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

Hope this is the end

Stevie G is now staying. Hope this won't happen again and he will stay on till he retires.

I think everybody need to be blamed and do something to repair. Now that everything is clear let's move on to win the big thing.

Credit to the man, he did resigned the captaincy and credits to the team (Rafa and the senior players in particular) they let him be the captain. Now it's up to him to put his head up and perform consistently.

In Rafa we trust. In Stevie G we have hope.

Dramatic turnaround

So, he decided to stay. But is he still deserve to be captain? I don't think so. Hand it to Carra, and prove you are committed.

We are all hurt. And it takes time to heal.

You'll always walk alone

So you decided to leave. It's nice to see that the one who claimed he loves the club, yet always blackmail the club, is finally leave. Yes, you have done a lot of great things to the club, but now they are history. And let's bring on captain Carra - a guy who may not be born to be a red, but he is a true red unlike you.

And if you think you are bigger than the club, go. We don't need you anymore.

You'll always walk alone. All the worst.

Thanks Smicer

Smicer has officially joined Bordeaux today.

Due to injuries he only showed his best form rarely - mainly in European games. His 2 goals in the Champions League Final - the 2-3 goal which brings us hope, and the crucial penalty when we were tied at 2-2, are vital in bringing the glory to us. This is after he is confirmed to leave.

Perhaps his style fits more to the contintental football rather than the Premiership football, I think he will perform well in France. Good luck, Czech mate.

Shame on you, UEFA

UEFA decided to let Liverpool defend the title, but only to start from the 1st Qualifying Round.

In order to counter their lack of appreciation to the defending Champion, the Club should send a reserve squad to play for the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Championships. I can visualize John Welsh to life the Cups for us.

Season Review 2004/05

What a season! This should be a season of transition. Although we missed out the 4th place and exited the FA Cup in the 3rd round in a dreadful way, we were in the League Cup Final and won the Champions League Final! Whether we will be able to defend the title is still unknown at this moment, but chances are, we will. After all, this is a competition about money, and without the defending Champion, UEFA will be under severe pressure from the sponsors.

Although we win the big thing, Rafa is honest enough to admit that the season is not good enough. And I remember a few years ago Carra said he would feel embarassed to win the Champions League without winning the Premier League first. So now we have to win the league. Of course, perhaps we may need a few years before we can win it, but at least we need to close the gap. And in doing so Rafa will need to break the team.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)

Goalkeepers:
Carson: 5G 450M 4GC 1CS 1 MoM 6.80
Dudek: 41G 3780M 36GC 15CS 2.83MoM 6.65
Harrison: 12 unused substitute
Kirkland: 14G 1260M 15GC 3CS 0MoM 6.61
Luzi: 2 unused substitute

Dudek played most of the game in the second half and still had his ups and downs. The up is no doubt the CL Final, which made him a memeber of the Anfield Hall of Fame. The downs are the blunders vs Portsmouth and Manchester United. He may not be a consisent player, but I do believe Rafa should keep him.

Carson played 5 games and shown some promising sign. His high of the season is the Juventus game. Although he conceded a goal but his performance was no doubt very good.

Kirkland, with so much hope on him, was once again injuried. It would be tough to keep him now, given he did not progress well enough since he joined us, and now that Carson joined it will do no good to him as both will be fighting not only the Liverpool #1 jersey but also the England #1 jersey as well. Chances are he will be sold.

Harrison and Luzi were both released. Good luck to them.

So we only have 3 goalkeepers and one of them may be sold. As such Rafa will bring at least one goalkeeper in. Rumor is that Reina of Spain is joining. We'll see.

Defenders:
Carragher: 56G 5080M 0GS 2A 13.8MoM 7.11
Finnan: 52G 4048M 1GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.65
Henchoz: 4G 390M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.88
Hyypia: 49G 4367M 3GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.81
Josemi: 23G 1714M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.21
Pellegrino: 13G 1002M 0GS 0A 1MoM 6.17
Raven: 3G 233M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Traore: 42G 3118M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.38
Whitbread: 4G 390M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.63

Without doubt Carra is the best defender of the season. Hyypia, despite all his critics, performed better in the second half of the season and scored 3 goals. Finnan was a consistent player but need to improve, and Traore is still very inconsistent.

Rafa will probably buy a quick center back to play along Carra. Hyypia will still command a place, although he will probably play less games next season. And don't be surprised to see new full backs on both side next season - may not be necessary to be in the first team immediately, but will be there to challanege Finnan and Traore.

Midfielders:
Alonso: 31G 2469M 3GS 4A 2MoM 7.00
Biscan: 35G 2000M 2GS 2A 3.5MoM 6.69
Diao: 14G 766M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Foy: 1 unused substitute
Garcia: 44G 3559M 13GS 6A 3.5MoM 6.82
Gerrard: 43G 3685M 12GS 6A 11.3MoM 7.16
Hamann: 43G 3057M 1GS 7A 2MoM 6.74
Kewell: 31G 2051M 1GS 4A 0MoM 6.26
Le Tallec: 7G 310M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.50
Nunez: 27G 1406M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.22
Partridge: 2G 30M 0GS 1A 0MoM 7.00
Potter: 10G 543M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.33
Riise: 57G 4656M 8GS 10A 3.5MoM 6.82
Smicer: 16G 504M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.21
Smyth: 1G 50M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Warnock: 30G 1402M 0GS 2A 1MoM 6.43
Welsh: 7G 352M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.30

To be honest Gerrard's form dipped a lot in the second half - the worst is of course the League Cup Final. He admitted that as well. Now that he should be signing for next season I hope his mind will be more focused. Garcia was probably the best midfielder in 2H and scored many great goals as well. Xabi was very good as well and he will also form the nucleus of next season. Riise' form dipped little bit in the second half but he still had a good season. Not sure about the future of Hamann and Smicer, but even if they have played the last game for us they will have no regrets for they have scored in the biggest game. But I will expect Didi to stay.

For next season, Rafa would build the midfield amonst Gerrard, Alonso, Riise and Garcia. He may bring in a holding midfielder (Hargraves?) and right midfielder or attacking midfielder as well. Despite the sticks on Kewell Rafa did rate him very high, so don't be surprised to see him around next season. And we should give Nunez some more time as well.

Attackers:
Baros: 45G 3144M 13G 3A 4MoM 6.88
Cisse: 25G 1367M 5GS 1A 3MoM 6.90
Mellor: 16G 854M 5GS 1A 0MoM 6.65
Morientes: 15G 1178M 3G 1A 2MoM 6.43
Owen: 1 unused substitute
Sinama-Pongolle: 26G 1146M 4GS 0A 3.5MoM 6.94

This is the department that need a big rebuild next season. Baros' form dipped significantly in the second half and only scored 2 goals in the second half. He said Valencia is after him, and if so, let's wish we can get Aimar in return. Cisse and Nando are affected by injury and short of match fitness. So we will see a different Cisse and Morientes next season. The question is really how Rafa play them, especially whether it is a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2. We may see another attacker joined us as well.

Player of the season: (1) Gerrard 7.17 (2) Carragher 7.11 (3) Alonso 7.00. Despite his dip in form in 2H Gerrard still had a very good season and scored a crucial goal in the CL Final. Carra is very consistent but just lack a bit of flashes like a goal. And Xabi, we may even finish 3rd if he is fit for the whole season.

Forward plans
So for next season our target will be the League. Let's try to challenge at least 2nd place. But with Rafa the magician, any thing can happen.

We may probably see 3-4 new players in. With the plan to advance pre-season to end of June, and we may probably experience less injuries with a fitter squad, the next season would be a even better one.

Clark Kent in the League, Supermen in Europe

So true!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4582357.stm

and Du the Dudek!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/photo_galleries/4583457.stm

A tale of two football players

In July 2004, after the Euro 2004, a football player, who almost decided to move to a rich man's club, had his heart over his head and decided to stay with his club. 10 months later, he fulfilled his boyhood dream.

In August 2004, one of his "better" teammate, had another offer from another rich man's club, and he decided to sit out a Champions League qualifier. 3 days later, he became a super-sub of the rich man's team. And 9 months later, he didn't win anything.

There is no man bigger than Liverpool Football Club.

May Month Report

What a month! We lost the 4th place but won the Champions League Final in the greatest comeback we have even seen. And our future is bright.

The month started brightly with a great win vs Chelsea. Garcia's goal was definitely in and the Football God was there to ensure justice prevailed. Then we officially lost the 4th place race at Highbury. Then we wrapped up our up and down league season with a nice win vs Aston Villa that Cisse scored both goals. Then come the Final. And the rest is history.

Players of the month (1) Carragher 8.25 (2) Gerrard 8.00 (3) Dudek 7.50. Incidentially all three of them contributed to the win in the Final.

Looking forward a lot of the current squad members will leave Liverpool, good luck to them (of course, apart from playing against us). The Rafalution is just picking up. Expect more great things next season.

