March Month Report

3 wins and 3 losses in March and we are in the quarter final of Europa League but lost some ground in the race for fourth place. We lost one match in the Europa League, but we turned around in the second leg. For the league, the two defeats, especially at Wigan, could be costly as we are now 4 points behind Spurs with one more game played. April would be crucial as we have a relatively easier run-in, but we really need to win all remaining league games now.

Players of the Month (1) Torres 7.23 (2) Babel 7.21 (3) Reina 7.13. Torres is back to his best with 7 goals in his last 4 games. Babel finally comes good with 1 goal scored and another assist created. And Reina have been doing very well all year round, and also had an assist and a penalty saved under his name in March.

April Prediction:
4/1 Benfica (a) A tough away game that we need to score an away goal.
4/4 Birmingham City (a) The toughest away game remaining, and we need to play well.
4/8 Benfica (h) Edging pass Benfica and we will see a Spanish reunion.
4/11 Fulham (h) Potential rehearsal of Europa League Final, we need to beat them to amend the first half defeat.
4/19 West Ham United (h) West Ham will be fighting for their survival so we need to keep attacking from the first minute.
4/22 Atletico Madrid/Valencia (a) Rafa/Torres will be re-uniting with old friends and we need to get a result there.
4/24 Burnley (a) Burnley is in trouble but we need to show no mercy to them.
4/29 Atletico Madrid/Valencia (h) A win will bring us another European final.

Match Report 100328 vs Sunderland: This is how it should be done

3-0 and it is a very impressive performance, especially the first half. From the first minute we pressure on Sunderland and keep attacking, and it only takes 3 minutes before Torres scored a beauty that kick start the game. From then on it is one way traffic, and we even have the luxury in resting both Torres and Gerrard. The 442 formation really works well and we should try to use it more often in the remaining matches, especially at home.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Nice assist and a superb save to deny Zenden a consolation goal.
Johnson: 8 Scored one and created another.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back as usual.
Agger: 7.5 Very close in scoring his first goal of the season.
Insua: 7.5 Very impressive link up with Babel.
Maxi: 7.5 Very good performance.
Gerrard: 7.5 Good display moving back into central midfield.
Mascherano: 7.5 Solid in destroying any Sunderland opportunity.
Babel: 7.5 Selfless teamwork performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked tirelessly for the team.
Torres: 8 Scored a beauty and an easy goal.

Substitutions:
Aquilani: 7 Neat performance after coming up.
Ngog: 7 Missed a sitter.
El Zhar: 7 Nice display.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the way we roll forward.

Sunderland: 5.5 Completely out classed.

Men of the Match: Johnson/Torres. Goals bring us 3 points home.

7 Finals

After a disappointing weekend our fate is now not in our hands. But there are still many games to come and other teams will lose points. So we need to treat the last 7 games as finals and win all of them. We lost to Sunderland not just by a beach ball but also poor performance, so we need to raise our game this time in order to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Aquilani
Mascherano
Babel
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

7 Finals

After a disappointing weekend our fate is now not in our hands. But there are still many games to come and other teams will lose points. So we need to treat the last 7 games as finals and win all of them. We lost to Sunderland not just by a beach ball but also poor performance, so we need to raise our game this time in order to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Aquilani
Mascherano
Babel
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100321 at Manchester United: Road is more difficult

1-2 and we make the road to fourth place more difficult with this defeat. To be honest, we did not do enough to win the game. We let them run the show and we did not create enough chances to try to win the game. With 7 games left we now need the other teams to lose points if we want to keep the top four spot.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well to save a Rooney penalty but could do nothing about the two goals conceded.
Johnson: 6 Unable to move forward to support attack, and was guilty of losing Park in the goal conceded.
Carragher: 7.5 Very solid at the back and lead by example.
Agger: 6.5 Solid in defending but his long range shot let us down.
Insua: 6 Was having many trouble in containing Valencia.
Lucas: 6 An average game.
Mascherano: 6.5 Played with big heart but were unlucky to have deemed to concede the penalty.
Kuyt: 6.5 Did not do much apart from the superb assist.
Gerrard: 5.5 Apart from a perfect pass to Kuyt that lead to our goal, basically do nothing in the game.
Maxi: 6 Unable to do anything meaningful.
Torres: 7 Scored a perfect header but then there were no service provided to him.

