August Month Report

We lost our first game in August. Fortunately this is a game that we can afford to lose and it serves as a timely reminder to the player.

We continued our quest for getting into Champions League group stage and at the end of the mounth we were there. Although our Group seems to be quite strong with Chelsea, Anderlecht and Real Betis, we always survive in this kind of strong group so I am cautiously confident that we will go through the group stage. The league has also started, and we started it reasonably well with 1 win and 1 draw from 2 games, although the lack of goal seems to be a worrying sign. Baros has gone, and it is now getting more likely that Owen will be back. But I hope this does not mean Cisse will be forced out. He is such a great guy and is whole hearted to the benefit of the team, unlike that ex-player... And we finish the month on the high with Captain Carragher proudly lifted the UEFA Super Cup for us, with a great contribution from Cisse who scored 2 and assisted Luis Garcia's other goal to lead us from trailing 0-1 to winning 3-1.

Men of the Month: (1) Gerrard 7.63 (2) Cisse 7.08 (3) Alonso 7.00. Once again Gerrard was the engine for us and he fully derseve to be MVP for last year's CL. Cisse scored 4 goals in the month and we all want him to stay. Alonso as usual provided some intelligent passes and he scored a great free kick to win the Sunderland game for us.

September Prediction:
9/10 Tottenham Hotspur (A): Could be a tough game as Spurs played quite well this season.
9/13 Real Betis (A): Another tough game, but Rafa will know them very well and find a way to win it.
9/18 Manchester United (H): Their early dash this season will end here.
9/24 Birmingham City (A): A game we should be able to win.
9/28 Chelsea (H): The first of the double header vs Chelsea. Although this is an European game but this is in the Group Stage so I guess both team will treat this as a league game. But we can win it.

Match Report 050826 vs CSKA Moscow: Super Sub!

3-1 and Cisse single handed won us the cup with his 2 goals and 1 assist. I hope this will convince Rafa to keep him with us - at least as a super sub but I would say he should start.

We were dominating the game but cannot score any goal. Luis Garcia, started as a second striker behind Nando, could have scored a hat trick. A lack of concentration by the defenders saw CSKA take an underseved lead at HT.

2H was more or less the same story, with us dominating but can't score. Even the introduction of Sinama-Pongolle, which moved Luis Garcia back to right midfield, made no big difference. As the clock clicked Rafa finally introduced Cisse in the 79th minute.

Cisse immediately made an impact and scored a goal from a poor CSKA defense clearance and brough the game into extra time. And he promptly scored another goal before 1H ET from a good Luis Garcia cross. After the short break he assisted Luis Garcia and the game is wrapped up.

As Captain Carra proudly lift the cup, he credited Cisse that is was him who won us the cup, and we all want him stay. Even if Owen did return it should not be in the expense of this great lad.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 No much to do.
Josemi: 7 One of the better defender of the night.
Carragher: 7 Not too spectacular, but fully deserved to lift the trophy for us.
Hyypia: 7.5 A good display despite as time his slowness cause us problem.
Riise: 6.5 Midfield is now his better position and he was rightly substituted.
Finnan: 6 Started at right midfield and this is definitely not his best position.
Alonso: 6.5 Not as influential as he should be.
Hamann: 7.5 A typical Didi display.
Zenden: 7 Had a good game, even did well at left back when Riise was off.
Luis Garcia: 7 Could have score more, and he definitely need to improve his shoting skills.
Morientes: 6 Another dull performance. He needs improvement right away!

Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 His lack of match fitness is obvious.
Sissoko: 6.5 Another good display by the young and energetic man.
Cisse: 8 Super Sub! I wish this can convince Rafa to let him stay.

CSKA Moscow: 6 It would be a steal if they won the trophy, but the scoreline is a bit flattered us.

Rafa: 7 Maybe his timing of introducing Cisse was inch perfect. A derseved victory.

Man of the Match: Cisse. We need more of this kind of performance!

Carra to lift the trophy tonight

European Super Cup may just be a larger scale Community Shield, but as Rafa said a big club like Liverpool is formed to win trophy, so we will treat this game seriously. I think Stevie G won't mind to take a break (at most at a sub) and let his mate Carra to lift the cup as Liverpool captain?

