Just a glimpse of Maxi

Dirk Kuyt scored the winning goal, Javier Mascherano was a beast, Daniel Agger re-introduced himself to the footballing world, and Steven Gerrard was, well, Stevie-G, but the player who I thought put in the most important performance today was Maxi Rodriguez. If Liverpool are to finish in the top four, it's clear they are going to need a creative spark from somewhere and Maxi showed against Everton he's more than capable of filling that role.

Like Xabi before him, Rodriguez' passing prowess went unnoticed as the pundits, press, and fellow bloggers praised the performances of the aforementioned (as well as Carra and Insua, who both played well too I might add). In fact, I have yet to read anywhere about how Maxi's brilliant bloop pass to N'Gog set up the corner that lead to the game-winning goal. It was just one of about five that raised my eye brows. Not to mention, the Argentine showed a toughness that quite frankly before today, I felt he failed to possess.

The next big question is whether or not Rafa will try to integrate Maxi into a more central midfield position where he can utilize his skills with greater area to operate. He primarily played on the left today (a bit odd considering we got that Riera fella) and though he has the ability to play out wide, I personally think it's a waste of talent. Regardless, it was a promising performance and as he becomes more familiar and comfortable with his teammates and his role with the team, more great things are bound to come.

(By the way, I will not be updating this blog regularly but only sporadically due to other commitments. Sorry, that's just the way it is, but I greatly appreciate all those who read it. Cheers.)

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.

My 2007 World's Best XI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My LFC Player of the Year: Javier Mascherano

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

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

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

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

Today's Banter: Igor Bišćan heads home, Convey & Coppell talk paper, Contemplating Torres, & more

If I had to make a list of my ten favorite players ever to play for Liverpool, Igor Bišćan would certainly find a way on there. The Bišćuit Man was one of limited talent and physical ability, but had the heart of Hektōr which almost justifies his £5.5m transfer fee. The oft-injured and even more frequently misplayed defensive-minded player has returned to his roots, signing a three-and-a-half year deal with Dinamo Zagreb, the club where he spent his youth. People often forget the contributions of players like Bišćan, but without him and others like Le Tallec and Pongolle, we wouldn't have won number five. I can't believe he's only 29-years-old, though I guess he's always looked a decade or two older.

Oh, Reading, not sure if you boys are already making excuses or are just having a go beforehand so you can play up how outstanding it was to get something out of the match tomorrow. It amazes me to no end to hear opposing players and managers mention the cost of players or the squad in general when we're about to face 'em. You never hear that kind of talk with West Ham or the Spurs, both of which spent more in the offseason. In fact, I would bet the plot that the Tottenham squad is more expensive then ours by nearly a hundred quid. Anyhow, Bobby Convey, a player I respect and who scored a brilliant volley goal against us in our League Cup match at the Madejski, claims we paid out '£30 million on one player'. Really, Bobby? And who was that? Because we sure as hell could use a player of that value to boost us on the wings. I know, I know, he's just a footballer, not a financial analyst. Who can blame him if he doesn't share the interest of counting money with 'Mr. Florida', Eric Rivera?

On the other hand, Steve Coppell is of stubborn lot. The local lad turned traitor, speaking of the Cup match claimed 'the difference between the two sides last time was a £25million centre forward'. Mr. Coppell, you flatter to deceive, but at least your math is a bit better. A quick inquiry into said match would have revealed a Liverpool side that was of equal youth and certainly less experience playing away from home. Arbeloa played centre back, Lucas and Leto started, Gerrard was on the bench until the 77th minute, and Aurelio was making his first start and second appearance overall after a near seven month layoff. Was Torres a factor? Of course, but he wasn't the factor. Sometimes circumstances pay a pretty price.

Apparently Rafa has yet to decide on whether to start Torres tomorrow. With the crucial Marseilles match on Tuesday, he's going to have to rotate-wisely. I'm confident the Spaniard will get the call from the go, though the decisive tie in France may be more important financially in the long run, who are we kidding? Our 'second string' is of equal talent to the best l'OM side, if it only weren't for that pesky puppet master and the pride of the colonists, the match would've been a testimonial to one Djibril Aruun Cissé.

The boy is ours, the boy is ours... Javier Mascherano wants to stay at Liverpool and everyone of moderate intelligence, that long to be be buried in Red, concur. The Argentine gives Gerrard the keys to his proper castle, what more can an owner ask?

One last thing before I go before the jury, here's an interesting speculative piece about how the inevitable move of Everton to Kirkby will affect the Merseyside derby. Godspeed, my friends.

Today's Banter: Cappello to replace Rafa?, City in for Masche, Beşiktaş rout fixed?, & more

Apparently, Fabio Capello was contacted by the club before the Porto match to see if he would be interested in replacing Rafa, had the position opened. No word on what his response was, but it's looking more and more likely that Benitez is here to stay. I personally wouldn't mind the former AC Milan/Real Madrid/AC Milan/AS Roma/Juventus/Real Madrid manager taking over, as he has shown in the past that he's capable of taking a squad full of players that were there before he arrived and making them champions, but in the end, Rafa staying on board is best for the club.

