August Month Review

3 wins and 2 draws was not a bad result, although it can always be better. Expectations were high after we beat Chelsea with our team C, but then it was back to ground level after we drew with Sheffield United and Maccabi Haifa. We have 4 injuries and defense was cracky, but the new boys fit in the team very well.

Looking ahead, Rafa need to sort out the defense problems quickly, as there will be a lot of tough away games in September.

Players of the Month: (1) Crouch 7.23 (2) Sissoko 7.13 (3) Bellamy and Pennant 7.10. Crouch scored 3 goals for the club and 2 more for England. Momo patrolled the midfield nicely before his injury, and the new boys Bellamy and Pennant both did their jobs well and impressed us.

September Prediction:
9/9 Everton (a) Last time Stevie G and Beattie were both sent off, and Everton is on a high. This is a good time to stop them.
9/12 PSV Eindhoven (a) Champions League restarts and Kuyt would provide us lots of information about PSV.
9/17 Chelsea (a) A very tough game, a draw would not be a bad result, but let's win it.
9/20 Newcastle United (h) Newcastle is still under evolution and we should beat them.
9/23 Tottenham Hotspur (h) Spurs may have made a mistake in selling Carrick, but still they are a strong team.
9/27 Galatasarak SK (h) A home game we should win.
9/30 Bolton Wanderers (a) Another tough away game. Beat them and we will be in a good position.

Match Report 060826 vs West Ham United: Lightning do strikes twice

2-1 and this match has re-run a few of the FA Cup Final events: Reina made an error and West Ham scored from a crossing, and there is a wonderful long range strike that reversed the momentum. In general we played well in this game, it's just we lack a bit of luck to score one more goal to settle the game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 5.5 Made a bad mistake and put Zamora's crossing into the goal, but made a good save at the end to keep the score. However, he needs to be more careful or else we will see Dudek again.
Finnan: 6.5 A steady game at the back.
Agger: 8 Wonderful strike. Nice defense. Future of the Club.
Hyypia: 6.5 Not the best game and was exposed in a few occasions.
Aurelio: 6.5 Had some good free kicks but could also do better for the goal conceded. Still doing better in attack than defense.
Pennant: 7.5 Provided a lot of options for the striker. Another good display.
Gerrard: 7 Drove the team to overcome the 1 goal deficit. He also helped en-route the winning goal.
Alonso: 7 Without Momo, he needed to do more the defensive works.
Luis Garcia: 7 Wasted numerous chances but at the end he provided a nice assist.
Bellamy: 7 Another lively game and provided many threats.
Crouch: 7.5 A well taken goal but other than that he did not have too many contributions.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7 Had a great impact when coming up. Definitely he will provide Rafa with more options.
Gonzalez: 6.5 Lively performance.
Zenden: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Was hindered by the injuries and still has not solved the defense problem.

West Ham United: 6.5 Scored with the only chance in 1H. They will be a top 10 team if Europe proved to be not too much a distraction.

Man of the Match: Agger. Wonder goal.

FA Cup Final re-run

It's West Ham again. Despite the injury of Ashton, they still have Zamora who is on fire. We are also hit with a more serious injury problem, but now that we are in Champions League, we should put our mind back and perform, especially this match is for celebrate the 100 years of Kop end.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Kuyt
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060822 vsMaccabi Haifa: A close shave

1-1 and we are through to the group stage, but it was with a lot of scary moment and another two injuries. Without Carra defense at a whole has problems, and we are some what lucky to just concede one goal thanks to Reina. Is it down to the aging of Hyypia or is it down to the new boys yet to fit in? Probably a mix of both.

