Arsenal vs Liverpool Shows Why 19th Title Far From Reality With Benitez In Charge
On the day of the Arsenal vs Liverpool game, our portly manager came out and declared that the team will use the same tactics on the Gunners that Chelsea and Manchester United deployed so easily and successfully. During the actual game, I saw none of that happening and it was crying out for some basic intelligence from us on how Arsenal can and should be beaten. Instead we laboured for much of the game, hardly created any chances at breaking our deadlock and in the end cried foul over a Fabregas handball which should not even have happened since the free kick that led to it was again the creation of our own fabulous diver extraordinaire and now England vice-captain Steven Gerrard.
Diaby scores the winner against Liverpool (Photo courtesy of Soccernet.com)
Everyone saw how Gael Clichy was dragged here there and everywhere by first Nani and then Malouda and gang but Benitez “we will do the same to Arsenal what Chelsea and Manchester United did to them” clearly saw some other game. Maybe we didn’t have players like Nani and Malouda to expose Clichy but the young French defender cannot defend and we should have put more numbers there to put him under the cosh. Instead he was comfortable throughout. There was one moment in the second half when even Kuyt could get past him with his own lack of pace and we should have been doing that for the whole 90 minutes. Clearly we were undone by our incompetence or Benitez lack of tactical awareness. Yes he is very good at getting the team to put men behind the ball and defending but you also need to take advantage of other teams’ weaknesses. It was the reason why the final scoreline was Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0.
With news of Jova signing on for free in the summer, the more revealing detail about the transfer is that Benitez is probably staying with Liverpool and not jumping ship to Juventus. Maybe he sees the same old nonsense happening in Italy so might as well stay here with so many Liverpool fans still having blind faith in the Spaniard. While Jova is a good player, I really don’t see Benitez using him anything more than as a squad player. Does anyone see Jova employed upfront with Torres? Unlikely. Will Jova be put in midfield in place of Gerrard, Aquilani the disappearing act, or Mascherano? No way. Is he gonna play on the flanks where he does not have the pace to impress? Possibly, since that is what happened to Kuyt. Benitez commented that Jova is a hardworker – same as Kuyt! Now we know.
So it points to another grim reality for Liverpool fans – that the 19th title will not come in the near future, or possibly in the next 4-5 seasons in which Benitez intends to hang around for. Yes we might be able to pick up another European trophy or maybe the FA Cup but that’s not what we want now. United still look likely to replace us in terms of league titles won at the end of this season, and our 19th title would not mean much then. We have to plan and look ahead and go for the 20th title to become the most successful again. Can we do it? Yes we can! With Benitez around? I see why not! Even after my criticism of him? Yes! Because if he stops being stubborn and becomes more flexible and adventurous, we might be able to turn things around. Last season showed that. This season strangely every player looked to be low on confidence. Most blame it on the departure of Alonso but though he was an important fulcrum, no player is indispensable. I suspect Captain Stevie G might have been a disruptive influence at the start and his sulking would obviously have spread to the rest of the players. He obviously rules the dressing room as you can see the other players lifting their game when he does the same, while playing badly when he sulks. Last two games he put in more effort and the team looked more positive. He should do it more often.
Liverpool vs Everton Live At Anfield 19th Title Postponed
Tongue in cheek – Liverpool’s 19th title will be postponed till next season. This weekend’s Merseyside derby Liverpool vs Everton will be a prelude of the future when the two clubs will once again dominate English football. Currently we are two of the hottest teams at the moment. Liverpool have not been beaten for more than a couple of matches while Everton are doing fine themselves and honestly looks like we might be beaten finally by them at Anfield since over a decade ago. Why? Because we have no cutting edge upfront with Torres continuing his time on the sidelines although we are having some luck recently with miskicks and deflections ending up in goal which isn’t a bad thing since it means we will probably beat Everton again.
Benitez would certainly hope for that to happen and for someone I’d rather wish leave the club soon he is trying his best to go about quietly doing his job before he leaves for Juventus. Everyone involved except for Juventus are probably doing their best to deny the story since it’s probably something to do with contract negotiations and Benitez making sure he gets some compensation or maybe in this case Liverpool demanding for that to see him leave. But then I worry as well who can replace the guy at the moment who is good enough to lead us out of this mess. Granted that we probably need money to buy good enough players but if we do a clearout of all the crap that Benitez brought in we should probably have enough to stump up enough cash to buy two quality signings. Still, who can replace him right now? Mourinho isn’t gonna join a club that has no money for him to spend to success ever since he had enough time being a pauper at FC Porto. Apart from him I don’t see anyone good enough who does not need time to ‘prove himself’. And time is something Liverpool do not have in their bid to get back to the old glory days.
