Liverpool 1, Reading 1 HT: Litany in a time of plague

The penalty was bullocks, but it happened and there's nothing to be done about it now. The ref should have reciprocated though when Torres was clearly taken out in the box or even when Sissoko was taken out in similar fashion of the call against Carragher. If the fix is on, he's doing a horrible job of hiding it.

Our erroneous play was infectious there for a while, but after our world class striker set up our world class midfielder, who netted for the ninth time in ten games, we appeared to gain composure. Still, poor decisions have been made through out, even by the two aforementioned players.

I don't like to second guess nor even criticize Rafa, but he got the selection all wrong for this one. I would have much preferred Lucas in the middle for either Masche or Sissoko, both of which are having shocking matches. Voronin and Crouch have been wholly useless as well, maybe it's King Harry time.

I guess we can't play Reading-style chaos ball nor should we. We're the better side and what happened to all this talk about possession beforehand? You'd figure boring the Reading players to death would be the proper approach, let's hope that's how we come out in the second.

Our inability to complete a decent pass early on combined with being rattled by the crowd and jolted by Reading's fierce attack has left it's mark. I can't state that we need to assert control in the second half enough. This is ridiculous, we're years ahead a side.

Adieu, farewell, Earth's bliss?

Liverpool at Reading: Live-blogging? Why not.

I'm not gonna promise much, but let's see how this works out. The line-up is here. Expect a lot of rubbish and Crouch-nagging. T-minus 30 until kick-off...

Scarf? Check. Guinness? Check. Looks like I'm prepared... maybe a Jamison too? We'll see...

I loaded up my fantasy side with Man U players and though it doesn't appear to be paying off as much as I like, I'll have to wait and see what kind of residuals I collect. Lots of shots on goal at least and Tevez is helping me out with a brace.

C-Ron with a dive in the box... shameful... but I'll take the fantasy points.

I've been reading Gerrard's book when I get bored analyzing the poetry of Richard Cranshaw. Quite a change of pace. His honesty is just brutal... not to mention his vocabulary.

Five minutes to go. I have some jitters... a good sign.

I might be at the worse pub in Belfast, a little place called the Duke of York... the barmaid might be the most annoying I've ever had to deal with... She wants me to say she's Steven Gerrard's lover... ahem.

The boys come out... serious and all. Torres has hair like a wet dog.

Here we go... Reading full speed ahead... pinball time. Neither side taking control early. We need to calm down and be calculated in our approach. We can beat Reading at their chaos theory, but why bother?

Torres looks hungry, trying to take on the whole Reading side. Not this time.

Mascherano tries a brilliant through ball to Torres... almost gets there.

4' Gerrard tries to jump start the attack... too many Reading players in too little space. We seem out of sorts.

6' Looks like we have a touchy ref here. Foul on Riise for basically out-jumping a Reading player.

By the way, I can't check comments during the match. Sorry. Maybe at the half.

8' Torres controls a Riise throw-in in the box, nutmegs a defender, but it's straight at Hahnemann.

All right, this isn't working out, sorry, I'll be back at the half.

Liverpool at Reading: What on God's green Earth will Rafa do?

'Holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods!' I guess the real question is, if Gerrard is Batman, does that make Lucas, Robin?

Who Rafa chooses tomorrow will be one of high interest. The League Cup tie at the Madejski way back in late September has now become a lot more meaningful. Giving time to players like Leto and Lucas there, will certainly allow Rafa to use them once again due to familiarity of surroundings. Neither player weren't all too impressive in the match, which is all the more reason to offer a chance at redemption. Lucas will more than likely start and Leto may, but I can see him on the bench.

The biggest conundrum of conjecture is who will pair Hyppiä at centre back. Carra is available but is currently in yellow card danger, one in this match puts him out of the Man U tie. That leaves Hobbs or Agger, and I'm not sure Rafa is willing to risk the Dane defender who's just now fit from a plaguing foot break. Hobbs is most assuredly a risk as well, but his last outing, the forty odd minutes he got in the Bolton tie, boosted my belief in him somewhat. Prior I was akin to hoping for a better option. In the end, we would most likely have Agger back for the Man U match, so maybe risking Carra isn't a bad idea after all. Burdens must be weighed further, everything else is just gravy.

Up front, Voronin looks the most likely short straw and I like Kuyt or Torres to pair with him. Crouch is to be saved for what Crouch does best, Europe. It's the final countdown... (Every time I hear that song now, I think of Gob and Buster at George Sr.'s 'funeral'.)

