Saturday, December 1, 2007
Liverpool vs Bolton: What will Rafa do?
Apparently Fabio Aurelio is injured and won't be available at least for another week. I understand not letting the opposition know since the Brazilian is such a deadly passer, but Rafa, come on, you have my personal email address. It's not as if I would tell the world... then again. Anyhow, Bolton may have a bit of confidence coming into Anfield tomorrow after they beat Man U on Saturday, but let them kid themselves, they're still Bolton.
The Wanderers still sit 15th on the table, only scoring 12 goals in 14 matches, and to make matters worse, they'll be without their iconic Liverpool man, Kevin Nolan, and sensational upstart, Danny Guthrie. The only players that really worry me are former Reds Anelka and Diouf, but I'm hoping Carra and Hyppiä brush off the dust from the old training notes on how to contain them. Other than that, we should be able to thrash them, as long as our boys aren't as cocky as I.
Tactics shouldn't play much of a part in Rafa's selection. I'm thinking he'll go with his most rested players on principle alone. I'm thinking Arbeloa on the right and Riise on the left to accompany the geriatric stalwarts in the middle and Reina in goal. It would be a brilliant time to let either Emiliano Insua or Stephen Darby get a confidence boosting start, but I won't suffocate myself in hope.
In midfield, I like Gerrard on the right with Lucas and Momo in the middle. Both the Brazilian and the Malian should be raring to go and I truly hope they have dominating and impressive outings. On the left, it's got to be Kewell, but probably not. Anytime I'm sure of someone getting the nod, I'm always wrong. Finally, up front I like Crouch and Torres. I really don't like Kuyt paired with Crouch due to lack of pace, but once again, Rafa does what Rafa wants. Babel could get the call though.
Who can take a Torres,
start him with a Crouch?
Who can take a Babel
and pair him with Kuyt...
The Tinkerman can
Rafa-man can
The Tinkerman can
The Tinkerman can cause he mixes players up
and makes our club world class
Yes, I'm in rare form today. Anyhow, here's my final guess:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyppiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Momo
Lucas
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Babel
Finnan
Crouch
Leto
I went with Kuyt over Crouch because this isn't Europe. A bench of kids would be brilliant, but that just isn't going to happen. Hopefully Rafa takes more risks than I did, but we'll have to wait and see. It's imperative that Kewell and Kuyt have solid outings tomorrow. Anyhow, until then, Godspeed.
Today's Banter: Crouch not for sale, Hicks not selling, Agger not fit... yet, & more
Greetings, hope everyone is doing well. I'm neither sick nor incarcerated so life can't be that bad. Anyhow, I guess Rafa and Crouch have kissed and made up since it appears that the England International won't be going anywhere come January. If he continues to play like he did against Porto, even I wouldn't mind having him around. There was speculation earlier this season of him being unhappy about playing time and basically acting bigger than his boots, but apparently egos and differences have been put to rest and for the most part everyone is content. Which brings me to my next point.
In this past month, there's been a visible change in our side. Though there's always plenty of room for improvement as a squad, there appears to be a metamorphosis in attitude. Peter Crouch not whining about playing time being just one of the signs. The thing is, between the Blackburn match and the Fulham tie, our boys began to approach matches with a new found outlook. Instead of going in thinking that they will win because we're the better side, they started believing they would win despite the circumstances. I firmly believe it was the record-setting performance against Beşiktaş that assured them that they are a class bunch capable of beating anyone. Funny how revenge that would make Montezuma blush does that. Then, despite coming up empty most the Fulham match, we didn't give up and continued to push and attack until we finally broke the camel's back. I just thought I'd share that observation.
Apparently Hicks isn't interested in selling his shares in the club. In fact, he's angry that such speculation has come about. I find it a bit humorous that any grown man would get angry over such a thing, not that the press didn't just make up that angle to lure readers. Whether he's interested in selling his shares or not, I don't know, but with how unstable financial markets are these days, anything is possible.
The metatarsal injury Daniel Agger sustained two-and-a-half months back, still isn't fully healed, or at least it doesn't feel right to the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He could return next week though versus Reading thanks to special protective boots. Killer boots, man!
Going into tomorrow's match with Bolton, Rafa gave former Liverpool coach Sammy Lee some credit for Bolton's current run of form. As I mentioned in my kids watch yesterday, the Wanderers are unbeaten in their last five matches including a win over Man United. I'm not sure how much recognition their former manager deserves though, not playing Kevin Nolan wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas. He did break in Danny Guthrie into the starting side though, so I guess he's entitled to some credit for that. By the way, Bolton will not have either Nolan, due to suspension, or Guthrie, due to on-loan regulations, when we face them tomorrow.
Finally, Rafa has come out and said that Torres needs to improve his current form. I know that may shock some supporters who believe the striker was our best player in the Porto match, but let me assure you, if he was our best player, we would have lost. Two flashes of brilliance don't make a great match and I've seen Fernando play far better than that. If he was top that match, he would have probably scored four. Be back soon with my 'What will Rafa do?' for Bolton. Godspeed. Yes, that's my new favorite word.
In this past month, there's been a visible change in our side. Though there's always plenty of room for improvement as a squad, there appears to be a metamorphosis in attitude. Peter Crouch not whining about playing time being just one of the signs. The thing is, between the Blackburn match and the Fulham tie, our boys began to approach matches with a new found outlook. Instead of going in thinking that they will win because we're the better side, they started believing they would win despite the circumstances. I firmly believe it was the record-setting performance against Beşiktaş that assured them that they are a class bunch capable of beating anyone. Funny how revenge that would make Montezuma blush does that. Then, despite coming up empty most the Fulham match, we didn't give up and continued to push and attack until we finally broke the camel's back. I just thought I'd share that observation.
Apparently Hicks isn't interested in selling his shares in the club. In fact, he's angry that such speculation has come about. I find it a bit humorous that any grown man would get angry over such a thing, not that the press didn't just make up that angle to lure readers. Whether he's interested in selling his shares or not, I don't know, but with how unstable financial markets are these days, anything is possible.
The metatarsal injury Daniel Agger sustained two-and-a-half months back, still isn't fully healed, or at least it doesn't feel right to the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He could return next week though versus Reading thanks to special protective boots. Killer boots, man!
Going into tomorrow's match with Bolton, Rafa gave former Liverpool coach Sammy Lee some credit for Bolton's current run of form. As I mentioned in my kids watch yesterday, the Wanderers are unbeaten in their last five matches including a win over Man United. I'm not sure how much recognition their former manager deserves though, not playing Kevin Nolan wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas. He did break in Danny Guthrie into the starting side though, so I guess he's entitled to some credit for that. By the way, Bolton will not have either Nolan, due to suspension, or Guthrie, due to on-loan regulations, when we face them tomorrow.
Finally, Rafa has come out and said that Torres needs to improve his current form. I know that may shock some supporters who believe the striker was our best player in the Porto match, but let me assure you, if he was our best player, we would have lost. Two flashes of brilliance don't make a great match and I've seen Fernando play far better than that. If he was top that match, he would have probably scored four. Be back soon with my 'What will Rafa do?' for Bolton. Godspeed. Yes, that's my new favorite word.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Anfield Banter Awards for November
My player of the month was Sami Hyppiä. I'm so glad I disabled comments because I can only imagine the garbage spewing from the mouths of those who have their own opinion. If you are one of those who know better, than I have a suggestion, start your own blog. Anyhow, here's the rest of the awards.
Unsung hero of the month
Well, I sort of shot myself in the foot on this one by naming Hyppiä as player of. Let me see, Carragher is certainly a candidate, as is Yossi, who seems no matter how well he plays gets little recognition, but I'm going to have to go with Javier Mascherano. The Argentine was instrumental in shutting down our opposition in the four matches he played and improved drastically from our previous matches with Beşiktaş and Porto. Not to mention he had to go to South America and back to play two matches for his home country.
Bench player of the month
Easy, Ryan Babel. In his three appearances as a sub, he scored three goals, utilizing his skill and pace to punish our opponents. Funny enough, he failed to net in his two starts. For now, Babel clearly is best suited coming on in the 60th minute.
Goal of the month
We scored 17 goals in five matches this past month, so there's plenty to choose from. I think I've got it down to five though. From the Beşiktaş match, Babel's first goal where he cleverly deflected a ball from Benayoun off the inside of his foot and Gerrard's nasty swerving blast in the box after receiving a cheeky back heel from Voronin, Gerrard's nasty free kick in the Newcastle tie, and finally both goals by Torres in the Porto match. The thing is, all of these goals have one thing in common, they were all team efforts, so I'll let you to decide for yourself. If I had a gun to my head though, I'd take Babel's first goal against Beşiktaş, only because it was a great announcement of the kind of talent the young Dutch forward possesses.
Assist of the month
Again, some great ones to choose from: Benayoun to Babel and Voronin to Gerrard against Beşiktaş, Kewell to Torres against Porto, and three corners from Gerrard to various players. I'm gonna have to go with the back heel by Voronin to a streaking Gerrard though, the whole play was just a thing of beauty.
On-loan player of the month
Hey, it's not Paul Anderson this time, even though the Swansea winger had another great month, playing in seven matches and scoring twice. No, this month's award goes to Danny Guthrie, who played in all but 16 minutes for Bolton while helping them go unbeaten for the month. Yes, you read that right, Bolton didn't lose in five matches in November, going 1-4-0. Only one win, but it was against Man U. Guthrie has proven a solid contributor to the side which makes me wonder what his future holds, our midfield is already cluttered as it is.
That's it for today... probably, but I'll be back tomorrow with my daily and a 'What will Rafa do?' for the Bolton match. Godspeed.
