Today's Banter: Mourinho to replace Rafa?, Torres back in training, Benitez backs Kuyt, Babel, & more

Well, first let's get to the ridiculous rumor of the day. Apparently Jose Mourinho is interested in taking over at Liverpool if Rafa were to leave. I don't think 'The Special One' has thought this one through though. First, unlike at Chelsea, he would not have the resources to build a squad to his liking. He'll have some funds available to him and will probably be able to scrape up more by selling players he deems undesirable, but there's quite a gap between Abramovich money and Gillett/Hicks money. Second, does he really want to put up with the criticism he will most likely receive if he doesn't win the Champions League or Premiership title in the first season? The press and some 'fans' just don't live in reality in summing up our prospects and ability. Chelsea had little if any history or success before Mourinho, so he was pretty much their saviour and could do little wrong. The impatience among the so-called Liverpool faithful and the press seems almost viral at this point. Benitez wants to build the squad using players groomed and tested in the Academy and the Reserves, I don't understand what is so difficult to comprehend about that plan.

Moving on, it appears that Fernando Torres has already returned to training and could even be on the bench for Fulham on Saturday. The problem I see with that is it might give Luis Aragonés the idea that the 23-year-old Spaniard is available for Spain's Euro-qualifier with Sweden on November 17th. The last thing we need is for El Niño to get injured playing or training for his country again. We don't need the next Harry Kewell in that aspect.

The main course of today's banter meal appears to be the Kuyt/Crouch controversy. First off, unfortunately people, pundits, press, and bloggers need to be reminded that hindsight is 20-20 and that not knowing what Rafa knows, makes it a whole lot easier to criticize. In other words, you don't know who's slightly knocked, who's fatigued, nor who Rafa will need for our next match, which is coming up fast on Tuesday. Kuyt worked hard yet failed to take advantage of the opportunities afforded him. In my opinion, he was playing out-of-position at the true striker spot when his talents are much better utilized in the second striker position.

One of the arguments is that Rafa should have brought Crouch in for Kuyt and done so earlier in the match. I honestly think Rafa was trying to preserve Crouch for Tuesday's match with Besitkas and wanted to use the England International as sparingly as possible. As for bringing him in for Kuyt, well that would have crippled our efforts even more as Crouch appeared to take up and excel at the second striker position, pushing the ball forward to Kuyt, Gerrard, and Kewell with the use of headers. One other point I want to make is that it seems Harry Kewell is not getting the proper credit he deserves. The Aussie was just as much if not more so a contributor than Crouch to our sudden onslaught of attack late in the Blackburn match. I guess self-aggrandizement requires blinders.

Anyhow, I was glad to read that Benitez is in full support of not only Kuyt, but Babel as well. I feel most of the Kuyt criticism stems from a misunderstanding of the situation, but I can see why people were disappointed in his performance on Saturday. I was one of them after all. Kuyt is playing hard and giving it his all, but being played out-of-position and having to adjust your game to hinder your strengths are always potential recipes for a poor outing. As for Babel, after being arguably our man-of-the-match against Cardiff, the young Dutchman would have probably been suited to start from the bench, but Rafa didn't have the luxury to do so.

Before moving on and while I'm on the subject of the Cardiff match, I've read in a lot of other people's reviews and posts about the Blackburn match the questioning of why Lucas wasn't played. Well, first off he looked spent at the end of Wednesday's Carling Cup qualifying match and second, do you not think Rafa would have played him if he thought the young Brazilian would have been able to make a positive contribution? This second guessing Rafa is getting to the point of idiocy. He does what he does for the benefit of the club, why would he do otherwise? Use some common sense.

Finally, on the transfer speculation, we apparently now seem to be the front-runners for Burnley youngster John Cofie and are willing to pay £8m for a Spanish defensive midfielder named Juan de Dios Prados. The former is only 15-years-old, has been chased by Man U and Chelsea among other suitors, and would probably be an Academy player and possibly never heard of again. I know that may be negative, but odds are he, along with most Academy products, won't make it to the first team. As for Prados, if we pay £8m for a 21-year-old defensive midfielder when we already have Mascherano, Sissoko, and Damien Plessis, I have to believe that we either aren't going to re-sign Masche, which is insane, Sissoko is gone in January, which could happen but I doubt it, or Plessis will never play for the first team, which is possible, but from what I've seen from him, he's quite capable. Of course, that rumor may all very well be a pile of rubbish. Cheers.

Liverpool 0, Blackburn 0: player grades

Before I get to my grades, let me say a couple of things. First off, until you accept that we just aren't good enough to win the League this year, the easier to take results like today's. We are at least a dynamic class striker and probably a solid, consistent centre back away from challenging Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal for the title.

