Was Glen Johnson really that bad against Italy?

There are calls for Johnson to lose his place in the England side due to his 'dismal' performance against Itay at the World Cup, but is it really warranted?  Let's compare him to Leighton Baines, who can step on a puppy and the English press would publish articles about the state of his injured foot.

	Johnson	Baines
chances created	2	2
pass %	90	93
back pass %	36.2	50
tackles	3	2
tackle %	40	33
fouls	1	0
interceptions	0	2
blocked shots	0	0
clearances	0	0
dribbled past	1	1
key passes	2	2
true turnover index	9	4

This is a great example of how my 'true turnover index' can be skewed, especially when it comes to defenders.  Glen Johnson has a higher TTI simply because he had more possession of the ball.  He possessed the ball 15 more times than Baines and England's attack was 15% more from Johnson's side of the pitch.  Of course, that doesn't excuse bad shot selection.

Defensively, Johnson did little if nothing, but he also had less opportunity than Baines.  Italy's attack was more focused on the right side of pitch than the left, 38% to 27%.  He did have more tackles and a higher tackle % though, despite Baines' 2 interceptions.

Where Johnson is clearly better is passing.  Baines had the higher passing percentage, but half of his passes were toward his own goal, which is really not a good thing when you are a left back.  Johnson's 36.2% back pass rating is outstanding to say the least, especially paired with his 90% success rate, but his attacking abilities have never really been questioned.

The bottom line is, if Johnson should be dropped, so should Baines and probably most of the first team for that matter as really only Sturridge put on an outstanding performance.  He never has been and never will be a top class defender, but he is an above average attacking right back.

Sterling showed his strengths, but exposed his weaknesses vs Italy

There's no doubting that Raheem Sterling did an outstanding job introducing himself to the world yesterday.  It is nothing new to us Liverpool fans who have followed his progression the past four years.  Unfortunately, what he does worse was just as apparent as what he does well. His defense and ability to hold on to the ball left much to be desired:

chances created	1
back pass %	57.6
errant passes	3
shots	3
shot %	0
dispossessed	2
take ons	4
unsuccessful to	3
turnovers	1
true turnover index	13

He basically did two things good, albeit very good, he set-up England's only goal with a brilliant pass to Rooney and he treated the Italian defenders like orange cones, dribbling pass them at will.  That's all fine and dandy, but most of it was all for nothing.

A back pass % of 57.6 for a winger is abominable.  That means of his 33 pass attempts, 19 of them were toward his own goal and at least one of those fell into Italy's possession going in the direction they so desired.  True turnover index takes in effect whenever a player gives possession over to the other team either by shots that lead to opposition possession, errant pass, dispossession, unsuccessful take on, or offensive foul (including offside).  Sterling had the worst TTI of Englishman on the pitch.  In comparison, Rooney had a TTI of 10, Henderson and Sturridge each had a 9, Gerrard had an 8, and Welbeck had a 7.

As I stated in my last post though, I'd much rather have a player who takes risk, but the results have to prove positive.  Sterling's back pass percentage severely skews his stats and makes it seem that he is not as risky and turnover prone than he actually is.  He is only 19 though and a whole lot of fun to watch: http://vimeo.com/98246489.

Would anyone take Balotelli over Sturridge right now?

Daniel Sturridge is king right now, the world is at his fingertips, but before January 31, 2011, he was a prisoner, an oppressed striker relegated to the wings and the bench of a Chelsea squad fiercely controlled by a maniacal Italian (that is called 'sarcasm').  Then he was sent out on loan to Bolton, where he scored  8 goals in 12 matches, and seemingly proved his ability up front, even with a lesser supporting cast.  Unfortunately, he got lost in the manager merry-go-round when he returned to Stamford Bridge and was oft-injured the next season-and-a-half.  I guess I should say 'thankfully', since those are the circumstances that led him to Liverpool.

Since joining LFC, he has been pure magic, scoring 31 goals and assisting 10 more in 43 matches (plus 4 goals in 6 cup matches).  He has had one major bout with injury and a few minor ones, which is concerning, but let's just hope that is behind him.  Otherwise, he's been outstanding on and off the field, which the same can't be said of his Italian counterpart.

