The first match I get to watch live in nearly two weeks and it does nothing for my confidence in this side. In fact it confirms any doubts that we are a second rate European side. It's not that Real Madrid dominated, because they didn't, but they clearly have the next level of talent that we lack. We had no answer for Rodriquez, Roos, and of course, Ronaldo, as they easily moved the ball downfield, creating opportunity after opportunity.
There was nothing to be done about the first goal and if Rodriguez and Ronaldo continue to develop that kind of on-field telepathy, the Champions League is their oyster. The second goal was clearly a fluke as Benzema will try to claim he meant to bloop it in the net like that, but his overall and past performances are clear indications he benefits greatly from having world class teammates. The overrated Frenchman did little else, but make bad decisions on the ball and was gifted the third goal as our defence showed it's true 'lack of communication' colors once again.
It's not that Stevie-G and company put in a bad performance, but they were clearly over-whelmed by a much more talented side. Some of the usual problems we've had this season on attack were even more exposed by the quicker Madridistas. When we weren't being painfully predictable on the ball, making errant passing, not creating space nor finding it, they were taking the ball from us with ease. It became almost a comical affair towards the end, as if we were a school boy side given a once-in-a-million shot at one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Unfortunately this wasn't a movie and in reality, the school boy side loses no matter how valiant they fight.
I don't really have time to get into individual player performances, but I will say that Coutinho and Gerrard were the best of the bunch. The Brazilian and our captain played their hardest, but weren't going to take down the Spanish giants by themselves. The worst were Balotelli and Glen Johnson, who appeared to return to his turnover prone ways. The Italian just has no heart, no determination, is easily deterred, and lacks chemistry with his teammates. Seems like a matter of time before rumours of his transfer in January take fruition, especially if we can line-up a replacement or possibly two.
I was not able to watch the full matches against West Brom nor QPR, but from highlights and statistics, they weren't impressive wins. Since neither side is top ten material, it should be alarming. I'm not one of those 'hey, three points is three points people', especially against clubs we should dominate if we have dreams of returning to Champions League next season. Our side isn't in trouble, but we can forget about winning anything, we just aren't good enough.
Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Basel FC 1, Liverpool 0: 'We didn't get going quickly'? Rubbish.
I have plenty to say about today's match and will wait to be more objective, but for Rodgers to come out and say 'We didn't get going quickly' is complete ox arse. At least Gerrard admitted, 'We were not good enough tonight.' Damn right you weren't. In fact there was no 'we' to begin with, our boys had as much cohesiveness as a half-drunk Sunday side in the park who had never played together before and quite frankly, it was embarrassing.
We were tired, quite obviously. Yes, our squad has been decimated with injuries, but that doesn't excuse the dreadful passing display. I honestly think Sterling should have been given the day off and Suso given his spot. A win would have been nice, but a draw more ideal. We got neither though.
I can say their goal was 'luck', but unlike Everton last Saturday, Basel created many more legitimate chances. They deserved that goal and it's hard to argue against it. We deserved to score as well, but didn't. Sterling wasted many a chance and the rest of the side didn't do much better.
We were dispossessed entirely too easily and it was mainly because of our indecisiveness on the ball. We were predictable and clearly lacked the intuitiveness needed to anticipate fellow players' moves. I don't want to blame one player in particular for our 'self-stifling' attack, but I will say this, Loic Remy, bad heart and all, or Samuel Eto'o, wheelchair and all, would have been better acquisitions.
This was a rare occasion. Maybe it was because of the foreign atmosphere, but Hendo and Sterling did not play well. Despite travel time in the England squad, they appeared quite uncomfortable in the unfamiliar confines of Saint Jakob-Park. They are the heart of the side now with Gerrard playing third fiddle. Had Sir Gerrard crumbled, we would have been in huge trouble.
On the other end of the spectrum, Coutinho was fantastic, at least in the first half. Some of the passes he made were spot on, especially to his diminutive English counterpart. In fact, he might be the poster child to being a more efficient side and player as Sterling clearly needs some time off. Hendo's performance was surprising though, since he's yet to show any affects from fatigue.
I'm getting really tired of the Markovic criticism though. Once again, he's 20-years-old, and showed much improvement today. Sure he made a few mindless passes, mostly due to misinterpreting his clubmates' moves, but he was much better on the ball. He's going to be a great buy, but needs time, much like Sterling and Coutinho did.
I don't know how much I want to write about Balotelli. Until he and the club realize he is not the player they are trying to utilize him as, it's a waste of every one's time. He will not beat one yet two defenders on the dribble, he will not make many brilliant passes, and he will not get as many calls as he should. I don't necessarily believe he needs a 'partner' striker, but he does need solid service and with Sterling, Coutinho, Gerrard, Can, and Henderson, that should be the issue. The issue relies in his positioning and communicating between he and his potential assisters.
In the end, I think I agree with our Captain, we aren't good enough. Fortunately for us, I think we have the ability to get much better, so I don't think bringing in another player is necessary. We look like a bunch of individuals out there masquerading as a team. That has to stop, we have to gel, or we are looking at a long and down-winding road.
We were tired, quite obviously. Yes, our squad has been decimated with injuries, but that doesn't excuse the dreadful passing display. I honestly think Sterling should have been given the day off and Suso given his spot. A win would have been nice, but a draw more ideal. We got neither though.
I can say their goal was 'luck', but unlike Everton last Saturday, Basel created many more legitimate chances. They deserved that goal and it's hard to argue against it. We deserved to score as well, but didn't. Sterling wasted many a chance and the rest of the side didn't do much better.
We were dispossessed entirely too easily and it was mainly because of our indecisiveness on the ball. We were predictable and clearly lacked the intuitiveness needed to anticipate fellow players' moves. I don't want to blame one player in particular for our 'self-stifling' attack, but I will say this, Loic Remy, bad heart and all, or Samuel Eto'o, wheelchair and all, would have been better acquisitions.
This was a rare occasion. Maybe it was because of the foreign atmosphere, but Hendo and Sterling did not play well. Despite travel time in the England squad, they appeared quite uncomfortable in the unfamiliar confines of Saint Jakob-Park. They are the heart of the side now with Gerrard playing third fiddle. Had Sir Gerrard crumbled, we would have been in huge trouble.
On the other end of the spectrum, Coutinho was fantastic, at least in the first half. Some of the passes he made were spot on, especially to his diminutive English counterpart. In fact, he might be the poster child to being a more efficient side and player as Sterling clearly needs some time off. Hendo's performance was surprising though, since he's yet to show any affects from fatigue.
I'm getting really tired of the Markovic criticism though. Once again, he's 20-years-old, and showed much improvement today. Sure he made a few mindless passes, mostly due to misinterpreting his clubmates' moves, but he was much better on the ball. He's going to be a great buy, but needs time, much like Sterling and Coutinho did.