Second, I do these grades as a reflection of a players contribution to the team and their effort to solidify the whole and be a sufficient cog in the machine. Rarely does one player's performance win a match, about as close as I've seen anyone do that was Steven Gerrard's efforts in the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham. Anyhow, moving on...

Pepe Reina C+
Finally got a clean sheet after going the whole month of October without one. The usual solid performance.

Riise C-
A strange effort from the Norwegian. He didn't participate much on attack than usual, but didn't really make any mistakes otherwise.

Carragher C+
Solid as usual. The yellow card was rubbish.

Hyypia C+
Seemed like the Hyypia of old at times. Staying back was a good idea.

Finnan C+
Typical Finney, did his job on defense and contributed to the attack.

Babel C-
Would have liked him to play in front of Kuyt instead of on the left. His effort might have been affected by lack of rest, but for the most part he was ineffective and held on to the ball too long at times.

Mascherano B-
I expect more from him, but he was pretty much my Man of the Match and controlled the middle of the field throughout.

Sissoko C+
One of the better games I've seen him play this season. Was patient and composed on the ball and made some solid tackles.

Gerrard C+
A goal would have accentuated his effort tremendously, but he was playing 'out of position' most the match and occasionally looked beat.

Kuyt D
Dirk is not a true 'out-and-out' striker, so I might be being a little harsh on him. At the same time, when he was gifted the opportunity to show what I feel is his best element, his passing and vision, he failed miserably to do so and basically made me look like a donkey. Not sure what happened to the cheeky, creative Kuyt from earlier in the season, but we need him back and fast.

Benayoun C-
I don't want to use the analogy of a 'headless chicken' here but Benayoun seemed utterly useless out there. Like Babel, he tended to hold on the ball too long with defenders closing in, and wasn't so much as detrimental to our attack as he was simply daft overall. Probably his worse performance of the year.

Crouch C+
Well, well, well, Crouch finally utilized his strengths and put in a solid showing. More of using his height to manipulate the ball is what we have him for. Enjoy the praise while you can Crouchy, we play again on Tuesday.

Kewell C+
This was only a taste of what King Harry can offer. It's no coincidence that once he got on the field and when the attack started going through him we became more of a threat to score. With him and Gerrard on the pitch, we're going to run opposition's batty.

Well, there you have it. Had Kewell played the entire match, I'm quite comfortable in saying that we would have probably scored and he would have probably been the Man of the Match. Javi takes the accolade though for being the central figure of our side and the wrecking ball that we have him for. Cheers.

Liverpool 0, Blackburn 0: halftime thoughts

A kid in the stands trying to solve a rubik's cube is probably a fair representation of how this match has gone. It has been a rather odd and drab affair, though I'm pretty confident in saying it's more the fault of Blackburn's then our own. The Rovers appear to be sitting back as we slowly push the ball forward, at least we're not attempting the long pass every other time we gain possession.

Blackburn seem to be waiting for us to either make a mistake or for fatigue to set in. In their defense, it seems to be working. David Bentley broke free and nearly cost us a goal when we committed our defense too far forward, something for once we have actually been cautious about. Luckily the young England International's shot hit the outer part of the sidebar.

Our meticulous, rather poor man's attempt of total football is somewhat of an encouraging sign. To me it shows that we are capable of having patience on the ball and changing our approach to a match when required. Sometimes though we are making too many passes and we appear to be once again bashful of taking shots from outside of the box. Do we need to start playing Nabil El Zhar more often? If that's what it takes. It's especially disheartening when Stevie-G sends it to the flank instead of taking advantage of the opportunity of cracking the net.

Another alarming aspect of our performance appears to be a lack of communication on defense and an absence of synchronization on attack. We just aren't in sync at our opponent's end and on a couple of occasions Blackburn had unmarked players in the box even though we outnumbered them. The latter is inexcusable while the former is just going to take time for a chemistry to develop.

It's still nil-nil and though Blackburn has been luckless, rattling the bar twice, we have had our opportunities as well. I suspect both sides will get at least one goal, with the first to do so making a mistake and changing their approach to the match. Hopefully, we'll score first and continue to attack, but that's just wishful thinking.

(Quick note: Individually Mascherano has been our best player with Sissoko giving a solid effort as well. Both Benayoun and Babel need to learn to pass the ball before two defenders zero in on them. Kuyt seems hopeless at times, which is harrowing, though Hyypia appears to have found his legs. Would love to see what Kewell can do in the second, maybe subbing him for Gerrard with about twenty minutes left would be optimal. Our Captain needs his rest and King Harry needs to be properly re-introduced to the Premiership.)

