Charlton is on a high winning 5 games in a row, and it may not be a good time to play them now, especially we have so many injuried players. The players will have a good rest as we was not involved in the FA Cup, while Charlton played a tough game against Yeovil Town. Hope this fatigue factor will be in our favour. A big question is whether Rafa should play 4-5-1 or 4-4-2, but with Hamann suspended, he may opted for 4-4-2 again, unless Charlton play 4-5-1 then Milan may have to move to right and Garcia move to a center position.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Baros
Morientes
Result: 1-0
Monday, January 31, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
January Month Review
3 Wins and 4 Loses and this month we lost 2 key players and many more injuries, but a few players joined and back from injury/loan. We were out in the FA Cup but we are in the Final of League Cup. If not for the injury of Alonso I am sure our display will be much better, but for now, Rada have to work on the current squad.
The first match of the year was against Chelsea and we actually played better than they do, but for some stupid referee decision and a bad tackle from Lampard, that make Alonso out for the season, we lost the game 0-1. Without Xabi we didn't play well, and we were a bit lucky to win at Norwich.
In the meantime Morientes and Pellegrino joined us, and the Burnley FA Cup game postponed. Then we play Watford and once again Stevie G's goal bring us a underseved win.
After that we lost 3 games in a row as we played badly. First against Man United. They did not play much better than we do, but somehow there were lucky. Then a B team lost in Burnley with a horrible Traore own goal, and then we were beat up by Southampton.
Over this month all teams used 4-5-1 facing us and we have problem in tackling this - and it was very obvious especially for the 3 losses in a row. Rafa finally find a way and to play 4-5-1 against Watford and succeeded.
Looking forward, we still have more than 10 players injuried, but with Morientes and Pellegrino joined, and Le Tallec and Smicer back, let's try to push to the 4th position.
Players of the Month: (1) Carragher 7.25 (2) Gerrard 7.08 (3) Riise 6.85. In a month when a lot of players failed to stand up to face the challenge, Carra showed us what a Liverpool player should be. Gerrard had a few bad games, but still managed to score 2 crucial goals. Riise is also similar to Gerrard, but looks like he had a rest and is now up for challenge again.
February Prediction:
2/1 Charlton Athletic (A) This is a tough game. Charlton Athletic is a team going up.
2/5 Fulham (H) This is a must win game if we want to push to 4th place.
2/12 Birmingham City (A) They are also in the rise, so this is another tough game.
2/22 Bayer Leverkusen (H) Revenge for 3 years ago. With Gerrard suspended, Hamann need to show his best against his fellow countrymen.
2/28 Chelsea (N) We are in the Final and our favorite end. We will win the League Cup.
The first match of the year was against Chelsea and we actually played better than they do, but for some stupid referee decision and a bad tackle from Lampard, that make Alonso out for the season, we lost the game 0-1. Without Xabi we didn't play well, and we were a bit lucky to win at Norwich.
In the meantime Morientes and Pellegrino joined us, and the Burnley FA Cup game postponed. Then we play Watford and once again Stevie G's goal bring us a underseved win.
After that we lost 3 games in a row as we played badly. First against Man United. They did not play much better than we do, but somehow there were lucky. Then a B team lost in Burnley with a horrible Traore own goal, and then we were beat up by Southampton.
Over this month all teams used 4-5-1 facing us and we have problem in tackling this - and it was very obvious especially for the 3 losses in a row. Rafa finally find a way and to play 4-5-1 against Watford and succeeded.
Looking forward, we still have more than 10 players injuried, but with Morientes and Pellegrino joined, and Le Tallec and Smicer back, let's try to push to the 4th position.
Players of the Month: (1) Carragher 7.25 (2) Gerrard 7.08 (3) Riise 6.85. In a month when a lot of players failed to stand up to face the challenge, Carra showed us what a Liverpool player should be. Gerrard had a few bad games, but still managed to score 2 crucial goals. Riise is also similar to Gerrard, but looks like he had a rest and is now up for challenge again.
February Prediction:
2/1 Charlton Athletic (A) This is a tough game. Charlton Athletic is a team going up.
2/5 Fulham (H) This is a must win game if we want to push to 4th place.
2/12 Birmingham City (A) They are also in the rise, so this is another tough game.
2/22 Bayer Leverkusen (H) Revenge for 3 years ago. With Gerrard suspended, Hamann need to show his best against his fellow countrymen.
2/28 Chelsea (N) We are in the Final and our favorite end. We will win the League Cup.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Alex Malone do it again!
http://www.thisisanfield.com/columnists0405.php?id=00000068
This is exactly what I have been thinking for a while!
--------
The two faces of Liverpool Alex Malone
For too many years now, as we’ve seen title after title slip away, we’ve been generally personified by one word - ‘inconsistent.’ I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, ‘inconsistent’ is just another word for ‘not good enough.’ Yes, we can play great stuff at times, but we can just as often be average and, as recently witnessed against Southampton, occasionally shambolic.
So I got to thinking, exactly what is the problem? After days of pondering, I concluded that it’s the same problem as for any other team too ‘inconsistent’ to challenge at the top of the league…. quality players!
Now I know that sounds very obvious and simplistic, but please, bear with me. Great teams don’t necessarily have to have 20 world-class players. Just think back to Liverpool’s dominance of the 70s and 80s. Kevin McDonald, Craig Johnston, Gary Gillespie don’t exactly make the all time greats list. But even players like Tommy Smith, Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy – European cup winning legends - were more ‘solid’ than spectacular.
But what teams DO need is a set of technically proficient players alongside a healthy sprinkling of world-class ones. The above mentioned players played alongside Hansen, Lawrenson, Dalglish, Souness, Rush, Keegan, Beardley, Barnes, Aldridge, McDermott, Kennedy, McMahon etc etc etc… many of these were world class. ALL were, at worst, superb.
And that’s exactly where I think the problem lies now. Gerard Houllier really did make a pigs ear of the squad by the time he was shown the door, but even Rafa isn’t 100% blameless in his signings so far either – see Josemi and Nunez for details! The good news though, is that Rafa seems to be realistic and honest enough to admit his mistakes. Houllier pig-headedly kept playing his not-even-nearly-men, hoping one day to say ‘ I told you so.’ It never happened - nor was it ever going to.