In the rubbish transfer rumor of the day, Sven allegedly fancies Mascherano and is looking to place a bid of £17m for the defensive midfielder in the January transfer. Apparently Masche's 'owners', MSI, want to have him under contract to a club for next year by the end of the month. Seriously, I don't think Rafa is going anywhere, but if the owners don't think signing the Argentine to a permanent is our top objective come January, I wouldn't blame Benitez for handing in his notice. Anyhow, if Javier does leave, I doubt he'll stay in England when he can go to Juventus or Barcelona.

UEFA and Platini once again are making donkeys of themselves. "The European governing body has received information that 26 games in the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Intertoto Cup may have been fixed since 2005 with Liverpool's 8-0 drubbing of the Turkish club at Anfield - the highest score in Europe's premier competition - among those allegedly involved." Apparently a lot of higher winning margin bets were placed on LFC just before kick off and a few Beşiktaş players might have been paid off not to give their all. Platini should know what a fixed match looks-like and it's not 8-0, it's usually 2-1 with an allowed handball goal or maybe 1-1 with a questionable penalty. Anyhow, it won't matter in the end, it appears nobody at the club were involved and another scandal to distract Marseilles may be just what the doctor ordered.

Finally, due to the fact that Jamie Carragher is playing with fire, Jack Hobbs may get the start at Reading to prevent the Bootle icon and our side from getting burnt. Carra did have to leave the Bolton match early due to sore ribs, but that's not why he may start from the bench on Saturday. He also has four yellow cards, a fifth will earn him a one-game suspension and force him out of the Man U match on the 16th. If Hobbs can maintain the composure he showed in the second half against the Trotters, I don't see why he can't do the same at the Madejski this weekend. Maybe the 19-year-old centre back can take confidence that he made his Liverpool debut at the Reading stadium just two-and-a-half months back.

I'll be back later with a Kids Watch recap from all of yesterday's action including our Reserves thumping Everton, 3-0. Cheers.

Anfield Banter Awards for November

My player of the month was Sami Hyppiä. I'm so glad I disabled comments because I can only imagine the garbage spewing from the mouths of those who have their own opinion. If you are one of those who know better, than I have a suggestion, start your own blog. Anyhow, here's the rest of the awards.

Unsung hero of the month
Well, I sort of shot myself in the foot on this one by naming Hyppiä as player of. Let me see, Carragher is certainly a candidate, as is Yossi, who seems no matter how well he plays gets little recognition, but I'm going to have to go with Javier Mascherano. The Argentine was instrumental in shutting down our opposition in the four matches he played and improved drastically from our previous matches with Beşiktaş and Porto. Not to mention he had to go to South America and back to play two matches for his home country.

Bench player of the month
Easy, Ryan Babel. In his three appearances as a sub, he scored three goals, utilizing his skill and pace to punish our opponents. Funny enough, he failed to net in his two starts. For now, Babel clearly is best suited coming on in the 60th minute.

Goal of the month
We scored 17 goals in five matches this past month, so there's plenty to choose from. I think I've got it down to five though. From the Beşiktaş match, Babel's first goal where he cleverly deflected a ball from Benayoun off the inside of his foot and Gerrard's nasty swerving blast in the box after receiving a cheeky back heel from Voronin, Gerrard's nasty free kick in the Newcastle tie, and finally both goals by Torres in the Porto match. The thing is, all of these goals have one thing in common, they were all team efforts, so I'll let you to decide for yourself. If I had a gun to my head though, I'd take Babel's first goal against Beşiktaş, only because it was a great announcement of the kind of talent the young Dutch forward possesses.

Assist of the month
Again, some great ones to choose from: Benayoun to Babel and Voronin to Gerrard against Beşiktaş, Kewell to Torres against Porto, and three corners from Gerrard to various players. I'm gonna have to go with the back heel by Voronin to a streaking Gerrard though, the whole play was just a thing of beauty.

On-loan player of the month
Hey, it's not Paul Anderson this time, even though the Swansea winger had another great month, playing in seven matches and scoring twice. No, this month's award goes to Danny Guthrie, who played in all but 16 minutes for Bolton while helping them go unbeaten for the month. Yes, you read that right, Bolton didn't lose in five matches in November, going 1-4-0. Only one win, but it was against Man U. Guthrie has proven a solid contributor to the side which makes me wonder what his future holds, our midfield is already cluttered as it is.

That's it for today... probably, but I'll be back tomorrow with my daily and a 'What will Rafa do?' for the Bolton match. Godspeed.

Today's Banter: The mass exodus that would follow Rafa, The press & pundits toe the company line, Gerrard speaks up, & more

With the impending (and ridiculous) debacle concerning the future of Rafael Benitez set to play out in the near future, a potential aftershock to ponder is that his departure could gut our side, if not first psychologically, eventually physically. The possibility of those who followed Rafa from abroad requesting a transfer or, in the case of Javier Mascherano, refusing to sign a permanent, is highly likely. Contractually obligated or not, a band of discontent players is a near impossible task to motivate and in our case, a large portion of the squad would at least secretly harbor feelings of betrayal for the men signing their paychecks.

The lack of professionalism displayed in the situation so far would surely dampen any calls of such a notion from our players. Relieving Benitez of his managerial duties is akin to a spit in the face of our Spanish, South American, and other foreign players who played under Rafa at his previous clubs. If our owners want a plague of strife followed by a substantial player-forced reshuffle that has the plausible backlash of crippling the side, then by all means they should rid themselves of Rafa and his small-spending ways. The threat of Jose Mourinho and his thriftiness is laughable at best.