I don't know how much I want to write about Balotelli. Until he and the club realize he is not the player they are trying to utilize him as, it's a waste of every one's time. He will not beat one yet two defenders on the dribble, he will not make many brilliant passes, and he will not get as many calls as he should. I don't necessarily believe he needs a 'partner' striker, but he does need solid service and with Sterling, Coutinho, Gerrard, Can, and Henderson, that should be the issue. The issue relies in his positioning and communicating between he and his potential assisters.
In the end, I think I agree with our Captain, we aren't good enough. Fortunately for us, I think we have the ability to get much better, so I don't think bringing in another player is necessary. We look like a bunch of individuals out there masquerading as a team. That has to stop, we have to gel, or we are looking at a long and down-winding road.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Liverpool 2, PFC Ludogorets Razgrad 1: The same old rubbish
Like clockwork, the problems plaguing our side once again reared their ugly heads. We couldn't score despite plenty of intrusions into our opponent's third and got caught out of position at the back. We were lucky not to lose and the only way to justify a win is to say we deserved it, but even that is laying it on a bit thick. Sure, we dominated the match, played a reckless style that was enjoyable to watch, but should have scored loads of goals and not allowed any by a clearly inferior side.
Sterling has to take his shots, forget about trying to help Balotelli break the duck or trying to share the wealth with his captain, he has to shoot it. Has he lost his confidence? If so, his play on the ball doesn't show it, he should just thump away without a concious like Suarez did last year. I'd rather he take it on a decent look than lay off and let the defence collapse around whomever receives it. It became infectious as even Gerrard passed on a decent look at the top of the box where he has, in the very least, challenged the keeper many times throughout his career.
Beyond that, after the first goal, eighty-two minutes into the match and seen coming from a mile away, Rodgers should have pulled everyone back instead of allowing his players to be greedy. I know it's not his style, but it should have been 4-0 at that point, take what you can get and park the bus. Our defence become porous and Ludogorets produced counter after counter with ease. Once Sakho and Lovren got 'adventurous' the probable became inevitable. Also, Mignolet didn't help with his decision to come out of net so early. Then, of course, we are saved by a dubious penalty, which probably did more bad than good. No matter what, we must learn to score without Sturridge, whom along with Gerrard, saved us many a time last season.
As for individual performances, Lallana is now 0-2 on chances to impress. Big surprise, I thought he was going to show me I was wrong about him being a wasted £26m? Yeah, not gonna happen, if he pulls his club out of this scoring rut, I may lay off of him, but he won't. We'll be laughing about him being the second worst acquisition in LFC history soon enough. I also thought Southampton was going to be relegated? Again, ridiculous.
Balotelli was probably the man of the match, but Moreno needs special mention for his assist, five chances created, 37/41 passing (90.2%), and 3 tackles for good measure. Also, Manquillo was a beast on defence, leading the side with 8 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 3 clearances. In the end, it's a much needed three points for our Champions League cause. Next we have West Ham at Upton, which means Sam Allardyce trying to measure up against Rodgers and Liverpool's superior talent. I will be shocked if Big Sam takes a stifling defensive approach, but if he does, it won't be the first time he's surprised me. Hopefully we'll find an answer to our scoring issues early on and then pour it on.
Sterling has to take his shots, forget about trying to help Balotelli break the duck or trying to share the wealth with his captain, he has to shoot it. Has he lost his confidence? If so, his play on the ball doesn't show it, he should just thump away without a concious like Suarez did last year. I'd rather he take it on a decent look than lay off and let the defence collapse around whomever receives it. It became infectious as even Gerrard passed on a decent look at the top of the box where he has, in the very least, challenged the keeper many times throughout his career.
Beyond that, after the first goal, eighty-two minutes into the match and seen coming from a mile away, Rodgers should have pulled everyone back instead of allowing his players to be greedy. I know it's not his style, but it should have been 4-0 at that point, take what you can get and park the bus. Our defence become porous and Ludogorets produced counter after counter with ease. Once Sakho and Lovren got 'adventurous' the probable became inevitable. Also, Mignolet didn't help with his decision to come out of net so early. Then, of course, we are saved by a dubious penalty, which probably did more bad than good. No matter what, we must learn to score without Sturridge, whom along with Gerrard, saved us many a time last season.
As for individual performances, Lallana is now 0-2 on chances to impress. Big surprise, I thought he was going to show me I was wrong about him being a wasted £26m? Yeah, not gonna happen, if he pulls his club out of this scoring rut, I may lay off of him, but he won't. We'll be laughing about him being the second worst acquisition in LFC history soon enough. I also thought Southampton was going to be relegated? Again, ridiculous.
Balotelli was probably the man of the match, but Moreno needs special mention for his assist, five chances created, 37/41 passing (90.2%), and 3 tackles for good measure. Also, Manquillo was a beast on defence, leading the side with 8 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 3 clearances. In the end, it's a much needed three points for our Champions League cause. Next we have West Ham at Upton, which means Sam Allardyce trying to measure up against Rodgers and Liverpool's superior talent. I will be shocked if Big Sam takes a stifling defensive approach, but if he does, it won't be the first time he's surprised me. Hopefully we'll find an answer to our scoring issues early on and then pour it on.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Three weeks of hell? Or has the Fixture God shown mercy?
Liverpool play seven matches in three weeks starting with Villa at Anfield on Saturday. The thing is, all seven are winnable, even with the injuries we have sustained recently. The 2-0-1 record, 7 points, and current third place standing on the table are flattering to deceive for the Villans. To say they've been lucky would be the understatement of the season by far. They were manhandled at Stoke in their first match, but somehow managed a 1-0 win. They needed a red card by Newcastle to get a 0-0 result at home in week two, and barely managed to hold on against Hull at Villa Park two weekends ago. Karma has to catch up with them at some point and history says it could very well come Saturday.
Next up we host Ludogorets on Tuesday, our easiest Champions League fixture by far. I can see Rodgers going with a 'weaker' side in this match, hopefully Suso will play a part. I don't know if he'll go as far as starting Borini, but he could make the bench. Then we go to Upton Park to take on the Hammers, where Liverpool has won 7 of the last 9 matches and Rodgers has never lost to Allardyce or West Ham. The London club has the sixth most efficient defence, but sixth worst attacking efficiency, who knows how that could change when they face the equally volatile Hull City on Monday.
Three days later, Liverpool host Middlesborough in the League Cup. We should definitely see an 'experimental' side here. If Markovic hasn't broken his duck by then, this will be his best opportunity. Liverpool have not lost to the Boro at Anfield since March 6, 1976, 38 years ago and before I was born. The two have not met since 2009, when the then Premier League side beat Liverpool 2-0 at Riverside. I remember the dismal affair, Nabil El Zhar started for us, Xabi scored an own goal, and Tuncay sealed it in the 63rd minute. LFC dominated the match in every aspect, winning 9 corners to Boro's 2, having 16 shots, 7 on-target to the home side's 5 and 3 respectively, 84.7% to 65.6% passing, and 72% to 28% possession, but just couldn't score. It was one of the matches looked back on as costing Liverpool the title that season and baffled many as the Reds had just beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu three days earlier.