Maybe we could actually try to tempt David Moyes across the bank but all hope of that was lost the moment the fat Spaniard opened his mouth and accused the Scot of being in charge of a small team. Imagine what Liverpool could be like with Moyes in charge and with money to spend. He’s already proven himself a Fergie clone but with enough balls of his own to not have to suck up to people like the United boss which is what guys like Steve Bruce enjoy doing. And he does not let players get out of line and somehow manages to get most of them playing their hearts out for him and the club. He also makes average players look like quality and that is something that Benitez has never been able to do. The only question is whether with money available, would he end up paying too much for flops like Benitez did. Given that he has been able to scout quality at bargain prices that might not be a concern but of course the truth is that the best players do not want to play for Everton but they might want to play for us. Moyes has not has to deal with the biggest stars apart from Rooney and he failed to keep him or even get him to play for him 100%. In fact, Rooney turned on him and forced his way to United. That might have actually been a good thing for Liverpool since Everton might have overtaken us with Rooney still around!
Most are predicting a draw tonight at Anfield and who can blame them. Both teams played to that result quite often last season and it could be the same again this time with Everton obviously not wanting to lose without a fight. They also have the more clinical players upfront at the moment and I suspect Landan Donovan will be asked to burn Insua or maybe even Carragher in their positions. Insua has turned out to be quite a dud. The guy is all action and we love players in that mold but he has actually become quite bad as a defender. Moving forward he does look useful but you have to be good at what your basic position requires you to do. In fact my person opinion is that Aurelio might actually be better than him. Carragher well we all know the guy has no pace and is better off in the centre but Benitez quite obviously thinks his time is up and is trying to bed Skrtel in there with Agger except the Dane is always injured and the Greek action man is actually slightly faster than Carragher. We can only know at the end of the season but we still love Carragher to bits and difficult for Benitez to cover himself with more flak by relegating him to the reserve squad now.
Well much to look forward to since we all know that Merseyside derbies are often devoid of elitist quality but more on drama and bone crushing tackling. Hopefully we see some sending offs this time which has been sorely lacking recently. Everything at the blue half though. We want goals for Liverpool and three points to move us into fourth although it’d probably not last too long. Spurs and Villa look strong and stable but City are the ones who have all the advantage right now. They’re famous for choking but I think Mancini will avoid that. For now we have to look after ourselves and not choke starting today against Everton.
Match Highlights : I thought we were brilliant on the day, fighting and tackling for every ball and player. Everton were once again shown to be the smaller team as they could not take advantage of the man advantage and that’s what smaller teams do. Gerrard looked to be near his best again although you know that such an occasion normally sees him playing better and I hope that he can lift himself out of his current sulk and repeat the performance against Arsenal. Also felt that if we had Kuyt upfront instead of Ngog we might have made more of an impact and scored at least one more but I guess Benitez has his own ways and maybe Ngog might become a better player from it all. Strange though that Babel came on and we had less of an impact because I thought Ngog was pretty much useless. Everyone played hard though and I’m happy to see Lucas getting some credit now. Soti was unfortunate too. In all fairness he deserved a red but so did that slimy Felliani who stamped on him in retaliation. Both should have gone off and we would have dominated even more. Sorry Moyes but maybe you’re not quite ready yet for a big club heheheh
Losing To Portsmouth Not An Option For Liverpool In Chase For 19th Title
Ok, so the first part is definitely the truth but even I had to suppress a chuckle when writing the part about a 19th title. As everyone jolly well knows by now, we (Liverpool) aren’t gonna get our hands on a 19th title this season, and perhaps not for the next few seasons with this current squad. The player we all seem to need to achieve that, as firmly given a vote of unequivocal approval by Stevie G himself, is no longer with us and had a wry smile on his face when attending the game against Arsenal last week. It pains me to say the name of the player who also scored the equaliser against AC Milan when we won the Champions League (European Cup) for the 5th time. Now, we need to contend ourselves with trying to get three points against a struggling Portsmouth side. Unless everyone starts to jump on us for being in a crisis again and then criticising the team for a less than convincing display afterwards, let me just state that the greatness of last season when we nearly won the elusive 19th title also had us struggling to a 3-2 comeback win against the same team.
