Match Report 060308 vs Benfica: The dream has ended

0-2 and we are knocked out of Europe. We still cannot score and as Stevie G said we probably need more shooting trainings. And the defense without Hyypia and Riise were shaky. It's really disappointing, but now we need to focus on finishing 2nd and win the FA Cup.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can't do much for the 2 goals.
Finnan: 6.5 A fair game.
Carragher: 6.5 Somewhat guilty for the first goal. Almost scored from a corner though.
Traore: 5.5 Too many errors and one of them lead to the first goal.
Warnock: 6 Still not convincing.
Luis Garcia: 6 Failed to make any significant threats.
Gerrard: 7 Can't lift the team to win the game.
Alonso: 6.5 Frustuated.
Kewell: 6 No magic provided.
Morientes: 5.5 Simply disappointed.
Crouch: 6 Missed too many chances.

Substitutions:
Cisse: 6 Not helpful at all.
Fowler: 6 Scored another disallowed goal.
Hamann: 6 Not much impact.

Rafa: 6 The team let him down. We have so many shots and corners but failed to score a goal.

Benfica: 7 Deserved winner. Substained our first 20 minute of pressure and later on scored 2 goals from counter attack. Good luck to them.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Righty said we need scoring practice.

We need to score

With a goal down we need to score two goals more than Benfica to get through to the next stage. It is a bit worrying that none of the strikers are scoring goals, but why not start from tonight? Maybe Robbie can score a hat trick.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Luis Garcia
Gerrard
Alonso
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060304 vs Charlton Athletic: Another two point loss

0-0 and we should have win the game easily, but the lack of firepower let us down. We dominated the game but could not find a way to put the ball in the net. And even when Fowler did - Cisse was offside. It is a very fluctuating result, and we are just 1 point ahead of Manchester United but played 2 more games.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do but when he does need to do something, he did it well.
Kromkamp: 6.5 A good effort put up.
Carragher: 7 Lead the back 5 well.
Hyypia: 6.5 Was injuried and only played 1H. But he should be ready for the Benfica game.
Traore: 6.5 1H as left back and 2H as center back. A good display overall.
Cisse: 6 Tried very hard and was very lively, but was guilty of staying in the offside position that denied Fowler's goal.
Gerrard: 7 Another good display from the captain.
Hamann: 6.5 Doing the defensive work very well.
Kewell: 7 We need more from Harry. Had a few tame shots only.
Fowler: 7.5 Another disallowed goal, but the real one will come very soon.
Crouch: 7 Posed lots of threats to Charlton but unable to score.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6.5 Played 2H quite well.
Alonso: 7 Provided a few spectacular passes and shots but failed to find the net.
Morientes: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Still unable to find solution to the lack of goals.

Charlton Athletic: 7 Come for 1 point and get what they want. But Myhre single-handly win them the point.

Man of the Match: Fowler. Showed us why Rafa brings him back. He may be annoymous for most of the game but was still the most deadiest in front of goal.

We need to start scoring more goals

We still have a problem in scoring goals with the strikers not scoring many goals. On current form Crouch is the best among the 4, but Fowler is getting closer and closer. Last time we lost a very poor game against Charlton and now we need to get a result from them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Kromkamp
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Cisse
Gerrard
Alonso
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result: 2-0

February Month Report

4W1D3L and it was not a good month for us as we lost 8 points in the league and are 1 down in the Champions League. The month started poorly with 1 point from 3 league games, and then we gradually improved by beating Wigan, Arsenal and Man United. Then we have a blip in conceding a late goal at Benfica, but then we bounced back and beat Manchester City.

The main problem is still the lack of goals. We scored 5 goals only in the month (which contributes to the 4 wins and 1 draw). Rafa need to find a way to flood the goals.

Players of the Month: (1) Gerrard 7.0 (2) Carragher/Hamann 6.6 (3) Hyypia 6.5. Stevie G is still the engine of the team and we lost both matches he didn't play. Carragher is as usual rock solid at the back. With the injury to Sissoko Hamann's role becomes more important and it is nice to see him preserved and performed to his best level. Hyypia scored a great goal at Wigan and we would of course love to see more.