Match Report 050525 vs AC Milan: The night the liverbird became a phoenix, arise from the ashes of death

3-3 after extra time and a 3-2 win in the penalty shootout and the European Cup belongs to us forever! What a way to finish a game that we lost 0-3 at half time! This is truly a result to the fans. Dear players, no matter where you will be next season you will be immortal in the history of Liverpool Football Club.

We played the first half so poor that it can end up 0-5 but somehow the result was only 0-3. In hindsight this is a good result as if it is 0-2 AC Milan will press for at least 15 minutes more in 2H and then it will be over. If it is 0-4 we just can't claw back. Rafa made a gamble and started Kewell and once again he screwed it up. This may be a blessing in disguise. The whole team played so bad that it is almost impossible to pick up one player that played well - maybe Finnan, but he also went injuried during half time and on come Hamann.

As Hamann comes up Rafa opted for an aggresive 3-2-4-1 formation and it paid off. Gerrard was then allowed to help the attack and he was as inspirational as he ever was. He scored the first goal, rolled the ball to Hamann who then rolled the ball to Smicer for the second goal, and get us the penalty that Alonso missed but hit on rebound. From then on there can only be one winner.

But the drama did not end here. In the extra time everybody were tired and Carra made 3 crucial tackles. Then Dudek's double save on Shevchenko just proved he is ready for the penalty kick. And don't forget he saved another one from Shevchenko when it was still 0-3.

On come the penalty shootout. Carra inspired Dudek to do the Grobbelaar tricks and we won the shootout. Brilliant!

Player Rating:
Dudek: 9 Maybe responsible for at least 2 of the 3 goals but has repaid by the heroic saves.
Finnan: 6 Was one of the better player in 1H but was injuried and can't carry on. But this proved to be a good blessing.
Carragher: 9 Did not perform in 1H, may be responsible for the 2nd goal, but was immortal in 2H and extra time for his numerous tackles.
Hyypia: 7.5 Maybe responsible for the 3rd goal, but also played much better in 2H.
Traore: 6.5 Responsible for 2 of the 3 goals, and conceded a freekick when we were 0-3 down but fortunately Dudek saved it. Was very nervous but later on he played much better.
Gerrard: 9 Was annoymous in 1H but after Hamann came on he became another player. Inspirational for all 3 goals.
Alonso: 7 He scored a great rebound after his first penalty was saved. And he dicitated our pace in 2H very well.
Garcia: 7 A little bit drop in standard but otherwise he had a good game.
Kewell: 4 Hopeless.
Riise: 7 Nice assist. Although he missed a penalty shootout but at the end it didn't matter.
Baros: 7 Fight alone against the Milan defense but it proved too much for him. But he did played a good game and contributed to the win.

Substitutions:
Smicer: 8 What a way to round up his Anfield career!
Hamann: 8.5 The catalyst for the come back. I wish Rafa will offer him another contract. And his penalty was not as bad as he thought!
Cisse: 6.5 Not much contribution and was guilty of selfish but at the end it din't matter.

Rafa: 10 Although his gamble failed his tactical resuffle was just a genius' act. We are really in good hands with such a great manager. Stevie G take note.

AC Milan: 8 Their 1H performance is as best as anything I ever seen. But they relaxed a bit and paid a heavy price.

Men of the Match: It has to be Rafa. But if I really need to pick from the players, I think Dudek, Carragher and Gerrard all played very well.

We believe

We believe we will win the Champions League. Milan may be a strong team but in Rafa we have a coach that can bring us glory. In Stevie G we have the best captain. In Carra we have the best center back and even Shankly will be pround of him.

And the Kop will be there to act as the 12th men. And Shankly, Paisley and Fagan will be awaken from their tombs to cheer for us as well. And there is a Football God to make sure we will win.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Alonso
Hamann
Garcia
Gerrard
Riise
Baros

Result 2-0

Match Report 050515 vs Aston Villa: Cisse fully derseved the goals

2-1 and we saw Cisse scoring again. What a turnaround and what a strong character this guy has. I won't be surprised if Rafa decided to start him against AC Milan and he scores the winning goal.

Also, Carragher was rightly awarded the captain's armband for this game. And he performed very well, although the other defenders let him down again.

This match is probably the farewell game of many players. Good luck to them. Just don't play well against us.

Player Rating:
Carson: 7 A good display with a few great saves.
Josemi: 6 Haven't seen him for many months and he still have those basis errors. A nice assist though.
Carragher: 7.5 Captain marvel almost scored himself. And he is kind enough to stay back and allow Cisse to score the penalty.
Pellegrino: 5.5 This is probably his farewell game. Good luck man.
Warnock: 6.5 Based on current form Traore is a much better player than Warnock.
Alonso: 7 Pulling the strings as usual.
Biscan: 6.5 Tired towards the end and was rightly substituted by Hamann.
Nunez: 6.5 A fair game.
Kewell: 6.5 He has a few chances but didn't take it. Still been accused of unwilling to make any tackle.
Riise: 7 Performed as lively as usual. Missed a few chances as well.
Cisse: 9 It's really nice to see him back to the scoresheet. You really deserve it.

Substitutions:
Baros: 6.5 Work hard as usual. And he even pass the ball to Cisse on one occasion.
Hamann: 6.5 Provided some needed protection to the back 4 when Biscan faded.
Finnan: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 A season of change, most of the fans are satisfied with him although we are two points and one place below last year. But next year will be much better. And we now need to focus on the Champions League Final.

Aston Villa: 6 They only come back into the game after we faded.

Man of the Match: Cisse. Keep pushing for a starting place in the Champions League Final.

Time to recognize Carra's effort

Gerrard will be rested this game and I think it is time to recognize Carra's effort. Rafa, name him your captain.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Biscan
Hamann
Kewell
Alonso
Riise
Cisse

Result: 3-0

Match Report 050508 at Arsenal: We don't deserve to finish 4th

1-3 and even though the result probably flattered Arsenal, over the season we just don't play good enough. This is especially true after an European game. We have lost 8 games (one is the league cup final) and drawn 4 games in that situation and 29 points are lost. If we can take half of these points we will be challenging Manchester for the 3rd spot. Is it due to the extra focus drawn from the Champions League or the fact that we don't have enough squad to compete in two fronts, or is it simple that we just aren't good enough? I am sure Rafa will find a solution next season.

The match actually started quite good with both teams scored disallowed goals. Then we let Arsenal control the game and as soon as we concede the first goal we just let them control the game. During second half Rafa made two substitutions and we were the better team. Unfortunately we didn't find the second goal and at the end we let them scored the third.

The worrying fact is that since Rafa probably fielded his starting 11 for the Champions League Final (maybe just swapping Baros with Cisse) the way we concede the two goals just make us worry. But then Rafa has a lot of time to fine-tune the team so let's see how it goes.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 5.5 Looks very nervous and was at fault for the first goal.
Finnan: 6 An average performance.
Carragher: 6.5 Has he not slipped Arsenal won't score the second goal. Other than that he played very well.
Hyypia: 5.5 Very shaky performance. Maybe Rafa has a point in resting him after European games.
Traore: 6.5 Worked very hard and even had a shot.
Alonso: 6.5 Poor in 1H but much better in 2H. A 50 yard long pass that found Cisse was especially spectacular.
Hamann: 6 Lucky to remain on the pitch. A below par performance.
Garcia: 6 Like Xabi, poor in 1H but much better in 2H.
Gerrard: 7 Like Xabi and Garcia. After he played in a deeper role in 2H he is much better.
Riise: 6 Guilty of not scoring the first goal, otherwise we may win the game. But in general it was not a bad performance although Rafa rested him for 2H.
Baros: 5 A very disappointing performance. Looks like he want to kick the players instead of the ball. And the way he handled the ball and score is just cheating. A well deserved yellow card.

Substitutions:
Cisse: 6.5 A lively performance but he may be to eager to score and wasted a lot of chances. But he played the lone striker role much better than Baros as he hold the ball better.
Kewell: 6 A good performance but he was unable to get pass the Arsenal defense.
Smicer: 6 Maybe this is his last game for us, and it was not a poor game.

Arsenal: 7 Showed in the 2H if you pressure them they will stumble. Maybe Rafa should take note of this for next season.

Rafa: 6 Not a good peformance but perhaps he will note how much better we played with Cisse on the pitch. The big question now is whether Cisse is fit enough to start.

Man of the match: Gerrard. Showed he excels at a deeper role.

It's going to be tough

Everton won today and if we don't win at Arsenal, they will finish 4th. Even if we win the remaining 2 games they just need one more point. Should Rafa use these 2 games as a trial for the formation against AC Milan instead?

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Alonso
Hamann
Garcia
Gerrard
Riise
Cisse

Result 2-0

Match Report 050504 vs Chelsea: There is a Football God

1-0 and where should I begin? My emotion is still high. The scenes keep on replaying in my mind. The players are now one match away from greatness. And justice prevails.

