Not really that bad, but... well, you know... First, Babel is not a winger. When the fuck is Benitez going to wake up and realize this? Benayoun should have started, this isn't rocket science. Being an avid defender of Benitez is really making me look bad and having Ryan 'I have no clue how to the pass the ball despite having four defenders on me' Babel play wing is not helping.
Torres needs to stop being a little bitch, This is the Premiership, stop falling down when one of your hairs get out of place. Jesus Christ, yes, your a great player, but when the hell are you going to stop using your ability to deceive and start utilizing your strength to man-handle defenders? This is English football for fuck's sake.
I have beef with Carra as well, but I know when I'm walking on thin ice. What the fuck, dude? I know you love all things Liverpool, but when the fuck are going to learn to trust Skrtel? The guy hardly fucks up as it is, and we don't need you breaking his jaw on really bad decisions to go for the ball.
A bad start nonetheless even though Reina once again proved he's one of the best keepers in the world. Glen Johnson was outstanding as well, not to mention Lucas showing he's grown some balls. We need six points in the next two no matter what and fuck that FSC fucker who said that was our 'whole squad'. Really you dipshit England and Newcastle reject? Where was Riera, Agger, or Aquilani? Not to mention Martin Kelly is the next Steven Gerrard, Fuck off, you douche.
Showing posts with label Babel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Babel. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Tinkerman tinkers versus Portsmouth
No Torres, Xabi, Riera, nor Kuyt to start. Strangeways here we come... again. Torres being worn and Xabi being knocked are understandable... somewhat, but the absences of Kuyt and Riera are a bit baffling. Cahill and Arteta as well as a plethora of others played today for Everton?
Anyways, with that said, I like when Benitez gambles, as long as it works, but today's line-up is severely defensive-minded. Five defenders plus Mascherano? Agger has the ability to play midfield as he is good enough on the ball and an adequate passer with the talent to make the occasional great play. Not sure if he's to start there along side Masche though. Dossena and Aurelio on the left should be interesting as both players like going forward. No matter what though, a Pompey goal against will be nothing short of embarrassing.
On the attack side, it's going to be up to Benayoun to lead. Yossi has been playing exceptionable lately though, hopefully that will rub off on Babel and Ngog. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Mascherano or even Carragher uncharacteristically forward. Here's to being back on top by the end of ninety.
Anyways, with that said, I like when Benitez gambles, as long as it works, but today's line-up is severely defensive-minded. Five defenders plus Mascherano? Agger has the ability to play midfield as he is good enough on the ball and an adequate passer with the talent to make the occasional great play. Not sure if he's to start there along side Masche though. Dossena and Aurelio on the left should be interesting as both players like going forward. No matter what though, a Pompey goal against will be nothing short of embarrassing.
On the attack side, it's going to be up to Benayoun to lead. Yossi has been playing exceptionable lately though, hopefully that will rub off on Babel and Ngog. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Mascherano or even Carragher uncharacteristically forward. Here's to being back on top by the end of ninety.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
God Bless the Fates for Dirk Kuyt?
Gees, what a way to win the match. Played useless for most the match and then he comes up with the most important goal for the season so far. No big surprise.
So I've slept through the season so far, this match being little difference. In our defense, Liege played 8 back for the majority, but with the amount of talent we have, it shouldn't have been this hard.
My man of the match? Well, nobody, really. Skrtel was somewhat of a standout, but for the most part no one appeared to be able to figure out the Pandora's Jar that was Liege's defense. Nabil El Zhar and Babel certainly streesed out their defense though.
Well, hopefully our run of playing less than mediocre and producing results will continue this weekend.
So I've slept through the season so far, this match being little difference. In our defense, Liege played 8 back for the majority, but with the amount of talent we have, it shouldn't have been this hard.
My man of the match? Well, nobody, really. Skrtel was somewhat of a standout, but for the most part no one appeared to be able to figure out the Pandora's Jar that was Liege's defense. Nabil El Zhar and Babel certainly streesed out their defense though.
Well, hopefully our run of playing less than mediocre and producing results will continue this weekend.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Liverpool at Beşiktaş: the line-up
Here it is:
Reina
Riise
Hyypia
Carragher
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Voronin
Subs:
Itandje
Hobbs
Alonso
Sissoko
Lucas
Benayoun
Crouch
No big surprises except maybe Crouch not starting. I could care less, after his Marseilles performance he can rot on the bench until January and then sold. We need Agger back soon as I don't feel comfortable with Hyypia playing this often. Also, what's up with Arbeloa? Is he injured? He's not even on the bench. Weird. Anyhow, boys, let's get this done.
Reina
Riise
Hyypia
Carragher
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Voronin
Subs:
Itandje
Hobbs
Alonso
Sissoko
Lucas
Benayoun
Crouch
No big surprises except maybe Crouch not starting. I could care less, after his Marseilles performance he can rot on the bench until January and then sold. We need Agger back soon as I don't feel comfortable with Hyypia playing this often. Also, what's up with Arbeloa? Is he injured? He's not even on the bench. Weird. Anyhow, boys, let's get this done.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Liverpool 2, Tottenham 2: the 'game-winner'?
Well, before I get to the actual match, once again Fox Soccer makes themselves look like a bunch of donkeys. Apparently Torres' extra-time header was the 'game-winner'. I wish, but at least it gave me a little chuckle, something I need after that pathetic display.
I don't know where to start. Our whole side played pretty poor and the worse part is if we hadn't been distracted by the stadium intercom announcer, (btw, what was that about?) we would have probably won.