I just don't understand all the hullabaloo over 'Super' Mario.  There's no denying his talent, but his crap attitude and spotlight antics are not worth the distraction.  I have no problem saying he was the reason City aren't three time champions, his efforts on the field were far less than off.  It's hilarious that he became such a prolific scorer for Milan, at least for the remaining of the 2012-13 season, I'm sure his lack of performance at City during the first half of the season was the Blues' fault and not his.

While I'm convinced Balotelli is more talented than Sturridge, he desperately lacks the maturity, self-respect, and work ethic that the latter displays.  Can you imagine how Balotelli would have reacted to having to play out of position for years (and young, developing years at that) like Sturridge did at Chelsea?  He would have cried and complained until his hair turned whatever color it hasn't been yet.

If there is any indication that he may be maturing and becoming more of a team player, it's the fact that he had 6 assists last season, that's 4 more than he had in any season at City and 3 more than he had his whole time there.  I won't hold my breathe though and with all that said, watch him go out and score a brace today, lead Italy to the finals, and get the most outstanding player of the tournament.  He and Sturridge are certainly both capable.

Gerrard is better than Pirlo

I have all the respect in the world for Andrea Pirlo, he is one of the few Italians that I admire, and that says a lot because I have no love for Gli Azzuri.  (There's too much blatant corruption and disrespect for the game in Italy, a history of rewriting itself for it's own greater good, but this blog is not about Italian football so I'll bite my tongue for now.)

He is not better than Gerrard though.  He does do some things slightly better, but overall, Gerrard is superior.  When I think of Pirlo, I think of George Best's quote about David Beckham: "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."  Of course, Pirlo can kick with his left foot (though not penalties, right RVP?) and he's more than just all right and certainly preferred over Beckham in almost all facets, except for maybe self-marketing.

                                           Pirlo                   Gerrard
goals (pens)                           4                      13 (10)
assists                                    6                         13
pass %                                88.5                      86
chances created                    68                        67
successful dribble %              71                        71
dispossessed per                  1.2                       0.5
turnovers per                        0.3                       0.5
successful tackles                  43                        98 
tackle per match                   1.4                       2.9
tackle %                               29                        52
interceptions per                   1.3                       1.4
clearances per                      0.5                       2.7
dribbled past                        1.6                       0.6
blocked shots                       0.2                       0.4

As the stats above tell, Pirlo is slightly the better passer, chance creator, and is less error prone, but the Italian Medallion benefits from playing in a league better suited for a pace-challenged, technique-reliant 35-year-old.  It's no secret that Serie A is a slower-paced league, though I would disagree that the Prem is technically inferior (that's a subject for another day).  Also Pirlo makes less errors mostly because he is less involved in matches than Gerrard, Pirlo does very little (at least not well) if anything on the defensive side of the pitch.  One thing that did stand out for me though is Pirlo being dispossessed more per a match than Gerrard, I would figure with Stevie-G's more risque style, he would fall short in this category.

Compared to Gerrard, Pirlo is a defensive liability.  If he wasn't brilliant on the ball, he'd long be out of work. Gerrard doesn't just top Pirlo in nearly every defensive stat, he dwarfs him.  Though Pirlo's age does figure in his ability to contribute defensively as stats show he has become less involved over the years.  Regardless of all this info though, club football and international football (especially World Cup) are two vastly different animals.  So at the very least, Gerrard is better and more valuable at the club level.

Carragher just says no, family more important than exhibition football

Blasphemy! Treason! Break out the tar, start plucking the chickens! Someone is talking sense in England and it's not that reputable blog, 'Talking Soccer'.

You can't blame Fabio Capello for trying though, Jamie Carragher is one of the best defenders in England, but years of being abused and disrespected by previous Three Lions heads has left a bad taste in the mouth of the 29-year-old man from Bootle. A brief period away from the national squad has poisoned him with discretion, what's the point of putting up with the unrealistic expectations and negative auspices of small-minded English fans when he could be spending time with his family?

Ultimately though, his return would do neither himself nor the squad any good. At the very most he would still only be available for a couple of more years, basically for some of the World Cup qualifying matches, but mainly for even more meaningless exhibition matches. There's simply no way the Three Lions will make it to the World Cup if they are relying on 30-somethings to get them there, and it's not as if they'll be allowed to win it anyhow. Might as well start breaking-in the chicks.