One of the harder matches of the lot is Liverpool hosting Everton the Saturday following the Boro fixture. I'm not really that worried as much as I probably should be when it comes to hosting the lesser Liverpool club. They have not beaten us in four years, at Anfield in 19 years, and how suspect their defence has been this season, we should be able to get the goals needed for three points. Any result less than a win will be unacceptable and detrimental to any chance of winning the League.
If a visit from the Blue side of Merseyside isn't the hardest fixture of this bunch, the trip to Basel four days later definitely is. Kicking off October at the defending Swiss Super League Champions in our second CL fixture isn't the worst of scenarios, but even if our squad isn't as injury depleted as it is now, we will still have fatigued players. That'll be six matches in 19 days, only Man City have the depth to maintain a high level of football during that kind of run. The good news is, we've never lost to Basel, that bad news is, we've never beaten Basel and we've only ever played them twice. The 'Rotblau' currently sit atop the SSL table, are unbeaten in 7 matches with 6 wins, and lead the league in goals scored with 18. I still think we can get a win here, but will not be too aggrieved if we only manage a draw. Wins at home are a must in CL group play and that should be enough to get us through to the elimination round.
Finally, we end the Shine on Harvest Moon tour with a visit from West Brom. The Baggies have baffled us the past few years, a ship that seemed to be righted with our 4-1 dismantling of the West Midlands club, but a title costly 1-1 result at the Hawthorns last February rekindled the recent pain. Before winning at Anfield in two of the last three meetings, WBA hadn't won there since 1965. Liverpool are 3-1-4 versus West Brom in their last 8 meetings in all comps, but the Baggies have the least efficient defence in the league by quite a distance. We should be able to end this run with three points as long as we don't beat ourselves.
Next up we host Ludogorets on Tuesday, our easiest Champions League fixture by far. I can see Rodgers going with a 'weaker' side in this match, hopefully Suso will play a part. I don't know if he'll go as far as starting Borini, but he could make the bench. Then we go to Upton Park to take on the Hammers, where Liverpool has won 7 of the last 9 matches and Rodgers has never lost to Allardyce or West Ham. The London club has the sixth most efficient defence, but sixth worst attacking efficiency, who knows how that could change when they face the equally volatile Hull City on Monday.
Three days later, Liverpool host Middlesborough in the League Cup. We should definitely see an 'experimental' side here. If Markovic hasn't broken his duck by then, this will be his best opportunity. Liverpool have not lost to the Boro at Anfield since March 6, 1976, 38 years ago and before I was born. The two have not met since 2009, when the then Premier League side beat Liverpool 2-0 at Riverside. I remember the dismal affair, Nabil El Zhar started for us, Xabi scored an own goal, and Tuncay sealed it in the 63rd minute. LFC dominated the match in every aspect, winning 9 corners to Boro's 2, having 16 shots, 7 on-target to the home side's 5 and 3 respectively, 84.7% to 65.6% passing, and 72% to 28% possession, but just couldn't score. It was one of the matches looked back on as costing Liverpool the title that season and baffled many as the Reds had just beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu three days earlier.
One of the harder matches of the lot is Liverpool hosting Everton the Saturday following the Boro fixture. I'm not really that worried as much as I probably should be when it comes to hosting the lesser Liverpool club. They have not beaten us in four years, at Anfield in 19 years, and how suspect their defence has been this season, we should be able to get the goals needed for three points. Any result less than a win will be unacceptable and detrimental to any chance of winning the League.
If a visit from the Blue side of Merseyside isn't the hardest fixture of this bunch, the trip to Basel four days later definitely is. Kicking off October at the defending Swiss Super League Champions in our second CL fixture isn't the worst of scenarios, but even if our squad isn't as injury depleted as it is now, we will still have fatigued players. That'll be six matches in 19 days, only Man City have the depth to maintain a high level of football during that kind of run. The good news is, we've never lost to Basel, that bad news is, we've never beaten Basel and we've only ever played them twice. The 'Rotblau' currently sit atop the SSL table, are unbeaten in 7 matches with 6 wins, and lead the league in goals scored with 18. I still think we can get a win here, but will not be too aggrieved if we only manage a draw. Wins at home are a must in CL group play and that should be enough to get us through to the elimination round.
Finally, we end the Shine on Harvest Moon tour with a visit from West Brom. The Baggies have baffled us the past few years, a ship that seemed to be righted with our 4-1 dismantling of the West Midlands club, but a title costly 1-1 result at the Hawthorns last February rekindled the recent pain. Before winning at Anfield in two of the last three meetings, WBA hadn't won there since 1965. Liverpool are 3-1-4 versus West Brom in their last 8 meetings in all comps, but the Baggies have the least efficient defence in the league by quite a distance. We should be able to end this run with three points as long as we don't beat ourselves.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Mile Jedinak: A defensive solution on the cheap
With the Lovren deal apparently on the rocks, Caulker off the table, and little other prospects in the wind, how about an inexpensive, Premiership-proven alternative, albeit temporary? What about Mile Jedinak? Yes, I'm aware he is a defensive midfielder, but versatility only adds to his intrigue.
The soon-to-be-30-year-old Australian international had quite an impressive season last year for Crystal Palace. One could write a book about the Eagles' wild ride of a 2013-14 campaign, from dead last on 7 points in week 13 to finishing 11th on 45, and we don't have to mention the 9 minutes of chaos at Selhurst Park that all but ended Liverpool's title hopes. How Palace easily survived by scoring a mere 33 goals is a minor miracle to say the least and a massive tribute to a defence lead by Jedinak.
Crystal Palace didn't play 'smart' defence, they played a brutal-style that relied on individual effort. Unfortunately that will never win you a league title since it is too draining on the players, a possession and passing-based defence will always win there, but it's admirable to say the least. Per league ranking last season, the London club was first in the Prem in clearances, interceptions, and least costly defensive errors, second in tackles and least overall defensive errors, fifth in successful tackle percentage, and 8th in blocked shots. Their average ranking in those categories was 2.86, the next closest was Hull at 6.86.
Jedinak was a beast, posting impressive numbers in defensive areas as well as in aerial duels (league averages in blue below):
His biggest weakness is his passing, but in his defence, he did play for the worst passing side in the EPL last season. His 71.9% passing rate was still slightly better than his team's 71.1% and he did complete 121 of 206 long balls for a 58.7% rate. As is the norm, his passing would improve with more skilled teammates. He also doesn't have blinding pace, which is why his future is better suited at centre back.
A lot comes in to play when considering Jedinak: age, fee, and would he want to come? He would be losing playing time, but he would get a chance at Champions League football. Also he would have the opportunity to play for one of the bigger clubs on Merseyside (that's called sarcasm). If Pulis would regretfully let him go for £5m, Rodgers would be crazy not to jump at it. Jedinak is an excellent defender, which will translate well at either defensive midfielder or centre back for at least 3-4 seasons.