Who played well? No one. Well, maybe Stevie Finnan, but that's it. It was a poor display all-round. Now teams know how to beat us, just keep trying the long ball.
I feel sorry for Reina, without Agger we look pretty pathetic at the back. We need the Dane back as soon as possible and Rafa needs to buy the best centre back as possible in the January transfer window.
Anyhow, I'm pretty disgusted by the whole affair and don't really want to get into it, but our ball movement is shoddy at best. We don't look like a team out there at all. There's no flow whatsoever, it's very disheartening. Maybe it's time Rafa brings in some kids, at least then we have an excuse for being poor.
I don't know where to start. Our whole side played pretty poor and the worse part is if we hadn't been distracted by the stadium intercom announcer, (btw, what was that about?) we would have probably won.
Who played well? No one. Well, maybe Stevie Finnan, but that's it. It was a poor display all-round. Now teams know how to beat us, just keep trying the long ball.
I feel sorry for Reina, without Agger we look pretty pathetic at the back. We need the Dane back as soon as possible and Rafa needs to buy the best centre back as possible in the January transfer window.
Anyhow, I'm pretty disgusted by the whole affair and don't really want to get into it, but our ball movement is shoddy at best. We don't look like a team out there at all. There's no flow whatsoever, it's very disheartening. Maybe it's time Rafa brings in some kids, at least then we have an excuse for being poor.
Liverpool vs Tottenham: the line-up
And the envelop reads...
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Riise
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Voronin
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Lucas
Still no Babel starting and Lucas on the bench. Interesting. As long as there's no Crouch.
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Riise
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Voronin
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Lucas
Still no Babel starting and Lucas on the bench. Interesting. As long as there's no Crouch.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Liverpool vs Tottenham: What will Rafa do?
Screw Rafa. He'll probably put out the usual boring, recycled line-up that he usually does, same players, different names. This post is about what I would do. So here we go.
Let's start up front where I would pair Babel with Kuyt. Babel hasn't played in the last three games and I'm sure is itching to get back on the pitch. He says he wants the opportunity to play forward, so let's see what he can do. Kuyt is a given, but he needs to end his current streak of futility.
At midfield on the left I would start Aurelio. He didn't look very comfortable at left back during the Marseilles match and constantly played forward, so let's see what he can do starting there. In the middle, I'd pair Gerrard and Mascherano. No explanation required and on the right, JP, who should be well-rested after his imposed Champions League night off.
At left back, I'd go with Riise. He and Aurelio can switch off on who goes ahead and who stays back on attack. My centre backs would be Carra and Arbeloa, who got his first night off of the year Wednesday. Finally, Finnan gets the call on the right and Pepe is the only keep for me.
There you have it.
Reina
Riise
Carra
Arbeloa
Finnan
Aurelio
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Babel
My bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Benayoun
Sissoko
Torres
We really miss Agger and Alonso, hopefully they, along with Kewell, will return soon.
All this talk of having to win is rubbish. If we have to start talking about winning then there's something wrong with the ideology being instilled in our players. We should expect to win and not have to talk about. It should part of the club culture and instilled in the players that wear the kit. It worries me when I hear such notions.
Let's start up front where I would pair Babel with Kuyt. Babel hasn't played in the last three games and I'm sure is itching to get back on the pitch. He says he wants the opportunity to play forward, so let's see what he can do. Kuyt is a given, but he needs to end his current streak of futility.
At midfield on the left I would start Aurelio. He didn't look very comfortable at left back during the Marseilles match and constantly played forward, so let's see what he can do starting there. In the middle, I'd pair Gerrard and Mascherano. No explanation required and on the right, JP, who should be well-rested after his imposed Champions League night off.
At left back, I'd go with Riise. He and Aurelio can switch off on who goes ahead and who stays back on attack. My centre backs would be Carra and Arbeloa, who got his first night off of the year Wednesday. Finally, Finnan gets the call on the right and Pepe is the only keep for me.
There you have it.
Reina
Riise
Carra
Arbeloa
Finnan
Aurelio
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Babel
My bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Benayoun
Sissoko
Torres
We really miss Agger and Alonso, hopefully they, along with Kewell, will return soon.
All this talk of having to win is rubbish. If we have to start talking about winning then there's something wrong with the ideology being instilled in our players. We should expect to win and not have to talk about. It should part of the club culture and instilled in the players that wear the kit. It worries me when I hear such notions.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Liverpool vs Marseille: the line-up
Here it is:Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Leto (--------->)
Sissoko
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres
Crouch
Bench:
Itandje
Arbeloa
Riise
Babel
Voronin
Kuyt
Mascherano
Leto to start! Can't wait. Babel must be in the dawg house with Benitez. I'm really surprised to see Sissoko start over Mascherano, it must mean that Rafa wants our attacking shoes on. This one should be fun. Cheers.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Today's Banter: Rafa may sit Torres, Martin to Yeovil?, CNN needs a better fact checker, & more
- Rafa has made sure that everyone knows this is his club when he stated that Torres' performance last night doesn't guarantee him a place at Wigan on Saturday. It might be best to start him on the bench anyhow as we should have a fresh Kuyt and Voronin, both of whom should be looking to redeem themselves after Saturday's subpar performance versus Birmingham.
- It's looking less likely that a rumored loan move for keeper David Martin to Yeovil Town will come to fruition. With last night's shaky performance from Frenchman Charles Itandje, it's understandable that Rafa wants to keep the 21-year-old Reserves keeper around. If Itandje stumbles on his second outing, I fully expect Martin to get his shot. Both Martin and out-on-loan Nikolay Mihaylov gave solid performances in the preseason.
