Thanks Stevie

Thanks a lot Stevie.

During the past 10 years you have provided us many joyful moments.

You have ups and downs, but it was the low points, particular the Chekski saga, that makes you rebound and keep you running.

You have won most of the glories that the Club has get, and there is still one missing item, which we will win very soon.

Thanks for the first 10 years, and we look forward for the next 10 years with more glories.

November Month Review

3 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats and we are still joint top in the league and qualified for the last 16 of Champions League, despite out of League Cup. We started the month with the first defeat at Spurs and then we drew vs Atletico and beat West Bromwich Albion. We then get beaten by Spurs again in the League Cup, and then we win at Bolton but drawn at home vs Fulham. At the end of the month, another mightly Stevie G goal and we are through in the Champions League.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.61 (2) Alonso 7.31 (3) Aurelio 7.06. Gerrard scored 3 great goals in the month that also is his 10th anniversary with the Club. Xabi also did well in the month with a nice assist to the winning goal vs Marseille. And Aurelio just get the left back post his own and played consistently well.

December prediction:
12/1 West Ham United (h) West Ham is inconsistent and we need to get points.
12/6 Blackburn Rovers (a) A tough game on the road but we will be ready for the challenge.
12/9 PSV Eindhoven (a) Although we want to finish top but the key is to let the youngsters to gain some experience.
12/13 Hull City (h) Hull is the surprised package but their good run is running out and we need to take our chance.
12/21 Arsenal (a) A tough away game and we need to be at our best to beat them.
12/26 Bolton Wanderers (h) Bolton will want revenge and we need to be guarded to get 3 points.
12/28 Newcastle United (a) A tough away game to end the year.

Match Report 081126 vs Marseille: Job done

1-0 and we are through to the next round of Champions League. Although we did not do too well especially in the second half but at the end Stevie G's 30th goal in Europe is sufficient to see us through. Whether we finish first or second does not really matter, and now we can give the young guns a go in the last game at PSV.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few great saves to keep another clean sheet.
Arbeloa: 7 Another nice performance.
Carragher/Agger: 7.5 Two rocks in the centre.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did well before his substitution.
Alonso: 7.5 Superb crossing for the goal.
Mascherano: 6.5 A bit moody that affected his performance.
Kuyt/Riera: 6.5 Good performance although not particular shining.
Gerrard: 8 Pin-point header that secured our qualification.
Torres: 7 Edging closer to his peak.

Substitutions:
Dossena: 6.5 Almost conceded a penalty but also threw himself to block many shots.
Benayoun: 6.5 Failed to create another goal.
Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the result despite a few scary moment in the second half.

Marseille: 6.5 Did their best to resurrect but it was too little, too late.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Another superb European night.

Qualify

A draw tonight will mean we are qualified to the next round, and we need to do it so that Rafa can try some youngsters in the last match. Marseille was the surprised winner last year at Anfield and we need to be guarded to prevent the same to happen again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081122 vs Fulham: Chance missed

0-0 and we missed a great chance to go ahead of Chelsea on a rare day they slipped at home. With Gerrard, there is really not enough players to drive the team. The only fortunate thing is that the other title contenders also draw or lose, so at least we are not losing ground.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet and he did well at the rare occasions he was called on.
Arbeloa: 7 One of the better player of the night. Went forward as much as he could.
Carragher: 7 Solid as the captain.
Agger: 6.5 Did well in defense, but not much offered for attack during corners.
Aurelio: 6.5 A nice game.
Kuyt: 6 Had a great chance denied.
Lucas: 6 Many missed passes.
Mascherano: 6 A poor game by his standard.
Riera: 6 Form continued to dip.
Keane: 6 Great chance denied.
Torres: 7.5 The only player daring to win the game.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 7.5 Provided many accurate passes.
Babel/El Zhar: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the result. Also need to teach the team to motivate against lesser teams.

Fulham: 6.5 Came for 1 point and got what they wanted.

Man of the Match: 7.5 Getting closer to his peak.

Keep moving on the right track

Fulham has been quite strong and winning the last 2 games. However they are very poor travellers and we should put this in mind and try to get the 3 points and keep moving on the right track.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Kuyt
Alonso
Mascherano
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081115 at Bolton Wanderers: Back on the right track

2-0 and this is a nice win that bring us back on the right track. We controlled the game and apart from a scary spell in the first 15 minutes of second half there is only one leader. At the end two nice headers and the game is over.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not really tested.
Carragher: 7 Played well as debuty right back, although he did not offer much attacking.
Agger: 7 Solid display.
Hyypia: 7 At time unable to cope with the speed of Gardner, but in general he had a good game.
Aurelio: 7.5 Did well going forward with a nice assist.
Alonso: 8 Superb passing and dictated the game.
Mascherano: 7 Tackle and tackle.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored an acute header.
Gerrard: 7.5 Superb diving header.
Riera: 7 Nice display.
Keane: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7.5 Hardworking and was rewarded with a nice assist.
Lucas: 7 Should have scored from 6 yards.
Benayoun: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the way we control the game, although we cannot score a goal by foot.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Potential banana skin but did not shown up in 1H.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Playing near his peak for us.

Go back to the right track

After a dismal result at Spurs we now need to go back to the right track as soon as possible. Bolton is a difficult place to visit and we need to be patience to gradually break them through.