Take a look at this team:
Dudek
Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise
Sinama, Gerrard, Alonso, Kewell
Morientes, Baros
Now if that team played together week in, week out and grew to get to really know each other, I think it has the beating of just about anyone. Sami might be nearing the end, but all great teams have 1 or 2 players at that stage of their careers. My reserves for this 'team' would be Cisse and Hamann.
Now, in comparison, take a look at this one:
Kirkland
Josemi, Pellegrino, Traore, Warnock
Nunez, Diao, Biscan, Cheyrou
Mellor, Garcia
Anyone fancy the chances of this team winning the Premiership? How about top 4? Thought not! It’s a little unfair, as the likes of Warnock could possibly make the first grouping. Nunez and Garcia might yet prove the doubters (and I’ll openly admit that I’m one) wrong (and I hope they do), but right now, they only make the ‘reserve’ pool. The twelfth man for this ‘team’ would be Diouf.
My point is, that if almost any of the top eleven are injured or suspended, we have back up players in almost every position who simply aren’t good enough, technically, to replace them. And that’s Rafa’s biggest conundrum. I keep hearing that we need to buy some more world class players, but the problem is, we already have the 25 players listed above. Add Vignal, Le Tallec, Henchoz, Smicer snd Diarra and the number becomes 30…. yes 30 first team squad players! And that doesn’t include reserves like Potter, Whitbread, Welsh and Raven. That’s 30 players who are, have been, or were bought to be, first team choices at one time or another. Many of them cost us a small fortune in transfer fees, and are still taking home most people’s annual wages every week.
I ask you, how many of these 30 players would you keep if you were given the choice of either sticking with them or recouping the price we paid for them? I’d personally keep 12 of the ‘first team’ 13 mentioned – the one to miss out being Dudek due to his mental frailty in big games.
Of the second group of 17 players, I’d keep exactly…. 3! They would be Henchoz, Garcia and Warnock. Henchoz, because I still rate him very highly and think we miss his 90-minute effort and effective partnership with Sami. Garcia because he’s shown occasional flashes of brilliance, and Warnock because he looks like he has the potential to play at this level.
So, of the 30 mentioned, I’d dump 15 of them, and I’d hedge a bet that most of you would dump around the same number, give or take one or two. And this is where, I think, lies the key to our problems. I believe that you must have virtually EVERY player technically capable of playing at this level, and we have only about 50% of the entire squad capable of doing so.
Each time one of the second choice players replaces a first choice one the chain is weakened. Football, played the right way, is all about 11 players constantly passing, moving, feeding off each other, and hitting the right pass, with the right weight, at the right time. If you can achieve this, it’s poetry in motion. But to do it successfully, every link in the chain must be strong, or the chain breaks. How often do Liverpool fail in their build up due to a misplaced pass, a poor judgement call, a technical mistake, a long ball when a short one is required, a cross that finds the stands rather than the player, a schoolboy error? Too often is the answer.
Another problem is that of the 15 ‘strong’ links, none of them are goalkeepers! This is a huge void that has already been the cause of us losing the points that would currently have us challenging for second, not fourth. Neither Kirkland nor Dudek have proven to be ‘consistent’ (there’s that word again!) enough it at this level.
Of the other ‘first team’ players, 4 are currently out, 3 for the rest of the season. The fourth, Kewell, is thankfully almost ready to return. But what this means is that these 3-4 players are routinely replaced with weaker ones. The team - the chain - is effectively weakened every time one of these key players is unfit to play.
I believe this to be the single root cause of our ‘inconsistency.’ We simply don’t have enough players of the calibre required to compete at top 3 Premiership level. Rafa’s task – and it’s a huge one - is to slowly (but hopefully not too slowly!) replace each one with a more technically proficient player – each one being of top Premiership calibre. He’s already managed it with the signings of Alonso and Morientes, but there’s a long, long way to go.
For our part as fans, we must keep our expectations in check. Of the 15 players above that I singled out for the chop, a massive 11 of them are Houllier signings – that’s an entire first team of transfer fees and salaries that must be eliminated for us to move forward.
I’ve no doubt Rafa will take us back to where we belong, but he must be given time. Right now the terrible bad luck with injuries is forcing his hand, but so too are contractual agreements and high salaries still being paid to Houllier’s flops. It takes time to clean up a back yard when it’s been so heavily neglected before you took ownership of the house - and weed killer isn’t that cheap these days either!
As Rafa gets his injured players back, and is given another summer of wheeling and dealing, we’ll start to see the fruits of his labour. But until then, it’s going to be a bumpy ride we’re going to have to endure for a while. It’s ludicrous that some fans are already questioning his appointment after only 7 months in charge and the horrendous bad luck he’s had with injuries.
Time will tell of course, but I have a feeling that the signing of Rafa Benitez might well turn out to be one of the greatest signings our famous club has ever made.
Let’s give the man the support he needs - and deserves - and give him the time he needs to change the face of Liverpool FC
Alex Malone
This is exactly what I have been thinking for a while!
--------
The two faces of Liverpool Alex Malone
For too many years now, as we’ve seen title after title slip away, we’ve been generally personified by one word - ‘inconsistent.’ I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, ‘inconsistent’ is just another word for ‘not good enough.’ Yes, we can play great stuff at times, but we can just as often be average and, as recently witnessed against Southampton, occasionally shambolic.
So I got to thinking, exactly what is the problem? After days of pondering, I concluded that it’s the same problem as for any other team too ‘inconsistent’ to challenge at the top of the league…. quality players!
Now I know that sounds very obvious and simplistic, but please, bear with me. Great teams don’t necessarily have to have 20 world-class players. Just think back to Liverpool’s dominance of the 70s and 80s. Kevin McDonald, Craig Johnston, Gary Gillespie don’t exactly make the all time greats list. But even players like Tommy Smith, Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy – European cup winning legends - were more ‘solid’ than spectacular.