Maybe Chelsea has brided the referee but forgot the linesman, but I think they are better off to concede that goal. Which one is easier, to chase for a goal for the remaining 95 minutes 35 seconds with 11 men, or to play with 10 men for that period, even if the penalty was missed?

It's fate that the last shot was from Gudjohnsen, who cheated and at the end he had to paid for what he did. The Football God had make sure there is justice.

And one last thing. Money may buy success but will never buy history and true fans. I am really proud being a Liverpool fan.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 8 Had only one save to made and saved it brilliantly. Although he spilled the ball in the dying minute but it did not matter.
Finnan: 7.5 Solid display and formed the solid back 4.
Carragher: 10 Mr Liverpool.
Hyypia: 9 Sami is back to his very best.
Traore: 8 He was just excellent and we are beginning to see his potential. Even had leisure time to deliver a great cross to Cisse.
Hamann: 7.5 He was a rock at protecting the back 4.
Biscan: 7.5 He has probably earned himself a contract and he derseves it.
Garcia: 7.5 Scored important goal once again. Although he lost procession in a crucial area but that did not matter.
Gerrard: 8 He may seemed to have an average game but it was his cunning pass that found Baros for that goal. And tactically he fulfilled what Rafa told him to do so. Now I am sure he will stay. Heart will win over head.
Riise: 8.5 Player like a left back more than a left midfielder for most of the game, but when everybody were tired, he provided the extra attacking source in the last 15 minutes.
Baros: 7.5 Although he once again failed to score but it was his flick on that lead to the goal. And he was very effective to run the Chelsea defense. Bring on the other Milan!

Substitutions:
Cisse: 7 A superb tactical move and he had many chances. A bit unlucky not to have scored.
Kewell: 7 His commitment is back. And he was very effective in running time.
Nunez: Not enough time to impress, but he did run out one or two minutes with Kewell and provided more width to us.

Rafa: 10 This is a tactical genius act. And he's the best manager of the world. How lucky we can get him.

Chelsea: 6 They don't have any lethal weapon without Robben/Duff.

Man of the match: Carragher. Although this is a team effort and Rafa probably should be the man of the match, but above all Carra was at the centre of it.

Justice to be prevailed

If there is a football God he will be making sure we will win this game. If there is justice we will be treated fairly this time - finally.

Not matter where they will be, the players will know they may not get such a chance again, and if they grab it they will be amonst the great.

In Liverpool, we trust.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Hamann
Biscan
Garcia
Gerrard
Riise
Baros

Result 2-0

April Month Review

3 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats see us progress to the semi final of the Champions League and we are just 1 points closer to Everton but we only have 2 games left. It's not a good result on the league side, but it's very good in the Champions League side as we beat Juventus and draw them and Chelsea at their own ground.

The month started with a poor performance vs Bolton but thanks to Igor we won the game. Then we faced Juventus and beat them 2-1 with 2 superb goals. Unfortunately, our poor league form continued and we lost 0-1 at Manchester City at the last minute. Then we drawn Juventus at their home 0-0 and Carragher shown the Italians how to defend, and then another dull performance see us drawn 2-2 vs Spurs. Somehow we then won away at Portsmouth 2-1 but once again at the weekend we lost 0-1 to Palace in a very physical game. Then we drawn 0-0 at Chelsea for the first leg of the semi final and we concluded the month with another dull performance and drawn 1-1 at home vs Boro.

Players of the month (1) Hyypia 7.25 (2) Alonso 7.10 (3) Carragher/Garcia 7.00 Sami scored 2 great goals and finally get back to his best form. Xabi played like as if he was never injuried and we can just wonder how many more points we can get if he is with us all the time. And Carra and Garcia's good form continues.

May prediction:
5/3 Chelsea (H) We will beat them. 5th time lucky.
5/8 Arsenal (A) This is going to be tough as we need to beat them at home. But we need to try.
5/15 Aston Villa (H) No matter what we need to play well for the final game at home for the fans.
5/25 Champions League Final (N) The ultimate game. Bring on AC Milan/PSV.

Match Report 050430 vs Middlesbrough: We failed to close the gap once again

1-1 and we once again failed to close the gap, despite we can more or less expect such a result. We lost to a lame goal very early and keep pressing, despite we only played very well for the first 20 minutes in the second half. And Southgate was really class.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6.5 Not much to do apart from that goal.
Finnan: 6.5 An average game.
Carragher: 6.5 Can't do anything about that goal, other than that he had a OK game.
Pellegrino: 5.5 This may be his last game for us. His slowness led to that goal.
Warnock: 6.5 Not much attacking contribution but defense-wise he's OK.
Nunez: 7 Had a very good game. His crosses was very dangerous and usually reached Nando, unfortunately Southgate had an excellent game and marked Nando out.
Gerrard: 7.5 Scored a magnificant goal. It's really nice to see him scoring such a goal before the Chelsea game.
Alonso: 6.5 For his high standard this is an average game.
Riise: 7 Played left midfielder in 1H and Centre back in 2H. Had nothing to do and even had time to assist Gerrard in that goal. Too bad Boro did not have enough pressure to check if he is the right partner of Carra.
Kewell: 7 A good game and looks like his injury is finally over despite he only had 80% fitness.
Morientes: 6.5 Marked out by Southgate.

Substitutions:
Garcia: 7 Had numerous chances but Boro defense is very hard to beat.
Cisse: 6 Running on the right midfield but not much contribution.
Hamann: It's good he's back as Alonso is suspended.

Rafa: 6.5 The lack of depth of the team, together with Boro's tight defense, made him frustuated one more time. Hope this is the last time.

Middlesbrough: 7 Had very good defensive display. I really hope they can edge out Spurs for the UEFA spot.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Back to his best at the right time.

Keep pressure

It will be tough as this game is sandwiched between the Champions League semi final, and Rafa will likely be playing the second string. But these guys need to prove their worth. Let's keep pressure and hope Fulham to do us a big favour.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Pellegrino
Nunez
Gerrard
Alonso
Warnock
Cisse
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050427 at Chelsea: The Art of Defense

0-0 and it is a good result. Thanks to the solid defense Dudek was never really tested. And if not for the excellent performance of Cech we may have won the game already.

Mourinho is already playing mind game but I doubt if any Liverpool fan really think we are already through. But with another great night at Anfield, why not?

It's a pity Xabi will miss the next game. But at least he can be sure he will be playing in the Final.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Not a real save to be made.
Finnan: 7 Defend as a team.
Carragher: 8 Solid as he always is despite some early scares.
Hyypia: 7.5 Solid and when he was passed, there's other defenders to help.
Traore: 7 Explored by Chelsea but he hang on.
Alonso: 7.5 Played much better 2H but unfortunte to miss the next game.
Biscan: 7 A solid display although later on he's a bit dipped.
Garcia: 7 Played better in 2H.
Gerrard: 7 Runnnig all over the pitch despite some fans think he's not making enough tackles.
Riise: 7 Have one of our best chance but was superbly saved.
Baros: 7 Have a glorious header saved. He did quite well but him alone is not enough.

Substitutions:
Cisse: 7 A good shot but was slightly over.
Kewell/Smicer: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 A good tactic and we stopped Chelsea. However, 2nd Leg will be tough without Xabi, hope Hamann will be back and Cisse fit enough to start. We definitely need 2 strikers to win against Cheslea.

Chelsea: 7 Despite what their manager said I think they are nervous and will regret not to have scored.

Man of the match: Carragher. Shankly would be happy about his performance.

Stamford Bridge is falling down

No matter what tonight's result will be, we will get pass Chelsea to the Final. In Rafa we trust.

My Team Prediction:

Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Alonso
Biscan
Riise
Gerrard
Baros

Result 2-0

Match Report 050423 at Crystal Palace: What do we want?

0-1 and this is a very very poor result, especially we know Birmingham had held Everton to a draw. If Everton get 6 points from the remaining 4 games our chase for 4th pace will be over.

The match saw a hard-fight Palace team with lots of tackles, and Rafa is not happy with it. But we should expect more of this from a team fighting to avoid relegration. And why should be rest Alonso if finishing 4th is really more important than winning the Champions League? And why do we play a 3-5-2 formation, giving it never work before?

Rafa had a lot to do in the pre-season training. And he will sort it out.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 5.5 Lack of confidence.
Carragher: 6 Even our ever-reliable player had a bad day.
Hyypia: 6 Not a good day as well.
Pellegrino: 5.5 Although he saved us from a second goal, his performance in general was not good.
Finnan: 6 An Ok performance for Finnan.
Gerrard: 6.5 At least he tried to save us from losing. Play bad in 1H but much better in 2H.
Welsh: 5.5 Not a good day for our highly rated midfielder.
Traore: 5 He's just not a wingback. His defense is good but attack is poor.
Le Tallec: 5.5 Failed to inspire the team. But we may be asking too much from him.
Baros: 5.5 From the first minute he was fouled he did not play well. Certainly the injury did affect him.
Morientes: 5.5 No supply, and he was too slow up front. Need to work very hard in the pre-season.