Carragher's momentous decision to leave the England side this past summer has been a godsend for Liverpool. The fact that he received such negative backlash is beyond rubbish, especially when you consider United players faking injuries and collecting early match red cards to avoid international duty usually go unquestioned. If Carra had remained available to Steve McClaren, he would have certainly been selected to start in most of the Three Lions Euro-qualifying matches in the late summer and fall. Only due to injuries to other players though.

That would have left Rafa with little choice but to force-integrate Jack Hobbs into the squad quicker than desired or have Arbeloa play more at centre back. Either way, with the injury to Agger, we would have been that much thinner and shakier on the back line, as one can't expect Carragher to play two games a week for three months straight.

Jamie Carragher is not the answer to England's national team issues anyhow. In fact, the real problem is that the English still believe the squad should be an actual representation of the country. That kind of thinking is simply passé. What they need to do is go the way of France and treat it more like club football, recruiting promising youngsters from foreign countries, relocating them and their families to England, setting up their parents with employment and falsifying the necessary documentation to make them citizens. Oh, and if there's any inquiry, just slip Sepp Blatter an envelope full of money.

Today's Banter: Kuyt burgled, Deco talks dirt?, Gerrard pep talks England, & more

Dirk Kuyt became the fifth Liverpool player in eighteen months to have his home burgled last Thursday while he was away on international duty. Just another reason to quit the national team if you ask me. Anyhow, this of course shows that Merseyside is riddled with crime and a far worse place to live than say Manchester or London, right? Wrong. If anything it shows that at least the criminals are smart enough to know who to target. Just for kicks, check out the 193-page report on crime in the UK and Wales from the Home Office. If you don't want to bother, ponder this: per 10,000 households in Merseyside approximately 0.0352% were burgled between August 2006 and July 2007. Greater Manchester? 0.0518%. London? 0.0422%. In fact, those two areas are worse percentage-wise in every category of crime, but facts don't matter, right? Moving on...

Oh my God, Barça's Deco forgot to mention us as contenders for the Champions League, so he must not think that we have much of a chance. I am so riled up at the moment, I mean, just because we have a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stage, doesn't mean we can't win at all! That Brazilian, uh, I mean Portuguese ponce! This is called 'mocking a shit rag site who has nothing better to do than make things up.' Deco doesn't mention us, big deal.

Gerrard must want some expensive gifts for Christmas. I mean, who are the two England players whose asses you'd kiss to get, say, most likely a Ferrari from as a present for Christmas? It's not Joleon Lescott or Nicky Shorey, I assure you that. Our captain was just full of praise for John Terry and David Beckham in this article.
Stevie-G wants the side to win it for the Chelsea defender and thinks that Beckham is still 'international class.' Those comments are worth at least a bottle or five of Krug Clos du Mesnil.

Robbie Threlfall dreams of playing for Liverpool one day. The soon-to-be 19-year-old local product may be far down the left-back totem pole, but he knows if he works hard and continues to develop, he's got a shot at making the first team. He's currently on-loan at Hereford United where he has started four matches. They play again today in FA Cup action at Leeds. I honestly think the kid's got what it takes to be a first-team contributor in two-to-three years after being impressed by him in the preseason against South China FC.

Finally, I feel sorry for Pepe Reina. It looks as if our keeper will be in net for Spain when they face Northern Ireland in Euro qualifying tomorrow. The game is meaningless to the Spaniards so I hope Luis Aragonés plays youngsters who care and are looking to impress their coach for future call-ups. If not, it could be a long day for Pepe as Norn Iron has to win to have any chance of advancing. Of course, with the Green & White Army relying on Latvia to upset Sweden, they might as well not even try either. Cheers.

SHOCKING NEWS!!! Another Man U player can't play for England!!!

Are you shocked?!?!?!? I'm blown away!!!!

It's practically predicted on every other page of Nostradamus' Prophecies. Word on the street is that Michael Carrick stubbed his toe and was walking around on crutches with a cast on his foot until someone told him he wasn't selected to play in the upcoming matches for England. He was back training in less than an hour.

Anyhow, kudos to Fergie for his ingenuity. If you don't know what I'm referring to, Owen Hargreaves has declared himself unfit for England. He claims that he only has enough cartilage left in his knees to play for Man U. Well, at least it's a legitimate reason.

Another story coming out of Old Trafford is that Wes Brown cut himself shaving and won't be able to go if Russia beats Israel on Saturday. More on that story as it develops. Now back to the 'real' news of Gerrard's xenophobia.