- CNN made a slight and understandable error in this report from yesterday's Sevilla-Espanyol match, unless Luis Garcia was recently loaned out from Atletico to Espanyol. I think I would have heard about it though.
- Coppell claims it's Torres' pace that sets him apart from other players. I would have to agree that El Nino has some speed and quickness, but he's also strong and how can you not deny his uncanny ability to score any which way by foot after the Chelsea goal and the phenomenal second strike yesterday? He's just so unpredictable on the ball.
- Finally, Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt have both been named to Marco Van Bastien's provisional Holland squad for their upcoming Euro qualifier matches in mid-October. The fixtures are just three weeks away. Cheers.
- It's looking less likely that a rumored loan move for keeper David Martin to Yeovil Town will come to fruition. With last night's shaky performance from Frenchman Charles Itandje, it's understandable that Rafa wants to keep the 21-year-old Reserves keeper around. If Itandje stumbles on his second outing, I fully expect Martin to get his shot. Both Martin and out-on-loan Nikolay Mihaylov gave solid performances in the preseason.
- CNN made a slight and understandable error in this report from yesterday's Sevilla-Espanyol match, unless Luis Garcia was recently loaned out from Atletico to Espanyol. I think I would have heard about it though.
- Coppell claims it's Torres' pace that sets him apart from other players. I would have to agree that El Nino has some speed and quickness, but he's also strong and how can you not deny his uncanny ability to score any which way by foot after the Chelsea goal and the phenomenal second strike yesterday? He's just so unpredictable on the ball.
- Finally, Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt have both been named to Marco Van Bastien's provisional Holland squad for their upcoming Euro qualifier matches in mid-October. The fixtures are just three weeks away. Cheers.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Liverpool 0, Birmingham 0: final thoughts
After viewing this match for the second time, with much less emotion involved since I knew the outcome, I have to say that the reason Liverpool did not get the three points is because most of the team, particularly up front, were mentally unprepared for this match while Birmingham seemed quite the opposite.
Kuyt was appalling and Voronin wasn't much better. In fact, I would have to say this is the worse match I have ever seen Kuyt play. He seemed to turn the ball over nearly every time he got possession or he took a bad shot when there was a smarter pass. Voronin appeared to just be waiting for the ball to come to him instead of going after it.
Overall we lacked intensity as a side, save Carra and Mascherano, who more than made up for his poor performance in Portugal last week. You can blame Rafa for not starting Torres all you want, but Kuyt should have been more than capable of getting the job done. If Dirk played for Birmingham he would easily be their best player.
I do have a problem with Rafa's subbing though. I feel as if Torres should have been brought on for Kuyt and if Babel needed to come off for one reason or another, then Finnan could have been brought in, Arbeloa pushed over to the left and Riise pushed up to midfield. Kuyt should have been taken off at the half in my opinion as he had no business wearing the shirt that day.
You can say that Birmingham played solid defense, but the truth is, Kuyt had plenty of opportunity to at least be the catalyst in scoring a goal and he messed up time and time again. His head clearly wasn't in the match.
The funny thing is, if we were Man United, we would have won this by at least a goal. Case in point, as the first half was coming to a close, Carra made a brilliant pass to Kuyt in the box who controlled and turned to shoot. Just as he was about to do so though, the ref blew the whistle to end the half. Apparently only Man U gets extra time to score the goal they need.
Also, Torres should have had a penalty late in the game. After being set-up by a nice pass from Pennant, he faked out Queudrue in the box and the Frenchman not only clearly obstructs El Nino's forward movement, but also grabs his shirt to prevent him from continuing play. If Saha's dive was a penalty, then there's no question that that was one as well.
Some other points, Babel wasn't at his best, but he by no means cost us the match. He needs to work on his corners a little bit though. Speaking of set plays, the few we got, we were abominable, except for maybe the last corner where Gerrard found Crouch's head with a perfect pass, though the latter couldn't finish the job.
Defensively, Arbeloa had his second lackluster performance in a row and I think it's time he get a game off. If he starts against Reading tomorrow, I'll be surprised. Riise seemed to lose steam as the match wore on, but I wouldn't characterize his performance as anything less than average. Carra and Hyypia were adequate if anything.
As for our skipper, I've seen him play better, but for the most part he just faded in and out of the match. I'm hoping the week off gets him back into preseason form. If he was so fatigued though, I wonder why Rafa just didn't let him and Mascherano switch up and make Stevie-G the holding midfielder?
Birmingham said they were going to focus on Pennant and most the first half they did. It allowed Babel more space, but the Dutchman still preferred to go inside instead of out, which sort of took away the space he would have provided had he gone wide. I can't really complain about Pennant's performance as he was hounded throughout the day and when they finally let up, he became more of a threat and created a few chances for us.
My man of the match is Mascherano, though I've seen him play much better. In fact, with Hyypia and Carra sitting so far back the entire match, Masche certainly could have gotten more involved on the attack. He did towards the end, but it was too little too late. He was tackling was on point per usual and he was without a doubt a menace to the Blues the entirety of the match.
I guess Birmingham does deserve some credit for executing their game plan, but in truth, it was just a poor, insipid performance by Kuyt and Voronin that cost us. Maybe if Babel stayed to the left more, Dirk and Andriy would have had more room to operate, but what's done is done and all we can hope is that he learns from it.
