Liverpool nearly upset? What a joke.

And I'm not talking about our performance. I'm referring to the onslaught of garbage the press is force feeding the general public, most who didn't even see the match and won't look at the facts. The truth is this was a no contest. The truth is Havant scored on a set-piece, which any club can do against any other club no matter the differential in talent. The truth is the other goal was a deflection off Skrtel, ruled an own goal. The truth is Liverpool won quite easily, by three goals, but I guess the press has to conjure up bullshit to rectify and prove their control over the ignorance that is so rampant in the football world. At least the casual fan will concur. A farce nonetheless and it should have been worse if it weren't for a futile performance from the king of such, yes, I'm referring to one Peter Crouch.

The positives were abundant. Lucas opened up his scoring account for us with this piece of brilliance:

The kid is going to be a legend.

A lot of the attack went through Babel and Pennant, even though Benayoun will get most of the superficial credit since he did get a hat trick. It appears that Babel is finally learning that he doesn't have to go it alone, as the final goal by Crouch, which the young Dutchman set-up by finding Gerrard in the box on the left. Stevie-G then set it across to an offside Crouch who easily tapped it in. Yes, he was offside, but at that point it mattered little, the match was over.

Pennant looked like his old trickster self, bobbing and weaving his way through the Havant defense like a ghost through a graveyard. I was really glad to see him back to such form. He'll never get the credit he justly deserves since his past will allow the shallow their self-righteous judgments, but in reality, JP's style of play is eclectic and produces results. I hope this performance convinces Rafa that Pennant is deserving of more pitch time.

Havant deserve plenty of credit for playing hard and not giving in. They almost had a third, on a set play, if it weren't for a brilliant stop by Itandje. Their play was inspiring and the flow of their attack was quite impressive, if not lackluster. Defensively though they were as porous as a sponge and their wall-building schemes only managed to leave them stagnant. I could have also done without their overt physicality which was more prone to nearly injuring our players than accomplishing anything else.

As for negatives, well, I could go off on a tangent on how bad Crouch was, but why bother? Once again he showed he's not much better than an amateur. I fear what would have happened if Torres had started, which is another point, we didn't put out our best side and won by three goals. Enough said.

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 vs Cardiff: the line-up

Here it is:
Itandje
Aurelio
Carragher
Hobbs
Arbeloa
Leto
Lucas
Gerrard
El Zhar
Babel
Crouch

Subs:
Martin
Riise
Kewell
Benayoun
Mascherano

Mascherano?! Wow, that was a quick recovery. Where's Sissoko? Hopefully he's okay. Anyhow, I'm really excited to see El Zhar out there, he's really improved over the course of the season with the Reserves and is fun to watch.

Harry Kewell starts from the bench, huh? Does that means he'll be available against Blackburn on Saturday? I guess it really depends on how much he plays today. Anything more than the last thirty minutes and he's probably questionable against the Rovers.

The backline looks familiar. Babel and Crouch up front is interesting. A lot of youth in Hobbs, Leto, Lucas, El Zhar, and Babel. Let's see how it goes.

Liverpool vs Cardiff: What will Rafa do?

I have to admit that these are the funnest matches to try and predict what kind of line-up Rafa will put out. Most of the time I just go with who I would play, which is rarely ever the same as Benitez, but he's got a few more credentials and a lot more experience than me. For this match though, the boss has already alluded that he's going to rest certain first-teamers and let some kids get playing time.

The biggest news is that Harry Kewell is set to start. I'm not sure where though. The most obvious spot would be on the left, but for some reason I get the feeling that he'll start up front. If he does, reportedly his partner will be Peter Crouch. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, as we can rest Voronin and Kuyt for Blackburn and have Crouch for our Champions League clash with Beşiktaş next week. I would love to see a Voronin/Crouch pairing with Kewell on the left but with Rafa alluding to playing Leto, it just makes more sense.

The easiest midfielders to predict are the central ones. I have little doubt that Lucas and Sissoko will start there. The flanks though are much harder. We could see Leto, Babel, Kewell, or even Benayoun on the left. After hearing Rafa say Leto will play in some capacity, I have to believe that he'll start there. On the right I have a feeling that Gerrard will get the call, though wouldn't be surprised to see Benayoun there either. It all depends on what Rafa has in store for Saturday or if he plans on splitting halves with two different players.

On the backline, I think we'll see Aurelio on the left, Carra and Hobbs in the middle, and Arbeloa on the right. I was hoping that either Insua or Darby would get a chance to play, but I have my doubts now. We could possibly see Arbeloa start at centre back instead of Carra, since JC looked awfully spent at the end of the Arsenal match, but I'm not sure Rafa wants to risk having to play a potential keystone cops backline of Aurelio, Arbeloa, Hobbs, and Darby. One thing is for sure, Steve Finnan will have the night off.

In goal, Pepe has the night off which means Itandje will get the call. Would be interesting to see David Martin here, but I know Rafa won't take that big of risk in not only giving such an inexperienced player the nod, but also because it would probably make Itandje unhappy. I'm praying Itandje is a bit more consistent than he has been in previous performances.

Anyhow, here's my final guess:
Itandje
Aurelio
Carra
Hobbs
Arbeloa
Leto
Sissoko
Lucas
Gerrard
Kewell
Crouch

Bench:
Martin
Insua
Benayoun
Voronin
Darby

Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I fully expect Gerrard and Kewell to come out with plenty of time left for Benayoun and Voronin. Also I expect Insua to get a run out so Rafa can assess his progress. Here's hoping we don't have to use any subs for injuries. Cheers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liverpool Reserves 2, Crewe Alexandra Reserves 1: the video highlights

Featuring Xabi Alonso, Jermaine Pennant, Yossi Benayoun, Momo Sissoko, Lucas Leiva, and Sebastian Leto among others. Cheers.