Substitutes:
Potter: 5.5 Subbed the injuried Baros and played an OK game.
Riise: 5.5 Better than Traore, but not enough.
Cisse: 6 Had a shot but was saved.

Crystal Palace: 7 A well derseved result. I wish them good luck in the survival. But it's too close to call now.

Rafa: 5 Sorry but the rotation just don't work out. He's going to start pre-season 2 weeks earliers and let's hope the players will be much fitter and there will be less injuries.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. But we need a much better Gerrard on Wednesday.

We need 4 good results and Emil to help

With both teams won on Wednesday now Everton need 10 points out of 15 and we will have no chance to catch up. We need to win at Palace, and if Emil can help us to beat Everton it will be very very nice.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Alonso
Gerrard
Riise
Baros
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050420 at Portsmouth: A result made in Spain and Norway

2-1 and 2 goals from Nando and Garcia, both assisted by Riise, are enough for this well deserved win. Unfortunately for a rare chance that we support Man United, they lost... So we are still 3 points behind while played one more game. There's no place for any error now.

The match was started dramatically and There may be 3 goals in the first 4 minutes. First Portsmouth had a goal ruled offside, then Baros' shot was superbly saved. But then Riise provided a great cross and Nando scored his first in 2 mouths and we are one up.

We then let Portsmouth into the game and they equalized. Fortunately, Riise provided another great cross and we are up in half time.

Both teams have chances to scored in 2H but none can, and we are happily back with 3 points.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Have a superb save from Berger in 2H to give us 3 points.
Finnan: 6.5 Cleared from the line but was unable to do it the second time.
Carragher: 7 Carra as usual.
Hyypia: 7 A good display.
Traore: 6.5 With him at left back Riise is a much better player.
Garcia: 7 Scored a goal but apart from that his contribution is almost zero. And Rafa rested him in 2H.
Alonso: 7 As good as ever.
Biscan: 6.5 Good display but faded in 2H.
Riise 7.5 Two great display and almost scored the third. That's the Riise we need for the final run-in.
Baros: 7 A lively display despite not scoring any.
Morientes: 7 First goal for 2 months. His confidence will be lifted.

Substitutions:
Smicer: 6.5 A fair diaplay.
Gerrard: 6 Was duly rested. But we play OK even without him.
Cisse: Getting closer and closer to a start.

Rafa: 7 His decision to rest Gerrard is a good one and did not do any harm. We need four more good tactics like this for the league run-in.

Berger: 6.5 Come up in 2H with a nice shot but Dudek saved it.

Portsmouth: 6 They should be able to stay up this season.

Man of the match: Riise. Back to his best at the right time.

We need 5 good displays

As Gerrard said we need 5 good displays in the league and hoping Everton and Bolton to drop points. It will be tough, but at least we need to try.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Alonso
Gerrard
Riise
Baros
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050416 vs Tottenham Hotspur: It's fading away...

2-2 and we lost 2 important points and Bolton is now ahead of us. If we don't get 9 points from the next 3 league games in April, we probably need a miracle to be able to finish 4th.

This is a strange match that we don't play too bad at all - perhaps apart from 15-30 minutes. Just when we were starting to exert some pressures on Spurs, they took the lead from a superb goal from 35 yards by Edman. Absolute no chance by Dudek.

We were then shocked and not until about 30 minutes before we started to do some serious threats to Spurs. And just before half time Garcia get the ball just outside the penalty box and scored a superb goal - maybe not as spectacular as the Juventus goal, but still it's a good one. And we have one more opportunity before half time but Robinson saved superbly Morientes' header.

Second half is a similar story and we exert a lot of pressures to Spurs, but we were again shocked. Robinson's freekick from an offside find Kanoute on the right, and Pellegrino failed to take care of it. The cross found Robbie Keane, whose header deflected Carra and Dudek again had no chance.

We then had a good chance to equalize as Gerrard is fouled and we get a penalty. Maybe it's really not good to have him fouled and immediately have the peanlty kick, and the ball was widely off target. Luckily a few minutes later from a resulting corner Hyypia volleyed into the net - and this is with his right foot and it is definitely better than the Juventus one.

We then had a few chance to win the game - the closest one being Gerrard hitting the post. Certainly it was not his day. And Dudek had to be at his very best to prevent Spurs win the game.

Overall 2-2 is a fair result, but now we are 3 points behind Everton and played one more game. Time is definitely running out. As Gerrard said, we need 5 good performances, and at the same time hoping Everton and Bolton to lose points.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6.5 No chance for the 2 goals, and he saved us one point from some Spurs attacks.
Finnan: 6.5 An average performance but he had a good chance but couldn't take it.
Carragher: 7 Another good game although he may be partly at fault at the second Spurs goal of being not close enough to Keane.
Hyypia: 7.5 Scored a great goal. We need some more from him for the next 5 leagure games.
Pellegrino: 6 His lack of pace is probably the reason for the second goal.
Nunez: 6 Produced a few crosses but unfortunately they didn't reach the head of Nando.
Gerrard: 5.5 Tried very hard but due to his lack of match fitness and luck it turned out to be an extremely bad day for him.
Alonso: 7 Running the midfield very well.
Warnock: 6 Played quite well but was unfortunately injuried.
Garcia: 7.5 Scored another nice goal. We need more!
Morientes: 6 Unfortunately not to score.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6.5 Substituted the injuried Warnock and played quite well.
Cisse/Biscan: Not enough time to shine.

Spurs: 7 They scored 2 great goals and deserve to get one point.

Rafa: 6 Failed to improve our post European game misery...

Men of the Match: Garcia/Hyypia. The 2 goals gave us 1 point.

You'll Never Walk Alone

Today is the 16th anniversery of a date we won't forget. I kind of understand what the Juventus fans' feeling are when they refused to forgive - so do we.

Hillsborough victims, you will never walk alone.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Alonso
Biscan
Riise
Le Tallec
Morientes

Result 3-0

Match Report 050413 at Juventus: Against all odds

0-0 and once again, we surprised everybody, maybe even ourselves, in pulling out a 0-0 draw in Turin. As Gerrard said the players did performed the match of the career, and at theend Juventus just can't a way to score.

Defense was really great and not until 63 minutes did Juventus have a shot on target. Before that Baros had a golden opportunity (assist by Carragher!) but just missed it. And even when the back 4 failed to clear the ball, Dudek was also at his best to save a shot from Ibrahimovic. And when Cannavaro's header seemed unstoppable, lady luck was on our side this time and it hit the post.

It's really nice to see Xabi play the whole 90 minutes and Cisse running again. Now we have more firepower, let's start to be more serious, and grab the 4th place post.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 8 Have an important save to keep the clean sheet. This is Dudek at his best.
Finnan: 7 Solid in defense. Although he conceded a freekick and get a yellow card, fortunately Cannavaro's header from the freekick only hit the post.
Carragher: 8 He gave the Italians a lesson on defending.
Hyypia: 7.5 This time he raised to the challenge of captaining the team. Almost scored himself.
Traore: 7.5 Played more like a center back then a left back as we were playing like a 5-4-1. A solid display despite he had a few moments let us scare.
Nunez: 6 He tried very hard, although not as good as the others, but is still a good performance.
Alonso: 7.5 Run the midfield. It's nice to see him not afraid to go into high-gear tackles. Welcome back.
Biscan: 7 Doing all the dirty jobs. Try very hard to score but Juventus defenses is too strong.
Riise: 7 Played more like a left back most of the time. Very effective in closing down Juventus.
Garcia: 6.5 He tried very hard but was unable to break down the Juventus defense.
Baros: 6.5 He also tried very hard, had one great chance but missed it.

Substitutions:
Smicer: 6 Come on and had a fair game.
Cisse/Le Tallec: Not enough time to shine. It's really good to see Cisse running again after that horrible accident. See you in the Champions League final.

Rafa: 8 His tactics outclassed Capello's.

Juventus: 7 Unable to break through the stubbon Liverpool defense. But they are still a great team.

Men of the Match: Dudek/Carragher. Defense at its best!

Let's make it a memorable and glorious night

With a tight 2-1 lead we have a good chance to go through, despite Juventus now seems to be the favorite. They are the king of 1-0 win, and our defense will have to be at its best once again. The first goal will be crucial. By the way, maybe it's a good time to give Carra the captain's armband.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Alonso
Biscan
Riise
Le Tallec
Baros

Result 1-0

Salute to Roy Keane

Much as I dislike the man as an arrogant Manchester player, sometimes you need to listen to his words. And sadly, it applies to Liverpool as well:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4438523.stm

Keane slams poor Man Utd displays

Keane has not been impressed

Roy Keane has criticised his Manchester United team-mates, claiming some are failing to give 100% to the club.

