September Month Report

5 wins and 1 defeats in September see us back to top 3 in the League and into last 16 of League Cup. After a slow start in August the team is gradually picking up, with nice home performance in the league against Burnley and Hull City, together with an exciting win at West Ham. We will have some big games in October and we need to keep the momentum. The second tier players are also picking themselves up with a nice win at Leeds in the League Cup. In Europe, however, we were not as convincing with a 1-0 win at home against Debreceni an lost at Fiorentina. The margin of error is now very slim for us and 4 points are the minimum for our next two games vs Lyon.

Players of the Month (1) Benayoun 7.60 (2) Gerrard 7.49 (3) Torres 7.40. Benayoun continues with his fine form with a hat trick against Burnley and 2 assists. Stevie G once again lead by example with a superb goal vs Hull and two assists. Torres is gradually back to his best form with 5 goals scored in the month.

October prediction:
10/4 Chelsea (a) They have Cech suspended and a few injuries so we need to take our chances.
10/17 Sunderland (a) Sunderland are doing fine at home so we need to play well if we want to take 3 points home.
10/20 Lyon (h) Almost a must win game for us if we want to qualify.
10/25 Manchester United (h) The biggest game of the season, we need to be on our top for sure.
10/28 Arsenal (a) Both teams will play reserve players so it is a matter of who have a thicker squad and take the League Cup more serious.
10/31 Fulham (a) They did not do well this season so we need to take our chances.

Match Report 090929 at Fiorentina: Back to earth

0-2 and this is a very poor performance in the first half. Nobody is willing to fight and Fiorentina did well to be on top and we were defeated by two very well taken goals. The performance is much better in 2H but it was too little, too late. The next two matches vs Lyon are now crucial and we need at least 4 points if we want to have any chance to qualify.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 In general good but was unable to prevent both goals.
Johnson: 6 Not many chances to go forward.
Carragher: 7 One of the better player in defense.
Skrtel: 6.5 A flat performance.
Insua: 6.5 Not in his best form.
Aurelio: 6 Did not offer too much in the DM position.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in midfield.
Kuyt: 6 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 7.5 Lead by example but didn't do much to bring us anything.
Benayoun: 6.5 Did not offer many opportunities to the forwards.
Torres: 6.5 Failed to tear down the Fiorentina defense.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Not as impact as the previous two games.
Voronin: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be fuming with the first half performance. Now he needs to make sure we are back to normal on Sunday.

Fiorentina: 7.5 Well deserved winner and we may need to beat them at our final match to qualify.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. But he alone can't leave the team.

Italian Job

After a superb performance over the weekend we are now back to Europe, with Fiorentina our next opponent. It will be a tough game but if we win this we are probably 60% sure to qualify, so we need to take our chance and continue our good run.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Gerrard
Lucas
Benayoun
Kuyt
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090926 vs Hull City: Sensational

6-1 and it is a very good win as Torres hits his fourth hat trick for us. Apart from a minor setback that see Hull equalized we were in control of the game. The team is now in a very confident mood going into the next week when we face Chelsea at their home, especially Cech is suspended and they may have a few injuries.

Player Ratings:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Johnson: 7 Relatively quiet in the game.
Carragher: 7.5 A much better performance.
Skrtel: 7 Poor header clearance that lead to Hull's equalizer.
Insua: 7.5 A superb performance with many overlaps and successful crosses.
Benayoun: 8 Superb performance with two inch perfect passes to Torres as two assists.
Gerrard: 7.5 A bit quiet but still scored a superb goal.
Lucas: 7.5 Provided steel in the midfield.
Riera: 7.5 Two nice assists.
Torres: 9.5 Three superb goals and is hitting top form.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked hard with a superb assist that opened Babel's account.

Substitutions:
Babel: 8 Much better performance and was reward with two goals
Mascherano: 7 Solid in midfield.
Voronin: 7 Worked hard when called up.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the team performance.

Hull City: 5 Desperately need to tighten up defense if they want to survive.

Man of the Match: Torres. Hitting top form but can still improve.

Maintain the momentum

Despite not playing too well we are now in a five game winning streak. We need to keep the momentum and try to pressurize the top teams. We only managed a draw with Hull last season so this is now time to make up grounds. They are not playing too well recently, so we need to come out and try to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090922 at Leeds United: A tough win

1-0 and we have a few scares before we finally win the game. Leeds were really up to the game and did scored a goal although it was ruled offside. We did not create too many chances and fortunately Ngog's goal is enough to send us through to last 16.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7.5 A nice clean sheet kept, although he did conceded once but the goal was ruled offside.
Degen: 6 An average performance.
Carragher: 6.5 Surprised player on the pitch but he did lead by example.
Kyriakos: 6.5 A bit slow when facing fast forwards.
Dossena: 6.5 Didn't do much going forward.
Mascherano: 8 Did very well and assisted the goal.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did well in his first start from injury.
Babel: 7 Lively performance.
Spearing: 7 Good performance and will be challenging for first team place.
Riera: 7 Almost scored from a header.
Ngog: 7.5 Well taken goal that bring us through.