Today's Banter: Kewell nears return, Reserves draw at United, Stevie-G expected to captain England, & more

- Well, coming from the official site certainly makes it sound more... official. Though he may not be back in time for the derby, it looks like Harry Kewell could return sometime in mid-November. According to Rafa, he could start training with the first team as early as next week. I hope he comes back and stays healthy, surely one more episode of injury will be his last with us.

- It sounds as if even the Man U Reserves get the calls. According to this report, Lucas Leiva was clearly tripped up in the box in our boys' 1-1 draw at Man U, yet was booked for diving. I didn't get to see the match, but it sounds as if we were unlucky not to win and were thoroughly dominating. Our inability to finish also seems to have had a trickle-down effect.

- With John Terry out due to injury, it looks as if Steven Gerrard will get the nod to captain England in their Wembley match with Estonia tomorrow. I guess that means he'll get to start over Lampard. Wow, two shocking revelations in one small segment. Hopefully Steve McClaren will stick with Gareth Barry as Stevie-G's central midfield partner as well.

- Steve Finnan, despite frequently sharing time with Arbeloa at right back, is the latest player to come out in support of Rafa's rotation policy. He believes in it, true fans don't bother questioning it, so who exactly is making a ruckus over it? People who have won more accolades then Rafa, of course.

- Fernando Torres has decided to stop diving. Not sure when he began. I can't once think of a time in a Liverpool kit when I can accuse him of the act. One thing I find amusing is that he says Steven Gerrard was one of the main catalysts in getting him to not even think about cheating in such a manner. I may love Liverpool and our Captain, but he's definitely done so for club and country in the past. So far this year though, he has yet to resort to such techniques.

- I posted a link to the Fernando Torres Story pt. 1 the other day, so here's part 2. Cheers.

Rafa wakes up! Crouch on his way out!

For the love of Robbie Fowler it looks as if Rafa has seen the light. In this article, it is revealed that Rafa is looking to dump the useless striker in the January window due to Crouch's attitude towards the gaffer's rotation policy and his recent dreadful performance versus Marseilles where he was clearly a detriment to our side.

Can today get any better? Johnny Wilkinson leads England to the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup with a stunning upset of Australia, Paul Anderson scores another goal, and now it looks as if our biggest (and tallest) problem might have found a solution.

I'm not sure if Crouch has the power to block a move though. I believe he can refuse, but if I was Rafa, I'd put the lanky waste of space on the Reserves squad and have him rot on the bench there.

One thing that baffles me is Crouch saying he loves playing for Liverpool, though won't sign a contract extension. If he's not doing so due to monetary reasons, that's fine, but it doesn't give him the right to throw matches. Another reason may be because he knows it's more likely that he'll be transferred if he gets tied down to a long term deal. He's gone anyhow, and like I've said in previous posts, if they don't sell him in January, maybe it's time for a managerial change.

Sell him to Portsmouth where the other shady footballers roam. He and David James can go casino hopping with Harry Redknapp. I don't care what they do with him, just as long as he never wears a kit again. Oh, and by the way, if he does get the opportunity to play for us again, expect him to play well and then if you need more of a reason to roll your eyes, go find another club to support.

One more point before I go celebrate England's World Cup win. Rafa mentions he'll have around £20m to spend in the January window. I'm not sure if that includes what we'll get for Crouch or not, which will probably be over £10m. Time to start shopping for another striker and a centre back. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Ladies lose derby, Pennant excluded from England again, Babel wants striker role, & more

- Like the saying goes, 'It's only gonna get a whole lot worse before it's gonna get any better.' Those words seem to be a fair representation of what our beloved club is going through at the moment. Yesterday, just to add a glacier to the well put-out fire, the Ladies lost 2-1 to Everton in league play. Despite taking a 1-0 lead, our girls couldn't hold on as two strikes in two minutes in the second half were enough to lead the lady Toffees to the victory. Next up is a League Cup clash with Leeds United on Sunday in Skelmersdale.

- Steve McClaren snubbed Jermaine Pennant again for an England spot for the Three Lions Euro qualifiers later this month. I understand JP wants to play for his country, but honestly, there is just too much baggage going on in the England camp to make me give a rat's arse about his exclusion. Concentrate on your Liverpool game, lad. Unfortunately, Steven Gerrard will never be excluded from an England side.