The soon-to-be-30-year-old Australian international had quite an impressive season last year for Crystal Palace. One could write a book about the Eagles' wild ride of a 2013-14 campaign, from dead last on 7 points in week 13 to finishing 11th on 45, and we don't have to mention the 9 minutes of chaos at Selhurst Park that all but ended Liverpool's title hopes. How Palace easily survived by scoring a mere 33 goals is a minor miracle to say the least and a massive tribute to a defence lead by Jedinak.
Crystal Palace didn't play 'smart' defence, they played a brutal-style that relied on individual effort. Unfortunately that will never win you a league title since it is too draining on the players, a possession and passing-based defence will always win there, but it's admirable to say the least. Per league ranking last season, the London club was first in the Prem in clearances, interceptions, and least costly defensive errors, second in tackles and least overall defensive errors, fifth in successful tackle percentage, and 8th in blocked shots. Their average ranking in those categories was 2.86, the next closest was Hull at 6.86.
Jedinak was a beast, posting impressive numbers in defensive areas as well as in aerial duels (league averages in blue below):
| adw90 | adw% | t90 | tk% | int90 | clr90 | bs90 |
| 4.49 | 70.8 | 3.57 | 53.4 | 3.73 | 3.76 | 0.46 |
| 1.61 | 50 | 1.75 | 46.9 | 1.25 | 3.04 | 0.30 |
His biggest weakness is his passing, but in his defence, he did play for the worst passing side in the EPL last season. His 71.9% passing rate was still slightly better than his team's 71.1% and he did complete 121 of 206 long balls for a 58.7% rate. As is the norm, his passing would improve with more skilled teammates. He also doesn't have blinding pace, which is why his future is better suited at centre back.
A lot comes in to play when considering Jedinak: age, fee, and would he want to come? He would be losing playing time, but he would get a chance at Champions League football. Also he would have the opportunity to play for one of the bigger clubs on Merseyside (that's called sarcasm). If Pulis would regretfully let him go for £5m, Rodgers would be crazy not to jump at it. Jedinak is an excellent defender, which will translate well at either defensive midfielder or centre back for at least 3-4 seasons.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Alexis Sanchez & Arsenal: A match made in delusional heaven
Whether this Goal article has even an ounce of truth to it, it is still amusing. In it, apparently Alexis Sanchez claims he chose Arsenal because 'With [Mesut] Ozil in the squad Arsenal were [close] to winning the league title. I hope I can make a contribution so we can win as many titles as possible.' Now that's comedy at it's finest. He must not be aware that the Gooners finished fourth last season.
He also says about Wenger, 'I was told that he is a manager you can learn a lot with. He wants to achieve great things in football and that helped me make the decision to sign for Arsenal.' Wenger was great, 10 or so years ago, but he's well past it now. Just ask Bendtner or Chamakh how great a teacher he is.
The sad thing is, Arsenal supporters think he will actually be able to improve their club. If he's so great why did Barcelona want to off-load him? Do you think it may be because he was part of their epic down slide last season when they won not a single trophy for the first time in six seasons? In fact, in the three seasons he was with Barca, they won a total of six honours. For most clubs, that would be impressive, but Barca averaged a full trophy more the three seasons before including winning two Champions Leagues and La Liga every season. They won no Cl and only one La Liga title with Sanchez.
I guess that makes them a perfect fit. On one hand you have a club that won it's first major trophy in nine years last season, almost finished third in the league, and have Mesut Ozil, and on the other you have a player who is okay with his team not performing up to par of their previous seasons' title and cup-winning standards. If all goes as plans, the Gunners will finish fifth and make the League Cup final.
He also says about Wenger, 'I was told that he is a manager you can learn a lot with. He wants to achieve great things in football and that helped me make the decision to sign for Arsenal.' Wenger was great, 10 or so years ago, but he's well past it now. Just ask Bendtner or Chamakh how great a teacher he is.
The sad thing is, Arsenal supporters think he will actually be able to improve their club. If he's so great why did Barcelona want to off-load him? Do you think it may be because he was part of their epic down slide last season when they won not a single trophy for the first time in six seasons? In fact, in the three seasons he was with Barca, they won a total of six honours. For most clubs, that would be impressive, but Barca averaged a full trophy more the three seasons before including winning two Champions Leagues and La Liga every season. They won no Cl and only one La Liga title with Sanchez.
I guess that makes them a perfect fit. On one hand you have a club that won it's first major trophy in nine years last season, almost finished third in the league, and have Mesut Ozil, and on the other you have a player who is okay with his team not performing up to par of their previous seasons' title and cup-winning standards. If all goes as plans, the Gunners will finish fifth and make the League Cup final.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Essien trumps Gerrard
Is there really much else to say? I guess we could have played back and come to think of it, probably should have after the early goal, but, uh, we didn't. Not having Mascherano didn't help either. We're done in the Champions League. Let's get over it.
Some may say Benitez was out-coached by Hiddink and frankly I have to agree, especially on set pieces. Our attack was futile at best. Not even on our own set pieces could we penetrate the Blues' defense.
The only thing in our favor next Tuesday is that we have Masche and they won't have Terry, but with Evanovich all of sudden becoming a great goal-scorer, who knows.
Some may say Benitez was out-coached by Hiddink and frankly I have to agree, especially on set pieces. Our attack was futile at best. Not even on our own set pieces could we penetrate the Blues' defense.
The only thing in our favor next Tuesday is that we have Masche and they won't have Terry, but with Evanovich all of sudden becoming a great goal-scorer, who knows.
Friday, March 14, 2008
'Inter is going to kill Liverpool'
That's all I heard going into our first elimination showdown from those who think they are in the know. I hope now they have a better understanding of how the footballing world works and some clue who the true ringmasters are... or maybe I should say puppets and puppet masters. Here's a clue, those with the strings attached to their arses are the team with the least amount of players on the pitch and those controlling the strings make the most money from matches. It's not rocket science.
The first match at Anfield was a joke nonetheless. With a man advantage and a ferocity of attack it was merely a matter of time before Liverpool netted. The second match was one of less subtlety. The surprise Torres goal seemed to spark a change of favoritism, atoned probably to in-game betting, but the ref could hardly keep his hand out of his card pocket with or without the smirk on his mug. A draw would have sufficed, a win for Liverpool was probably more profitable.
Now we have Arsenal and my first thoughts were, 'we've no chance.' The younger, more exciting Emirates side should in all reality have little trouble with the slower, less creative Reds. But one has to consider where the officiating crews' loyalties will lie. Hopefully not Arsenal, but who knows.
The coming schedule is brutal, but really, what is our goal? Fourth place and the Champions League? The latter negates the former, so what is more important? Obviously a trophy is nice but giving in and throwing away matches at Man United and Goodison Park are hard to fathom. I just don't see it.
The saddest casualty of the season was not Daniel Agger but Harry Kewell, who showed glimpses of past brilliance in the mere minutes his been able to play. Is Ryan Babel that much better than him right now? No. Hopefully King Harry will get a chance to once again shine with his future at Anfield now seemingly nonexistent.
