2008/09 Season Review

Another season with no trophy nor final, but the team is definitely improving. We finished the season with 86 points which would win us the league in other seasons, and we only lose two league matches all year round. But the draws against lower teams, especially at home, were crucial. Nevertheless with the experience gained this season we will be much better equipped and we will win the league next season.

In Europe we did very well up to the last 16. In Quarter Final we drawn Chelsea again. Although we lost 1-3 at home in the first leg, we did our best to try to win the game and we almost did it. In the FA Cup we drawn our neighbor in the fourth round and it took 210 minutes to separate the two teams out. Good luck to the Toffees in the Final.

We ended the League Cup run rather early. We drawn Spur after we beat Crewe, but Spur seems to be our bogey team as we lost to them twice within November.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Cavalieri 4G 360M 6GC 1CS 0MoM 6.13
Gulacsi 2 unused substitutes
Reina 51G 4650M 38GC 25CS 3MoM 7.08

Reina is again the first choice and he almost won the Golden Glove the 4th time. Cavalieri is also reliable when he is called upon.

Defenders
Agger 26G 2087M 2GS 1A 1MoM 6.94
Arbeloa 43G 3872M 1GS 3A 0MoM 6.81
Aurelio 33G 2432M 3GS 6A 1MoM 6.98
Carragher 54G 4819M 0GS 1A 3MoM 7.05
Darby 2G 27M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.39
Degen 2G 157M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.96
Dossena 26G 1769M 2GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Hyypia 19G 1359M 2GS 0A 3MoM 7.20
Insua 13G 1060M 0GS 0A 0MoM 7.05
Kelly 1G 9M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Skrtel 30G 2681M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.91

Central defense is our strongest area with 4 top class center backs. Carra lead the bunch with the most games / minutes played and the best rating. We also have three left backs challenging for the spot and Rafa has many options. However there is not much choice for right back with Arbeloa the only viable option as Degen is injured and Darby still too young, and at times Carra needs to play there as cover. In terms of attack the defenders need to improve as there are only 10 goals scored whole season, with Aurelio leading with 3. One thing worth mentioning is that although Hyypia did not get too many games, whenever he is called upon he is giving us 100%, as can be seen in his high rating and amount of MoM.

Midfielders
Alonso 47G 3726M 4GS 6A 6MoM 7.16
Babel 42G 1639M 4GS 5A 0MoM 6.56
Benayoun 42G 2506M 9GS 6A 8.5MoM 7.15
El Zhar 19G 455M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.39
Gerrard 44G 3527M 24GS 11A 14MoM 7.61
Kuyt 51G 4340M 15GS 10A 2.5MoM 7.19
Lucas 39G 2011M 3GS 4A 1.5MoM 6.81
Mascherano 38G 3212M 0GS 2A 2MoM 7.13
Pennant 4G 247M 0GS 2A 0MoM 7.05
Plessis 5G 291M 1GS 0A 0MoM 5.92
Riera 40G 2643M 5GS 4A 0MoM 6.86
Spearing 2G 30M 0GS 0A 0MoM 7.03

Stevie G once again stands out and his 24 goals scored is really impressive. Alonso was rumored to be sold but he stayed and proof Rafa wrong with excellent performance all over the year. Kuyt excels in the right midfield position with 15 goals and 10 assists behind him. In the middle Mascherano also performed consistently as he rans all over the pitch. The most impressive revival has to be Benayoun. He scored 9 goals with 6 assists and had been the best player from February onward alongside Stevie G. Rafa will have a challenge to identity where to put him in the lineup next season.

Attackers:
Keane 28G 1780M 7GS 5A 3.5MoM 6.87
Ngog 19G 589M 3GS 1A 0MoM 6.51
Torres 38G 2789M 17GS 6A 7MoM 7.15
Voronin 1 unused substitute.

Torres is still our main striker and despite getting injured and out for a while, he still managed to score 17 goals and has now scored 50 in two seasons. Robbie Keane is a disppointed purchase but Rafa was quick to cut loss. Voronin may not have a future here, but Ngog is quite impressive and will feature more next season.

Players of the year (minimum 2505 minutes)
(1) Gerrard 7.61
(2) Kuyt 7.19
(3) Alonso 7.16
(4) Benayoun 7.147
(5) Torres 7.145
(6) Mascherano 7.13
(7) Reina 7.08
(8) Carragher 7.05
(9) Riera 6.91
(10) Skrtel 6.86
(11) Arbeloa 6.81

Team 7.01. It is a good increase above last year's average of 6.89. The team is heading towards the right direction and we need to be more consistent especially at home. We cannot afford to draw so many games at home again.

