Extend the lead

With us playing before Chelsea and Man United it is a perfect chance to exert more pressure to them if we win the game. Newcastle at home will be tough to beat, but with the team warmed up for the first half, we have the mentality and ability to crush them on our way to glory.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Agger
Hyypia
Insua
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

2008/09 Mid Term Report

All is well in the first half. We played 29 games in the first half with 18 wins, 9 draws and 2 defeats. In the league we have 12 wins, 6 draws and 1 defeats with 42 points and are sitting on top of the league, 1 point ahead of Chelsea. This is much better than the same period last time (P19 W10 D7 L2 with 37 points). We did very well against the other big 4 with 2 wins and 1 draw, but 4 draws at home (3 of them were 0-0 against lower teams) means we cannot extend our lead even more. In the Champions League we qualified with style and will now play Real Madrid, which is a great game for everybody.

Departmental Comments:
Goalkeeper
Reina is as best as usual with 14 clean sheets in 27 games, but Cavalieri is yet to show he can be a decent challenger yet.

Defender
Carragher is doing extremely well in both center back and right back. In the start of the season it was Skrtel who clinched to the other center back position, but once he is injured Agger just slotted in smoothly. Although Hyypia did not get into the Champions League lineup due to the rule of domestic players, he is as reliable as ever when called up in the league and cup games. On the side, Arbeloa is having his best season with us and kept the right back position his own, but on the left Aurelio did well until he was injured, and Dossena is still adapting to the pace of Premier League. But Insua is showing signs he is ready to challenge the position as well.

Midfielder
Gerrard is driving the team forward as usual with many wonderful performances and is our leading scorer. With the transfer saga in pre-season finally over, Alonso is determined to prove he is worth a place in the team and is now back to his very best. Mascherano and Lucas are also playing well in the midfield. On the wings Kuyt is becoming a very good winger, and Benayoun always do well when called upon. El Zhar is also maturing very quickly and is one of the surprised package of the first half. On the left side with Riera joining us we finally have a good left winger who is constantly providing deadly crosses and scoring goals. Howver, Babel is not playing well and as a result he is not getting as many games as he wish.

Attacker
Torres had been sidelined twice in the first half but still managed to score 5 goals, although he is yet to score at Anfield this season. Kuyt is having a great season and had scored many important goals. Despite having a slow start as usual, Keane is showing signs of adapting into the team and had played much better recently. Ngog is yet to show signs to challenge in this department, but his time will come.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Cavalieri: 3G 270M 6GC 0CS 0MoM 5.83
Gulacsi: 2 unused substitutes
Reina: 26G 2370M 16GC 14CS 2MoM 7.13

Defenders
Agger: 15G 1350M 1GS 1A 1MoM 6.83
Arbeloa: 25G 2241M 1GS 1A 0MoM 6.75
Aurelio: 15G 1022M 0GS 3A 0MoM 7.03
Carragher: 28G 2468M 1GS 0A 1MoM 6.97
Darby: 2G 27M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.39
Degen: 2G 157M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.96
Dosenna: 16G 1298M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.34
Hyypia: 12G 813M 1GS 0A 2MoM 7.22
Insua: 5G 394M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.91
Kelly: 1G 9M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50

Midfielders
Alonso: 26G 2096M 2GS 2A 5MoM 7.13
Babel: 20G 820M 2GS 3A 0MoM 6.59
Benayoun: 21G 1044M 1GS 2A 0MoM 6.65
El Zhar: 12G 334M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.63
Gerrard: 24G 1969M 11GS 5A 7MoM 7.57
Kuyt: 26G 2250M 7GS 5A 1MoM 7.15
Lucas: 18G 805M 1GS 2A 1.5MoM 6.69
Mascherano: 15G 1279M 0GS 0A 2MoM 7.03
Pennant: 4G 247M 0GS 2A 0MoM 7.05
Riera: 22G 1480M 3GS 1A 0MoM 6.88
Spearing: 1G 14M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50

Attackers:
Keane: 25G 1634M 7GS 5A 3.5MoM 6.93
Ngog: 8G 365M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.33
Torres: 16G 1153M 5GS 2A 3MoM 7.04
Voronin: 1 unused substitute

Players of 1st half season (1848 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.57
(2) Kuyt 7.15
(3) Alonso 7.13
(4) Reina 7.13
(5) Carragher 6.97

Team: 6.94. The team scoring is actually 0.01 lower than last season but we get more points. This is probably due to more consistency within the team. We did not score enough goals but our defense is solid enough to earn us points. With Torres coming back and Keane starts to score goal with fun, we should be able to score more goals in the second half of the season. As usual we have lots of possessions and shoting chances, but we can still improve especially at home. We need to find ways to break through the stubborn defense of the opponents.