The first match at Anfield was a joke nonetheless. With a man advantage and a ferocity of attack it was merely a matter of time before Liverpool netted. The second match was one of less subtlety. The surprise Torres goal seemed to spark a change of favoritism, atoned probably to in-game betting, but the ref could hardly keep his hand out of his card pocket with or without the smirk on his mug. A draw would have sufficed, a win for Liverpool was probably more profitable.
Now we have Arsenal and my first thoughts were, 'we've no chance.' The younger, more exciting Emirates side should in all reality have little trouble with the slower, less creative Reds. But one has to consider where the officiating crews' loyalties will lie. Hopefully not Arsenal, but who knows.
The coming schedule is brutal, but really, what is our goal? Fourth place and the Champions League? The latter negates the former, so what is more important? Obviously a trophy is nice but giving in and throwing away matches at Man United and Goodison Park are hard to fathom. I just don't see it.
The saddest casualty of the season was not Daniel Agger but Harry Kewell, who showed glimpses of past brilliance in the mere minutes his been able to play. Is Ryan Babel that much better than him right now? No. Hopefully King Harry will get a chance to once again shine with his future at Anfield now seemingly nonexistent.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sizing-up the Nerazzurri
It could have been much worse. We could have drawn Real Madrid or even A.C. Milan. It's not that I don't think we could beat those sides, it just would have been a more difficult task. Real is the deepest squad on the planet and from the looks of things, Milan doesn't have much else to play for, being essentially out of the Scudetto race already.
I personally think Inter is the most overrated club in Europe right now. Serie A is relatively weak this season, mostly due to the fall of Milan. When Udinese is the fourth place side, 16 games into the season while scoring only 20 goals, your league is fragile.
What worries me most is the second/away leg. It's set for March 11th, three days after Newcastle come to Anfield. I don't know why they didn't just schedule it for the 12th. Inter has a match two days prior, but that will probably be rescheduled now, though I doubt we'll get such accommodations.
I also can't wait to hear the rubbish that the Italian press will spew about our fans coming to Milan. I'm sure it will be flattering. The Italians have some of the most violent fans in the world, the English pale in comparison, but the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil policy is in full effect. Riots, stabbings, the killing of policeman, our fans are the ones that should be worried, granted most of it occurs in the Rome area and down south.
As for the actual matches, I see rather drab affairs. I expect them to slow things down as much as possible in both ties, especially at Anfield. Cruz and Zlatan don't worry me much, so we shouldn't have much trouble preventing them from scoring. The problem is, it's not going to be easy for us to net either. Certainly the magic of Torres and Gerrard would come in handy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see 0-0 results at the end of both matches, going to penalty kicks. Get studying, Pepe.
One more thing, I would love to see Mascherano take out Materazzi, especially if he starts with his cheating tactics. He's just horrible for the sport in general. Cheers.
I personally think Inter is the most overrated club in Europe right now. Serie A is relatively weak this season, mostly due to the fall of Milan. When Udinese is the fourth place side, 16 games into the season while scoring only 20 goals, your league is fragile.
What worries me most is the second/away leg. It's set for March 11th, three days after Newcastle come to Anfield. I don't know why they didn't just schedule it for the 12th. Inter has a match two days prior, but that will probably be rescheduled now, though I doubt we'll get such accommodations.
I also can't wait to hear the rubbish that the Italian press will spew about our fans coming to Milan. I'm sure it will be flattering. The Italians have some of the most violent fans in the world, the English pale in comparison, but the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil policy is in full effect. Riots, stabbings, the killing of policeman, our fans are the ones that should be worried, granted most of it occurs in the Rome area and down south.
As for the actual matches, I see rather drab affairs. I expect them to slow things down as much as possible in both ties, especially at Anfield. Cruz and Zlatan don't worry me much, so we shouldn't have much trouble preventing them from scoring. The problem is, it's not going to be easy for us to net either. Certainly the magic of Torres and Gerrard would come in handy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see 0-0 results at the end of both matches, going to penalty kicks. Get studying, Pepe.
One more thing, I would love to see Mascherano take out Materazzi, especially if he starts with his cheating tactics. He's just horrible for the sport in general. Cheers.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Today's Banter: Injury updates, Guðjohnsen wants 'revenge', & Man U build-up
It looks as if Xabi Alonso may be available on Sunday, while Steve Finnan looks a scratch. The midfield maestro has been deemed fit by Rafa, but it's unclear whether he'll feature or not. I'm thinking two things here, first, Benitez may just be setting a ploy, as Man U will definitely be more worried about Xabi than Mascherano, due to the former's awesome passing abilities. The other thing is that he may actually be fit, which is fine by me, but will he play? I would hope so, with Mascherano pairing and Gerrard on the right, but if he's not fully fit, he shouldn't.
Finnan, on the other hand, is not a very big concern. We have Arbeloa and with the return of Aurelio on the left, the Spaniard only has to cover the right. If the Irishman is definitely out, I expect Fabio to start on the left with Riise in front of him, giving us at least some sort of wing-back option in the Brazilian. Agger, by the way, is definitely a no-go.
Eiður Guðjohnsen apparently wants 'payback' for his side being booted by Liverpool last year in the Champions League. Fair game, though I don't really care who we get on December 21st when the drawing is held, but I think Guðjohnsen should be careful what he wishes for. Call me crazy, but I think we'll draw AC Milan and Barça will get Arsenal, rematches of the last two finals. The funny thing is, if we do draw the Spanish side, I doubt the former Chelsea forward/attacking midfielder will make more than a cameo in either tie.
The tension for Sunday's showdown with Man U is already bringing about words from the neighbors to the east. Sir Alex Ferguson believes form will be thrown out the window, though I'm not sure what the hell he's talking about. Both sides are in great form and though they barely boast a better record overall, we have scored considerably more goals. Is he claiming his side is in better form? If so, good, let them be cocky.
As for the players, Guadaloupian striker Louis Saha brings up last year's fiasco and how it 'kick-started' the Mancs run to the title. Ah, yes, the match where Carragher wasn't allowed to defend and Man U players were allowed to grab jerseys, but Liverpool were not. Can't wait to see who the ref will be, if it's Mike Riley I might not even bother to watch. Surprisingly, Wayne Rooney talks some sense, talking about the Marseilles match and our recent form: "They did very well and got an excellent result... They are scoring a lot of goals but probably the best thing we can do is concentrate on our job rather than worry about them." If Roons thought that was doing very well (against the 'French'), well, hopefully he hasn't seen nothing yet.
Finnan, on the other hand, is not a very big concern. We have Arbeloa and with the return of Aurelio on the left, the Spaniard only has to cover the right. If the Irishman is definitely out, I expect Fabio to start on the left with Riise in front of him, giving us at least some sort of wing-back option in the Brazilian. Agger, by the way, is definitely a no-go.
Eiður Guðjohnsen apparently wants 'payback' for his side being booted by Liverpool last year in the Champions League. Fair game, though I don't really care who we get on December 21st when the drawing is held, but I think Guðjohnsen should be careful what he wishes for. Call me crazy, but I think we'll draw AC Milan and Barça will get Arsenal, rematches of the last two finals. The funny thing is, if we do draw the Spanish side, I doubt the former Chelsea forward/attacking midfielder will make more than a cameo in either tie.
