Liverpool at Man City: I have no clue what Rafa will do...

...mainly because I've been computer-less for about a week now. Which is also the reason for my lack of updates. I apologize, but hey, Man U lost today and Arsenal is losing (knock on wood).

Because I don't have a computer, I'm pretty much lost in what's going on in Liverpool land, so I don't have much of a clue of who's set to go. Is Arbeloa still ill? Have there been any fresh injuries? I have no clue.

So here's my guess anyhow:
Reina
Auelio
Agger
Carragher
Arbeloa (or Finnan)
Riise
Xabi
Mascherano
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Finnan (or Hobbs)
Babel
Kewell
Benayoun

That's who I'd go with anyhow, pretty much what I consider our best defensive XI. With United's loss today, a win tomorrow has become even more crucial. Cheers, and I should be back tomorrow with a recap though I won't be announcing the starting line-up.

Are Man U fans worried?

I'm not sure what warranted this, but I would think that Red Devils supporters would be more concerned with Arsenal than poor, little Liverpool. I hope this doesn't lead to a Chelsea-like treatment. Blues fans seem to write and talk more about us than they do their own side, it would be quite sad to see the mighty Man U crowd go the same route.

And by the way, there's a reason why Man U have won so many Premiership titles and other than a few spurts during the Busby years, were non-competitive in the Old First Division. It's called the Michael Jordan effect, used by the league, in this case, the revamped top flight English football league, and the media that reap the most benefits from it's success, which would be Sky. Creating excitement by having one side constantly and consistently dominate is a great way to draw 'fans' of the insecure nature, they will then have something to feel confident about. Most Man U supporters aren't fans of football, they're sad losers who haven't a chance in life, so they needed to grasp to anything that represents otherwise, ethics aside.

And since I'm using this post as therapy, that Chelsea-Villa match was horrible. Laughable decision after comical call, the ref made a mockery of the sport. When are we going to get a fifth official, video replay, and open mics on the officials? Oh for the integrity of the game.

Liverpool 2, Derby 1: When we find ourselves in times of trouble...

...all we have to do is call on Stevie-G. Fekkin' brilliant.

And he had a shit match otherwise.

As I said in my preview, this was not going to be an easy task, but the determination of our fearless captain pulled it out... again. I know I don't have to say it, but there's absolutely no player in the world with his class. Not even close. He can be having a woeful day and then put our side on his back and refuse to accept to defeat as he did. Absolutely, positively, fekkin' magic.

Fernando Torres, also once again, showed why we paid £20m for him. His goal was a phenomenal piece of class, something you rarely get to see at this level. It's disappointing that he can't play so mesmerizingly genius the entire match, but I'll take the few seconds that he can.

Derby needs to be commended for their effort. They certainly didn't deserve to walk away with nothing. I can already read the rubbish headlines now and honestly, it's disrespectful to the Rams. They were the better side in the second half by a mile.

I'm not sure what our deal was, maybe we were looking ahead to Sunday's match at Eastlands, but that's no excuse. We were not a top side today, to say the least. I was disappointed in Rafa's tactics as well. I would have gone with a different starting line-up and taking Hyppiä off, unless he was injured, was clearly a mistake.

I'll get into individual efforts when I do my player ratings, but if I had to pick a Man of the Match right now, I have no clue who'd I pick. Torres and Gerrard for their mere seconds of genius and conviction I guess are deserving, as is Xabi for his brilliant passing. In fact, Alonso made two world class passes in the first five minutes of the match, something we usually fail to do an entire ninety minutes.

And when the night is cloudy, there's still a light that shines on me... Stevie F'n G.

Liverpool at Derby: Strangedays Rafa returns

Here's the verdict:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Voronin
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Benayoun
Lucas
Kuyt
Mascherano

I don't know where to begin. Babel on the right? No defensive players on the bench? Well, other than Mascherano, but that doesn't really count. I have concerns... this is a good side, not our best possible, but still, no excuses for anything less than three points.

My 2007 World's Best XI

I'm pretty bored, so I thought I'd throw my irrelevant two cents into the mix. Here's who I think were the world's best XI in 2007. Feel free to flog me, I know nothing, of course.

GK - Petr Čech
Casillas, Reina, and Buffon are all incredible, but some of the saves Čech makes are just plain silly. Rarely does a side score against him without a phenomenal effort.

LB - Gianluca Zambrotta
Heinze, Thuram, and Lahm are all tremendous as well, but Zambrotta is probably the most consistent.

CB - John Terry
CB - Fabio Cannavaro
Just too many good ones, and really, it comes down to personal preference. Carra would no doubt be in the squad. I don't really want to get into it, but these are the two I would trust most if I were managing the world's best XI.

RB - Steve Finnan
Yeah, I know I'll get plenty of flack for this one, but Finney was the second best overall defensive player in the Premiership last season according to Actim and his qualities are undeniable. Even at 31, he's arguably the best right wing-back in the world. Dani Alves and even Arbeloa deserve recognition as well.