Reading next and I'm think why Carra and Hyypia were basically planters was because we'll probably need them to do the same tomorrow at the Mad Stad. I'll have my 'What will Rafa do?' up soon. Cheers.
Kuyt was appalling and Voronin wasn't much better. In fact, I would have to say this is the worse match I have ever seen Kuyt play. He seemed to turn the ball over nearly every time he got possession or he took a bad shot when there was a smarter pass. Voronin appeared to just be waiting for the ball to come to him instead of going after it.
Overall we lacked intensity as a side, save Carra and Mascherano, who more than made up for his poor performance in Portugal last week. You can blame Rafa for not starting Torres all you want, but Kuyt should have been more than capable of getting the job done. If Dirk played for Birmingham he would easily be their best player.
I do have a problem with Rafa's subbing though. I feel as if Torres should have been brought on for Kuyt and if Babel needed to come off for one reason or another, then Finnan could have been brought in, Arbeloa pushed over to the left and Riise pushed up to midfield. Kuyt should have been taken off at the half in my opinion as he had no business wearing the shirt that day.
You can say that Birmingham played solid defense, but the truth is, Kuyt had plenty of opportunity to at least be the catalyst in scoring a goal and he messed up time and time again. His head clearly wasn't in the match.
The funny thing is, if we were Man United, we would have won this by at least a goal. Case in point, as the first half was coming to a close, Carra made a brilliant pass to Kuyt in the box who controlled and turned to shoot. Just as he was about to do so though, the ref blew the whistle to end the half. Apparently only Man U gets extra time to score the goal they need.
Also, Torres should have had a penalty late in the game. After being set-up by a nice pass from Pennant, he faked out Queudrue in the box and the Frenchman not only clearly obstructs El Nino's forward movement, but also grabs his shirt to prevent him from continuing play. If Saha's dive was a penalty, then there's no question that that was one as well.
Some other points, Babel wasn't at his best, but he by no means cost us the match. He needs to work on his corners a little bit though. Speaking of set plays, the few we got, we were abominable, except for maybe the last corner where Gerrard found Crouch's head with a perfect pass, though the latter couldn't finish the job.
Defensively, Arbeloa had his second lackluster performance in a row and I think it's time he get a game off. If he starts against Reading tomorrow, I'll be surprised. Riise seemed to lose steam as the match wore on, but I wouldn't characterize his performance as anything less than average. Carra and Hyypia were adequate if anything.
As for our skipper, I've seen him play better, but for the most part he just faded in and out of the match. I'm hoping the week off gets him back into preseason form. If he was so fatigued though, I wonder why Rafa just didn't let him and Mascherano switch up and make Stevie-G the holding midfielder?
Birmingham said they were going to focus on Pennant and most the first half they did. It allowed Babel more space, but the Dutchman still preferred to go inside instead of out, which sort of took away the space he would have provided had he gone wide. I can't really complain about Pennant's performance as he was hounded throughout the day and when they finally let up, he became more of a threat and created a few chances for us.
My man of the match is Mascherano, though I've seen him play much better. In fact, with Hyypia and Carra sitting so far back the entire match, Masche certainly could have gotten more involved on the attack. He did towards the end, but it was too little too late. He was tackling was on point per usual and he was without a doubt a menace to the Blues the entirety of the match.
I guess Birmingham does deserve some credit for executing their game plan, but in truth, it was just a poor, insipid performance by Kuyt and Voronin that cost us. Maybe if Babel stayed to the left more, Dirk and Andriy would have had more room to operate, but what's done is done and all we can hope is that he learns from it.
Reading next and I'm think why Carra and Hyypia were basically planters was because we'll probably need them to do the same tomorrow at the Mad Stad. I'll have my 'What will Rafa do?' up soon. Cheers.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Liverpool 0, Birmingham 0: embarassing
Well, it looks like our old haunt of not being able to finish has returned. Kuyt couldn't kick the ball into the stands if he wanted to. All his tireless effort seem to just get him tired and I hate dogging on the kid, but gees, I feel like I'm watching Toronto FC out there at times.This is the third straight match that I've disagreed with Rafa's selection. Torres should have started. What? Is he saving him for Reading and the Carling Cup? Rubbish. I have no problems with his tinkering, but for Christ sake, if you're going to do it have the guts to do something different.
Do you want to know why we are such a dreary side? It's because Rafa is afraid to really mix things up. Play a different formation, play Babel up front, put Voronin on the left, do something. The only critics who would be against it are old men living in an old world and they can go piss off.
Nobody is buying that we are any different from last year nor the year before because we aren't. We've reverted back to the old ways despite the new faces. Nobody eats stale bread because they know it's stale. They just leave it on the table to be thrown away.
I'm fully convinced we lost the league today and the only bright spot was we didn't give away a penalty. Ugh. Okay, let me calm down. I'll be back later.
Liverpool vs Birmingham: the line-up
Here it be:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Voronin
Kuyt
Subs:
Itandje
Finnan
Crouch
Torres
Sissoko
Interesting having Mascherano in there. I thought for sure he'd be given the day off to think about his performance against Porto. I guess Sissoko will play Tuesday. Kuyt and Voronin is interesting as well. I know they've played together, but I believe this is the first time they've started alongside one another in a match that counts. Rafa means business today. Here's to Pennant wreaking havoc. Cheers.
Oh, yeah, also Robbie Fowler has a brace so far for Cardiff today.
