Now let me start by saying that I do have allot of respect for referees in general and I do understand that they have a very very hard job to do. That being said they also come under very heavy scrutiny with all the cameras that are at the grounds these days as well as all the slow motion and many different angles.
So I remember something that the former English cricketer Mike Atherton said while commentating once. There was an lbw appeal and the Umpire gave it out even though there was a clear inside edge. Atherton said something like this: If the commentators need 5 or 6 different cameras and 6 or 7 replays using things like slow motion and hot spot to see if it is out or not, or are not even sure after all that replay, then you cannot expect an umpire who sees it live for a second to give it out as there is still doubt. But in this situation, he said that he is sitting 60 - 70 yards away, up a couple of stories, looking through a glass window and he could see that there was a clear inside edge. These situations is when the umpire should get it right with no excuse, here is when you can be critical of the umpire, but not when several replays are needed before you can come to a conclusion.
This made allot of sense to me at the time and still does. Now I do understand that in Football it is different with referees. The have to keep running with the play and some time they are not always in the best position to make the right call, but they do have two assistants who should help them.
Referees make mistakes that is easy to happen and can happen to anyone, we all make mistakes. What makes a top referee is one who makes the least mistakes.
So when Sunderland scored against Liverpool with the help of a beach ball the referee should have known the rules of the game. Surely it is the job of the referee to enforce the rules, so if he does not know the basic rules of the game how can he be a referee? Now I'm not going to blame that for the loss or the reason we are in such a bad position, that is simply because we have been playing very bad football, simple as that it is our own fault.
If we look at the red card that was giving to Degen against Fulham, it was said that he was given the red card, most likely, because he had to feet off the ground and had studs showing. So ok if we accept that then why, when in last nights game between Manchester United and Chelsea, did Valencia not get a red card, but a yellow, for what looks to me as the exact same challenge. He had both feet off the ground and went with studs up? I do not understand how the same challenge can have two different results? Now I understand that referees can make mistakes but they also have assistants who are supposed to help them.
Now if you are player the rules become blurred as well. Depending on the referee, depends on what type of challenge you can make and "get away with", is that the way Football should be played? As I said before they can make mistakes, I do understand that, but then maybe for the big decisions the assistant should help? The difference between a red and yellow is very big especially when you are chasing a game. Surely the referees are told that certain challenges are red and others are yellow? So now they need to enforce these rules, they need to get the call as to what type of challenge it is better.
If Valencia only got a yellow then so should have Degen, or if Degen got a red then so should have Valencia, it is that simple! There needs to be more consistency!
Another point is that in the game between Man U and Chelsae, Evens should have had a straight red card for kicking Drogba in the chest. The got that one very wrong and his assistant did not help, why not? I think that should be a 3 - 6 month suspension for kicking someone like that. So the referee got it wrong, later in the game when Fletcher fouled Cole, many say it should not have been a foul, so the referee got it wrong. Why when the wrong decision leads to a goal is it a big talking point but the earlier decision is just brushed away. Ferguson said they lost faith in the referee, you didn't see him say that he should have had a player sent off. So the referee mad these two bad decisions, accept it, get out of football or present the FA with a model that would help the referee get more decisions right. Every team suffers because the referee makes mistakes.
I think that the referees need to find some consistency in there decision making and players and managers need to help the referees. Players who act that they are injured should not be allowed to grace a football field, and that goes even more so for players who dive!
This is the way the game is, we should always try to improve, but we need to work together to improve.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
6 Losses in 7 Games....Lets hear the excusses
So after six losses in seven games all the excuses and reasons come out. There is one I read that I like the most, it goes something like this: We lost at Fulham because we had 11, yes eleven, first team players out! I like this one because I do not believe it to be true, but just another bad excuse. Lets take a look, the starting line up at Fulham was: Reina, Insua, Degen, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Voronin, Torres.
So now lets break it down:
Reina- first choice, yes
Insua, started just about every game this season, if not all, so far-ahead of the Italian international. Maybe Aurelio would get in ahead but we all know e is injury prone and does not play more than a game a week. So Insua must be seen as the best and adequate replacement.
Degen, only their to make up the numbers. This is one of the non starters when all are fit. He got praise form allot of supporters after the arsenal game, but he had no end product. It does not take a magician to run in a straight line and give the ball away.
Carragher, a regular starter. No questions asked even with his bad form this season.
Kyrgiakos, another who would not be a regular starter. Brought in to replace Hyypia, lets be honest it is very hard to live up to those standards. He is not really good enough but probably all we could get with that kind of money. But it is not his fault he was in the game.
Kuyt, another regular starter and called by many as a Benitez favourite. To be fair last season he was very good. He is not a right winger even though that is where he is playing. Point is whether he is good enough or not he is first choice!
Benayoun, probably one of our best players over the last 18 months or so. Again he is one of our most important players and certainly not our weak link. He was also on the day looking like the only one who could actually do anything for us. That is other than pass back or sideways.
Mascherano, one of the best player you can find as a defensive midfield player. He had a fantastic season last time round and after a shaky start seemed to find that fantastic form again.