Substitutions:
Aquilani: 6 Did not do much in the tight midfield.
Babel: 6 Could not make many meaningful forward runs.
Benayoun; 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the lack of response from the team. Can he motivate the team to finish high with the remaining 7 games?

Manchester United: 7 Can the Gunner stop them please?

Man of the Match: Carragher. Should be our captain.

Make it four

Away at Old Trafford is always the toughest game of the season, but we have beat them 3 games in a row. With the birthday boy Torres getting back to top form we are in a good position to make it 4 in a row. But we need to start scoring away.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100318 vs Lille: Through

3-0 and we come back from the one goal deficit in the first leg to go through to last 8 of Europa League. From the start we were determined to win the game and an early penalty equalized the game. An early goal from Torres in the second half put us in the lead, but it was not until the final minute that Torres score another one that really secure the victory. We draw Benfica in the last 8, it will be difficult but we can beat them if we perform well.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Solid at the back.
Johnson: 7.5 Lively performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the defensive unit with example.
Agger: 7.5 Headed many balls away.
Insua: 7.5 Dedicated performance.
Lucas: 7.5 Made many good forward funs.
Mascherano: 7.5 Dedicated in midfield.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 7.5 Early penalty to ease off pressure.
Babel: 7.5 Another good performance.
Torres: 8 Two goals in 2H to seal the victory.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Getting close to match fit.
Kyrgiakos/Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the team performance. Keep it up for the rest of the season!

Lille: 6.5 Did not do much to warrant anything from the game.

Man of the Match: Torres. Hit top condition at the right time.

Turn it around

With 0-1 down after first legs anything but a win will mean we are out of the Europa League. Confidence is growing after the Pompey win, so we need to continue the run and try to turn it around.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100315 vs Portsmouth: Fluid performance

4-1 and this is a very fluid team performance. Torres and Aquilani shines in this game and it was almost perfect if we have not conceded a late goal. The victory turned the mood of the team and we are still chasing the vital fourth place.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not much to do but still have a superb one hand save.
Johnson: 7.5 A very good performance with lots of support to the attack.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back and also supported attack.
Agger; 7 Neat and tidy.
Insua: 7.5 An improved performance with lots of running ups and downs.
Mascherano: 7.5 Controlled the midfield with ease.
Maxi: 7.5 A very good performance with an assist.
Gerrard: 7 Tried very hard and was lucky not to be sent off with that elbow.
Aquilani: 8 One goal one assist and played very well in this forward role.
Babel: 7.5 Lots of forward runs and willing to support defending, and was rewarded with a nicely taken goal.
Torres: 8 Superb performance and involved in all four goals.

Substitutions:
Kelly: 7 Neatly performance on his league debut.
Benayoun/Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about this attacking lineup. Should use a similar formation against Lille if we want to qualify.

Portsmouth: 6 Destined to be relegated but hope they can still have a fight till the end.

Man of the Match: Aquilani/Torres. Great attacking performances.

Time is running out

With two of the three Top 4 chasers losing points we need to win tonight to restart the momentum. Pompey beat us at their home so it will not be an easy game tonight, especially we have yet to win on Monday. And we need to raise our game before it is too late.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100312 at Lille: How many wake up calls do we need?

0-1 and we lose again. We played for a draw but at the end a nicely taken free kick conceded us to a second successive defeat. We still can quality with one goal down going into Anfield, but how can we escape from this abyss?

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Keep the embarrassment to a minimum.
Johnson: 6 Not doing much to help the attack.
Carragher: 6 Was lucky not to concede a penalty.
Agger: 6.5 Solid at the back.
Insua: 6 Not much contribution.
Mascherano: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Lucas: 6 Barely seen.
Kuyt: 6 Very tired and was largely anonymous.
Gerrard: 6 Not interested in the game with many miss passes.
Babel: 6.5 Had a few great chances but failed to take any of them.
Torres: 6 Had a nice header saved.

Substitutions:
Riera: 6 Not much contribution.
El Zhar: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Need to sort it out now!

Lille: 6.5 Would be delighted to go to Anfield with a goal on hand, but we can still quality.