"Results don't lie and the table doesn't lie. Our performance levels have not been good enough.

"Everyone at this club needs to look at themselves and ask whether they are giving 100% to the football club.

"I am not sure all the players can say they are. That is a crime in itself. People are sick of excuses and we're running out of them," he told MUTV.

Keane was forced to watch Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Norwich on television after being omitted ahead of this weekend's FA Cup semi-final with Newcastle.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson refused to talk to the media after the game.

And Keane, who last season highlighted a lack of professionalism among the younger members of United's squad, has decided it is time to speak out.

He also placed serious question marks over players routinely earning over £50,000-a-week and insisted Ferguson was not to blame.

"How many chances should a player get? You can bring a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

"The manager provides everything for the players. Everything they want, they get.

"All they have to do is come into training every single day with the attitude of trying to help the team improve.

"It is not about individuals. You can have the most talented players in the world but if you do not play as a team, I guarantee you will win absolutely nothing.

"Every player should be fighting for their place at this club," he said.

"Going back over the years, when we have been at the top of our game, players never took their places in the team or position at the club for granted.

"That is what made them really good players and what made us an outstanding team.

"It is all right having a laugh in the dressing room but maybe there has been too much laughter. You can go too far the other way.

"What matters is what happens on the pitch. We have talented players at this club, that is obvious, but talent without work rate and pride is a waste of time."

Keane added that United cannot afford to slip-up in Sunday's semi-final against Newcastle.

"We should go into Sunday's game looking to win it, but we should do that in every game," he said.

"Sunday's game is no bigger than last Saturday's.

"It doesn't matter whether it is Newcastle, Norwich, Arsenal or AC Milan, you treat every game the same, prepare as well as you can and give 100%.

Match Report 050409 at Manchester City: We threw it away again

0-1 and we missed a golden opportunity to take over 4th place. It was even worse as Everton beat Crystal Palace 4-0, and they are now back to 4 points ahead of us after the derby game. With only 6 games remaining we need to take every points now or risk even for Bolton to take over us.

This is a dull match and we never have any organization. The best players are Carson, Warnock and Carra and that tells you how worst our attack was. Nando was still short of match fitness, but the midfield is no where to be seen. We will also have a problem facing Juventus.

The next 4 games are relatively easy ones, and if we can get 12 points from them, we should be OK. Otherwise we need Everton and Bolton to drop more points.

Player Rating:
Carson: 7 Made a few good saves but sloppy defense denied him another well-deserved clean sheet.
Finnan: 6 An average result just like the team in general.
Carragher: 6.5 One of the few players that can hold his head up.
Pellegrino: 6 Have a few problems holding Fowler but in general not a bad display.
Warnock: 6.5 A good display from the local lad
Garcia: 6 Ineffective and Rafa decided to rest him for the Juventus game.
Gerrard: 5.5 Had our best opportunity but hit the side net.
Biscan: 6 Ineffective.
Riise: 5.5 Is he tired or what? He hasn't have a good game for a long time now.
Le Tallec: 6 Tried very hard, but was ineffective.
Morientes: 5.5 Cannot expect too much as he is still short of match fitness.

Substitutions:
Smicer: 6 Apart from a nice pass to Gerrard for his one-on-one that hit the side net, nothing spectacular.
Welsh/Traore: Unable to shine for the short time on the pitch.

Rafa: 5 Once again the team led him down and he has no plan B...

Fowler: 7 Tried very hard to score on his 30th birthday, but still he won.
James: 6 We never seriously test him.

Manchester City: 6.5 A draw is probably a more appropriate result. We only have ourselves to blame.

Man of the Match: Carson. But the rest of the team let him down.

Grap the 4th place and don't give it away again

With Everton to play on Sunday this is the perfect time to take over 4th place again. Crystal Palace will be in no mood to throw away the game, so if we beat Manchester City we will get 4th place again. Don't throw it away.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Le Tallec
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Garcia
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050405 vs Juventus: We can beat anyone

2-1 win and it proves again we can beat anyone - even the mightly Juventus - if players are all stand up and be counted. This result is very significant no matter what happened in the 2nd leg. It shows that we have the capability.

From the first whistle we were determined to win and assert a lot of pressure to Juventus. Their defense were under a lot of pressure and in 10 minutes a leak is found. Gerrard's corner to the near post found Garcia, who flicked the ball to the far post and an unmarked Hyypia scored with his left foot - his 2 goals this seasons are all by foot. And our last 2 goals are all from corners. We keep pressure and at 25 minutes we are 2 goals up. Biscan found Le Tallec on the right and his one touch pass found Garcia, who scored an unstoppable volley.

Juventus also had a few chances, most notably Carson saved a shot by Del Piero when we were 1 up, and after we are 2 up Ibrahimovic hit the post immediately, and Del Piero's "offside" goal, which should actually be good, although I think Carson would have saved it should he not hear the whistle. At half time we were 2-0 up and looks very safe.

In 2H our players look a bit tired and allowed Juventus to score one back. Carson's confidence was high after making a few more saves, but then he misjudged a header and let the ball went in - should have parried it out for a corner instead. Anyway, 2-1 against Juventus is a good result, and in some away it could be a blessing in disguise as players won't get carried away and concentration will remain. We need to keep the pressure against Juventus and hope to score a goal, and of course keeping a clean sheet will do.

Player Rating:
Carson: 7 He's young and will learn from this mistake. And don't forget he made a few good saves to keep the score at 2-1.
Finnan: 7 He's making the right back a place of his own now.
Carragher: 7.5 As good as it should be.
Hyypia: 8 He still need to score a header in this season. Nice goal!
Traore: 7 Made a few important tackles.
Garcia: 9 One goal, one assist. Our best player in the past 2 months just rolls on! If he can reduce his mispasses he will be a better player.
Gerrard: 8 He's everywhere and he's enjoying his football now!
Biscan: 7 His vision has led to the second goal. Well done Igor!
Riise: 7 Another good display and this game we saw his long free throws again.
Le Tallec: 8 As good as he can. It's an excellent display from the young man.
Baros: 6.5 Causing a lot of troubles to the Juventus defense, unfortunately he still can't score.

Substitutions:
Nunez: 6.5 Come on to give some strength to the midfield.
Smicer: 6.5 Nice hair cut but not much contribution.

Rafa: 7.5 His game plan of keeping pressure up worked, although the players cannot do it in 2H.

Juventus: 7 They are a good side and are the king of 1-0 win. We need to keep a clean sheet next game.

Man of the Match: Garcia. He is on fire again!

Milan to repay the fans

This is by far our biggest test in Champions League history: Playing Juventus. Baros should try to repay the fans and show us his worth. It's also good news that Alonso is at the bench, but I really hope he will just be out to stretch his legs. And defense need to be at their best of not conceding a goal.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Nunez
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Garcia
Baros

Result: 2-0

Match Report 050402 vs Bolton Wanderers: Igor may have saved his Anfield career

1-0 and it was never a pretty win. The match may have been lost for 15 minutes but somehow we resisted and gradually regained momentum. Certainly with Nando not starting and Gerrard forced to move up front our forward and midfield were not in good shape, and for Finnan's superb off the line saves (1 each half) we managed to keep a clean sheet before Igor scored that wonderful header. He was humble in saying that he was just at the right spot and everybody can score it, but that sense of alert to be at the right spot is really highly appreciated. We are now within 1 point of Everton and they are in greater pressure now. Keep on the pressure and we will finish 4th place.

Player Rating:
Carson: 7 Surprisingly called up and was shaky at first, especially when Bolton have that 5 consecutive corners and Carra's back pass header, but at times go by he becomes stronger and stronger and at the end had a superb save of Okocha's shot. A fully deserved home debut clean sheet.
Finnan: 7.5 2 saves off the line when Carson is beaten. If it's not him Biscan's goal may have no use.
Carragher: 6.5 For his high standard this is not a good game, especially the back header that almost resulted in an own goal.
Pellegrino: 6.5 The fact that Hyypia is not missed certainly tells how good he has been playing.
Traore: 7 Back from injury and he had a very nice assist before exchanging passes with Gerrard.
Nunez: 6.5 With no target man available his crosses are of no use. He did had a shot on target but that was not strong enough.
Biscan: 7.5 The goal that probably saved his Anfield career. Remember Smicer had a similar run a few years ago? Expect more to come from Igor.
Welsh: 6.5 A good debut home league start. Have a shot from 40 yards but was a bit too high.
Riise: 6 Not a good game and were also injuried.
Gerrard: 7 Did not play well at forward but as he moved back to midfield, his influence become easy to seen again.
Garcia: 6.5 Did not play well as the lone striker but when Le Tallec and Smicer were bought up he played better.

Substitutions:
Le Tallec: 6.5 He played a good game and with him on, we played better.
Smicer: 6.5 He seems to still have the hunger to play for us. This is good.
Morientes: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 With Baros and Nando out we struggled up front. But Rafa did make some good changes and so we won. Not a pretty game, but we need to win this kind of ugly game more.