Of course, last season had a different Portsmouth team, somewhat. They were invariably better than this year’s version. But Fratton Park is still a difficult place to travel to. To remain in the exclusivity of the big four however, we need to show the same kind of quality that has Manchester United and Chelsea going there regularly and still win, despite not playing the best of football. We have probably been even better than Arsenal with regards to the most entertaining football being dished out now (who can argue about so many games in which we score a lot or the other team scores a lot or we go back and forth each time trying to win or avoid losing), but always have had nothing to show for it in the end. The three points might only be for the Champions League spot this season, but I’m trying to look ahead and see that they could mean much more for the future.
It is time for Liverpool players to stand up and be counted. For the strong to lead the weak. There are many of those in the latter. Manchester United and Chelsea lose but come back strongly in the next game. We lose and then continue losing. This is where I feel that Benitez should go because to be nice to him, he has done much for the club but has also brought us as far as he possibly can. He lacks the true motivational aspect of a manager that a Ferguson or Mourinho has. Even the players have already stated in public that it’s all business with Benitez and they never feel lifted by him even when they have done well. It is difficult to sustain such a relationship for a long term and still breed winning mentalities. Just look at what happened with Alonso. So it was under slightly different circumstances that he upped and left. But key to that was also the strain that he was put under when Benitez told him to sod off when asking for a leave of absence for his son’s birth. Karma comes back and bites you in the behind real bad.
Enough about that for now. Now for Portsmouth. We simply have to beat them. Unluckily for us, they appear to be slowly getting their act together under the sour Grant. These things happen though and we must show that we are still a big club and beat them. Don’t care how we do it, as long as we do it. Unluckily for Aquilani too, as he has had to come in at a difficult time. Unfortunately for us, I do sense that the Italian does not really have the stomach for a fight. He’s known for his artistry back in Rome, but I’ve seen many comments from Italian fans that the boy can be rather soft, although his fondness for injury might be causing a false perception in that respect. Whatever it is, I do hope that Benitez is at least right this time. Hard to keep the faith when the man has a really bad track record with transfers.
I’ve made predictions before previously and have mostly gotten them right. In fact, always. I held back recently since I’m a football fan and so I’m naturally superstitious. Didn’t want to jinx us anymore. But I should look at it positively. This time, I say we win. Portsmouth will give us a hell of a fight though, but I think Gerrard is starting to get going and with Torres back, we are still good enough for a one-two sucker punch that will knock Grant and his new team out.
Liverpool vs Arsenal Live At Anfield Is 19th Title Closer Than Ever?
Not on your life don’t bet on it as the only thing that is sure to happen in a game like Liverpool against Arsenal would be goals goals and more goals. There have been goalless draws before, but few and far between. And what about the 19th title? Well it just so happens that things were quiet here because it was clear that the 19th title in Liverpool’s history just ain’t gonna be this season. We might be lucky to even qualify for the Europa League with the current state of our squad and form of the other teams like Aston Villa (surprise surprise), Spurs (still think they’ll end up nowhere) and Manchester City (a real threat although still too many prima donnas there). Still, I’m looking forward to the game at Anfield because I’ve decided to lower my ambition and just hope for some beautiful goals by Torres or Aquilani.
On to Aquilani and I must say I was certainly impressed by his early few minutes against Fiorentina. Not quite sure why Benitez and the rest were simply purring about him though. Still way short of match fitness and sharpness. And Gerrard and Masch would both have to compensate for his clear lack of tackling ability. With that dodgy body of his, wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls out of a few challenges as well. But great touch and technical ability from the Italian, that’s for sure. He even has a baby face to accompany that of Torres, so perhaps a return to the good old days of the Spice Boys? Perhaps we can have a midfield five of Gerrard, Masch, Aquilani, Benayoun and Kuyt, with the latter two interchanging with Riera (until we finally find some decent wingers), and Torres ploughing upfront alone. I’d rather go back to the old days of boring 1-0 wins than the many goals at both ends, of which currently most are at the wrong end, of course.