But what teams DO need is a set of technically proficient players alongside a healthy sprinkling of world-class ones. The above mentioned players played alongside Hansen, Lawrenson, Dalglish, Souness, Rush, Keegan, Beardley, Barnes, Aldridge, McDermott, Kennedy, McMahon etc etc etc… many of these were world class. ALL were, at worst, superb.
And that’s exactly where I think the problem lies now. Gerard Houllier really did make a pigs ear of the squad by the time he was shown the door, but even Rafa isn’t 100% blameless in his signings so far either – see Josemi and Nunez for details! The good news though, is that Rafa seems to be realistic and honest enough to admit his mistakes. Houllier pig-headedly kept playing his not-even-nearly-men, hoping one day to say ‘ I told you so.’ It never happened - nor was it ever going to.
Take a look at this team:
Dudek
Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise
Sinama, Gerrard, Alonso, Kewell
Morientes, Baros
Now if that team played together week in, week out and grew to get to really know each other, I think it has the beating of just about anyone. Sami might be nearing the end, but all great teams have 1 or 2 players at that stage of their careers. My reserves for this 'team' would be Cisse and Hamann.
Now, in comparison, take a look at this one:
Kirkland
Josemi, Pellegrino, Traore, Warnock
Nunez, Diao, Biscan, Cheyrou
Mellor, Garcia
Anyone fancy the chances of this team winning the Premiership? How about top 4? Thought not! It’s a little unfair, as the likes of Warnock could possibly make the first grouping. Nunez and Garcia might yet prove the doubters (and I’ll openly admit that I’m one) wrong (and I hope they do), but right now, they only make the ‘reserve’ pool. The twelfth man for this ‘team’ would be Diouf.
My point is, that if almost any of the top eleven are injured or suspended, we have back up players in almost every position who simply aren’t good enough, technically, to replace them. And that’s Rafa’s biggest conundrum. I keep hearing that we need to buy some more world class players, but the problem is, we already have the 25 players listed above. Add Vignal, Le Tallec, Henchoz, Smicer snd Diarra and the number becomes 30…. yes 30 first team squad players! And that doesn’t include reserves like Potter, Whitbread, Welsh and Raven. That’s 30 players who are, have been, or were bought to be, first team choices at one time or another. Many of them cost us a small fortune in transfer fees, and are still taking home most people’s annual wages every week.
I ask you, how many of these 30 players would you keep if you were given the choice of either sticking with them or recouping the price we paid for them? I’d personally keep 12 of the ‘first team’ 13 mentioned – the one to miss out being Dudek due to his mental frailty in big games.
Of the second group of 17 players, I’d keep exactly…. 3! They would be Henchoz, Garcia and Warnock. Henchoz, because I still rate him very highly and think we miss his 90-minute effort and effective partnership with Sami. Garcia because he’s shown occasional flashes of brilliance, and Warnock because he looks like he has the potential to play at this level.
So, of the 30 mentioned, I’d dump 15 of them, and I’d hedge a bet that most of you would dump around the same number, give or take one or two. And this is where, I think, lies the key to our problems. I believe that you must have virtually EVERY player technically capable of playing at this level, and we have only about 50% of the entire squad capable of doing so.
Each time one of the second choice players replaces a first choice one the chain is weakened. Football, played the right way, is all about 11 players constantly passing, moving, feeding off each other, and hitting the right pass, with the right weight, at the right time. If you can achieve this, it’s poetry in motion. But to do it successfully, every link in the chain must be strong, or the chain breaks. How often do Liverpool fail in their build up due to a misplaced pass, a poor judgement call, a technical mistake, a long ball when a short one is required, a cross that finds the stands rather than the player, a schoolboy error? Too often is the answer.
Another problem is that of the 15 ‘strong’ links, none of them are goalkeepers! This is a huge void that has already been the cause of us losing the points that would currently have us challenging for second, not fourth. Neither Kirkland nor Dudek have proven to be ‘consistent’ (there’s that word again!) enough it at this level.
Of the other ‘first team’ players, 4 are currently out, 3 for the rest of the season. The fourth, Kewell, is thankfully almost ready to return. But what this means is that these 3-4 players are routinely replaced with weaker ones. The team - the chain - is effectively weakened every time one of these key players is unfit to play.
I believe this to be the single root cause of our ‘inconsistency.’ We simply don’t have enough players of the calibre required to compete at top 3 Premiership level. Rafa’s task – and it’s a huge one - is to slowly (but hopefully not too slowly!) replace each one with a more technically proficient player – each one being of top Premiership calibre. He’s already managed it with the signings of Alonso and Morientes, but there’s a long, long way to go.
For our part as fans, we must keep our expectations in check. Of the 15 players above that I singled out for the chop, a massive 11 of them are Houllier signings – that’s an entire first team of transfer fees and salaries that must be eliminated for us to move forward.
I’ve no doubt Rafa will take us back to where we belong, but he must be given time. Right now the terrible bad luck with injuries is forcing his hand, but so too are contractual agreements and high salaries still being paid to Houllier’s flops. It takes time to clean up a back yard when it’s been so heavily neglected before you took ownership of the house - and weed killer isn’t that cheap these days either!
As Rafa gets his injured players back, and is given another summer of wheeling and dealing, we’ll start to see the fruits of his labour. But until then, it’s going to be a bumpy ride we’re going to have to endure for a while. It’s ludicrous that some fans are already questioning his appointment after only 7 months in charge and the horrendous bad luck he’s had with injuries.
Time will tell of course, but I have a feeling that the signing of Rafa Benitez might well turn out to be one of the greatest signings our famous club has ever made.
Let’s give the man the support he needs - and deserves - and give him the time he needs to change the face of Liverpool FC
Alex Malone
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Match Report 050125 at Watford: Bring on Chelsea!
1-0 win and once again Stevie G scored the winner. In fairness we were never under any threat, thanks to the disciplined display of everyone, and Dudek had nothing to do.
Rafa seems to find a solution to tackle opponents playing 4-5-1: By playing 4-5-1 as well. Baros started as a right midfielder and Gerrard were allowed to roll up and down and eventually scored the winner. Morientes also have a few chances but missed, but he will start scoring very soon.
Unfortunately Sinama-Pongolle was injuried. Hope he get well soon, although the sign is not too good.