Lucas, another first team regular. He has come in for allot of criticism an I feel allot of it unfair. I don't believe he should be playing next to a player like Mascherano. He needs to play with someone more creative to allow him to be effective. I'm not saying he is great or the answer, but he is a first choice player! The argument that Aquilani will play ahead of him and that does not make him a first choice player, is not an argument that will hold. Aquilani was bought as an injured player. Every one knew that, every fan knew that! Now what happens when he comes back is irrelevant, because until he can establish himself Lucas is a first choice player. Like it or not is not the point!
Voronin, should not be playing for this club at this point in time. He was free and I do see the argument that at the time he was the best we could get. That does not mean I agree with it just because I can see the point of view. Nor does it mean he should have played in this game. Yes you got it right, he is another who is not a first choice player.
Torres, probably the best striker in the world and having a fantastic scoring season again! Of course he is a first choice player even if only half fit.
So if my math is correct and I do believe it is then their are only three, yes 3 non first choice players in that starting line up. So I thought it was rather funny how 11 first choice players were out.
So if you put in Agger, Johnson and Gerrard for Kyrgiakos, Degen and Voronin, you would probably have our strongest team. Maybe bring in Aurelio, but again he would not have played anyway, because he can not play 2 games in a week and would most likely be kept for the Lyon game, if you think he is the stronger of the 2. Maybe Riera, but I think Benayoun is a better player and certainly on the performance of this season.
So maybe Skrtel would be better than Kyrgiakos, but Kyrgiakos was bought to play in these situations.
What is a bigger worry for me is that N'Gog is our best replacement for Torres. Now don't get me wrong I am a fam of N'Gog. I think he has huge potential and a big future, hopefully with this club. But it is hard for an experienced player to replace the best striker in the world and it is allot to ask of a kid, as good as he is.
Torres i playing through pain and having injections to do so, this also tells you that the manager does not have an answer. He should not have played until he was fit to do so. I don't mean half a game here or their, what happens if his injury gets worse because he is playing through it instead of recovering? What happens if he misses the second half of the season because he played when he should not have? What happens if he misses the world cup because of it? I would have serious resentment toward the manger if the happened to me, wouldn't you?
What we really needed was another top striker to come in and take some of the load off Torres. Now you going to cry we don't have money, right? Come on be honest? I'm not saying it is easy to get one or that we could get one cheep. Nor am I going to say if we didn't buy Aquilani and sold Babel we could buy Villa, that does not work as we do not know personal circumstances. What if Villa said he does not want to come here and wants to stay in Spain? I'm not saying he did, but what if? That is all we could do, is say what if. I would have taken Owen back, yes he get injured but if he used to a minimum, IE when Torres is out he might be ok. I would have him over Voronin, would you? By the way both would have cost us nothing for a transfer, so there goes one theory.
Six Losses in seven games, that sounds like Hull City not a Liverpool Team that is going to be competing for the title, does it? It is not easy to loose, but when you play badly you can say we deserved to loose, when you play well and loose you feel grieved and hard done by. But when you get beaten by a beach ball and the manager says we didn't deserve to win and that it was not the reason we lost but that we played badly....that tells a story. If we out played Sunderland and lost to the beach ball we would be pissed off, but the truth is the most we could have hope for the way we played was a draw and we would have been lucky top get that!
I'm not saying Get rid of Benitez nor am I saying he should stay. I do have my issues with him but am yet to decide. One thing is clear, the owners should leave!
But there is something very very wrong inside our team. I do know if it is the manager or the players or the staff or what it is, but something is wrong. I have said it before and I will say it again, until this gets sorted out we are in trouble!
So now lets break it down:
Reina- first choice, yes
Insua, started just about every game this season, if not all, so far-ahead of the Italian international. Maybe Aurelio would get in ahead but we all know e is injury prone and does not play more than a game a week. So Insua must be seen as the best and adequate replacement.
Degen, only their to make up the numbers. This is one of the non starters when all are fit. He got praise form allot of supporters after the arsenal game, but he had no end product. It does not take a magician to run in a straight line and give the ball away.
Carragher, a regular starter. No questions asked even with his bad form this season.
Kyrgiakos, another who would not be a regular starter. Brought in to replace Hyypia, lets be honest it is very hard to live up to those standards. He is not really good enough but probably all we could get with that kind of money. But it is not his fault he was in the game.
Kuyt, another regular starter and called by many as a Benitez favourite. To be fair last season he was very good. He is not a right winger even though that is where he is playing. Point is whether he is good enough or not he is first choice!
Benayoun, probably one of our best players over the last 18 months or so. Again he is one of our most important players and certainly not our weak link. He was also on the day looking like the only one who could actually do anything for us. That is other than pass back or sideways.
Mascherano, one of the best player you can find as a defensive midfield player. He had a fantastic season last time round and after a shaky start seemed to find that fantastic form again.