- Ryan Babel, who just recently was found under a rock in the Sahara, thinks he is best suited as a central striker. He appears to be patient to get his opportunity to play there and is content playing a wing position. I'll put my shyness to the side here and say put him in the rotation in front of Crouch as soon as Harry Kewell gains fitness. Of course, who knows when that'll happen.

- I found this article about Rafa desiring a show of character for the Tottenham match a bit peculiar. He claims it's a call to have us improve ourselves from the dreadful Marseilles performance. I say it's a call to have all the rumored nonsense going on behind closed doors put to an end. There have been rumblings of discontent about certain players voicing their unhappiness with more than just the squad rotation. Let's just hope Rafa puts certain players aside and puts out a squad that's just happy to be on a great club come Sunday.

Analyzing Crouch's duplicitous behavior in the Marseilles match

Accusing someone of throwing a match is very serious and I would never do so unless I believed it beyond a doubt. Crouch's erratic play is beyond just having a bad day once-in-a-while. It's gotten to the point where he has a good day once-in-a-while and that's just simply unacceptable. Why he is still at Liverpool, I refuse to speculate, but after his performance today, no one can question Rafa not wanting to play him. If I was the manager, he'd be relegated to ball boy.

First, let's look what his motive might be. First thing that comes to mind is playing time. It's no secret that Crouch isn't happy with Rafa's rotation especially since it seems that Torres is not necessarily part of it. One may try to argue that he's not playing enough to be the best player he can be. Oh really, than explain the Arsenal match from last year when he had a hat-trick? Due to injury, he hadn't played for us in over a month. Furthermore, explain his success with England. Does he play for the Three Lions week in and week out? No. He just happens to play well when he wants to.

Underlying playing time could very well be the motive of money, for if Crouch would go elsewhere and feature more, that club would probably be required to pay the lanky striker more since his playing time would increase. Not to mention the endorsement deals he would be more likely to get if he was the star striker of the side. I'll quit the motive aspect while I'm ahead and before I get personal, but we all know life is more complex than black and red.

His performance speaks for itself. If you were a striker on Liverpool and you wanted to have the most negative influence on a game, what would you do? You'd stand in the middle of the field and try to distract any ball movement, especially passes between the two best players on the club, Gerrard and Torres. And what did Crouch do today? Exactly that.

Nearly every time he touched the ball, he turned it over or he passed it back. At one point Torres laid off the ball to him and took off down the field. El Nino had tons of space and was wide open and what did Crouch do? He turned around and passed the ball back. Not unbelievable, intentional.

I mentioned in my review of the match that Crouch (and everyone else who's ever watched the grown-up version of Mike Teavee play) knows his physical limitations and knows his role on the field. He's not a distributing forward. He's not good with the ball over three touches. He by no means has any chance whatsoever of dribbling the ball past even the most inept opponent and he's not an idiot, he's complete aware of his faults and weaknesses.

So you can lie to yourself all you want, live in Candyland, eat gold-flavored ice cream and play with your very bestest invisible friend to your sweet little heart's desire, but the people who live in reality know that matches are fixed and players throw matches. Don't believe me? Have fun. Peter Crouch's actions today lead me to believe he threw the match, there's just no other explanation.

Today's Banter: Hyypia backs Rafa, Rafa vows Reading Cup changes, Rafa frustrated over Gerrard, & more

- Sami Hyypia has been the latest star player at the club to vocally back his boss' rotation policy. The 33-year-old Finnish International has deemed Rafa's tinkering critics 'silly'. I've actually been thinking a lot about the pros and cons of Benitez' ways and will write a post with my conclusion later today. Meanwhile there are talks of Hyypia getting either a contract extension now or a new contract offer at the end of the season when his current one runs out. I really can't see Sami lasting more than another season, but one encouraging note is that the Finn himself is very realistic about what he can bring to the squad. He basically claims he never really had pace, doesn't feel as if he's gotten any slower over the years, and doesn't really understand why people question his abilities. It's refreshing to hear a player living in reality about their attributes. Hyypia's form this year has been inconsistent to say the least and even at times shocking. Hopefully he'll become more restraint in his discipline to help the team out more. If that means going up less for set plays in the box, then so be it.

- Expect to see an interesting and possibly exciting eleven hit the pitch tomorrow for our opening Carling Cup match at Reading. The boss has vowed changes from Saturday's side. I really don't give a monkey's uncle about the Carling Cup, but it would be a good confidence builder for the kids if we can advance. I do expect Reading to take it a bit more serious than us since they pretty much have no chance at much else. It would be great to see Insua, Leto, Lucas, with a rejuvenated Aurelio leading the way. I'll have my 'What will Rafa do?' up later.