LM/LW - Lionel Messi
This isn't even debatable. Not even Ronaldinho takes his spot.

CM/DM - Javier Mascherano
Simply the best defensive midfielder in the world. Dietmar Hamann is going to be hard to leave out of the squad though.

CM - Steven Gerrard
If I have to defend this pick, you're a victim of the anti-English press or your own inability to know world-class when you see it.

RM/RW - Kaká
You can pretty much start him anywhere at midfield or forward with this side. With Gerrard and Mascherano there to provide cover, he, like Messi, are just additional forwards.

FW - Fernando Torres
FW - Didier Drogba
As with CB, there's just so much quality at that spot that it comes down to personal preference.

Squad (23 total):
Pepe Reina
Jamie Carragher
Cristiano Ronaldo
David Villa
Philipp Lahm
Andrea Pirlo
Patrice Evra
Franck Ribéry
Carles Puyol
Ronaldinho
Dani Alves
Deco

I think I'm pretty fair in my assessment overall. Like I said, I think the Finnan pick is a bit controversial, as even a lot of Liverpool fans don't seem to realize his consistency and contributions though he's clearly a tremendous player. Alves is not as good as Finney defensive-wise, but he is superior in the pace and attacking aspects.

I really hate putting Pirlo on just the squad. He's probably my favorite Italian player and for someone who loathes the Italian game, he'll always be one of my favorite players of all-time. Gattuso is nothing compared to Mascherano, and I'm not having a go with that, I'm just preaching the truth.

I don't feel as if I have to defend putting Carra on the squad, but I will. First of all, go ask the Milan and Chelsea players how good he is, they'll tell ya. Second, he's also pretty versatile having played fullback for Liverpool in his earlier years, and he can even play defensive midfield, as he has with England.

I'm pretty confident that this side could go undefeated and win any league at the moment and the Champions League and domestic cup as well. There's just very little fault. They may not be as defensive-minded as even I would like, but a clean sheet against a side of this caliber would be an unbelievable effort.

My LFC Player of the Year: Javier Mascherano

Let me first say that Steven Gerrard is definitely just as deserving, but I think Masche's contributions to the side in the past twelve months have been equally important and influential. Others that I considered were Finnan, Arbeloa, Reina, and of course, Carragher, but it really only came down to two.

Mascherano became a huge asset to our side when we got him on loan last January. His impact was instantly evident after immediately stepping into our starting side and I truly believe that it was the addition of him that lead us to our second Champions League final in three years. Not to mention he made Kaká look very average in that match.

I have little problem calling the Argentine the best defensive midfielder in the world. His most important contribution to the side though, as I've mentioned in the past, is that he allows Steven Gerrard to roam around the pitch unfettered. He has gained the trust of our iconic captain, which is probably the greatest comment a player of Gerrard's caliber can offer.

Like in chess, to be able to dominate the middle of the pitch is instrumental in winning a match, and Masche has shown to be able to do so in world-class fashion. He displays such brilliance with an undying effort and at least appears to wear the shirt with unequaled passion as if he was a Scouser himself. To say we need to lock him down for the rest of his career should be added to the dictionary as an example of redundant.

Liverpool at Derby: What would Carra do?

In the spirit of Saturnalia, I thought I'd do a little role reversal and with Carra considered the player most knowledgeable football-wise on the side, he would most likely switch with Rafa.

I have a feeling that this match will be a lot tougher than we hope. First off, Derby has been playing better as of late under Paul Jewell who took over at the end of November. They basically held United to three goals at Old Trafford and were unlucky not to get three points at St. James Park, though it isn't as if that is a monumental task these days. I don't buy the rubbish of their injury issues either, there's not a huge discrepancy of talent between their normal starters and their bench, so pride and determination would play a huge part to begin with.

As for who we'll play, I'm not completely convinced we need to go with our best available side. Man City awaits on Saturday at Eastlands, so I'm not sure it's wise to risk fatigue and injury. Crouch's suspension doesn't help though, a front line of Kuyt and Voronin would seem a bit futile, though we could start Babel there. I think Hobbs is likely to get the start over 'Old Man' Hyppiä.

Here's my guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carra
Hobbs
Arbeloa
Kewell
Xabi
Lucas
Benayoun
Voronin
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Riise
Hyypiä
Babel
Gerrard

If Crouch was available, I could definitely see him starting here. I believe Finnan is still injured, if not, he'd also probably get the start. I think we'll win, just not as impressively as most will think. I'm sure the 2-0 victory by Chelsea at Pride Park in late November will elude the ever omnipotent post-match press, once the reviews are published. Cheers.

Pompey fans struggling for positives, slag off on Anfield

I just had to share this link.

Apparently they don't have much to take from the actual match, understandably so. Anyhow, I guess we Liverpool fans should be 'very, very, very, very, very embarassed' that playing a truly small and insignificant club like Portsmouth doesn't get us going.

Yes, I'm 'avin a larf!