Liverpool 8, Beşiktaş 0: Match Highlights

If this gets taken down, please email me or leave a comment, I'll find others somewhere. Cheers.

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 8, Beşiktaş 0: Utterly Ridiculous

I think the score pretty much speaks for itself here, don't you? I was worried that we might be tired after expending so much vigor in the opening 32 minutes of the first half, but it appears that I was the only one who was wasting energy by thinking about it. The second half was just stunning.

Seven minutes in, Yossi Benayoun scored his second goal of the match on a rebound from a John Riise rocket that the keeper did his best to stop. Unfortunately it rolled right into the path of the Israeli International who was lurking in the area. Four minutes after that Yossi made it a a hat-trick on a similar free kick attempt by Steven Gerrard. Once again the Beşiktaş keeper failed to contain the shot and once again Yossi was there to calmly slot the ball into the net.

Now down by four goals, the Turkish side looked beat and bewildered. To their credit, they played staunchly, but never really looked the threat. Once Gerrard broke free on a one-two backheel from Voronin and slammed home a shot in the box with about 21 minutes left, the Beşiktaş spirit was officially broken. To make matters worse, Benitez put in Lucas and Kewell to go along with a newly-introduced Babel to rejuvenate the side.

Six minutes following Babel added to the opposition's woes by cheekily deflecting a Benayoun cross into the opposite side of the net. The brilliant finish appeared to do wonders for the young Dutchman's confidence as he looked the threat from then on. Not three minutes later though, he had to believe luck was on his side as well when a Beşiktaş clearance hit off his back, shot up into the air and landed on the other side of the goal-line. Simply ridiculous and pretty much summed up our evening.

We weren't done just yet though. In the closing minutes, as the attack was pushed forward by Lucas and Kewell, Yossi Benayoun found Crouch on a cross and the lanky striker notched his second goal of the night with a powerful header finish. We not only set a new Champions League margin-of-victory record, we crushed it by two goals.

The true character of this squad will now be revealed this Saturday when we travel to Craven Cottage. If we continue our no-holds barred, rampant ways that began with about twenty minutes left in the Blackburn match and proceeded to run over the Kara Kartallar all day today, then I think we can once again have hope of a season ending in some sort of success. If not, if we resort to playing the long-ball, getting in each other's way, fail to use the entire field, and basically give half-ass efforts all-around, well, then we'll know today was just a fluke.

The worst thing for this side to do is think that they've accomplished anything worthwhile. A record is nice, but if we fail to qualify for the next roudn of the Champions League, it doesn't matter. There's still plenty of work to be done and no time to really sit back and revel in victory over a side that we should have beat at their home. If we can carry this momentum into the next dozen matches, this season could end up being something special.

Liverpool 2, Beşiktaş 0: halftime thoughts

So far, so good. We came out with a vengeance and frankly the first thing I thought was that we were expending too much energy. In fact our attack during the first fifteen minutes or so was highly enthusiastic, but had little organization. Once we stopped pushing everyone forward, especially Hyypia and Carra, and made a couple of simple, possession passes near the midfield, we appeared to gain some composure.

You wouldn't have known of it from the first goal though, which was a succession of Beşiktaş defensive blunders egged on by the determination of Peter Crouch. I was glad to see he didn't just give up for once and kept his cool.

After that, we could sense blood and the onslaught continued, except this time it appeared we had more of a plan and that was to attack down the right. Arbeloa played out of his head and created a couple of chances for himself and Benayoun, as the Spaniard came racing down the flank, noticeably alarming the Turkish side's defense, which had to scatter to mark him. Surprisingly nothing came out of it.

Even more surprising might be that the goal came from the left. Riise, aware of a screeching Voronin, rushed a throw-in to the Ukrainian, who crossed the ball to an awaiting Benayoun. Yossi calmly knocked down the ball and then slammed a cross-shot that found the corner of the net. I've read this week that neither Voronin nor Riise can cross, well, both have proved their critics wrong so far today.

After the second goal, we appeared to sit back and absorb the Kara Kartallar attack. I'm hoping we were just resting and saving up our energy for the second half and aren't becoming tired. Probably the most astounding aspect of our performance so far is that Gerrard has probably been our worst player. It's not that he's played horribly, but he's just made the most noticeable mistakes.