Now we will face Chelsea at Cardiff. Hope this is 3rd time lucky for us.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Nothing to do and keep a cleansheet.
Finnan: 7 How much we missed him? Now he's back the back 4 looks better.
Carragher: 7 Excel at central midfielder. Rafa now knows where Carra should play.
Pellegrino: 6.5 Still not up to Premiership pace yet, but with Carra beside him his performance is much better.
Traore: 6.5 A much better display than the Burnley game.
Baros: 6 Not effective as right midfield.
Gerrard: 8 Scored a winning goal and carry us on. Excellent!
Hamann: 6.5 Better than last few games.
Biscan: 6.5 This is Igor's 100th game for us! Can you believe this? Not spetacular though.
Riise: 7.5 He's very lively and helped in the build up of the goal.
Morientes: 6.5 He's adapting quickly and very soon we will see him score.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: Unfortunately he was injuried for just 3 minutes...
Garcia/Raven: Not enough time to impress
Rafa: 7 Looks like he find the solution to play against 4-5-1!
Watford: 6 Never causing us any trouble in the game apart from a penalty shout.
Man of the Match: Gerrard. He's on his way to lift the first trophy as Captain of Liverpool.
Rafa seems to find a solution to tackle opponents playing 4-5-1: By playing 4-5-1 as well. Baros started as a right midfielder and Gerrard were allowed to roll up and down and eventually scored the winner. Morientes also have a few chances but missed, but he will start scoring very soon.
Unfortunately Sinama-Pongolle was injuried. Hope he get well soon, although the sign is not too good.
Now we will face Chelsea at Cardiff. Hope this is 3rd time lucky for us.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Nothing to do and keep a cleansheet.
Finnan: 7 How much we missed him? Now he's back the back 4 looks better.
Carragher: 7 Excel at central midfielder. Rafa now knows where Carra should play.
Pellegrino: 6.5 Still not up to Premiership pace yet, but with Carra beside him his performance is much better.
Traore: 6.5 A much better display than the Burnley game.
Baros: 6 Not effective as right midfield.
Gerrard: 8 Scored a winning goal and carry us on. Excellent!
Hamann: 6.5 Better than last few games.
Biscan: 6.5 This is Igor's 100th game for us! Can you believe this? Not spetacular though.
Riise: 7.5 He's very lively and helped in the build up of the goal.
Morientes: 6.5 He's adapting quickly and very soon we will see him score.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: Unfortunately he was injuried for just 3 minutes...
Garcia/Raven: Not enough time to impress
Rafa: 7 Looks like he find the solution to play against 4-5-1!
Watford: 6 Never causing us any trouble in the game apart from a penalty shout.
Man of the Match: Gerrard. He's on his way to lift the first trophy as Captain of Liverpool.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
We need to win this game
As Rafa said we need a win to re-ignite the engine. A draw may be enough to send us to the final, but it won't do any good to the morale. We need to win this game. It's tough, but we can do it.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Pellegrino
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Baros
Morientes
Result: 1-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Pellegrino
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Baros
Morientes
Result: 1-0
Monday, January 24, 2005
Match Report 050122 at Southampton: A hat trick of losses
0-2 and this is another poor performance, that we do not deserve to get anything (unlike the previous 2 matches). We played so poor that after 22 minutes, all is settled. To make thing even worse, Hamann will be suspended next game and Hyypia injuried... Can things be even worse?
One thing worth to note is how good Redknapp played. He's bossing the midfield, and his corner kicks are very threatening. Gerrard should learn something from him.
On Tuesday in the League Cup semi-final Rafa should play a strong team. We definitely need a win to boast our morale.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 Defense led him down for both goals, and he made some fine saves to prevent a third. With Carson joined us he need to be more alert.
Carragher: 6 Even Carra get affected when he was forced to move to right back. I think next game we should start Raven as right back and let Carra play centre back.
Hyypia: 6 Hope he recover soon. We need you.
Pellegrino: 5 Together with Warnock they are responsible for the 2 goals. I won't write him off yet as this is only his 4th game (2nd full game) in the season.
Warnock: 5 Had his poorest game for us and was rightly substituted.
Garcia: 5 Enough said. Back to the basic before you play any tricks. He did had a few chances but as his confidence is low, he didn't take them well.
Gerrard: 6 Once again he looks jaded vs a 5 man midfield, and his injury probably played a part.
Hamann: 6 Not much to report fot this game.
Riise: 6 He looks tired and for some strange reason, he was on the right midfield in 1H. This make us played very narrow and just doesn't work.
Baros: 6 He need to form a partnership with Morientes ASAP. Nobody knows where he goes now...
Morientes: 6 He's getting there, just need some match to pick up the form.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 He did made an impact when coming up in 2H, but the impact quickly faded.
Raven: 6 Substituted the injuried Hyypia and played as right back.
Biscan: Not enough time to impress in his 99th game for us. Can you believe he had played so many games for us already?
Rafa: 5 Unable to play any of his trick this time. Why he played Riise on the right is a mystery. And he definitely need to field a strong team (but without 12 1st team players...) at Watford. A win is definitely needed.
Redknapp: 7.5 He played very well, and his corners are very well taken. Any chance to show Stevie G how to do it?
Southampton: 7 It's really amazing that they are still struggling at the bottom. But with more performance like this, they should be able to get out safe.
Man of the Match: Sinama-Pongolle. Did made some impact although without any fruit.
One thing worth to note is how good Redknapp played. He's bossing the midfield, and his corner kicks are very threatening. Gerrard should learn something from him.
On Tuesday in the League Cup semi-final Rafa should play a strong team. We definitely need a win to boast our morale.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 Defense led him down for both goals, and he made some fine saves to prevent a third. With Carson joined us he need to be more alert.
Carragher: 6 Even Carra get affected when he was forced to move to right back. I think next game we should start Raven as right back and let Carra play centre back.
Hyypia: 6 Hope he recover soon. We need you.
Pellegrino: 5 Together with Warnock they are responsible for the 2 goals. I won't write him off yet as this is only his 4th game (2nd full game) in the season.
Warnock: 5 Had his poorest game for us and was rightly substituted.