Good thing as well that the baby Gunners are having a torrid time trying to find even younger players to fill the gaps vacated by the current class. We’re still gonna have to deal with that Russian prince Arshavin. He who scored four against us to push us away from the title. Pretty sure he’ll score again today and cause many problems for the shaky legs of Carragher. Doubt Benitez will put Aurelio in defence again this time, he actually looks better as a midfielder this season.
On a more serious note, with the problems Arsenal are having, it’d be a clear sign that we’re seriously in decline if we don’t beat them. Don’t care that Torres, Gerrard and Aquilani might be short of fitness. It’s at Anfield and we have to stop dropping points there. Cost us the league last season, might cost us Europe this time. I might not have as good a managerial record as Souey and Klinnsy, but according to Benitez, I should have a better opinion on the situation! So it is with that that I say that Benitez might have brought us as far as he could, and we might even be going backwards now. Most of the problems now are not due to injuries. They are actually a result of his strange decisions in the transfer market. Not even a matter of money (or lack of it) but he was holding out too long and did not have sound backup plans. And when push came to shove, he got desperate and just took what was available to him (Aquilani). Of course, it might still turn out well, but at what cost now?
Liverpool Anfield Humiliation By Lyon On Hand?
Today marks the beginning of the end of a great Spanish era in Liverpool’s history. From the heady heights of a miraculous Champions League success to coming so close to their 19th title which would have been their first in decades, Liverpool under Rafael Benitez was many times frustrating, bewildering, mind boggling, and in the two periods mentioned above – simply a joy to behold with the team pulling out wins from seemingly impossible circumstances, or proving that the club can still play entertaining attacking football under a coach more renowned for his conservative and defensive methods. But it is clear that last season was the furthest Rafa could bring us, and saddled with debt and a lack of quality depth in the team, either the coach will leave us, or he will be fired by the owners soon enough if the going gets tough, but the team doesn’t get going.
And it will start tonight against Lyon. Will there be another miracle night at Anfield, the true theater of dreams? Or will it be more disappointment and a growing belief that the club is truly in decline after the departure of just ONE key player in the summer? It is incredible but all we really had to let go was Xabi Alonso but his absence has truly torn the team apart. Can Rafa be blindsided to such an extent that he has not been able to come up with an alternative system that plays to the strength of the existing squad? Or are the players simply not trying hard enough? Or could it be that most of them are simply out of form after the most amazing of seasons last time out? Are we suffering from the ‘sophomore jinx’ that is more often exclusive only to the smaller clubs that enjoy one good season before tumbling out of sight, or in the case of Hull City, only half a season? These and more questions will be asked, and truly nobody can provide answers until the post mortem is held at the end of May. Who knows, we could still turn it around, and Carra has implored the fans to help push them out of their current funk.
Lyon losing in their league game over the weekend would have raised some hopes that we could win, but that might just be a typical lull before each Champions League game that many teams are often trapped in. They change teams, rest players, all in the hope of doing better in Europe come midweek. Unfortunately we now no longer have such luxury because it is clear even our first team lineup lacks quality or consistency. Which one, I have no idea. The same guilty parties are involved. Lucas has been the easiest target but everyone is trying to compare him to Alonso. In truth he has been modeled by Rafa to play more like Masch. Doesn’t have the tackling ability. Deep down I believe he is a very different sort of player – surely Brazil can’t be crazy to play him in the first team all the time! You don’t hear Brazilian fans complaining about him. And what about Masch. I am beginning to think that he has the look of a man wanting away from Anfield. He is playing his usual game, but that extra bite appears to be gone. In its place, mistakes are creeping out. Concentration has dipped quite often. Benayoun asked for opportunities and at times he has taken them, but he has again disappeared in the last two during important moments. But I can’t get on his back too much because he is still the only player now besides Torres and Stevie G who has the ability to change a game on its head in a split second. Perhaps he lacks the necessary support and is trying to do much by himself. What about Stevie G? Gone missing like many this season. He’s back tonight against Lyon but can he get back to his best soon before Liverpool is left in the other teams’ wake and we might not even qualify for the Champions League (next season) if this goes on. Are we going to leave it late again to the second half of the season before making the usual surge up the table? It might be too late this time since it’s hard to see Spurs, Man City, ASton Villa all three losing their marbles and dropping out of sight while we make an attempt to catch up. And catching up is what we’re doing now.