Liverpool at Blackburn: The Line-up

Here it is:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypia
Finnan
Benayoun
Mascherano
Sissoko
Gerrard
Babel
Kuyt

Subs:
Martin
Arbeloa
Lucas
Crouch
Kewell

Voronin getting some time off it seems. I guess Rafa is saving him for a Crouch/Voronin start next week with Besiktas coming to Anfield. Babel starts up front again I presume. Like it. Hopefully Kewell will get some significant time on. I'm not optimistic about this one.

Liverpool 2, Cardiff 1: Player Grades

I know this is late, but I just got to watch this for a second time and don't really feel like doing a complete review. So instead I offer you my opinion on individual performances.

Itandje C+
His most impressive performance for us so far, made a couple of great saves and the goal really wasn't his fault. Did overplay a couple of shots though.

Aurelio B-
Am I the only one who was impressed with Fabio's performance? The Brazilian seemed to be on his game all night long and made some great crosses into the box, not to mention a nasty shot trying to catch the Bluebird keeper off-guard.

Carragher C-
Probably the most lackadaisical performance I've ever seen him give.

Hobbs C-
Made some glaring mistakes that could have cost us against a more formidable opponent, but was the best effort I've ever seen from him.

Arbeloa C
He was sufficient, made no apparent mistakes, but seemed to give just an adequate effort.

Leto C+
Gave a solid effort and tried to be a factor even when he didn't have the ball. Was unlucky at times.

Steven Gerrard C+
I felt as if he treated this game as a run-through. Was unlucky not to score another goal nonetheless.

Lucas Leiva C+
His effort diminished as the game wore on, but seemed to be everywhere at times.

Nabil El Zhar B-
The goal definitely accentuated his performance, but his discipline to stay out on the wing at times really opened up the middle and gave us a lot of chances.

Ryan Babel B
My man of the match. He was untiring and created a lot opportunities for himself and others, unfortunately there always seemed to be a Cardiff player there to block the path of his shots.

Peter Crouch C-
Redeemed himself in the second half from another anti-Crouch rant. He still got in the way too much and needs to work on utilizing his strengths.

Yossi Benayoun B
Was outstanding and probably should have a goal to go with his assist.

Harry Kewell C+
Not really sure what position he was playing, but he appeared head and shoulders above the opposition.

Javier Mascherano N/A
Barely played, made no mistakes.

So there you go, half-assed, I know, but honestly, we really didn't give that much of an effort in that match. That's just how I feel. Cheers.

Liverpool at Blackburn: What will Rafa do?

Some may be surprised about Blackburn's form, but I'm not. I predicted it in the preseason. They have the necessary talent to challenge for a Champions League spot, but they're going to need a little bit of luck and most of their key players to stay healthy, that usually goes hand-in-hand though.

With that said, it's going to take a solid performance from our best available XI to go to Ewood and pull off the upset. That's right, I said 'upset'. If we had Torres, Xabi, and Agger, and a well-rested Gerrard and Carragher, I would think otherwise, but you're out of your mind if you think we're in better shape than the Rovers.

Since our keeper is a given, I guess I'll go ahead and start with the back-line. On the left I expect Riise to start, though he didn't play in the Cardiff match, I hope the wageslip controversy he's experiencing doesn't distract him. If it does, I'm sure Aurelio will be on the bench to take his place. In the middle, I have little doubt that Carra and Hyypia will get the call. I would say Arbeloa for Hyypia, but the Spaniard played the full match on Wednesday and Sami had the night off. Finally, a rested Finnan will start on the right.

In midfield, I fully expect Kewell to start on the left, but wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. If not expect Babel over there. The only question in regards to the central midfield is who will be paired with Mascherano. I suspect it'll be Gerrard, but it could be a recovered Sissoko or even Lucas. I would love to see the Brazilian here, but he did look spent at the end of the Cardiff match. Finally, on the right, I'm gonna guess Benayoun.

Up front we'll probably see Kuyt and Voronin, neither of which played in the Cardiff match. For the most part they've appeared to be futile when paired together, but let's just hope this time is different.

My final guess:
Reina
Riise
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Kewell
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Voronin
Kuyt

Bench:
Itandje
Aurelio
Arbeloa
Crouch
Babel

That seems to be a pretty formidable attack, if we can stay out of each other's way. I'll be surprised if we get all three points tomorrow and pleased if we get the draw. With all our injuries lately, we need to just weather the storm.