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Voronin
Kuyt
Subs:
Itandje
Finnan
Crouch
Torres
Sissoko
Interesting having Mascherano in there. I thought for sure he'd be given the day off to think about his performance against Porto. I guess Sissoko will play Tuesday. Kuyt and Voronin is interesting as well. I know they've played together, but I believe this is the first time they've started alongside one another in a match that counts. Rafa means business today. Here's to Pennant wreaking havoc. Cheers.
Oh, yeah, also Robbie Fowler has a brace so far for Cardiff today.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Liverpool vs Birmingham: What will Rafa do?
Well, we went from arguably the easiest match to predict so far this season, to quite possibly the hardest league fixture so far. Wait until our Cup ties start, then it gets next to impossible to guess what Rafa the Mad Tinkerer will come up with.
There are a lot of outside factors to consider this week, especially at right midfield. It's Yom Kippur so that may rule out Benayoun. Jermaine Pennant's reckless performance at Porto may also see him starting from the bench. Also, with the Carling Cup tie coming up against Reading next Tuesday and Rafa apparently taking it more seriously this time around, you wonder who he'll reserve. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gerrard start on the right with Sissoko and Mascherano in the middle. It also wouldn't shock me to see Riise or Aurelio start on the left and Babel start on the right.
In other words, I have no clue what Rafa is going to do. Since it is a 'lesser' side, I hope he goes balls out and that doesn't mean bringing in any Reserves, but I don't really consider Sebastian Leto nor Lucas as full-time Reserves like I do say Robbie Threlfall or Ray Putterill. No offense to those two as they have both showed promise when given the opportunity, they just aren't as ready as the aforementioned pair. Once again, I would love to know what is up with Harry Kewell, having him fit for this match would be a huge boost. Ultimately, I'm looking for Rafa to take some risks here. As his squads have gotten deeper, he's gotten more predictable and I believe that's taken off some of the edge.
GK - Reina
If he's fit, he plays, and as far as I know, he's fine.
LB - Riise
He's back and he could start at left-mid with Aurelio here, but I think Rafa will want him to take it easy after coming back from a groin pull.
CB - Carragher
We need him to stay as healthy as possible.
CB - Arbeloa
Younger than Hyypia and though he could use a day off, I just don't see it happening here.
RB - Finnan
When's he fit, he'll play.
LM - Aurelio
I think Rafa goes defensive here, but that's using logic.
CM - Sissoko
Is back and after Masche's performance at Porto, the Argentine needs a day off.
CM - Gerrard
When he's fit and rested, he'll play.
RM - Benayoun or Babel
I don't see Pennant starting here only because his recent rash play and the fact that he used to play for Birmingham. I can see him making some bad decisions on and off the ball. Benayoun will start if Yom Kippur doesn't conflict, if not it will probably be Babel.
F - Voronin
I think Rafa will look to allow the Ukrainian to redeem himself for Portsmouth.
F - Torres
Torres will stay on until the three points are secured and then look for Crouch to get some pitch time
Bench:
Itandje
Mascherano
Hyypia
Babel or Leto (it depends whether or not Benayoun is available to play)
Crouch
I have no confidence that Rafa's selection will be the same, but that's pretty much who I would play. Cheers.
There are a lot of outside factors to consider this week, especially at right midfield. It's Yom Kippur so that may rule out Benayoun. Jermaine Pennant's reckless performance at Porto may also see him starting from the bench. Also, with the Carling Cup tie coming up against Reading next Tuesday and Rafa apparently taking it more seriously this time around, you wonder who he'll reserve. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gerrard start on the right with Sissoko and Mascherano in the middle. It also wouldn't shock me to see Riise or Aurelio start on the left and Babel start on the right.
In other words, I have no clue what Rafa is going to do. Since it is a 'lesser' side, I hope he goes balls out and that doesn't mean bringing in any Reserves, but I don't really consider Sebastian Leto nor Lucas as full-time Reserves like I do say Robbie Threlfall or Ray Putterill. No offense to those two as they have both showed promise when given the opportunity, they just aren't as ready as the aforementioned pair. Once again, I would love to know what is up with Harry Kewell, having him fit for this match would be a huge boost. Ultimately, I'm looking for Rafa to take some risks here. As his squads have gotten deeper, he's gotten more predictable and I believe that's taken off some of the edge.
GK - Reina
If he's fit, he plays, and as far as I know, he's fine.
LB - Riise
He's back and he could start at left-mid with Aurelio here, but I think Rafa will want him to take it easy after coming back from a groin pull.
CB - Carragher
We need him to stay as healthy as possible.
CB - Arbeloa
Younger than Hyypia and though he could use a day off, I just don't see it happening here.
RB - Finnan
When's he fit, he'll play.
LM - Aurelio
I think Rafa goes defensive here, but that's using logic.
CM - Sissoko
Is back and after Masche's performance at Porto, the Argentine needs a day off.
CM - Gerrard
When he's fit and rested, he'll play.
RM - Benayoun or Babel
I don't see Pennant starting here only because his recent rash play and the fact that he used to play for Birmingham. I can see him making some bad decisions on and off the ball. Benayoun will start if Yom Kippur doesn't conflict, if not it will probably be Babel.
F - Voronin
I think Rafa will look to allow the Ukrainian to redeem himself for Portsmouth.