Anyhow, the second half is about to start. I'm hoping we can hold on. Cheers.

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...)

Southampton's loss may be Adam Hammill's gain

Word out of Southampton is that the Saints might have to sell some top players in January due to financial difficulties. Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC, the parent company that owns the club in principal, released a statement that hinted at such moves. Apparently the board has decided to reject the proposal from Sisu Capital to purchase the club at 20% of the stock value.

Though that may be detrimental to the club's goal of reaching the Premiership, for Adam Hammill, the 19-year-old on-loan winger from LFC, it may mean more pitch time. Hammill joined the Saints on a year-long loan in July, but injuries have limited him to just five appearances and only one start. Unfortunately Southampton failed to win any of those matches as well, losing four and drawing one.

It goes without saying that it's been a disappointing season so far for the Liverpool-born lad. Not getting a lot of playing time on top of being on a squad that sits mid-table in the Championship is probably doing little for his confidence.

Hammill began attending the Academy at the age of eight and was an integral part of the 2006 FA Youth Cup-winning side. Last year he was sent on-loan to Scottish side Dunfermline, where he helped lead what was an eventually-relegated Scottish Premiership side to the final of the Scottish Cup. He also scored a cracker of a goal against Celtic FC and became such a fan favorite, that a song praising his play was posted on YouTube.

Though it may be selfish to want your own player to play more at the expense of the club, who knows? Maybe Southampton's loss will eventually be their own gain. In the past, Adam Hammill has shown he is able to raise his level of play and be a driving force on the pitch. I fully expect him to be a first-team regular at Liverpool in a couple of years.

Some more Adam Hammill videos for you to watch:
The goal versus Celtic
Match against Kilmarnock
Match versus Hearts
The 6 million dollar Adam Hammill

Today's Banter: Beşiktaş 'lip service', Pako to Valencia, & Gerrard backs Kuyt

Going into today's match, it appears we're getting the same old lip-service. Gerrard wants the squad to treat it like a cup final. We haven't heard that one before, oh wait, we have, two weeks ago in Istanbul. A lot of good it did then and a lot of good it'll do now. To put it plainly, 'Talk is cheap.' I'm personally tired of rallying-calls like this, it only matters what you do on the pitch.

Jamie Carragher also added his two cents to the cliché piggy bank by saying that we thrive on pressure. Well, good then, maybe our players should get paid according the results of how they handle that pressure.

Finally, Rafa plays the 'importance of the fans' card. Yeah, you don't want to forget about them. I know papers and sites need to write about something, but they should save themselves some time and money and instead of interviewing Rafa and the players, they should just write down all the normal banal pre-match jargon on little slips of paper, put them in a hat, and then pull one out and attribute to what ever it says to a certain person. Seriously, I think I get dumber reading these things.

On the flipside, we have Beşiktaş midfielder Matías Delgado who talks more junk than a heroin addict. The 24-year-old Argentine doesn't hold back at all in predicting a win for the Turkish side. Some of his comments are laughable though, 'In Istanbul we deserved the victory and played a sensational match.' Really? Because from my perspective we dominated the match, only failed to finish our chances, and your side only committed three fouls. That last point is so ludicrous, I won't start, but Delgado needs to send Platini a nice bottle of wine. Furthermore Delgado states: 'This Liverpool side is vulnerable and not the super team of previous seasons.' What season are you talking about? 2005? When we needed a couple of miracles to win the Champions League? And yes, we're vulnerable due to injury. Great analysis though. God I hope we crush this idiot, his arrogance precedes him.

Moving on, it looks like Pako Ayestaran might end up back at Valencia as an assistant to recently hired manager Ronald Koeman. I personally think Pako's role with the team has been over-stressed and his departure has been exploited as another cheap-shot at Rafa for our current dip in form. How Ayestaran left the club, whether he was asked to resign by Rafa or left on his own accord, is not clear, so any speculation about the matter is frivolous. It has always been the intentions of 44-year-old Spaniard to return to Spain anyhow. On a different note, in that article it alludes to Valencia fans in a recent match chanting for the club to bring back Benitez. At least he'd be appreciated there.