We’re even behind Sunderland now. Beach ball or not, it was a dire performance and none of the players could have walked away with any credit. Even Johnson now looks like a waste of money – sure he attacks with intent and tries hard, but we bought him to defend and I see him caught out of position with increasing regularity. Do that against Lyon and you can be sure the Champions League will be all over right at the halfway stage for us (3 games into the group stage). The truth is, we must beat Lyon. Everybody knows that. But not everyone is willing to recognise that if we fail to win, even a draw would not save us eventually. Fiorentina has been more consistent and right now, tactically more astute than what our team has been able to put up recently.
And since my predictions continue to come true each time with uncanny accuracy, right down to how we would play, I might not want to say what I think will evolve during the game against Lyon. It would hurt terribly but then again that is what I started this to do. I see us losing, unless Lyon decides not to turn up like the many times they did it against Manchester United. Then again, we do not enjoy the same kind of luck as those Mancunians do. Seven minutes of injury time on Saturday against Sunderland proved that. We had the time, but did not get the lucky deflections and fluke goals. Sadly, there are even more differences right now.
Liverpool Goes To Sunderland Collapse Imminent
It has been a nightmarish few weeks starting with the loss to Fiorentina, then Chelsea, which I had all predicted, and then now it looks likely we will struggle to even get a draw at the Stadium of Light when Sunderland tries to use the same tactics they bombarded on Manchester United on us. The week or so when England went on to secure their own qualification for the World Cup and Spain played a pair of meaningless qualifiers now looks to have stabbed the final nail into our human coffins as we look set to be totally destroyed even before taking the field against Sunderland. Why is that so? Stevie G and Torres will be out of the game, confirmed by Rafa and even though they have not looked the same devastating pairing this season yet, they have still produced the goals required when the rest around them have not exactly fired on all cylinders. Liverpool’s luck has clearly deserted them and we all know that if you want to win a league title, in this case our precious 19th, you still have to have large doses of luck to go with whatever substance you have – we proved that when we dominated two and three decades ago, and also now those really time conscious Mancunians are benefiting from it having flown our coop. Even Kyrgiakos has decided to go crock his knee although he will only be out for about 10 days and isn’t first choice but he is important cover if Rafa needs to pile on the defenders to guarantee our one nil wins.
Now I really hope we still manage to pull it off on Saturday against Sunderland because if we don’t, it will surely be all over for us. even a draw would not be useful because United look all but have sewn up the win even before they play since it would be Bolton who are really rubbish now. Spurs are also running away from us and that’s a real disgrace. Back to my original train of thought – I pray that we will win, but I’ve been correct on most counts on Liverpool’s games so far and this time there’s nothing coming out of this except a draw at most, and that will only be if Sunderland decides to do another Anton and shoot themselves in the foot. Take out Stevie G and Torres and there’s really a Liverpool lineup bereft of quality. There’s Benayoun yes but precious little else. Who else can score the goals or even create them? Benayoun has been great for us make no mistake about that but he really does struggle to make an impact -consistently- when called upon from the start, and I can see why Rafa is hesitant about putting him on unless he has no other choice. But he’s still better than having Aurelio in midfield in place of him oh my goodness. Babel continues to frustrate and his number is surely up before too long. I just can’t see where the goals are going to come from and we need them.
Add to that the whole host of players returning from the qualifiers, the make or break Champions League tie against Lyon this coming midweek, and something has got to give. Some positives could be Agger coming back to start – with little to choose from upfront, I can see Rafa putting up a wall in front of the defence. But he has been more adventurous the past two seasons so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I also hope that the break would have given Carra some time to get his act back together – he has been atrocious even with his unquestioned effort on the field. It is clear now that his lack of pace is starting to really tell and Rafa might need to consider some changes in terms of how Carra should be viewed in the back four. He can still go on, much like how Hyppia was used in tandem with him in the early years. Perhaps it could still have something to do with both Agger and Skrtel yet to mature in a way that Carra did when partnered with Hyppia. But we need to develop a real, more consistent and balanced central pairing – I don’t care if it’s Agger or Skrtel because both of them are good and have their own good points – Agger is quick and can offer some options moving forward, Skrtel is a more traditional gritty defender, no nonsense and I really love his spilling his guts out on the field each time. He looked dodgy in his first game if everyone remembered, but then really flourished when given the chance to settle. Agger has real injury problems though and I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that he can overcome all that and come out stronger, but back problems can be a real pain in more ways than one and hard to come back from with extended periods of play.