March Prediction:
3/4 Charlton Athletic (h): Last time we didn't play well and this is now the time to get a result.
3/8 Benfica (h): We need to beat them by 2 clear goals. Remember Olympiakos?
3/12 Arsenal (a): This is a tricky game and we are not good traveller to London. But we will change the habit here.
3/15 Fulham (h): Same as the Charlton game we need to get a result.
3/19 Newcastle United (a): Anoter tricky game, Owen may be back in this game but still we would win it.
3/22 Birmingham City (a): 5th time lucky for Rafa.
3/25 Everton (h): The players need to be alert as this will be a very physical game.
3/29 Champions League Quarter FInal, 1st leg: If we pass through Benfica we will not fear any opponent.

Match Report 060226 vs Manchester City: Another good result but average performance

1-0 and the result is good, although we should have kill off the game much earlier given we have 1 extra man for more than half an hour. Crouch is unlucky not to score but Nando's form is worrying. Need to sort out ASAP.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made many saves and interception to keep the score at 1-0.
Finnan: 6.5 A good defensive display.
Hyypia: 6.5 Lead the defense well.
Agger: 6 A bit hestitate and not familiar with his teammates.
Riise: 6.5 Good defensive display.
Kromkamp: 6 Played as right midfielder but did not provivde too many good crosses.
Gerrard: 8 Provided the crucial assist and lead the team well.
Alonso: 6 Played a bit part but was then injuried. Form is not good though.
Kewell: 7.5 Scored a great goal and could have score more.
Crouch: 7.5 Lots of chances but James was good.
Morientes: 6. Worrying. Have a sitter but failed to shot with any power.

Substitutions:
Hamann: 6.5 Another good display. Provided a killer pass to Nando but he failed to score.
Luis Garcia/Traore: Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 7 Good team display, but still need to solve the lack of goal.

Manchester City: 6.5 Good at home but poor in travel. I really hope they can respond and challenge for a UEFA place.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Killer assist and was happy back to his favorite middle.

My del.icio.us tagrolls

We need a response

After the midweek dismal result we certainly need a result to cheer up. Fowler will not be eligible to play this game, so the other three guys need to do the job. Carra will also take a break as he got his 5th yellow so Agger get another chance to impress. And win it for Momo. We certainly miss you.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Hamann
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060221 at Benfica: We need the Kop

0-1 and once again we contolled the match but could not score, and at the end a defensive error was made and we were defeated. It seems that as Stevie G is injuried we just cannot have the penetration to get through. Luis Garcia is too lightweight and should only play as a sub at Benfica. Anyway we still have the 2nd leg and it can be Olympiakos 2nd coming.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Nothing to do but then suddenly conceded a goal.
Finnan: 6.5 A good game.
Carragher: 7 Captain Carra did his job well but cannot convince the players to score a goal.
Hyypia: 6.5 At a time when the strikers can't score a goal, We definitely need Sammi to score some. Remember Juventus?
Riise: 6.5 Working hard but not much impact.
Luis Garcia: 6 Too light-weighted and should start as a sub if not Gerrard's injuried.
Alonso: 6 Back from injury, but his condition is still not too good.
Sissoko: 6 Unlucky to pick up that injury. Get well soon and we need you.
Kewell: 6 We need him to score more goals. One in as many game is not enough.
Fowler: 6 Not in full fitness and only has a few half chances.
Morientes: 6 Another disappointing performance.

Substitutions:
Hamann: 6 Played well but conceded the crucial free kick that lead to the goal.
Cisse: 6 Replaced God but did not do anything convincing.
Gerrard: Not enough time to turn the tide.

Rafa: 6 Hit by injury, tried his best but at the end we were frustuated by the lack of fire power once again. He won't be happy in the way we conceded the goal. But it's only half time and we have enough time and support from the Kop to turn it around.

Befica: 6.5 Would be happy to come to Anfield with a goal in hand.

Man of the Match: Carragher. The vice captain has another good game once again.

