Blackburn is now in a mess, but we need to prevent a backslash from them, as Rafa says. If we can control the pace and not letting them to hld the ball, we will win the game. Let's build on the recent good run!
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Riise
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
Friday, October 29, 2004
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Match Report 041026 at Milwall: The B Team wins
3-0 against Milwall is not bad a result, but the match was overshadowed by the ugly Milwall fans' chants on Hillsborough.
Frankly I found the B team not too effective, especially for the midfield. It looks to me as if the center midfielders have no connections with the wings. And despite Sinama-Pongolle and Mellor working so hard, it was only until Baros came in and score the 2-0 goal that we were finally secured the game. Having said that, I think it's a good team result. Rafa also mentioned he will use the B team in the next round against defending Champion Middlesborough. Let's see if it works or not.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Solid as usual. Keep challenging Kirkland please.
Josemi: 6.5 No real crucial task during the whole match.
Henchoz: 7 If this game is to show his potential next employer, it's a really good show
Whitbread: 7 A very good debut for the young lad.
Traore: 6.5 The only survivor from the Charlton game. It's really amazing Rafa has turned him from a no-hope player to a decent player.
Potter: 7 A fine assist and also his corner created the first goal. Well done young man!
Diao: 7 Scored a goal! It really amazed me.. but his defence is still very poor...
Biscan: 7 "overshadowed" by Diao as he didn't score... just kidding, I think he plays quite well.
Warnock: 7 Another good assist as well. Good job!
Sinama-Pongolle: 7.5 A fine display form Florent but unfortunately he was injuried... He was creating lots of chances. I in particular like his unselfish pass to Mellor in 1H.
Mellor: 6.5 Tried hard, but couldn't score... Still need to improve a lot, he may be our Sherringham.
Substitutions:
Baros: 7.5 Showed the young lads how goals are scored. He keep the Milwall defenders busy, but was too stupid to earn a yellow card (luckily it's not red)
Finnan/Riise: Not much to do for the short time on the pitch.
Rafa: 7 He tries the B team and works. Though it still need to be tweaked.
Milwall: 3 Both the players and the fans show no discipline.
Frankly I found the B team not too effective, especially for the midfield. It looks to me as if the center midfielders have no connections with the wings. And despite Sinama-Pongolle and Mellor working so hard, it was only until Baros came in and score the 2-0 goal that we were finally secured the game. Having said that, I think it's a good team result. Rafa also mentioned he will use the B team in the next round against defending Champion Middlesborough. Let's see if it works or not.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Solid as usual. Keep challenging Kirkland please.
Josemi: 6.5 No real crucial task during the whole match.
Henchoz: 7 If this game is to show his potential next employer, it's a really good show
Whitbread: 7 A very good debut for the young lad.
Traore: 6.5 The only survivor from the Charlton game. It's really amazing Rafa has turned him from a no-hope player to a decent player.
Potter: 7 A fine assist and also his corner created the first goal. Well done young man!
Diao: 7 Scored a goal! It really amazed me.. but his defence is still very poor...
Biscan: 7 "overshadowed" by Diao as he didn't score... just kidding, I think he plays quite well.
Warnock: 7 Another good assist as well. Good job!
Sinama-Pongolle: 7.5 A fine display form Florent but unfortunately he was injuried... He was creating lots of chances. I in particular like his unselfish pass to Mellor in 1H.
Mellor: 6.5 Tried hard, but couldn't score... Still need to improve a lot, he may be our Sherringham.
Substitutions:
Baros: 7.5 Showed the young lads how goals are scored. He keep the Milwall defenders busy, but was too stupid to earn a yellow card (luckily it's not red)
Finnan/Riise: Not much to do for the short time on the pitch.
Rafa: 7 He tries the B team and works. Though it still need to be tweaked.
Milwall: 3 Both the players and the fans show no discipline.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Anything could happen tonight.
3rd round of League Cup means our B team is coming out. A few out of favor players and reserve talents will play in this game. I think we will win the game, but it's going to be a tough one. And the team prediction will be very tricky. Let's see how many players I predicted correctly.
My team prediction:
Dudek
Josemi Carragher Henchoz Traore
Warnock Biscan Diao Kewell
Mellor Pongolle
Result 2-1 in normal time
My team prediction:
Dudek
Josemi Carragher Henchoz Traore
Warnock Biscan Diao Kewell
Mellor Pongolle
Result 2-1 in normal time
Monday, October 25, 2004
Match Report 041023 vs Charlton Athletic: Another easy win
2-0 and we could have win more. In fact in the first 15 minutes we already had 7 shots, if not for the alert of Kiely and the superb last man save by Murphy we would be 2-0 up in 10 minutes already.