So what can we expect later? I still think we can just tap out a draw, but the rest of the players will have to really step up and shoulder the burden of the missing Liverpool Golden Double Act of Stevie G and Torres. Masch and Insua might also be left out since they had to play two emotionally and physically draining games with Argentina plus the long distance flights. Masch has also been worryingly off his game – alright he played well against Chelsea but still was made the fall guy for the mistake that led to the opening (killer) goal. But I saw him for Argentina against Uruguay and he looked far from comfortable. Of course most of them looked far from comfortable under Maradona that classic clown act, even Messi, but Masch was panicky and made several stray passes. He has been not much different this season for us. Agger also played both games for Denmark and he might have to be given a rest. In fact most of our players were involved. They would be one tired bunch while Sunderland will be just gnashing to get back in action after that amazing draw against Utd. It really looks ominous at the Stadium of Light.
Can Liverpool Storm Chelsea’s Bridge With 19th Title Peeking From Horizon?
Truth be told I have yet to recover from our Tuesday horror show and I’m also beginning to think I’m a prophet of sorts as my gut was telling me something bad was gonna happen at the Artemo Franchi and they had to go and make my worst nightmare come true. I thought that Liverpool would struggle against Fiorentina and everything went horribly wrong on Tuesday and it was possibly the worst result and performance ahead of a truly important fixture against Chelsea today. The hangover was bad for me since that day and I wasn’t even sure if I could write anything ahead of our trip to the Bridge but I’m not about to miss out on every step that we are taking towards the Big 19th Title.
Before I talk about Chelsea and what is not an exaggerated claim by media and the football talkshow experts who are really just like you and me that the result would either destroy one team’s title hopes while brewing hope for the winner, I need to let it out on the display on Italian soil. Truly horrible. What on earth were the lads thinking when they decided to play like that? Off night? I never really believed that every player could just play so badly like that and then after a half time talk presumably some hairdryer action from Rafa, the whole team played much better and could have drawn back but the momentum and sharpness were already lost with their pathetic performance in the first half. Rafa was right to feel totally distraught but I think he made it worse for himself and the rest of us by deciding to experiment once again. What was Aurelio doing in the starting lineup? I wasn’t sure if he was to play on the wing (which he can’t) or in the middle (which he can’t either). Babel and Riera aren’t the best around but surely they would have done a better job on the wing if that was where Aurelio had to roam. If it was to be in midfield replacing Masch then what was Stevie G doing? I firmly believe that Rafa underestimated Fiorentina and decided to give a rest to Masch to recover in time for Chelsea but in doing so played his cards wrong in terms of the Argentinian’s replacement. I thought his days of being Tinkerman no. 2 were long gone but I guess sometimes relapses are in order, but not at the expense of results please.
On to the War At The Bridge and Chelsea are bound to have some sort of response against us unless Ancelotti is really Scolari in disguise. Then again the Brazilian is doing quite well right now in Uzbekistan although it was kinda amusing to see his team Bunyodkor Tashkent putting in a mighty effort but falling short against the very aptly named Pohang Steelers in the Asian Champions League. Sidetracking a little but it was truly a great tie that one – back and forth action with plenty of goals to talk about. Was surprised that these sides could produce such high quality football but I guess it’s time we wrapped our heads around the fact that the top Asian clubs can compete well. Scolari gets paid really well too from what I’ve read and maybe Ancelotti is plotting a similar path with the way he is running the Blues right now. Asked what was wrong with the team on Wednesday after another lacklustre effort against Apoel, he replied “I don’t know.” Not the best answer considering the media hacks are just waiting to tear him down as the latest saviour and deliver of European glory for Chelsea. I wouldn’t say there’s really anything wrong since they still won and at least they didn’t defend as badly as they did against Wigan although giving the ball away remained a problem. Then again that’s what our lads were doing against Fiorentina too and we lost. I guess this difference in quality might show again tonight although I hope not. Things aren’t looking good again for Liverpool and to be honest we’ve only been beating up the likes of Hull and Burnley which don’t exactly put the fear in any team. Ok so we struggled to beat teams like them last season, while getting ahead of the Big Four etc. Looks like the balance has been shifted and there is just something about Rafa that he struggles to find the perfect balance each season. Of course the excuse of losing Alonso dealt a big blow along with Hicks and Gillett continuing to shaft a big one to us by giving him no money to buy more players. But over 20million quid was blown on an injured Italian who is still a mystery to us not acquainted with Italian football.