Liverpool at Blackburn: Our Secret Weapon?

I honestly think this game couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the Rovers. If we weren't without Torres, Xabi, and Agger, I would be much more confident of getting a positive result. Unfortunately we're devastated by those three major injuries, but might get some help from an unexpected source.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like Harry Kewell will probably start tomorrow and if so, there's good reason why. King Harry absolutely owns Blackburn. In the 13 matches that the Aussie International has lined-up against the Rovers, his side is a ridiculous 10-2-1. Now granted he was almost always playing for the favored side, but isn't that sort of the case going into tomorrow's match? Blackburn may have won seven straight and may have a solid squad, but they have no one who's on the same level as Steven Gerrard or Javier Mascherano. Not even if both are at 80%.

What's even more enticing is that Kewell appears to like playing at Ewood park even more so than he does at home. Of the five career goals he has notched against Blackburn, four of them have come at the Rovers' grounds. That includes a match in 2001 when he scored a brace for Leeds in an eight minute span, leading United to a 2-1 comeback win. He also scored the deciding goal in Liverpool's 4-3 League Cup win at Ewood in late 2003.

Yes, I know stats and trends (if this could even be considered one) mean little in the thick of things, but I figured I'd share some food for thought. Maybe Rafa decided not to start Kewell on Wednesday because he knew that the Socceroo has experienced playing Up North. Of course, that would only make sense to those of us who have a clue about Rafa's rotating ways.

Today's Banter: Kewell set for Cardiff, Torres may return sooner, Mascherano training, & more

- Wow, what a difference a day makes, but it's still not all roses & wine just yet. It would be great to hear that Xabi's injury is not as bad as thought, but optimism isn't my forte. Anyhow, it looks as if Harry Kewell will make the next step in his return to first team action when we play Cardiff in League Cup action tomorrow evening. That probably means he won't play against Blackburn on Saturday, but still, with his record, cautious baby steps are probably the best way to go about re-integrating him into the squad.

- Rafa has stated that Torres might be back sooner than expected. Before anyone throws the baby out with the bath water in belief that Rafa might be making another error in rushing Torres again, think about this. Benitez wants the Spaniard back fully fit and would never risk further injury. Torres wanted to play against Arsenal and by all accounts was good to go. I know rationality is not a trait of Rafa's critics, so I guess we'll just have to weather the storm of ignorance comments that the press and pundits might have in store for our boss. Fernando may return a week earlier than expected.

- Another piece of welcome news is that Javier Mascherano is already back in training. Thank Robbie Fowler. I doubt we'll see him on Wednesday, but Sissoko should suffice in that regard anyhow.

- With tomorrow nights fixture against Cardiff, Liverpool legend and current Bluebird striker, Robbie Fowler, is getting a lot of praise from a former Reds teammate and manager. Dirk Kuyt has thanked 'God' helping him adjust to English football and life in England. Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez might be planning some sort of grand return for the 32-year-old Toxteth Terror. Bringing back Fowler was one of Rafa's smartest moves both on and off the field.

- Fernando Torres is happy at Liverpool and plans to play out his six-year contract. It's good to hear that we have some positive voices coming from our squad. You taking notes, Crouch?

- Rafa has declared with his last two performances, Steven Gerrard is near top form once again. It's amazing what a couple of goals will do for one's confidence. Keep 'em coming, Stevie-G.

- Finally, Rafa has announced that he'll be resting some big names for the Cardiff clash. No big surprise, I fully expect Mascherano, Hyypia, Riise, and Reina to be get the night off and possibly Finnan, Gerrard, and Kuyt as well. According to Benitez, Leto, Lucas, and Aurelio will most likely start. I'm pretty confident Hobbs and Kewell will as well. I hope Stephen Darby and Emiliano Insua are there too. I know that's a lot of youth, but it's only the League Cup and honestly, a lot of our boys looked spent by match conclusion with Arsenal. Even our Reserves players mixed in with some first-teamers should be good enough to beat Cardiff.

Injury Updates: Torres, Alonso, & Mascherano

Well, it looks like Fernando Torres will be out for three weeks following the re-aggravation of his adductor muscle injury. Javier Mascherano didn't break anything, so his foot injury is being treated as a deep bruise. No word as to what matches he is set to miss, but I can assure you he won't be playing Wednesday in our Carling Cup tie with Cardiff. Finally, x-rays revealed that Xabi re-fractured his left foot, but the extent of his time out will be determined when he meets with a consultant tomorrow. Hopefully no surgery will be involved.

Obviously this isn't good news.