This is ultimately about money, nothing more and nothing less, not egos nor power-trips. Rafa has done an absolute brilliant job at building a squad using peanuts to lure elephants. If Gillett and Hicks think that ridding themselves of the Spaniard is even an option financially, they're far worse businessmen than can be fathomed. Securing a transfer fee for Kaladze of £4m and signing Mascherano to a permanent for £17m, fee and salary, were both tremendously savvy deals. The former appears to be no longer an option while the latter is in serious jeopardy.

The monetary repercussions of dealing with a squad full of scorned players is unimaginable. The losses due to Bosmans and circumstantial devaluations could easily reach a nine-figure sum. All investment of even the past year would most likely go to waste. The oath of fealty when it comes to players always lies with their manager. He's the one that shares their love of football and there will be always be someone to sign their checks. If Gillett and Hicks truly are shrewd businessmen then a simple weighing of pros and cons can only lead them to one conclusion, give Rafa the meager amounts he needs to make your club even more profitable when you sell or suffer the consequences of even more dire financial constraints.

Perusing the press today, I found two articles of particular interest. The first is a piece at Sky Sports which is disconcerting in tone, but suspicious in agenda. According to Spain-based journalist Graham Hunter, Rafa Benitez 'has changed.' Mr. Hunter says he has heard such notions regarding the alleged personality metamorphosis from 'many people' and it is 'why so many of his friends and supporters have left the club.' Friends and supporters left the club? Like who? The only person who has left the club due to a rift with Rafa that I'm aware of is Pako Ayestaran and from what I understand that was due to a philosophical change in training methods by Benitez that Ayesteran did not support. This article has anti-Rafa PR campaign written all over it and is illogical in premise. Rafa wants what is best for the club because in the end, it's what's best for him, an attempt to imply anything different is just absurd.

Then we have an even more odd article by former Liverpool great Ian Rush. He starts out chastising Rafa Benitez for not doing things the 'Liverpool way' and keeping the rift behind closed doors, but Benitez wasn't the instigator nor the violator of the unwritten rule, Hicks and Gillett spoke first with their official statement on the official Liverpool site. Had the owners not made such a strange announcement, Rafa wouldn't have been hounded and pressured by the press to reveal the true origins of the declaration. Then Rush's article gets even more uncanny as he goes on to praise Benitez for his accomplishments in his short time with our club and makes a plea for keeping him on board. So first he slaps Rafa on the hand for something he didn't do, but then follows it up with elicit praise for our manager. Interesting.

Steven Gerrard has basically stated that he will not be getting involved in the spat between our manager and owners. I can definitely see his view, I mean, as a club we are entering a crucial string of fixtures that we need to win, especially in Champions League, and all distractions should be set aside to concentrate on the task at hand. I do hope he realizes though that if push comes to shove, he has the power to play a major role in doing what is best for the club.

Finally, two Liverpool legends, Ian Callaghan and Gerry Byrne, are set to receive winner's medals for being part of the England side that won the 1966 World Cup. Since neither player were part of the XI that played in the final, they were excluded from receiving a medal. Now thanks to England 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Richard Caborn and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, all members appointed to the squad will do so. Cheers.

Liverpool at Newcastle: What will Rafa do?

Finally, the exhibition matches have commenced for a while and we can get back to football that matters. Last year's trip to St. James Park was a comedy of errors played in a virtual swamp and I'm hoping we don't see a repeat of that tomorrow. The good news is that we should have a fully fit Fernando Torres and possibly Daniel Agger as well. I'd be somewhat surprised if Agger started, but then again, Hyppiä played for Finland on Wednesday, so it's not as if the most-likely fatigued Finn would be the better choice here. There's a chance that Benayoun might be available as well as he is recovering from a groin injury, though Xabi is definitely still out.

A lot of our players played either Tuesday or Wednesday in international competition, so I think it's safe to say those who didn't will probably start, which means Carra, Arbeloa, Aurelio, Kewell, Torres, and Sissoko should be out there from the onset tomorrow. I would like to see Lucas start as well, but given it's away from Anfield against a semi-formidable opponent, I doubt he will. The rest of the squad really depends on the fitness of others. I think Kuyt will start up front with Torres, only because he played just the second half in the Netherland's loss to Belarus. From the looks of the result, he along with the rest of the side probably didn't try too hard.

Anyhow, here's my guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carra
Agger
Arbeloa
Kewell
Sissoko
Mascherano
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Martin (or Itandje)
Babel
Lucas
Hyypiä
Finnan

I would love to see Finnan start at right wing, but since Rafa hasn't done that in a long time, I can't see him pulling it out of nowhere and doing it here. I feel Sissoko will be the key, if he plays well, we'll win. If he doesn't it may be the beginning of his exodus. We are lucky to have seven well-rested players and we should definitely need it. St. James Park hasn't been nice to us over the years and I have a feeling that won't end tomorrow, even though I would for our boys to stick to 'Big' Sam Allardyce. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Pepe seeks to stop Healy, Torres title talk, Rafa outclasses Big Sam, & a tad more

As I alluded to in yesterday's daily, Pepe Reina might be setting himself up for a fall today when he starts in net for his native Spain. The match is meaningless for the Spaniards who have already booked their ticket to the 2008 Euro, but their opponent, Northern Ireland, need to win if they want any chance of advancing. Pepe may be looking to shut down David Healy, the hat-trick hero when Norn Iron beat La Furia Roja 3-2 in Belfast in September of last year, but it doesn't mean his teammates will have the same kind of commitment. I'm still hoping Aragonés plays younger players or ones that will at least care, I don't want Reina to get embarrassed.