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Sissoko
Hamann
Cisse
Alonso
Zenden
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050823 vs CSKA Sofia: We finally reach there

0-1 and despite we lost our first (of not many) game of the season, we still qualify for the Group Stage. We do have lots of chances but can never realize. With Baros gone and Owen may be coming, it will be an interesting week.

The plus side of the game is that Sissoko performed another great performance and it is nice to see Sinama-Pongolle back to the first team. Also, Le Tallec scored on his debut for his loan spell in Sunderland.

Player Rating:
Carson: 6.5 No chance for the goal, but did make an important tackle to maintain the score at 0-1 and pulled a few saves.
Finnan: 6.5 Another steady performance.
Josemi: 6.5 A surprised start at center back and did OK.
Hyypia: 6.5 Not really tested and not much chance to attack from set pieces.
Warnock: 6 A flat performance. Left back is also another problematic area although Rafa didn't say.
Potter: 6 Not a good performance at all and was rightly substituted in HT.
Sissoko: 7 A good performance both in terms of defending and moving up front. Have a goal denied by the post during injury time.
Hamann: 6.5 Typical Didi performance.
Riise: 7 He played very well in midfield and had a few nice free kicks. But performance seems to be lowered when moved to left back.
Morientes: 6 Another poor performance with no service.
Cisse: 6.5 Had a few chances but either saved by the goalkeeper or missed.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Played better than the last 2 games, but still need to improve.
Zenden: 6 Not much contribution for the short time on the pitch.
Sinama-Pongolle: Welcome back!

CSKA Sofia: 6.5 The goal was nicely organized. And with the aggregate score at 3-2 they seems to be always likely to to score another one.

Rafa: 6 1 goals in 3 games. Need to sort out ASAP.

Men of the Match: Sissoko and Riise. Both were eye-catching in this poor game.

A cautious game

Although we lead by 3-1 but with Gerrard injuried, there is some uncertainty. The strikers need to try to score goals, and midfielders please provide some service.

My Team Prediction:
Carson
Barragan
Whitbread
Carragher
Riise
Potter
Sissoko
Hamann
Zenden
Morientes
Cisse

Result 2-0

050820 vs Sunderland: We need to improve

1-0 and we didn't play well but win. Although Sunderland never really threatened us but with the score stays at 1-0 and we cannot get the second goal, it is always scary. And Stevie G is injuried and will miss the Sofia game. Let's hope he can recover in time for the European Super Cup.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 A spectator
Finnan: 6.5 A fair display
Carragher: 6.5 Not much to do
Hyypia: 6 His pace seems to be a bigger worry this season
Warnock: 6 Still not convincing in left back
Sissoko: 7 Another good show in midfield. Didi's place is in danger
Cisse: 6.5 Definitely not a right midfielder. Rafa need to buy
Gerrard: 6.5 Unfortunate to be injuried
Alonso: 7.5 His wonder free kick win us the game
Zenden: 6 Need to provide more service
Morientes: 6 He need more service provided

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6 Not a good performance
Riise/Baros: Not enough time to show impact

Sunderland: 5.5 They didn't do much but with the score at 1-0, you always afraid they make nick one back

Rafa: 6 He definitely favors 4-5-2, but we need Crouch to play

Man of the Match: Alonso. A beauty free kick

We must win this game

This game has almost become a must win game. Although we didn't win at Boro but the signs are encouraging. The strikers should try their best to help out Stevie G though.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Luis Garcia
Gerrard
Alonso
Zenden
Morientes
Cisse

Result 3-0

Match Report 050813 at Middlesbrough: Good performance, although result does not match