Lucas, another first team regular. He has come in for allot of criticism an I feel allot of it unfair. I don't believe he should be playing next to a player like Mascherano. He needs to play with someone more creative to allow him to be effective. I'm not saying he is great or the answer, but he is a first choice player! The argument that Aquilani will play ahead of him and that does not make him a first choice player, is not an argument that will hold. Aquilani was bought as an injured player. Every one knew that, every fan knew that! Now what happens when he comes back is irrelevant, because until he can establish himself Lucas is a first choice player. Like it or not is not the point!
Voronin, should not be playing for this club at this point in time. He was free and I do see the argument that at the time he was the best we could get. That does not mean I agree with it just because I can see the point of view. Nor does it mean he should have played in this game. Yes you got it right, he is another who is not a first choice player.
Torres, probably the best striker in the world and having a fantastic scoring season again! Of course he is a first choice player even if only half fit.
So if my math is correct and I do believe it is then their are only three, yes 3 non first choice players in that starting line up. So I thought it was rather funny how 11 first choice players were out.
So if you put in Agger, Johnson and Gerrard for Kyrgiakos, Degen and Voronin, you would probably have our strongest team. Maybe bring in Aurelio, but again he would not have played anyway, because he can not play 2 games in a week and would most likely be kept for the Lyon game, if you think he is the stronger of the 2. Maybe Riera, but I think Benayoun is a better player and certainly on the performance of this season.
So maybe Skrtel would be better than Kyrgiakos, but Kyrgiakos was bought to play in these situations.
What is a bigger worry for me is that N'Gog is our best replacement for Torres. Now don't get me wrong I am a fam of N'Gog. I think he has huge potential and a big future, hopefully with this club. But it is hard for an experienced player to replace the best striker in the world and it is allot to ask of a kid, as good as he is.
Torres i playing through pain and having injections to do so, this also tells you that the manager does not have an answer. He should not have played until he was fit to do so. I don't mean half a game here or their, what happens if his injury gets worse because he is playing through it instead of recovering? What happens if he misses the second half of the season because he played when he should not have? What happens if he misses the world cup because of it? I would have serious resentment toward the manger if the happened to me, wouldn't you?
What we really needed was another top striker to come in and take some of the load off Torres. Now you going to cry we don't have money, right? Come on be honest? I'm not saying it is easy to get one or that we could get one cheep. Nor am I going to say if we didn't buy Aquilani and sold Babel we could buy Villa, that does not work as we do not know personal circumstances. What if Villa said he does not want to come here and wants to stay in Spain? I'm not saying he did, but what if? That is all we could do, is say what if. I would have taken Owen back, yes he get injured but if he used to a minimum, IE when Torres is out he might be ok. I would have him over Voronin, would you? By the way both would have cost us nothing for a transfer, so there goes one theory.
Six Losses in seven games, that sounds like Hull City not a Liverpool Team that is going to be competing for the title, does it? It is not easy to loose, but when you play badly you can say we deserved to loose, when you play well and loose you feel grieved and hard done by. But when you get beaten by a beach ball and the manager says we didn't deserve to win and that it was not the reason we lost but that we played badly....that tells a story. If we out played Sunderland and lost to the beach ball we would be pissed off, but the truth is the most we could have hope for the way we played was a draw and we would have been lucky top get that!
I'm not saying Get rid of Benitez nor am I saying he should stay. I do have my issues with him but am yet to decide. One thing is clear, the owners should leave!
But there is something very very wrong inside our team. I do know if it is the manager or the players or the staff or what it is, but something is wrong. I have said it before and I will say it again, until this gets sorted out we are in trouble!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Carling Cup exits shows how shallow our squad really is!
So I'm about to be very harsh but I think it is the truth.
I am normally the one who says if they pull on a Liverpool Shirt we must just get behind them, but tonight against Arsenal we showed how weak we are.
How many times must Babel miss a tap in till he gets a right kick in the pants or better yet sold. In all honestly tonight is not the first or second time that Babel has missed a tap in because he went with the wrong foot. someone should tell him it is legal to use your left foot. I don't know if this has tried to be corrected in training or not but he is not worth a place in this squad. I for one would much rather have someone like Pacheco or Nemeth in the squad, lets be honest they could not have have done any worse. They also have the right attitude and a game like this would have helped their development, while Babel does not seem to have the capacity to learn or grow. Nor does Babel seem to have the desire to try and I'm fed up.
Plessis celebrates a contract extension by not have any positional sense or discipline what so ever and really made Spearing work harder than he should have against a very good young team. He did not tackle well and seemed to have know idea what to do when going forward. Now I'm just trying to work out why he got an extension? It is beyond me right now!
Spearing would have had a much greater and positive influence on the game if Plessis could play football.
Degen seems to just run straight and then what?He is not good enough to play on a game console never mind a real field. He did not cover his position and on more than one occasion Kuyt had to move to right back because
degen was missing. I think what made me mad about his performance tonight was the fact the he could not make a simple back pass and just played into touch. What the hell kind of player is that. Kelly at 19? id already twice the player Degen is and I'm sure that must make him feel like sh!t and so it should. Degen is not needed in this squad when we have Kelly and Darby who can both play right back better than him.