We controlled the game as the 1H of the Deportivo game, and Charlton had only about 3 shots in the whole game, but none is dangerous. We may just put Diao there and still win the game easily.
Maybe it's just the opponents are crap, but certainly the 4 home wins will build up our confidence, and Fortress Anfield is rebuilt.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 Nothing to do 2 games in a row and got 2 clean sheets. His presence makes the back 4 feel comfortable.
Finnan: 7 He's doing quite well and probably right back is a better position for him. Challenging Josemi's position.
Carragher: 7.5 Another excellent for Carra. Patrolling the defence brilliantly.
Hyypia: 7 Almost score from a corner if not for Murphy's last man save (probably he practiced this in the past). The subsequent overhead kick is close as well.
Traore: 7 Getting better and better. Maybe there's really something Rafa spotted that we don't...
Garcia: 8 Scored a brilliant goal and has lots of links with both midfield and the front 2. A very good game for Garcia.
Alonso: 7.5 Another good game for Xabi. Keep up the consistency!
Hamann: 7 Another solid performance from Didi.
Riise: 7.5 Scored a brilliant goal. It's really too long that he has not scored in 65 games... Hope he can score 4-5 more this season at least. And need to try shotting using the right foot too.
Cisse: 7.5 Probably his best posotion is to be inclined to the right. The co-operation with Milan is slowing working. In 2H he showed us how quick he can be, getting rid of Murphy in midfield by kicking the ball far away by ~20 yards, and managed to cross it out.
Baros: 7.5 Could have scored a hat trick in the first half. He works very hard, and the linkage with Cisse is improving, though more improvements are still needed.
Substitutions:
Kewell: Rafa is not rushing to put Kewell in the squad, which is good.
Sinama-Pongolle: Worked hard to try impress the manager. Keep it up!
Warnock: The Kop definitely loves to see this lad on the pitch. Good job Steve!
Rafa: 7.5 A good choice of squad. Though he still need to work more for Milan and Djibril.
Murphy: 5.5 Only highlight is the first half last man save, and he balloned 2 free kicks in the similar position as where Alonso balloned 4 vs Chelsea.
Charlton Athletic: Really need to improve the away form if they want to challenge Europe. But I think at least they will finish in the top half of the table.
Man of the Match: Garcia. Scored a great goal, and done a lot of tricks. Keep up the good job!
We controlled the game as the 1H of the Deportivo game, and Charlton had only about 3 shots in the whole game, but none is dangerous. We may just put Diao there and still win the game easily.
Maybe it's just the opponents are crap, but certainly the 4 home wins will build up our confidence, and Fortress Anfield is rebuilt.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 Nothing to do 2 games in a row and got 2 clean sheets. His presence makes the back 4 feel comfortable.
Finnan: 7 He's doing quite well and probably right back is a better position for him. Challenging Josemi's position.
Carragher: 7.5 Another excellent for Carra. Patrolling the defence brilliantly.
Hyypia: 7 Almost score from a corner if not for Murphy's last man save (probably he practiced this in the past). The subsequent overhead kick is close as well.
Traore: 7 Getting better and better. Maybe there's really something Rafa spotted that we don't...
Garcia: 8 Scored a brilliant goal and has lots of links with both midfield and the front 2. A very good game for Garcia.
Alonso: 7.5 Another good game for Xabi. Keep up the consistency!
Hamann: 7 Another solid performance from Didi.
Riise: 7.5 Scored a brilliant goal. It's really too long that he has not scored in 65 games... Hope he can score 4-5 more this season at least. And need to try shotting using the right foot too.
Cisse: 7.5 Probably his best posotion is to be inclined to the right. The co-operation with Milan is slowing working. In 2H he showed us how quick he can be, getting rid of Murphy in midfield by kicking the ball far away by ~20 yards, and managed to cross it out.
Baros: 7.5 Could have scored a hat trick in the first half. He works very hard, and the linkage with Cisse is improving, though more improvements are still needed.
Substitutions:
Kewell: Rafa is not rushing to put Kewell in the squad, which is good.
Sinama-Pongolle: Worked hard to try impress the manager. Keep it up!