Today's Banters: Our injury crisis worsens, Wenger is a racist?, Gerrard praises Fabregas, & more

- At the start of yesterday's match with Arsenal it looked as if we were about to emerge from our current injury crisis with both Xabi and Torres starting and Arbeloa on the bench. It was all for naught though as El Nino was subbed at the half and Xabi re-aggravating his foot injury later in the match. To make matters even worse, Javier Mascherano left Anfield in a medical boot. Hopefully none of the injuries are too severe, but we'll find out soon enough. Thank God Harry Kewell is near return, Aurelio and Agger are not far behind him, and Arbeloa is back to form, I don't think we can take another major player loss.

- You gotta love stupid fans who try to exaggerate and manipulate what players say to create an illusionary controversy with their beloved club and manager. This idiot tries to imply that Jermaine Pennant is calling Wenger a racist, when in fact JP is saying that he thinks Wenger prefers non-English players, not non-White players. Only a retard would interpret Pennant's word in such a manner. By the way, there's a very good reason why Wenger prefers non-English players, and it has nothing to do with skill-level.

- Stevie-G has nothing but praise for Cesc Fabregas. The world's greatest midfielder said of the young Spaniard: "The world is his oyster. He can go on to be one of the best in the world, there is no doubt about that." I agree, Chucky Fab has all the talent in the world, but sometimes I feel his attitude and the 'South American influence' sours his performances.

Some more links to digest:
- Souness interested in Ireland spot
- Crouch for Sunderland's Jones? I say yes.
- Crouch to Newcastle? Yes, please.
- Goran Pandev in the works? Eh.

Post-Arsenal match reactions

I'm beginning to enjoy doing my post-match reaction debunking now more than ever. It's always fun to ridicule recycled opinions of matches, especially when they are manipulated by the commentators from the match and the press. Those who don't understand the intentions and motives of the media are deemed to repeat their words. I actually listened to the commentators for this match, something I rarely do nor would rather do, and I have to tell you, their comments were laughable at best. Anyhow, moving on...

Let's start with Ian Doyle's assessment for the Liverpool Daily Post. I have little issue saying that Mr. Doyle has written the best review I have read of the match so far, though I have yet to read Chris Bascombe's take. Doyle is quite fair to both sides though I don't agree with his entire view.

First, he fails to give importance to Mascherano's injury with ten minutes to go in the match. If Masche had been able to continue his shadowing of Fabregas, the Arsenal equalizer would have surely had to come from another source. Also, I thought it was a brilliant move by Wenger to push the young Spaniard forward to further Masche's negating influence.

Doyle instead puts the blame on Arbeloa, who he felt was playing too far forward which allowed Chucky Fab to beat him. At the very least it was a communication or tactical error. Looking back, I bet Rafa now would have pushed Sami forward and put Arbeloa at centre-back, but hindsight is 20-20 and what is done, is done.

A couple of other points from Doyle is that he gives recognition to Rafa's formation change, which will probably be ignored in most match reviews, but then he praises Crouch, I'm not sure why though. For the first time in a while, I agree the lanky striker actually looked as if he wanted to score, but after about ten minutes he returned to his useless form. Doyle also noted Eboue's card-deserving flop in the box when he received a slight-nudge from Carra though tried to make it look like a knockout punch. Moving on...

Sam Wallace of the Independent wrote a clearly-biased and insipid review that takes about as much stabs at comedy than Andrei Chikatilo. Mixed-in with asinine comments about player's hair and boardgame references, were cheap shots at Benitez and orgiastic Arsenal praising. If Arsenal were so good, why didn't they win, Mr. Wallace? Hitting the sidebar is not hitting the back of the net. Anyhow.

The most entertaining and baseless reviews always come from the opposition's bloggers. Most believe they were the better side and I can't flatly disagree with that assessment, but if anyone thought the Gunners dominated, well, you're delusional. As I said prior, hitting the bar is still a miss, and to base your opinion on that is just self-deception.

My favorite has to be insidearsenal.com's review. If you want to undermine your own valuation of a match, simply quote a match commentator in the opening sentence. Good to hear you can think for yourself. If you want to make yourself out to be a clown, do it again in the second paragraph. Gees.

Anyhow, other than being seduced by Andy Gray and clearly manipulated by the commentator's lip service, this guy fails to realize that fate is a two-headed monster. Anybody can 'woulda, shoulda, coulda' but the end result happened for a reason. Saying 'with a bit of luck, a solid wall, some composure in front of goal and an accurate final ball we would have stolen the spoils', is just ridiculous.