Bolton: 7 They gave us a lot of pressures but at the end luck is on our side. They should qualify for UEFA Cup.

Men of the match: Biscan/Finnan. Biscan for scoring that important goal and Finnan for the 2 off the line saves.

No European Hangover

As Rafa said players must not have Europe hangover. Garcia will be back and Nando may also as well. Build up the derby momentum and close the gap to 1 point!

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Nunez
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Garcia
Morientes

Result 2-0

March Month Report

2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. We began the month trailing Everton by 8 points and at the end of the month, after the derby game, we are now only trailing by 4 points. But we now have a full squad of casualties, so we definitely need to show more guts to take over Everton.

We started the month losing at Newcastle, but fortunately Blackburn beat Everton as well. After that we have a good display at Leverkusen and now will face Juventus in the Quarter Final. Then another poor display vs Blackburn and 2 points lost, and then we finish at a high by beating Everton 2-1. We will have 8 to 9 games to play in April, and if we can at least tie with Everton on 4/30, we will definitely take over them as their last 3 matches are against Newcastle, Arsenal and Bolton.

Players of the month (1) Garcia/Gerrard 7.38 (3) Warnock 7.17. Luis Garcia shows not only does he has style, he also has the guts and heart to fight for Liverpool. Baros/Kewell definitely lack the heart. Gerrard shows he still want to fight for Liverpool. Look at his face after the goal vs Everton, and his biting of the Liverbird after the goal, you know how much the team means to him. This may be the sign that he is still staying. Warnock shows he can take left back at his own, I just hope he can recover soon.

April Prediction:
4/2 Bolton Wanderers (H) This is going to be a tough one as we don't have any strikers. But with Garcia back, we will have the guts to win the game.
4/5 Juventus (H) Milan needs to show he still have the heart to fight after the crazy sent off. Score some goals against the best goalkeeper. And defense need to be at its best as well.
4/9 Manchester City (A) Robbie and Steve will have a day off and we will roll over.
4/13 Juventus (A) Another important game. Players need to show we can play against the best.
4/16 Tottenham Hotspur (H) They will probably start their summer vacation by then. Go for a win!
4/20 Portsmouth (A) Similar to Spurs they will be safe by now and will just let us win.
4/23 Crystal Palace (A) Maybe a tough game as Palace will still be fighting for their survival.
4/27 Champions League Semi Final Bring on Chelsea/Bayern! We won't scare them if we can beat Juventus.
4/30 Middlesbrough (H) They will probably be lacking motivation by now. We definitely need this win and if we can take over Everton by now, we will be OK.

Match Report 050320 vs Everton: This is the Liverpool team we want to see

2-1 and this is a true great result and the team stand up and show us the team we want to see - except for one player who probably care of himself more than the team. From the starting minutes with Stevie G's tackles we know there can only be one winner.

We are still suffered from the back luck on injuries, and Milan Baros just don't play as a team player. We may better sell him next season. Other than that every body performed well, and with such a mentality we can win each of the remaining games.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Not much to do and have absolutely no chance in that goal.
Finnan: 7 A nice performance and was unfair to get a yellow due to time wasting ?!
Carragher: 9 Mr Liverpool. With no fear of whoever he's playing against.
Pellegrino: 7.5 Another superb performance and has as much heart as the local player. The critic should be silenced.
Warnock: 7 Whole-hearted performance but was unfortunate to be injuried. I just hope it's not too serious, and we need him.
Garcia: 8.5 He slienced the critics that he is light-weighted and he also shown his sense on scoring attempts. He also shown his willingness to fight for the team to stay on despite he's injuried. And he still has contributions to the team. Bravo!
Gerrard: 9 He played as if this is his last Merseryside derby, and after the game I just wish the game will change his mind. He is a local boy and winning for Liverpool is the ultimate goal - much much better than go to Real Madrid or Chelsea and win everything.
Hamann: 7 A much better performance but was unfortunate to be injuried.
Riise: 7 Started as left midfielder but was forced to play left back as Warnock injuried.
Morientes: 7.5 An excellent dipping shot from 40 yards that almost scored, but Martyn could not maintain his momentum and was forced to palm it away - but only to Garcia and he scored.
Baros: 4 If you do not want to commit to play for Liverpool. Go.

Substitutions:
Nunez: 7.5 His best performance so far. It was his pass to Garcia that lead to the free kick for the first goal.
Biscan: 7 He played a very well game, had a nice dribble but the shot was not on target. And the fans cheered when he beat up Osman's tackle in a midfield fight.
Smicer: 6.5 Still not in full fitness depsite having 1 or 2 telling passes in 2H. We need him to be back in form now as we don't have any strikers now.

Rafa: 9 Finally the players stand up and play well and he was as emotional as every fans was. Now he understands what a derby game means.

Everton: 5 The way they played is just a disgrace to football. But why do they remain to have 11 players and no injuries will be a question the referee need to explain. This match will knock down their confidence and they will finish 5th.

Man of the match: Carragher and Gerrard. The 2 scousers raised everybody in the team.

Stand up and be counted

With only 9 games to go and trailed by 7 points, a draw or a lost will probably means we cannot catch Everton. They will most likely play with 4-5-1 and I really don't know how to break through. And we are now 3 league games without a goal... Maybe it's time for Carra to score the winning goal.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Garcia
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Baros
Morientes

Result 2-0

Draw or lose, the race to 4th will be over

With only 9 games remaining and we are still trailing by 7 points, if we don't win we probably cannot finish ahead of Everton. Everton will likely play 4-5-1 and I really don't know how we can break this formation. We need a magic touch from somewhere. Perhaps it's time for Carra to score the winning goal?

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Garcia
Baros
Morientes

Result 2-0

Match Report 050316 vs Blackburn Rovers: Time is running out.

0-0 and time is running out for us to catch Everton. And we are now running the risk of being catched by other teams. Player seems to be disinterested in the league. And if this is the case, the club has no hope at all.

The fact that both goalkeepers have not have a decent save to made probably tells you how boring the game is. It was not until Riise come on during half time that we started to look interested in the game. Rafa need to use whatever method to boast up the morale before it's too late.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6.5 Not a save to be made.
Finnan: 6.5 He does not have any significant impact on the attack.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid as ever, could have earned us a penalty but referee think the other way.
Pellegrino: 6.5 Surprised start so that Hyypia can take a rest, and he is doing OK without any significance moment. Have probably our only 2 shots in 1H but both failed to trouble Friedel.
Warnock: 7 Played well both attacking and defending. Considering Smicer is almost invisible and he is doing everything alone in 1H this is an exceptional performance.
Garcia: 6 Start from the right and this is not his best position and no doubt his game suffered.
Gerrard: 6.5 Suffered from the rumours or what? He's just ineffective.
Hamann: 6 Again, did not raise his level when it is needed.
Smicer: 5 I won't be surprised if this is his last game for us.
Baros: 6 Made a lot of runs, but clearly he's not playing his best game.
Morientes: 6 Always double marked and hardly made an impact.

Substitutions:
Riise: 7 Come on during half time and we look a different team with him. Sadly it didn't last too long.
Nunez: 5.5 Almost invislble like Smicer.
Biscan: Not enough time to make an impact.

Rafa: 5 Rumor said Real Madrid may want him, and given the players' performance I am afraid he will be tempted.

Blackburn: 6 Come for 1 point and get it.

Friedel: 6.5 Hardly challenged and deserved to win his first clean sheet against us.
Matteo: 6 A late 2H substition.

Man of the match: Warnock. One of the few players that shown determination in the game.

Three important home games

This is the first of the three important home games in a row. Anything less than 9 points will cast a serious doubt on our chance of finishing 4th in the league. Blackburn seems to be revived a bit and they even helped us to beat Everton. We must capitalize on this and reduce the gap to 5 points.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Garcia
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Baros
Morientes

Result 3-0

Match Report 050309 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Thanks Rafa

3-1 and it is a really good result. In particular we have to thank Rafa - not just for his excellent strategy but also for his decision to hang out with the away fans the night before, no matter whether it is an intended trip or just a fluke. It really shows how much he cares for the fans, and how much the fans love him. And it also boast our morale. What's more, this was the place 3 years ago that saw the beginning of decline of the Houllier era. So the demon has finally been broken.