- Maybe he's looking to deter the critics and have them turn to their ever favorite victim, the head coach for England, but Rafa has voiced his displeasure with McClaren's use of an unfit Gerrard in England's two recent Euro qualifier matches. I'm not sure if the person who wrote that article hasn't anything better to do or not, but honestly, it needs to be put the rest. Gerrard will probably not play tomorrow so a week off will do him good.

- I apologize for my review on Saturday, it's certainly not up to the standards in which I set myself. I won't erase it though. Anyhow, I'm going to watch the match again here a little bit and will be back with a proper review. Also I plan on doing a post about why Rafa's rotation policy will prevail and of course, my 'What will Rafa do?' for the Reading tie. Cheers.

Today's Banter: McClaren coming around?, Barnes relates to Bentley, Mihaylov starts for Bulgaria U21, & more

- Let me first say that it would not bother me even for a second if Gerrard 'retired' from international play. Yes, I know that would never happen, since Stevie-G loves his country nearly as much as he loves his club, but one can dream, can't they? At least I hope so. Anyhow, it looks as if England boss Steve McClown has finally seen the light and decided to give Gerrard the kind of freedom alloted him at LFC. Wow, McClown, you're quite the manager. He even went as far as to call his number four the inspiration of the squad. Recalling the Andorra match at Camp Nou, the England boss stated when Stevie-G took control of the match in the second half and pushed the Three Lions through to three points, he knew how valuable Gerrard was. The fact that it took McClown this long to figure out how special Gerrard is should prove how incompetent he is.

- John Barnes has come out in support of David Bentley, questioning the so-called English 'fans' on what their motives were for booing the 23-year-old. I have to agree with the Liverpool Legend here. It does no good to react like that to one of our young hopefuls for any reason, if he had done something truly horrible, he would have never been offered a spot on the squad. It makes you look like donkeys and him insecure when we need to be instilling him with confidence. I was honestly ashamed by the display, no fan has any right to be any player's judge and jury, and I hope the lad doesn't take it to heart.

- Niklolay Mihaylov, one of thirty-odd keepers on our books, was on the losing end of a U21 match with England, 2-0, though apparently he did quite well in keeping it respectable for his out-manned Bulgarian side. The goals for England were scored by Tom Huddlestone and Mark Noble. I saw Mihaylov play in the preseason and though at times a bit melodramatic, I have to say he is quite good despite hearing otherwise. He is currently out on loan to Eredivisie side, FC Twente.

- Former manager Gerard Houllier has finally decided to end his holiday and become the new technical director of football for France. His first task is to help find a permanent home for Anthony Le Tallec. I personally think he should have to buy the 22-year-old midfielder from us with his own money to make up for the many mistakes he made as when he was in charge here.

- Finally, the transfer rumor of the day is Man City expressing interest in Yossi Benayoun. By the time January rolls around, Yossi will either be injured or be playing more often, so I doubt he'll be unhappy with his situation then. A lot of international matches today so unless something major happens I probably won't be posting until this evening. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Carra training, Atletico want Reina, Crouch stalls contract, Cheryl Cole praises fans, & Kewell returns!!!

- Reports are that Carra returned to training today and will be ready for action on Saturday when we travel to Portsmouth. Great news considering how many players we have out on international duty including Hyypia and Agger. Hopefully everyone will return fit and rested, Pompey at Fratton Park will be no easy test.

- Apparently Atletico Madrid are keen on Pepe Reina and are putting together a bid for him in the realm of £10m to offer LFC in the January transfer window. Whether this is true or not, I wonder if Rafa would consider selling Pepe. £10m is a respectable offer and we do have Scott Carson on the books yet on loan to Aston Villa. I doubt he'd sell him in January though unless he could recall Carson.

- Peter Crouch, who's current contract expires at the end of next season, has apparently been offered a three year extension from the club. Supposedly though, he's withholding his signature to see what kind of playing time he's going to get this season. What an ass, he knows what kind of playing time he's going to get, so he needs to commit his future or gotten rid of. I've been for the latter for the past year or so anyhow.

