2006/07 Season Review

2 CL Finals in Rafa's first 3 years, but we failed to make it this time. Lots of players will leave this season, and many more to join. It would be interesting to see the lineup next season, but no doubt Rafa will be trying hard to improve the team. And next season the focus will no doubt be to challenge for Premiership.

Our home record is good but we definitely need to improve our away form. At home we are on par with Manchester and Chelsea (MU: 47 pts; Chelsea: 43; us: 46; Arsenal: 42) but away from home it's a different story (MU: 42; Chelsea: 40; us: 22; Arsenal: 26).

Contrary to what other may be thinking, we are actually not that bad against the remaining of the top 5 (MU: 14; Chelsea: 10; us: 12; Arsenal: 15) but this year the problem is against teams from 6th place to 10th (MU: 25; Chelsea: 24; us: 12; Arsenal: 18). 5 points were lost against Everton, Portsmouth and Blackburn, and we still yet to win at Bolton. Another area to improve is against bottom 5 teams, where Manchester won all 10 matches, and we only get 23 points.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Dudek: 6G 540M 13GC 2CS 0MoM 5.50
Martin: 5 unused substitutes
Padelli: 1G 90M 2GC 0CS 0MoM 5.00
Reina: 51G 4620M 36GC 26CS 6MoM 6.90

Reina has a very good second half and has the first team place firmly grabbed. 26 clean sheets this season is still very spectacular. Dudek finally called his day in Liverpool, and we wish you all the best. Padelli has an awful game against Charlton, and it is unlikely that his loan will be extended.

Defenders
Agger: 43G 3624M 4GS 3A 3MoM 6.87
Arbeloa: 14G 1067M 1GS 1A 0.5MoM 6.55
Aurelio: 25G 1487M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.47
Carragher: 51G 4375M 1GS 0A 5MoM 7.03
Darby: 1 unused substitute
Finnan: 47G 4179M 0GS 8A 1MoM 6.69
Hobbs: 2 unused substitutes
Hyypia: 29G 2573M 3GS 1A 2MoM 6.59
Insua: 2G 165M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.23
Kromkamp: 1G 90M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Paletta: 8G 579M 1GS 2A 0MoM 5.64
Peltier: 4G 344M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.72
Riise: 48G 3880M 5GS 1A 0MoM 6.75
Roque: 1G 6M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Smith: 1G 16M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Warnock: 7G 413M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.96

Carra leads the defenders will another impressive season. Agger has edged himself ahead of Hyypia and became the regular partner of Carra, and lead the defenders score board with 4 goals. Sami featured less in the second half (he was the leading defender during first half) but still managed to score 3. Finnan is another unsung hero and this year he has an impressive 8 assists recorded. On the left Riise made the position his own especially there were not too many challenges to him. Arbeloa and Aurelio both has an OK first season, but they need to improve a lot to challenge Finnan and Riise. And we seem to have less cover in center defense, so Rafa should try his best to hold Sami for at least one more season.


Midfielders
Alonso: 51G 3983M 4GS 2A 4MoM 6.84
Anderson: 1 unused substitute
El Zhar: 3G 50M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Gerrard: 51G 4256M 11GS 6A 8.5MoM 7.14
Gonzalez: 36G 1638M 3GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.28
Guthrie: 7G 218M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.82
Kewell: 3G 77M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.44
Luis Garcia: 27G 1680M 6GS 5A 1MoM 6.72
Mascherano: 11G 993M 0GS 0A 0.5MoM 7.04
Pennant: 52G 3132M 1GS 11A 1.5MoM 6.92
Sissoko: 28G 2013M 0GS 1A 2MoM 6.80
Zenden: 30G 1776M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.35

Despite switching back and forth from central and right midfield, Stevie G continues to lead the team. Perhaps John Barnes is right in saying that we need to holding midfielder, ie, if Stevie G plays in the middle, we should play a 4-5-1 as otherwise we will run into trouble should he lose the ball. On the right Pennant surprised everyone by becoming the player who played the most game this season. And he finished with a respective score of 6.92. Xabi continues to be reliable in the midfield, and Mascherano proved to be a very good player and challenging Sissoko for the midfield position. As for Momo, he is trying very hard to gain back his position, but at times he tried too hard. He is still young and can improve dramatically. On the left both Gonzalez and Zenden have an average season and will leave. Kewell just come back in time for the Champions League final, and next season we need a healthy Kewell to start performing. The injury to Luis Garcia also proved to be crucial. We missed his decisive goals.

Attackers
Bellamy: 42G 2664M 9G 8A 8MoM 6.86
Crouch: 49G 2559M 18GS 9A 4MoM 7.05
Fowler: 23G 1033M 7GS 4A 3MoM 6.91
Kuyt: 48G 3631M 14GS 5A 7.5MoM 7.07
Sinama-Pongolle: 1G 1M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00

One problem of our team is the lack of goals. At times we created many chances but just failed to convert. Crouch lead the scoring board with 18 goals, and Kuyt came close with a good 14 goals under his name, 12 of which is in the league. Bellamy has an on-and-off season and managed 9 goals, and Fowler, despite playing much less, also had 7 goals.