Substitutions:
Johnson: 7 Solid in defending.
Gerrard: 7 Provided more steel in midfield when needed.
Skrtel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be glad to be able to rest most players and get a result, but we need to improve our performance.

Leeds United: 6.5 May consider them unlucky not to win the match, but at the end the difference in quality counts.

Man of the Match: Mascherano: Heartbeat of the team.

Reserve to shine

League Cup is a good opportunity to give the reserve players a chance to show what they can do, and tonight at Elland Road will be another such opportunity. Leeds was once a big team and so they would be eager to let the world know they are still capable, so we need to be ready and alert if we want to go through.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Degen
Agger
Kyrgiakos
Aurelio
Spearing
Lucas
Voronin
Babel
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 090921 at West Ham United: Thank God Torres is a Red

3-2 and once again Torres rescued us. Defense was shaky today especially during first half, as we just can't hold out the speed of Hines. But with Torres you have hope, and he saved us from losing ground when all other Big 4 all won. At the end getting 3 points is more important, but we need to improve our performance especially in defense.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a few great saves.
Johnson: 7 Good going forward but sometimes at the expense of the defense. May be exposed when facing stronger opponents.
Carragher: 5.5 A very poor performance and could not cope with the speed of Hines.
Skrtel: 6 Did not have a good game.
Insua: 7 A good performance capped with a nice assist to Torres.
Mascherano: 7 A solid game in his return to Upton Park.
Lucas: 7.5 Did well in the midfield.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored another goal and was always hard working.
Gerrard: 7 A good header that lead to the 2nd goal.
Benayoun: 7 Have a few nice runs and almost scored.
Torres: 8.5 Above all the players with two great goals.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 Superb assist although contributed almost nothing other than that.
Aurelio: 6.5 Provided some much needed defensive strength.
Riera: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted with the fighting spirit but need to sort out the defensive problems especially during set-pieces.

West Ham United: 7 A team on the rising and will be difficult to beat.

Man of the Match: Torres. Keep scoring and we will win.

Keep gear up

After an unconvincing win in Europe it is now back to our bread and butter. West Ham had a bad spell recently but they are strong at home. So we need to gear up if we want bring the three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090916 vs Debreceni VSC: 3 points are most important

1-0 and it was an unconvincing display, but at the end it is the 3 points in the pocket that matters. We basically controlled the game with many goal attempts, but at the end our finishing was not too good and we only managed to score 1 goal before half time. With the 3 points in hand we will approach the next game in more confidence and we know that with another win we will be 60% through the group stage.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few good saves before we finally score.
Johnson: 7 Did well going forward but was caught once carelessness.
Carragher: 7 Lead the defensive line well.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defending.
Insua: 7 Getting more mature.
Benayoun: 7.5 Very sharp.
Gerrard: 7.5 Tried very hard but was unlucky not to score.
Lucas: 6.5 A bit rusty especially in tackling.
Riera: 7 Missed a few consecutive chances.
Kuyt: 8 Scored another tap in.
Torres: 6.5 Another below par game.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Not much contribution.
Maschernao/Aurelio: 6.5 Good to see them back from injury.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the result but certainly need to improve the team display.

Debreceni: 6 Did not offer much to get any point from the game. Would be struggling in the group.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. Showed he can be a good striker when played upfront.

Kick off in Europe

After 5 league games it is now time to negotiate in Europe. We have not played a Hungarian team for many years, and Debreceni will be an unknown to most of the fans. But Rafa and his staff have done lots of homeworks and they will provide the most suitable lineup and strategy for the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090912 vs Burnley: Super Yossi

4-0 and this is a brilliant effort by Benayoun. He scored three and helped created another, and could easily score a double hat trick. Apart from a few early scares we are in total control of the game. And as long as we are ahead the game is basically over. Players are full of confidence and we play well in the 4-4-2 formation. Maybe Rafa should consider to play more 4-4-2 when we are at home.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not much to do.
Johnson: 7 A good performance and created the first goal.
Carragher: 7 Gradually play better.
Skrtel: 7 Composing performance.
Insua: 7 Another good performance.
Benayoun: 9 Easily his best performance for us.
Gerrard: 8 Did the midfield role well and were unlucky not to score a few goals.
Lucas: 8 Assured performance in DM.
Riera: 6.5 A bit quiet.
Kuyt: 8 Quick response and scored a fast break goal.
Torres: 6.5 Very quiet.

Substitutions:
Degen: 6.5 A good league debut.
Voronin: 7.5 Did well as a supporting forward, but missed a sitter.
Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would have few things to complain in this performance.

Burnley: 6.5 Credits to Burnley in not parking the bus. They would survive if performing like this week in week out, but certainly need to try getting points away from home.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Should have score 3 more at least.

Gear up

After two weeks of meaningless Internationals we are finally back to the league. Burnley proves to be a dark horse and had beaten Man United and Everton already, and they are a good counter attack team. We need to be patient and alert in order to get the 3 points.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Benayoun
Gerrard
Lucas
Riera
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0