F - Torres
Torres will stay on until the three points are secured and then look for Crouch to get some pitch time
Bench:
Itandje
Mascherano
Hyypia
Babel or Leto (it depends whether or not Benayoun is available to play)
Crouch
I have no confidence that Rafa's selection will be the same, but that's pretty much who I would play. Cheers.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Liverpool 1, Porto 1: Man of the Match
Whoa, were my fellow Liverpool fans watching the same match I was? I just checked out the Fan's Man of the Match over at the official site and it had Dirk Kuyt voted first by the fans followed by Sami Hyypia and Mascherano?! Holy shit on a stick! Are you serious? Do I have unrealistic expectations of our Argentine midfielder or were you all drunk? Masche was appalling. I will admit that Hyypia started out just as unimpressive, but got better as the match progressed.
The site's picks were Jamie Carragher first followed by Hyypia and then Kuyt. There's just no way I put Kuyt behind Hyypia since it was mostly the latter's fault that they got the penalty. And what about Finney? Kudos for giving credit to one of our unsunge heroes in Carra, but I'd put Finnan above Hyypia as well.
In fact, if I had to rate our players in order from best to worst it would go something like this:
1. Kuyt
1. Carra
Kuyt is my Man of the Match, but I can't put Carragher very far behind him as he was in his inspirational form. The never-say-die Dutchman was relentless and per usual did what ever he was asked when he moved over to the right after Pennant was sent off. Carra was tremendous in keeping Porto and the ball away from the box.
3. Finnan
Another quiet, flawless performance. I'm going to start calling him the ghost because not only does he haunt our opponents, but no one ever seems to notice him.
4. Torres
El Nino did what El Nino was brought on to do, create space for Gerrard and worry the hell out of our opponent's defenses. He sent them scrambling mad on a couple of occasions.
5. Babel
It would have been nice if someone would have gotten open when he had the ball deep down in Porto territory.
6. Reina
Made a great save, but made questionable decisions in the box and on the ball, especially early on.
6. Hyypia
Almost made up for the penalty with his clearance and got better as the match wore on.
8. Gerrard
Was apparently hanging out with Harry Kewell.
9. Arbeloa
Looked tired and made some poor decisions after he was beat. His positioning was questionable as well.
10. Mascherano
His legal issues must be affecting him or he was having flashbacks of the Copa final when he heard the Porto players speaking in Portuguese.
11. Pennant
Thought his name was Ashley Cole again.
I'm not going to bother with the subs. Saturday can't come soon enough. Cheers.
The site's picks were Jamie Carragher first followed by Hyypia and then Kuyt. There's just no way I put Kuyt behind Hyypia since it was mostly the latter's fault that they got the penalty. And what about Finney? Kudos for giving credit to one of our unsunge heroes in Carra, but I'd put Finnan above Hyypia as well.
In fact, if I had to rate our players in order from best to worst it would go something like this:
1. Kuyt
1. Carra
Kuyt is my Man of the Match, but I can't put Carragher very far behind him as he was in his inspirational form. The never-say-die Dutchman was relentless and per usual did what ever he was asked when he moved over to the right after Pennant was sent off. Carra was tremendous in keeping Porto and the ball away from the box.
3. Finnan
Another quiet, flawless performance. I'm going to start calling him the ghost because not only does he haunt our opponents, but no one ever seems to notice him.
4. Torres
El Nino did what El Nino was brought on to do, create space for Gerrard and worry the hell out of our opponent's defenses. He sent them scrambling mad on a couple of occasions.
5. Babel
It would have been nice if someone would have gotten open when he had the ball deep down in Porto territory.
6. Reina
Made a great save, but made questionable decisions in the box and on the ball, especially early on.
6. Hyypia
Almost made up for the penalty with his clearance and got better as the match wore on.
8. Gerrard
Was apparently hanging out with Harry Kewell.
9. Arbeloa
Looked tired and made some poor decisions after he was beat. His positioning was questionable as well.
10. Mascherano
His legal issues must be affecting him or he was having flashbacks of the Copa final when he heard the Porto players speaking in Portuguese.
11. Pennant
Thought his name was Ashley Cole again.
I'm not going to bother with the subs. Saturday can't come soon enough. Cheers.
Liverpool 1, Porto 1: the goal
Great team work. Torres won the foul, Finnan took the kick, Hyypia got the header assist, and Kuyt headed it home. It's Kuyt's third CL goal this season and fourth for his career. Cheers.
Today's Banter: Reaction to yesterday's match
Before I begin to criticize other's reactions to the match, let me make it clear that with our horrid performance and the fact that it was away, we really had no right taking a point yesterday. If it weren't for the performances of Carra, Kuyt, and Finnan, we probably wouldn't have. Babel and Torres weren't bad either, but other than those five, those were some of the worst efforts I have ever witnessed from our side.
I was especially disappointed in Mascherano and Pennant. I have stood up for JP countless times and yesterday he really let me down. He was nowhere near his form from last year. Maybe he isn't mature or secure enough to work in the rotation environment that any big club is going to utilize when going for multiple cups. I'm not going to bother to psycho-analyze the kid, but seriously, JP, get your shit together or ask for a transfer. With Benayoun on the bench, Kewell on his way back, Babel as versatile as he is, and Leto collecting Reserves caps, you should be worried about keeping your spot. As for Masche, I just think he had a bad outing and I don't expect one as poor ever again. On to the muck.
Some people think that certain individual efforts aren't to blame, especially Pennant and Reina. I don't know where that guy heard or read that people were blaming Reina and Pennant. If it wasn't for Reina, we would have lost 2-1 easy. His passing at times was a bit suspect and I'm not sure why Porto didn't just run over to Babel every time Pepe was about to attempt a goal kick, but as the game progressed, Reina's decisions got better. As for Pennant, he was appalling and I blame Rafa for leaving him in too long more than anything.
