon; Torres has not been 100 per cent fit, therefore the last 30 minutes were a risk. Of course, taking him off is a risk too, and a boost to the opposition. That's the reality of management: a rock and a hard-place; damned if you do, and so easily damned if you don't. Whatever is said about Rafa's tactics, last week against United Liverpool could have been undone when Valencia hit the bar. However good Liverpool looked, they got the much-needed breaks at the right time. Against Arsenal and Fulham, they didn't. Against Arsenal, a player was allowed to block a goal-bound shot with both hands. I didn't write in the aftermath of last weekend's win that Rafa was a tactical genius in the way he set up and then made alterations, and I'm not saying the exact opposite now. Whatever you do, games turn on little moments, and often they are beyond the control of the man on the touchline. For me, the decision I've least understood from any manager - ever - was when Rafa took off Steven Gerrard in the Mersey derby at Goodison a couple of seasons back. In that moment, I thought it was insane. Surely the last player you take off in a pulsating Mersey derby is the local lad and captain who is playing with his heart on his sleeve? However, Gerrard, with an understandable desire, was trying to take on Everton all on his own, and as soon as Lucas replaced him, Liverpool became a team again, passing and breaking down their 10-man rivals by moving the ball. In the last minute, Lucas effectively 'scored' the goal to win the game (only denied by an outrageous 'goalkeeping' save from Phil Neville, who was sent off, and the spot-kick converted by Kuyt). Clearly Benítez saw something that I, and almost any other observer, didn't, because not only did it lead to the win, it led to a more coherent display. That taught me that left-field decisions are made for a reason; reasons often well beyond our comprehension. But they can always go for or against. They can always look inspired, or foolish. Whatever you do right in football, things can so easily go wrong. But that is what good managers do: they make decisions. And on balance, over the course of his Liverpool career, Benítez's judgement calls have been successful. However, it's obviously easy in a time of struggles to just focus on those you believe he got wrong, and, for instance, blame the lack of a title challenge in 2007-08 on omitting Torres against Birmingham, and so on. Some managers make equally bold decisions but in other ways: I've often seen all three substitutions made at half-time. That often gets credit from the media. But one injury, and you're in trouble. Spurs lost against Stoke at home last week when they ran out of subs and ended up with 10 men. Towards the end of his massively successful reign, and with his team still the best in England, Kenny Dalglish was torn apart for fielding three full-backs in midfield away at Arsenal. I even heard it mentioned by one commentator recently. What wasn't mentioned was that the Reds won. Which just goes to show that managers are questioned, even when they get it right; just as Benitez was when Lucas inspired Liverpool to a win in the derby. With that in mind, who'd be a manager on those days when you lose?

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The Right Reaction

I have not updated this blog after the previous 2 games mainly becos' I was too heart broken to write anything. In any case, the result last night was what I had expected. All week long, I talked about the likely result against an in-form Man U. I said we will not lose the game only becos' we can't afford to. Against a team in ascendency, it was normal for people to expect us to lose or maybe just draw. Well, again like I said, it is absolutely naive to think that the BPL is such a straight forward league. I also said before that it has shown so far this sason all top 4 teams are capable of dropping points anytime. The Arsenal and Man U games as the case in point for this weekend. Even Man City drew last night. No one is going to stroll away with the title this season. I still think Man U will not be a contender for the league title only becos' they don't need to. It will be a 3 horse fight between Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Back to the game. In a nutshell, we played with our heart and showed the world what Liverpool FC is all about. We may be taunted repeatedly by Man U fans over our title drought over the last 19 years but before any great comeback, one must experience a trough. We are in the tail end of the trough now. The reverse it true too. I can't wait for the post Ferguson days to arrive. Lucas, Aurelio, Carragher, Johnson, Kyut, Benayoun all played really well. We could see that Torres was not fully fit and he was given special treatment by Vidic all night long. When Vidic was red-carded (for the 3rd straight game against us!!!), we felt we were vindicated. On the contrary, the second yellow card on Mascherano was way too soft but, at 94mins, we are not complaining. Speaking about injury time, where did those 5 mins come from , one must ask?? Fergi had spoken about the Ref's handling of the game but he must be blind not to notice that we were the subject of a few dubious decisions from the Ref as well.

On a serious note, I hope we have just come through the lowest point in our season. Wins against big teams usually turn a season around. We will now need to consolidate and go on a winning streak. No more mucking around, Rafa! Best XI every game. The title is still up for grabs and we need to fight with our lives. The time is now......

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

It was a defeat that didn't hit me very hard. For some reason, I was prepard for that scoreline. I had a hunch that we would lose. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it here. I told my usual gang at Cavern before kickoff that we would most likely not win the game. It was not the most popular statement around but I had to say it.

That is the reason why Gerrad and Torres seemed "off-form" throughout the game. How can their form dip so drastically in a matter of days?? Uncharacteristically?? A term often used to explain the unexplainable in football. I shall not dwell further here...

In any case, looking purely at the game itself, we were not significantly poorer than Chelsea. In fact, I felt we played well and was equally as creative and imposing on the pitch throughout the first half. A single Mascherano mistake in the second half cost us the first goal. Benayoun's introduction did inject a different dimension into the game but it was not meant to be. The second goal was not unexpected especially when we were pushing so far up field in search of the equalising goal. Lucas did play well though......surprisingly.

On the whole, I dun think its the end of the world after 3 defeats. Manchester, Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are all still capable of dropping points. Chelsea may look solid now but they are due to lose a few key players to the African Nations Cup soon. That would be significant.

Anyway, I expect a huge peformance from the Reds in our next game. Trust me....

6-1 thrashing of Hull. Article by Tomkins...

How do u disagree with Tomkins?? Everything he said in this article resonates with how I feel about our team now. In any case, let us just sit back and enjoy this feel good moment before we face Chelski next Sunday.

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His record for Liverpool almost defies belief, especially as he doesn't take the free shots at goal that are penalties, unlike many other major goalscorers. That, along with his all-round game and the nature of his goals, already elevates him above Owen, Aldridge, and dare I say it, Fowler.

Only Rush and Hunt, as out-and-out centre-forwards in Liverpool's post-war history, deserve to be mentioned in the same breath – that's how good Torres has been thus far. Of course, Rush and Hunt had longevity, but you can't hold that against the Spaniard. He can only do what he can in the time he's had; and he's done it, and then some.

To be on target to beat Hunt's record for the fastest Liverpool player to 50 top-flight league goals is incredible: 46 from 56 starts (plus eight as a sub) is phenomenal. But even that doesn't tell the whole story – after all, he only played an hour at the weekend. So it's not like those 56 starts all amounted to 90 minutes each.

How quickly things change. Torres was jaded, Liverpool were hopeless, and the creative lynchpin was in Spain. It was all over. Even I got dragged down by the doom and gloom. You wouldn't think from the early media reactions that Liverpool, following on from last season, would so soon be able to lead the way in goals scored, would you? Lacking this, lacking that, yada yada yada. Not bad for a team whose biggest summer signing isn't even fit yet, and who, of course, are cautious (yawn).

The bench, that was supposedly too weak (funny how missing five top-class players can do that!), now looks stronger, with Babel, Voronin and N'Gog all contributing in recent weeks, and the injured stars regaining fitness. Of course, defeat at Chelsea on Sunday, and the perception will be that it's all over again, but the table will clearly show that to be a lie.