He also likes to spew stats, but incorrectly assesses whether or not they are either a determination of a side's performance or if it is a good result. He first writes that Arsenal had 63% of possession in the match, which his true, but believes this matters somehow. It doesn't, you can have 80% possession and lose 10-0, it only matters what you do with the ball when you have it.

Then he tries to make us believe that Fabregas' 86% passing completion percentage is good 'for this kind of match'. Really? Well, I guess if that's a good passing percentage 'for this kind of match' than Dirk Kuyt (100%), Steve Finnan (94%), Hyypia (89%), Xabi Alonso (86%), and Steven Gerrard (89%) are better passers than Chucky Fab. I don't believe that at all, except for maybe Xabi, but hell, Mascherano had a subpar match passing-wise, but still completed 83%. Laughable.

Liverpool 1, Arsenal 1

I was going to wait and watch this match again before writing my review, but there's a possibility that wouldn't happen until tomorrow so I'll go ahead and try my best.

First, what a difference Xabi makes. His passing is so world class it's ridiculous. The Spaniard's vision is immense and his passing ability shined through. Unfortunately he limped off the field with another metatarsal injury, whether or not it was the same foot is unclear, but it's pretty devastating to our side. Hopefully it's not as bad as believed.

Second, kudos to Rafa for going with a 4-3-3 formation. Along with Xabi's vision and passing, this was a huge factor in making this match more exciting. To take such a risk in a big match like this takes balls and I'm glad Rafa finally found his.

Finally, some of the actions of both sides were deplorable and frankly alarming. Carragher's take-down of Fabregas by the Spaniards shirt was without a doubt a penalty, but so was Sagna's handball in the Arsenal box. If Sagna wasn't looking to use his hand/arm to manipulate the ball, then why did he go up with it raised? Flopping on both sides was pathetic, but Arsenal were far worse. Neither Voronin nor Mascherano's cards were justifiable.

Am I happy with the result? I guess, considering we are far from top form and apparently got worse with Xabi, Torres, and possible Mascherano being injured. If Agger would have been available, I'm pretty confident we would have won.

My man of the match is Javier Mascherano, who once again proved his class by shutting down Fabregas. If Masche hadn't have been injured around ten minutes to go, we might have been able to steal all three points.

I can't really complain about anyone's performance, even Hyypia seemed to play within his bounds and he probably saved us a goal, but it's clear Rafa is going to have to start expanding the squad as soon as possible so he can rotate more and we can rest players when needed. I'm hoping we get to see the likes of Stephen Darby to rest Finnan on Wednesday when we face Cardiff in the League Cup. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: the line-up

Here it is:
Reina
Riise
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Voronin
Mascherano
Alonso
Gerrard
Torres
Kuyt

Subs:
Itandje
Babel
Benayoun
Crouch
Arbeloa

Voronin to start on the left... interesting, but he did so with Bayer Leverkusen at times and has played over there for us briefly as well.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: What will Rafa do?

For this match, I'm praying that Benitez thinks both Xabi and Torres are fit enough to start. If so, we could possibly field are best side this year yet.

The only good thing to come out of Jermaine Pennant's injury is that Gerrard is probably our best option on the right now. I used to be one who was opposed to our captain playing there, but that was mainly because Pennant is naturally adept at that spot and his form seemed to get better the more he played that position.

With that said, I feel we will see Stevie-G start over there tomorrow. Ryan Babel and Benayoun are options, but I think Yossi is more likely to feature on the left and we have to start our best available eleven, which leaves the Dutchman as the odd man out.

Unfortunately I don't have any inside sources at the club unlike every single Rafa rotation critic, so I don't know who's fit and who's not. All I can do is speculate whether or not Arbeloa or Kewell can go tomorrow. My guess is that Arbeloa will start and Kewell might be on the bench. King Harry only played the first half of our Reserves match on Thursday, so I think there is a possibility he could contribute in some capacity.

Well, here's who I would play if possible:
Reina
Riise
Carragher
Arbeloa
Finnan
Benayoun
Mascherano
Xabi
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Sissoko
Crouch
Babel or Kewell

I'm not sure what to expect tomorrow. I don't feel that Arsenal is overconfident and we certainly aren't feeling good about our form of late. A 2-2 draw seems to be somehow stuck in my head, especially with Howard Webb calling the match, but I'm hoping we get all three points. Anyhow...

Liverpool at Beşiktaş: What will Rafa do?

Well this is pretty much our Champions League life on the line. Anything but a win here and we'll need a miracle to advance to the knockout stages. We should be able to get the three points if we get a fairly called match and aren't sabotaged by one of our disgruntled players again. I'm specifically looking at you Mr. Crouch. Anyhow...