Here's my final answer:
Reina
Riise
Hobbs
Hyppiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Sissoko
Lucas
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Voronin
Finnan
Mascherano
Benayoun

So much for Leto. I went with Kuyt up front because I think Rafa will pair Voronin and Crouch on Tuesday. Gerrard starting on the right is doubtful, especially if I predict it ,but why the hell not? Sissoko's got to get some playing time, some time, right? Hopefully he won't go the way of Gilgamesh. Three points are crucial tomorrow, but with Reading refusing to dig the trenches, we certainly should be able to rush the fort and take it with ease. Unless the deflector shields falter, a 4-0 thrashing appears to be in order. Holy haberdashery, Batman!

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.

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.

The Tinkerman tinkers again and we're still unbeaten

I love the muppets out there who are so proud of themselves by proclaiming that since we won last night, they were right by chastising Rafa for not playing Torres last Saturday. Of course, in actuality they are dead wrong. Again. Rafa played Torres as part of ten other changes to the side, which means all that bitching and moaning about Benitez' tinkering was all for naught. It was Rafa's rotation that gave us the win last night, plain and simple, but let's ignore the facts of the matter.

Aurelio made his first start of the year at left back. Arbeloa made his first start at centre back. Itandje made his first start ever for us. Finnan, who did not start against Birmingham, did so last night. The midfield had four different players starting in Leto, Sissoko, Lucas, and Benayoun, and of course, Crouch and Torres started up front, not Kuyt and Voronin. Call me crazy, but it looks like he rotated to me.

Another good point is that Torres probably wouldn't have scored a single goal if it weren't for the performances of Benayoun, Leto, Riise and Gerrard. Benayoun, as I stated in my final review, was crucial in taking the initiative and being the leader in the midfield. Let's fail to see that if it weren't for a cheeky through ball from Leto, a brilliant dribble and lay-off by Riise, and the vision of Gerrard, Torres could very well have went away goalless. The big difference between his performance and let's say Kuyt's and Voronin's from Saturday was that he did what he was paid to do, finish.

If you still don't realize that it was just a poor overall performance that earned us a draw on Saturday and not the exclusion of one single player, than I advise you to stop writing, because you're only going to continue to make a fool of yourself.

Liverpool vs Reading: the goals

Benayoun's strike


Torres' 1st


Torres 2nd (and best, in my opinion)


Torres 3rd

Liverpool 4, Reading 2

Two things happened early in the second half of this match that allowed Liverpool to play their game. First, we got an early goal on a well-played ball from Leto to Torres who beat Duberry and slotted it into side of the net past Federici. Then I guess the ref got tired of watching Reading turn the beautiful game into a pub brawl and started handing out the yellow cards. It's so odd that players I singled out in the first half, Duberry and Bikey, got cards, because, I mean, they played with such class. Once those two things occurred, Reading could no longer bully our side less they wanted to be reduced to ten.

With them having to allow us more space by not being able to grab a hold of our shirts, all of sudden we became a threat to score nearly every time we brought the ball down. Unfortunately that didn't do anything for our set-piece defense which was frantically horrid. I attest that to two things though, having Itandje make his first team debut and having Arbeloa play for the first time at centre back. The lack of communication on defense was apparent from the start and didn't seem to improve much as the match wore on.

It was because of our set-piece defense that Reading again equalized when a bobbled corner kick fell into John Halls' lap and the defender slammed it through a maze of legs into the back of the net. If either Pepe, Hyypia, or even Agger were in there I doubt it would have ever gotten to Halls as it was complete chaos in the box prior to and during the play. We didn't really seem that bothered by the equalizer, but then Rafa made a great decision anyhow to further tilt the match back in our favor.

Around the 69th minute, Riise came on for Aurelio and immediately made his presence felt. He took the ball down the left, faked out a Reading defender by passing it to himself through the defender's legs, and then dribbled closer to the box until he found a charging Torres to lay it off to. The Spaniard slammed the ball across the box and into the upper right corner of the goal. After that, Reading looked a side lacking confidence.

Once Gerrard came on in the 77th minute, the match was fully in Liverpool's grasp and with four minutes left a Gerrard to Torres pass made it all but official. The England International found the streaking Spanish International with no one left to beat but the keeper, which he did almost effortlessly.

Though not a perfect effort, it was a win on the road with a rotated side. Certainly our inability to utilize the whole field, Crouch reverting back to his ineffective ways, and the Itandje/defense communication issues are things that we need to work on. Also I was disappointed not to see Lucas more involved on the attack, which was one of the reasons why it seemed that Benayoun had free range of the field.