Goal conversion
We have 975 shots this season, 26 more than last year despite playing 4 less games. However we scored only 106 goals vs 119 last season. This is probably due to Torres injured for a longer time. In defense we allowed 503 shots (last year 491) but we conceded only 46 goals vs 50 last season. Once again we did better in Europe, but we may find ourselves struggled in the league especially when the other team played 9-0-1.

Match of the season
(1) 3/22/09 vs Aston Villa 8.06
(2) 10/26/08 at Chelsea 7.94
(3) 3/10/09 vs Real Madrid 7.88
(4) 3/14/09 at Manchester United 7.84
(5) 12/28/08 at Newcastle United 7.71

Worst match of the season
(1) 2/28/09 at Middlesbrough 5.64
(2) 11/12/08 at Tottenham Hotspur 5.68
(3) 8/13/08 at Standard Liege 5.90
(4) 4/8/09 vs Chelsea 6.20
(5) 4/21/09 vs Arsenal 6.40

20 years

20 years ago tonight, it was Liverpool vs Arsenal in the title decider.

At that time live football was not that frequent. We may get once a month, but since this is the title decider, TVB shown it live.

Due to the Hillsborough tragedy our fixture has been postponed. We have won the FA Cup in the week before, but the league is not over yet. We just need to avoid losing two goals or more and the double will be completed.

I was eagerly awaiting for this game. I played Nintendo games to try to get myself up, but somehow I felt asleep.

When I woke up, the game was over. I turned on the VCR and rewind, and saw the last few minute of the game.

And the rest was history.

From that game on, I swear I will not miss a live game like this, and so I will make sure I will turn the alarm. For I don't want the same to happen to me again.

May Month Report

4 wins to finish the month, but it is still not enough to take the Championship home. Nevertheless we have gained precious experience this year and next year we will be much better equipped to chase for our #19.

Player of the Month (1) Gerrard 8.01 (2) Benayoun 7.903 (3) Kuyt 7.902. Our captain scored 3 and created another 3 for the perfect month. Benayoun also scored 2 goals and give Rafa a big good headache in next season's lineup. Kuyt is also on fire, scoring 2 and created another 3 and broke his seasonal record for us.

Match Report 090524 vs Tottenham Hotspur: Thank you Sami

3-1 and Sami almost scored! It is sad to see Sami left, but he wants more minutes which unfortunately he will not get it with us. The game started as a typical end of season game with very slow place, but then Kuyt crossed the ball perfectly for Torres to score his 50th goal with us. From then on there is only one winner. Unfortunately a sloppy defending error and Reina is denied a fourth Golden Glove.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Denied a fourth Golden Glove.
Carragher: 6.5 Tiredness seems to came to him as he was very slow, and a sloppy defending lead to the goal conceded.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defending.
Agger: 7 Good defending and carried the ball forward.
Aurelio: 7 Good defending.
Alonso: 7.5 Nice passes and almost scored from midfield.
Mascherano: 7.5 Tackles from the first game till the last game of the season.
Kuyt: 7.5 Superb assist and a great shot deflected into the goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Tried very hard but could not add a goal to his account.
Benaoun: 8 Scored a nice goal and created another.
Torres: 7.5 Great header as his half-century goal.

Substitutions:
Riera: 7 Had a very chances but failed to score.
Ngog: 7 Good run out.
Hyypia: 8 Rock solid defending and was unlucky not to score.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about this performance.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6.5 Poor defending lead to the defeat.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Rafa would be thinking hard to accomodate him in the lineup.