Ok rant out of the way and now really onto the game. This one is really big in terms of whether we can go on and surprise everyone, including us fans, that Liverpool will win the 19th title this season. It is clear that we don’t have the quality this season, but sometimes the best team doesn’t always become champions and you can only see the evidence laid out in recent years ever since the Premiership was established with the title landing somewhere north where timekeepers go missing at crucial stages of each game. Not content with getting their hands on the trophy again undeservedly as we were the best side last season, now we have had to cede the comeback kings tag to those Mancunians again. If we can beat Chelsea at the Bridge, the belief will return and grow stronger. Just like last season. But we had Alonso then and he scored the winner, and also played a major major part in many of those Big Four clashes by getting players from the other teams sent off. Who can do that now? Lucas will probably get himself red carded instead. Stevie G is too busy covering him to link up with Torres. And Torres is increasingly keen to throw tantrums like a spoilt brat which I am really surprised at. But there have still been times this season when all of them played like Kuyt and the results came. This is just the game to do that and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kuyt replaces Carra in the beloved old jingle that we want 11 Kuyts in the team.
You never know what to expect from Chelsea except that they are still a boring old team and Drogba and Anelka look really deadly together. With the way our defence has been playing lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were down 3-0 or worse by half time, especially if they attack our zonal marking system again. Truly pray that Rafa would have picked up on that by now and be flexible instead of being obstinate. My gut is telling me that we’re heading for another defeat but my heart hopes for a magical display and three points that would be just as important as the ones that we snatched last season at the same venue. Keep the faith (I try).
Liverpool 19th Title Here We Come Thanks To Hull
Wow I must be some kind of psychic or Babel must have been lurking and reading what I wrote and telling it to the rest of the lads. Even Rafa took some of my advice and I could be doing his job for him already. Alright just a joke. But it was easy looking back considering we were to play in the Champions League in midweek and I will have something to say about that later but the only thing that was surprising against Hull was that Rafa didn’t take both Torres and Stevie G off much earlier. He should have done it right after the third goal. True our defence still looked like me and my mates at Sunday football but the thing about a team like Hull is that their best efforts will continue to look like me and my mates at Sunday football until they change their manager and bring in some useful players. It was too easy for Liverpool and honestly, really flattered them and Torres’ goals. That said, Torres clearly has his appetite back after a bout of grumbling at the start of the season and this can only bode well for us until the next time he gets injured, which touch wood, isn’t gonna happen this season, next season or every season that he stays with us.
Here’s Gary Lineker showing off his analytical and presenting skills while showcasing how awesome Torres was against Hull’s equally fantastic back four of Sonko and… god knows who else:
So now for the important issue here – another week, another big win and we finally turn away the likes of Hull at Anfield. We’re starting to look clinical in front of goal. The points are flowing again and so are the goals. Torres is bang on form and Stevie G is a changed man and should now be fully focused on the club and being a proper family man. And Babel even started to look deadly with his pace and incredible finishing. Are we now on track for the long awaited 19th title?
I would certainly hope so. But there were still the troubling signs of loose defending with our back four individually looking fine (Insua and Johnson) but collectively you wonder if they think they’re interchanging positions with Torres and Stevie G. It’s not just the inability to get the zonal marking system right, but in open play they looked quite out of sorts and on different wavelengths as well. Carragher has been making last ditch tackles throughout his career but when he was in peak form it all looked easy and calculated. But now it just looks… desperate. And for a team like Hull with a player like Geovanni to cut through us a few times with ease, and to even equalise – doesn’t look too good when you review the tape. You can’t expect to gift these to teams like Fiorentina and expect to knock in another 5 to trot off with smiles on your faces. Just doesn’t happen.
That said, I do expect the boys to be tighter come midweek – they usually do in Europe. Maybe due to the slower tempo and continental teams seldom play a high tempo and charge round like headless chickens game that sides like Hull specialise in, which strangely is the type that Liverpool cannot cope with. The only difference in midweek would be that we’ll be away, which then again will have Rafa returning to the soak and strike methods that he perfected in the last few seasons.