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-5th place teams (Chelsea H, Manchester United A, Aston Villa H, Arsenal H) 3W1D
6th-10th place teams (Everton H, Hull City A, Fulham A, Wigan Athletic A) 3W1D
11th-15th place teams (Portsmouth A, Newcastle United H/A, West Ham United A, Sunderland H, Manchester City H) 5W1D
16th-20th place teams (Tottenham Hotspur H, Middlesbrough A, Stoke City A, Blackburn Rovers H, West Bromwich Albion A) 5W

Total for 2H 16W3D 51 points
Total for the season 93 points

With 93 points we will win the league .

In FA Cup, Preston North Point will be a tough challenge for the team, but we should be able to pass through and have a good cup run In Champions League, Real Madrid will be tough to beat, but we will be feared in Europe. However the priority is the League no doubt.

Match Report 081226 vs Bolton Wanderers: Keane on fire

3-0 and Keane finally getting back to his best. We were in control of the game and we need to play like this more often. With Torres also edging back to the first team our second half performance should be better.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not really tested and shown his great vision in creating the 3rd goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Did well as the make-shift right back and almost scored a great goal.
Agger: 7.5 Solid performance.
Hyypia: 7.5 As reliable as ever.
Insua: 7.5 Going to take the left back position as his own.
Benayoun: 7.5 Always threatening.
Gerrard: 7.5 Created two goals.
Alonso: 7.5 Great vision in passing the ball.
Riera: 7.5 A great goal to open the floodgate.
Keane: 8 Two great goals to boast his performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Another hard working performance.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 7 Provided width to the team.
Lucas/Ngog: 7 Did well when called upon.

Sammy: 7.5 Would be delighted about this performance.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Did not do anything to guarantee any return.

Man of the Match: Keane. Did much better in 2nd half as usual.

On top on Christmas Day

It is a good feeling to sit on the top on Christmas day, but we still need to fight till the end to win the league. It is Bolton again, and we need to find ways to crack the stubborn defenses of the opponents and start winning at home again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 081221 at Arsenal: We missed the chance to extend the lead

1-1 and we failed to extend our lead to four points. In truth a draw at Arsenal is not a bad result, and it is only December, but still another draw, especially with a man's advantage, it is slightly disappointing.

Credits to Arsenal, as they were very determined to get something from the game, and their goal is unstoppable. And we did not show enough determination to win the game, so at the end a draw is not a bad result.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Can't do much on the goal conceded, and not much else to do.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A bit over react on getting Adebayor sent off.
Carragher: 6.5 At times finding it difficult to mark Adebayor and van Persie, but in general he was solid as usual.
Agger: 7 Provided a nice pass to Keane's goal, and almost scored in the last minute.
Insua: 7 Impressive performance by the young Argentinian.
Alonso: 7.5 A very good performance and shown us why Wenger wanted to get him.
Lucas: 7 A determined game, always tackle to win the ball.
Kuyt: 7 Had a few great chance but could not score.
Gerrard: 7 Missed a great chance at the end of the first half.
Riera: 6.5 Found it difficult to get pass the Arsenal defense.
Keane: 7 A superb volley to earn us a point.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Very poor performance.
El Zhar: 6.5 Had a nice header just off the post.
Ngog: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Sammi Lee: 6.5 Had the hot seat with Rafa on sick leave, but still Rafa was in full control. Would be disappointed not to win the game.

Arsenal: 6.5 Apart from the goal they did not have too many clear cut chances. Playing beautiful does not earn you any point, and with Fabregas out for injury, they have a high wall to climb.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Many lovely passes.

Break another duck

We have yet to win at Emirates Stadium and this game will give us another chance to do so. Arsenal will be up for this game in order to maintain a shout in the title race and keep up with Villa, we will not have Torres, but still the remaining players will have enough power to win the game.

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 081213 vs Hull City: Missed opportunity

2-2 and after the results of the weekend, we found ourselves missed another opportunity to extend our lead to 4 points.

We started great but gradually Hull was back into the game. From two set pieces we found ourselves two goals down, but fortunately we have Stevie G once again saved the day. We try hard to bomber Hull, but at the end it was another two points dropped.

A big talking point is that Rafa did not play Robbie Keane. While this is a questionable move but as a team we win together and lose together. The manager has his thinking of using or not using a certain player, and there is no point to complain. After all, we are Liverpool and we are a great team with great togetherness.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Should have done better in saving the second goal.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A steady performance.
Carragher: 5 Argued with the referee and let Hull had a fast break that lead to the second goal. Was unfortunate for the own goal, but he should be more attention in the free kick in the first place.
Hyypia: 7 Did well and almost scored from corner.
Dossena: 5.5 Could not cope with the pace of Mendy, although he did well in crossing the ball into the penalty area.
Alonso: 6.5 Did well but couldn't score the winner.
Mascherano: 6.5 Should have provide more protection to the back 4.
Benayoun: 6.5 Always dangerous but was a bit indecisive in front of the goal.
Gerrard: 8 Two great goal to give us one point.
Riera: 6.5 Form gradually getting back.
Kuyt: 7 Hard working but did not score.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6 Provide more width to the team.
Babel/Lucas: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to sort out the problem of not winning at home.