From the start we were not prepared to sit back and defend our 2 goal lead, and it finally paid off in 28 minutes. And Garcia scored another in 32 minutes and the game was almost over. After Baros finally scored his 2nd in 2005 Rafa even has the luxury to substitute Hamann (no more nightmare this time!) and the ever-present Carragher to avoid them picking any yellow card and miss the next game. It is really one of the best performance this season.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6.5 Barely any thing to do especially in 1H.
Finnan: 6.5 Solid display despite not too spectacular.
Carragher: 6.5 Good defending but Rafa need to take him off (1st time in the season!) to protect him from getting extra yellow card.
Hyypia: 6.5 Not much to do.
Warnock: 7.5 Another good display for the youngster. Young player of the year for us.
Garcia: 9 2 goals scored in 4 minutes and send us through. He seems to play much better in European game. Perhaps the game suits his style better.
Hamann: 7 Solid, and Rafa also need to take him off to avoid getting yellow card.
Biscan: 7.5 An assist and a solid display.
Riise: 6.5 Nice display from the iron man.
Gerrard: 7.5 Nice assist and almost scored a thunder.
Baros: 7.5 Works much harder than the Newcastle game. This is the Milan we wanna see.

Substitutions:
Smicer: 6 Tried too hard and had a few unnecessary shots that he should instead pass to another teammate.
Welsh: 6.5 Solid display from the youngster who took Carra's place in defense.
Nunez: 6 A solid substitution display.

Rafa: 9 Excellent game plan include the pub visit.

Leverkusen: 6 They played poorly, but credit to their kindness to the Liverpool team and supporters. They even played YNWA after the game!

Man of the match: Garcia. Scored 2 and could have been even more.

Again, make sure we won't regret

Last time when we were away at Leverkusen it turned out to be a heart broken event - and possibly the beginning of the fall of the Houllier era. It's now time to revenge. We need to make sure we at least get a draw, and everybody, especially Dudek, Gerrard and Baros, need to be at their best.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Nunez
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Garcia
Baros

Result 1-0

Match Report 050305 at Newcastle United: Players want to win the Champions League

0-1 and it was a very dull performance, with 5 of the regulars missing. And the rest looks like as if they are still suffering from the League Cup hangover. We were never into the game and I don't think we will score apart from 2 Gerrard efforts. It may be more fair to have a draw but Robert's superb freekick changed the result.

On a bright note, Pellegrino finally shows his worth. He was superb at the back and completely marked out Shearer. More performance like this and Rafa will have no problem in extending his contract. Everton also lost so the damage of the lost is reduced to the minimum. If we don't finish 4th then the only way we can participate in the Champions League next year is to win it this year. But then we need to freshen up at Germany and wish we get an easy draw, if ever there is such a draw.

Player Rating:
Carson: 6 A quiet debut with very few things to do, and the Robert free kick is unstoppable.
Finnan: 6 A dull performance.
Carragher: 6.5 One of the better player on the pitch.
Hyypia: 6 An ordinary performance from Sami.
Pellegrino: 7 His best performance for us so far. He completely marked out Shearer.
Gerrard: 6.5 Surprisely on the right and have 2 shotting efforts but off target.
Biscan: 6 Doing the job of Hamann quite well.
Smicer: 6 Not an effective game for Smicer. I would be surprised if Rafa extend his contract based on a performance like this.
Riise: 6 More as a wing back position, but he should be doing more of the attacking work instead.
Garcia: 6 He had a spectacular bicycle kick early in the game but unfortunately it's just over the bar.
Baros: 5.5 He is too selfish and I think he is playing for his name instead of for the club. I won't be surprised if he is sold.

Substitutions:
Nunez/Le Tallec/Warnock: Unable to impress.

Rafa: 5 A dull display but he is robbed 5 regulars, especially Traore, Hamann and Morientes are well missed.

Newcastle United: A first win for Souness against us, and Newcastle is on the high. I won't be surprised if they can finish high enough to qualify for UEFA cup, or they winning a cup double. Maybe this is really the year for Shearer (although not winning the big thing)

Man of the Match: Pellegrino. Shown us wht Rafa rated him so high. More performance like this would be nice.

A difficult game

Away at Newcastle is always difficult, especially they are on the high currently. If we don't win and Everton win tomorrow, we will be in big trouble. Players, show your response to that unworthy defeat.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Nunez
Gerrard
Hamann
Garcia
Morientes
Baros

Result 2-1

February Month Report

It started so bright, but ended so sad. We won the first 2 matches in style, at Charlton we won by coming from behind, courtesy of goals from Riise and Nando, his first for us. We then win comfortably vs Fulham, but then lost 0-2 at Birmingham, with the whole team disappointed. After that we come back by beating Leverkusen convincingly, but then lost to Chelsea in a very poor way.

Looking back, the old consistency still exist. How can Rafa solve it? I really don't know. And we have 3 crucial league games in March, and they will shape our season, and whether Stevie G is staying or not.

Players of the month (1) Carragher 7.00 (2) Riise 6.90 (3) Garcia/Morientes 6.75. Carra is probably our only player who can leave Cardiff proudly, and Riise's goals are really nice to watch. Garcia had 2 assist and 1 goal, and he is showing signs of his real quality. And Nando opened his account with 2 nice goals, and it is a pity he is cup-tied in the Champions League.

Time is running out. We need to win the next 3 league games if we really want to catch up Everton. Simple as this.

March Prediction:
3/5 Newcastle United (A) A very tough away game as Newcastle is on the high. But didn't I say the same thing last month before the Charlton game? We can do it.
3/9 Bayer 04 Leverkusen (A) A draw or even 1 goal defeat is enough, but it's better to win it. Defense display is the key. And an early goal from Stevie G will settle it.
3/16 Blackburn Rovers (H) We should win this game.
3/20 Everton (H) Of the 3 league games this is the most important. Definitely need to win.

Match Report 050227 vs Chelsea: We shall overcome

2-3 and it is really sad to see us lose due to a Gerrard own goal. He have not had a good game, but still he does not derseved to have such a nightmare.

We started brightly with Riise scored within 45 seconds under a superb Morientes assist. However, we were then defending for the rest of the game and Cech was not challenged until the middle of 2H. Dudek, was also not too busy because the back 4 are doing superbly, but when he's called into service he deal with it superbly.

Two injuries forced Rafa to make changes. Kewell, who obviously was not fit enough, and Traore, were injuried and Rafa put up Nunez and Biscan, who dealed with superbly. But the real problem is really putting Riise back to left back, and he was our best midfielder before! We did have at least 2 great chances to make it 2-0 but Hamann's shot was well saved and Gerrard's goal attempt was tackled at the last second - and we even don't get a corner! Of course we were denied a clear cut penalty.

As soon as Chelsea equalized our morale dropped. It become even worse when Dudek was injuried, and it proved to be critical, as if he is fit he should have deal with at least one of the other goal. But now these are all history. We definitely need to find a way to improve our luck.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Superb performance before injury, this is the Dudek we all want to see.
Finnan: 6.5 He dealed well with Duff and made him a non existence player.
Carragher: 7.5 If every body play like Carra we will win every game.
Hyypia: 6.5 A good game although at times he can't cope with Drogba. Was in fault for the second goal.
Traore: 7 He was excellent and should be our man of the match if we win the game.
Kewell: 5 Surprisely played on the right and was ineffective at all.
Gerrard: 5.5 Unlucky to score the own goal. Was he under great pressure over the last 2 months? We definitely need to support him.
Hamann: 6.5 He was doing the defensive work silently and effectively. Unlucky not to score.
Riise: 7 Superb goal and was one of our best midfielder. But after he was forced to switch to left back he was not as effective.
Garcia: 5.5 Give away the ball too much.
Morientes: 6.5 Superb assist but after that he was having no support at all.

Substitutions:
Nunez: 6.5 I really hope this goal will boast his confidence and he will play better for us. His crossing will be good for Nando to score.
Biscan: 6 Played quite good in midfield, have 2 scoring chances but could not take it.
Baros: 5.5 It was reported that he was upset of not starting the game, but if he play like this, what more can he expect?

Rafa: 5.5 Unfortunately his strategy of defending does not work. But we do show signs that we can defend if we need to.

Chelsea: 6 Credits to them, they keep pressing and finally get their reward.

Man of the Match: Carragher. He was excellent and we need every player to have his attitude.

With hope, in our heart

It's Rafa's first Final in England and given our rebound and Chelsea's current form, this is really the best time to play them. All players, especially Stevie G and Dudek, need to raise to the big moment and keep pressing on Chelsea. In Rafa we trust.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Hamann
Riise
Morientes
Baros

Result 1-0

Match Report 052222 vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen: We are half way through

3-1 and despite the setback of a late goal from Lekerkusen, this is really a magnificant result. Consider we are then only English team to win, you know how good we have been, especially consider that we were without Gerrard and Morientes.

From start to end we were in control of the game, Biscan especially shows us how he well he is, although he seems to be play well when Gerrard's not there. Rafa take note.