Liverpool's four league wins on the bounce, and Chelsea's humbling at Wigan, prove that this league can remain wide open. Crucially, the Reds can go there with confidence, while Cech-less Chelsea have their first doubts crashing in – not least in their man-marking at set-pieces. I have to admit being driven close to breaking point regarding Liverpool's zonal marking in the past few weeks: not the system (though mistakes were being made), but the almost Tourettes-like mentions of it. Are prospective pundits and summarisers required to perform an anti-zonal marking diatribe as part of their job interview?

Creating The Tomkins Times, my new LFC web journal, has given me a chance to really study such topics in real depth, and counter every myth surrounding issues that are often complex. It's also somewhere I can keep an ongoing check on media hypocrisy. Criticism can obviously be fair, but double-standards are not. Just last week on one discussion show, Benítez was criticised for selling Peter Crouch (who rejected a new contract), criticised for selling Alonso (who wanted to play for Real Madrid, and was sold for three times his original fee), and was labelled ‘lucky' for having Fernando Torres. I kid you not. Lucky!

Anyone else would be hailed as a genius for ‘risking' a large percentage of his transfer budget on a player some judges had doubts over, and helping him blossom into the best striker in the world. I tell you, some people will twist themselves in knots of illogical argument rather than say a good word about the Liverpool manager. Luck? It was judgement.

Rafa was also criticised for offloading Robbie Keane, who is having a good season at Spurs. But since Keane's sale, Liverpool have doubled their goals-per-game ratio. Keane wins, Spurs win, but so do Liverpool, in finding a far better blend after getting their money back on the striker. Again, much of the criticism of Liverpool came back to an apparent lack of forwards, but Kuyt continues to score and create goals, and he is one of about five or six players who can play either in midfield or up front, in a fluid, interchangeable system. And while Torres was missed at times last season, the Reds still did extremely well in his absence.

David N'Gog only looks like a weak option if you haven't really heard of him (because he's not yet a household name, at just 20, and is therefore easy to dismiss), or if you compare him to Torres, against whom any up-and-coming striker would suffer by contrast. Watch him closely in midweek, however, and suddenly the view might change. Also, his goals-per-minute ratio in a Liverpool shirt is nothing short of incredible. He hasn't played many vital minutes, admittedly, but as with Torres, he can only do what he's asked to do, and thus far that is to score five goals at an average of one every 138 minutes of football; or in other words, quicker than both Torres or Gerrard managed throughout last season – or one every 1.5 games'-worth of playing time.

You could argue that the two players Benítez is lucky to have are Carragher and Gerrard, both of whom he inherited. But even that pair have had their roles changed and their play developed in the past five years. I've always maintained that on the whole Benítez has bought extremely well, but all managers have their flops. A 50% success rate is about the best any can hope for.

It's also true that at any one time, by the very nature of only eleven getting to start, several of any manager's signings will be questioned; the better Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt play, for instance, the harder it is for Ryan Babel and Albert Riera to look as effective. Having said that, against Hull all four of those players made massive contributions, with Babel's coming as a sub. Again, so much for the squad being weak. (I know the opposition weren't of the highest calibre, but these are the teams Liverpool struggled to beat at home.)

Goal Involvement, a measurement I devised for ‘Red Race', is another area I aim to regularly monitor on The Tomkins Times. It's my version of assists, which counts all meaningful passes in the build-up to a goal, not just the final one, which are then added to the goals themselves, to give an indication of who is supplying the cutting edge. It's not 100% foolproof (I devised it, after all), but it is a more all-encompassing gauge for who plays important roles in the creation and execution of goals. This is then looked at as totals, and as per-minute contributions. I also try to rate the quality of the contribution, although this is clearly subjective.

For a team that supposedly relies so heavily on two players, since February Liverpool have been a sublime attacking unit. And while Kuyt and Benayoun continue their excellent form from last season, Glen Johnson has already added a whole new dimension; far and away eclipsing Alvaro Arbeloa in this regard. Johnson may get forward no more than his predecessor, but he in more incisive.

Not only are the goals being shared around, but the supposed reliance on Gerrard and Torres also stretches to how the team as a whole are creating chances; it's not just the biggest two names feeding each other or creating goals out of nothing. So far, Glen Johnson has been involved in more Liverpool goals than his captain, as has Dirk Kuyt. With the goals flowing, more players are getting assists and ‘involvements'. The left-back slot highlights this trend.

With Johnson kept relatively quiet against Hull, that allowed Emiliano Insua space, as the left flank became the avenue to exploit. He richly deserves his call up for Argentina (although I'd have preferred him wrapped in cotton wool at Melwood!)

One of the flaws of any system that ranks assists is that the supplier is only rewarded if the ball is turned into the net; last year Insua's overlapping runs were excellent, but his crosses were not converted; he didn't feature in a single goal in his ten league games. This season he has already been involved in five goals, in just seven matches. Despite the loss of Alonso, there are improvements all over the pitch at Liverpool this season. And this is before Agger and Aquilani have even kicked a ball. There will clearly be a number of teams contesting the title, but after a poor start, Liverpool now look capable of being one of them; and this with another gear or two to find.

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Another close call.

West Ham 2 - 3 Liverpool

Another close call. It was a game marred by poor defensive play. I was reading my previous blogs and I did mention before that Carragher's performance is increasingly suspicious. The penalty he gave away was absolutely unnecessary. Hines was not going anywhere, Carragher had his angle right. Thus, the nudge was uncalled for. We have also conceded too many goals from set pieces this season. I have always been sceptical about zonal marking. It doesnt work. Period. The foundation behind any successful team is a strong defence. We cannot be conceding silly goals and hope to escape with 3 points every game. Against the big boys, we may not have such luxury. Perhaps the pace and intensity of the game is increasingly more challenging for Carragher. Perhaps he is no longer as fast or as sharp as before. Maybe it is time to allow the Agger and Skrtel partnership to flourish. I am not saying Carragher is rubbish. I just feel that perhaps it is time Rafa plays him less.

Torres looked a lot better against the Hammers. I mentioned in my previous blog that he needed to step up a notch and he did just that. The first goal was classic El Nino style. Taking on defenders with a sudden burst of speed, better ball control and possession. It's easy to tell when Torres is off form cos' he will give away possession easily and his running off the ball is not as obvious. We cannot afford for Torres or Gerard to slacken and they need to maintain that consistent level of performance every game. We all know the damage they can cause when they play well together. Although the winning goal was accredited to Babel's cross from the right, I am still cautious about his performance. We need to see more of Babel and perhaps the game against Leeds will give him the perfect opportunity to lay claim for a first team place.

With Chelsea and Man U picking up 3 points every week, we need to make sure we do not slip up further. This is going to be a really tight season. Every single point will count come May 2010.

Not surprising

I was not surprised by the scoreline. The "indicators" were there for all to see. Almost everyone expected a Liverpool thrashing for the boys from east of europe. When so many people expect a big scoreline, that's when it will not happen. Like I said, we call it kelong!! Otherwise how these "people" drive mercedes benz or beemers??? (notice I never say Audi...hehe.)

Anyway, back to the game. I felt Torres was extremely quiet tonight. He was not his usual self against Burnley. In fact, he had not been his usual self playing for Spain in the previous 2 international games as well. He needs to step up a notch soon. The rest of the team looked decent tonight though it was not a fantastic peformance. Given the context, 3 games in a space of a week, I suppose a huge scoreline was not necessary. 3 points was all that mattered in this opener. No point scoring 10 goals tonight and then go on to play poorly against West Ham. The priority is still the Premier League this season.