Voronin did allot of running tonight, it is just a pity he could not play football. He showed no real awareness through the game. He was also at fault for the goal, he really needs to learn to clear a ball or maybe it is just that he can not pass more than one foot from himself. I like the one dummy he played as well, it was just a pity he dummy-ed himself!
Cavalieri looked for the first time that I can recall, dodgy. The less said about his performance the better.
N'gog has allot of potential and did well, but we were carrying to many players tonight which meant there was no one who could help support him.
What a goal from Insua. I hope this give him some confidence to take a few more shots.His technique was fantastic, to get that dip, a real class goal.
We were well out played tonight by a very good arsenal team. Take nothing away from them, they should have won by more.
Our problem was that we carried to many players and we had to many players trying to play for two and this did not let us play our game. I think we need a major change to the squad as soon as possible. I know that is not easy with the budget that we have to work with and i'm not saying that we need world class players, but we do need a few consistent players who can carry their own weight against a young inexperienced team like tonight. That would not be to hard to change, at least I don't think so.
A special welcome to Aquilani for a debut. While short you could see the reason he was bought. Having not played for nearly 7 months you can expect him to be a bit rusty, but still had some great touches. I believe he will be a fantastic player for us this season.
Lets hope our first team stay fit and we should really have good go at the league this year.
Till I calm down......
I am normally the one who says if they pull on a Liverpool Shirt we must just get behind them, but tonight against Arsenal we showed how weak we are.
How many times must Babel miss a tap in till he gets a right kick in the pants or better yet sold. In all honestly tonight is not the first or second time that Babel has missed a tap in because he went with the wrong foot. someone should tell him it is legal to use your left foot. I don't know if this has tried to be corrected in training or not but he is not worth a place in this squad. I for one would much rather have someone like Pacheco or Nemeth in the squad, lets be honest they could not have have done any worse. They also have the right attitude and a game like this would have helped their development, while Babel does not seem to have the capacity to learn or grow. Nor does Babel seem to have the desire to try and I'm fed up.
Plessis celebrates a contract extension by not have any positional sense or discipline what so ever and really made Spearing work harder than he should have against a very good young team. He did not tackle well and seemed to have know idea what to do when going forward. Now I'm just trying to work out why he got an extension? It is beyond me right now!
Spearing would have had a much greater and positive influence on the game if Plessis could play football.
Degen seems to just run straight and then what?He is not good enough to play on a game console never mind a real field. He did not cover his position and on more than one occasion Kuyt had to move to right back because
degen was missing. I think what made me mad about his performance tonight was the fact the he could not make a simple back pass and just played into touch. What the hell kind of player is that. Kelly at 19? id already twice the player Degen is and I'm sure that must make him feel like sh!t and so it should. Degen is not needed in this squad when we have Kelly and Darby who can both play right back better than him.
Voronin did allot of running tonight, it is just a pity he could not play football. He showed no real awareness through the game. He was also at fault for the goal, he really needs to learn to clear a ball or maybe it is just that he can not pass more than one foot from himself. I like the one dummy he played as well, it was just a pity he dummy-ed himself!
Cavalieri looked for the first time that I can recall, dodgy. The less said about his performance the better.
N'gog has allot of potential and did well, but we were carrying to many players tonight which meant there was no one who could help support him.
What a goal from Insua. I hope this give him some confidence to take a few more shots.His technique was fantastic, to get that dip, a real class goal.
We were well out played tonight by a very good arsenal team. Take nothing away from them, they should have won by more.
Our problem was that we carried to many players and we had to many players trying to play for two and this did not let us play our game. I think we need a major change to the squad as soon as possible. I know that is not easy with the budget that we have to work with and i'm not saying that we need world class players, but we do need a few consistent players who can carry their own weight against a young inexperienced team like tonight. That would not be to hard to change, at least I don't think so.
A special welcome to Aquilani for a debut. While short you could see the reason he was bought. Having not played for nearly 7 months you can expect him to be a bit rusty, but still had some great touches. I believe he will be a fantastic player for us this season.
Lets hope our first team stay fit and we should really have good go at the league this year.
Till I calm down......
Monday, October 26, 2009
WOW, what a performance!
So I was worried about the game yesterday, but what a performance and what a response by the players, to give a fantastic performance full of pride and passion. Each and every player who played if for a minute or the whole game played with passion and pride and did the club and fans proud.
So I wanted to break it down a bit, lets take a look:
Pepe, had a great game. A good save from a Rooney header, but it was not a great header, but still a good save. He was a bit weak on some of the corners, he does not seem to command the box like you think he might be able to, but that is being very critical of him. So a solid performance from him, but there was not to much to worry him in truth.
Our defence looked more like last season. They were all very solid and didn't allow them to get anything. What I did notice about the defence was that they tried and did tackle very early. They did not allow any of the United players to take the ball on a first touch without being challenged for the ball.