It was also a mystery why with Crouch, Pennant and Gonzalez all starting it was not until Crouch scored that goal that we see a good cross from the wings. I would think this is the purpose of this formation. Nevertheless this is another great header from Crouch.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Helped to minimize damage and keep the score at 1-1.
Finnan: 6 Was exposed several times.
Agger: 6.5 Indecisive game.
Hyypia: 6 Showed again he is aging and fading very fast.
Warnock:6 Anoter injury...
Pennant: 7 A great cross and this is why Rafa signed him.
Alonso: 6.5 Tried hard to score early on.
Sissoko: 7 Played well before the injury.
Gonzalez: 6 A bit quiet, but maybe we have put too much pressure on him.
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Had a few shots on target but the keeper responded very well.
Crouch: 7.5 Created lots of chances for the team and scored the important one. He is ready to fight for the place.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 6.5 Doing well going forward, but was always exposed when defending.
Gerrard: 6.5 Despite the stomache problem he is still driving the team when coming up.
Bellamy: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Another game distorted by injuries. But Haifa is not a poor team and Rafa would be happy to the response of the attacking players, although he will be concerned about the defense.

Maccabi Haifa: 6.5 Matched us very well, and good luck to them in the UEFA Cup.

Player of the Match: Crouch. Another great header and he has scored 4 goals in 10 days for the Club and Country.

Be alert

We have a tricky match which is very important financially. Carra and Riise would not be able to participate, and the stand-in players need to be alert. Keep a clean sheet and score, and we will be through.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Bellamy
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060819 at Sheffield United: Down to earth

1-1 and the result, especially after Sunday's Chelsea and Manchester United results, brought us down to earth again. What's worse, Carra and Riise were both injuried and will miss the crucial game against Maccabi Haifa. Rafa needs to sort out the defense problem as we keep on conceding goals.

Rafa's tactic is hindered by the early injuries. The defense has big problem as Hyypia was dragged by the Sheffield defender and Agger failed to react. Fortunately we have a some-what dubious penalty, and Fowler scored. Clearly everybody's mind is in the Maccabi Haifai game and so the team did not perform as it shoud be.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do and can't do much on the goal.
Kromkamp: 6 A surprise start, and failed in defense as a whole.
Carragher: 6.5 A worrying injury after a harsh tackle by Hulse.
Hyypia: 6 He is getting slower and slower and his performance is worrying.
Riise: 6.5 Suffered from a bad injury after a great cross.
Zenden: 6 Ineffective game.
Gerrard: 7.5 One of the better player. The penalty decision is a bit dubious
though.
Sissoko: 7 Battling hard in the midfield, but beware of the yellow cards.
Aruelio: 7 A nice performance and it is nice to see him take control of all the corners and free kicks. Should have scored directly from a free kick, but Kenny has a different thought.
Bellamy: 7 Another lively performance.
Fowler: 7 A quiet performance, but his penalty is class.

Substitutions:
Gonzalez: 6.5 Could have done better, and missed a great chance.
Agger: 6.5 Fits in well although he is also partly responsible for the goal conceded.
Pennant: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: His starting formation is a bit strange and his tactics is further hindered by the injuries. Need to sort out the defense sooner rather than later.

Sheffield United: 6.5 A well deserved draw. Warnock claimed we won't have that hard a challenge in the league this season. Hope his word is true.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Drove the team on.

19

This season, we have a much stronger team to challenge for #19. The new players look promising and adapting to the new team well, and the confidence within the team is high. We look difficult to beat. Last season, we were 6 points behind Chelsea, and the points were lost against the top 4 teams. For Chelsea, how many points can they gain? Not many. If we play with the same consistency, with a better record against the top 4 teams, and a bit of lucky, #19 is coming. But first, let's play well against Sheffield United.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Bellamy

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060813 vs Chelsea: A well deserved win