And finally, Babel. Honestly, his two goals and that fine start and finish for his first goal covered up his flaws. Still looked wasteful with the ball but hopefully the two goals helps his confidence and makes him work even harder at improving his final pass or decision making. His celebrations certainly showed his passion and determination. But those have been too far and few between. Some might say that you can’t possibly be playing for Holland and not be a good player. Well, that’s what many said of Kuyt before he arrived at Anfield and then looked nothing more than a faster Dider Deschamps carrying the water on the right. But now he’s really settled and although still doesn’t look like a Dutch player, puts in a lot of work and isn’t too bad of a crosser, passer and (sometimes) finisher. Maybe he should take Babel under his wings.
Fiorentina later maybe earlier during the week before the game. Still celebrating the goals and Sonko spending more time on the turf than on his feet.
Another Step To 19 With Hull City And Case For Ryan Babel
Ok I want to talk about the possibility of us finally winning our 19th title and today’s game against Hull City would probably be more important than many might think. So we all expect to win, and that is definitely what should be expected from a club like Liverpool. But so many times last season and the past decade (or more) we have consistently failed to look decent against these teams. Alright, we did look great last season, but failing to find the net means whatever you do during the rest of the game counts for nothing. And in the end yes it really counted for nothing because we won nothing. Credit to the lads for playing really well as a whole but these games really cost us in the end.
So the most important thing is to make sure we end up with the three points. I still think Rafa will rest a number of players, or at least once the points are wrapped up early (if possible), he’ll bring the likes of Stevie G, Torres and maybe Masch off. The latter might need some rest after playing against Leeds United as well. Tuesday’s game against Fiorentina will be a very tough one – those Italians are tough to break down and we don’t look that special anymore this season without Xabi so it would probably be the team that grinds the best that gets all the points. We can’t afford to drop any either and you know Fiorentina would know our zonal marking weaknesses by now.
So back to Hull City and we need to win this in order to add another brick towards our dream for the big 19. On the surface everything looks really straightforward and a foregone conclusion. Phil Brown can’t manage. Hull City can’t defend. They know how to lose and this is Anfield. Of course, the latter didn’t seem to work well last season (or for more than the past decade) so we have to discount it. Maybe make the sign larger in the tunnel. We have become really patient in the past two or three seasons and don’t quite break down easily as we did in the past whenever we concede a goal or the opposition does something at what may look like a crucial period during a game. That is why we appear to have taken over the throne of comeback kings even though Chelsea and those Mancunians are doing their best to wrestle it back. But I’d rather we sweep teams like Hull City aside easily if we are to win the title. Because you don’t see Man Utd having to comeback every other week, especially against the minnows. So two things to look out for that might restore my faith and belief that we can still win the title this season – to beat Hull City easily and not need to make any comeback, or not having our heads drop if we do let in a goal first.
Now for Ryan Babel. After Leeds United, I am starting to think that if we are to win the elusive title, we need to do something with this boy. For all the skill and pace he has, and all the vocal determination he has sounded out, what has Babel really been doing on the training ground? He still provides no end product and keeps making the wrong choices with and without the ball. So many times he broke through the Leeds ranks on Wednesday but each time he basically wasted his final pass or decision. I’m beginning to believe that Rafa actually doesn’t spend any time coaching the lads and making them better players. Looking at his style and character, he probably tells them ok now it’s all up to you to show me that you can break into the team and do something special on the field. It’s all up to you! Because if the coaching staff has been spending time with Babel, the boy should be a world beater by now! It only took less than a season for Man Utd’s staff with Ronaldo and look at him now – bullying the little teams and that’s what we need at Anfield! C’mon Rafa – please take Babel aside and really really make him into the class player that you claim that he should be when you first signed him.
So I’m expecting plenty of goals tonight as long as Rafa will leave Stevie G and Torres on the field, and maybe Benayoun too. We’d probably let in a couple as well since Carragher really looks a liability now as his age has finally caught up with him (still the Man though – plays his heart out each time), Skrtel suddenly looks lost which is a pity since he was such a tough cookie before his injuries, Agger looks more like Jonathan “Sicknote” Woodgate and Johnson prefers to score goals. Need to get them playing as a unit again and really know how to play the zonal system. Other teams have done it before and it’s not like the worst system one can use. Again, Rafa might not actually train the lads on the ground.
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