Unsung hero of the month
Well, I sort of shot myself in the foot on this one by naming Hyppiä as player of. Let me see, Carragher is certainly a candidate, as is Yossi, who seems no matter how well he plays gets little recognition, but I'm going to have to go with Javier Mascherano. The Argentine was instrumental in shutting down our opposition in the four matches he played and improved drastically from our previous matches with Beşiktaş and Porto. Not to mention he had to go to South America and back to play two matches for his home country.
Bench player of the month
Easy, Ryan Babel. In his three appearances as a sub, he scored three goals, utilizing his skill and pace to punish our opponents. Funny enough, he failed to net in his two starts. For now, Babel clearly is best suited coming on in the 60th minute.
Goal of the month
We scored 17 goals in five matches this past month, so there's plenty to choose from. I think I've got it down to five though. From the Beşiktaş match, Babel's first goal where he cleverly deflected a ball from Benayoun off the inside of his foot and Gerrard's nasty swerving blast in the box after receiving a cheeky back heel from Voronin, Gerrard's nasty free kick in the Newcastle tie, and finally both goals by Torres in the Porto match. The thing is, all of these goals have one thing in common, they were all team efforts, so I'll let you to decide for yourself. If I had a gun to my head though, I'd take Babel's first goal against Beşiktaş, only because it was a great announcement of the kind of talent the young Dutch forward possesses.
Assist of the month
Again, some great ones to choose from: Benayoun to Babel and Voronin to Gerrard against Beşiktaş, Kewell to Torres against Porto, and three corners from Gerrard to various players. I'm gonna have to go with the back heel by Voronin to a streaking Gerrard though, the whole play was just a thing of beauty.
On-loan player of the month
Hey, it's not Paul Anderson this time, even though the Swansea winger had another great month, playing in seven matches and scoring twice. No, this month's award goes to Danny Guthrie, who played in all but 16 minutes for Bolton while helping them go unbeaten for the month. Yes, you read that right, Bolton didn't lose in five matches in November, going 1-4-0. Only one win, but it was against Man U. Guthrie has proven a solid contributor to the side which makes me wonder what his future holds, our midfield is already cluttered as it is.
That's it for today... probably, but I'll be back tomorrow with my daily and a 'What will Rafa do?' for the Bolton match. Godspeed.
Anfield Banter player of November: Sami Hyppiä
In the past month we've played five matches, two Champions League ties and three League battles, and save our lack of luck at Blackburn, have put on impressive performances throughout. From our 8-0 thrashing of Beşiktaş to the late-game heroics against Fulham and Porto, it finally appears that our side is coming around and slowly working our way to full potential. Going undefeated in November though is business as usual under Rafa, as we have done so the previous two seasons as well, save a forgetful performance at Emirates last year. In fact, we've posted an astounding 13-4-1 record over the past three Novembers.
Like last season, the catalyst of our good fortune was nearly a different player each match. Whether it was Yossi against Beşiktaş, Mascherano shutting down Porto, or Steven Gerrard being Steven Gerrard, it was always a team effort, even if we didn't play all that well as a unit. In my opinion though, one player stood out as the most consistently solid player for our side and that was Sami Hyypiä. Ever since the loss in Instanbul, the Finn has raised his level of play and even though Carra has been more than reliable as well, Hyypiä appeared to go the extra mile and make few mistakes.
I could have done the sexy thing and went with Gerrard, but in truth, our skipper didn't play all that well in the first three matches this month. Arbeloa, on the other hand, was phenomenal early on, but turned sloppy and ineffective in our last two matches. If Yossi, Torres, or Babel had played more, they might have gotten the accolade over Hyppiä, but the 34-year-old played every minute of every match and was sound throughout. It's no coincidence that only a single goal was scored against us the entire month.
Though it looks like Sami will lose his starting spot soon when Agger returns, at least we can take confidence now that we have him just in case one of our other centre backs can't go. I fully expect him to get the nod when it comes to early FA Cup matches and League Cup ties. Also, his contract is up at the end of this season, but I hope we keep him on for another year. As far as I'm concerned, he can stay as long as he likes.
I'll be posting other awards for November shortly. Cheers.
Kids watch: Anderson unfit, Antwi vs Threlfall & Flynn, U18s take on Man U, & more
Paul Anderson didn't travel with the Swans this evening as the club headed to Atspeed Stadium to take on Horsham in second round FA Cup action. His injury is now being described as 'dead leg', which for some reason conjures images of Peter Jackson's Braindead. I'll let you work that one out. Anyhow, Swansea's next match is a League One tie Tuesday at home against Northampton, hopefully Anderson will make his return then and there'll be no zombie babies in the crowd. Had to, sorry.
In another FA Cup match, Godwin Antwi's Hartlepool travel to Edgar Street on Saturday to take on Hereford where Robbie Threlfall and Ryan Flynn are currently breaking in their boots. Both Antwi and Threlfall are expected to start for their respective clubs, while there's a good possibility Ryan Flynn could make his debut for the Bulls.
In the Daily Echo today, there's an article about our own Adam Hammill amd his recent trials and tribulations at Southampton. While the author of the piece seems to think that Hammill played a great match at Ipswich last Tuesday, the comments appear to tell a different story. I guess slagging off a 19-year-old who has hardly had a chance to play is the status quo when it comes to the class of the average Southampton supporter. The Saints travel to Leicester on Saturday where Hammill is expected to start.
Other on-loan kids who could see action includes Craig Lindfield, who's Notts County have a second round FA Cup tie at home against Conference South side, Havant & Waterlooville. In all likely-hood, Lindfield will get the starting nod, but as for Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, who knows? The Eagles are home against West Bromwich, but whether or not our on-loan Austrian will even make Neil Warnock's bench is yet to be seen. In Spain, Xerez is at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, but these days, Besian appears to have a better chance of playing than Miki Roque.
Finally, the Academy kids take on Man U in a rematch of last year's FA Youth Cup final, though only our Swedish behemoth, Astrit Ajdarevic, Steven Irwin, and Sean Highdale remain from the winning side. The Saturday morning match is apparently being held at Old Trafford. The kids are hoping to make manager Hughie McAuley forget their last outing, a 0-3 loss to Man City. Cheers.
In another FA Cup match, Godwin Antwi's Hartlepool travel to Edgar Street on Saturday to take on Hereford where Robbie Threlfall and Ryan Flynn are currently breaking in their boots. Both Antwi and Threlfall are expected to start for their respective clubs, while there's a good possibility Ryan Flynn could make his debut for the Bulls.
In the Daily Echo today, there's an article about our own Adam Hammill amd his recent trials and tribulations at Southampton. While the author of the piece seems to think that Hammill played a great match at Ipswich last Tuesday, the comments appear to tell a different story. I guess slagging off a 19-year-old who has hardly had a chance to play is the status quo when it comes to the class of the average Southampton supporter. The Saints travel to Leicester on Saturday where Hammill is expected to start.
Other on-loan kids who could see action includes Craig Lindfield, who's Notts County have a second round FA Cup tie at home against Conference South side, Havant & Waterlooville. In all likely-hood, Lindfield will get the starting nod, but as for Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, who knows? The Eagles are home against West Bromwich, but whether or not our on-loan Austrian will even make Neil Warnock's bench is yet to be seen. In Spain, Xerez is at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, but these days, Besian appears to have a better chance of playing than Miki Roque.
Finally, the Academy kids take on Man U in a rematch of last year's FA Youth Cup final, though only our Swedish behemoth, Astrit Ajdarevic, Steven Irwin, and Sean Highdale remain from the winning side. The Saturday morning match is apparently being held at Old Trafford. The kids are hoping to make manager Hughie McAuley forget their last outing, a 0-3 loss to Man City. Cheers.
Today's Banter: Hicks wants out?, The Sheik preparing another bid?, Stadium re-financed?, & more?
Normally I wouldn't give a rag like the Daily Mirror the time of day, but this time, common sense prevails. The less-than-astute paper is reporting that Tom Hicks wants out of the club and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is once again interested in making a bid. First things first, why do I think that there's any chance of truth in this article? Well, if we look at the sports ownership history of Mr. Hicks in the United States, it's pretty clear he doesn't like to spend a lot of money on players.
Early on in his tenure as the owner of the Texas Rangers, Hicks signed Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year-deal for a record $252m. $25.2m-a-year was a ridiculous amount, not only by 2001 standards when the contract was signed, but even in today's player market. The move was ridiculed throughout the American press and despite Rodriguez putting up phenomenal numbers, the Rangers finished in last place the three proceeding seasons. This lead to Rodriguez being traded to the Yankees along with the Rangers agreeing to pay $67m of the remaining $179m on his contract. In other words, they got burnt... bad.
Ever since then, Hicks has avoided paying obscene or inflated sums for players, opting to let ones too expensive to re-sign leave and passing up others on the free agent market. This cuts his operating costs considerably and if you're not going to be a competitive side anyhow, what's the point in losing money as well? There isn't, but that kind of philosophy just won't cut it at Liverpool and I think Mr. Hicks is finally realizing it. Though the die-hard fans will be there no matter what, the compulsive glory-hunters are where the money is at and big name signings draw the crowds.
One thing I found interesting when doing some research on Hicks was when he built a new stadium for his Dallas hockey team, he received part of a $10m 'bonus' from the government for doing so. I wonder if him investing in our side had anything to do with the fact that we were ripe and ready for new grounds. Maybe he thought he could get a few quid on the side with a similar deal in Livepool? Wouldn't surprise me from someone who counts George W. Bush as a personal friend.