The tension for Sunday's showdown with Man U is already bringing about words from the neighbors to the east. Sir Alex Ferguson believes form will be thrown out the window, though I'm not sure what the hell he's talking about. Both sides are in great form and though they barely boast a better record overall, we have scored considerably more goals. Is he claiming his side is in better form? If so, good, let them be cocky.
As for the players, Guadaloupian striker Louis Saha brings up last year's fiasco and how it 'kick-started' the Mancs run to the title. Ah, yes, the match where Carragher wasn't allowed to defend and Man U players were allowed to grab jerseys, but Liverpool were not. Can't wait to see who the ref will be, if it's Mike Riley I might not even bother to watch. Surprisingly, Wayne Rooney talks some sense, talking about the Marseilles match and our recent form: "They did very well and got an excellent result... They are scoring a lot of goals but probably the best thing we can do is concentrate on our job rather than worry about them." If Roons thought that was doing very well (against the 'French'), well, hopefully he hasn't seen nothing yet.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Liverpool 4, Marseilles 0: player ratings
Pepe Reina 5.5
Clean sheet much to the work of his defense, so basically the average outing for the Spaniard. Marseilles was off-target most the day.
Alvaro Arbeloa 6.5
A zonal marking beast throughout who probably kept possession for the longest durations, but in reality had a poor passing day.
Jamie Carragher 6
Not much more you can ask from Carra, he irritated the l'OM attack to no end and really wasn't called upon to go kamikaze.
Sami Hyypiä 6
Like his fellow centre back, the Finn dug the trenches and absorbed Marseilles attack whenever it progressed to his spot.
John Arne Riise 6.5
Had the Norwegian not gotten the 'assist' on Gerrard's penalty call and played full out on defense, his grade would have been much worse. He is so wasteful on attack right now, it's appalling.
Yossi Benayoun 6.5
Yossi made up for a poor attacking display with a tremendous defensive effort and was a huge reason their attack rarely made it passed our midfield.
Steven Gerrard 7
The captain's performance sort of epitomized our effort as a side. He contained, marked, and tackled with remarkable efficiency, but on attack he took a lot of risks, most which didn't pay off. Instead of calculated intrusions into enemy territory, waiting to open up the defense, we were like a lightning cloud with an endless amount of bolts, striking at every opportunity. The problem with that approach is if you don't play defense intelligently and communicate well with your teammates, the opposition is going to murder you on the counter. Luckily our midfield was impenetrable.
Javier Mascherano 6.5
Ditto for the Argentine who tied for the high in tackles with Gerrard on 6. Hope his injury isn't too serious.
Harry Kewell 7.5 Man of the Match
King Harry set up two goals with astounding passes and though a lot of his brilliant attempts didn't make their destination, his effort was commendable. Hopefully he's back for good.
Dirk Kuyt 6.5
Effort, effort, effort, and a nice goal to boot. Truly showed his value as a marking forward and hopefully getting on the score sheet will only boost his confidence.
Fernando Torres 7
Another match, another goal, and what skill. Could still improve though, especially with his passing, but he drove the Marseilles defenders mad.
Fabio Aurelio 6
Got the assist on Babel's goal and I cut him some slack for minor defensive mistakes because it was his first match back in a month.
Ryan Babel 7
Our super sub strikes again. I can't wait until he adapts more to this level of play and learns to utilize his strengths best. What he needs to do is just study Torres since they both benefit best from their pace and strength.
Lucas N/A
I really wish Benitez would have taken Gerrard out for Lucas with about 20 minutes to go considering the Man U match is Sunday, but that's Rafa for ya.
Overall, as I tried to convey in my match review, it was an interesting yet odd match. I can't recall a match where we used the counter so effectively after absorbing the Marseilles attack. Efficient doesn't begin to describe it. Anyhow, not sure if that game plan will work Sunday. Cheers.
Clean sheet much to the work of his defense, so basically the average outing for the Spaniard. Marseilles was off-target most the day.
Alvaro Arbeloa 6.5
A zonal marking beast throughout who probably kept possession for the longest durations, but in reality had a poor passing day.
Jamie Carragher 6
Not much more you can ask from Carra, he irritated the l'OM attack to no end and really wasn't called upon to go kamikaze.
Sami Hyypiä 6
Like his fellow centre back, the Finn dug the trenches and absorbed Marseilles attack whenever it progressed to his spot.
John Arne Riise 6.5
Had the Norwegian not gotten the 'assist' on Gerrard's penalty call and played full out on defense, his grade would have been much worse. He is so wasteful on attack right now, it's appalling.
Yossi Benayoun 6.5
Yossi made up for a poor attacking display with a tremendous defensive effort and was a huge reason their attack rarely made it passed our midfield.
Steven Gerrard 7
The captain's performance sort of epitomized our effort as a side. He contained, marked, and tackled with remarkable efficiency, but on attack he took a lot of risks, most which didn't pay off. Instead of calculated intrusions into enemy territory, waiting to open up the defense, we were like a lightning cloud with an endless amount of bolts, striking at every opportunity. The problem with that approach is if you don't play defense intelligently and communicate well with your teammates, the opposition is going to murder you on the counter. Luckily our midfield was impenetrable.
Javier Mascherano 6.5
Ditto for the Argentine who tied for the high in tackles with Gerrard on 6. Hope his injury isn't too serious.
Harry Kewell 7.5 Man of the Match
King Harry set up two goals with astounding passes and though a lot of his brilliant attempts didn't make their destination, his effort was commendable. Hopefully he's back for good.
Dirk Kuyt 6.5
Effort, effort, effort, and a nice goal to boot. Truly showed his value as a marking forward and hopefully getting on the score sheet will only boost his confidence.
Fernando Torres 7
Another match, another goal, and what skill. Could still improve though, especially with his passing, but he drove the Marseilles defenders mad.
Fabio Aurelio 6
Got the assist on Babel's goal and I cut him some slack for minor defensive mistakes because it was his first match back in a month.
Ryan Babel 7
Our super sub strikes again. I can't wait until he adapts more to this level of play and learns to utilize his strengths best. What he needs to do is just study Torres since they both benefit best from their pace and strength.
Lucas N/A
I really wish Benitez would have taken Gerrard out for Lucas with about 20 minutes to go considering the Man U match is Sunday, but that's Rafa for ya.
Overall, as I tried to convey in my match review, it was an interesting yet odd match. I can't recall a match where we used the counter so effectively after absorbing the Marseilles attack. Efficient doesn't begin to describe it. Anyhow, not sure if that game plan will work Sunday. Cheers.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Liverpool 4, Marseilles 0: a most uncanny affair
If I've ever watched back-to-back Liverpool matches that were exact opposite affairs, I can't recall. Where we dominated the Reading match yet loss, Marseilles was technically the better side today, yet had no chance to win. Where our side was most impressive today was essentially the deciding factor. The closer the French side got to our box, the better our defense became and our counter was quick and deadly, which only added to l'OM's worries.