Thanks for the service, Sami

This is Sami's farewell game and we need to win and keep a clean sheet for him. Spur still have a slim chance in going to Europe so they will be up for this game, and we need to play well to have a winning end to the season.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Thanks for the service, Sami

This is Sami's farewell game and we need to win and keep a clean sheet for him. Spur still have a slim chance in going to Europe so they will be up for this game, and we need to play well to have a winning end to the season.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090517 at West Bromwich Albion: There's always hope

2-0 and the win is not enough with the dream for title finally gone. Credits to West Brom to give us a game but at the end the difference in quality made the difference especially in defense. After all it was a comfortable win and we are very close to finish second place.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made a few great saves before we opened the account.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Going forward too much and let the defense exposed at times.
Carragher: 7 Played with heart although the fight for Arbeloa is a bit excessive.
Agger: 7 Good performance.
Insua: 7 Another impressive performance.
Mascherano: 7 Did well before he was injured.
Lucas: 8 One of his best performance for us.
Kuyt: 8 Scored a nice goal to kill off the game.
Gerrard: 8.5 Individual brilliance created the first goal.
Benayoun: 7.5 Made many impressive runs.
Torres: 6.5 A bit quiet by his standard.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 7 Good performance coming back from injury.
Babel: 7 Almost scored but shot wide.
Ngog: 7 A good run out.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted that players still have heart to fight on.

West Brom: 6 Would need to definitely improve the defense when they come back.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Scored one, created the other.

Plenty to fight for

Although the title may have settled by the time we kick the ball, there are still plenty to fight for as we still need to secure second place. A win at West Brom will send them back to Championship, so they will play the game of their life and it will be a challenge if we want to get three points.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090509 at West Ham United: We still believe

3-0 and although we won the game, the chance of winning title this season is becoming more remote now. By the time we kick the ball on Sunday at West Brom, the title may have been already settled. Nevertheless the team is now in a much better position to challenge the title next season, and we still with hope in our heart.

The match basically settled within 2 minutes with Stevie G's nice taken goal. We then keep on pressuring and then scored another two to maintain our recent trend of scoring more than 3 goals. Defense was not threatened, and the attacks were smooth. These are all good signs to us.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Rarely challenged.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Solid defending and helped created the first goal.
Carragher: 7 A rere mistake almost led to a goal conceded.
Skrtel: 7.5 Strong at the back.
Aurelio: 7 Good display.
Lucas: 7.5 Very solid in the middle.
Mascherano: 7.5 Good display back to Upton Park.
Kuyt: 7.5 Created the third goal.
Gerrard: 8.5 Scored two goals to seal the game.
Benayoun: 7.5 Unlucky not to score in his return to Upton Park, but he did help create chance for Torres for winning the penalty.
Torres: 7.5 Created the first goal and win the penalty for the second.

Substitutions:
Insua: 7 Another convincing performance.
Babel: 7.5 Scored a nice goal.
Dossena: 7 Solid when coming up.

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

West Ham United: 6.5 First goal in 2 minutes blew them off and from then on everything went wrong for them.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Still have a slim chance to become top scorer.

Go back to the top

A win at West Ham will see us go back to the top, and although it may be the last time we sit there if result runs against us, we will still need to fight hard and see what will happen. Xabi is still out and Lucas will probably be starting, and he need to build up from his fine goal last week to convince the fans.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Thank you Sami

It is a shocking news that Sami Hyypia will leave us and join Leverkusen next season.

In the last 10 years Sami has been one of our most faithful servant. He has been solid as a rock, and without him we would not be getting so many medals.

We wish Sami all the best in Germany, and hope one day he will be back as a coach. And of course, you'll never walk alone.

Match Report 090503 vs Newcastle United: Keep the pressure

3-0 and we refused to give up. With 3 games to go we really need a miracle to win the league, but we will not give up and try to win the remaining 3 games, and see if we are deserved to win the league.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not a single save to make.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Solid defending.
Carragher: 7.5 Denied Newcastle any chance to shot on target.
Agger: 7.5 Defend well and almost scored another superb goal.
Aurelio: 7.5 Solid defending and great delivery for the 3rd goal.
Alonso: 7.5 Hit the bar twice.
Mascherano: 7.5 Ran all over the pitch to win the ball.
Benayoun: 8.5 Superb performance and could have score more.
Gerrard: 7.5 Unlucky not to score.
Riera: 7 Good performance.
Kuyt: 8.5 Scored one and created another.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 Stretched the Newcastle defense.
Lucas: 7.5 Scored an easy header.
Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the team performance.

Newcastle: 5.5 They have a nice goalkeeper and honest manager, but they don't have anyone to score goal and defend well. Will relegate unless improved dramatically in the remaining 3 matches.

Men of the Match: Benayoun/Kuyt. Two constant threats.

Don't give up

Although the title dream is fading away fast, we should not give up and should keep fighting. Newcastle is in danger in relegation and will fight hard to get points, but we should have enough power to get 3 points and keep our dream alive.

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

Result 2:0