Johnson proved all his critics wrong with a fantastic defensive game. He had to keep quite United's best player in my opinion in Ryan Giggs and he did keep him quiet. He also had to deal with a very attacking Evra. Beanayoum did his fair share as well to help Jonson but that is also his job to help out with the defence. While he was not as adventurous as he has been in other games he was available to help in attack but his main duty in this game was to defend and he did that very well.
Carragher was but to his Istanbul best. He did not loose anything. He tackled cleanly and quickly and for his life would not let anything pass him. Back to his best or better than the best he has ever played. What a leader in the absence of our regular captain and truly led by example.
Agger for me is our best defender to partner Carra. He is very calm under pressure and he reads the game as good as anyone in the game today. Very assured on the ball as well which will allow us to build from the back. He will be a key part of any success that this club will have over the next few or many years. He tackled very well and his covering and positioning was excellent.
Insua, while still young I think had a good game. Along with Aurelio in defence they kept Valencia very quite and I can only think of two crosses that came in the whole game from the right. He did well for a young lad in such a big game and has a very bright future and I hope he will stay with this club for many years to come. Like the other full back he did not get to advanced into the oppositions half, but still managed to contribute at times going forward.
Our midfield was great in this game as well. They controlled everything and did not allow two of the best center midfield player to string together many passes. They also were creative going forward and not many teams will create that many chances against a good United team, so they deserve allot of credit for that.
Kuyt as always ran allot had some good moments and not so good moments but he is ever reliable ans you always know that you are going to get a solid performance from him. Perhaps if he had controlled Lucas pass a bit better it could have led to a goal scoring chance.
Benayoun was very good, he had a fantastic game. Always a threat and always creating something. If only he would have shot a couple of time in the game he might have had a goal or two. He also did his fair share of defensive work and did it very well. a constant threat and always looking like he was going to destroy that defence. He had a good shout for man of the match as well. And it has to be said that pass for Torres was absolute class, what a player he has become for this club.
Aurelio was absolute class, nothing else. He was everywhere and controlled the left side of the field. He help Insua in defence and in attack he very nearly scored with his head. He has fantastic control with his feet and is very good technically on the ball. He has a great delivery both from open play and from a set piece. Hid combination with Insua could be fantastic especially against smaller teams who park the bus. He also has to in with a shout fo man of the match with that kind of performance. Pure class!
Mascherano was his usual fantastic destructive self. He broke down the play very well and with Lucas controlled the midfield. He was superb in covering the full back and defending. He was also good going forward some nice neat passing. I just with he would either learn to shoot or just not shoot but he has only hit the target once that I can recall. But a solid display form him and With his foot that high off the ground I don't think he could complain that much about his sending off.
Lucas finally showed the reason why we bought him. He had a very very good game. He passed forward very well and made some very good and intelligent runs forward and had a good opportunity to shoot, but it went wide. If he can get into those positions a bit more and get a few goals, it would really create another threat in our team for the opposition to worry about. Hid defending was great as well. He made some very good tackles and his positioning was good. The only defensive criticism I have of Lucas is that he give away to many free kick close to edge of our box. Considering how bad we have been this season at defending set plays, it could cost us big time. But his display aside from that was excellent. Now I hope he can push on and perform like that on a consistent basis and he will improve and we will have on hell of a player.
Torres was not fully fit as we only found out after the game, but by his display you would not have known that. He took his goal very well. He showed again that he is the best out and out striker in the world. He showed he has pace, power, good positioning and can finish incredibly well. When he runs at defenders they must be so scared to actually try tackle him. It give me such joy to watch him run at them.
Skrtel had very little to do at the end, but help defend at a time when we needed him and did a solid job for the time that he was on the field.
N'Gog looks such a good prospect to me. He could and should have a very productive future at this club. He can hold the ball up well, has good strength and showed he can finish. With a bit more experience and learning I believe he will become a very good striker.
A very special mention tio the entire team and staff for getting our defending at set pieces right. Evrytime they had a free kick or corner I got worried but we handled it very well. A tribute to the team a s a whole.
Well done to the whole team and all the staff. I just hope the they will be allowed to play like that more often. Pressing high up the field like that really didn't allow them to settle at all which set the tone for the rest of the game as they never really come to terms with it. At the end of the game we were not pressing as high and they started to come into the game a bit more. I just hope Benitez can see this and allow us to press higher up the pitch in our other games as well......
Well done let carry this spirit and good play forward throughout the season.
So I wanted to break it down a bit, lets take a look:
Pepe, had a great game. A good save from a Rooney header, but it was not a great header, but still a good save. He was a bit weak on some of the corners, he does not seem to command the box like you think he might be able to, but that is being very critical of him. So a solid performance from him, but there was not to much to worry him in truth.
Our defence looked more like last season. They were all very solid and didn't allow them to get anything. What I did notice about the defence was that they tried and did tackle very early. They did not allow any of the United players to take the ball on a first touch without being challenged for the ball.
Johnson proved all his critics wrong with a fantastic defensive game. He had to keep quite United's best player in my opinion in Ryan Giggs and he did keep him quiet. He also had to deal with a very attacking Evra. Beanayoum did his fair share as well to help Jonson but that is also his job to help out with the defence. While he was not as adventurous as he has been in other games he was available to help in attack but his main duty in this game was to defend and he did that very well.