An aspect of that article that I find a bit hard to believe is the claim that Hicks values the club at £1b just 9 months after purchasing it for £219m. Even with the new loans coming through, that's still twice as much as their worth. A half a billion pound just to take on a half a billion pound in debt? He's having a laugh. Of course, he's probably ballooning the sum to avoid being low-balled, but that might be overdoing it a bit. By the way, the Telegraph is also reporting that Hicks is looking to sell his shares in the club. Well, I've been up all night and have to get some sleep. Be back later with more. Cheers.
Early on in his tenure as the owner of the Texas Rangers, Hicks signed Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year-deal for a record $252m. $25.2m-a-year was a ridiculous amount, not only by 2001 standards when the contract was signed, but even in today's player market. The move was ridiculed throughout the American press and despite Rodriguez putting up phenomenal numbers, the Rangers finished in last place the three proceeding seasons. This lead to Rodriguez being traded to the Yankees along with the Rangers agreeing to pay $67m of the remaining $179m on his contract. In other words, they got burnt... bad.
Ever since then, Hicks has avoided paying obscene or inflated sums for players, opting to let ones too expensive to re-sign leave and passing up others on the free agent market. This cuts his operating costs considerably and if you're not going to be a competitive side anyhow, what's the point in losing money as well? There isn't, but that kind of philosophy just won't cut it at Liverpool and I think Mr. Hicks is finally realizing it. Though the die-hard fans will be there no matter what, the compulsive glory-hunters are where the money is at and big name signings draw the crowds.
One thing I found interesting when doing some research on Hicks was when he built a new stadium for his Dallas hockey team, he received part of a $10m 'bonus' from the government for doing so. I wonder if him investing in our side had anything to do with the fact that we were ripe and ready for new grounds. Maybe he thought he could get a few quid on the side with a similar deal in Livepool? Wouldn't surprise me from someone who counts George W. Bush as a personal friend.
An aspect of that article that I find a bit hard to believe is the claim that Hicks values the club at £1b just 9 months after purchasing it for £219m. Even with the new loans coming through, that's still twice as much as their worth. A half a billion pound just to take on a half a billion pound in debt? He's having a laugh. Of course, he's probably ballooning the sum to avoid being low-balled, but that might be overdoing it a bit. By the way, the Telegraph is also reporting that Hicks is looking to sell his shares in the club. Well, I've been up all night and have to get some sleep. Be back later with more. Cheers.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Today's Banter: Punch-drunk LFC love for Torres, the march toward Marseilles, Pepeadamus, & more
Fernando Torres has jumped on the Rafalution bandwagon, epitomized by the fans on the march yesterday. The enigmatic Spanish striker has praised Benitez as 'one of the greats' and 'more than just a manager.' He also added how impressed he was by the display the fans showed at Anfield yesterday, stating: "And we all had an idea that he's somewhat special here but, honestly, what I saw at Anfield tonight was really impressive... I'm really impressed at how much he's loved by the people, above anything else, even the players... I feel their affection, the support for my team-mates and with each passing day I'm feeling more of a part of this and happier with everything and at the end of the day those things are reflected on the pitch." The kid is all class, on and off the field. Do you think he's regretting not going to Man U now? At Old Trafford, he'd be just another cog in the soulless machine, while here he's sowing the seed to be an esteemed legend.
Build-up for the Marseilles match has already begun. The December 11th tie at Stade Vélodrome will decide whether or not we advance to the next stages of the Champions League. A win will assure us of it, a draw will require help from Beşiktaş, who would have to win at Porto for us to continue. It's probably best we walk away from Marseilles with all three points. The hero for the Ligue 1 side from the first meeting at Anfield, Mathieu Valbuena, has stated: "We'll approach that last match as if it were the Champions League final." Never heard that one before, think they'll score eight on us though? l'OM and their supporters have little else to anticipate these days though, they currently sit 14th on their league table, a point above the relegation zone. Steven Gerrard is looking forward to match as well, stating that he is 'happy that a win will almost certainly be required in Marseille.'
Pepe Reina has revealed his second occupation to be soothsayer. The 25-year-old keeper claims that he knew our recent deluge of goals was on the brink and it was only a matter of time before we broke the dam. No word yet on what the stones say about us winning the league.
Finally, Danny Guthrie is set to play for Bolton today in UEFA Cup group stage action as the Wanderers face Aris Saloniki at the Reebok. I don't see how the 20-year-old midfielder won't get the start as he is ineligible to play against us on Sunday citing on-loan rules. The Shrewsbury product was instrumental in Bolton's 1-0 upset of Man U last week. Coincidentally enough, Guthrie was released by Man U as a fifteen-year-old. Revenge must be sweet.
By the way, yes, I turned off commenting because there's not enough minutes in the day to go through them and for the most part, they're a waste of my time and energy anyhow. Thick-headed, baseless, and ego-driven jabs that were spineless, unwarranted, and for the most part, ignorant, were rampant and I have better things to do than deal with that crap. Blogs are about readers, not commenters. If you'd like to have an intelligent exchange or just drop me a line for any old reason, my email address is in plain sight. If you don't read this blog regularly and are wound-up by something I write, take a deep breathe before writing a scathing email to chastise me. My bite is much worse than my bark. Cheers.
Build-up for the Marseilles match has already begun. The December 11th tie at Stade Vélodrome will decide whether or not we advance to the next stages of the Champions League. A win will assure us of it, a draw will require help from Beşiktaş, who would have to win at Porto for us to continue. It's probably best we walk away from Marseilles with all three points. The hero for the Ligue 1 side from the first meeting at Anfield, Mathieu Valbuena, has stated: "We'll approach that last match as if it were the Champions League final." Never heard that one before, think they'll score eight on us though? l'OM and their supporters have little else to anticipate these days though, they currently sit 14th on their league table, a point above the relegation zone. Steven Gerrard is looking forward to match as well, stating that he is 'happy that a win will almost certainly be required in Marseille.'
Pepe Reina has revealed his second occupation to be soothsayer. The 25-year-old keeper claims that he knew our recent deluge of goals was on the brink and it was only a matter of time before we broke the dam. No word yet on what the stones say about us winning the league.
Finally, Danny Guthrie is set to play for Bolton today in UEFA Cup group stage action as the Wanderers face Aris Saloniki at the Reebok. I don't see how the 20-year-old midfielder won't get the start as he is ineligible to play against us on Sunday citing on-loan rules. The Shrewsbury product was instrumental in Bolton's 1-0 upset of Man U last week. Coincidentally enough, Guthrie was released by Man U as a fifteen-year-old. Revenge must be sweet.
By the way, yes, I turned off commenting because there's not enough minutes in the day to go through them and for the most part, they're a waste of my time and energy anyhow. Thick-headed, baseless, and ego-driven jabs that were spineless, unwarranted, and for the most part, ignorant, were rampant and I have better things to do than deal with that crap. Blogs are about readers, not commenters. If you'd like to have an intelligent exchange or just drop me a line for any old reason, my email address is in plain sight. If you don't read this blog regularly and are wound-up by something I write, take a deep breathe before writing a scathing email to chastise me. My bite is much worse than my bark. Cheers.
All I can say is, what the hell?
I was perusing the pics from yesterday's Porto match on the official site and came across this odd gem:
The first thing that came to mind was 'who in their right mind thought this was a snapshot worthy of inclusion'? Must have been slim pickings (no pun intended). I mean, this has to be one of the worse selections of a football match photo that I've ever seen. It looks like Gerrard is making a great catch in a rugby match or an American football game.
In fact, other than Torres showing off his vertical ability and a number geek's wet dream where Torres, Gerrard, and Kewell are embracing (9,8, and 7, in order, which, by the way, if you take away one equals 23! Oh, no!), most of the selection is baffling. Check it out for yourself.
The first thing that came to mind was 'who in their right mind thought this was a snapshot worthy of inclusion'? Must have been slim pickings (no pun intended). I mean, this has to be one of the worse selections of a football match photo that I've ever seen. It looks like Gerrard is making a great catch in a rugby match or an American football game.
In fact, other than Torres showing off his vertical ability and a number geek's wet dream where Torres, Gerrard, and Kewell are embracing (9,8, and 7, in order, which, by the way, if you take away one equals 23! Oh, no!), most of the selection is baffling. Check it out for yourself.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Liverpool 4, Porto 1: player ratings
Reina 5
Well he couldn't do much about the superb header goal that got past him, but what was up with that goal kick? Ugh. For the most part though there was very little else to complain about.
Arbeloa 4
Second subpar performance in a row, maybe he needs a match off? Clumsily threw away the ball a couple of times early on and was supposedly marking Lopez when the latter scored against us. Other than that, he did a decent job defensively, but was inexistent on attack. When he's the fastest of the back four, he really needs to pay more attention to where everyone is, our players and the opposition.
Carragher 6
Not a great performance by any means, but gets extra points for roughing up a Porto player early in the match and then acting as if he didn't do anything. Anti-diving, priceless.
Hyppiä 6.5
Another solid performance from the Finn. He was a defensive stalwart, earned the penalty for Gerrard, and was unlucky not to score one himself with a cheeky little deflection. Daniel Agger? Who's he?
Steve Finnan 5
What started out as a shaky performance from Finney ended up being okay. At times, he appeared shocked to find himself unmarked so deep in Porto territory with the ball.
Ryan Babel 6
Not a bad showing, just needs to shoot the ball more often... just not too much? He did have one opportunity where he found himself near the top of the box and really no one around nor in front of him, but instead of thumpin' it, he tried a pass. It was a bit baffling.
Mascherano 7 Man of the Match
Yes, I have a biased for defensive midfielders, but it can't be denied that Mascherano played well and exerted his influence. He was the be-all, end-all when it came to shutting down Porto. Consider this, we only held possession roughly 53% of the match, yet controlled nearly 60% of the pitch (territorial advantage). That's ridiculous and all because any time the opposition tried to push forward, our Argentine destroyer would intervene.
