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.