Garcia: 5 Enough said. Back to the basic before you play any tricks. He did had a few chances but as his confidence is low, he didn't take them well.
Gerrard: 6 Once again he looks jaded vs a 5 man midfield, and his injury probably played a part.
Hamann: 6 Not much to report fot this game.
Riise: 6 He looks tired and for some strange reason, he was on the right midfield in 1H. This make us played very narrow and just doesn't work.
Baros: 6 He need to form a partnership with Morientes ASAP. Nobody knows where he goes now...
Morientes: 6 He's getting there, just need some match to pick up the form.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 He did made an impact when coming up in 2H, but the impact quickly faded.
Raven: 6 Substituted the injuried Hyypia and played as right back.
Biscan: Not enough time to impress in his 99th game for us. Can you believe he had played so many games for us already?
Rafa: 5 Unable to play any of his trick this time. Why he played Riise on the right is a mystery. And he definitely need to field a strong team (but without 12 1st team players...) at Watford. A win is definitely needed.
Redknapp: 7.5 He played very well, and his corners are very well taken. Any chance to show Stevie G how to do it?
Southampton: 7 It's really amazing that they are still struggling at the bottom. But with more performance like this, they should be able to get out safe.
Man of the Match: Sinama-Pongolle. Did made some impact although without any fruit.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Rebound
After a disappointing week we need to respond well. Southampton is not a good place to visit, and I am not too sure if I can say they have a good home form or not - 1W7D in the last 8 games. But at least we need to get 1 point out there.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Carragher
Hyypia
Pellegrino
Warnock
Garcia
Hamann
Biscan
Riise
Morientes
Baros
Result: 2-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Carragher
Hyypia
Pellegrino
Warnock
Garcia
Hamann
Biscan
Riise
Morientes
Baros
Result: 2-0
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Match Report 050118 at Burnley: Tragedy
0-1 lost at Burnley and we are glad we didn't lost by more goals. If this is not tragedy, what is it?
We were so poor that we probably have no clear chance to score a goal throughout the match. And it's really a surprise that it takes so long (51 minutes) and Traore to score the superb Zidane-type own goal. The players have no determination at all, and something need to be done ASAP.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 A few good saves in the game, but really can't do anything for such a superb own goal.
Raven: 5 Work hard, but not much impact. Poor compare to the last game which he played so well.
Whitbread: 5 Fail to clear the ball and lead to the goal. Compare to his recet few games this is one to forget.
Hyypia: 5 Unable to inspire the players. And poor performance as the rest of the team.
Traore: 4 Superb goal, but at wrong end.
Nunez: 3.5 A few good crosses but useless. And get a red card unnecessarily.
Biscan: 4 Almost invisible and when he shows up, he just give the ball away.
Welsh: 6 Relatively speaking he is playing OK.
Warnock: 5 Unable to provide any significant chance to the front men.
Potter: 5 The holding role is not his favorite position. Played better after move back to central midfield.
Sinama-Pongolle: 5.5 On once oocasion he should pass the ball to Biscan but didn't... If he did we may have won the game.
Substitutions:
Baros: 5.5 Can't change the game despite work hard.
Mellor: 5.5 Not much impact to the game.
Rafa: 4 This time his tricks of rotation and half time team talk don't work. And we have to question his decision to play one up front.
Burnley: 7.5 Credit to the derseved winner.
Man of the Match: Dudek. Relatively a better than the others.
We were so poor that we probably have no clear chance to score a goal throughout the match. And it's really a surprise that it takes so long (51 minutes) and Traore to score the superb Zidane-type own goal. The players have no determination at all, and something need to be done ASAP.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 A few good saves in the game, but really can't do anything for such a superb own goal.
Raven: 5 Work hard, but not much impact. Poor compare to the last game which he played so well.
Whitbread: 5 Fail to clear the ball and lead to the goal. Compare to his recet few games this is one to forget.
Hyypia: 5 Unable to inspire the players. And poor performance as the rest of the team.
Traore: 4 Superb goal, but at wrong end.
Nunez: 3.5 A few good crosses but useless. And get a red card unnecessarily.
Biscan: 4 Almost invisible and when he shows up, he just give the ball away.
Welsh: 6 Relatively speaking he is playing OK.
Warnock: 5 Unable to provide any significant chance to the front men.
Potter: 5 The holding role is not his favorite position. Played better after move back to central midfield.
Sinama-Pongolle: 5.5 On once oocasion he should pass the ball to Biscan but didn't... If he did we may have won the game.
Substitutions:
Baros: 5.5 Can't change the game despite work hard.
Mellor: 5.5 Not much impact to the game.
Rafa: 4 This time his tricks of rotation and half time team talk don't work. And we have to question his decision to play one up front.
Burnley: 7.5 Credit to the derseved winner.
Man of the Match: Dudek. Relatively a better than the others.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Young guns get a chance
Finally the 3rd round FA Cup match is on and the young guns are on. The pitch may be a problem but the young guns will get through and win the game for us.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Raven
Hyypia
Whitbread
Traore
Nunez
Biscan
Welsh
Warnock
Mellor
Sinama-Pongolle
Result: 2-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Raven
Hyypia
Whitbread
Traore
Nunez
Biscan
Welsh
Warnock
Mellor
Sinama-Pongolle
Result: 2-0
Monday, January 17, 2005
Match Report 050115: Worst Case Scenario
0-1 and a goal from the former "Once a blue, always a blue" guy... A hat trick of fumbles from Dudek... Can it be even worse?
The match was hyped up by Morientes' debut, but there's actually another surprise in happing Pellegrino. Despite their obvious lack of match fitness they both look very good buys from Rafa. Well done man. Pellgrino may lack space but his positioning is more than enough to make cover. Carra was superb in playing right back, and have a pass of the match and almost scored our equalizer. Traore also have an excellent game as well, and so is Hyypia, Milan and Nando working hard upfront, but so much for the goods...
The bad things are, Dudek makes yet another error, and none of the midfield play well. Maybe Rafa should play 4-5-1 to have more steel in midfield, but we just let them run the show...