I was talking about Benayoun with some colleagues tonight. We all agreed that against the hard tackling opponents or the heavy weights, he will have a tougher time. He can be rather light weight at times. We shall see what happens as the season progresses.

I suppose Rafa has found his First XI for now. This is a good lineup. Like I said, unless Aquilani proves himself to be a good player, I think this should be our starting lineup Rafa should stick with. As for Lucas?? Well, at least he earned one free kick tonight. Not bad for a rubbish player like him...;-)

I feel vindicated.

It was the Benayoun-Kyut-Reira-Gerrard combination that destroyed Burnley. A team that beat ManUre a few weeks ago. ;-)

In my blog and also my conversations with people, I have maintained that the Gerrard-Torres partnership needs to be replaced with a Benayoun or Voronin-Torres partnership. Reason is because, in the absence of Alonso, we needed the skipper to fill in that creative role in the middle of the park. Mascherano is not a creator, he is a destroyer. Breaking up attacks and harrassing our adversaries. Lucas? Don't even go there..... So, unless Aquilani is as good as Rafa says he is, Gerrard needs to continue in the role. He is one of the world's best attacking midfielders. Look at the way he came into to box to augment the attack while playing for England in midweek and against Burnley last night? His link up play with Torres, Kyut and Benayoun was fantastic. I said before that Benayoun is a very clever player and he had proven last season that he can score goals too. His understanding with Torres is good as well. Only problem is that, he can be guilty of going to "sleep" in some games.

While it was a good team performance against Burnley, we must not get carried away with the result. These are games we need to win and win convincingly. Against heavy weights, Benayoun will need to prove he is as good as we think he is. Consistency is the key. Chelsea and Man City look fantastic at this point. Man United's win at White Hart Lane was not unexpected although I still think they will not be in contention this season. I don't think Spurs ever learn from their mistakes. After going 2-0 up last season, they eventually lost the game against ManUre. So, even playing against a 10 men last night, I seriously didn't think they were gonna draw level at all.

Whatever it is, we have 3 more points in the bag. Let's take it one game at a time. For me, I am gonna change my flight ticket next Wednesday and start looking forward to my 2nd Anfield pilgrimage come Feb '10. Will be watching the Blackburn Rovers game at Anfield!!

A Good Fightback

It's not true we won only because Bolton had one man sent off. It can be a lot tougher to play against 10 men especially when they are leading at home. Credit must be given to the Reds for pressing hard and eventually a Gerrard-Kyut-Torres move culminated in our second leveller. From then on, there was only gonna be one winner. Time was on our side. We had approx 20mins to find that winning goal. No sweat. The way Gerrard blasted that goal from a Torres knock-down was sweet! 12 yards out....that was a typical Gerrard goal!

There was on thing that troubled me though. What was Lucas doing on the pitch? Even when Benayoun came on, it was for Reira and not Lucas. I couldn't believe it. Reira was a constant menace down the left all night long. Glenn and Kyut was doing the same down the right. But what was Lucas doing?? Nothing much really.....Why does Rafa love him so much? One wonders....

Our defense. Honestly, I feel Carragher's time is up. We can't be conceding silly goals all the time. Something needs to be done and done quickly. That greek defender (forgot his name) did reasonably well but I feel it's time to play Skrtel and Agger together once they are fit. Carragher is not as sharp and, more importantly, not as fast as before. After more than 10 years of distinguished service playing for the club, perhaps his time is nearing an end as a player.

For the last time, I hope Rafa stops playing Lucas. Period. We can\t afford to drop more points especially when Chelsea is picking up 3 points for fun.

Btw, all those bloody loud ManUre fans out there who think they did well by beating Arsenal. Think again. It was an own goal that gave them the 3 points.....if I were them, I would just thank my lucky stars and be damn quiet and humble. But I suppose that's a concept they will never fully comprehend. Hehehe ;-)

Lucas, Lucas on the wall, shoot him, kill him, just don't play him

Lucas was horrible. He played well against Stoke but against Villa, he was back to his usual self. The own goal conceded was unforgivable. How and why he head the ball towards goal baffles me. Without Alonso or a quality playmaker, we were just like headless chickens running around aimlessly.

Gerard, Kyut, Benayoun, Torres, Insua, Mascherano were all guily of below par peformance this morning. I don't understand why Reira was left on the bench.

I don't know what else to say. Just shocked. At the rate we are going with Lucas in the team, we ain't going anywhere this season.

Period.

First Win of the season

It was a good team performance. Everyone worked hard for each other. Even though Lucas was not fantastic, it was evident he was working his socks off for the team. Credit to him!

Glen Johnson was the livewire in the team. His relentless runs down the right flank, overlapping with Dirk Kyut, was a constant menace to the Potter's defence. He created a few goals and even scored one on his debut. What a start? (and what was he doing on the far post??). Anyway, I have said that the right back position had been our weak link for the last few years. Arbeloa was terrible in that position. Insua on the opposite flank was also providing amunition into the box consistently. With Reira and Insua down the left, we have 2 overlapping defenders that can join in the attack.

Gerard had a much better showing yesterday. His run into the box and the subsequent cut-back was pure quality. Torres showed a lot of grit and determination as well, scoring the first goal for us. It was great satisfaction to watch them play at their best. When both Torres and Gerard decides to play, we can beat anyone in the BPL.

We are not even at full strength yet. With Agger and Skrtel back in defence, Aquilani in the middle of the park, we will be a much stronger team. The key now is consistency. I have been saying that for years. Let's hope the win this morning will signal the start of our title chasing season. It's been 20 years. The wait must end now!

Next up, Aston Villa in Anfield. C'mon you Reds!!

09/10 Season Kickoff - Spurs 2 vs 1 Liverpool

Our pre-season was not fantastic and I had my fears prior to this game.

I expected a tough opening game at White Hart Lane but what puzzled me was the line-up Rafa put up. We lost to Spurs twice last season and to go there without our best available 11 is suicide. Benayoun and Voronin was on the bench. Instead we found Babel and Lucas in the starting line-up.

Babel was pathetic on the left. He lost possession too easily, lacked aerial presence, can't tackle, can't shoot, can't pass. He was simply a pain to watch. Lucas was quoted saying he is confident he can fill the void left by Alonso and I was surprised with that bold statement. We all know Lucas' quality. He is nowhere near Alonso. He is another disappointing player that day and all through last season as well. If not for Reina's saves, we could have been 2 goals down by half time and we didn't even have a single shot on target then. We saw the benefits when Rafa adopted an attacking style of play towards the end of last season. We were good going forward, always looked like scoring. I am not sure if the defensive approach adopted in the first half against Spurs had undone us. One thing for sure is that Lucas needs to be replaced. He is just aweful. In the absence of Aquilani, I feel Gerard need to be brought back into midfield to provide that creative spark and physical presence. Reira need to play on the left and perhaps Benayoun or Voronin can partner Torres up front.

I have been watching Carragher closely since last season. I feel his level of performance has dropped tremendously. The foul he gave away outside the penalty box led to the second spurs goal. That was absolutely unnecessary. Ayala came on and did relatively well. Perhaps, its time to rest Carra and give the youngsters a chance. Read a rumour that we had signed a Greek 30yr old defender from AEK Athens named Sotiris Kyrgiakos. I am not sure how good a player he is.