0-0 and once again we played well but didn't get the result. There are lots of positive signs like players are more confident and we are creating lots of chances, but we tried hard but cannot score a goal. The fact that at the last minutes, Boateng tried to waste time instead of organizing a last attack when Boro get a throw in near our corner flag shows how much respect they are giving us. If we can perform like this week in, week out, result will come soon.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did make a few good punches
Finnan: 6 Not much support up front, but doing well defence-wise
Carragher: 7 Typical Carra performance
Hyypia: 6.5 Not much pressure on Sami and tried to help the attack a few times on set pieces
Warnock: 6 Similar comment as Finnan
Sissoko: 7.5 A commanding performance. Rafaa will like to play this 4-1-4-1 with Sissoko as the one who protect the defence.
Luis Garcia: 6 A poor performance from his high standard
Gerrard: 8 Have at least 6 chances to score but only come close. His running from the back is really difficult for Boro to defend.
Alonso: 7 A typical Xabi performance
Zenden: 6.5 Quiet in 1H but better in 2H. It's always hard to start the first game with a new club against your old club.
Morientes: 6 No service for him, and his only contribution is a header to Gerrard whih Stevie G failed to convert.

Substitutions:
Cisse: 6.5 Lively performance although he is playing out of position
Baros: 6.5 Also lively, but failed to convert.

Middlesbrough: 5 Too negative at home. Shame on them.

Rafa: 7 Showing he knows more about the Premiership and result will come very soon

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Unfortunately it's not his day.

This is the season

Another league season starts today. Away at Boro may not be a good place to visit for the past, but with Rafa setting up the training sessions earlier and we played 5 competitive games already, we will be better equiped. We believe in Rafa.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Luis Garcia
Gerrard
Alonso
Zenden
Morientes
Cisse

Result 2-0

Match Report 050810 at CSKA Sofia: Nando finally scores!

3-1 and it's really nice to see Nando scored a brace. As Rafa said if we provide enough service to Nando he will score. We are now in a commanding position to be back to where we should be.

We started the match a bit reserved and invited Sofia to control the game, but once again Stevie G is the catalyst to the team. His 3 superb assists tells you the story. The worrying point is when we were 2-0 up a moment of lapse of concentration by Hyypia and Warnock let Sofia to score on crucial goal right before half time, but fortunately we regained control in 2H and Nando sums up with a nice taken goal.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Make one good save but otherwise just a perdestrian
Warnock:6 Partly at fault for the goal conceded
Carra: 7 Carra as usual
Hyypia: 6 A bit too slow to let the goal conceded
Finnan: 6.5 Tried hard to help the attack
Gerrard: 8 Three excellent assists
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Work hard
Alonso: 7 Doing well in midfield
Riise: 7 Above average performance
Morientes: 8 Could have scored 5, but the most important thing is he's finally back on the scoresheet
Cisse: 7.5 Lively performance and a well deserved goal

Substitutions:
Sissoko: 6.5 Show one moment of flashes when he passed 3 defenders
Hamann: 6.5 Not much to do
Barragan: Not enough time to impress, but looks positive

CSKA Sofia: They controlled the game well in the first 20 minutes, but as soon as Cisse scored, they cannot cope with.

Rafa: 7 His insistance on Nando finally pay off. But he need to work harder on the defense.

Man of the Match: Gerrard/Morientes. Both deserve credit for their contributions to the victory.

A tougher test, but we will get through

3rd round sees us facing CSKA Sofia, a much stronger opponent than the last 2 rounds. We suddenly has a very slim team as a few players were loaned out and we have 8 injuried players. We definitely need Nando to perform to his best now.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Garcia
Gerrard
Alonso
Riise
Morientes
Cisse

Result 2-0

Match Report 050802 vs FBK Kaunas: Job well done

2-0 and once again we need Stevie G to cheer up the team. Next round will be tougher as we will be facing CSKA Sofia.

The first half was boring as we tried hard but cannot pass through the stubbon defense of Kaunas. Then in 2H Cisse comes up and suddenly the team move up one gear. The worrying signs are that Crouch is injuried and Nando is still in a poor form. We definitely need him to be back to his best soon.