On a positive side, apart from Arsenal away we can probably win all the remaining games, and as Nando getting more match fitness and banging in goals, the only way to go is up. We may not be able to finish as 3rd place or above, but at least we can finish as 4th and closing the gap.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 5 Errors at home vs them three years in a row... No excuse.
Carragher: 7.5 Pass of the match and almost equalized. On a day he's playing as deputy right back and Gerrard no where to be seen, once again he shows the others how to play.
Hyypia: 6.5 Had a solid game in defense.
Pellegrino: 6.5 He may lack space, but his positioning is excellent. Now we have a better backup at the back.
Traore: 7 Good performance from Djimi. Keep on the consistency and you can keep the left back for your own.
Garcia: 5 He is doing more harm than good to the team. Just go down to basic.
Gerrard: 6.5 Had a very quiet game and missed chances and chances.
Hamann: 6 A quiet game, doing all the dirty jobs quietly.
Riise: 6 A quiet game as well. Maybe he's tired.
Baros: 6 Work very hard but not much fruit.
Morientes: 6.5 Had a few half chances especially headers, but clearly lack match fitness.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 This time he can't turn gold.
Nunez: 6.5 In hinsight he should be start instead of Garcia. His crossing is getting better and better.
Biscan: 6 Almost score from his first touch.
Rafa: 5 Maybe we should play 4-5-1 and not throw Morientes in so early. His gamble is lost... and we definitely need to sort out the goalkeeping problem.
Manchester United: 7 They play better, but we don't deserve to lost. And it is now very difficult to catch them.
Man of the Match: Carragher. Even Stevie G should learn from him on how to be so consistent.
The match was hyped up by Morientes' debut, but there's actually another surprise in happing Pellegrino. Despite their obvious lack of match fitness they both look very good buys from Rafa. Well done man. Pellgrino may lack space but his positioning is more than enough to make cover. Carra was superb in playing right back, and have a pass of the match and almost scored our equalizer. Traore also have an excellent game as well, and so is Hyypia, Milan and Nando working hard upfront, but so much for the goods...
The bad things are, Dudek makes yet another error, and none of the midfield play well. Maybe Rafa should play 4-5-1 to have more steel in midfield, but we just let them run the show...
On a positive side, apart from Arsenal away we can probably win all the remaining games, and as Nando getting more match fitness and banging in goals, the only way to go is up. We may not be able to finish as 3rd place or above, but at least we can finish as 4th and closing the gap.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 5 Errors at home vs them three years in a row... No excuse.
Carragher: 7.5 Pass of the match and almost equalized. On a day he's playing as deputy right back and Gerrard no where to be seen, once again he shows the others how to play.
Hyypia: 6.5 Had a solid game in defense.
Pellegrino: 6.5 He may lack space, but his positioning is excellent. Now we have a better backup at the back.
Traore: 7 Good performance from Djimi. Keep on the consistency and you can keep the left back for your own.
Garcia: 5 He is doing more harm than good to the team. Just go down to basic.
Gerrard: 6.5 Had a very quiet game and missed chances and chances.
Hamann: 6 A quiet game, doing all the dirty jobs quietly.
Riise: 6 A quiet game as well. Maybe he's tired.
Baros: 6 Work very hard but not much fruit.
Morientes: 6.5 Had a few half chances especially headers, but clearly lack match fitness.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 This time he can't turn gold.
Nunez: 6.5 In hinsight he should be start instead of Garcia. His crossing is getting better and better.
Biscan: 6 Almost score from his first touch.
Rafa: 5 Maybe we should play 4-5-1 and not throw Morientes in so early. His gamble is lost... and we definitely need to sort out the goalkeeping problem.
Manchester United: 7 They play better, but we don't deserve to lost. And it is now very difficult to catch them.
Man of the Match: Carragher. Even Stevie G should learn from him on how to be so consistent.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Have a nice debut, Nando
It's Morientes' debut and as Gerrard said, we love to see him play (and score a hat trick on his debut, of course). You rarely get a bigger debut than this. And with Nando in a Koller mode Baros will find it easy to adapt. His form may not be too good as he rarely got a game, but a class player will certainly raise his level to a game like this, and Nando is no doubt a class player.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Baros
Morientes
Result: 4-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Baros
Morientes
Result: 4-0
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Match Report 050111 vs Watford: Seniors let the youngsters down
1-0 and that means all is not settled, and Rafa may not be able to play as many youngsters as he wish in the 2nd leg.
First half was a poor game and Watford had probably more deadly chances than us. After the teamtalk the team played better, and as soon as Baros is on the pitch, he made an impact and we scored. Dudek threw the ball to Garcia, who flicked on to Sinama-Pongolle. He then passed the ball superbly to Baros, whose cross was palmed away by Jones, but then Gerrard's shot was too strong and it hits Cox's head and deflected into the goal.
Then we failed to build on the lead and Watford almost equalized if not for the brilliant defense of Carragher, Finnan, Traore and Dudek. Anyway, it's still a win and we will improve, especially next game is vs Manchester United and Morientes joined us.
The good thing is our defense is as solid with Carragher partnering Traore. On one hand Traore played well (Carra as well) but on the other hand I think this is due to the zonal defensive system, so that no matter who's playing, the playing already knows where he should be. Credit to Rafa.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7.5 A good display with several nice saves. Well done man!
Finnan: 7 If he is not alert Watford may have equalized. Well done!
Carrafger: 7.5 Stopped the ball from a set piece to avoild Watford equalized. Play well along Traore.
Traore: 7 Good display as well.
Riise: 6.5 Playing him as defender probably wasted his attacking skills. Not as spectacular as the previous few games as midfielder.
Nunez: 6.5 He played quite good in 1H with several good crosses, but was invisible in 2H. Maybe due to the tactics that our attacks are on the left side in 2H.
Gerrard: 8 Scored the goal. Excellent performance as usual.
Hamann: 6.5 Doing all the dirty works in midfield. Hamann as usual.
Garcia: 6.5 His flick on produced the goal, other than that he had a few scoring chances but missed.
Mellor: 6 Not his day and was rightly substituted. Had a tame shot just before that.
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Lively performance and involved in the goal.
Substitutions:
Baros: 7 Instant impact! Welcome back!