Finally we have Stevie-G throwing himself behind Dirk Kuyt in support of the Dutch striker despite the latter's recent goal-scoring issues. Gerrard actually says some worthwhile things in that article including: 'Missing chances is part and parcel of football. I’ve missed chances in the past and no doubt I’ll miss them again. The important thing is how you react...' & 'There’s no point picking on individuals when we don’t win. We win as a team, we draw as a team and we lose as a team, and that’s all there is to it.' Sounds like the words of a true leader. Cheers.

A stat for all the Momo critics

I have to admit that I was kind of shocked when I read so many reviews of the Blackburn match that slagged off on Momo's performance. What match were they watching? I'm beginning to think that it matters little what the 22-year-old Malian International does, his haters are solid in their mindset that he's no good.

The main argument against Sissoko is that he's a good defensive midfielder, but it doesn't matter because once he makes a tackle and wins possession, he throws it away, basically nullifying his effort. I'm the first to admit when Momo has a bad match, but Saturday wasn't one of them.

The proof is in the pudding and Sissoko had a passing completion percentage of 91%. He complete 41 of 45 attempts and was second on the team with 5 tackles as well. The only players who had better passing percentages were Jamie Carragher (45 for 45), Steve Finnan (37 for 37), and Peter Crouch (3 for 3), all of which had a 100% completion rate, and Yossi Benayoun (24 of 25), who had a 96%.

Momo is young and still has lots to learn. He even admitted recently that has to improve form. Basically all I'm saying is, if it makes you feel better by putting down an impressionable young man, even when he performs at a satisfactory level, then you're the kind of 'fan' we don't need. Keep your irrational views to yourself, because they aren't supported by what occurs on the pitch whatsoever.

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.

Should we go after Dimitar Berbatov?

News out of White Hart Lane is that Dimitar Berbatov isn't happy and would like to go elsewhere come January. The 26-year-old striker has certainly lost his form of last year, managing to notch only a pair of goals in 14 matches. Last season he netted 23 in 49 total outings.

Fitness issues may have affected him at times, but for the most part this year his performances have been uninspiring. Comparing matches between this season and last, the Bulgarian International seems to lack the energy and creative spark he demonstrated in his debut season where he looked the threat nearly every time he had possession. In his defense though, he only scored four goals in his first dozen matches for the Spurs, but managed eleven in the final eighteen of last year's campaign. Maybe he just hasn't got it going yet.

Of course on the flip side of that argument is that he needed time to adjust to English football and once he did, well, his goal-scoring record speaks for itself. If that was the case then, how would one explain his recent dip in form? There were rumblings that he and Martin Jol weren't seeing eye-to-eye, but if that's the case, how's he going to react when he gets rotated-out of certain matches by Rafa? Neither Benitez nor senior members of the squad like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher will tolerate such rubbish.

Another thing to think about is how a change of atmosphere could do him well, but if he had trouble handling the pressure at Tottenham, what's he going to do when the Scouser Nation become disenchanted? Ultimately I think it comes down to a risk-reward factor. I don't think it's wise to pay an exorbitant amount for a player who seems a bit inconsistent and possibly a head case, we already have plenty of those. If the Spurs would take Crouch and £10m, I'd say do it, but anything over £22m straight cash would be foolish. Let Chelsea take that kind of risk.

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.

Craig Lindfield's brilliant volley in Notts debut

This is what I could find so far. It's about 3:09 (-2:29) into the video. A stunner, just wish the video was better quality or at least they replayed it.

Liverpool 0, Blackburn 0: highlights

You can download the highlights from here(short) or here(long). 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: A Positive Result

Anyone who thinks this is a disastrous result, well, you either don't see the forest for the trees or you're trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I would not be shocked to read a few match reviews from journalists with an anti-Rafa or anti-Liverpool agenda taking up the latter reason. Blackburn is a solid squad. They sit higher up on the table than us for a reason and it's not because they've played an easier schedule, because they haven't. In fact, I'd say their's has actually been harder.

It certainly was a tale of two-halves though. While the first half had the look of an automated donut-making machine with efforts producing sprinkled-covered fat-filled zeroes and creme puffs, the second was more reminiscent of blitzkrieg. Our boys stormed the Blackburn side relentlessly and were wholly unlucky not to come away the victorious side. Brad Friedel, a former Red no less, deserves particular credit for not only making some stellar saves, but also for his composure and ability to always be in the right place at the right time.