- Cheryl Cole has praised Liverpool fans for their unconditional love of their club and players and thinks England fans should be the same way. The problem is fans of Liverpool know that the people who run their club, love LFC, while those who run England, the FA, do things that say otherwise. For starters, they would have gotten a class coach at what ever cost.

- Harry Kewell returns to action tomorrow night for the Reserves versus Crewe Alexandra Reserves. Well, that's promising. I'm hoping he'll be able to play this Saturday so we can give Babel and Yossi a little rest from International duty. Despite the rise of the new signings, we need Kewell as a key contributor this season if we want to go after all the silverware. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Gerrard okay, Today's flavor: Pasquale Foggia, Abbey Clancy wants to be Crouch's baby's momma & more

- Despite limping off the field yesterday in the 70th minute of England's 3-0 win over Israel, Stevie-G did not re-aggravate his toe injury. He apparently just had cramps. I guess he boozed a little the night before with the boys. Unfortunately, that means there's a chance he'll play versus Russia on Wednesday much to mine and Gus Hiddink's dismay. Not only was Gerrard okay, but it looks like we escaped yesterday with a still fit side. One day down, one day to go.

- The transfer window may be closed, but that doesn't mean the rumors have to stop. Yesterday we saw the beginning of what looks to be a neverending saga about whether Steven Taylor will be a Liverpool player come January or not. Today the seeds of the Pasquale Foggia beanstalk were planted. I know very little about the 24-year-old other than he's Italian, he plays for Cagliari, and he can play left wing but is pretty versatile. And just to set the record straight, Giovani dos Santo will never be a Liverpool player. Seriously, if you sell papers writing crap like that...

- Abigail Clancy may be pissing off her co-stars on Hell's Kitchen for getting paid almost twice as much as them, but at least the girl has got good intentions when it comes to her boy Crouchy. She has come out and said she wants to have the striker's baby, the problem is though, her boobs have appeared to have shrunk from the heat of her latest Telly reality cooking adventure. Not sure what that has to do with having a baby, but anyhow, she also claims to have turned down a job with a top modeling agency in LA to stay with Peter. Hmmm, maybe his people should call the Galaxy people, a Beckham to Crouch connection would probably give the Los Angeles club a better chance of making the playoffs next season. Finally, Abbey says she attends "all the important games." Glad to see she's there when the cameras are.

- Finally, you'd figure a Spanish newspaper would know the difference between Xavi and Xabi. Apparently not. Cheers.

Today's Banter: The needle & hopefully no damage done for Gerrard & more

- Well, he's gone and done it, Steven Gerrard has declared himself fit to Steve McClaren for England's tie with Israel tomorrow. No word on whether he'll get an injection or not, and though I doubt we'll hear about it if he does with all the controversy surrounding it anyhow. After tomorrow, I don't expect Stevie-G to play for us for about a month, call it Anfield intuition.

- Not really that much else going on other than Voronin getting a lot of love and if you wrote Steven Gerrard, Luis Garcia, or Harry Kewell a love letter between February 12 and April 21 of this year, there's a good chance it ended up in this guy's house. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Crouch an internet sex god?, Le Tallec snubbed Hearts, Xabi could get rare start, & more

- Apparently Peter Crouch is one sexy bastard. According to this article, the England striker has quite the following on Facebook with a group dubbed 'Peter Crouch is a Sex God'. I don't do Facebook so I can't confirm it, but when asked, here's what Crouch supposedly said: "I've never been classed as that before. I'd certainly like to meet these people. I'm sure they're all very attractive." He'd like to meet them? Uh, Crouchy, I don't think you do.

- Anthony Le Tallec is claiming that Hearts offered him 'crazy money' to play for them instead of returning to his home country of France on loan to Le Mans. Wouldn't surprise me since the owner of Hearts, Vladimir Romanov, is mental and has loads of cash. Le Tallec turned down the deal for 'sporting' reasons, which I'm assuming was because of international ambitions.

- Spanish national team manager Luis Aragones has hinted that Xabi Alonso could get a rare start in his country's upcoming Euro-qualifier versus Iceland on Saturday. Xabi had been reduced to bench status for the past year, ever since the World Cup. Aragones also said that, despite a minor knee injury, he expects Torres to start as well.

- Javier Mascherano has come in support of Rafa's rotation policy despite not playing as much as a World Class midfielder would expect. It seems like he's played more for Argentina lately. Javi is all right with his lack of playing time because he understands that it is a long season, we are going after the quadruple, and the more amount of fresh bodies, the better is our chance of winning. It's not rocket science. Too bad the pundits don't get it.