Fernando Torres has made some interesting points lately. Most notably how our side has yet to play our best yet are only six points off the pace of league leaders Arsenal. He also claims that there is a 'winning mentality' ever present in the LFC locker room before matches. The problem with our side is that we may have a winning attitude at the offset, but as matches wear on and goals aren't produced, we begin to doubt ourselves instead of believing that as long as their is time on the clock, we'll still get it done. Finally, Torres gets a little cocky and says “From what I have seen so far in England we do not have anything to fear from any of our opponents for the title." That may be true, but there's no need to give our opponents more motivation to beat us.

In anticipation of our clash at St. James Park on Saturday, Tommy Smith at the Echo has taken a few stabs at 'Big' Sam Allardyce. It's not as if the Newcastle boss doesn't deserve it, he feels as if he has the right to criticize Rafa Benitez despite lacking the silverware to do so. As Smith mentions, the only accomplishment of Allardyce worth any sort of recognition was keeping Bolton up for six seasons and reaching the UEFA Cup once. 'Big' Sam would get a lot more respect from others if he learned to keep his mouth shut. In fact, I'd go even as far as to say he'd make a better manager for England than Steve McClaren.

Two of our players saw action yesterday. On-loan Robbie Threlfall helped Hereford United upset Leeds 1-0 in first round FA Cup action. The left back, who turns 20 on Sunday, started and played the entire match. Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano and Argentina suffered their first loss of World Cup qualifying to Colombia in Bogota. Carlos Tevez conveniently received a red card in the 25th minute and despite going up 1-0 on a brilliant strike from Lionel Messi, the Albicelestes failed to hold on, eventually succumbing 2-1. Cheers.

Weekend Recap: Harry Kewell, Norway falls, Finland wins, Paul Anderson plays, & more

Even though we didn't play this past weekend, we had a ton of players who saw action for country or on-loan club. First off, as I mentioned in my daily, Harry Kewell played the full match for Australia in their Wembley friendly with Nigeria. He appears to have come away unscathed, but I'll believe it when he suits up for us again. By the way, the Aussies won 1-0.

I guess Paul Anderson wasn't subbed off early for injury reasons in his side's 1-0 Football League Trophy victory over Yeovil Town last Tuesday. The 19-year-old winger was replaced in the 50th minute of that match by Thomas Butler. This past Saturday the Swans looked to continue their current unbeaten run of ten matches when they faced Huddersfield. Paul Anderson started and played the full match, but Swansea lost 0-1, costing them a chance to go to the top of the League One table. Their next match is away to Tranmere on Saturday.

Of all the internationals, John Arne Riise probably had the worst weekend. All Norway had to do was draw with visiting Turkey to almost assure themselves a spot in the 2008 Euro, but they failed to do even that. The Norwegians took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute on a goal by Erik Hagen, but a little under twenty minutes later Newcastle's Emre Belözoğlu equalized. Then in the 59th minute, Villareal's Nihat Kahveci, a player I think Liverpool should inquire about, put the Turks up 2-1 with a clinical finish. That ended up being enough and now Norway will have to rely on the Bosnians to go into Istanbul and get a positive result or else their Euro dreams are over. Riise played the full match, but wasn't much of a factor.

On the other end of the spectrum, Sami Hyppiä and Finland won, just not in the fashion they would have preferred against group doormat Azerbaijan. Playing in Helsinki, it was believed that the Finns would have little trouble with the cellar dwellers, but it wasn't to be. The Azeri took a 1-0 lead on a stunning shot by Makhmud Gurbonov which sent the host side into a frenzy. Upping their play, the Huuhkajat managed to even things up with 11 minutes to go on a cheeky chest-catch and finish by Birmingham's Mikael Forssell. Then seven minutes later former LFC star Jari Litmanen placed a free-kick cross into the box that after bouncing off a head or two found Shefki Kuqi right outside of the net. The recent Fulham addition had powered himself into position and easily headed the ball past the line. The Finns next travel to Portugal on Wednesday, where they have to win to have any chance of advancing.

Javier Mascherano played the full match in Argentina's 3-0 World Cup qualifying match. The win kept the Albicelestes as the only side with a perfect record and to have yet to yield a goal in the CONMEBOL group. They play Colombia tomorrow in Bogotá. I really don't see the point in making Argentina and Brazil qualify. Despite Brazil's recent stumbles, and by stumbles I mean draws since they're still undefeated, both of these countries will easily qualify. I guess they do need to play home matches to raise revenue though.