Biscan: 6.5 Substituted Hamann and did nothing wrong, although nothing spectacular.
Warnock: Not enough time to made a significant impact.
Rafa: 6.5 Same old problem of unable to made the team play well for 90 minutes, but with Morientes coming things can only be better. At least it's better than playing well and lose. And his teamtalk works again!
Watford: 8 Credit to them. They played really well. But we will win the 2nd leg as well.
Man of the Match: Gerrard. Another nice performance. Although Carra also come close.
First half was a poor game and Watford had probably more deadly chances than us. After the teamtalk the team played better, and as soon as Baros is on the pitch, he made an impact and we scored. Dudek threw the ball to Garcia, who flicked on to Sinama-Pongolle. He then passed the ball superbly to Baros, whose cross was palmed away by Jones, but then Gerrard's shot was too strong and it hits Cox's head and deflected into the goal.
Then we failed to build on the lead and Watford almost equalized if not for the brilliant defense of Carragher, Finnan, Traore and Dudek. Anyway, it's still a win and we will improve, especially next game is vs Manchester United and Morientes joined us.
The good thing is our defense is as solid with Carragher partnering Traore. On one hand Traore played well (Carra as well) but on the other hand I think this is due to the zonal defensive system, so that no matter who's playing, the playing already knows where he should be. Credit to Rafa.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7.5 A good display with several nice saves. Well done man!
Finnan: 7 If he is not alert Watford may have equalized. Well done!
Carrafger: 7.5 Stopped the ball from a set piece to avoild Watford equalized. Play well along Traore.
Traore: 7 Good display as well.
Riise: 6.5 Playing him as defender probably wasted his attacking skills. Not as spectacular as the previous few games as midfielder.
Nunez: 6.5 He played quite good in 1H with several good crosses, but was invisible in 2H. Maybe due to the tactics that our attacks are on the left side in 2H.
Gerrard: 8 Scored the goal. Excellent performance as usual.
Hamann: 6.5 Doing all the dirty works in midfield. Hamann as usual.
Garcia: 6.5 His flick on produced the goal, other than that he had a few scoring chances but missed.
Mellor: 6 Not his day and was rightly substituted. Had a tame shot just before that.
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Lively performance and involved in the goal.
Substitutions:
Baros: 7 Instant impact! Welcome back!
Biscan: 6.5 Substituted Hamann and did nothing wrong, although nothing spectacular.
Warnock: Not enough time to made a significant impact.
Rafa: 6.5 Same old problem of unable to made the team play well for 90 minutes, but with Morientes coming things can only be better. At least it's better than playing well and lose. And his teamtalk works again!
Watford: 8 Credit to them. They played really well. But we will win the 2nd leg as well.
Man of the Match: Gerrard. Another nice performance. Although Carra also come close.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
2 games to the final
After an unexpected long break it's the big guns coming back again. If we win tonight comfortably Rafa can then play the youngsters in the next game. Do it for the youngsters!
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Traore
Warnock
Nunez
Hamann
Gerrard
Riise
Baros
Mellor
Result: 3-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Traore
Warnock
Nunez
Hamann
Gerrard
Riise
Baros
Mellor
Result: 3-0
Friday, January 07, 2005
Do your best, youngsters
It's FA Cup time and Rafa will mix some young guns with old boys. I think this is a wise move especially it was reported that the turf may be muddy. The last thing we want is more injuries. Let's do our best and win the game!
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Raven
Carragher
Whitbread
Traore
Nunez
Welsh
Diao
Warnock
Mellor
Pongolle
Result: 1-0
Note: Match postponed to 1/18 due to waterlogged pitch
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Raven
Carragher
Whitbread
Traore
Nunez
Welsh
Diao
Warnock
Mellor
Pongolle
Result: 1-0
Note: Match postponed to 1/18 due to waterlogged pitch
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Match Report 050103 at Norwich City: Poor performance, good result
2-1 and we were very poor especially during 1H. It was so boring that I almost felt asleep. Luckily Rafa did some good teamtalk and we were much better during 2H. Yet when we were 2-0 up I still am not too sure if we will win, and we did conceded one and fortunately only one.
Looking back for the Festive period, we got 9 out of 12 points. Consider we played poorly in the Southampton and Norwich game and won (which should have been draws), and play well and lost to Chelsea (which we should won), We are still better off.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 His confidence is back. Even his distribution is better now. This is very important as Kirkland will probably out for the season now...
Finnan: 6 A poor game. He can't contain Huckerby at all...
Carragher: 8 Another superb performance. The so called handball event was never a handball.
Hyypia: 7.5 Sami was also very good in this game.
Warnock: 7 He's playing well as left back.
Nunez: 6.5 His crossing were poor, but I think he's a strong player with lots of strength. Maybe his best position is AM.
Gerrard: 6.5 A poor game from his high standard.
Diao: 6 As usual, scary.
Riise: 8 1 goal 1 assist. He is sure a midfielder.
Garcia: 7 I still think he should work more basic instead of tricks.
Mellor: 6 A poor game with no service.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Have an instant impact when coming up that forced the 2nd goal.
Hamann/Traore: Not enough time to impress.
Rafa: 7 He must have some good teamtalk to turn around. Now he need to work on the transfer market.
Norwich: 6 They lack a proper striker and will probably go down unless they have a proper striker.
Men of the Match: Carragher and Riise, one for his defensive work and the other for his offensive work.
Looking back for the Festive period, we got 9 out of 12 points. Consider we played poorly in the Southampton and Norwich game and won (which should have been draws), and play well and lost to Chelsea (which we should won), We are still better off.
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 His confidence is back. Even his distribution is better now. This is very important as Kirkland will probably out for the season now...
Finnan: 6 A poor game. He can't contain Huckerby at all...
Carragher: 8 Another superb performance. The so called handball event was never a handball.
Hyypia: 7.5 Sami was also very good in this game.
Warnock: 7 He's playing well as left back.
Nunez: 6.5 His crossing were poor, but I think he's a strong player with lots of strength. Maybe his best position is AM.
Gerrard: 6.5 A poor game from his high standard.
Diao: 6 As usual, scary.