One other problem that I feel is hindering our progress is the ownership of the club. The yanks need to go. In today's context, without a big transfer kitty, we are not going to challenge for the BPL title. Look at Man City. We need another world class striker, play-maker and defender. In today's crazy transfer market, it can easily cost the club >100m pounds. Are the yanks ready to provide the club with that kind of funds?? I seriously doubt so.

We will be playing in Anfield in the next 2 games. 6 points is mandatory in the next 2 games to get out season started. We can't afford to lose ground with the top 3 teams this early in the season.

Will we challenge for the title next season?

Admittedly, I have been slacking and not updating this blog as often as I should. I promise I will do my best to be more diligent.....

The title challenge was a disappointment last season despite the team's performance. To not win the title after beating Man U (twice) and Chelsea in the same season is simply unbelievable. As far as I am concerned, we lost the title during the Middlesborough game. The final surge to the end of the season was phenomenal. We were scoing for fun and won every game along the way. That to me was the sign of a championship winning team. Many people said that Man U didn't win the title but rather Liverpool gave it away.

So will we challenge for the title once again next season? It depends on whether if we can hold on to players like Alonso and Mascherano. Basically, the backbone of the team. In defence, we have Carragher, Skrtel and Agger. With the inclusion of Johnson, it will provide us with more attacking firepower from the rear. Something Arbeloa wasn't doing as well throughout his time in that position. It will be good if we can cash in on him now if Real Madrid continues their crazy spending spree. For midfield, we have Alonso and Mascherano. On the flanks, we have options in Kyut, Benayoun, Reira. In attack, we need Torres and Gerard to be fit and playing together more. This is the spine of the team. I dun see why we need to spend a lot of money to buy more players.

We also have a few talented and upcoming young players, ready to make the break through to the senior team. Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar, Jay Spearing, N'gog, Charles Itandjie, Damien Plesis, Craig Lindfield. These are players that have performed well either when called into the first team or when playing with the reserves last season.

The appointment of Kenny Dalglish in the youth development programe will be a boost to the club as well. Just to have King Kenny walking around the club will serve to provide that little extra motivation to the players in general. He is afterall a legend and great player.

Finally, I feel Benitez needs to continue the strategy he employed towards the end of last season. By releasing the defensive leash and mindset, what we got was a team that didn't know how to stop scoring. On the other hand, we found ourselves conceding a lot of goals as well. Remember the Arsenal game that ended 4-4? We need to restore the defensive steel in our backline. Behind every successful team is a strong defense.

Can't wait for the new season to start but in the meantime, I am looking forward to my second pilgrimage to Anfield in December.

Don't lose faith

The game against West Ham was won in the 1st minute. I don't mean to sound arrogant but based on current form, we knew nothing will stop us the moment that first goal went in. By half time, the game was dead and buried. All hopes turned towards Sunday to the Manchester derby. It was a huge disappointment in the way City was rolled over by a rampant Man United side. I agree that the 2 goals were beautifully taken but I expected City to put up a stronger challenge. Alas, it was not to be. Once again, I felt Man United had it easy. Many teams accorded too much respect to them. However, I remain defiant over the title challenge until the very last point is lost. Man United's game against Wigan is perhaps our last chance. They need 4 more points to win the league and have 3 more games to play. Too easy? Probably. If they draw or lose to Wigan tonight, out title hopes will still be alive. But the important thing is this: even if they win tonight, we must not lost faith and belief. This is football and anything can happen. They can still lose their last 2 games and we will have to be in a position to take advantage should that unlikely scenario become a reality. Whatever happens, we need to keep winning, keep fighting. I hope Rafa drills that into the players' heads.

Whatever happens to the title challenge, I feel we need to make a few changes in the summer. For one, the right back position needs to be strengtened. Philip Degen has been a disappointment after being out for the whole season and playing only one first team game so far. He needs to go. So does Arbeloa. He is too slow and too cumbersome at times. In central defence, with the departure of Hypia, we will need extra cover. The left back position looks pretty healthy at the moment with Insua, Aurelio and Dossena all playing well. In midfield, Lucas needs to be sold. Yes, SOLD! He is one of the worst brazilian players I have ever seen. Alonso MUST stay. I can understand why Rafa wants Gareth Barry. With the addition of another strong midfielder, Gerard can be freed to play further up front and his partnership with Torres can only do us good, provided the both of them remains fit. Having said that, perhaps an additional striker will do us no harm. For our flanks, it is looking really good and there is really no requirement to buy another player in that department.

Title or not, it is still progress we made this season. Looking back, there were games where we should have won instead of drawn. And if Gerard and Torresd had started more games together, perhaps we may be in a better position than we are right now.

I just love this song....

LIVERPOOL is the religion!

ANFIELD is our church!

THE KOP is our choir!

STANLEY PARK is our lurtch!

RAFA is our saviour!

GERRARD is the god!

CARRAGHER is our force!

while Lampard's the lazy sod!

PAISLEY laid the foundation!

SHANKLEY built the house!

now RAFA'S doin the garden!

COZ WE ARE F**KING SCOUSE!

Wastefulness

We had more than 23 attempts at goal against the Magpies last night and the scoreline merely read 3-0. Don't be get me wrong! I was glad we secured another 3 points and kept up the pressure on Man United. I was happy we played well enough although I feel at times we could have done better.

My point is this: against bottom half teams, we can afford to be wasteful in front of goal and get away with it. Against a team like Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U, we will be punished for it. We need to be clinical and lethal in front of goal. Alonso hit the same spot on the horizontal twice, Gerard did it once. Kyut was guilty, as usual, of too many misses. Riera started the first 15minutes of the game as though he was playing for the Magpies.

Although we have been playing well, in order to be Champions in the league, I feel we need to add that element of aggression and lethality in our play. We have been guilty of being too soft at times. I'm not sure if this is due to the fact that we have a large contingent of spanish players and they are not known to be an extremely physical league in Europe. Or perhaps its the culture within the club. Liverpool has always been known to be pass-and-play team since the Shankly days. We were never known to intimidate our opponents or win a game by being physical or aggressive. However, the key is balance. We can't be too soft or do we need to be too aggressive. What we need is to continue our passing game and get the players to display more grit and agression when the need arises.

Aggression and precision. These, I hope, will be the fundamental building blocks for next season. Until then, we need 9 points in the last 3 games and hope for a miracle. Nothing is won or lost yet.

Final Push To The End

I have not written anything over the last 3 games. First was the 4-4 draw against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final, second was the similar scoreline against Arsenal in the league and finally a 1-3 away win at Hull City.

There was something common in all these 3 games. Defensive lapse. To have conceded 9 goals in 3 games is not exactly the kind of performance any defence can be proud of. But on the same note, we scored plenty as well. One thing for sure is that no one can win a game by merely being free-scoring. Defensive steadfastness is the pillar to success. If we can't score, we must at least ensure that we don't concede. So what was the problem?

My assessment is that it is not a systemic problem but an individual one. Skrtel looked out of sorts for the past few games, Carragher alone can't save the world, Agger had not been given enough games to anchor a steady performance. Arbeloa, for me, was a key culprit. In the game against, Arsenal he was simply too slow, too complacent and too....whatever! Look at the game against Hull, he wasn't running enough to cover ground and track back to defend. Even when he did, he committed far too many errors. He looked unmotivated, too casual and out right lazy. Insua had been out standing thus far in the season but even he gave away a Hull City goal due to his failure to mark his man, running into the 6 yard box. The most astonishing thing was that he did not even attempt to chase and fight for the ball. If we are to continue winning and secure 3 points in the remaining 4 games in order to keep our title hopes alive, we need to stop conceding goals through slack defending. The drive and determination is not present in the defense department. Something needs to be rectified and rectified soon.