In other on-loan action, no one managed to score, but a few saw action. On Saturday, Robbie Threlfall played the full ninety for Hereford United who won 3-0 on the road at Stockport, while Craig Lindfield started and played 72 minutes for Notts County in their 0-1 home loss to Macclesfield Town. On Sunday, Lee Peltier played the full match in Yeovil Town's 2-1 victory over Gillingham at Huish Park. Those who didn't play were Godwin Antwi at Hartlepool and Miki Roque at Xerez CD.

In other International matches, Steve Finnan played the entire ninety in Ireland's meaningless 2-2 draw with Wales at Cardiff on Saturday. Andriy Voronin started and played 69 minutes in the Ukraine's 0-2 embarrassing loss at Lithuania. Dirk Kuyt came on at the start of the second while Ryan Babel was subbed on in the 84th minute as the Netherlands clinched a spot in the 2008 Euro with a 1-0 win over Luxembourg in Rotterdam. Finally, as expected, Pepe Reina did not get to play in Spain's 3-0 home victory over Sweden which also booked their ticket to the exhibition tournament next summer. That probably means he'll play Wednesday against Northern Ireland. Great.

Oh yeah, then there was that insignificant friendly between England and Austria in Vienna. England won, Crouch scored, and Owen got hurt. Sounds like the typical Three Lions match. Steven Gerrard only played the first half as he and his English teammates prepare for Croatia on Wednesday. I could care less if they advance or not. Knowing my luck though, they'll lose and then replace Austria when the host country pulls out of the competition. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Kewell survives Nigeria, No interest in Javi Martínez, West Ham want Hobbs? & more

Probably the best news to come out of the weekend was Harry Kewell playing the full match for Australia. The 29-year-old started on the wing for the Socceroos as they beat Nigeria 1-0 at Wembley. Interim manager Rob Baan hopes this helps Kewell get more time and play more often for us. Obviously he's not too familiar with the ways of Rafa.

I don't know where the rumors of our interest in Athletic Bilbao central midfielder Javi Martínez emanated from, but they've been rubbished by Rafa Benitez. I thought it was a bit strange that we were going after the 19-year-old with the amount of players we already have at that position. This pretty much scratches any chance of a move for Momo in the January window, something I'm against anyhow.

There's a little disinformation in this article regarding West Ham's interest in obtaining Jack Hobbs on loan in January. He actually has made his first team debut. In fact, I believe he's played three matches overall for us, one start and two subs, but that aside, I think it'd be a great idea to let him go to the Hammers on a six month loan. He might actually get some pitch time there and if he's as good as everyone says, they won't include an option to make it permanent. I've yet to be impressed by the lad myself, but it's not like he's really had a chance to 'settle in' with the first team.

Finally, in other transfer news it's been reported here that the £17m quoted as the transfer fee for Javier Mascherano may also include his salary over five years. Not sure how that'll work out and it sort of makes little sense, but I hope he's not getting screwed over by MSI and Kia Joorabchian. In that same article is another reference to Racing Santander centre back Ezequiel Garay, who I have to believe is our top target in January. Cheers.

International Watch: the who, what, when, where, and why

Though I'm never too enthusiastic about our players risking injury for their country, I will admit that it gives me something to look forward to over the break. With that said, let's take a look at which players got call-ups and if applicable, what the situation is with their country in advancing to the European Championships next summer or in one case, World Cup qualifying.

First, Pepe Reina got the usual call-up to his native Spain to be the back-up to Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas. I honestly think Pepe is better than Casillas, but it doesn't bother me that he doesn't get to play. Torres, despite probably being fit enough, was not called-on, and Xabi is still injured. I'm sort of surprised Alvaro Arbeloa isn't taken into consideration, but I'm not going to argue over his exclusion. The group of defenders they appeared to call is actually quite strong for once, recently they've had a few injured.

Spain has ties with group leader Sweden and Northern Ireland, the former at Santiago Bernabéu and the latter at Gran Canaria. A draw in either of those matches nearly assures their advancement to the final, a victory definitely does. How big was the fan incident with Herbert Fandel for Denmark? It pretty much cost the Danes any chance of advancing, of course, drawing nil-nil with Northern Ireland both times didn't help either.

Both Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt will be in Rotterdam come Saturday as the Netherlands need a victory over Luxembourg to continue to the next stage of the competition. Sounds like a simple enough task as the Red Lions have just recently recorded their first competitive win in twelve years. Hopefully one of the two will not have to play in the following mid-week fixture at Belarus, so they'll be fresh for the Newcastle tie.

Sami Hyypiä will take the pitch for Finland as they basically need to beat Azerbaijan in Helsinki on Saturday and then travel to the Estádio do Dragão to take on the Portuguese. If Portugal beat Armenia in Leiria on Saturday it might not matter anyhow, as Cristiano Ronaldo's side has a +8 goal difference over Finland as it stands now and that will probably increase after Saturday. Plus if Serbia beats Kazakhstan and Poland, whom they both play in home country stadiums, the Serbs will probably get the nod ahead of the Finns since they also have a superior goal differential. Hopefully, that'll mean Hyypiä will get the mid-week fixture in Portugal off and be fresh when he returns to Liverpool, though Agger might be fit anyhow.

Andriy Voronin was called-up for the Ukraine, even though they have already been eliminated. The Zhovto-Blakytni first travel to Lithuania and then have a chance to spoil France's qualifying hopes in Kiev. Hopefully Oleg Blokhin will be trying out his ponies and let the elder players rest.