Gerrard 6
Two assists and a Kaká special (also known as a penalty). Other than the corners, his passing was a little off and on occasion, not in sync with his teammates. Still, despite not having the best of matches, he was still influential. That's seven goals in eight games by the way. Here's to hoping he sets a personal high this year.
Benayoun 6.5
Yossi was probably our best all-round player in the first half, but he still seemed timid to shoot like most our side. He tendencies to roam the field also caused some clutter. He's not a true winger, so it's hard to expect him to be disciplined and occupy the flanks most the match.
Voronin 5
Didn't contribute much to our side and felt he was well out-of-position on occasion. I've definitely seen him play better.
Torres 5.5
If anyone thinks this is a special performance from Torres than who have you been watching prior to the last two matches? Both goals were great, but he could have easily had another if not more. His first touch, for the most part, was off and his passing was flat. Still, he scored a brace... unbelievable.
Peter Crouch, Harry Kewell 7
Both Crouch and Kewell brought a ton of energy and composure to our side. Kewell made mince meat of the Porto defense and Crouch was steady on the ball, didn't turn it over, and made intelligent passes.
No grade for Kuyt as he barely got on the pitch.
Overall our individual efforts were okay, but as a team, we vastly need to improve our chemistry. Working on anticipating one another's movements and passes would be a good place to start. Set-piece goals are always good though. Cheers.
Well he couldn't do much about the superb header goal that got past him, but what was up with that goal kick? Ugh. For the most part though there was very little else to complain about.
Arbeloa 4
Second subpar performance in a row, maybe he needs a match off? Clumsily threw away the ball a couple of times early on and was supposedly marking Lopez when the latter scored against us. Other than that, he did a decent job defensively, but was inexistent on attack. When he's the fastest of the back four, he really needs to pay more attention to where everyone is, our players and the opposition.
Carragher 6
Not a great performance by any means, but gets extra points for roughing up a Porto player early in the match and then acting as if he didn't do anything. Anti-diving, priceless.
Hyppiä 6.5
Another solid performance from the Finn. He was a defensive stalwart, earned the penalty for Gerrard, and was unlucky not to score one himself with a cheeky little deflection. Daniel Agger? Who's he?
Steve Finnan 5
What started out as a shaky performance from Finney ended up being okay. At times, he appeared shocked to find himself unmarked so deep in Porto territory with the ball.
Ryan Babel 6
Not a bad showing, just needs to shoot the ball more often... just not too much? He did have one opportunity where he found himself near the top of the box and really no one around nor in front of him, but instead of thumpin' it, he tried a pass. It was a bit baffling.
Mascherano 7 Man of the Match
Yes, I have a biased for defensive midfielders, but it can't be denied that Mascherano played well and exerted his influence. He was the be-all, end-all when it came to shutting down Porto. Consider this, we only held possession roughly 53% of the match, yet controlled nearly 60% of the pitch (territorial advantage). That's ridiculous and all because any time the opposition tried to push forward, our Argentine destroyer would intervene.
Gerrard 6
Two assists and a Kaká special (also known as a penalty). Other than the corners, his passing was a little off and on occasion, not in sync with his teammates. Still, despite not having the best of matches, he was still influential. That's seven goals in eight games by the way. Here's to hoping he sets a personal high this year.
Benayoun 6.5
Yossi was probably our best all-round player in the first half, but he still seemed timid to shoot like most our side. He tendencies to roam the field also caused some clutter. He's not a true winger, so it's hard to expect him to be disciplined and occupy the flanks most the match.
Voronin 5
Didn't contribute much to our side and felt he was well out-of-position on occasion. I've definitely seen him play better.
Torres 5.5
If anyone thinks this is a special performance from Torres than who have you been watching prior to the last two matches? Both goals were great, but he could have easily had another if not more. His first touch, for the most part, was off and his passing was flat. Still, he scored a brace... unbelievable.
Peter Crouch, Harry Kewell 7
Both Crouch and Kewell brought a ton of energy and composure to our side. Kewell made mince meat of the Porto defense and Crouch was steady on the ball, didn't turn it over, and made intelligent passes.
No grade for Kuyt as he barely got on the pitch.
Overall our individual efforts were okay, but as a team, we vastly need to improve our chemistry. Working on anticipating one another's movements and passes would be a good place to start. Set-piece goals are always good though. Cheers.
Liverpool 4, Porto 1: Rafa's belief in our side pays off
The second half began no promising then the first. We were out of sync on attack and failed to gain control of the match, but as the clock wore down, two things became evident. First, we were wearing down the Porto side and second, though our attempts appeared futile, we weren't giving up on pushing forward. Rafa has done this many times before, wear down an opponent then start bringing in re-enforcements on attack, and though it doesn't work every time, tonight Porto were expending an awful lot of energy doing a whole lot of nothing on attack and trying to stifle us on their end.
In the 63rd minute when Kewell came on, things really got going as the Aussie appeared a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch and was clearly on top of his game. He dribbled past Porto players like they weren't even there and then 14 minutes into his introduction, put a cheeky no-look pass through to Torres in the box. Up until this point, the Spaniard had been dreadful with his touches, either holding the ball too long or not reacting quick enough, but this time everything fell into place and with one touch to ready himself, he slammed the ball into the opposite netting of the goal.
From that point on, our attack was relentless. Even when we weren't in possession of the ball, we somehow kept it in their half of the field. About six minutes after the second goal, Fernando Torres earned a free kick about thirty-yards out from goal on a yellow card-earning foul by Milan Stepanov. On the ensuing kick, Steven Gerrard put it right in the middle of the box where Hyppiä and Stepanov waiting to make a play on the ball. Both leaped in the air and though there certainly was a lot of contact, it's not as if Sami helped him put his arm in the way of the ball. For a team that dove as often as Greg Louganis, Porto certainly had a lot of nerve to accuse anyone on our side of cheating. Anyhow, a handball was called, the penalty was awarded, and Gerrard stepped up and calmly sent the Porto keeper the other way, 3-1.
Before Torres got his brace by scoring what was essentially the game-winning goal, Crouch came on for Benayoun. I thought it was an odd substitution since Benayoun appeared to be one of our better players at that point and Crouch is usually useless as a second-half sub, but the England International ended up putting on a superb performance for the short time he was on the pitch. I'm no Crouch fan and in fact, no matter what he does positively for our side, I rarely give him rave reviews, but today he earned it. His passing and dribbling were spot on and to boot, he even got the final goal on a header from a Gerrard cross. If only he could play this well every match.
Ultimately, Rafa saw that our side was good enough to weather even the harshest storm brought about by Porto. Though we were lucky on at least one occasion, for the most part our defense was able to harbor and absorb their pace and trickery. For how sloppily we played all-round, it was quite the result. Let's just hope Rafa is around to lead us to more like it.
By the way, with Beşiktaş beating Marseille we only need a draw in France from our final group stage match to advance. If we win though and the Turks could somehow get a draw in Porto, we'll win the group and have a chance at a much easier draw for the first knockout round. I was wrong, we need to win or draw and pray Besitkas wins in Porto. Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed me about it. Cheers.
In the 63rd minute when Kewell came on, things really got going as the Aussie appeared a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch and was clearly on top of his game. He dribbled past Porto players like they weren't even there and then 14 minutes into his introduction, put a cheeky no-look pass through to Torres in the box. Up until this point, the Spaniard had been dreadful with his touches, either holding the ball too long or not reacting quick enough, but this time everything fell into place and with one touch to ready himself, he slammed the ball into the opposite netting of the goal.
From that point on, our attack was relentless. Even when we weren't in possession of the ball, we somehow kept it in their half of the field. About six minutes after the second goal, Fernando Torres earned a free kick about thirty-yards out from goal on a yellow card-earning foul by Milan Stepanov. On the ensuing kick, Steven Gerrard put it right in the middle of the box where Hyppiä and Stepanov waiting to make a play on the ball. Both leaped in the air and though there certainly was a lot of contact, it's not as if Sami helped him put his arm in the way of the ball. For a team that dove as often as Greg Louganis, Porto certainly had a lot of nerve to accuse anyone on our side of cheating. Anyhow, a handball was called, the penalty was awarded, and Gerrard stepped up and calmly sent the Porto keeper the other way, 3-1.
Before Torres got his brace by scoring what was essentially the game-winning goal, Crouch came on for Benayoun. I thought it was an odd substitution since Benayoun appeared to be one of our better players at that point and Crouch is usually useless as a second-half sub, but the England International ended up putting on a superb performance for the short time he was on the pitch. I'm no Crouch fan and in fact, no matter what he does positively for our side, I rarely give him rave reviews, but today he earned it. His passing and dribbling were spot on and to boot, he even got the final goal on a header from a Gerrard cross. If only he could play this well every match.
Ultimately, Rafa saw that our side was good enough to weather even the harshest storm brought about by Porto. Though we were lucky on at least one occasion, for the most part our defense was able to harbor and absorb their pace and trickery. For how sloppily we played all-round, it was quite the result. Let's just hope Rafa is around to lead us to more like it.
Liverpool 1, Porto 1: halftime thoughts
All even at a goal a piece at the half seems quite fair at this point, though a penalty our way on a handball in the box or if a one-on-one challenge by a Porto player versus Reina had not gone wide, it could very easily be one-up for either side. Either way, we don't appear the better side, but lately a sloppy first half is business as usual.