The same bloke who is hearing voices in his head also wonders why Liverpool are 'scared of the football'. That whole post is just preposterous. Scared to pass to each other? Are you having a laugh? Our passing was just off, particularly Masche's, that's it. Making a mountain out of mole hill, especially away in Europe is a bit ridiculous. And by the way, though I did predict the line-up accurately, Agger would replace Hyypia in our best XI. That's not an excuse though, for a man his age, Hyypia's form has been wholly impressive so far this season, but that was his least mentionable match so far.
On the official site, there are a couple of interesting articles. The first one is Rafa's reflections on the match. He seems somewhat pleased with the result and I for one agree with him. Ten-men for much of the second half when we appeared to be an actual threat to score and going home with a point, is nothing in which to be disappointed. Especially considering they needed a penalty to score on us. I definitely agree that we looked better and better towards the end of the match, but disagree that Torres should have been taken out. Unless El Nino was fatigued or for some other reason requested a sub, he should have been left in. Voronin basically brought the same elements to the match, nothing more and possibly less. Defenses just don't have the same respect for the Ukrainian as they do the Spaniard.
Also on the official site, Carra seems to be defending his buddy and captain, Stevie-G, by calling him the 'best skipper in the world'. No shit, Jamie, but if you are somehow trying to assuage us fans of his performance yesterday, you're wasting your breathe. He may have not been his best, but he did not cost us anything. A top form Gerrard would have probably put the team on his back and garnered us the three points, but yesterday he was merely just a cog in the inefficient machine. I expect better, but it's done and over so there's no point.
Apparently Rafa planned on subbing Pennant right before he was sent off. I was planning on moving to Hollywood and becoming the next Marlon Brando once, but it never happened. I'm so glad the ref saved him the trouble. Seriously, I'm usually not one to criticize Rafa's decisions, but this is the second match in a row that I have issues with his moves or lack thereof. Thankfully he has Birmingham at Anfield next weekend where he could play some of the members of the ladies team and still get the win.
Finally, we have Chris Bascombe's match review from the Echo which per usual was class. He not only blames our boys for a wasted evening, but also the Porto side, who for all accounts should have whipped up on us. I kind of think he fails to give Carra and Finnan the credit they deserve on defense, but they're used to it.
Bascombe also brings up some interesting things that I failed to notice. The first being Pennant's tendencies to dive this year. Last year he was on the brunt end of some bad non-calls and maybe he's been hanging out with Arbeloa too much these days. Seriously, JP, not that you should give a rat's ass, but I'm almost at my wits end with your behavior so far this season. Maybe the loss of Craig Bellamy, a man who probably wouldn't dive if both his legs were broken in half, has had a negative effect on you.
Another observation the Echo writer makes is the lack of Xabi's influence might have been integral. I never thought about it, but he's probably right, though with Xabi's poor attitude lately he could have easily been a card casualty as well. Furthermore, who says Rafa would have put Xabi in, and if he did, he would have probably put him in for Stevie-G instead of Masche, who should have been taken off so he can think about being mentally prepared to play next time. I wonder if all the talk of his potential legal troubles had an effect on him? I hope not. Cheers.
I was especially disappointed in Mascherano and Pennant. I have stood up for JP countless times and yesterday he really let me down. He was nowhere near his form from last year. Maybe he isn't mature or secure enough to work in the rotation environment that any big club is going to utilize when going for multiple cups. I'm not going to bother to psycho-analyze the kid, but seriously, JP, get your shit together or ask for a transfer. With Benayoun on the bench, Kewell on his way back, Babel as versatile as he is, and Leto collecting Reserves caps, you should be worried about keeping your spot. As for Masche, I just think he had a bad outing and I don't expect one as poor ever again. On to the muck.
Some people think that certain individual efforts aren't to blame, especially Pennant and Reina. I don't know where that guy heard or read that people were blaming Reina and Pennant. If it wasn't for Reina, we would have lost 2-1 easy. His passing at times was a bit suspect and I'm not sure why Porto didn't just run over to Babel every time Pepe was about to attempt a goal kick, but as the game progressed, Reina's decisions got better. As for Pennant, he was appalling and I blame Rafa for leaving him in too long more than anything.
The same bloke who is hearing voices in his head also wonders why Liverpool are 'scared of the football'. That whole post is just preposterous. Scared to pass to each other? Are you having a laugh? Our passing was just off, particularly Masche's, that's it. Making a mountain out of mole hill, especially away in Europe is a bit ridiculous. And by the way, though I did predict the line-up accurately, Agger would replace Hyypia in our best XI. That's not an excuse though, for a man his age, Hyypia's form has been wholly impressive so far this season, but that was his least mentionable match so far.
On the official site, there are a couple of interesting articles. The first one is Rafa's reflections on the match. He seems somewhat pleased with the result and I for one agree with him. Ten-men for much of the second half when we appeared to be an actual threat to score and going home with a point, is nothing in which to be disappointed. Especially considering they needed a penalty to score on us. I definitely agree that we looked better and better towards the end of the match, but disagree that Torres should have been taken out. Unless El Nino was fatigued or for some other reason requested a sub, he should have been left in. Voronin basically brought the same elements to the match, nothing more and possibly less. Defenses just don't have the same respect for the Ukrainian as they do the Spaniard.