Here's who I would play:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Riise
Mascherano
Xabi (or Gerrard)
Gerrard (or Pennant)
Voronin
Crouch

Bench:
Itandje
Babel
Lucas
Benayoun
Kuyt
Sissoko
Pennant (or Xabi)

When Gerrard starts on the right, which I think will start happening more often, we'll see Finnan instead of Arbeloa behind him since Finnan is more of a wing-back than Arbeloa. Arbeloa's attacking style is straight-forward and similar to Gerrard's so we would pretty much be wasting a flank by having those two line-up on the same side. If Rafa doesn't think Xabi is available to start, expect Gerrard to start in the middle with Pennant on the right.

When we get Agger and Aurelio back, our defense will be much better as Hyypia and Finnan will be able to rest more. I understand those two still wanting to play for their countries, but they need to seriously consider their age and inability to bounce back as fast from playing two matches every week. The affects on Hyypia have been slowly beginning to show as he looks tired and even less quick than usual.

I hope Rafa has a quick trigger when it comes to subbing under performers today. We cannot have Crouch trying to play midfield nor Riise attempting 35 foot bangers every time he gets the chance. I would like to see more shots from outside of the box, but from multiple players, especially Pennant if he gets the chance. We cannot afford to to relax at any point today and our attack must be relentless. I also believe it's high time Masche gets his first Liverpool goal. Maybe he can wear an Argentina kit under his shirt.

Today's Banter: Kewell is back!, Torres still out, Rafa does what he wants, & more

- It looks like there's a good chance both Harry Kewell and Fabio Aurelio will feature for the Reserves versus Newcastle on Thursday. It would be brilliant if we had everyone healthy by the first match in November.

- Unfortunately Torres' return will have to wait until Sunday, hopefully by then he'll be ready to go since it's Arsenal and all. Obviously that means that the Spanish striker won't be available for tomorrow's crucial Champions League clash at Besiktas. No word on whether Xabi will be available either.

- Rafa will sub Gerrard again if he sees fit, so get over it. This is Rafa's team not Stevie-G's and certainly not yours. By the way, fellow Liverpool fans, don't listen to all the spew from the press and especially learn to laugh at what fans of other sides have to say, they don't know nor care what's best for our boys.

- I worry when Benitez starts to praise player's character, particularly when that player is as experienced as Sami Hyypia. To me it means our long journey with the Finnish Legend is nearing an end.

- Finally I hope our boys back their words tomorrow and get us the three points. Anything less would be devastating. Dirk Kuyt and Javier Mascherano seem to be taking this upcoming fixture very seriously, which is good to hear, but knowing Benitez they'll probably both be on the bench when the opening whistle blows tomorrow. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Rafa waiting Mascherano game, Swansea wants Anderson permanently, City to make Crouch offer, & more

- One of the bigger mysteries at Liverpool, outside of the enigma that is Harry Kewell, is Javier Mascherano's contract situation. The good news is that the Argentine wants to stick around, the bad news is that it will cost us an additional £17m to keep him. With other needs to fill in January, I'm not sure we'll have the funds to make the acquisition then, but I think if we wait until his current on-loan contract runs out his price may go up. I don't think we need Masche, but he certainly makes things a lot easier for us. Rafa is at least willing to wait and see what FIFA rules about third-party player ownership since Mascherano is still technically owned by Kia Joorabchian’s company, Media Sports Investment (MSI). I think that's a good idea, but let's just hope that happens before the January transfer window closes.

- Paul Anderson has made such a splash at Swansea City, that the Swans want to keep him permanently. I personally hope Rafa has future plans for the 19-year-old winger at our club, but I can definitely see him being loaned out again next season and if Swansea gets promoted to the Championship, I don't see why that wouldn't be one of the options. I don't see him joining anything less than a Championship side with maybe a SPL club in consideration. His contract runs through 2010.

- Sven and Man City look to be early suitors for disgruntled striker Peter Crouch. The problem is they are only willing to pay £8m for him. I can't see us taking less than £10m. The reason being is that he'll be a fresh addition to any side thanks to Rafa's rotation policy. If Sven can't get ole Thaksin to cough up an extra £2m, I'm sure Redknapp Casino FC aka Portsmouth can.

- Remember Rob Styles? The man who gave Chelsea a point at Anfield with a rubbish call. Well, it turns out he could get an additional ban for the same match, though this time for his showing of two yellows to Michael Essien. Not sure why the FA has waited this long to try him again, but it sounds awfully fishy to me. Maybe he's had a fallen out with the good ole boys in the FA.