斷背山

每個人心裏都有一個斷背山，只是你沒有上去過 。

作為一個真正忠於自己的人，最重要的不是為了取得別人的掌聲，而是做自己要做、應做的事，堅持自己固有的信念，追求自己的理想以至夢想，即使夢想無法實現，即使到自己臨終時夢想也只是一個遺憾。但這一生總算沒有白過了。

If I die today I can say I fulfiled the above. But can I still fulfil this if I live longer? Only time will tell, but I will try my best.

We achieved your dream

One particular banner on Saturday's FA Cup tie vs Manchester United was "We achieved your dream". Of course this refer to our winning the Champions League last season, but once again, we are going to help our neighbor to achieve their dream of beating Benfica. Alonso is back, Fowler will play his first European game for many years, and with 3 consecutive 1-0 wins, the confidence will be high. And of course, Rafa is well prepared.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Hamann
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060218 vs Manchester United: Job completed professionally

1-0 and although it is not pretty, but it is a job completed professionally. They never have a clear cut chance throughout the match and although we cannot score another goal to win it more comfortably, the 1-0 is enough to make us 1 step closer to win the FA Cup.

This time we controlled the pace and ruled midfield. All the players have been superb. The 3 cleansheet wins in a row will boast our confidence in visiting Portugal on Tuesday.

On a sad note. It is really sad to see Alan Smith get injuried. This is a freak injury and let's hope he can get well soon.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Return from suspension and have almost nothing to do.
Finnan: 8 Doing superbly on both ends, with an assist, a shot to the side net, and ditched van Nistelrooy for their own real chance.
Carragher: 7 Muted the Man United offense. Unlucky to pick up a yellow card, but it is good as he need to take a break.
Hyypia: 7 Good performance at the back
Riise: 7 Good performance, his shot has broken Alan Smith's leg but it is just a freak injury.
Gerrard: 7 Lead the team as usual.
Sissoko: 7 Lively in the midfield goings ups and downs.
Hamann: 7 Provided the solid protection to the back four and muted the opponent midfield.
Kewell: 7 When Harry met Gary :) Set the tone for the game as he muscled Neville out.
Crouch: 7.5 Beautiful header. Nice to see him on the score sheet again.
Morientes: 6.5 His runs are getting better but he need to score a goal ASAP to get his confidence back.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Could have scored when he is through but was pulld down by Videc.
Kromkamp/Cisse: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Excellent tactics focusing on the United's weaknesses. Spot on!

Manchester United: 6 League Cup is their own prize this season and Mellor will shot them down next Sunday. After that it will depends on the players psycology as they have nothing to win for except the second place. But we will edge pass them for the second place.

Man of the Match: Finnan. Unsung hero for so long.

5th time lucky

It's the fifth time we play United under Rafa. We have not yet win, but like the Chelsea fixture this is now 5th time lucky for us. With Luis the big match player started to pick up form, now is the time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Luis Garcia
Gerrard
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060214 vs Arsenal: Luis the Valentine Hero

1-0 and with his first touch Luis Garcia is the hero for the victory. The race to second place is still on, and this is another timely win before the next big games.

The players still look very tired but at least we can control the pace of the game. We have lots of chances but find it difficult to find the net. Luckily Luis Garcia was alert as ever and present at the right place at the right time.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 Another good display. He will probably be back to subsitute for at least the next 2 games, but Rafa should give him another chance when we play Manchester City.
Finnan: 6.5 A good defensive display.
Carragher: 7 Had a good 400th game. What a man!
Hyypia: 7 After his last goal he is more eager to shot. We would like to see more.
Riise: 6.5 Tested Lehmann several times but mostly off target.
Gerrard: 6.5 Missed a penalty that is a bit controvesial, but his performance was not affected.
Alonso: 6 Tired. Rafa should rest him in the Manchester City game.
Sissoko: 6.5 Doing the dirty works well.
Kewell: 6.5 Take lots of shots but mostly off target, including a spectacular overhead kick.
Fowler: 6.5 Getting better and better in terms of fitness. Too bad he is cup-tied for the FA Cup, but at least he will be ready for the Benfica game.
Morientes: 6 Another unconvinving display with 2 miskicks which he should at least take a shot on target.