John Arne Riise got the usual call from Norway as they look to secure a qualifying spot against Turkey in Oslo. A win and the Norwegians are in. If they draw then all they need is a similar result at Malta on the 21st. Hopefully they'll wrap it up on Saturday and not need the services of Riise after that.

Ireland called-up Steve Finnan, which actually might be beneficial to us in the end. The 31-year-old hasn't donned the Liverpool kit since the Blackburn match, so maybe a little action for his country will keep his fitness up as they travel to Cardiff to face Wales to finish off their failed qualifying campaign.

Then we have England. Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch are both set to take the pitch for the Three Lions on the 21st against Croatia. Of course, if Russia beat Israel, I don't see the point in risking Gerrard, as I doubt Andorra will be able to hold the Russians to even a draw. An Israel draw with Russia, will assure England a great chance of advancing since Croatia would have already qualified and the match will be held at Wembley. Oh yeah, they also have that all important friendly with Austria this Friday.

Speaking of Israel, they will be without the services of their captain, Yossi Benayoun, who was injured in the Fulham match. Also, Danny Agger was not called up for Denmark in case you were wondering.

As for non-Euro qualifying international matches, Harry Kewell will be with Australia when they take on Nigeria in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday. If recent history tells us anything, it's that Kewell will most likely come off the bench. Hopefully the history of him getting injured for the Socceroos won't rear it's ugly head though.

Finally, Javier Mascherano will probably start for both of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers, home against Bolivia on Saturday then at Colombia the following Tuesday. I'd be surprised to see him start against Newcastle on Saturday though, especially since Sissoko will be well-rested.

Today's Banter: Masche ♥ LFC, Benayoun benched for 3 weeks, Sissoko frustrated, & Owners tussle?

Javier Mascherano is apparently loving Liverpool life and has no desire to go elsewhere. So much so that he has stated that if he doesn't sign with our club, he won't play for any other English side. That's good to hear, but I hope we do whatever we have to secure his services because I'd rather not face a side in Europe with him on it either.

Yossi Benayoun won't be the savior of England's Euro hopes if Israel happens to beat Russia next Saturday. The Israeli captain slightly tore his adductor muscle in yesterday's match. He is expected to miss at least three weeks. Hopefully that'll mean more playing time for Harry Kewell, well, if he can avoid injury playing for Australia next weekend.

Momo Sissoko has once again voiced his frustration about Rafa's rotation policy. I find it a bit odd that he isn't paired in the middle more often with Mascherano and Gerrard placed on the right myself. It's looking more and more likely that he'll be sold in the January transfer window, which in my opinion, would be a bad idea. I know he's slowly dropped out of favor with the fans, but he's still young and a huge talent. I would hate to see him develop elsewhere, especially if he leaves with a chip on his shoulder. Knowing how reckless he can be, that would be a bit scary if we ever had to face him.

Finally, there appears to be a rift between our owners. As reported by News of the World, the same rag that fabricated the Bellamy/Riise golf club incident, Hicks and Gillett don't see eye-to-eye about the stadium plans. If you want a laugh, you can read the article here. It sounds a bit childish towards the end when the it states the two parties are concerned about who the face of the club is. First, Steven Gerrard is the face of the club, so are they both jealous of him? Second, seriously? Two multi-millionaires really give a rat's ass which one is the face of the club? That doesn't make much sense, if I were that rich, anonymity would seem to be one of my priorities. Cheers.

Liverpool 2, Fulham 0: player grades

Reina 6
Made a great save on a Danny Murphy shot, but for the most part was required to do little. A mistake free effort nonetheless.

Fabio Aurelio 4
Aurelio is one of my favorite players, so it pains me to say he was poor. His passing was off and for the most part he was ineffective.

Carragher 6
Another solid match. Wanna take a stab at what his completion percentage for this match was? 98.2% on 57 attempts.

Hyypia 7
Defying logic, the Finn appears to be getting better the more he plays. He lead the side in tackles with 5.

Alvaro Arbeloa 8 Man of the Match
The Spaniard was fantastic in the first half, but less of a factor in the second. I'm sure fatigue had something to do with it. He took on defenders on attack and attackers on defense.

Riise 4
I have no clue as to why Rafa keeps starting the Norwegian when he has plenty of other options. For the most part he was inexistent and ineffective when involved.

Mascherano 7
His first half was forgettable, but his second half oozed class. If he could just study and master Xabi's passing ability, he'd be the best holding/defensive midfield in the world.

Gerrard 5
Was okay, made his usual runs and scored his fifth goal in six games. I expect more and better matches from him, but hopefully he's just preserving such performances when needs be.

Benayoun 5
He probably should have taken the night off. He was adequate in short spurts, but for the most part feckless.

Voronin 6.5
Seemed the threat and determined to be so, but his efforts proved fruitless. A better strike pairing might have done him better.

Crouch 4
So much for Crouch being a catalyst of our attack. Looks like he's reverted back to his normal form, giving the ball away and getting called for fouls. I can't wait to read the rubbish about him putting on anything but a poor display.

Torres 7
Scored a cheeky goal that was simply magic and was a threat the entire time he was on the pitch.