Player Rating:
Carson: 6.5 Not much to do but look commanding
Finnan: 6.5 Not really tested but need to move up one gear for the start of the season
Hyypia: 7 Commanding the back, and unlikey to hit the bar
Whitbread: 6.5 He certainly take his chance well. Keep up to challenge Sami and Jamie!
Warnock: 6.5 Good display
Garcia: 7 Work hard and his assist to Cisse is inch perfect
Hamann: 6.5 A fair display, but the lack of Xabi and Stevie G in 1H really mean we lack creativity
Sissoko: 7 A commanding figure in the center. He will be challenging Didi this season
Zenden: 7 Quiet in 1H, but performed much better in 2H
Morientes: 6 I am getting worried about him and he is rightly substituted
Crouch: 6.5 Did provide flashes of his useful especially when Cisse come up but is injuried and substituted

Substitutions:
Cisse: 7.5 A nice display and scored a well deserved goal
Potter: 6 A fair display on the right
Gerrard: 8 Even though he is only on the pitch for 16 minutes but his contributions are priceless

Kaunas: 6 Not really creating any troubles to us. The match is already won in the first leg.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to get Nando up to speed ASAP

Man of the Match: Gerrard. His contribution is significant.

Be careful and do your best

With a 2 goal lead and playing at home, we are favorite to go through. Just make sure we don't take it for granted.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Potter
Gerrard
Sissoko
Zenden
Crouch
Cisse

Result 3-0

July Monthly Review

It's the first time in history that the season starts so early, and we already played 3 games.

Stevie G is gone and back, and played very well to prove his heart is with us. With 6 goals already scored, he will be favorite to be our top goal scorer. Defense is OK but the backups seem to be not as good as the first team, and Hyypia seems to be getting old. Carra is as solid as ever and even managed to score a goal! Midfield is very strong with Stevie G and Alonso leading the guys, but the strikers need to work harder.

Men of the Month: (1) Gerrard 8.00 (2) Alonso 7.50 (3) Cisse 7.25. With 6 goals scored who can knock him off as man of the month? Xabi's passing is as good as ever, and Cisse also scored 2 goals.

August Prediction:
8/2 FBK Kounas (H): Should not pose too much problem, but we need to show respect to them.
8/10 KF Tirana/PFC CSKA Sofia: If we pass through we will most likely face Sofia, Let's be careful.
8/13 Middlesbrough (A): Season opener and see Zenden back. We should be much better physically, so let's beat them.
8/20 Sunderland (H): First home league game and we should win this game.
8/24 KF Tirana/PFC CSKA Sofia: Get through this and we will be in the group stage.
8/26 CSKA Moscow (N): A glorious friendly, but we should win it.

Match Report 050726 at FBK Kounas: Carra goal

3-1 and the most important thing is Carra scored his first goal in 6 1/2 years - or first goal of this millenium, or 3rd goal of his career. Rafa challenge him to score 3-4 goals this season and he will do it. His post match quote is class: "I probably deserve the match ball after that. Me scoring one is like someone else getting a hat-trick."

We were a bit shaky in defense but fortunately we managed to gear up and win the game. Crouch really provided another dimension and this is what Rafa has been looking for. Sissoko also has a good debut too after Gerrard scored his 6th goals of the season. The only minus is that defense is shaky - Riise didn't play well in defense and Hyypia was slow. But this is still pre-season so let's hope things will get better.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do, but did make some saves to keep them scoring
Josemi: 6 Better than last year, but still need to improve to convince people
Carragher: 8 Scored the great header and regained us the lead. Class
Hyypia: 6 At fault for the first goal
Riise: 6.5 His best position is definitely left midfield
Potter: 7 A good game from the young guy
Gerrard: 7.5 Still dictating the game with an assist and a penalty
Alonso: 7.5 Great passes as usual
Zenden: 7 Great cross that lead to the equaliser. Rafa bought him with a great reason
Crouch: 7 Good performance with another assist
Cisse: 7 Scored the equaliser but missed a hat trick

Substitutions:
Sissoko: 6.5 A good debut
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Another good display
Morientes: 6.5 A good substitution display but we need more goals from him

FBK Kounas: 6 Provided a few scares to us but at the end the difference in class proved too much

Rafa: 7 Now we understand why he bought Zenden and Crouch. We definitely need more goals like this

Man of the Match: Carragher. Gerrard may have contributed more but Carra goal is really a historic moment

Travel into the unknown

FBK Kaunas is a relative unknown team and they will be physically fitter as they are in the middle of their season. Our condition is getting better and better now, but we still need to guard against complacency.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Hyypia
Whitbread
Riise
Cisse
Gerrard
Alonso
Zenden
Morientes
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 050719 at Total Network Solutions: So far so good

3-0 again and Gerrard scored another 2. But the scoreline is really not important as the game is already sealed when Cisse scored in 1H. Now we need to step up the condition as Kounas will be physically better as they are in the middle of their season.