Riise: 8 1 goal 1 assist. He is sure a midfielder.
Garcia: 7 I still think he should work more basic instead of tricks.
Mellor: 6 A poor game with no service.
Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Have an instant impact when coming up that forced the 2nd goal.
Hamann/Traore: Not enough time to impress.
Rafa: 7 He must have some good teamtalk to turn around. Now he need to work on the transfer market.
Norwich: 6 They lack a proper striker and will probably go down unless they have a proper striker.
Men of the Match: Carragher and Riise, one for his defensive work and the other for his offensive work.
Monday, January 03, 2005
We need to respond
The unfair game in Chelsea should be put to an end. Let's win the game for Alonso!
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Nunez
Gerrard
Hamann
Garcia
Riise
Sinama-Pongolle
Result: 3-0
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Nunez
Gerrard
Hamann
Garcia
Riise
Sinama-Pongolle
Result: 3-0
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Match Report 050101 vs Chelsea: We need a Fung Shui Master
0-1 and it's another Joe Cole deflected goal off Carragher. And we lost Alonso for 6 weeks. And the referee, who happened to be sponsored by Emigates as Chelsea, did not give us a penalty for a clear handball (and another not too clear, but a definitely penalty at Old Trafford). So how unlucky can we be?
Fortunately (?) the 2 teams right ahead of us both lost, so we did not lose ground to chase the 4th position. But if we are more ambitious then we are losing ground, now 9 points behind Manchester United...
We played very well especially in 1H although in 2H we slowed a bit and let Chelsea come back. But still we can't play at this top level for 90 minutes. In the game vs Arsenal we scored one in 1H (by Alonso...) and then Mellor scored in the last minute (he only had 6 minutes to play...) If Baros is fit this may be another story...
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7.5 Best game this season. He had 2 great saves but still have no chance on the deflected goal... It's really a pity he didn't get a 3rd consecutive clean sheet.
Finnan: 6.5 A bit quiet this game. And one slip in 2H almost lead to a Chelsea goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Did a lot of things and even have 2 goal attempts. Unlucky to have the ball deflected off him for the goal.
Hyypia: 7 The unsung hero of the team. I reall wish he will start scoring goals.
Traore: 6.5 Had our first shot on target but it was a weak side kick. Then lost the ball twice... scary.
Garcia: 6.5 I think he should try using less tricks and be more down to earth. His tricks are nice to watch but not too effective. He had already won the heart of the fans so it's time to deliver. Had a good header near the end but was saved.
Gerrard: 7 Work hard as ever, but it's a bit not up to his usual high standard. Maybe he had something to think about? Hope not.
Alonso: 6 We will miss him. Get well soon.
Hamann: 7 Another unsung hero doing all the dirty tricks.
Riise: 7 Unlucky to be injuried. Hope it's not too serious.
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Had a half penalty denied. Work very hard but his lack of strength and height makes him difficult to go through Gallas.
Substitution:
Nunez: 6.5 Should have won us a penalty but the referee was corrupted. Worked very hard.
Mellor: Maybe Rafa should send him on earlier.
Rafa: 7 To be fair the injuries and the referee interrupted his plan. But his gameplan works very well in 1H. Still need to find a way to make us play more consistent. And now he needs to worry on the transfer market.
Chelsea: 6 They didn't play well but managed to win. They now have the most important element of winning the League - Luck and I think they will win it.
Men of the Match: Dudek/Carragher. It's the best game Dudek had this season, and Carragher give 120% as usual and even had 2 shots. These two guys are both extremely for the goal conceded.
Fortunately (?) the 2 teams right ahead of us both lost, so we did not lose ground to chase the 4th position. But if we are more ambitious then we are losing ground, now 9 points behind Manchester United...
We played very well especially in 1H although in 2H we slowed a bit and let Chelsea come back. But still we can't play at this top level for 90 minutes. In the game vs Arsenal we scored one in 1H (by Alonso...) and then Mellor scored in the last minute (he only had 6 minutes to play...) If Baros is fit this may be another story...
Player Rating:
Dudek: 7.5 Best game this season. He had 2 great saves but still have no chance on the deflected goal... It's really a pity he didn't get a 3rd consecutive clean sheet.
Finnan: 6.5 A bit quiet this game. And one slip in 2H almost lead to a Chelsea goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Did a lot of things and even have 2 goal attempts. Unlucky to have the ball deflected off him for the goal.
Hyypia: 7 The unsung hero of the team. I reall wish he will start scoring goals.
Traore: 6.5 Had our first shot on target but it was a weak side kick. Then lost the ball twice... scary.
Garcia: 6.5 I think he should try using less tricks and be more down to earth. His tricks are nice to watch but not too effective. He had already won the heart of the fans so it's time to deliver. Had a good header near the end but was saved.
Gerrard: 7 Work hard as ever, but it's a bit not up to his usual high standard. Maybe he had something to think about? Hope not.
Alonso: 6 We will miss him. Get well soon.
Hamann: 7 Another unsung hero doing all the dirty tricks.
Riise: 7 Unlucky to be injuried. Hope it's not too serious.
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Had a half penalty denied. Work very hard but his lack of strength and height makes him difficult to go through Gallas.
Substitution:
Nunez: 6.5 Should have won us a penalty but the referee was corrupted. Worked very hard.
Mellor: Maybe Rafa should send him on earlier.
Rafa: 7 To be fair the injuries and the referee interrupted his plan. But his gameplan works very well in 1H. Still need to find a way to make us play more consistent. And now he needs to worry on the transfer market.
Chelsea: 6 They didn't play well but managed to win. They now have the most important element of winning the League - Luck and I think they will win it.
Men of the Match: Dudek/Carragher. It's the best game Dudek had this season, and Carragher give 120% as usual and even had 2 shots. These two guys are both extremely for the goal conceded.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Show Stevie G which team he should play for
It's Chelsea at home and let's show Stevie G where he should be. Of course the whole team need to be at its best to win.
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Pongolle
Alonso
Hamann
Riise
Gerrard
Mellor
Result: 2-1
My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Pongolle
Alonso
Hamann
Riise
Gerrard
Mellor
Result: 2-1
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