Babel 7
Impressed on the wing and caused havoc among the Fulham defenders. Still thinks he can take on the whole opponent's side by himself, and sometimes it appears he could, but he's got to realize he has ten other teammates out there with him. Once he does, he'll be that much better. Showed a different side to his game though with his tackling abilities.

Lucas 6
Nothing negative to say about the Brazilian's performance. He did what he had to in the time allotted.

Liverpool vs Fulham: What will Rafa do?

The big question going into this match is what kind of part will Fernando Torres play? From what I've read, it appears that Rafa is contemplating starting the Spaniard. Apparently he's looked good in training, but I'd be a little shocked if he started. There has also been some speculation as to whether or not Rafa will start the same XI he did against Beşiktaş. I'll go ahead and save everyone the trouble, he won't. So with that...

In front of Reina, starting on the left, I'd be shocked not to see Aurelio. He looked pretty sharp on Tuesday and I would hope that Rafa would want to keep the Brazilian that way. In the middle we'll probably see Hyypia and Carra, not only because Arbeloa is the only other choice here, but also because the two elder Reds didn't have to expend much energy against Beşiktaş. Finally on the right I suspect Steve Finnan will get the nod against his former club. Arbeloa should be on the bench.

In the midfield, I don't know why because he was probably our worse player on Tuesday, but Rafa will probably start Riise. I'd personally rather see Kewell or even Benayoun, but I think the Norwegian will get the nod. In the middle I'm gonna say Sissoko and Mascherano, even though it'll probably be Gerrard paired with the Argentine. Finally on the right, it's either Gerrard or Benayoun, I'll decide shortly.

Up front I'm hoping Rafa starts the Dutch connection and gives Kuyt and Babel the call. Like it or not, Kuyt's part of the rotation. He lead us in goals in the league last year and he'll eventually get it going.

So here's my final guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Kewell
Mascherano
Sissoko
Gerrard
Kuyt
Babel

Bench:
Martin
Arbeloa
Lucas
Torres
Benayoun

I changed my mind and put Kewell in for Riise. Probably wishful thinking, but oh well. I fully expect Torres to get a running out and for Lucas to get on if the Masche-Momo pairing isn't working or if we need a boost. I know Voronin is no where to be found but I honestly think the less he plays, the better he seems to be.

The thing I'll be looking for in this match is if we come out early with our blitzkrieg-style that we have been using since the last twenty minutes of the Blackburn match. Even if we don't create a goal early, we need to keep on pushing until we crack their defenses. One goal and as long as we keep going at the Cottagers, the floodgates will open. I don't expect another 8-0 or even 6-0, but 4-0 is very realistic and I hope Kuyt gets at least one for his confidence. Cheers.

Is Javier Mascherano worth £18.8m?

If we end up buying Mascherano from Kia Joorabchian & Media Sports Investment (MSI) that's the total it will cost us, £17m for the transfer plus £1.8m we paid in the loan deal. That's an awful lot for a defensive midfielder.

In fact, it would be the second most Liverpool has ever paid for a player and I believe the second highest transfer fee ever for a defensive/holding midfielder by any team. Michael Essien is the only other player of that position who cost more. Chelsea bought him for £24.4m from Lyon in the summer of 2005, but one could argue that he's more of a box-to-box midfielder as well.

Honestly, if you look at what Man United paid for Owen Hargreaves, we'd be getting a steal. The Red Devils paid £17m for the Canadian, of whom Mascherano is clearly a class above and nearly four years younger. Also, Javi is a year-and-a-half younger than the aforementioned Essien, and in my opinion, of similar quality.

Masche is clearly a positive influence to our side. His untiring devotion and reckless abandonment that he displays on the field is inspiring to say the least. Most of all, he allows Steven Gerrard to roam freely without worry of getting back on defense. That, in itself, is priceless.

Of the 22 matches Mascherano has played for us, we've only lost three. Two of which to dubious circumstances, but I won't divulge for the sake of getting off-subject. Probably the most impressive aspect is that we are 3-1-1 with Masche on the pitch against the big four: Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Everton. He clearly makes us a better side.

The flip-side of the argument is that we have Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko, and Damien Plessis. I won't include Lucas in the equation, but he, like Stevie-G, is very well capable of playing that role. Xabi has proven himself again and again to be a class player, Momo is getting there, despite what his overcritical naysayers cry, and I've been quite impressed with Plessis the few times I've had the chance to watch him play, but he's only 19 and it'll be at least a couple of years before we'll see if he develops into a first-team regular.

Rafa has stated that keeping Mascherano is a priority, but if we do lose him, I don't think it's a devastating loss. I personally want him to play out the rest of his career with us as he has become one of my favorite players. So much so that I try to catch every Argentina match he's set to play. Also, knowing his ability and commitment, I'm fearful of ever seeing him in one of our rivals' kits.

The only thing I worry about is whether or not we could use those funds to buy players in areas in which would better benefit the squad. There's no doubt Mascherano is worth it, but we desperately need a class centre back and another class striker. Hopefully we can buy him and fill those other needs as well.

Liverpool 8, Beşiktaş 0: Player Grades

Pepe Reina 6
Didn't have to do much, but got the job done and made a great save.

Fabio Aurelio 5.5
The Brazilian made little contribution, but it wasn't required. He came off early in the second for Babel, which I'm hoping was because of fatigue more than anything else.