Warnock: The Kop definitely loves to see this lad on the pitch. Good job Steve!
Rafa: 7.5 A good choice of squad. Though he still need to work more for Milan and Djibril.
Murphy: 5.5 Only highlight is the first half last man save, and he balloned 2 free kicks in the similar position as where Alonso balloned 4 vs Chelsea.
Charlton Athletic: Really need to improve the away form if they want to challenge Europe. But I think at least they will finish in the top half of the table.
Man of the Match: Garcia. Scored a great goal, and done a lot of tricks. Keep up the good job!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Welcome home Danny, but no welcome
Danny will be back the first time since he moved to Charlton. Many people blamed Rafa on selling Danny, but the truth is, Danny knows he is only a backup player, and in this stage of his career he really wants to play more, so he decided to move on. We will always welcome him back, but we will still win the game. And hopefully the attackers will bond together finally.
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Match Report 041019: A good performance, but a disappointing result.
0-0 only vs Deportivo. This put us in a very disadvantage position that we need to at least get 2 points from the next 2 away games, which could be tough.
The performance was actually not bad, especially 1H. Apart from 1 last man safe by Riise, we basically control the tempo of the game. Deportivo seldom has any chance and we look like sure winner, the only thing missing is a goal, thanks to the superb goalkeeping of their goalie, and the wastage of our attackers.
2H we let them get into the game and we did not control the game, although it's still a closely matched game only. So at the end, 0-0 is definitely 2 points dropped.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 First clean sheet of the season, but he has almost nothing to do. But he command his area well. I feel the back 4 are more comfortable with him in goal.
Josemi: 6.5 He's OK defense-wise, but offer only a few attacking-wise.
Carragher: 7.5 Another excellent for Carra. Is this really his best position, or he is good in any position assigned? If so, we should play him as a striker to solve our attack problem.
Hyypia: 7 Another solid performance as well for Sami.
Traore: 6 Maybe it's good news, there's really no chance for him to shine/make error whatsoever.
Garcia: 6.5 Played quite well 1H, missed a glorious chance, but performance drops a lot in 2H. Maybe he's still unable produce for the full 90 minutes?
Alonso: 7.5 Class as the Fulham game. He's a very ambitious player, another goal attempt from the center circle (his 3rd of the season). But similar to Garcia, performance dropped a bit in 2H. And his winless streak vs Deportivo is still on...
Hamann: 7 Solid performance from Didi as usual. Balloned our last free kick goal attempt as usual.
Riise: 7 Even though he's playing as left midfield his most significant contribution was the last man save in 1H. Not much offered for attacks, but I am a bit surprised Rafa substituted him instead of Traore.
Cisse: 7 Have a few half chances but didn't score. Still need to finetune the partnership with Baros.
Baros: 7.5 Work very hard especially 1H. I think we are beginning to see the Milan of Euro 04.
Substitions:
Kewell: 7 Has a few goal scoring moments but like the rest of the team, couldn't convert. He's getting better and better.
Finnan: I don't understand why he gets on for Cisse. Why not Warnock? Or is it warmup for the Charlton game as Josemi will be suspended?
Sinama-Pongolle: Very ambitious to prove himself, but I think he falls to the ground too easily. Not convincing at all. And please work hard to win your place!
Rafa: 6.5 He tried lots of attacking patterns, but couldn't produce a goal. I think we need to work hard especially the bonding of Milan and Cisse.
Deportivo: 7 They came for a point and get it. It would be tough to play at their stadium in 2 weeks time, let's hope we can find a way to win the game, but I won't feel too bad if we only get a draw.
The performance was actually not bad, especially 1H. Apart from 1 last man safe by Riise, we basically control the tempo of the game. Deportivo seldom has any chance and we look like sure winner, the only thing missing is a goal, thanks to the superb goalkeeping of their goalie, and the wastage of our attackers.
2H we let them get into the game and we did not control the game, although it's still a closely matched game only. So at the end, 0-0 is definitely 2 points dropped.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 First clean sheet of the season, but he has almost nothing to do. But he command his area well. I feel the back 4 are more comfortable with him in goal.
Josemi: 6.5 He's OK defense-wise, but offer only a few attacking-wise.
Carragher: 7.5 Another excellent for Carra. Is this really his best position, or he is good in any position assigned? If so, we should play him as a striker to solve our attack problem.
Hyypia: 7 Another solid performance as well for Sami.