Carragher was but to his Istanbul best. He did not loose anything. He tackled cleanly and quickly and for his life would not let anything pass him. Back to his best or better than the best he has ever played. What a leader in the absence of our regular captain and truly led by example.
Agger for me is our best defender to partner Carra. He is very calm under pressure and he reads the game as good as anyone in the game today. Very assured on the ball as well which will allow us to build from the back. He will be a key part of any success that this club will have over the next few or many years. He tackled very well and his covering and positioning was excellent.
Insua, while still young I think had a good game. Along with Aurelio in defence they kept Valencia very quite and I can only think of two crosses that came in the whole game from the right. He did well for a young lad in such a big game and has a very bright future and I hope he will stay with this club for many years to come. Like the other full back he did not get to advanced into the oppositions half, but still managed to contribute at times going forward.
Our midfield was great in this game as well. They controlled everything and did not allow two of the best center midfield player to string together many passes. They also were creative going forward and not many teams will create that many chances against a good United team, so they deserve allot of credit for that.
Kuyt as always ran allot had some good moments and not so good moments but he is ever reliable ans you always know that you are going to get a solid performance from him. Perhaps if he had controlled Lucas pass a bit better it could have led to a goal scoring chance.
Benayoun was very good, he had a fantastic game. Always a threat and always creating something. If only he would have shot a couple of time in the game he might have had a goal or two. He also did his fair share of defensive work and did it very well. a constant threat and always looking like he was going to destroy that defence. He had a good shout for man of the match as well. And it has to be said that pass for Torres was absolute class, what a player he has become for this club.
Aurelio was absolute class, nothing else. He was everywhere and controlled the left side of the field. He help Insua in defence and in attack he very nearly scored with his head. He has fantastic control with his feet and is very good technically on the ball. He has a great delivery both from open play and from a set piece. Hid combination with Insua could be fantastic especially against smaller teams who park the bus. He also has to in with a shout fo man of the match with that kind of performance. Pure class!
Mascherano was his usual fantastic destructive self. He broke down the play very well and with Lucas controlled the midfield. He was superb in covering the full back and defending. He was also good going forward some nice neat passing. I just with he would either learn to shoot or just not shoot but he has only hit the target once that I can recall. But a solid display form him and With his foot that high off the ground I don't think he could complain that much about his sending off.
Lucas finally showed the reason why we bought him. He had a very very good game. He passed forward very well and made some very good and intelligent runs forward and had a good opportunity to shoot, but it went wide. If he can get into those positions a bit more and get a few goals, it would really create another threat in our team for the opposition to worry about. Hid defending was great as well. He made some very good tackles and his positioning was good. The only defensive criticism I have of Lucas is that he give away to many free kick close to edge of our box. Considering how bad we have been this season at defending set plays, it could cost us big time. But his display aside from that was excellent. Now I hope he can push on and perform like that on a consistent basis and he will improve and we will have on hell of a player.
Torres was not fully fit as we only found out after the game, but by his display you would not have known that. He took his goal very well. He showed again that he is the best out and out striker in the world. He showed he has pace, power, good positioning and can finish incredibly well. When he runs at defenders they must be so scared to actually try tackle him. It give me such joy to watch him run at them.
Skrtel had very little to do at the end, but help defend at a time when we needed him and did a solid job for the time that he was on the field.
N'Gog looks such a good prospect to me. He could and should have a very productive future at this club. He can hold the ball up well, has good strength and showed he can finish. With a bit more experience and learning I believe he will become a very good striker.
A very special mention tio the entire team and staff for getting our defending at set pieces right. Evrytime they had a free kick or corner I got worried but we handled it very well. A tribute to the team a s a whole.
Well done to the whole team and all the staff. I just hope the they will be allowed to play like that more often. Pressing high up the field like that really didn't allow them to settle at all which set the tone for the rest of the game as they never really come to terms with it. At the end of the game we were not pressing as high and they started to come into the game a bit more. I just hope Benitez can see this and allow us to press higher up the pitch in our other games as well......
Well done let carry this spirit and good play forward throughout the season.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Liverpool FC vs Man U.
So a preview to the biggest game of the season so far and I'm worried!
Normally I'm very optimistic no matter how bad the situation seems, but now I have no clue.....
Normally I can always find good reason to believe we have a chance even if it is only a small chance. Now we don't know if we will have Gerrard, Torres or Johnson available, all three face a late fitness test.
Personally I think all three will play a part in the match, with Gerrard possibly to come from the bench like he did last year and the other two to start the match.
The reason I am not as optimistic as I usually am is not because of the players who are playing or those who might miss out. It is rather because we have been playing like absolute rubbish! The player seem to be unmotivated and uninterested in winning the games we play. I don't know if it from Benitez that the players don't have any real movement around the pitch or if is that just don't move, but I believe that when Aquilani plays we will See much more movement, which will no doubt help us allot.