It was heart breaking to watch Spurs crumble like a pack of cards in the second half after storming to a 2 goal lead. The controversial penalty changed the dynamics of the game. If they had held on for 15minutes in the second half, I am sure Spurs would have gone on to win the game. That first MU goal gave those dogs belief and thus the resultant fight back which was no doubt astonishing.

But MU still have to play a derby against Man City and a final game against Arsenal. We can only keep ourselves in the race by ensuring 3 points in the every one of the last 4 games.

It doesn't help that Gerard is still injured and his return against Newcastle this Sunday will provide the boost I feel the team needs. If we can keep winning, I am sure the title challeng will go right to the wire this season.

What a week....

I missed the CL game against Chelsea on Thursday morning. My iphone had a mind of its own and decided to shut down. As a result, the alarm failed to ring and I only woke up at 6am. When I saw the score, I was not utterly upset. There was a strange sense of calm...it was wierd. Maybe I felt that getting knocked out of the CL may not be a bad thing after all. Our energy can then be focused on the league and the team ought to give it everything they have.

I watched the replay though and felt that the first 2 goals by Chelsea were a result of the deficiencies in our zonal marking system. Ivanovic's run in the box were unchecked and that resulted in 2 poorly conceded goals. No one followed his run. We paid dearly for our defensive errors. There was nothing Pepe could have done. It was a really poor result. How we managed to let Chelsea come back into the game after taking the lead remains to be answered. With Lucas in midfield, that is hardly surprising. As much as I wish to remain optimistic, going to Stamford Bridge to score 3 goals and keep a clean sheet is not exactly something anyone has done in recent years. So, I won't be surprised if our CL's dream end on Wed morning.

But that is not the end of the world. The team responded well and played a controlled game against Blackburn Rovers last night, scoring 4 goals in the process. Torres was absolutely on fire. His first goal will be a contender for the goal of the season. With Mascherano back in the team, we certainly played a lot better. We could have won the game by at least 3-4 goals more if not for the wasted chances in front of goal, particularly by Kyut. The early goals means Gerard can be rested and given more time to nurse his groin injury.

The fact that Man United had to rely on a 17 yr old to crawl their way back means they are not in the best of form at the moment. Luck won't run forever and I hope theirs end sooner rather than later. With 6 more games to go, we are still in the fight. Every league game now is a final and we need to keep that pressure on Man U.

I hate Man U

Well, I hope the title stirred some reaction!

It was a heart-stopping game against Fulham on Saturday. For a while, I thought it was going to be one of those nights when the ball will refuse to hit the back of the net. We hit the cross-bar 4 times in the first half, had another 4 near misses in the second half. I was almost in tears when Benayoun finally scored the winning goal deep into injury time. It was certainly a relief to win as anything less than 3 points will effectively hand the advantage back to Man-Ure. One of the commentators actually said he thought we might have too much quality in our side that could actually work against us. There, however, are a few players I felt could have done better. Kyut seemed out of sorts. Gerard was clearly not at his best with some stray passes. Other than the only link up play with Gerard, Torres should have scored when he broke through in the box. Luca, as usual, was mediocre at best. Thankfully he did not give away a penalty or free-kick outside our box. It baffled me why Reira was not played. Perhaps Rafa was thinking of the mid week CL games against Chelsea. In any case, I thought Dosenna played really well in the first half.

What can I say about Benayoun? It is no secret that he is a quality player, able to create and pry open defences with his runs. He had scored a few crucial goals for us this season and I believe he can be utilised by Rafa as a super-sub. I suppose he is most effective especially when defenders are tired and his fresh legs will actually pose a big problem for the other teams.

In terms of form, I feel we are clearly a better side than Man U now. If not for that stuck up looking 17 yr old Italian boy, Man U would have been badly affected by the draw with Villa. There was nothing in their play that would suggest they deserve the title this season. For a long time, they have been winning by the odd goal. On the other hand, we could have been 4 goals up in the first half in Craven Cottage and to think that we are the only top 4 side that won there this season says a lot about our title credentials. I hate those Man U fans who have been extremely loud and arrogant after their win on Sunday. It's strange how these people, who claimed to be fans, will only be heard when their teams win. If Man U loses, they are nowhere to be heard or found. Bunch of fair weather fans!!! I bet 90% of them in Singapore won't even know a single club song or cheer of the club......I rest my case.

It's true the title is for Man U to lose. We need to secure 3 points in every game now to keep our hopes alive. That's all we can do. We need to pressure them until the last game in the season. Whatever happens, I will be happy with the result this season. We just need to keep believing and have faith....

It's now or never.....

The game was over by the 40th minute. 5-0 against Villa and it's now 1 point between us and Man U (although they have a game in hand).

It was a great team performance especially in the context of the title challenge. Both Man U and Chelsea lost on Saturday. I was worried that we may not capitalise on the advantage and slip up again. But it was not to be. The moment Kyut scored the first goal, I knew then that we would win it big especially since Villa's confidence was at a low. What is frustrating is that our momentum will be disrupted by another international break this week. This is the third time this season when we had to break our good run in due to international friendlies or world cup qualifiers. We play Fulham next. They will be well rested and on a high after beating Man U convincingly at home. We need to win every game now if we are to maintain the title challenge. Man U still have a game in hand and if they win that, the gap will be restored to 4 points again.

I hope Gerard and Torres return injury free from their international duties. The players need to be focused and the next 2 months will be crucial.

We need the 19th league back in Anfield.

Rafa has signed a deal and Stevie issues warning in Europe

It has certainly been a wonderful week to be a Liverpool fan. As King Kenny rightly pointed out, the timing of Rafa penning a new deal cannot come at a better time. The comments from Hicks and Gillet seems to reflect a rare common consensus between the two American owners but how long will that last before they fight again? That's for all of us to guess! Stevie's comments in the aftermath of Manchester United thrashing indicates a growing sense of belief and returning confidence in the team. How can anyone fault him for saying that? It's a fact that massive wins do instill confidence and, with confidence, teams generally play better football. Let's just hope that this is true for the remaining season. Too often we have seen the team drop their standard of play after a string of good results. I guess it's a mental barrier the team must overcome in order to be champion material. 2 European finals in 4 years....that's a record that any team will be envious of in Europe. With Rafa's tactics and the way the team sets up it's play, Liverpool has proven to be a hard nut to crack in Europe. I expect nothing less than a semi final appearance this season. But then again that's not where we hope the team will be this season. It's the league title that we really desire. Imagine doing the double over Chelsea and Man United in a season and still not win the league title! Unbelievable! Maybe the Anfield factor is a reason for the team's lacklustre performances against the lower league teams. Anfield has been unable to regenerate the kind of atmosphere that exists on European nights. Agree that European nights have also been special in the hearts of all Red fans but in order to win the league, we need to do our part to inspire the team to raise their standard of play week in and week out. Rafa's decision to play the Anfield anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" just before kick off was exactly for this purpose. He had hoped to inspire the players and the crowd before kickoff. However, too often, in recent season, the Anfield crowd had grown silent as the game progresses especially if the score remains goal less at half time. The fact is that players are human beings too and we can't expect them to raise their game weekly in order to produce the kind of performance we saw against Real Madrid and Manchester United. If only Anfield can become the all important 12th man in EVERY game we play, I am sure the players will be inspired to give their 110%. I am not sure if Rafa will be the man to bring us the league title. It's true we have progressed over the last 5 years but I feel we lack one or two players of Torres' quality. Look at Man United's bench. Look at Chelsea's bench. And then look at ours! There are a few players I feel needs to be shipped out. Lucas is one of them. He is ordinary at best and usually atrocious. We need a creative player in the class of David Villa or Frank Ribery or even Fabgregas. Besides Torres, we lack another world class striker. I still believe it was a mistake to sell Keane. Given another season, I am sure he will come good. On the left back position, Aurelio is turning out to be a decent player but Dossena is not the kind of player for us. We need another cover for right back as well. Arbeloa is not doing too badly but should he be injured, we need a proper right back as cover instead of playing Carragher, Mascherano, or worse still, Skrtel. 3 quality players - a striker, a midfielder and a left/right back. And provided Torres, Stevie, Alonso, Kyut, Benayoun, Mascherano, Carragher, Reina remains fit throughout, we have a team of players capable of beating anyone in England and even Europe.