The goal, a corner from Gerrard to the head of Torres, was a decent set piece, but other than that, our attack has been woeful. In fact, Benayoun seems to be the only player cognizant of what's going on at all times and at the opposite end of the spectrum is Torres, who has either fumbled the first touch or just held on for too long.
Our poor form on attack has well made up for the cheating shenanigans of our opponents. The diving has already become viral and at times, laughable. If they weren't so poor at it and the ref had decided early on not to reward the Portuguese side for their deceptive manners, we could very well looking at a second half sans Mascherano. Hyppiä did collect a card for something, though what I'm not sure.
Porto's pace on attack has been lethal and it worries me to no end that our two centre backs are near geriatric and turtle-like by football standards. If Mascherano hadn't put on such an omnipresent and solid display, we could very easily be down at this point. Lord knows Arbeloa has not been his best. Maybe bringing in Riise for the left, taking off Finnan, who has also put on a disappointing performance, and pushing Arbeloa over to the right would be a good move. The Spaniard just seems to play with more confidence on that side.
For us to win this match, we're going to have to come together as a side and not physically. The clutter in the middle has to stop and though we did a decent job of utilizing most of the pitch, there's definitely room for improvement. If we don't start playing more as a cohesive unit and working off one another's ideas, we can kiss the Champions League goodbye (and don't care what the score in Istanbul is).
Edit: What is with all the non-movement off the ball? There's been an awfully lot of standing around by our side.
The goal, a corner from Gerrard to the head of Torres, was a decent set piece, but other than that, our attack has been woeful. In fact, Benayoun seems to be the only player cognizant of what's going on at all times and at the opposite end of the spectrum is Torres, who has either fumbled the first touch or just held on for too long.
Our poor form on attack has well made up for the cheating shenanigans of our opponents. The diving has already become viral and at times, laughable. If they weren't so poor at it and the ref had decided early on not to reward the Portuguese side for their deceptive manners, we could very well looking at a second half sans Mascherano. Hyppiä did collect a card for something, though what I'm not sure.
Porto's pace on attack has been lethal and it worries me to no end that our two centre backs are near geriatric and turtle-like by football standards. If Mascherano hadn't put on such an omnipresent and solid display, we could very easily be down at this point. Lord knows Arbeloa has not been his best. Maybe bringing in Riise for the left, taking off Finnan, who has also put on a disappointing performance, and pushing Arbeloa over to the right would be a good move. The Spaniard just seems to play with more confidence on that side.
For us to win this match, we're going to have to come together as a side and not physically. The clutter in the middle has to stop and though we did a decent job of utilizing most of the pitch, there's definitely room for improvement. If we don't start playing more as a cohesive unit and working off one another's ideas, we can kiss the Champions League goodbye (and don't care what the score in Istanbul is).
Edit: What is with all the non-movement off the ball? There's been an awfully lot of standing around by our side.
Liverpool vs Porto: Crouch on the bench, Aurelio nowhere to be found
Here's the line-up:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypiä
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Voronin
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Crouch
Kewell
Riise
Sissoko
Lucas
Kuyt
I'm beginning to wander about Aurelio's fitness. He's yet to see action for three weeks now with the international break and two matches since. That's probably part of the reason that Crouch is on the bench since they work best together. Babel starting is a bit baffling as well, his record shows that he's exponentially more the threat as a super-sub, while Crouch is just the opposite. Far from me to question Rafa's tactics, but if it doesn't work out, he's going to have a lot of questions to answer.
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypiä
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Voronin
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Crouch
Kewell
Riise
Sissoko
Lucas
Kuyt
I'm beginning to wander about Aurelio's fitness. He's yet to see action for three weeks now with the international break and two matches since. That's probably part of the reason that Crouch is on the bench since they work best together. Babel starting is a bit baffling as well, his record shows that he's exponentially more the threat as a super-sub, while Crouch is just the opposite. Far from me to question Rafa's tactics, but if it doesn't work out, he's going to have a lot of questions to answer.
Today's Banter: Quaresma wants weeping, Ferreira just wants focus, Lucho laidback, but Kuyt confident
Ricardo Quaresma has volunteered to be the Matías Delgado of today's match. Remember Delgado the Beşiktaş midfielder who proclaimed prior to the 8-0 thrashing his club suffered at the hands of our boys that 'This Liverpool side is vulnerable and not the super team of previous seasons'? Yeah, wasn't so smart, well, Ricardo Quaresma has one-upped the Argentine by declaring that he wants to make us fans cry. His exact words were 'They will weep with despair.' If our boys needed any more motivation, well, there you go. I hope Mascherano personally humbles 'the Q' himself.
Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira just wants his side to remain focused. Though it would appear that all the current turmoil involving Rafa and the owners would be more of a distraction for our side than his, Ferreira doesn't want his players thinking that we won't be at the top of our game because of it. He needs not look further than Barça in our tie with the Spanish club at Camp Nou last year as proof that controversy sometimes helps a side play better. After all, football is merely just a distraction in itself.
Dragões captain, Lucho González, feels all the pressure is on our side and along with Porto's carefree attitude, could be the right ingredients for an upset. He may be right, but he fails to take in consideration that our club tends to thrive on pressure. Porto also needs to remember that despite a woeful performance from our side when we played them at Estádio do Dragão, they still required a penalty to get the draw. We had one attempt, mind you not just one shot-on, that entire match, and failed to earn a single corner as well.
Dirk Kuyt has nominated himself to be the voice of the rallying cry this time. Talk is cheap, boys, just get it done.
In other news, former Academy product and brief first-team midfielder, David Thompson, has decided to throw in the towel on his career due to knee injury. The 30-year-old played in 56 total matches for our side between 1996 and 2000, tallying five goals.
Finally, it appears the knee injury that forced Paul Anderson off the pitch yesterday is being assessed as not serious and only 'badly bruised.' The on-loan at Swansea winger is very doubtful for his club's FA Cup venture to Horsham on Friday night, but will most likely be back next Tuesday to face Northampton in League One action. I'll be back later with the starting line-up against Porto. Cheers.
Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira just wants his side to remain focused. Though it would appear that all the current turmoil involving Rafa and the owners would be more of a distraction for our side than his, Ferreira doesn't want his players thinking that we won't be at the top of our game because of it. He needs not look further than Barça in our tie with the Spanish club at Camp Nou last year as proof that controversy sometimes helps a side play better. After all, football is merely just a distraction in itself.
Dragões captain, Lucho González, feels all the pressure is on our side and along with Porto's carefree attitude, could be the right ingredients for an upset. He may be right, but he fails to take in consideration that our club tends to thrive on pressure. Porto also needs to remember that despite a woeful performance from our side when we played them at Estádio do Dragão, they still required a penalty to get the draw. We had one attempt, mind you not just one shot-on, that entire match, and failed to earn a single corner as well.
Dirk Kuyt has nominated himself to be the voice of the rallying cry this time. Talk is cheap, boys, just get it done.
In other news, former Academy product and brief first-team midfielder, David Thompson, has decided to throw in the towel on his career due to knee injury. The 30-year-old played in 56 total matches for our side between 1996 and 2000, tallying five goals.
Finally, it appears the knee injury that forced Paul Anderson off the pitch yesterday is being assessed as not serious and only 'badly bruised.' The on-loan at Swansea winger is very doubtful for his club's FA Cup venture to Horsham on Friday night, but will most likely be back next Tuesday to face Northampton in League One action. I'll be back later with the starting line-up against Porto. Cheers.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Kids recap: Paul Anderson injured as Swans go top & Németh nets brace in Reserves victory
The news out of Swansea is that Paul Anderson had to leave the match with Hartlepool United today in the 53rd minute due to a knee injury. No word on the extent of the knock as of yet, but he was able to 'limp off' the pitch. Despite losing the speedy, young winger, the Swans were able to win 1-0 on an 82nd minute strike from Spanish defender Angel Rangel. It was Rangel's first goal for the club and put his side atop the League One table with 31 points and a +11 goal difference. As soon as I hear anything about the fitness of Anderson, I'll be sure to mention his status in a post.
Also in that match, Godwin Antwi started and played the full ninety for the Monkey Hangers, so I guess he's back in the good graces of manager Danny Wilson. As for our other on-loan boys, Adam Hammill got a rare start for Southampton and played the full match, but failed to be a factor in the Saints 0-2 loss at Ipswich. Besian Idrizaj wasn't even on the Crystal Palace squad who beat Preston North End 2-1 at home. Neil Warnock and Liverpool aren't exactly on the best of terms dating back to the Gérard Houllier days and leading up to last year when Warnock blamed Liverpool for playing weak sides that essentially assisted in Sheffield United's relegation. I hope Idrizaj isn't suffering the brunt of Warnock's Liverpool disdain since the young striker signed with club on a one-year loan back before Warnock became their manager. Hopefully Rafa is keeping an eye on the situation.
Finally, our Reserves side notched a 3-2 win at Man City to go third on the Barclays Premier Reserve League North table. A brace from Hungarian debutant Krisztián Németh along with a strike from Jordy Brouwer with three minutes in regulation supplied the goals. It's got to be encouraging that a side missing three of it's more important players can go on the road and beat a quality side like City. The Reserves next match is scheduled a week from today when Everton visits Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Also in that match, Godwin Antwi started and played the full ninety for the Monkey Hangers, so I guess he's back in the good graces of manager Danny Wilson. As for our other on-loan boys, Adam Hammill got a rare start for Southampton and played the full match, but failed to be a factor in the Saints 0-2 loss at Ipswich. Besian Idrizaj wasn't even on the Crystal Palace squad who beat Preston North End 2-1 at home. Neil Warnock and Liverpool aren't exactly on the best of terms dating back to the Gérard Houllier days and leading up to last year when Warnock blamed Liverpool for playing weak sides that essentially assisted in Sheffield United's relegation. I hope Idrizaj isn't suffering the brunt of Warnock's Liverpool disdain since the young striker signed with club on a one-year loan back before Warnock became their manager. Hopefully Rafa is keeping an eye on the situation.