With Crouch signed it will be interesting to see if Milan will be sold. Maybe Rafa is thinking to use Crouch as a Koller to helo Milan? Time will tell.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do
Finnan: 6 Out of position a few times
Carragher: 7 Captain in 1H and perform as good as ever. Almost scored
Hyypia: 6.5 As good as usual
Riise: 7 This time as left back and still provide the assit to Cisse
Potter: 6.5 Probably be content to be a reserve player this season
Alonso: 7.5 Dictating midfield as he should be
Hamann: 6 Missed a penalty but really doesn't matter
Zenden 6: Provided a few good crosses but Crouch has not yet arrived so there is no one to receive it
Le Tallec: 6 Need to improve or else he will be down the rank
Cisse: 7.5 Opened his account this season, more to come

Substitutions:
Whitbread: 6.5 Doing very well to fight for a first team place
Gerrard: 8 Scored 2 goals as a super sub
Luis Garcia: 6.5 A nice assist

TNS: 5.5 At least they have a shot on target!

Rafa: 6.5 Still pre-season time, but we need to improve a lot next round.

Man of the match: Gerrard. Who else can it be?

Be cautious and courageous

Rafa again "rest" Milan and Jersy, perhaps their future may soon be over... The condition of the players are better now especially after the friendly against Leverkusen. Let's get the job done.

My team prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Potter
Gerrard
Alonso
Zenden
Morientes
Cisse

Result 4-0

Match Report 050713 vs Total Network Solution: First of many from Stevie G

3-0 and Gerrard scores a hat trick! It's the first of his many for us, and it almost wrap up the tie. Rafa may want to try a few options in the 2nd leg.

Credits to TNS they played bravely and it was not until the last minute that they concede the third and crucial goal. If not the second leg will be tricky. Their goalkeeper has done a good job in keeping the score more honourable.

One thing worth to note is that in the second half the team seems to be tired. With the Swiss training camp coming up, the players need to train up physically as soon as possible.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Easy debut with almost nothing to do
Finnan: 6.5 Not really tested
Carragher: 6.5 Same as above
Hyypia: 6.5 Same as above
Warnock: 6.5 Same as above
Potter: 6.5 Good display in 1H but tired in 2H
Gerrard: 8.5 A good hat trick to start
Alonso: 7.5 A good display with lots of nice passes
Riise: 7.5 Good game, but not as impressive in 2H apart from the assist
Le Tallec: 7.5 Nice assist, but should have scored
Morientes: 7.5 Should have scored if not for the good display of the TNS captain

Substitutions:
Zenden/Cisse: Good display in general especially Zenden

Rafa: 7 Not really a test, but the way he treat this game is well appreciated

TNS: 6 They fight till the end but the last goal probably kill them any hope

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Need to keep up the display though.

The journey starts here!

So, the journey starts here. We got a few new faces and Stevie G stays for good(hope he won't change his mind again in the future), and a few new faces are expected to come. It's really an exciting season and with Rafa, maybe we can achieve the unexpected again (a League/CL double?)

The good thing of starting so early is that by the time the league starts, we will be the best team in terms of physical. Although the down side will be we may not last for the whole season - and that's where the rotation strategy comes in play, and Rafa is no amateur in this. Finger crossed, with a healthy squad and good rotation, we can maintain the good form over the season.

Rafa has a recruited a lot of good players to provide challenges in every position, the only exception is maybe the defense. A few players like Upson and Milito have been mentioned and Rafa will have his only idea, don't worry. And if he really can get Crouch and Figo we will have more attacking options as well. It will be interesting and exciting to see how Rafa findtune the team to each match now that he is more familiar with the Premiership.

Going back to the TNS match, on paper it's a easy win. But Rafa is very honest. Instead of the normal no complamancy/show them respect talk he also mention one key point - that we have the quality and skills but we lack the physical as we are only back from training for 2 weeks. So the players need to be very careful.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Garcia
Hamann
Gerrard
Zenden
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 4-0