The 3 goals are all well taken. First one was a superb Biscan show: Tackle well and get the ball, inch perfect pass to Garcia, and he just can't miss it. The other 2 goals are wonderful curve-in free kicks from Riise and Hamann. Finnan was at fault when we were just 1-0 up with a poor header, and Dudek was also guilty for that goal at the end... Nevertheless, this is a good result, and if we make sure we can hold the defense, Quarter Final here we go.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 5 Make 3 superb saves but at the end that goal ruined his man of the match performance.
Finnan: 6 A bad header but fortunately the Leverkusen player missed it badly.
Carragher: 7 Superb as ever. Almost scored a goal.
Hyypia: 7 As good as Carra.
Traore: 6.5 He's also playing well despite some scary moment in the beginning.
Garcia: 7.5 A well taken goal. He's really on fire these days.
Hamann: 7.5 The goal was well taken. 1st goal of the season!
Biscan: 8 Shown we can rely on him if ever Gerrard leaves. But need to prove he can play this good consistently.
Kewell: 7 Played very well in his first game back. We definitely need more headcount as we are chasing 4th place.
Riise: 7.5 An excellent free kick. Shows he can curve the ball apart from banging it. Would be nice to score another in Cardiff.
Baros: 7.5 Unlucky not to score, he did lots of tricks and is a constant threat.

Substitutes:
Le Tallec/Potter/Smicer: Not enough time to impress, but it's nice to see Anthony back. Grab your chance, young man!

Rafa: 8 Players reacted well after the last defeat 10 days ago. Could be perfect if Dudek did not concede that goal, but everybody should be happy with a 3-1 result.

Man of the match: Biscan. But need to perform like this week in, week out.

Non-showers, please show up now.

This is a tough game in which we Gerrard and Morientes are unable to play, besides the usual injury players. And after the horrible display at Birmingham, the non-showers need to show up now. If we can't win by 2 goals, I think we really have big trouble to go to next round. And Rafa, maybe it's time to give Carra the captain's armband?

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Smicer
Hamann
Biscan
Riise
Baros
Garcia

Result 2-0

Match Report 050212 at Birmingham City: No heart at all

0-2 and it was a very poor display. We never win any 50-50 battle and it was not until Carragher had a header in the 90 minutes that we have a shot on target. With such a display what we can expect is to not concede too many goals, and Dudek did his job and prevent us to concede at least 2 more goals.

We failed to reduce the gap when Everton lost to Chelsea, with 11 games to go to close a 5 point gap, time is running out. And how are we going to beat Leverkusen without Gerrard and Morientes? I really don't know.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 Have 2 saves to avoid us to lose 0-4, and is not to be blamed for the 2 goals.
Finnan: 6 Nowhere for the 2nd goal, and no support for attack.
Carragher: 6.5 Partly responsible for not contain Gray for the second goal, but apart from this he is one of our best player. He is probably our only player that had the determination to try to get something and had our only shot on target.
Hyypia: 5 Conceded the penalty, although it is a bit harsh. But he was unable to contain Heskey at all.
Traore: 5 Horrible performance. He lost Pennant and then his crossing lead to the 2nd goal.
Baros: 5.5 Playing at midfield is just ineffective for Milan. But even if he was moved up in 2H his display did not improved much. Just one shot off target.
Gerrard: 5 Another poor game. I think we should seiously consider to sell him as he is having bad influence to the team.
Hamann: 5 Could not run the midfield. Poor display.
Biscan: 5 Very poor display and was rightly substituted.
Riise: 5 Ineffective display.
Morientes: 5.5 I feel sorry for him, no supply at all. He had one golden opportunity but his shot was too tame.

Substitution:
Smicer: 5.5 Came out in 2H but not particular helpful at all.
Nunez: 5.5 Another poor display, and time may be running out for him now.
Pellegrino: Not enough time to impress/embarass the team.

Rafa: 5 People are questioning his decision to play 5 in the middle, and yet we seemed to be short of headcount and a few players went AWOL.

Heskey: 7.5 An expected good display from him and probably Man of the match.

Man of the match: Carragher. The only player that has the determination, and had our only shot on target.

Another great chance to close the gap

Everton is playing Chelsea and it is a good opportunity to further close the gap. We lost to Birmingham in a rather unlucky game at Anfield 3 months ago, and it is now the time to revenge. If not for Garcia's suspension I am pretty sure Rafa will stick with the same lineup again. Morale is high and players have the spirit to fight, and with Nando on fire and Milan beginning to score ago, we can close the gap.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Smicer
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Morientes
Baros

Result: 2-0

Match Report 050205 vs Fulham: Nando shows his class again

3-1 and it was a convincing win despite it was leveled at half time. Morientes is showing his class again and headed an unstoppable header. A Garcia mispass let Fulham into a quick counter attack and Andy Cole scored. In 2H Hyypia and then Baros scored. The gap is now down to 5 points and we have every chance to close it as Everton is playing Chelsea next. Would be nice to see it down to 2 in a week.

We controlled the game very well with about 70% possession. As Rafa also said if we keep on creating chances we will definitely win. And this game proves this again.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Can't blame him on the goal, and also made a few saves.
Finnan: 7 Another good display. With him in the squad even Garcia plays better.
Carragher: 7 Another solid display in Carra. One thing he can improve is to carry the ball forward more.
Hyypia: 7 A well deserved goal but I am not sure if he really touch it or not. Solid at the back as well.
Traore: 7 Before we take the lead he was a bit lost confidence, too many mispasses. But after we take the lead again he was very solid, and had a nice shoot from a Nando back pass just saved.
Garcia: 7 A fine assist in that nice cross that found Nando. This is what we expect from him. However, his another "assist" that lead to the Fulham goal is too cheap. Need to improve this aspect of his game. But he definitely has more confidence now and played much better than a few weeks ago.
Gerrard: 7 A bit jaded but still had a good assist. Need to take a break some time.
Biscan: 6.5 He was doing things quietly, but give away the ball too easily.
Riise: 7 Another assist, another find display in midfield.
Morientes: 7.5 A superb header. Give us more, Nando!
Baros: 7 A fine taken goal that is well deserved. Let's start to score more!

Substitutions:
Hamann: 6.5 Bossing the midfield well.
Smicer/Warnock: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 He has not have 2 games using the first 11 for a long time. And this bunch of players is probably the best lineup we have for the time being.

Fulham: 5.5 Not into the game and defense is especially poor.

Man of the Match: Morientes. A fine header. And his all round contribution is excellent.

We need to close the gap

A well deserved win at Charlton reignited our hope of catching up. Morale is high now, and although Fulham may be of a good form recently, our determination will drive us through. And Nando has opened his account already. Now is time for Milan to catch up.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Traore
Garcia
Gerrard
Biscan
Riise
Morientes
Baros

Result: 2-0

Match Report 050201: Best away performance in 40 years

2-1 and of course that sentence of best away performance in 40 years is a joke by Rafa in response to the harsh response for the Southampton defeat, but it is close as the best in 40 weeks.

We were in control of the whole game with about 20 shots vs Charlton's 4, but to everybody's surprise Charlton took the lead. Before that Stevie G had hit the bar once.

The goal was created by a nice Murphy corner that nobody cleared and let Bartlett scored a free header. It seems that all our ex-players (eg Redknapp) take corner well, and Stevie G should learn from Murphy on how to take a good corner.

We keep on attacking and Riise also hit the bar in 2H, but it was fit the moment to have Morientes scored his first of many goals for us. He picked up the ball by a deflection through Baros and the Charlton defender and calmly scored. After that Murphy almost scored for Charlton but Traore had a great tackle and saved us. From this point onward there can only be one winner, and Garcia nicely passed the ball to Riise who scored his 6 of the season. Well done!

The performance was a lot better than the Southampton and every player responded very well. If we can play like this week in and week out there's no doubt we will finish 4th.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Was not responsible for the goal, had a great save, but a parry almost lead to a Murphy goal but Traore saved him.
Finnan: 7 The hidden hero at the back. We looks much better with him playing.
Carragher: 7 Carra as usual. This is his 241th Premiership game and he has now edged McManaman to have played the most Premiership games for us.
Hyypia: 7 Sami is back. And he played very well.
Traore: 7 He may have lost Bartlett in that goal but later on he repaid our faith by stopping Murphy superbly.
Garcia: 7 Very lively and had a nice assist. This is what we expect from him.
Gerrard: 7 Bossing the midfield well and was unlucky not to score.
Biscan: 7 Low key but very effective.
Riise: 7.5 Scored a superb goal. He was a continuous threat to Charlton.
Baros: 7 Do all the runs and created a lot of chances and spaces for Nando.
Morientes: 7.5 A great goal to open his account and he worked very hard. Fully deserved.

Substitutions:
Smicer/Warnock/Potter: Not sufficient time to impress, but the referee make sure at least everybody touched the ball by adding 1 more minute to the required 3 minutes... Nevertheless welcome back Vlad!

Rafa: 7.5 His tactic was spot on and every players responsed well. Well done man.

Murphy: 7 Created the goal and almost scored one himself. But after that he faded as the team faded.

Charlton: 6 They won't take the lead if not for Murphy. I think they are capable to challenge 6th place.

Man of the Match: Morientes. Scored the first of his many goals for us. His work rate is extremely high.