It has to be considered encouraging that so many chances were created with our passing and movement. A goal would have certainly been the optimum sign of our improvement on attack, but Friedel just wasn't having it. To put it plainly, we dominated the second half and were unlucky not to take all three points back to Anfield.

At times it appeared the game of football had completely disappeared from this match. The diving and theatrical antics were pathetic, especially Roque Santa Cruz, who was rewarded for his shenanigans by Carra receiving a yellow card. Though I bet he'd exchange it for a penalty when later the ball clearly hits Carragher's arm in the box. The referee giveth and the referee taketh away. Cry me a river, Blackburn fans.

Overall, progress was made and as the the clock wound down, we seemed to play better as a side. The one thing I would like to bring to the forefront which I feel hurt my confidence in our side was the negative aura we seemed to project. Arguing with the ref and even with one another is not going to help our cause. We need to concentrate our energy into producing a positive effect to better our chances of winning matches.

Next up is Beşiktaş J.K. on Tuesday. Hopefully we can carry the momentum of the second half of this match and get the much needed three points to save our dire Champions League hopes. I'll be posting player grades shortly. 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.)

Craig Lindfield scores in debut for Notts County

It took Craig Lindfield all of 23 minutes to assure the Magpies fans that he's well worth the starting spot he was given at Accrington Stanley today. According to the official Notts County website:

"What a debut for Craig Lindfield. A mess-up at the back by Accrington presents a chance to the debut boy just outside the box, and with a rasping right-foot volley on his League debut the ball flew past Dunbavin and into the roof of the net. What a way to mark your debut."

Paul Anderson scored for Swansea as well. The 19-year-old on-loan winger saved the Swans from a potentially devastating loss to Gillingham Friday evening. His 79th minute equalizer was eventually the deciding factor in giving his club a point and momentarily putting them atop the League One table. I should have videos of both of these goals in due time, but for now, the Blackburn match is about to begin. Cheers.

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.

Today's Banter: Kewell may have to wait?, Chelsea drawn in Carling Cup, Ashley Young would welcome Crouch, & more

Well, this is disappointing news. Apparently Harry Kewell is not in-line to start today at Blackburn and may not even play nonetheless. Rafa has said that he will be extra cautious in integrating the Aussie into the first-team. This may be a ploy by Benitez, but I doubt it. To be honest, King Harry looked oddly spent within minutes of taking the field against Cardiff on Wednesday. I was hoping he'd start today, but now it looks as if our home tie with Beşiktaş is a more realistic opportunity for him.

With all eight teams remaining in the Carling Cup being top flight sides, it looks as if the competition will actually have a little meaning this year. Even more so for us or Chelsea as we have drawn one another for the quarterfinals. I have mixed feelings about this to tell you the truth. On the one hand, I'm glad we get to play the Blues as no matter the Cup, when it's do or die between us, the intensity is so thick you could cut it with a tree branch. On the other hand, do we really need another tough fixture? I guess Rafa could have sat Gerrard on Wednesday to lessen the chance of our advancement, but he didn't. I doubt now he's shooting himself or anything, but I'm betting he hoped we'd be playing West Ham instead.

Ashley Young wants Peter Crouch to become a Villain. So do I. You know what would piss me off? If Crouch went to Aston Villa and actually played up front like he should instead of trying to be a midfielder. Every time I see him out of position it reminds of that part in Zoolander when Mugatu goes on his rant about Derek Zoolander only having one pose. "Can't anyone see that he's a forward and not a midfielder?! He's playing out-of-position! He's a forward! Doesn't anybody else ever notice this?! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"

Finally, with all our metatarsal injuries this year, Rafa is calling on the boot companies to develop a more reasonable cleat with less studs. You know, I really don't understand why there isn't a more protective boot especially on the top side where most injuries occur when one player's cleat collides with the top of another's foot. Anyhow, also in that article is a mention of Itandje being injured. Not major, but a concern nonetheless. Cheers, I'll be back with line-up analysis about an hour before the match.

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.