But the game on Sunday could go either way, with Rooney looking like he will miss the game as well and Fletcher is also a doubt.
What will be interesting is to see the reaction of the crowed when Owen returns home. I'm sure there will be no love lost and once the game starts I hope the crowed get on back big time.
Should we win this game in style or by fluke it could be the catalyst for a change in our season. It would put us only four points behind Unt. and with many games still to come after this one we will have plenty opportunity to turn this season into a success. We just need to sort out all the other things that are going on behind the sense, what they are I don't know, but I'm sure that something else is going on. Maybe a win would help sort that out.
Should we loose this game, well then all hell could break loose. Even if we out play them and they steal it (it would not be the first time either), it might be the end of our season. We would be 10 points of a Unt. team going great guns and with many other teams pushing on from last season it would be much harder for us to come back. That is not taking into account the other mental and ever mentioned confidence problems that would arise.
So that makes this a must win game, not only for this season but also for next. If we fail to get a top four finish at least, we will fall into a free fall. It would be harder to get top players to come when they could join a champions league team, but also the money that we would miss out on to [pay back the debt!That alone could kill us. We are not beyond what has happened to Leeds and you would be fool to think we were.
So always stand by the team no matter what.
I have to predict, I always do. Liverpool 2 - United 1
Lets hope...
Normally I'm very optimistic no matter how bad the situation seems, but now I have no clue.....
Normally I can always find good reason to believe we have a chance even if it is only a small chance. Now we don't know if we will have Gerrard, Torres or Johnson available, all three face a late fitness test.
Personally I think all three will play a part in the match, with Gerrard possibly to come from the bench like he did last year and the other two to start the match.
The reason I am not as optimistic as I usually am is not because of the players who are playing or those who might miss out. It is rather because we have been playing like absolute rubbish! The player seem to be unmotivated and uninterested in winning the games we play. I don't know if it from Benitez that the players don't have any real movement around the pitch or if is that just don't move, but I believe that when Aquilani plays we will See much more movement, which will no doubt help us allot.
But the game on Sunday could go either way, with Rooney looking like he will miss the game as well and Fletcher is also a doubt.
What will be interesting is to see the reaction of the crowed when Owen returns home. I'm sure there will be no love lost and once the game starts I hope the crowed get on back big time.
Should we win this game in style or by fluke it could be the catalyst for a change in our season. It would put us only four points behind Unt. and with many games still to come after this one we will have plenty opportunity to turn this season into a success. We just need to sort out all the other things that are going on behind the sense, what they are I don't know, but I'm sure that something else is going on. Maybe a win would help sort that out.
Should we loose this game, well then all hell could break loose. Even if we out play them and they steal it (it would not be the first time either), it might be the end of our season. We would be 10 points of a Unt. team going great guns and with many other teams pushing on from last season it would be much harder for us to come back. That is not taking into account the other mental and ever mentioned confidence problems that would arise.
So that makes this a must win game, not only for this season but also for next. If we fail to get a top four finish at least, we will fall into a free fall. It would be harder to get top players to come when they could join a champions league team, but also the money that we would miss out on to [pay back the debt!That alone could kill us. We are not beyond what has happened to Leeds and you would be fool to think we were.
So always stand by the team no matter what.
I have to predict, I always do. Liverpool 2 - United 1
Lets hope...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Four losses, so now what?
Ok so Liverpool have lost four games in a row in all competitions for the first time in the last 22 years. Looking at the outside it might not seem all that bad.
Last season we were worse off in terms of points in the Champions League. In the Premier League we are only 7 points behind United, which was the same difference after we beat them at old trafford last season. Then we closed the gap to just 4 points, now we have allot more time to close that gap. So it might not be all doom and gloom?
My problem as a fan is that it is not just the losses that is the problem, it is the way we have been loosing and the way the players are playing and behaving. So if we had the same loses, but played well and just didn't finish or hit the wood work a few time you might not be to down about this situation. My problem is that we are playing terribly and don't look like we are getting much better.
Now if we take into account the changes to our squad from last season, there is not that much. Arbeloa out Johnson in, I think most LFC fans would be happy with that. Alonso out and Aquilani in, this is the unknown factor. Alonso was unreal last season so to him would not help our fluency at all. I almost feel sorry for Rafa over this transfer because he was criticised so much for playing to holding midfield players and changes a holding midfielder for a more mobile attacking one. Having only seen Aquilani play in a few games, you can see he is very mobile like to have the ball and a good passer of the ball, for me he is one of the best at this around at the moment. But he is injured, so we will have to see if he will fit in and how long it will take for him to get used to a new league. I don't think he will have many problems nor do others as he did not want to risk missing the world cup by coming and asked his national coach before the switch.
So until Aquilani is fit we play Lucas in the middle. This is the big debate in which most fans will tell you he is not good enough. I was very excited when i heard he was coming as he came with a big reputation and did very well in Brazil. Having watched some Brazilian soccer you can see why he did do so well, it is much slower than the English game. You can control the ball before you have to make the next past, but now he has to pass the ball as he receives it most times and is not able to be as effective. I think he allot of talent, but i splaying in the wrong League. I think of he went top Italy he would become a star and maybe he should have gone there before coming to England. He has talent and ability, you just need to look at the pass against Newcastle for Gerrard to score, it was perfect and what a great pass. The problem is there is not enough of it!