What was next??.............a thrashing for Man-Ure!

Man U vs Liverpool 1-4....

If anyone had said this to me before the game, I will probably think he is insane. But that was the scoreline last night. Thrashed Man U in their own den. What was even better? Well, a few things: 1) Firstly, the only goal they scored was from a dubious penalty given by the referee, whom we all feel is a Man U fan, and not from open play. 2) Secondly, after bringing on 3 good players (Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes), they were immediately down to 10 men....thanks to Mr Vidic! 3) And scored with a beautifully taken free kick 4) A totally clear cut penalty awarded to us in "payment" for the one awarded to them 5) Dosenna scoring his second goal in 2 consecutive games and both were the 4th and last goal of the game 6) Making Ronney the fat pig eat his fat &%!@#*!% words.

3 Red players I felt were excellent yesterday. Torres, Gerard abd Hypia. In a game where some of our players were not exactly at their best, we had these 3 guys holding the team up. Reira seemed out of sorts, Reina were guilty of some slack goal keeping, Lucas was as usual rubbish,.....It is still a joy to watch Hypia these days. For me, he was a pillar of strenght and stability at the back. His experience makes up for his lack of speed.

Overall, it was an extremely excting game and I am totall mad we triumphed. We have now done the double over Chelsea and Man U this seasson. Can we win the title? Of course!! But only if Man U drops 2 games and draws one. It's gonna be tough but anything is possible...........Come On you Reds...

A historic European triumph..........but what next?

It was a great display of attacking football, backed up by a very special Anfield atmosphere. The scoreline could have been bigger if not for the performance of Casillas. I suppose the return of Torres and Gerard boosted everyone's confidence. I said on many occasions that no team likes to face Liverpool in Europe. The miraculous win 5 years ago in Istanbul created a sense of belief throughout the club - from the manager to the players to the fans. It's this belief that makes us so hard to beat in Europe. However, the story is different in the league. Our record of post-Champions League games is not great. The team has often been accused of post european hangover. With Man U coming up on Saturday and the title challenge at stake, will the same Liverpool side turn up? I am dying for a win on Saturday but I'd rather be cautious. Man U is playing really well now and they are in a rich vein of form. The game will be a cagey affair and I hope I will be able to sleep well that night.....

Liverpool Must Let Rafael Leave This Summer - an article by Sulmaan Ahmad

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When Rafa Met Parry

Anyone who has ever seen the masterful piece of film-making that is Speed may or may not remember Sandra Bullock's line to the immortal Keanu Reeves, when she says, "Relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last." What's more intense than clawing your way out of the Champions League group stage, past a series of 'superior' teams in the knockout rounds and then, after going 3-0 down at half-time to one of the greatest teams of the last decade in the final, coming back to tie the game 3-3 and win on penalties? It was their fifth, it meant they could keep the trophy; all the more amazing when considering they had not even won a league title in 15 years at the time.It was all too much, and all too soon for Rafael Benitez at Liverpool. He was forgiven for finishing fifth in the Premier League only for his triumph in Istanbul. Development since has been stunted and insufficient, much like the excuses made by the man himself. Rafa is under pressure now, after this topsy-turvy engagement period, to tie himself down, take the plunge and marry himself to Merseyside. It seems he's not quite ready for that kind of commitment. The Spaniard is still wrangling over prenuptial agreements and trying to have it all his own way. He's good, but he's not that good. And in this day and age, you really do have to be that good to command that kind of power.Rafa wants it all his own way, and has already seen off chief executive Rick Parry, who announced he will be leaving the club at the end of this season. Nevertheless, the powers that be are unwilling to hand over complete control to Benitez, and nor should they. This is not a man to whom it should be a foreign concept for affairs in the transfer market to be handled by those above him. He's from Spain, where it is regular practice - where he won the league under such a system - and there is an air of selfishness surrounding his demands.Understandable, maybe. Everybody has their own best interests at heart, but let's look at this from Liverpool's point of view. The owners still look fairly likely to sell, and perhaps a manager on a long-term contract running his own ship would not entice many of the most attractive potential suitors.So what does Rafa really have in his corner when going into these negotiations? Despite many a miraculous result during his four-and-a-half seasons at Anfield, he has yet to convince that he is capable of being the best. He only knows how to win as an underdog - he cannot outplay his opposition - and that is not enough for Liverpool.There can be no doubt that they can and will continue to scrape past top opposition under Rafa's leadership, but they will not become anything resembling a great side until they learn to beat one and all comers. They don't need to be able to batter the Barcelonas and Inters of this world - fans have, and will, continue to forgive the defensive dirges if they could at least be promised the three points against the likes of Stoke City and Middlesbrough - but when Rafa has to attack a side, he ends up as impotent as Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea.The Blues stuck their neck out - doing what they had to do - and soon, even supporters as loyal as Liverpool's will surely see that there is life after Rafa. It seems this unhappy couple are currently willing to settle for the odd moment of magic amid the monotony, purely due to the paralysing fear that they worry about whether they can find anybody better in the aftermath of parting ways.It is time for that leap of faith. Given time and money in equal measure, Benitez continues to make the same mistakes he did from the beginning and seems incapable of change. I said just last week that the Spaniard needed the Champons League to save his job, but just seven incredible days later, it seems as though not even that will do. Even if they win it, they will not be the side they need to be.The owners must be brave and the fans more far-sighted and understanding in seeing that the time is right to part ways, instead of handing all power over to a man who has still yet to do as well as he should have and is showing no signs of wanting to change his ways. Yes, it is now beyond beating a dead horse. This dead horse has already been beaten, decapitated by one of Vito Corleone's confidants and had its head left in George Gillett's blood-soaked bed. It's over. Both Liverpool and Rafa must move on.

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com
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It's really over

I m still recovering from the shock loss at Riverside. Forget about the fantastic win at the Bernabeu. It's the league we wanted most and it's where we are let down again.

All that contract talks, the political decision to sell Robbie, the owner's boardroom fight, the talks with new managers, the club's finances, the new stadium, Rick Parry's departure.....all these were just plain rubbish and we were supposedly to be in the best league position in 19 years and with a real chance of winning it. So, now Man U will win their 18th title this season and if they win another European trophy, we will risk losing our status as the most successful club in England soon.

It's sad. It's heartbreaking. We need a change.

Are u kidding me?? Of course it's over....

I was devastated.

The lineup was flawed. The hunger and determination was absent. The sense of urgency was nowhere to be seen.