Traore: 6 Maybe it's good news, there's really no chance for him to shine/make error whatsoever.
Garcia: 6.5 Played quite well 1H, missed a glorious chance, but performance drops a lot in 2H. Maybe he's still unable produce for the full 90 minutes?
Alonso: 7.5 Class as the Fulham game. He's a very ambitious player, another goal attempt from the center circle (his 3rd of the season). But similar to Garcia, performance dropped a bit in 2H. And his winless streak vs Deportivo is still on...
Hamann: 7 Solid performance from Didi as usual. Balloned our last free kick goal attempt as usual.
Riise: 7 Even though he's playing as left midfield his most significant contribution was the last man save in 1H. Not much offered for attacks, but I am a bit surprised Rafa substituted him instead of Traore.
Cisse: 7 Have a few half chances but didn't score. Still need to finetune the partnership with Baros.
Baros: 7.5 Work very hard especially 1H. I think we are beginning to see the Milan of Euro 04.
Substitions:
Kewell: 7 Has a few goal scoring moments but like the rest of the team, couldn't convert. He's getting better and better.
Finnan: I don't understand why he gets on for Cisse. Why not Warnock? Or is it warmup for the Charlton game as Josemi will be suspended?
Sinama-Pongolle: Very ambitious to prove himself, but I think he falls to the ground too easily. Not convincing at all. And please work hard to win your place!
Rafa: 6.5 He tried lots of attacking patterns, but couldn't produce a goal. I think we need to work hard especially the bonding of Milan and Cisse.
Deportivo: 7 They came for a point and get it. It would be tough to play at their stadium in 2 weeks time, let's hope we can find a way to win the game, but I won't feel too bad if we only get a draw.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Win this game and we are highly likely to qualify
Here we come, European game. After the Fulham we need to build some continuity, and so let's win this game. Deportivo may have a bad season, but they are dangerous team. Rafa definitely need to put in the strongest squad for this game. Our Spaniard players probably have 1 or 2 hints on how to play against them.
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
Match Report 041016 at Fulham: What a game!
4-2 and this is the first time in 13 years that we come back from behind away from Anfield. After 84 games in all competition, in which we drawn 13 and lost 71, we finally win from behind. I wonder when was the last time we overcame a 2 goal deficit? Also, we have 3 shots on target and score 4. Isn't it good?
First half was just painful. Fortunately (?) the local cable TV had some problem and so it was not shown. But listening to live commentary from Steve Hunter is already painful. Apart from one or two moments like Riise's header or Garcia's ambitious goal attmepts we were just hopeless.
Enter 2nd half and Xabi, and it'a different ball game. And luck be with us this time too. Baro was probably trying to cross the ball to Garcia at far post when the ball deflected on Knight and went into the goal. 2-1 and confidence was back and we looked more and more likely to be winner. Then Xabi had a great cross and Garcia's header saved by Van der Sar, but Baros was quick enough to score. 2-2.
Then Josemi was sent off but we seemed to be ignoring this fact. Another freekick and Xabi scored it with the help of another deflection. 2-3. In 92 minutes Biscan came on for Baros to kill time, but he certainly had another thoughts. A nice pass to Warnock, then Warnock 1-2 back to Biscan, and he scored! 2-4 and game over!
I think this game proves that when Xabi plays well he's even better than Gerrard. Compare this performance with the Chelsea game and you will know what I mean. How Rafa will change the formation when Stevie G is back is really interesting, but we would love this problem.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 Not his fault for the 2 goals, and he looks more commanding than Dudek. Keep on the good work!
Josemi: 5.5 As in the Chelsea game he's too slow when facing pacy players. The red card was derseved, but I like his fighting spirit.
Carragher: 8 If we lost this game he will certainly be the man of the match for the 3rd match in a row! Carra is always there when we need him. Covers Sami well.
Hyypia: 7 A bit undecisive at times, but in general not a bad performance.
Traore: 6 At time he shows some flair when going front, but defensively there's still a lot to improve.
Garcia: 7 He can player much better. He lost the ball and lead to Fulham's 2nd goal. Almost score if not for Van der Sar's great save, but fortunately Baros scored the rebound.
Hamann: 7.5 A solid game for Didi, but this game also highlights one of his problem: He can't lift the level of the players. So in 1H when Diao was there he just let him do the damage... With Xabi on in 2H, he plays much better.