Also on the official site, Carra seems to be defending his buddy and captain, Stevie-G, by calling him the 'best skipper in the world'. No shit, Jamie, but if you are somehow trying to assuage us fans of his performance yesterday, you're wasting your breathe. He may have not been his best, but he did not cost us anything. A top form Gerrard would have probably put the team on his back and garnered us the three points, but yesterday he was merely just a cog in the inefficient machine. I expect better, but it's done and over so there's no point.
Apparently Rafa planned on subbing Pennant right before he was sent off. I was planning on moving to Hollywood and becoming the next Marlon Brando once, but it never happened. I'm so glad the ref saved him the trouble. Seriously, I'm usually not one to criticize Rafa's decisions, but this is the second match in a row that I have issues with his moves or lack thereof. Thankfully he has Birmingham at Anfield next weekend where he could play some of the members of the ladies team and still get the win.
Finally, we have Chris Bascombe's match review from the Echo which per usual was class. He not only blames our boys for a wasted evening, but also the Porto side, who for all accounts should have whipped up on us. I kind of think he fails to give Carra and Finnan the credit they deserve on defense, but they're used to it.
Bascombe also brings up some interesting things that I failed to notice. The first being Pennant's tendencies to dive this year. Last year he was on the brunt end of some bad non-calls and maybe he's been hanging out with Arbeloa too much these days. Seriously, JP, not that you should give a rat's ass, but I'm almost at my wits end with your behavior so far this season. Maybe the loss of Craig Bellamy, a man who probably wouldn't dive if both his legs were broken in half, has had a negative effect on you.
Another observation the Echo writer makes is the lack of Xabi's influence might have been integral. I never thought about it, but he's probably right, though with Xabi's poor attitude lately he could have easily been a card casualty as well. Furthermore, who says Rafa would have put Xabi in, and if he did, he would have probably put him in for Stevie-G instead of Masche, who should have been taken off so he can think about being mentally prepared to play next time. I wonder if all the talk of his potential legal troubles had an effect on him? I hope not. Cheers.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Liverpool 1, Porto 1: simply appalling
Where to begin? Well, first, that was the worse match I've ever seen Mascherano play. From the beginning it looked as if he was somewhere else. I'm not sure it was because he rarely plays for us these days, but his decisions on the ball were atrocious. I was actually surprised to not see him collect a few yellow cards (Yes, a few) with his suspect tackling.
Pennant was also a joke. I have no idea why Benayoun wasn't brought in to start the second half because it looked quite apparent to me that JP was a red card waiting happen. This was easily his worse appearance for us that I've witnessed. He needs to get his head together because if he continues being such a menace, he's really just a waste of space and that's a shame because he's so talented.
Gerrard, Arbeloa, and Hyypia were unimpressive as well.
As a team, we were shocking. Near the end we seemed to get it together and had a couple of near chances, but honestly, I didn't think we were going to score anyway. In the end, Porto were either just as poor or our defense is just that damn good, you can decide because I don't really care.
Positives? I thought Torres did well to worry the defense and forced them to have at least two to three players there, just in case. Kuyt played well also and probably should have gotten the penalty call after being pushed down in the box by a Porto defender, but it was away so we weren't going to get any calls. Babel put in a decent effort also, even if it found him all alone deep in the enemy's territory at most points.
Do I have a right to complain about a 1-1 draw at our most difficult opponent in the group stage's home? Not sure. I think if we played better, we could have pulled off the win, but maybe I'm not giving the Porto defense enough credit.
In the end I look at it this way, we played like crap and still got the point because of a penalty. That's impressive on some levels. Nobody was hurt and now Pennant will be available for more league matches. Mascherano though was wholly disappointing and I hope he never puts in a performance that awful again.
Pennant was also a joke. I have no idea why Benayoun wasn't brought in to start the second half because it looked quite apparent to me that JP was a red card waiting happen. This was easily his worse appearance for us that I've witnessed. He needs to get his head together because if he continues being such a menace, he's really just a waste of space and that's a shame because he's so talented.
Gerrard, Arbeloa, and Hyypia were unimpressive as well.
As a team, we were shocking. Near the end we seemed to get it together and had a couple of near chances, but honestly, I didn't think we were going to score anyway. In the end, Porto were either just as poor or our defense is just that damn good, you can decide because I don't really care.
Positives? I thought Torres did well to worry the defense and forced them to have at least two to three players there, just in case. Kuyt played well also and probably should have gotten the penalty call after being pushed down in the box by a Porto defender, but it was away so we weren't going to get any calls. Babel put in a decent effort also, even if it found him all alone deep in the enemy's territory at most points.
Do I have a right to complain about a 1-1 draw at our most difficult opponent in the group stage's home? Not sure. I think if we played better, we could have pulled off the win, but maybe I'm not giving the Porto defense enough credit.
In the end I look at it this way, we played like crap and still got the point because of a penalty. That's impressive on some levels. Nobody was hurt and now Pennant will be available for more league matches. Mascherano though was wholly disappointing and I hope he never puts in a performance that awful again.
Liverpool vs Porto: the line-up
Here it is:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Lucas
Voronin
Benayoun
Aurelio
Agger
Crouch
Looks scarily familiar. Just as a heads up, there's little to no chance I'll be doing a halftime thoughts post because I'll be at the pub. I will be back after the match though. Cheers.
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Lucas
Voronin
Benayoun
Aurelio
Agger
Crouch
Looks scarily familiar. Just as a heads up, there's little to no chance I'll be doing a halftime thoughts post because I'll be at the pub. I will be back after the match though. Cheers.
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