In a game which we must win, Rafa fielded a "second" choice team. Although Alonso was suspended for the game and Gerard ruled out, does it warrant a certain Lucas Leiva from playing especially since he had been committing cardinal sins in the last few games and have not proven to be half a decent brazilian footballer? Basically, he is rubbish/crap/sub-standard/ineffective/can't dribble/can't pass/can't shoot/can't tackle......Can someone pls explain to me why Benitez is still fielding him and yet decide to sell away Robbie Keane even after he scored a couple of great goals?? Granted they play at different positions but most people must agree with me that Lucas should be sold to Everton or Plymouth or some other lesser teams a long time ago. I am very sure even the youngster Plesis is a lot better than Lucas. At least Plesis can tackle and resembles Sissoko in his better days.................Enough of Lucas. The mention of his name makes my blood boil.

Why did Benitez start with Dossena when Aurelio was available? Was he thinking of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu?? I certainly hope not. The priority has to be in the League unless he had secretly conceded that the title challenge was over given the 8 point lead Man-Ure had over us. Even then, Dossena should not have played. He should have been shot/slaughtered and shipped to Africa to feed the lions. He is another rubbish player. Benitez bought him and Philip Degen at the same time and hailed them to be the club's answer for quality left/right backs. Degen started one game for the first team and played horribly. He has spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. Dossena? I rest my case.

Why did the subsitutions come so late? We only started playing football in the last 10minutes. Where is the hunger and determination? We didn't seem like we were interested to win. There were too many stray passes and long balls that ended in Iceland. Overall, it was a pain to watch the game.

As much as it saddens me to say this, we have "given" Man United the title. Yes, literally. Sometimes I feel Benitez should just talk less and concentrate more on his team selection. I am losing patience with him. What is this rubbish about him turning down the 5th contract offer on the eve of the crucial game against Man City? How is that ever going to help a team that is fighting for the title? There is a circus going on behind the scenes. If this season turns out to be trophy-less again, the Yanks and the boardroom will have to shoulder a major part of the blame.

I am devastated, angry, disappointed, disillusioned.........period.

Why did Rafa sell Robbie?

I still don't understand why but I've heard many people make the same comment about how Rafa is a control freak. Robbie was playing alright and scored some crucial goals before he was benched for no apparent reason. Given time, I thought he would re-discover his form. What happened in the next few weeks games still puzzled me. Why did Rafa drop him and not even name him for the Everton game? I read many articles about the ensuing dispute between Rafa and Rick Parry. I think it's really stupid and unnecessary. If they profess to love the club so much, they should resolve their differences for the greater good of the club's title chasing season. The first in 18 years. What I heard made me sick. Add that to the Yank's conduct over the ownership of the club. Come to think of it, there are so much uncertainties and discord within the club that it makes one wonder how ridiculous the situation is. It is frustrating to hear that our beloved club is in such turmoil.

I was one of the many people that felt excited about Robbie's signing. To see him leave his childhood club in such fashion was heartbreaking. I don't blame him for feeling the way he did and saying the things he saidn after his departure. He is a good player and even though he did not perform at the level we would have liked, I believed he would come good one day. It's sad we won't see Robbie in a Red shirt again.

I hope Rafa made the right gamble. Should Torres get injured again, our title challenge will most likely be over too. There are no strikers left. If we have to rely on N'gog, we must as well pack our bags and forget about the rest of the season! He is not ready for first time action. Period.

Great fight back but..........

It was a great fight back but certainly there must be questions raised about Rafa's starting team selection. Kyut, Torres, Alonso were on the bench. Who was in midfield? Aurelio and Arbeloa. He played Skrtel, Carra and Agger at the back. N'gog was our striker. I dun understand his argument about resting players when the next league game is at least a full week away. We needed the 3 points and that's not the way to signal your intentions. If we had lost or drawn the game, I am very sure the reaction will be very different. It was very tough to watch the game. We were trailing by a goal in the 85th minute!! I am sure luck has a huge part to play in the game. Scoring the winning goal in injury time doesn't happen all the time.

Against a Portsmouth team that had only won twice at home, it certainly looked like an easy game. However. it didn't turn 0ut that way. We conceded two silly goals from poor defending and put ourselves under tremendous pressure. Both their goals coming straight after we made our blunders at the other end of the pitch. Firstly Babel missed a sitter (and he needs to be shot in the head for that) right in front of goal and then Kyut had his goal disallowed. On both occasions, Pompey cam back and scored.

I said the win against Chelsea may be the turning point in the season. Although we lost to Everton in midweek, this win against Pompey will go a long way to change the attitude and mentality of our players. We know that there is hunger and desire in the team, we just need to start playing like champions again!! I don't understand why Robbie Keane was sold. Rafa better pray daily that Torres remains fit and injury free. If he does, we will have a player that may just bring us the League title. If he doesn't, I am sure Rafa will receive a lot of stick for selling Robbie. We dun have another credible striker. N'gog is useless. Kyut is either off side, losses possession or misses the goal most of time. We need another striker as back up for Torres in case he is injured.

Having saifd that, a win is a win and we ought to celebrate it. It's good to be back where we belong....the air is fresh up here!

I am now officially condemning Lucas Leiva

I watched the game this morning.

It was a heart break to watch how we conceded that silly goal 2 mins from end of Extra Time. That is just ridiculous. We had 3 players around Gosling and he managed to take a shot at goal.

Lucas Leiva needs to be sold, sacked or banished to the bench forever. He is RUBBISH!!!!!!!!
Firstly, he gave away a penalty that cost us the crucial 3 points. Now, he got himself sent off and we lost all initiative in the game. Playing against a bullish Everton at Goodison with 10men is just asking for trouble.

I am just really angry with Lucas. He needs to go......

Title Challenge Back on Track!!

We needed to win the game and we DID!!!

It wasn't just the result that I am pleased about but it was the way the players approached the game that was impressive. Rafa started with his best XI, dropping Lucas (thank god!), Benayoun and Babel. We had 29 shots with 9 on target, 70% possession at one point. Reina was hardly tested throughout. Gerard was everywhere. Alonso was spaying passes like a man possessed and he had his shooting boots on too. Mascherano was running from end to end, Carragher and Skrtel were at their best.

Chelsea was pathetic considering the quality they had on the pitch. Only 3 shots at goal and 2 on target.

I must admit the red card against Lampard was questionable but Mike Riley was also wrong for failing to send off Bosingwa for that kick on Benayoun late in the game. Ashely Cole could also be yellow or red carded for fouling Benayoun in the box too. The bottom line is this: This is football and it happens to all teams. You win some, you lose some. No team has ever won the title without being lucky at some point in the season.

This win is significant for 2 reasons. Firstly, it's our first win in 2009. Hopefully that will restore our confidence and belief that we can beat Man-Ure (I mean Man U) and win the league this season. Secondly, it was Torres' first goals in Anfield after almost 9 months. His last goal in Anfield was against Man City in May 08. We all know what a fit Torres can do for us. Combine that with the drive, energy and passion of Gerard, we have with us a potent combination that will score many goals.

I am personally disappointed with all the behind-the-scenes controversy that is rocking our club. This is the first time in 18 years that we are mounting a serious title challeng and we certainly do not need that sort of distraction. Why is Rafa not signing his contract if he claims he loves this club so much? And why do we need this kind of distraction for the manager in the middle of the season when we are mounting a title challenge? Why are the Yanks so damn
f%#king greedy and not sell the club for goodness sake? Why is Robbie Keane the centre of a dispute between Rafa and Rick Parry? That poor fella is just a boyhood Liverpool fan wanting to play for his beloved club. If we are serious about winning the league for our own good, surely we must be mature and sensible enough to not let these issues distract the team from doing it's job?