Hull City: 7 Credits to Hull, they came here not feared and deserved to take a point home.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Saved the day again.

Extend our lead

With Chelski playing on Sunday this is a perfect time to extend our lead to 4 points to exert some pressure on them. Hull has been the surprised team in this season and we need to be very careful to avoid another setback, but with the big guns rested, we should be ready for the challenge.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 081209 at PSV Eindhoven: Job done from team B

3-1 and it was a job well done by our team B. It was particular encouraging to see three local young lads came through the rank and played in this game. Once again Keane did not score but his performance was really good and unselfish. We now finish top and will have the second game of next round played at Anfield, which is good.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7 Did well in the game.
Arbeloa: 7 Consistent display and were unlucky to get a yellow card.
Carragher: 7 Solid as ever.
Agger: 7 Another nice display.
Dossena: 7 Grafually gelled into the team.
Babel: 7 Scored a nice header and did much better.
Lucas: 7.5 A very good performance with a superb assist from free kick.
Mascherano: 7 Composed and was rewarded with the captain armband when Carra is rested.
Riera: 7 Scored a beauty from far range.
Ngog: 7 In general wasteful, but at the end benefited from Keane's superb pass.
Keane: 7 Unselfish act and helped teammates to score.

Substitutions:
Darby/Kelly/Spearing: 6.5 Very encouraging to see three local lads come through the rank.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the performance in general.

PSV Eindhoven: 6 Tried very hard but at the end the gap of class tells the difference.

Man of the Match: Lucas. Repaid the faith from Rafa.

Fight for the top spot

Although we are qualified for the next round we still should try to top the league, for we can then have the second leg played at home. PSV is also fighting for pride and third place, and Rafa will rest some players, but we still have enough power to take the game. Especially Keane should proof himself and play well.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Benayoun
Mascherano
Lucas
Riera
Babel
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081206 at Blackburn Rovers: Patience pays

3-1 and we won the game thanks to the patience of the players. Blackburn was defended very well in the first hour and it was not until Xabi's excellent placing that opened the gap that we created more chances and won the game. It was a tough game but at the end the win was justified.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Superb one hand save in 1H. Was let down by the defenders in conceding that soft goal.
Arbeloa: 7 Another good performance and superb climb to celebrate the Xabi goal.
Carragher: 7 Superb as usual.
Hyypia: 7.5 Shown he can be relied on when required.
Insua: 7 A good performance despite somewhat losing attention for the goal conceded.
Alonso: 8 Determined to win the game.
Mascherano: 7 Solid performance.
Benayoun: 7.5 Nice performance and was rewarded with a nice individual goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Created the first goal and finished the last goal.
Babel: 5.5 Disappointing especially for the handball.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked very hard and created two goals.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 7.5 Came up and changed the game.
Lucas: 7 Not enough time to impress.
Riera: 7 Unselfish and assisted Stevie G the goal.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the way we played and scored the goal, although he will be upset about the way we conceded the goal.

Blackburn Rovers: 6.5 Defended well for 60 minutes but at the end the result is justified.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Lifted us from another bored draw.

Above us only sky

We are now at the top of the table, and above us only sky. As King Kenny said, we need to enjoy ourselves and result will get in. We are up where we belong, and we will get results along the way, with old boys like Fowler, Ince and Warnock cheering for us.

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 081201 vs West Ham United: Top of the league

0-0 is enough to bring us to the top of the league, although we should have won the game. We were in control from beginning to end, if not for some dubious referee decision of not giving out handball and for West Ham's superb defense, we should have 3 points in our bag. Anyway it is only December and we still have a long way to go. We need to keep getting results and when May comes, we will be the Champions.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Superb performance as usual.
Arbeloa: 7 An assured performance.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Hyypia: 7.5 Superb on both ends of the ground.
Dossena: 7 Played with more confidence.
Benayoun: 7 Had a golden chance denied.
Gerrard: 7 Didn't have the major touch this time.
Alonso: 7 Solid display.
Riera: 6.5 Not as effective as he should be.
Kuyt: 7 Did well but couldn't break the wall.
Keane: 6 Need to improve as soon as possible.

Substitutions:
Ngog/Babel: 6 Didn't do much to change the game.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to find ways to break down the opponent defense especially at home.

West Ham United: 7 Solid defense.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Always there when called upon.

To the top

With Chelsea losing a win will mean we will be 3 points ahead again. West Ham does not have a good season and if we play well we will beat them.

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

Result 2:0