Finally, our Reserves side notched a 3-2 win at Man City to go third on the Barclays Premier Reserve League North table. A brace from Hungarian debutant Krisztián Németh along with a strike from Jordy Brouwer with three minutes in regulation supplied the goals. It's got to be encouraging that a side missing three of it's more important players can go on the road and beat a quality side like City. The Reserves next match is scheduled a week from today when Everton visits Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Liverpool vs Porto: What will Rafa do?
Here we go again with one of those matches where everything is on the line. The bad news is we still won't have Agger and Alonso, the good news is Yossi could return, Masche should return, and Finnan will be available despite suffering a knock against Newcastle. Some of the players who Rafa starts tomorrow will be of no surprise. I can't see Benitez not going with Crouch, Gerrard, Mascherano, Carra, Hyypiä, Aurelio, Arbeloa, and of course, Reina. That really only leaves two midfield spots and whom will be paired with Crouch.
On the left there are three options: Harry Kewell, Ryan Babel, and Yossi Benayoun. I think Kewell would be the best to go with here, mainly because he's probably more fit than Yossi and Babel's pace and skill is much more deadly as a late-game sub, especially if a spark is required. That leaves us with the other midfield spot. I'm thinking Gerrard will start on the right, so the question obviously is, who will pair with Mascherano? I think I'd take Lucas over Sissoko only because the Brazilian brings so much more energy and enthusiasm to the pitch as of late.
The other option Rafa has is starting Benayoun on the right with Gerrard paired in the middle with Masche, but I think if he goes with Aurelio and Crouch, and they do their normal Fabio cross to Crouch to head on to a streaking Gerrard or Babel or whomever, the middle of the pitch usually becomes cluttered. It's best to start Gerrard on the right to open up the defense, which brings me to the other forward. The problem with starting Torres is that he's a player who rarely ventures from the penalty box corridor, so even with Kewell/Babel on the left, there would still be a large portion of uncovered pitch on that side. That leaves either Kuyt or Voronin, and since Kuyt played Saturday and Voronin seems to be better on the left as it is, I'm gonna have to go with the Ukrainian.
If we fail to establish a lead by the 60th minute, the obvious move would for Babel to come in for Kewell and Torres for Crouch. This provides us with blistering pace against a hopefully fatigued Porto side. I think it's imperative we keep the ball on the ground as much as possible and slowly breakdown the Porto defense, a swift counter on a long ball mishap is all the recipe for an easy opposition score.
Here's my final guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyppiä
Arbeloa
Riise
Mascherano
Lucas
Gerrard
Voronin
Crouch
Bench:
Itandje
Leto
Babel
Torres
Finnan
Benayoun
Kewell
I totally forgot about Riise, probably because he's been playing so poorly lately. All the more reason to see him start here. I know that doesn't leave much defensive cover on the bench, but if something were to occur, Arbeloa would just move over to the spot of need and Finnan would be brought on. I have a good feeling about this match, which isn't always a good thing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Cheers.
Rafa outwits media in pre-Porto match press conference
Despite numerous attempts to get Rafa to 'slip-up' during the pre-Porto match press conference and talk about the ongoing rift he's having with the owners, our manager wouldn't budge. You could tell from the beginning by his playful smirk of a countenance, Benitez was fully prepared to dodge any questions in that regard. The more I think about it though, and after watching it for a second time, the body language of both Rafa and Pepe Reina can almost be described as giddy. It was as if they were ecstatic that instead of concentrating on tomorrow's match, the press was concerned with off-the-pitch diversions. Maybe they are hoping this distracts Porto into thinking our boys won't be focused. It reminds me a bit of the first Barça match from last year. Don't be surprised if a win tomorrow pushes the Rafa/owners conflict down the memory hole.Overall the press conference was quite entertaining as everyone appeared to be in amicable spirits. You can read the transcript on the official site here (or if you have an e-season ticket, you can watch it there as well). You can also watch a part of it here as well.
One of the many highlights is this exchange:
Journalist: You've won a lot of trophies in your career by being single-minded and doing what you think is best for the club you've represented. Are you ever willing to compromise on that?Cheers.
Rafa: The best will be to win tomorrow, so I will try to compromise and win tomorrow.
Kids watch: It's Anderson vs Antwi, Hungarians to make Reserves debuts, Third-straight FA Youth Cup peril, & more
In League One action today, Hartlepool travel to the Liberty to take on Paul Anderson and the Swans. Godwin Antwi is on-loan to the Monkey Hangers and though he played the full ninety on Saturday, his inclusion in the starting XI is nothing definite. The 2-1 loss at Gillingham was the first time in over a month that the Ghanaian-Spanish centre back/defensive midfielder has played in a League One match for Hartlepool. Once again Swansea has a shot to top the League One table with a win.
Hungarian striker Krisztián Németh and keeper Péter Gulácsi are set to make their Reserves side debut tonight at Man City. Oddly enough, Sebastián Leto and Jack Hobbs were excluded from the side. Does that mean they'll play a part against Porto tomorrow? I can definitely see Leto playing in some sort of capacity and Hobbs on the bench as a precautionary measure, especially with Agger still apparently unavailable. I guess Lucas is now rightfully considered a member of the first team. I'll be particularly curious to see how Németh does for us tonight. If I have the time, expect a review, but with our match tomorrow, don't hold your breathe.
The chance of our youth side winning a third straight FA Cup took a huge blow when we drew perennial teenage powerhouse Wycombe. The young Wanderers have strung together an alarming run of results to start their season, which has them undefeated in 12 matches (8-4-0) with a stunning goal difference of +26. That includes a pair of 8-0 thrashings of Hereford United and a 5-0 win over Dagenham and Redbridge. All the aforementioned results were played at Adams Park, where this upcoming FA Cup battle will be played out as well on December 12th.
Other on-loan players who could see action today are Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, as the Eagles host former player Neil Mellor and Preston North End, and Adam Hammill at Southampton, as the Saints travel to Ipswich.
Hungarian striker Krisztián Németh and keeper Péter Gulácsi are set to make their Reserves side debut tonight at Man City. Oddly enough, Sebastián Leto and Jack Hobbs were excluded from the side. Does that mean they'll play a part against Porto tomorrow? I can definitely see Leto playing in some sort of capacity and Hobbs on the bench as a precautionary measure, especially with Agger still apparently unavailable. I guess Lucas is now rightfully considered a member of the first team. I'll be particularly curious to see how Németh does for us tonight. If I have the time, expect a review, but with our match tomorrow, don't hold your breathe.
The chance of our youth side winning a third straight FA Cup took a huge blow when we drew perennial teenage powerhouse Wycombe. The young Wanderers have strung together an alarming run of results to start their season, which has them undefeated in 12 matches (8-4-0) with a stunning goal difference of +26. That includes a pair of 8-0 thrashings of Hereford United and a 5-0 win over Dagenham and Redbridge. All the aforementioned results were played at Adams Park, where this upcoming FA Cup battle will be played out as well on December 12th.
Other on-loan players who could see action today are Besian Idrizaj at Crystal Palace, as the Eagles host former player Neil Mellor and Preston North End, and Adam Hammill at Southampton, as the Saints travel to Ipswich.
Today's Banter: The mass exodus that would follow Rafa, The press & pundits toe the company line, Gerrard speaks up, & more
With the impending (and ridiculous) debacle concerning the future of Rafael Benitez set to play out in the near future, a potential aftershock to ponder is that his departure could gut our side, if not first psychologically, eventually physically. The possibility of those who followed Rafa from abroad requesting a transfer or, in the case of Javier Mascherano, refusing to sign a permanent, is highly likely. Contractually obligated or not, a band of discontent players is a near impossible task to motivate and in our case, a large portion of the squad would at least secretly harbor feelings of betrayal for the men signing their paychecks.
The lack of professionalism displayed in the situation so far would surely dampen any calls of such a notion from our players. Relieving Benitez of his managerial duties is akin to a spit in the face of our Spanish, South American, and other foreign players who played under Rafa at his previous clubs. If our owners want a plague of strife followed by a substantial player-forced reshuffle that has the plausible backlash of crippling the side, then by all means they should rid themselves of Rafa and his small-spending ways. The threat of Jose Mourinho and his thriftiness is laughable at best.
This is ultimately about money, nothing more and nothing less, not egos nor power-trips. Rafa has done an absolute brilliant job at building a squad using peanuts to lure elephants. If Gillett and Hicks think that ridding themselves of the Spaniard is even an option financially, they're far worse businessmen than can be fathomed. Securing a transfer fee for Kaladze of £4m and signing Mascherano to a permanent for £17m, fee and salary, were both tremendously savvy deals. The former appears to be no longer an option while the latter is in serious jeopardy.
The monetary repercussions of dealing with a squad full of scorned players is unimaginable. The losses due to Bosmans and circumstantial devaluations could easily reach a nine-figure sum. All investment of even the past year would most likely go to waste. The oath of fealty when it comes to players always lies with their manager. He's the one that shares their love of football and there will be always be someone to sign their checks. If Gillett and Hicks truly are shrewd businessmen then a simple weighing of pros and cons can only lead them to one conclusion, give Rafa the meager amounts he needs to make your club even more profitable when you sell or suffer the consequences of even more dire financial constraints.