Jamie Carragher 6
Wasn't called-on to do much, but did what he had to.

Sami Hyypia 6
Stayed back, didn't get beat. One of his better performances so far this year, but I bet you he can't wait for Agger to get back so he can go on holiday.

Alvaro Arbeloa 7.5
Was a real instigator on the attack early and can probably be credited for getting us going. Once Beşiktaş had to worry about him as well, even more space opened up. By the way, he completed 100% of his passes. Wow.

John Arne Riise 5.5
Made up for his passing woes by causing havoc.

Steven Gerrard 5.5
Must have been nice for him not to have to play his arse off and our side win like this.

Javier Mascherano 7
Another solid performance from our other World Class midfielder, was utterly dominate in midfield and lead our side with 8 tackles.

Yossi Benayoun 8
I don't think it's possible for a player to have as good a night as Yossi. 3 goals and 2 assists? Ridiculous. Man of the Match.

Andriy Voronin 7.5
An inspiring performance from the Ukrainian as his relentless attack caused problems all day for the Turkish side.

Peter Crouch 7
Get ready to hear a bunch of nonsense about Crouch being the reason we dominated this match. He wasn't. In fact, he missed quite a few opportunities that could have made the score even worse and turned over the ball many times. With that said, Crouch was good at creating space and drawing fouls. His effort should be commended.

Ryan Babel 7.5
Was a ball hog early, which appeared to annoy his teammates, but adapted and made a solid contribution. Once Kewell came on and he moved up front, he looked more comfortable. The first goal was simply brilliant and he was unlucky not to have a third when one of his headers from a corner hit the cross bar.

Harry Kewell & Lucas Leiva 6.5
Both players brought a lot of energy to our side, but neither really got enough time on to get comfortable. Kewell definitely needs a full match or close to it, so we can see what he can do.

I hope this match strikes fear into our upcoming opponents more it goes to our heads.

Liverpool vs Beşiktaş: the line-up

Here it is:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Riise
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Voronin
Crouch

Bench:
Martin
Kuyt
Babel
Finnan
Torres
Kewell
Lucas

I guess Kewell is playing the part of the super-sub. No excuses for Crouch today, he either performs or drops in the ranks again. Surprised to see Riise on the pitch after such a horrible match on Saturday, but Rafa rarely sits a player just because of one bad outing. Also, where's Sissoko? Is he sick again?

I think our biggest question will be how Hyypia performs on just three days rest. He didn't really do much running around in the Blackburn match, which I guess is a plus. Hopefully if he starts to falter, Rafa will bring in Finnan for the Finn and move Arbeloa over.

Torres is on the bench, but I doubt he'll play. Cheers.

(Edit: Well, I just noticed that Markus Merk is the head official. Not only that, but the whole officiating team is Germany. You know, sort of like Herbert Fandel...)

Liverpool vs Beşiktaş: What will Rafa do?

Well, it's do or die time, we either win tomorrow or put our Champions League aspirations behind us. I like how Rafa is approaching this match by stating that there is no pressure on himself or the team to advance past the group stage. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant, but a loss at Anfield to Beşiktaş would be embarassing.

With that said, I truly think we'll run rampant tomorrow and win by at least two goals. I think there's a possibility of our side being over-confident going into the match, but with them already beating us once, I don't see how we can underestimate them.

The health of our squad is significantly better when we last met the Turkish club in Istanbul two weeks ago. We have Aurelio, Arbeloa, and Kewell back, with really only a hobbled Pennant missing as Xabi was on the bench, but didn't play. Fernando Torres was in training today, but I can't see Rafa risking further injury to the Spaniard, especially when we have the personnel capable of getting the job done.

Keeper, once again, is a no-brainer, so joining Pepe on defense I think will be Aurelio on the left, Carra and Hyypia in the middle, and Arbeloa on the right. There is a possibility of Arbeloa playing centre back since it's only been a couple of days since Sami played last, but I'm not sure how confident Rafa is with the Spaniard playing there. Furthermore that would leave Finnan, who also needs his rest, to play on the right.

The midfield is probably the toughest to guess. Kewell seems to be the best option on the left with Babel starting the two previous matches there. In the middle I would probably play Mascherano and Lucas, but then again, my name's not Rafa Benitez. Who knows what he'll do there, we could see any combination of Masche, Lucas, Momo, or Gerrard. I personally would rather see Gerrard on the right, so he won't have to run himself silly.

Up front I'll assume Voronin will be back, so he'll definitely get the nod and I can't see Rafa starting Kuyt here, so Crouch will partner the Ukrainian. I really hope Crouch continues his promising form from the Blackburn match, but I won't be shocked if he returns to his useless ways.

Anyhow, here's my final guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carra
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Kewell
Mascherano
Sissoko
Gerrard
Crouch
Voronin

Bench:
Martin
Lucas
Finnan
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Riise

In the end I decided to go with Sissoko paired with Mascherano in the middle because I foresee Aurelio going forward a lot and we'll need the extra defensive coverage just in case. I really expect us to come out with all guns blazing here. A relentless onslaught for ninety minutes would do wonders for our confidence. If we don't have a goal by the sixtieth minute, I fully expect Rafa to bring on Lucas for either Sissoko or Mascherano and give the Brazilian full freedom of the pitch.