Our defence has been shocking this season. There is not much you can say when the defender comes out and says they are not playing well. Our midfield has not good this season, including Gerrard and Mascherano, two of our top players last season. Torres has been ok, even when he was scoring I thought he is not on top of his game. I mean he only needs a few moment in a game to be brilliant and he has done his job and changed the game for us. But he has also looked very frustrated at time during games this season.
Now at the end of last season every Liverpool Fan said that they would take a few more defeats to get rid of the draws?But again it is not just that we lost but how we lost and the attitude of the players. This season will be more open than last, we are already seeing that. So if you look at the number i the points section and looking at how many games we have left, it might not look that bad.
I think it is worse, I hope for all the money in the world i am wrong but i think that there are deeper issues in this squad than just one or two player off form. I think all the players are off form, the question is just why?
For me it could be a few things, but if you look at all sport when things like this happen it is normally a change in coach or manager that is needed. I'm not sure If Benitez is the issue or not but there is a big issue in that squad if you ask me. Allot of injuries and most players are not playing as well as they can, not to be a super hero every game but they are not playing to the standard of football they normally play on a consistent basis. Normally there is in house fighting or a loss of respect for the coach or manager. I hope Benitez can stop the rut, I Hope we can get a few victories under our belt i a row, I hope he can sort out the problem what ever it may be, but at least I hope.....
No matter who or what the Manager and players Liverpool FC should Never Walk Alone. that is the Liverpool way!
Last season we were worse off in terms of points in the Champions League. In the Premier League we are only 7 points behind United, which was the same difference after we beat them at old trafford last season. Then we closed the gap to just 4 points, now we have allot more time to close that gap. So it might not be all doom and gloom?
My problem as a fan is that it is not just the losses that is the problem, it is the way we have been loosing and the way the players are playing and behaving. So if we had the same loses, but played well and just didn't finish or hit the wood work a few time you might not be to down about this situation. My problem is that we are playing terribly and don't look like we are getting much better.
Now if we take into account the changes to our squad from last season, there is not that much. Arbeloa out Johnson in, I think most LFC fans would be happy with that. Alonso out and Aquilani in, this is the unknown factor. Alonso was unreal last season so to him would not help our fluency at all. I almost feel sorry for Rafa over this transfer because he was criticised so much for playing to holding midfield players and changes a holding midfielder for a more mobile attacking one. Having only seen Aquilani play in a few games, you can see he is very mobile like to have the ball and a good passer of the ball, for me he is one of the best at this around at the moment. But he is injured, so we will have to see if he will fit in and how long it will take for him to get used to a new league. I don't think he will have many problems nor do others as he did not want to risk missing the world cup by coming and asked his national coach before the switch.
So until Aquilani is fit we play Lucas in the middle. This is the big debate in which most fans will tell you he is not good enough. I was very excited when i heard he was coming as he came with a big reputation and did very well in Brazil. Having watched some Brazilian soccer you can see why he did do so well, it is much slower than the English game. You can control the ball before you have to make the next past, but now he has to pass the ball as he receives it most times and is not able to be as effective. I think he allot of talent, but i splaying in the wrong League. I think of he went top Italy he would become a star and maybe he should have gone there before coming to England. He has talent and ability, you just need to look at the pass against Newcastle for Gerrard to score, it was perfect and what a great pass. The problem is there is not enough of it!
Our defence has been shocking this season. There is not much you can say when the defender comes out and says they are not playing well. Our midfield has not good this season, including Gerrard and Mascherano, two of our top players last season. Torres has been ok, even when he was scoring I thought he is not on top of his game. I mean he only needs a few moment in a game to be brilliant and he has done his job and changed the game for us. But he has also looked very frustrated at time during games this season.
Now at the end of last season every Liverpool Fan said that they would take a few more defeats to get rid of the draws?But again it is not just that we lost but how we lost and the attitude of the players. This season will be more open than last, we are already seeing that. So if you look at the number i the points section and looking at how many games we have left, it might not look that bad.
I think it is worse, I hope for all the money in the world i am wrong but i think that there are deeper issues in this squad than just one or two player off form. I think all the players are off form, the question is just why?
For me it could be a few things, but if you look at all sport when things like this happen it is normally a change in coach or manager that is needed. I'm not sure If Benitez is the issue or not but there is a big issue in that squad if you ask me. Allot of injuries and most players are not playing as well as they can, not to be a super hero every game but they are not playing to the standard of football they normally play on a consistent basis. Normally there is in house fighting or a loss of respect for the coach or manager. I hope Benitez can stop the rut, I Hope we can get a few victories under our belt i a row, I hope he can sort out the problem what ever it may be, but at least I hope.....
No matter who or what the Manager and players Liverpool FC should Never Walk Alone. that is the Liverpool way!
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