Perusing the press today, I found two articles of particular interest. The first is a piece at Sky Sports which is disconcerting in tone, but suspicious in agenda. According to Spain-based journalist Graham Hunter, Rafa Benitez 'has changed.' Mr. Hunter says he has heard such notions regarding the alleged personality metamorphosis from 'many people' and it is 'why so many of his friends and supporters have left the club.' Friends and supporters left the club? Like who? The only person who has left the club due to a rift with Rafa that I'm aware of is Pako Ayestaran and from what I understand that was due to a philosophical change in training methods by Benitez that Ayesteran did not support. This article has anti-Rafa PR campaign written all over it and is illogical in premise. Rafa wants what is best for the club because in the end, it's what's best for him, an attempt to imply anything different is just absurd.
Then we have an even more odd article by former Liverpool great Ian Rush. He starts out chastising Rafa Benitez for not doing things the 'Liverpool way' and keeping the rift behind closed doors, but Benitez wasn't the instigator nor the violator of the unwritten rule, Hicks and Gillett spoke first with their official statement on the official Liverpool site. Had the owners not made such a strange announcement, Rafa wouldn't have been hounded and pressured by the press to reveal the true origins of the declaration. Then Rush's article gets even more uncanny as he goes on to praise Benitez for his accomplishments in his short time with our club and makes a plea for keeping him on board. So first he slaps Rafa on the hand for something he didn't do, but then follows it up with elicit praise for our manager. Interesting.
Steven Gerrard has basically stated that he will not be getting involved in the spat between our manager and owners. I can definitely see his view, I mean, as a club we are entering a crucial string of fixtures that we need to win, especially in Champions League, and all distractions should be set aside to concentrate on the task at hand. I do hope he realizes though that if push comes to shove, he has the power to play a major role in doing what is best for the club.
Finally, two Liverpool legends, Ian Callaghan and Gerry Byrne, are set to receive winner's medals for being part of the England side that won the 1966 World Cup. Since neither player were part of the XI that played in the final, they were excluded from receiving a medal. Now thanks to England 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Richard Caborn and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, all members appointed to the squad will do so. Cheers.
The lack of professionalism displayed in the situation so far would surely dampen any calls of such a notion from our players. Relieving Benitez of his managerial duties is akin to a spit in the face of our Spanish, South American, and other foreign players who played under Rafa at his previous clubs. If our owners want a plague of strife followed by a substantial player-forced reshuffle that has the plausible backlash of crippling the side, then by all means they should rid themselves of Rafa and his small-spending ways. The threat of Jose Mourinho and his thriftiness is laughable at best.
This is ultimately about money, nothing more and nothing less, not egos nor power-trips. Rafa has done an absolute brilliant job at building a squad using peanuts to lure elephants. If Gillett and Hicks think that ridding themselves of the Spaniard is even an option financially, they're far worse businessmen than can be fathomed. Securing a transfer fee for Kaladze of £4m and signing Mascherano to a permanent for £17m, fee and salary, were both tremendously savvy deals. The former appears to be no longer an option while the latter is in serious jeopardy.
The monetary repercussions of dealing with a squad full of scorned players is unimaginable. The losses due to Bosmans and circumstantial devaluations could easily reach a nine-figure sum. All investment of even the past year would most likely go to waste. The oath of fealty when it comes to players always lies with their manager. He's the one that shares their love of football and there will be always be someone to sign their checks. If Gillett and Hicks truly are shrewd businessmen then a simple weighing of pros and cons can only lead them to one conclusion, give Rafa the meager amounts he needs to make your club even more profitable when you sell or suffer the consequences of even more dire financial constraints.
Perusing the press today, I found two articles of particular interest. The first is a piece at Sky Sports which is disconcerting in tone, but suspicious in agenda. According to Spain-based journalist Graham Hunter, Rafa Benitez 'has changed.' Mr. Hunter says he has heard such notions regarding the alleged personality metamorphosis from 'many people' and it is 'why so many of his friends and supporters have left the club.' Friends and supporters left the club? Like who? The only person who has left the club due to a rift with Rafa that I'm aware of is Pako Ayestaran and from what I understand that was due to a philosophical change in training methods by Benitez that Ayesteran did not support. This article has anti-Rafa PR campaign written all over it and is illogical in premise. Rafa wants what is best for the club because in the end, it's what's best for him, an attempt to imply anything different is just absurd.
Then we have an even more odd article by former Liverpool great Ian Rush. He starts out chastising Rafa Benitez for not doing things the 'Liverpool way' and keeping the rift behind closed doors, but Benitez wasn't the instigator nor the violator of the unwritten rule, Hicks and Gillett spoke first with their official statement on the official Liverpool site. Had the owners not made such a strange announcement, Rafa wouldn't have been hounded and pressured by the press to reveal the true origins of the declaration. Then Rush's article gets even more uncanny as he goes on to praise Benitez for his accomplishments in his short time with our club and makes a plea for keeping him on board. So first he slaps Rafa on the hand for something he didn't do, but then follows it up with elicit praise for our manager. Interesting.
Steven Gerrard has basically stated that he will not be getting involved in the spat between our manager and owners. I can definitely see his view, I mean, as a club we are entering a crucial string of fixtures that we need to win, especially in Champions League, and all distractions should be set aside to concentrate on the task at hand. I do hope he realizes though that if push comes to shove, he has the power to play a major role in doing what is best for the club.
Finally, two Liverpool legends, Ian Callaghan and Gerry Byrne, are set to receive winner's medals for being part of the England side that won the 1966 World Cup. Since neither player were part of the XI that played in the final, they were excluded from receiving a medal. Now thanks to England 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Richard Caborn and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, all members appointed to the squad will do so. Cheers.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A petition to back Rafa Benitez as manager
Please sign this petition if you support Rafa Benitez, want his services as manager retained and his transfer policies implemented. It's imperative that Gillett and Hicks understand that this isn't their club, it's ours as well.
petition link:
http://www.petitiononline.com/amg83ds/petition.html
Cheers,
Brian
petition link:
http://www.petitiononline.com/amg83ds/petition.html
Cheers,
Brian
£4m?! You're having a laugh! Is it time for Gerrard to get involved?
According to this article in the Liverpool Daily Post, the current rift between Rafa and our owners is over £4m. That's the price quoted by AC Milan for their centre back, Kahka Kaladze, a player who would have instantly provided coverage at not only at that position, but at left back as well. In hindsight, I'm not sure if it would've mattered if you consider that the more Hyppiä has played, the better he's become, but I'm also not sure how long the aging Finn can keep it up.
Ultimately though, £4m is nothing, especially of a player with Kaladze's experience and quality. If the owners are going to quarrel over what essentially is peanuts, then Rafa has every right to go elsewhere. Think about that: £4m to basically put the problem of lack of centre back depth to rest. That's utterly ridiculous and inexcusable. If that's not a clear indication that Hicks and Gillett have no clue about football and/or bit off more than they could chew when they bought the club, I don't know what is.
I initially said I wouldn't be addressing this issue, but if there's any truth to this report, it's difficult to ignore. If Rafa's job is in jeopardy because our owners are misinformed in thinking we have the horses to win any race, than maybe it's time the most influential person at the club get involved. I know it's not his place, but Gerrard should at least offer some sort of mediation. I mean, according to most newspapers and blogs, he's an expert on how to solve England's lack of international competitiveness issue, so this should be a walk in the park for him. The squad as a whole should step up and show solidarity in backing Rafa, even if they disagree with his tactics and policies. He wants what's best for the side and has the silverware to prove he knows what he's doing.
The owners need to understand that they got the steal of the century when they bought our club and with just a bit more tweaking (by investing more money, of course), they could build something special. They basically bought a squad that has tons of potential, but just not there yet. Not handing over a mere £4m to augment the side even more, worries me to no end. I'm hoping a voice of reason comes out of somewhere to set everyone straight and I'm sure Gerrard could play that role, but if the meeting on December 16th doesn't go well, we can forget about even having a hope for silverware.
One tactic that the owners have implemented that has all the scent of a bureaucratic power play is stating that Rick Parry will be in charge of transfers. Naming a mediator whom is clearly on their side is a brilliant managerial move, but will only place the club deeper into disharmony and push Rafa further out the door. Ultimately Parry doesn't control the funds nor does he know what's best for our squad, Rafa does. This is where Gerrard needs to come forward and take the side of his manager. Stevie-G is the face and clear-cut breadwinner of the club, without his heroics, the mystique is lost. He is a local boy who against all odds has become a Champion of Europe, leading our club to amazing heights. If he gets involved and the owners still don't see it Rafa's way, well, then I guess we really will know where their true intentions lie and it's not for the better of the club.
Ultimately though, £4m is nothing, especially of a player with Kaladze's experience and quality. If the owners are going to quarrel over what essentially is peanuts, then Rafa has every right to go elsewhere. Think about that: £4m to basically put the problem of lack of centre back depth to rest. That's utterly ridiculous and inexcusable. If that's not a clear indication that Hicks and Gillett have no clue about football and/or bit off more than they could chew when they bought the club, I don't know what is.
I initially said I wouldn't be addressing this issue, but if there's any truth to this report, it's difficult to ignore. If Rafa's job is in jeopardy because our owners are misinformed in thinking we have the horses to win any race, than maybe it's time the most influential person at the club get involved. I know it's not his place, but Gerrard should at least offer some sort of mediation. I mean, according to most newspapers and blogs, he's an expert on how to solve England's lack of international competitiveness issue, so this should be a walk in the park for him. The squad as a whole should step up and show solidarity in backing Rafa, even if they disagree with his tactics and policies. He wants what's best for the side and has the silverware to prove he knows what he's doing.