Anfield Banter awards for September

Player of the month

This one is tough. Benayoun has made a strong case with the last two matches. His strike against Reading was crucial as it kick started the goal-scoring machine, not to mention it was a beaut. Obviously his cheeky score against Wigan was important as well. If it weren't for the Porto fiasco, Mascherano would be walking away with it and Riise has had his moments, but I think it has to go to Torres. He does so much on the pitch even if he hadn't scored at all the whole month, he'd still be a candidate for this accolade.

Goal of the month

There's really only three candidates here: Babel versus Derby, Yossi versus Reading, and Yossi versus Wigan. I'd have to give it to Yossi versus Wigan only because of it's importance. All three goals showed plenty of skill.

Assist of the month

Riise to Torres versus Reading was the first to come to mind, so it's got to be that one. Gerrard's through ball to Torres in the Reading match was nice as well.

Unsung hero of the month

Arbeloa, easy. He's played every minute of every match at three different positions. Though some of his performances have been subpar, we have yet to yield a goal from open play, so he's got to be doing something right.

Today's Banter: Ref change for Wigan, Crouch wants answers, & Gerrard 'almost fit'

- Due to protest from Wigan manager Chris Hutchings, the referee for our match on Saturday has been switched from Steve Bennett to Mark Clattenburg. Hutchings' ground for protest was Bennett's sending off of Kilbane for apparently no reason whatsoever in the Lactics tie at Newcastle on the first of this month. Though he has yet to receive any punishment for what has been deemed an 'incorrect decision', it was thought best that Bennett not be in charge of this upcoming fixture. Fine by me, the guy has handed out four red cards in six Premiership matches so far this season which would have probably meant a sending off for Mascherano at the JJB. Clattenburg has yet to hand out a red so far this year. Knock on wood.

- Peter Crouch would like to know FIFA's response to Graham Poll's accusations that the refs during last year's World Cup were asked to single the forward out. It's pretty obvious that he was. While he had the stage, Crouch also warned Torres that performance is not the main factor in Rafa's selection process and therefore he may not even be on the bench at Wigan. Crouchy may either be trying to force Rafa to start him Saturday or he may just be laying the foundation for a request for a transfer come January. If Torres is selected, look for the lanky striker's whining to increase.

- Gerrard has proclaimed that his best form is just around the corner as pain in his toe has subsided. I really don't understand why he was playing with pain for England or our club otherwise. In fact, it's pretty obvious he should have left the limping Three Lions to the wolves since he got no credit for his solid performances against Israel and Russia. Then again, we're talking about the English press who are more superficial than Victoria Beckham.

- By the way, if you didn't know, Danny Guthrie scored a goal for Bolton yesterday. It was the first strike for the 20-year-old midfielder with the club in which he is on loan and proved crucial as the Wanderers beat Fulham, 2-1, in League Cup action. As soon as I can find a video of it, I'll either link or show. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Porto: What will Rafa do?

This should be pretty easy considering who Rafa didn't start on Saturday at Pompey. The more I think about it, the more shocked I am that he started what is usually our European front in Voronin and Crouch. I understand that Torres and Kuyt probably needed the rest, but it sort of undermines the goal of the league. Anyhow, that's Rafa the Gaffa for ya.

Speaking of the Spanish mastermind, he has announced our Champions League intentions of qualifying for the knockout stages as quickly as possible and then turning our focus back to the Premiership. What better way to prove that aspiration then beating our toughest group stage opponent in their house. I don't see it happening and think we'll come away with a 1-1 or 0-0 draw, but you never know.

Up front we'll probably see Kuyt and Torres. In the midfield on the right, Jermaine Pennant, Gerrard and Mascherano in the middle, and Ryan Babel on the left. There is a possibility of seeing Babel start on the right and Fabio Aurelio making his first start of the year on the left, but I'm not sure how fit the Brazilian is. With Riise injured, the backline will probably have Arbeloa on the left, Hyypia and Carragher anchoring the middle, and Finnan on the right. Pepe in goal.

On the bench I expect to find Itandje, Aurelio, Agger, Xabi, Lucas, Voronin, and Benayoun. Harry Kewell, calling Harry Kewell, where are ya?

So here's my final answer:
Reina
Finnan
Hyypia
Carragher
Arbeloa
Pennant
Mascherano
Gerrard
Babel
Kuyt
Torres

Subs:
Itandje
Agger
Xabi
Voronin
Benayoun
Lucas
Aurelio

I was debating with myself whether or not Pennant would start on the right, but now that I just realized that's probably why Rafa took him out so early in the Portsmouth match I'm more confident he'll get the nod here. Cheers.