We are now back in the title race. It's going to be tight and the fight is just beginning. Man-Ure will not drop many points and I forsee the game against them on 14 Mar at Old Trafford will be a title decider. Let's just hope this win will finally end our bad spell and signal the beginning of better form from henceforth.

It's Lucas again!!! We have lost it.........

It's Lucas who gave away that silly penalty in the box at the 83rd minute. Can u F@^!#@!* belive it??

That is a crucial moment in our fight for the title. 2 points dropped, slipped down to 3 place in the table. I just don't believe this.....

As far as I am concerned, our title hopes are fast fading away....unless we get our first win in 2009 very soon. With Chelsea next up, I think that is gonna be really tough especially if we have stupid and clumsy players like Lucas running around on the pitch.

I am really devastated.

Complacency costs us the lead

It's complacency. I guess everyone, including the players and the manager, thought we had the 3 points in the bag when we went 1 goal up. Rafa substituted Torres and Reira. We stopped attacking. The 2 "new" clowns made all the silly mistakes. Lucas gave away unnecessary free kicks by making school-boy type of challenges. Benayoun didn't need to make the tackle that resulted in a free kick just outside the box. That free kick gave Everton the equalising goal.

Why didn't we keep attacking till the final whistle? Why did Rafa make those changes when we were only 1 goal up against a team that has not lost a game in the last 7? Why did we stop attacking? Why Lucas and not Mascherano if we were going to defend our slim goal advantage?

And now, we are left to kick ourselves for conceding a silly goal that may cost us the title in May. Man United will not drop many points at home. We are clearly the underdogs now and it is all our own doing.

It is heart breaking. The draw against Stoke may turn out to be the sucker punch that will cost us the title. We can only pray that Man United drop some points from now till May whilst we keep up the pressure in all the remaining games by ensuring we earn ourselves the 3 points.

It's not looking good.....

It's heartbreaking

I was so upset with the game against Stoke last Saturday that I can bear to blog about it for 2 days. It was absolute rubbish.

Gerard, Lucas, Riera, Benayoun were virtually "missing" from the game. Riera was nowhere to be seen on the left. Lucas was, as usual, giving away possession cheaply. Gerard only turned up in the last 15 minutes of the game. Benayoun was running around aimlessly. Why was Torres AND Keane sitting side by side on the bench?? We know that Torres is not fully match fit but why has Keane been benched for 2 games after seemingly rediscovering his scoring touch?

We can't keep coming home with a point and say that it was a job well done! Not when a certain team is 5 points behind us with 2 games in hand. It would have been a good point if both Chelsea and Man U had drawn as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I am not sure if what Benitez said about Fergie had an impact on the United players but it seems so. Remember how Drogba scored 2 goals against us after Rafa openly criticised him before the game against Chelsea last season? In any case, the managers can decide to wage a verbal war against each other but the players need to keep their focus on the pitch. I felt that some players were just not hungry enough in the game against Stoke.

Benitez needs to start with his strongest 11 as far as the league games are concerned. Lucas must be banished onto the bench for a long long time. In the absence of Alonso, I feel that Gerard should be reinstated in the middle of the park instead of playing Lucas. We don't need to see Keane and Torres on the bench together especially when they are both not injured. That is ridiculous. Playing Gerard in midfield will mean either Torres and/or Keane will have to start. Kyut can continue playing on the right flank. I felt that the team selection against Stoke was flawed.

Man U will have a tougher fixture list in the second half of the season. They are bound to drop a point or two in the remaining games. We need to do ourselves a favour by ensuring that we do not drop anymore "unnecessary" points. I feel that the title race will be between Man U and us from now.

This is really becoming too stressful for me......

The war of words has started......

I love this interview Rafa gave before the Stoke game. Looks like the war of words between the two clubs has started.......

Have a read....
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What do make of Alex Ferguson's comments recently?

I was surprised, but I have to talk about facts because I think it is important. I think that they are nervous because we are at the top of the table. But I want to be clear that I do not want to play mind games too early. I think that they want to start that so I have taken some facts so it will be easier to talk about this. November 1 they played against Hull City and Mr Ferguson, their manager, was given a two-match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after confronting Mike Dean, the referee, for improper conduct. We have started a Respect Campaign. And we started with the sending off of Javier Mascherano at Old Trafford from the referee, Mr Bennett. But that was also the referee when Manchester United played Wigan, and he couldn't see the handball from Rio Ferdinand. He didn't give a penalty and they won the title. I think that will also be the same referee that they have in the game in hand against Wigan. During this Respect Campaign, he was charged by the FA following comments made towards Martin Atkinson, but he was not punished. He is the only manager in the league who cannot be punished.
Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs on a Saturday morning away, while United were playing on a Sunday and no one was saying anything. Now he is complaining that everybody is against United. They will play against all the teams in the top of the table in the second half of the season - I think that is a fantastic advantage. But I don't know why, at Christmas time, United played on the 29th December instead of the 28th, while we played against Newcastle away. He was not complaining this time. He was not thinking about this. About his behaviour with referees, the Southampton manager knows how Mr Ferguson works. He was very clear the other day. It is a fact. I am not playing mind games. This is about facts. If Mr Ferguson wants to talk about the fixtures, and we want to be on a level playing field here, there are two options: one is where is the same as in Spain. The first part of the league, all the teams know at this time they will play against this team on this weekend, or that weekend, and the second half of the league will be the opposite - you will play away. After that, Sky or Setanta who has the rights will choose the game and everybody will know when they are playing. That way it would be the same for everyone so Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about the fixtures. Or maybe the other option would be Mr Ferguson organising the fixtures and everything in his office and sending them to us - then everybody will know and nobody can complain. Talking about football, because I want to finish with this and the mind games. We know what happens when we go to Old Trafford. Mr Scolari maybe needs to know to use zonal marking against the staff of United because they are always using man to man with the referees when they go to the bench and especially at half-time when they are walking close to the referees and talking and talking and talking. All the managers need to know, only Mr Ferguson can talk about the fixtures and the referees - nothing will happen. I think we need to know about this. We are talking about facts, we are not talking about my impression. Everybody can see this every single week.

The fact that he has said these things, is this a sign of the pressure getting to United?

I think that they did not think that we would be at the top of the table in January. But we are at the top of the table, and clearly they are nervous.

Do referees need to take a firmer stance with United?

I will not say that. I want to be very clear - I have been here for five years and I just know how long these things have been going on.
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A year of reckoning

I ended the year 2008 quietly. There were no loud music and flashing lights, no champagne, no whiskey.........Just dinner with some friends at home and a few glasses of wine.

As far as Liverpool's title challenge is concerned, 2008 was one of the best so far....at least in the last 18 years. But there is still a long way to go. The second half of the season beckons. The pressure is going to increase with each passing week. The club will need the experience of a league winning manager to guide them through. It promises to be a real exciting second half of the season. With the Santiago Bernabeu to come in Feb, it promises to be one of the most exciting fixtures in this season's last 16 Champions League knock out round. We are 3 points clear at the top of the league. What more can we ask for but to stay in that position till May 09?

2008/09 season has been great so far. I pray that our good form continues into the new year. My only wish for Liverpool this season - 3 points every game from now till May 09.

I don't think I am being greedy right?

Happy New Year.............