Players of the season (2000 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.14
(2) Kuyt 7.07
(3) Crouch 7.05
(4) Carragher 7.03
(5) Pennant 6.92

Rafa: 6.79. He needs to sort out the away problem and the lack of goals. Our goal conversion rate is dismal.

Goal Conversion
Goal conversion has been a problem. Throughout the season we had 895 goal attempts and scored 90 goals (10.1% goals/goal attempts), whereas our defenders had minimized the opponents to 444 goal attempts but still conceded 52 goals (11.7% goals/goal attempts). At home we are on par, with we scored with 11.6% g/ga whereas the opponents scored with 11.7%, but in away games our goal conversion is dropped to 7.8%, while the opponents still scored at 11.1%. The lack of goals, especially away from home, continues to hinder our chance of challenging the top 2.


Match of the season
1. 3/31/07 Arsenal (h) League (4-1) : 7.71
2. 5/1/07 Chelsea (h) Champions League Semi Final (1-0): 7.70
3. 12/9/06 Fulham (h) League (4-0) : 7.67
4. 2/24/07 Sheffield United (h) League (4-0): 7.66
5. 1/1/07 Bolton Wanderers (h) League (3-0): 7.62

Worst match of the season
1. 1/9/07 Arsenal (h) League Cup (3-6) : 5.02
2. 9/9/06 Everton (a) League (0-3): 5.36
3. 11/12/06 Arsenal (a) League (0-3) : 5.46
4. 4/28/07 Portsmouth (a) League (1-2): 5.48
5. 5/5/07 Fulham (a) League (0-1): 5.89

May Month Review

1W 1D and 2L and it was a disappointing month. We started high with a great win vs Chelsea, then we lost at Fulham and drew Charlton with a second tier team. All eyes were on the Champions League Final but we failed to win.

We can't count this season as a successful one, but nevertheless, the team is moving towards the right direction. We will challenge for #19.

Players of the Month: (1) Reina 7.9 (2) Mascherano 7.30 (3) Gerrard 7.25. Reina almost single-handly sent us to the Final. Mascherano also had a great month and played well in both Champions League games. The same can be said on Gerrard.

Match Report 070523 vs AC Milan: We'll be back

1-2 and what a disappointing ending. Any defeat is hard to take but defeat in a Final - especially if the team has every chance to win it but didn't - is even harder to take. In fairness we didn't play well as well, but at least we should take our chances before it is too late.

The game probably sums up this season: Lots of chances created but unable to convert, key players misfiring at key moments, lack of luck, and we still lack something to push for the title.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 A hard finish for the great guy. Had no chance on the first goal, but could do better for the second.
Finnan: 6 A solid display but just not enough in the final.
Carragher: 6.5 Another 100% display but still failed to bring us glory.
Agger: 6 Should done better to prevent the second goal.
Riise: 6 Same as Finnan.
Pennant: 7 One of his best performance this season, especially during first half.
Mascherano: 7 A very good display that kept Kaka's threat to a minimum. And as soon as he was substituted, Kaka played that killing pass to Inzaghi.
Alonso: 6 Came close to score in the first half but then found himself guilty of giving away the freekick that lead to the first goal.
Zenden: 5.5 A poor display that ended his Anfield career.
Gerrard: 6 Failed to drive us to glory this time. Would change the game should he equalized early on during second half.
Kuyt: 6.5 No supply to him.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 5.5 Failed to have an impact to the game.
Crouch: 6.5 Rafa should have him on earlier.
Arbeloa: 6 Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed to have lost the game in such a way. A huge rebuilding work is now ahead of him.

AC Milan: 6.5 They get their revenge. And we should learn from them on how to rebound.

Men of the Match: Pennant/Mascherano. Should play bigger roles next season.

This is the moment

Yes, this is the moment. Another European Final, Fowler's farewell, and my trip to Liverpool to watch the game. We are certainly better than 2 years ago, but so is Milan. This will be a tough match for us, and Milan will certainly want to gain revenge. But we have Rafa. We have Gerrard. We have Carra. We have Fowler. We have all the players that are hunger to win their first or second Champions League medal. And last, but not the least, we have the Kop and all those great fans. Let's make history again. In Istanbul we won it five times. In Athens, we win it six times.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Zenden
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070513 vs Charlton Athletic: That's Life

2-2 and we did not get what we want, as Fowler was substituted just before we get a penalty. But he still has one last chance to scored a goal in the CL Final - just like what Smicer did.

The match was another non-event and although Rafa fielded a strong team, everybody's mind is on the Final and try to avoid injury. Padelli has a poor debut that he probably wants to forget, and the defense were making lots of errors. Fowler and Gerrard tried very hard to win the game, but at the end a draw is a fair result, and it's really nice to see Kewell coming back and I won't be surprised if he started in the Final.