- Finally in two separate articles that have nothing in common, here's a look at our team's debt issues and an article that mentions a few of our former players who will be attending Rhys Jones' funeral. Cheers.

LFC Tea Time: Torres Injured, Gerrard trains, Finnan ruled out, Fagan denies stamping & Benayoun praises Stevie-G

- A pretty busy day for knocks and minor bruises on the Liverpool scene, speaking of which, Fernando Torres apparently slightly injured himself in training with Spain today on a challenge from David Abelda. It doesn't appear to be serious, but the 23-year-old striker said that it began to hurt more and more as the day wore on. He is still expected to play for his country in their upcoming Euro-qualifiers against Iceland and Latvia.

- Steven Gerrard participated more in training today for England as they prepare for their Euro-qualifiers against Israel and Russia. Apparently Stevie-G told McClaren that he would be fit for the first match against Israel at Wembley on Saturday. No word on whether he will receive an injection or not.

- With Finnan yet to show at Ireland's training in Malahide, Irish boss Steve Staunton has concluded that the right-back will not be available for his side's upcoming Euro-qualifiers against Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Finnan remained in Liverpool for treatment and assessment from club physicians.

- 25-year-old Derby County striker Craig Fagan has denied charges from the FA that he intentionally stamped on Alvaro Arbeloa's calf in last Saturday's match. He has appealed the decision and the case will now be heard by a regulatory commission tomorrow. Like I've said before, he may have not done it with the appearance of malice, but it looks very intentional.

- Yossi Benayoun has named Steven Gerrard as the best midfielder in the world and believes the Liverpool skipper will do all he can to play for England on Saturday. Not a bad compliment from a guy who has played multiple seasons in La Liga and now the Premiership. I have a feeling he just wants Gerrard to play, hoping he'll re-aggravate his injury, and bettering Benayoun's chances to get pitch time with the club. Just kidding. Cheers.

Graham Poll: Crouch targeted at World Cup

Former International and England referee Graham Poll has revealed that officials at last year's World Cup were told to keep a close watch on the Three Lions' Peter Crouch. He claims that they went as far as watching England warm-up matches so they would know what to look for, emphasizing the way the lanky striker uses his arms. A biased against an English player in the World Cup in Germany? Crazy.

A player being targeted by refs seems a serious subject to me, yet I've seen very little about it in the media. I know the German, Italian, and most other non-English European media will ignore any subject regarding discrimination against England and an English player, but if there is any truth to this, something should be done. Maybe England should just resort to the corrupt and cheating tactics of their European competitors, as it looks like that's the only way they're going to get a 'fair' deal in international competition.

Today's Banter: Gerrard & the needle debate, Micah Richards' thoughts on that subject, Jimmy Ryan would rather play for Shrewsbury Town, & more

- The big debate in the British papers today seems to be whether or not Steven Gerrard should receive a painkiller injection in his injured toe if it allows him to play for England on Saturday versus Israel at Wembley. It is no secret that Rafa thinks if Stevie-G needs an injection, he is still not fit, and no risk should be taken to further aggravate that injury. Steve McClaren sees no problem in it. The problem is Stevie wants to play, almost at all costs. I understand him wanting to play for his country, wanting to be the hero that helps them qualify for Euro 2008, but with our start in the league and our tendency over the last couple of years to get better as the season progresses, we have the best chance at winning the EPL for the first time in 17 years. McClaren dug this hole himself and I say let him make the sacrifice to get England out of it.

- For some reason, Micah Richards has offered his two cents on the Gerrard-needle debate, saying that he would gladly take the needle to play for his country. Oh the ignorant optimism of youth, it's what keeps the body bag industry in business during time of war. If anyone gives a rat's ass what a 19-year-old with a total of 5 international caps has to say, then you're an idiot. Leave it up to the big boys, son.

- On-loan Jimmy Ryan has revealed that he'd rather stay at Shrewsbury Town than return to Liverpool to fight for a spot. I say give the player his wish because if he'd be happy just to play instead of playing for a top club, he has no place on our squad.

- Finally, Fernando Torres has vowed to bring the title back to Anfield while Jamie Carragher has expressed his desperate desire to bring number 19 to his club before he retires. Maybe Carra can have a sit down with Gerrard.