It was vital that we got two goals in the opening eleven minutes and were able to assert control by letting Marseilles expend energy on attack. I'm sure we'll hear bullocks on the penalty from Gerrard-haters, but the l'OM defender shouldn't have went for the tackle when he was already beat. It was a brilliant Kewell ball that sent our captain through and lead to the call which ended up being just a preview of what the Aussie was to offer our side.
About eight minutes later the Socceroo set up Torres, who twisted and turned his way to a smooth finish into the opposite end of the goal. At that point we were able to play back and tease the opposition, all the while being able to threaten on the counter. Though I can't admit to thinking we had it sealed, it was hard to imagine Marseilles outwitting Hyypiä, who was once again at the top of his game.
I kind of think Gerets panicked by making his third and final sub at the beginning of the second half, bringing on Cissé in what I'm assuming was intended to be an inspirational move. If it was the sentiment, it was crushed minutes later when Kewell once again came through, setting up Kuyt with a clever curling pass in the box off a rebound. The Dutchman caught, controlled, and finished to perfection, in essence ending the match by making it a three goal margin.
From that point forward, the Ligue 1 club would have needed six crazy minutes reminiscent of Istanbul to get back into the match. Just for good measure, Babel added a fourth in the closing minutes, when he beat the then worn Marseilles defense and netted his sixth career goal for Liverpool.
Overall it didn't feel as dominate as the final tally, but anytime my captain, the kid, and the new John Barnes score, it's been a good night. I will admit to being disappointed in the French crowd though. Being of such descent, I was embarrassed over their actions, especially the throwing of cigarette lighters. Anyhow, player grades tomorrow, but my man of the match was Kewell. Cheers.
It was vital that we got two goals in the opening eleven minutes and were able to assert control by letting Marseilles expend energy on attack. I'm sure we'll hear bullocks on the penalty from Gerrard-haters, but the l'OM defender shouldn't have went for the tackle when he was already beat. It was a brilliant Kewell ball that sent our captain through and lead to the call which ended up being just a preview of what the Aussie was to offer our side.
About eight minutes later the Socceroo set up Torres, who twisted and turned his way to a smooth finish into the opposite end of the goal. At that point we were able to play back and tease the opposition, all the while being able to threaten on the counter. Though I can't admit to thinking we had it sealed, it was hard to imagine Marseilles outwitting Hyypiä, who was once again at the top of his game.
I kind of think Gerets panicked by making his third and final sub at the beginning of the second half, bringing on Cissé in what I'm assuming was intended to be an inspirational move. If it was the sentiment, it was crushed minutes later when Kewell once again came through, setting up Kuyt with a clever curling pass in the box off a rebound. The Dutchman caught, controlled, and finished to perfection, in essence ending the match by making it a three goal margin.
From that point forward, the Ligue 1 club would have needed six crazy minutes reminiscent of Istanbul to get back into the match. Just for good measure, Babel added a fourth in the closing minutes, when he beat the then worn Marseilles defense and netted his sixth career goal for Liverpool.
Overall it didn't feel as dominate as the final tally, but anytime my captain, the kid, and the new John Barnes score, it's been a good night. I will admit to being disappointed in the French crowd though. Being of such descent, I was embarrassed over their actions, especially the throwing of cigarette lighters. Anyhow, player grades tomorrow, but my man of the match was Kewell. Cheers.
Liverpool at Marseilles: Every man has his own destiny...
Trophies only bring ephemeral happiness, like a drug that only feeds the desire for more... but that doesn't mean they're not worth the pain and suffering. No matter what though, I expect them to leave it all out on the pitch. Bury your heart at Stade Vélodrome, boys.
Here's the line-up:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Gerrard
Mascherano
Benayoun
Kuyt
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Finnan
Aurelio
Babel
Crouch
Lucas
Hobbs
Honestly, I believe this our best XI, so I don't see how Rafa can be blamed or praised from the start, no matter the result. What he does tactically during the match is something entirely different.
If we truly judge the wisdom of a man by his hope, I'm either the most hopeless man alive or just dumb as dirt. Godspeed.
Here's the line-up:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Gerrard
Mascherano
Benayoun
Kuyt
Torres
Bench:
Itandje
Finnan
Aurelio
Babel
Crouch
Lucas
Hobbs
Honestly, I believe this our best XI, so I don't see how Rafa can be blamed or praised from the start, no matter the result. What he does tactically during the match is something entirely different.
If we truly judge the wisdom of a man by his hope, I'm either the most hopeless man alive or just dumb as dirt. Godspeed.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Liverpool at Marseilles: Does it matter what Rafa does?
I'm still in shock that Lucas didn't see the pitch on Saturday. Not that I think it would have mattered. The official had already cashed the check.
Honestly, I have no clue what kind of side Rafa will field tomorrow. Whether Agger or Alonso will be available is unclear. The only thing that I'm sure of is that Hyypiä will start, everything else is a guessing game. I'm hoping Rafa shows some guile.
I would go with Aurelio on the left if available, if not probably Arbeloa since it appears Finnan will go on the right. Carra and the Finn are the only options in the middle.
On the left in the midfield, I like Kewell. His European experience is invaluable. Gerrard and Mascherano should anchor the middle with Benayoun on the right.
Up front, I'm guessing Kuyt and Crouch, pending the fitness of Torres, of course.
Here's my final answer:
Reina
Aurelio (or Arbeloa)
Carra
Hyypiä
Finnan
Kewell
Gerrard
Mascherano
Benayoun
Kuyt
Torres (or Crouch)
Bench:
Itandje
Babel
Riise
Hobbs
Crouch (or Sissoko)
Lucas
Voronin
That's pretty much our entire squad.
Three points is the only option, everything else is unacceptable.
If you should go skating,
On the thin ice of modern life...
Honestly, I have no clue what kind of side Rafa will field tomorrow. Whether Agger or Alonso will be available is unclear. The only thing that I'm sure of is that Hyypiä will start, everything else is a guessing game. I'm hoping Rafa shows some guile.
I would go with Aurelio on the left if available, if not probably Arbeloa since it appears Finnan will go on the right. Carra and the Finn are the only options in the middle.
On the left in the midfield, I like Kewell. His European experience is invaluable. Gerrard and Mascherano should anchor the middle with Benayoun on the right.
Up front, I'm guessing Kuyt and Crouch, pending the fitness of Torres, of course.
Here's my final answer:
Reina
Aurelio (or Arbeloa)
Carra
Hyypiä
Finnan
Kewell
Gerrard
Mascherano
Benayoun
Kuyt
Torres (or Crouch)
Bench:
Itandje
Babel
Riise
Hobbs
Crouch (or Sissoko)
Lucas
Voronin
That's pretty much our entire squad.
Three points is the only option, everything else is unacceptable.
If you should go skating,
On the thin ice of modern life...