Man of the Match: Reina. Only player ready to fight for the team.

Wake up

It is clear that the team is not right and our performance is thus affected. Lille will fancy their chance of getting something from the game, so we need to forget our misery and focus in the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Aquilani
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100308 at Wigan Athletic: Time is running out

0-1 and this is yet another toothless performance away from home. Despite the importance of the remaining games we did not do much to get anything from the game, especially during first half. The result put us in an awful position with 9 games to go, and there is now very small margin of error.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Was helpful on the goal conceded.
Mascherano: 7 Solid both at right back and midfield.
Carragher: 6.5 Even Carra was awful in this game.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Solid in air.
Insua: 6 Was exposed a few times.
Maxi: 6 Did not do much in the game.
Gerrard: 6 Very indecisive.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in the middle and willing to fight.
Benayoun: 6.5 Made a few great runs in the game.
Kuyt: 6 Error backpass lead to goal conceded.
Torres: 6.5 Had many chances but couldn't take any of them.

Substitutions:
Johnson: 6 Still recovering from injury.
Aquilani: 6 Still adapting to Premier League.
Babel: 6.5 Tried very hard but could not help to get the equalizer.

Rafa: 6 Would be very disappointed about the performance in 1H. Time is running out, need to start scoring goals away and win on Monday as soon as possible.

Wigan Athletic: 7 Truly deserved to win the game with their solid defending.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Our only player fighting for the game.

Break another duck

It is strange that after almost 6 seasons under Rafa we have yet to win on a Monday night. We have 3 Money night games coming up so we better start the winning habit. With Gerrard back in form and Torres coming back, we will start scoring goals away from home. Wigan has not win in many games so it is a good chance for us to win.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

February Month Report

4W1D1L and we are still in fight of the top four spot and in the last 16 of Europa League. We started the monthly brightly with a convincing win vs Everton with 10 men. However we were unjustly denied at least a point at Arsenal, and drawn a very tactical game at Manchester City. In between we beat Unirea Urziceni home and away into the last 16 of Europa League, and we ended the month on a high with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in a very physical match.

Players of the Month (1) Mascherano 7.40 (2) Reina 7.25 (3) Gerrard 7.00. Mascherano was at his top form throughout the month and even scored at Unirea Urziceni. Reina was also superb at the goal and kept 3 clean sheets and made many saves. Gerrard is also getting back to his top form with 2 goals scored and 1 assists.

March Prediction:
3/8 Wigan Athletic (a) This is another must win game if we want to get the fourth place.
3/11 Lille (a) Lille will be our opponent in the Europa League and we need to get a result at their stadium.
3/15 Portsmouth (h) We did poorly and lost 0-2 at their home so this time we need to win no matter what.
3/18 Lille (h) If we want to qualify this is a game we need to win.
3/21 Manchester United (a) Toughest match of the season and we need to be in top form to beat them again.
3/28 Sunderland (h) We were unjustly defeated by the balloon and we need to perform well to win this game.

Match Report 100228 vs Blackburn Rovers: We survived the bombing

2-1 and we win in this very physical game. Why Blackburn finish the match with 11 men is a question we need to ask the referee. Rafa expected a very physical game so he put Mascherano at right back and the result is very satisfactory. Gerrard and Torres are getting close to their top level and one goal from each of them proved to be the difference.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made many world class saves.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb display at right back.
Carragher: 6.5 Unlucky to concede a penalty, and was a bit shaky afterward.
Agger: 7 Solid at the back.
Aurelio: 6.5 Injured again...
Maxi: 7.5 Getting adapted to Premier League pacing with a superb assist for the winning goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Getting closer to top fitness with a superb goal that took the lead.
Lucas: 6.5 Doing the defensive work well in general.
Benayoun: 7 Superb assists to Gerrard but gave away the ball cheaply that lead to the Carra penalty.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard all over the pitch.
Torres: 7.5 Very dangerous throughout the game and scored the winning goal.

Substitutions:
Insua: 6.5 Did well when called upon.
Babel/Ngog: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the team display in general.

Blackburn Rovers: 6.5 Tried very hard to get something from the game but the lack of goalscorer is the key.

Man of the Match: Reina. Keeping the team in the fight for fourth place.