Diao: 3 Enough trial, Rafa. How can you play a backheal in your own half and let the other team score?
Riise: 7 A solid game, almost score a header to equalize when we were 1 down.
Cisse: 7 Although his bonding with Milan is not perfect, it is improving. But he need to link up more with the midfield.
Baros: 8 Score a goal and "assist" the first own goal. A good performance in 2H. Otherwise same comment as Cisse.
Substitutions
Alonso: 9 How often did we see a player change the game? Not so often. In this game Xabi shown us how to do it. But somehow he missed an absolute sitter at 6 yards.
Warnock: 7 Played 5 minutes and had an assist. Good job!
Biscan: 7 Played 40 seconds and touched the ball twice: 1 pass to Warnock, and 1 shot and 1 goal! You derseve it!
Rafa: 7 If playing Diao is a mistake, he's quick to admit it and repaired the damage. And sending Biscan on is probably a genius touch!
Fulham: 6 1H shows they can playing some good football, but in 2H Xabi changed the game.
Man of the Match: Alonso. He came on and made us all happy.
First half was just painful. Fortunately (?) the local cable TV had some problem and so it was not shown. But listening to live commentary from Steve Hunter is already painful. Apart from one or two moments like Riise's header or Garcia's ambitious goal attmepts we were just hopeless.
Enter 2nd half and Xabi, and it'a different ball game. And luck be with us this time too. Baro was probably trying to cross the ball to Garcia at far post when the ball deflected on Knight and went into the goal. 2-1 and confidence was back and we looked more and more likely to be winner. Then Xabi had a great cross and Garcia's header saved by Van der Sar, but Baros was quick enough to score. 2-2.
Then Josemi was sent off but we seemed to be ignoring this fact. Another freekick and Xabi scored it with the help of another deflection. 2-3. In 92 minutes Biscan came on for Baros to kill time, but he certainly had another thoughts. A nice pass to Warnock, then Warnock 1-2 back to Biscan, and he scored! 2-4 and game over!
I think this game proves that when Xabi plays well he's even better than Gerrard. Compare this performance with the Chelsea game and you will know what I mean. How Rafa will change the formation when Stevie G is back is really interesting, but we would love this problem.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 Not his fault for the 2 goals, and he looks more commanding than Dudek. Keep on the good work!
Josemi: 5.5 As in the Chelsea game he's too slow when facing pacy players. The red card was derseved, but I like his fighting spirit.
Carragher: 8 If we lost this game he will certainly be the man of the match for the 3rd match in a row! Carra is always there when we need him. Covers Sami well.
Hyypia: 7 A bit undecisive at times, but in general not a bad performance.
Traore: 6 At time he shows some flair when going front, but defensively there's still a lot to improve.
Garcia: 7 He can player much better. He lost the ball and lead to Fulham's 2nd goal. Almost score if not for Van der Sar's great save, but fortunately Baros scored the rebound.
Hamann: 7.5 A solid game for Didi, but this game also highlights one of his problem: He can't lift the level of the players. So in 1H when Diao was there he just let him do the damage... With Xabi on in 2H, he plays much better.
Diao: 3 Enough trial, Rafa. How can you play a backheal in your own half and let the other team score?
Riise: 7 A solid game, almost score a header to equalize when we were 1 down.
Cisse: 7 Although his bonding with Milan is not perfect, it is improving. But he need to link up more with the midfield.
Baros: 8 Score a goal and "assist" the first own goal. A good performance in 2H. Otherwise same comment as Cisse.
Substitutions
Alonso: 9 How often did we see a player change the game? Not so often. In this game Xabi shown us how to do it. But somehow he missed an absolute sitter at 6 yards.
Warnock: 7 Played 5 minutes and had an assist. Good job!
Biscan: 7 Played 40 seconds and touched the ball twice: 1 pass to Warnock, and 1 shot and 1 goal! You derseve it!
Rafa: 7 If playing Diao is a mistake, he's quick to admit it and repaired the damage. And sending Biscan on is probably a genius touch!
Fulham: 6 1H shows they can playing some good football, but in 2H Xabi changed the game.
Man of the Match: Alonso. He came on and made us all happy.
Friday, October 15, 2004
The 4000th game
So the Fulham game will be our 4000th game. It's a winnable game, and thank God every player played in the International games are back and apart from Finnan, everybody seems to be OK. Let's start our away winning streak here!