My Team Prediction:
Reina

Carragher
Darby
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081112 at Tottenham Hotspur: Shamble defense

2-4 and we were well beaten. Defense from both sides were shamble, and we may have a penalty denied, but in reality we really don't deserve to win this game at all.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 4 Can't be blamed on the first goal, but should have done better for the others.
Degen: 5 Should have win us a penalty.
Agger: 5.5 Poor performance.
Hyypia: 7 The only player to have shown up.
Dossena: 5 Hopeless.
El Zhar: 6.5 Had a few nice runs.
Lucas: 5.5 Sat too deep without helping attack.
Plessis: 6 Scored one but in general sat too deep as well.
Babel: 6 Two nice corners lead to two goals.
Ngog: 5.5 Run into defenders all the time.
Torres: 5.5 Still getting back from injury.

Substitutions:
Insua: 6 Offered very few to the team.
Alonso: 6.5 Installed some stability to the team.
Darby: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Would be upset about the team playing with no heart.

Tottenham Hotspur: 7.5 Have more desire to win than us, and rightly deserved the victory.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Scored one to restore us some pride.

Second string to shine

After our surprised defeat at Spurs 10 11 days ago we are now back to White Hart Lane and this is a chance for us to revenge. Rafa will only play most of the fringe players apart from Torres, and we need to be at our very best to beat Spurs the defending champion.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Degan
Agger
Hyypia
Dossena
Leiva
Plessis
Pennant
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081108 vs West Bromwich Albion: Back on the right track

3-0 and it was a comfortable win. Keane finally opens his account in the league, and Arbeloa scored another superb goal. Apart from the first 15 minutes when West Brom was keeping possession well, we were never in trouble. We always had the ball, and once Keane scored his first we were in complete control. Together with Torres back in action, we can now start another long unbeaten run.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A comfortable afternoon.
Arbeloa: 8 A very good performance ended with a supreme goal.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Agger: 7 Defended well.
Aurelio: 8 His best performance for us and involved in the first two goals.
Benayoun: 7 A lively performance.
Gerrard: 7 Not as influential, but there was not a need.
Mascherano: 7 Solid performance.
Riera: 7 Not as sharp as he first joined us.
Kuyt: 7.5 Another hard working performance.
Keane: 9 His best performance for us so far.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 A steady performance.
Torres: 6.5 A long-awaited back to action. Provided some pace to us.
Alonso: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the performance especially the rebound from the Spurs defeat.

West Bromwich Albion: 6 Credits to them for not parking the bus. However they did not offer much to guarantee at least a draw.

Man of the Match: Keane. Two superb goals.

Rebound

After an unlucky defeat at Spurs and a lucky draw vs Atletico Madrid, it is now time for us to rebound. A loss in the season is not unusual, but if we want to be Champion we need to show the world we can cope of it, and rebound to start another winning streak.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 4:0

Match Report 081104 vs Atletico Madrid: Lucky Escape

1-1 and it was a very, very lucky and close escape, as Stevie G needs to score a 95th minute penalty before we can get a draw, and the penalty was a bit debatable. We did not do well in 1H and was rightly punished. We geared up a bit in 2H but still couldn't break through, until the very last minute that the referee generously gave us a penalty.

In general the team is tired, and we missed Torres badly. Without him, we just cannot convert chances into goals, as can be seen in the last 5 matches with a single goal only.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do and can't do much for the goal conceded.
Arbeloa/Aurelio: 6.5 Did not go forward too often.
Carragher: 7 Solid defense in general.
Agger: 7.5 Had several chances to score but missed.
Alonso: 7 Dictate the pace well.
Mascherano: 7 Quiet and effective.
Kuyt: 7 Hard working as usual.
Gerrard: 7.5 His never-say-die spirit earned us a point.
Riera: 6.5 Form dipped.
Keane: 6.5 Has a great chance but was too late to shot.

Substitutions:
Babel/Ngog/Lucas: 6 Not much impact.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to address the team's lack of goals. But with Torres coming back, the situation may change.

Atletico Madrid: Did well and were a bit unlucky not to win this game. Anyway, both teams should go through to last 16.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Saved us again.

Qualification

After a disappointing weekend we now have another big game coming up. Depending on result of Marseille vs PSV, a win tonight may see us qualified, which means we can then focus on the league. Torres may be a bit early to start, but expect him to come up as a sub and get the applause from both sides of fans.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081101 at Tottenham Hotspur: Unlucky

1-2 and we suffered our first defeat of the season, and temporarily conceded the pole position. For the first 70 minutes, in particular the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, we did very well and could win by 4:0, but somehow we only scored one and then we get punished for missing so many chances. Carra scored his 3rd own goal against Spurs, and at the end a sloppy mistake by the defense let Spurs out of the lion den with 3 points.

A loss in this context is very hard to take, but over the season we will concede points here and there, and now we need to react and rebound quickly. Show the world we can win the league.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Made a few great saves but was also a bit indecisive. May have affected the defense.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A bit shaky.
Carragher: 6 Was superb until the own goal.
Agger: 6.5 Should have done better in clearing the 2nd goal conceded.
Dosenna: 6.5 Get caught off position for the 2nd goal conceded.
Alonso: 7 Did well and should have scored from a free header.
Mascherano: 7 Did his job effectively.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored a great goal and should have score more.
Gerrard: 8 Hit the woodwork twice.
Riera: 6 A bit quiet.
Keane: 6.5 Did well in 1H but level drops significantly in 2H.

Substitutions:
Babel/Benayoun: 6 Not much impact.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be gutted in losing the match, but now need to make sure we respond positively.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6.5 Would be glad they win this game. Clearly good luck is more important than good football. And if their luck continues they will avoid relegation.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Very unlucky not to score a goal and win the game.