Despite Torres getting the hat-trick, I'm going to have to say Yossi was the Man of the Match. He made some huge plays including our first goal which was crucial because it forced the Reading defense to respect him as much as any other threat. He also had a header clearance in the box late in the match that if he didn't get to, might have allowed Reading to equalize once again. Most importantly he stepped up and took the initiative to run the offense when it looked as if no one else was going to. That kind of leadership is just priceless.

Next up, Wigan on Saturday at the JJB. Hopefully Kuyt will bring his ace form. Cheers.

Liverpool 1, Reading 1: halftime thoughts

You know, I understand the home side getting some calls, but this is simply shocking. First off, how Duberry and Bikey don't have cards is a mystery to me. Both have been making reckless tackles, pulling at shirts, and pushing players down left and right. How can the ref expect to maintain control of a match if he's allowing those two mongoloids to play American football while almost every time a Liverpool player runs into a Reading player, they get a foul called on them? If a Reading player gets his leg broken by a Liverpool player in the second half, don't blame the player, blame the ref.

Furthermore, the goal by Convey should not have been allowed. Lita was clearly offside through the obstruction rule as he was in Itandje's way. It is partly Itandje's fault though, since he should have came forward and made a bigger deal out of the obstruction. As for the keeper's performance so far, it's been awfully shaky and I can understand why he hasn't won the confidence of his teammates yet.

By the way, pardon me for wanting a ref to actually know the rules. If a Liverpool player would have obstructed the Reading keeper like that, not only would have the goal been disallowed, but that player would have probably gotten a card. I hope we come out in the second half and be twice as physical as them, I'm so tired of the thug approach teams with lesser talent take toward us, especially since they know for the most part the officials will let it go.

As for our play, we really need to start using the whole field. We barely used the right side and I blame Benayoun for that, though I can understand why he keeps going inside. It seems to me that neither Lucas nor Sissoko want to come up and be the attacking midfielder. I'd definitely would rather see Lucas take the initiative than Sissoko, since Momo is supposed to be a destroying type player. Of course, they may be a tad apprehensive to come forward since for some godforsaken reason Crouch thinks he's a midfielder now.

I don't want to go on an anti-Crouch rant, but for God's sake you overgrown gazelle, play forward and create space. Gees, you would think that he's never played forward before. He needs to be more aware of where he and his teammates are, especially Torres and the central midfielders. If the ball keeps going through Crouch, we might as well just forfeit because if he doesn't pass it back, he loses possession.

By the way, the goal by Benayoun was a thing of beauty. Arguably our best goal this season. I'll post a video of it later hopefully. Anyhow, the second half is about to start. I doubt we'll be able to win this one in regulation though. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Reading: the line-up

Rafa looks to be taking this match quite seriously.

Here's the line-up:
Itandje
Aurelio
Carragher
Arbeloa
Finnan
Leto
Sissoko
Lucas
Benayoun
Crouch
Torres

Subs:
Martin
Gerrard
Riise
Hobbs
Putterill

I'm pretty pumped to see Leto there as well as Lucas and Torres on the same pitch with him. Benayoun and Finnan should have plenty of room to operate on the right with Sebastian stretching the side as well as Crouch and Torres worrying the central defenders. Arbeloa to get a test run at centre is interesting, let's see how he does. His pace might come in handy against Lita.

Suprised not to see Pepe at least on the bench, but David Martin should be able to fill in if something were to happen to Itandje who gets his first start for the side. I hope Putterill gets on as well, I'd like to see what he can do against Premiership quality players. Here's to a fun match. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Reading: What will Rafa do?

Ah, these are the fun ones. Not necessarily to watch, though I hope this one is, but definitely fun to pick who Rafa will play. Before I get to that though, let me first offer an idea to any LFC website that has the funding to do so. How about having a 'pick Rafa's side' game? Seriously, I look forward to trying to pick out who Benitez will play more than anything else on my blog. Just a suggestion, anyhow...

For this match, I think the boss is going to try and mix the vets with the kids so to at least ensure that we don't get killed. I'm not so sure Pepe needs a game off since he is hardly called to do much in matches these days anyhow, but I think Itandje needs a start here and there outside of the Reserves. Pepe should grace the bench though.

At left-back, I hope to see Emiliano Insua and I think it's a good possibility, but I'll get to why in a minute. In the middle, it looks quite likely that we'll see Carra paired with Hobbs. Some may think that Carra will get the night off, but there's two reasons I think otherwise. First, he seems to be in great form as he showed with the Birmingham tie, and second, he is Hobbs mentor and what better way to show a student how it's done than by example. Take notes kid, because from what I've seen from you previously, you're gonna need all the advice you can get. On the right, I see Finnan getting the call as he only played the better part of a quarter-hour on Saturday.