Players Rating:
Padelli: 5 Poor communication with teammates. Need to learn English ASAP...
Finnan: 6 A nice run-in to keep his form up.
Carragher: 6 A good performance.
Agger: 6 Solid display.
Riise: 6 Not providing much assist in attack.
Arbeloa: 6 Missed a glorious chance where he should have pass the basll to Fowler - get caught in two minds.
Gerrard: 7.5 Wanted to win the game more than anybody else.
Mascherano: 6 Lost the ball cheaply that lead to the first goal.
Zenden: 6 A fair performance.
Fowler: 6.5 Missed a few chance but we still want to thank you for all the goals over the years, but one more in the Final will be even better.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 7.5 Scored a penalty and created a goal.
Alonso: 7 Coolly scored a goal.
Crouch: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Could forgive the player of not trying too hard in getting injuries, but the timing of the Fowler substitution was really bad.

Charlton Athletic: 6.5 Fight hard for glory but it was too late. Good luck to them and hope they will bounce back soon.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Only player tried hard enough.

Thanks for all the great performances

Today we will say goodbye to two of our heroes, Fowler and Dudek. Fowler has been doing well since he's back but still we need to move on and chances for him will be remote. For Dudek, who can remember that night two years ago? Although he can never pick up his form since then, we shall still be thankful for him for bring us Champions League glory. And let's give them our biggest roar to the final home game of the season, and to prepare for another glorious night 10 days later.

Thanks for all the great performances, and no matter where you are, you'll never walk alone.

My Team Prediction:
Padelli
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Mascherano
Sissoko
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070505 at Fulham: Another poor display from the 2nd tier

0-1 and once again Rafa made a lot of changes but the second tier just failed to deliver. Sometimes you need to start worrying for if we want to win the league we need to have a bigger squad with better quality. But no doubt Rafa will be looking at improvements.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a few good saves.
Arbeloa: 5.5 A poor performance.
Paletta: 5 Not up to Premier League standard yet.
Hyypia: 6 Did well and at times need to sort out the mess created by the other defenders.
Insua: 5.5 Still too young, but time is on his side.
Pennant: 6 A good performance.
Alonso: 6 Need to pick up his form very quickly for the Final.
Sissoko: 6 Need to improve a lot.
Fowler: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.
Bellamy: 6.5 Worked very hard but couldn't find the net.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6 Another taste of Premiership but still need to learn a lot.
Finnan: 6.5 Provided better shelter on defense when came on.
Kewell: 6 Glad to see him back and he will push for a place in the Final.

Rafa: 6 Will need to worry on the injuries, the missed chances and the level of the second tier.

Fulham: 7 Battled hard and should now be safe.

Man of the Match: Reina. Reduced the damage to a minimum.

Secure Third

With a win today and Arsenal lost to Chelsea, third place will be secured. Of course all minds are now on the Champions League Final and Rafa will rest lots of big guns like Carra and Gerrard, but there will be 18 places in the squad for the Final and so the players will have to fight for the place. Surely this is enough motivation for us to win?

My Team Prediction:
Padelli
Arbeloa
Hyypia
Paletta
Insua
Pennant
Hobbs
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Fowler
Bellamy

Result 3-0

Match Report 070501 vs Chelsea: When Carragher cramps, we win the penalty shoot-out

1-0 and we won the penalty shoot-out 4-1! Reina is absolutely class in saving penalties. He is going to be a legend.

The match itself was actually very poor. Both teams just tried to pass the ball to the strikers as quick as possible. Rafa surprised everybody by putting Alonso on the bench and started Zenden. At the end it worked and Zenden also scored a beautiful penalty. Agger answered some of the critics by having a good defensive performance and also scored a well practiced goal. On the other hand, it is sad to see Dudek not even on the bench, after his poor performance over the weekend. His days in a Liverpool jersey is now finally over. But we will never forget his heroic performance that night two years ago.

Players Rating:
Reina: 10 Perfect performance. Master of penalty saves.
Finnan: 7.5 Provided the much needed balance to the team.
Carragher: 8 All over the pitch for defending.
Agger: 8 Answered the critics by scoring the goal. Did well in defending too.
Riise: 7 Did well both attacking and defending.
Pennant: 7.5 Very lively performance and provided many dangerous crossings.
Gerrard: 8 Did well in lifting the team.
Mascherano: 8.5 Would be my MoM in normal plus extra time. He's everywhere trying to help the defense.
Zenden: 7 Somehow it worked. And he repaid Rafa's faith with a nice penalty.
Kuyt: 7.5 Tried very hard but he can only managed to hit the bar and another one marginally ruled offside. But he had the last laugh with that last penalty.
Crouch: 6.5 Was not too effective.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 6.5 A nice display.
Bellamy: 6 Not much impact.
Fowler: 6.5 Almost provided the winning pass to Kuyt. And it is really nice to see Rafa putting his faith and let him be the last penalty shooter.

Rafa: 9 Perfect game plan. Don't know why he start Zenden, but it worked.

Chelsea: 6 No matter what Mourinho said, they just didn't play very well. No excuse. The best team won.

Man of the Match: Reina. Single-handly guided us to the Final over two legs.

Moment of Truth

We need to win by 1-0 or more than 2 goals to proceed. We have done so before, in 1977, in 2005 when we were one down and need to score 3, and we have faced Chelsea at this stage. We need to did what we have done before, and we will be in the Final again. In Kop we trust.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Hyypia
Agger
Finnan
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0