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.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Liverpool 8, Beşiktaş 0: post-match reaction
Cooler heads will prevail. Liverpool fans need to take that statement to heart. We won nothing but a match yesterday and need to realize that. Fabio Aurelio knows exactly what I'm talking about. The 28-year-old Brazilian has pleaded with everyone to remain focused: "Winning 8-0 against Besiktas gives us confidence and we need to take that on. We knew we needed to improve after recent results and we still need to improve. We must still work really hard - starting on Saturday. We must keep pushing ourselves." It was only one positive step forward on a long, arduous journey to come.
The Irish, ever self-involved, made a point to say that one of their own 'played no part' in the record-breaking performance yesterday. I disagree. Finnan is one of our best and most important players, without him available to rotate and rest Arbeloa, there's no way the Spaniard would have been able to put on the performance that he did. Finney should be back to take on his former club, Fulham, on Saturday.
Turning to the blogs, we have Who ate all the Pies? chiming in with their '10 conclusions' of the match. That site never ceases to amaze me with the brainless drivel they produce. Taking a quick gander, they make a half-assed attempt to pat themselves on the back with their first conclusion by stating that Rafa should play Crouch more often. More often? No surprise that a superficial site, easily manipulated by the media, would fail to do any research. Crouch has now appeared in five straight matches for us. I'm not going to spend much more time deriding such nonsense, but the eighth conclusion caught my eye as well: "I have never rated Alvaro Arbeloa particularly highly, but he was outstanding at right-back last night. Whether that was just because his defending was never really called into question remains to be seen." First off, they've never rated Arbeloa because they're Man U fans, but I won't get into that. Second, um, did you not watch the Champions League match at Camp Nou last season? Arbeloa owned that nobody Lionel Messi, there must have been a Man U match on at the same time. Anyhow.
Another blog that tries to woe the hits with shock jock headlines is CaughtOffside. One of their reactions to the match was this: "Rafa Benitez gets cocky after Liverpool thrash a very bad team." It's quite convenient that the article was apparently without an author as no one with even the intelligence of a baboon would own up to such rubbish. It was probably either an Everton or Man U fan sickly green with envy. The backbone-less author alludes to the thrashing of Derby and how it made us Liverpool fans 'think they might win the title before they went on their usual run of disappointing draws and losses.' What losses is he referring to? We're still undefeated in the league and only six points out from Arsenal. His delusion continues by trying to ridicule and spin Rafa's post match comments from yesterday by trying to convince himself that Rafa believes Beşiktaş are on par with the best clubs in the world. A pathetic attempt to assuage his irrationality nonetheless.
Unlike our friend over at CaughtOffside, the Guardian printed more of what Rafa said instead of just picking and choosing to spin and manipulate. If you want to read more on that, go here. It's funny how it sounds completely different when one lacks an agenda, doesn't it?
The Beşiktaş side is expectedly dire in their response. Their manager, Ertuğrul Sağlam, only had this to say before walking out on the post-game press conference: "It is very upsetting and we would like to apologise to our fans. It is very difficult to accept a result like this. We know we must work harder and we will do. Thank you very much." Club president Yildirim Demiroren seemed to think hard work won't be enough as he has proposed letting players go for such an embarassing result. Wow, that's a bit harsh. Imagine if we did that after the Marseilles match. There's a good chance Peter Crouch wouldn't have been around for this one if so.
Finally, two quick links if you have time to kill: icLiverpool has a list of greater European victories & the ever-intriguing Paul Tompkins sounds off on yesterday's match. Cheers.
The Irish, ever self-involved, made a point to say that one of their own 'played no part' in the record-breaking performance yesterday. I disagree. Finnan is one of our best and most important players, without him available to rotate and rest Arbeloa, there's no way the Spaniard would have been able to put on the performance that he did. Finney should be back to take on his former club, Fulham, on Saturday.
Turning to the blogs, we have Who ate all the Pies? chiming in with their '10 conclusions' of the match. That site never ceases to amaze me with the brainless drivel they produce. Taking a quick gander, they make a half-assed attempt to pat themselves on the back with their first conclusion by stating that Rafa should play Crouch more often. More often? No surprise that a superficial site, easily manipulated by the media, would fail to do any research. Crouch has now appeared in five straight matches for us. I'm not going to spend much more time deriding such nonsense, but the eighth conclusion caught my eye as well: "I have never rated Alvaro Arbeloa particularly highly, but he was outstanding at right-back last night. Whether that was just because his defending was never really called into question remains to be seen." First off, they've never rated Arbeloa because they're Man U fans, but I won't get into that. Second, um, did you not watch the Champions League match at Camp Nou last season? Arbeloa owned that nobody Lionel Messi, there must have been a Man U match on at the same time. Anyhow.
Another blog that tries to woe the hits with shock jock headlines is CaughtOffside. One of their reactions to the match was this: "Rafa Benitez gets cocky after Liverpool thrash a very bad team." It's quite convenient that the article was apparently without an author as no one with even the intelligence of a baboon would own up to such rubbish. It was probably either an Everton or Man U fan sickly green with envy. The backbone-less author alludes to the thrashing of Derby and how it made us Liverpool fans 'think they might win the title before they went on their usual run of disappointing draws and losses.' What losses is he referring to? We're still undefeated in the league and only six points out from Arsenal. His delusion continues by trying to ridicule and spin Rafa's post match comments from yesterday by trying to convince himself that Rafa believes Beşiktaş are on par with the best clubs in the world. A pathetic attempt to assuage his irrationality nonetheless.
Unlike our friend over at CaughtOffside, the Guardian printed more of what Rafa said instead of just picking and choosing to spin and manipulate. If you want to read more on that, go here. It's funny how it sounds completely different when one lacks an agenda, doesn't it?
The Beşiktaş side is expectedly dire in their response. Their manager, Ertuğrul Sağlam, only had this to say before walking out on the post-game press conference: "It is very upsetting and we would like to apologise to our fans. It is very difficult to accept a result like this. We know we must work harder and we will do. Thank you very much." Club president Yildirim Demiroren seemed to think hard work won't be enough as he has proposed letting players go for such an embarassing result. Wow, that's a bit harsh. Imagine if we did that after the Marseilles match. There's a good chance Peter Crouch wouldn't have been around for this one if so.
Finally, two quick links if you have time to kill: icLiverpool has a list of greater European victories & the ever-intriguing Paul Tompkins sounds off on yesterday's match. Cheers.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Our Champions League scenario
I just wanted to clear this up since there seems to be a misunderstanding of what it will take for us to advance. First off, our destiny is basically in our own hands. If we win out, we advance, it's (almost) that simple.The only way we don't advance by winning out is if Marseilles has a greater goal differential in the overall group and we beat the French side by the exact score of 1-0. For that to matter though, l'OM will have to beat Beşiktaş by at least ten goals, given we defeat Porto by only a goal. The reason the fourth tie-breaker of group goal differential would come into play is because we both would have beaten each other on opposing grounds by the score of 1-0, thus eliminating the head-to-head and away goals tie-breakers.
Get it? Got it? Good.
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