The owners need to understand that they got the steal of the century when they bought our club and with just a bit more tweaking (by investing more money, of course), they could build something special. They basically bought a squad that has tons of potential, but just not there yet. Not handing over a mere £4m to augment the side even more, worries me to no end. I'm hoping a voice of reason comes out of somewhere to set everyone straight and I'm sure Gerrard could play that role, but if the meeting on December 16th doesn't go well, we can forget about even having a hope for silverware.
One tactic that the owners have implemented that has all the scent of a bureaucratic power play is stating that Rick Parry will be in charge of transfers. Naming a mediator whom is clearly on their side is a brilliant managerial move, but will only place the club deeper into disharmony and push Rafa further out the door. Ultimately Parry doesn't control the funds nor does he know what's best for our squad, Rafa does. This is where Gerrard needs to come forward and take the side of his manager. Stevie-G is the face and clear-cut breadwinner of the club, without his heroics, the mystique is lost. He is a local boy who against all odds has become a Champion of Europe, leading our club to amazing heights. If he gets involved and the owners still don't see it Rafa's way, well, then I guess we really will know where their true intentions lie and it's not for the better of the club.
Liverpool 3, Newcastle 0: Player Ratings
Before I get to my ratings for Saturday's match, I'd just like to say that there's absolutely nothing going on with our beloved club. Speculation about the rift between the owners and Rafa has been taken far out of the realm of common sense and given way too much attention. Mostly from wind-up blogs and children still craving attention from their neglectful mother. Who cares? Until something actually happens, I'm not even going to address it's existence. Also, any talk of Xabi Alonso going elsewhere is rubbish. Moving on...
Pepe Reina 5
An average outing for our keeper. I thought he was a bit lucky when Alan Smith knocked it wide and also I wish he'd stop trying the long ball so often. That probably is Rafa's fault though.
Alvaro Arbeloa 4
Was quite sloppy on the ball and just seemed out of it most the match. He didn't take any Newcastle players on nor did he even appear to want to attempt a run at the goal. Like I've said prior, he looks much more comfortable on the right, which brings me to ask where was Aurelio?
Jamie Carragher 6
Carra had to do little if nothing and in fact, seemed excited to get to come up for corners. Still, he was his reliable self.
Sami Hyppiä 7
Was again outstanding. Officially got the assist to Kuyt and even though it was cheeky little deflection, it was really Gerrard who earned it. As Carra has said recently, when Sami plays well, the team plays well. He's probably earned himself another year with the club with his recent run of matches, but Agger still has to get the start when fit. Hopefully Hyypiä won't fall back into a rut when he begins to play less. Hey, maybe Carra can have some games off?
Steve Finnan 6
Other than a wild cross in the first half, he was his same old reliable, efficient self.
Lucas 7.5
What can you say about our little Brazilian wrecking ball? He's never going to get the proper recognition from the press nor pundits, but he's on pace to be a LFC great. His performance here truly showed his footy smarts and almost allows me not worry about losing Mascherano. Almost. He lead the side with 11 tackles while committing just three fouls and also lead us in attempted passes with 63 and completed passes with 59. In fact, he had more completed passes than anyone else on our side had successful ones. Oh, and he got the assist on Gerrard's free kick goal.
Sissoko 6
I don't think most people understand Momo's job out there. He's not there to score goals, make brilliant passes, or even split defenses with runs off the ball. Whenever he does do these things, it's just icing. He's a destroyer and his job is to disrupt the flow of our opponents and he does this very well. The problem is we have Xabi, Masche, and Lucas, who are all pretty good at it as well, plus offer a little bit more. I'm sure it's up to the Malian if he wants to stick around though. Speaking of Mali, he'll be joining his fellow countrymen when the Africa Cup starts up.
Gerrard 7.5 Man of the Match
I'm really tempted to give MotM to Lucas, but our skipper was just brilliant and had he not scored that free kick goal, there's a good chance the match would have ended in a scoreless draw or worse. His assist to Babel was brilliant as well. You can just see the confidence oozing in Stevie-G these days as he's on a roll. That's six goals in seven matches and seven overall. Playing him on the right allows him to roam free and give us inspirational performances like he did Saturday. I hope Rafa continues to play him at that spot even when Pennant comes back.
Harry Kewell 4
Is King Harry timid about thumping away at the ball or what? I don't think this match could have done much for his confidence since he was clearly woeful. Hopefully it won't affect his playing opportunities because he probably needs to play more often and for longer durations if he's to get in sync with the rest of the club. The difference when Ryan Babel came on the pitch was quite evident, we were a better, more fluid side.
Dirk Kuyt 6
The ever efficient Dirk Kuyt: 2 shots, 1 goal, an 84% pass completion rate, and five tackles to boot. He doesn't want your praise, he just wants to do his job.
Fernando Torres 6
A comical performance that I hope he can look back on and laugh. In the end we didn't need the two or three or even four goals he probably should have had, so I hope it doesn't have any effect on future performances. He still worried the living daylights out of the Newcastle defense and also won the foul that gave Gerrard his free kick goal.
Ryan Babel 8
Had he played the entire match, he would have probably run away with the Man-of award. All that happens when he's on the pitch for thirty minutes is we score a goal, this time he was the benefactor of his own influence. Is he the best super-sub in the league? I'm beginning to think so. He's brilliant nonetheless.
Neither Crouch nor Riise did much of anything so I won't bother taking the time to rip their poor, yet time-constrained performances. I will say this though, Riise was particularly dreadful, so much so that I'm beginning to wonder if he's fully fit.
Well, there ya go, feel free to comment back, I have about thirty that I have to go through for past posts, but I hope to get to them sometime today. No daily today since there's nothing new or relevant worth discussing. Cheers.
Pepe Reina 5
An average outing for our keeper. I thought he was a bit lucky when Alan Smith knocked it wide and also I wish he'd stop trying the long ball so often. That probably is Rafa's fault though.
Alvaro Arbeloa 4
Was quite sloppy on the ball and just seemed out of it most the match. He didn't take any Newcastle players on nor did he even appear to want to attempt a run at the goal. Like I've said prior, he looks much more comfortable on the right, which brings me to ask where was Aurelio?
Jamie Carragher 6
Carra had to do little if nothing and in fact, seemed excited to get to come up for corners. Still, he was his reliable self.
Sami Hyppiä 7
Was again outstanding. Officially got the assist to Kuyt and even though it was cheeky little deflection, it was really Gerrard who earned it. As Carra has said recently, when Sami plays well, the team plays well. He's probably earned himself another year with the club with his recent run of matches, but Agger still has to get the start when fit. Hopefully Hyypiä won't fall back into a rut when he begins to play less. Hey, maybe Carra can have some games off?
Steve Finnan 6
Other than a wild cross in the first half, he was his same old reliable, efficient self.
Lucas 7.5
What can you say about our little Brazilian wrecking ball? He's never going to get the proper recognition from the press nor pundits, but he's on pace to be a LFC great. His performance here truly showed his footy smarts and almost allows me not worry about losing Mascherano. Almost. He lead the side with 11 tackles while committing just three fouls and also lead us in attempted passes with 63 and completed passes with 59. In fact, he had more completed passes than anyone else on our side had successful ones. Oh, and he got the assist on Gerrard's free kick goal.
Sissoko 6
I don't think most people understand Momo's job out there. He's not there to score goals, make brilliant passes, or even split defenses with runs off the ball. Whenever he does do these things, it's just icing. He's a destroyer and his job is to disrupt the flow of our opponents and he does this very well. The problem is we have Xabi, Masche, and Lucas, who are all pretty good at it as well, plus offer a little bit more. I'm sure it's up to the Malian if he wants to stick around though. Speaking of Mali, he'll be joining his fellow countrymen when the Africa Cup starts up.
Gerrard 7.5 Man of the Match
I'm really tempted to give MotM to Lucas, but our skipper was just brilliant and had he not scored that free kick goal, there's a good chance the match would have ended in a scoreless draw or worse. His assist to Babel was brilliant as well. You can just see the confidence oozing in Stevie-G these days as he's on a roll. That's six goals in seven matches and seven overall. Playing him on the right allows him to roam free and give us inspirational performances like he did Saturday. I hope Rafa continues to play him at that spot even when Pennant comes back.
Harry Kewell 4
Is King Harry timid about thumping away at the ball or what? I don't think this match could have done much for his confidence since he was clearly woeful. Hopefully it won't affect his playing opportunities because he probably needs to play more often and for longer durations if he's to get in sync with the rest of the club. The difference when Ryan Babel came on the pitch was quite evident, we were a better, more fluid side.
Dirk Kuyt 6
The ever efficient Dirk Kuyt: 2 shots, 1 goal, an 84% pass completion rate, and five tackles to boot. He doesn't want your praise, he just wants to do his job.
Fernando Torres 6
A comical performance that I hope he can look back on and laugh. In the end we didn't need the two or three or even four goals he probably should have had, so I hope it doesn't have any effect on future performances. He still worried the living daylights out of the Newcastle defense and also won the foul that gave Gerrard his free kick goal.
Ryan Babel 8
Had he played the entire match, he would have probably run away with the Man-of award. All that happens when he's on the pitch for thirty minutes is we score a goal, this time he was the benefactor of his own influence. Is he the best super-sub in the league? I'm beginning to think so. He's brilliant nonetheless.
Neither Crouch nor Riise did much of anything so I won't bother taking the time to rip their poor, yet time-constrained performances. I will say this though, Riise was particularly dreadful, so much so that I'm beginning to wonder if he's fully fit.
Well, there ya go, feel free to comment back, I have about thirty that I have to go through for past posts, but I hope to get to them sometime today. No daily today since there's nothing new or relevant worth discussing. Cheers.
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