At left-mid, I think Aurelio will get the call, which is why I think Insua will play behind him. Fabio provides a bit of defensive insurance on that side, just in case. I could see Riise starting there as well if Aurelio didn't need some pitch time. The only other thing I think Rafa might do is start Aurelio at left back and Leto at left wing, but I look for Leto to start from the bench and if injuries allow, come in the final thirty minutes for one of the left sided players. if he comes in for Insua, then Aurelio will be pushed back.

In central midfield, Sissoko has to get the call and I see Lucas paired with him. I'm hoping the attack runs through Lucas as much as possible because I really want to see what the Brazilian is capable of. I expect Sissoko to have a monster game as he has had a lot of time off. On the right, Yossi has to start. Pennant needs a day off as does Babel.

Up front is the real dilemma. I can definitely see Torres starting up front, but knowing Rafa, I don't think he will because it would look as if the boss is giving into his critics. After his performance on Saturday and playing the full match, I don't see Kuyt up there either. So I guess that leaves Voronin and Crouch. I can't see Crouch not starting here, he definitely needs more pitch time. Babel may get the call, but I don't think Rafa would pair him with Crouch.

So here's my final guess:
Itandje
Insua
Carra
Hobbs
Finnan
Aurelio
Lucas
Sissoko
Benayoun
Voronin
Crouch

Subs:
Reina
Gerrard
Torres
Hyypia
Leto

I'm not sure how many bench players Carling Cups allow, but I'll assume they go by FA rules.

With that line-up and Reading going with Convey and Lita, this could potentially be a fun match to watch. I don't really expect our side to win and honestly, don't care too much either. It's only the Carling Cup after all, but I'm hoping the kids realize that the better they play, the more likely we win, and if we win, that's more playing time for them. Be back later for the line-up, halftime report, and post-match report. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Nasri to miss CL clash, Carra closing in on 500, A battle of who could care less?, & more

- Marseille's Samir Nasri is set to miss his side's Champions League match next week with us due to meningitis-type flu. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder was hospitalized last weekend and has yet to be released. He is expected to require at least a two week convalescence period.

- Jamie Carragher is set to make his 476th appearance for Liverpool tonight against Reading. Impressive as that number is, the record is held by Ian Callaghan at 848. I sincerely doubt the 29-year-old Liverpool icon will be able to challenge that number.

- It seems like neither Coppell nor Rafa really care that much about winning their Carling Cup clash later today. Both seem to be using double-speak type antics to hide it, but it seems quite apparent with who they are looking at selection-wise. Coppell is looking to give Leroy Lita a test-run from injury as well as playing Bobby Convey as a means of practice time. The Reading boss is adamant though that he has no room for Reserves on his roster. Meanwhile Rafa is looking at giving time to some of his actual Reserves in Sebastian Leto and Lucas, though they would most definitely be regulars on a lot of Premiership sides.

- Finally, we have everyone and their mother giving their opinion on Rafa's rotating ways. Phil McNulty at BBC Sport wonders why Rafa went on such a tantrum about not having enough quality on his side after the Champions League final when he doesn't bother to play that quality as much as possible. Lawro thinks that Rafa should play his best players as much as possible now and rest them when needs be later. Finally, Ian Rush defends Rafa by saying that the Spaniard probably thought Kuyt and Voronin would have been able to beat Birmingham and that the movement of those two would open up the congested Blues side of the field.

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.

Anfield Banter: Xabi & Agger injured, Riise fit though, Leto stars in Reserves win, & more

- Both Danny Agger and Xabi Alonso will be out up to six weeks with foot injuries. With Riise declared fit for our upcoming Birmingham match at Anfield on Saturday, we should be fine, but once again after seemingly getting out of depth issues concerning our backline, we're nearly right back where we started from. Aurelio coming back is a huge boost as Arbeloa will no longer be needed to share duty on the left. I expect him to play a lot in the middle in front of Hyypia and on the right when Finnan needs the occasional day off. Riise has centre back experience as well if needed.

- The Reserves beat Wigan 3-0 behind two assists from winger Sebastian Leto to remain undefeated in FA Premiership Reserves League (Northern Division) play. Jordy Brouwer scored his first goal for Liverpool as Nabil El Zhar and Ray Putterill also netted. I fully expect at least Leto and Lucas to be featured in our Carling Cup tie with Reading next week.

- Finally, Palermo forward Amauri Carvalho has been linked to a summer move to Liverpool. The 27-year-old Brazilian scored 8 goals in 18 league games before suffering a serious knee injury to end his season. He has returned to action since. He seems like a good player, but seriously, if only he's coming on board to replace Crouch would it make sense. Even then I expect a bigger name.