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
My Team Prediction:
Kirkland
Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise
Garcia, Hamann, Alonso, Kewell
Baros, Cisse
Result 2-0
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Match Report 041002: Yet another away loss
0-1. I think our performance is not that bad. 1H they have lots of chances but for some reason Lampard missed a hat trick. 2H we are more even, but Joe Cole's goal (was it a well planned freekick or a fluke?) seals the game. We only have 1 shot on target at the 90 minutes, which is worrying, but Cisse did almost scored.
It's really good to see Kirkland get a chance, and I think he is more commanding than Dudek, as he screams at the defenders to organize things and won't hesitate to come out and punch the ball.
I think the zonal defensive system is gradually in place now. We defended quite well except for the goal, especially Carragher. That goal will probably still be scored even if we man-mark (after all, I can't see us man-marking Joe Cole)....
We now played in 2 of the 3 away games vs team ahead of us last season. Hopefully from next game onward we will be keep on winning, both home and away.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 A good performance despite we lost the game. He seems to be more confident than Dudek and more commanding. England #1.
Josemi: 5 A poor performance and was rightly substituted. He was outpaced by Drogba and Duff frequently.
Carragher: 7.5 He should be the captain as he is more inspiring than Hyypia! Cleared the ball a lot of times. Didn't do a single thing fault.
Hyypia: 6 Not as commanding as Carra and Kirky, perhaps it's time to hand the vice Captain role to Carragher.
Traore: 5.5 A rare start, and doing OK. Just OK.
Garcia: 5.5 A quiet game for player of his standard. Still struggling away from home.
Alonso: 5 Balled 4 free kicks at the same position. He had a very poor game. But why don't he let the other guys to take free kick?
Diao: 5.5 Same comment as Traore.
Riise: 6 Doing not bad both defending and attacking.
Kewell: 5.5 Played slightly better in 1H, but his only contribution was a last man save from a corner.
Cisse: 6 Has a missed chance in 1H. Struggling with no service to him.
Substitutions:
Baros: 6 Worked very hard but can't change the result.
Finnan/Hamann: No effect to the result. Finnan did has our only on target shot.
Rafa: 5 Probably changed too many players. And why isn't Sinama-Pongolle even in the sub?
Chelsea: 6.5 I don't think they were outclassing us too much, but they probably will finish 2nd.
Man of the match: Carragher again. He's everywhere in defense and seems to be playing the zonal defending quite well. But Kirkland is not too far behind.
It's really good to see Kirkland get a chance, and I think he is more commanding than Dudek, as he screams at the defenders to organize things and won't hesitate to come out and punch the ball.
I think the zonal defensive system is gradually in place now. We defended quite well except for the goal, especially Carragher. That goal will probably still be scored even if we man-mark (after all, I can't see us man-marking Joe Cole)....
We now played in 2 of the 3 away games vs team ahead of us last season. Hopefully from next game onward we will be keep on winning, both home and away.
Player Rating:
Kirkland: 7 A good performance despite we lost the game. He seems to be more confident than Dudek and more commanding. England #1.
Josemi: 5 A poor performance and was rightly substituted. He was outpaced by Drogba and Duff frequently.
Carragher: 7.5 He should be the captain as he is more inspiring than Hyypia! Cleared the ball a lot of times. Didn't do a single thing fault.
Hyypia: 6 Not as commanding as Carra and Kirky, perhaps it's time to hand the vice Captain role to Carragher.
Traore: 5.5 A rare start, and doing OK. Just OK.
Garcia: 5.5 A quiet game for player of his standard. Still struggling away from home.
Alonso: 5 Balled 4 free kicks at the same position. He had a very poor game. But why don't he let the other guys to take free kick?
Diao: 5.5 Same comment as Traore.
Riise: 6 Doing not bad both defending and attacking.
Kewell: 5.5 Played slightly better in 1H, but his only contribution was a last man save from a corner.
Cisse: 6 Has a missed chance in 1H. Struggling with no service to him.
Substitutions:
Baros: 6 Worked very hard but can't change the result.
Finnan/Hamann: No effect to the result. Finnan did has our only on target shot.
Rafa: 5 Probably changed too many players. And why isn't Sinama-Pongolle even in the sub?
Chelsea: 6.5 I don't think they were outclassing us too much, but they probably will finish 2nd.
Man of the match: Carragher again. He's everywhere in defense and seems to be playing the zonal defending quite well. But Kirkland is not too far behind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)