2-1 and it is a nice way to start the domestic season. Rafa is bold enough to rest a lot of first team players, but the team still plays well. This shows how far we have developed. The team is now getting closer to Rafa's ideal team, and we will have a good chance in challenging the Premiership, especially if Chelsea is turning their focus to CL.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Nobody can stop that Shevchenko goal, but he did made 2 nice consecutive saves in 2H to keep the score at bay.
Finnan: 6.5 Played well but one slow action let Shevchenko scored.
Carragher: 7 Captain Carra did his best to protect the goal.
Agger: 7 A nice game for the young Dane. We can expect more games for the guy this season.
Riise: 7.5 Scored a nice goal after running the whole pitch.
Pennant: 7 Another lively match.
Sissoko: 8 The boss of the midfield, and shown Ballack how to play in Premiership.
Zenden: 7 A nice performance.
Gonzalez: 7 Another nice game.
Luis Garcia: 6.5 A good game.
Crouch: 7 Scored a nice goal thanks to Bellany's great cross.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 7 A nice debut. His freekicks are class, and he almost scored a goal.
Alonso: 6.5 A good game although he was unlucky to get a yellow card.
Gerrard: 6.5 Still picking up his form.
Bellamy: 7 Another nice run and made an impact when substituted on.
Sinama-Pongolle: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 His formation is very bold and his substitutions made impacts. Tactical genius.

Chelsea: 6.5 They will still be the favorite, but we are getting closer. And with a little bit luck, who knows what will happen?

Man of the Match: Sissoko. A real bargin for 5m.

Win the glamorous friendly

Community Shield is just a glamourous friendly game, and in the past only 30% of CS winner became league Champion. Nevertheless, this is a good game to testify how close we get to Chelsea. Rafa will no doubt make a few changes, and no matter who plays, make sure you don't injure yourself.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Crouch
Bellamy

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060809 vs Maccabi Haifa: Dream debuts

2-1 and it was not until 88 minutes that Gonzalez scored that we beat Maccabi Haifa. As you can expect after the World Cup, a lot of players are still far from the necessary fitness level. However the defense is really shocking and left so many holes for the opponents to explore. The new players have yet to gel with the team yet. Reina has to make a good save in 2H to prevent Haifa from taking the lead the second time. We have a Community Shield game and another friendly to go before the real season kicks off, and Rafa needs to sort it out quickly.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Can't do much about the goal conceded, and had made a good save in 2H.
Finnan: 6.5 Was a bit slow in making decision, but gradually recovered and even provided a good cross at the end.
Carragher: 7 Made a few great tackles.
Hyypia: 6 Was partly responsible for the goal conceded.
Riise: 6 Also responsible for the goal conceded.
Pennant: 7 A lively debut and provided a few good crosses.
Alonso: 7 A bit disappointing until his assist to Mark's goal.
Gerrard: 7 Shows some lack of form as he is still recovering from the long season.
Sissoko: 6.5 Running up and down, provided an assist, get a silly yellow card, and bursted the ball at the 93rd minute.
Zenden: 6 Trying very hard but not much use.
Bellamy: 7.5 A dream debut with a nice taken goal. It was funny to see him wearing #17, Stevie G's old number, running along with Stevie G to chase the ball when it was parried by the opponent goalkeeper, and scored it.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Tried hard and provided some threats, but his "dive" does not help.
Crouch: 6.5 Provided aerial threats and was close to score in 2 occasions.
Gonzalez: 7.5 Scored from his first touch. He is really speedy and almost run over the ball.

Rafa: 7 Great substitutions that create impact, although he need to work hard on the defense, the general fitness and the new player's understanding of the team flow.

Maccabi Haifa: Scored from their only shot on target, could have score 2 more. We need to be alert in the 2nd leg.

Players of the Match: Bellamy and Gonzalez. Dream debuts.

The most important match of the season

Although this is the first game of the season, this match is important as we need to get into Champions League to generate enough revenue. Looking at the result of the pre-season friendlies we were not at our best, especially the young defenders keep on making errors. Also, 3rd round qualifiers may be banana skin as the weaker teams will normally be physically better prepared and playing for the game of their life. And for us, since this is the world cup year many first team players were just back and fitness may be a problem. Nevertheless, we should have enough talent to dispose them of.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Zenden
Bellamy
Crouch

Result: 3-0