Substitutions:
Hamann: 7 A nice shot that forced Lehmann to parry the goal for Luis Garcia to score.
Cisse: 6 Not too convincing...
Luis Garcia: 7.5 The hero. He is the first one to react when Lehmann parried the ball and deserve to score. Welcome back at the right time!

Rafa: 6.5 His master-stroke substitutes work this time. But still haven't solve the goal draught.

Arsenal: 6 Will be difficult to catch Spurs with this performance, but they looks similar to what we were last year. Champions League in sight?

Man of the Match: Luis Garcia. Like last year he starts to sparkle at this time of the season. And we need him desperately.

3 games to shape this season

As Rafa said the next 3 games will shape our season. It starts with Arsenal, who is very poor in away games but with 2 defenders back. The key for us is to keep a high pace like what we did last season. This is also the last game for Dudek to convince Rafa, although it will be difficult but don't give up and give us your best. And the strikers please start to score.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060213 at Wigan Athletic: A good result despite poor performance

1-0 and it is really important to start the winning habit before the critical period in the coming week. We did not play too well as the players are tired, but at least we get a result and this is most important.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 7 A much better performance and had to stretch well enough to keep the clean sheet, especially in preventing Hyypia from scoring an own goal.
Finnan: 6.5 A good performance but not much contribution to the attack.
Carragher: 7 A nice volley for the assit to Sami.
Hyypia: 7.5 A good goal scored. Could have scored 1 more at both ends.
Riise: 6.5 Same as Finnan.
Gerrard: 7 Good performance after come back from injury.
Alonso: 6 A quiet game. Fatigue factor is clearly affecting his performance.
Hamann: 7 A good performance and doing his job quietly.
Kewell: 6 A quiet perforamnce.
Fowler: 6 First start but only have 1 scoring chance.
Morientes: 6 Had a nice volley saved.

Substitutions:
Kromkamp: 6.5 Doing well this time.
Cisse: 6 Not much contribution.

Rafa: 6.5 Should be glad on the result but not the performance. Need to help Luis Garcia to be back to form ASAP.

Wigan Athletic: 6 A good performance given they have no recognized striker available. Good luck on the League Cup Final and we will be backing you.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. A nice goal and good all-round performance.

Let's move on

It's another away game and we need to pick up the winning habit sooner rather than later. Wigan's focus is now in the league cup, and if we can beat them and Arsenal on Tuesday, the outlook will be much better.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Kromkamp
Carragher
Agger
Warnock
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060208 at Charlton Athletic: Learn from mistakes

0-2 and we did not win in the last 4 away league games - 1 draw and 3 defeats. The fatigue factor now kicks in, and we also make lots of mistakes. Rafa need to sort it out ASAP.

Once again we misfired despite creating lots of chances with no Gerrard to score. And the defense unit just fail as a whole. And after the 2 goals conceded Charlton just play counter attack comfortably and almost hit us with another 2 chances.

We should still be able to finish 2nd though as there is still lots of games remaining.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 5.5 A poor comeback. Maybe guilty for the penalty, and was beaten at least twice in 2H but the goal post saved him.
Finnan: 6 One of the better player.
Carragher: 5.5 Lost his temper after the first goal and then partly guilty for the second goal.
Hyypia: 6 Time to score, Sami.
Traore: 5.5 Not too bad.
Cisse: 5.5 Starting to see some flash in 2H but then was substituted.
Alonso: 6.5 Create lots of chances for the strikers but no fruit.
Sissoko: 6 Played well defesnsively, have 4 shots but none on target. Isn't he a striker before in France?
Kewell: 6 His tricks doesn't work this time.
Crouch: 5.5 Failed to make any impact.
Morientes: 5.5 Mystery of not being substituted.

Substitutions:
Fowler: 5.5 Failed to make any impact at all.
Riise: 5.5 Not much he can do.
Kromkamp: Not enough time to make a real impact.

Rafa: 5 He needs to motivate the team and find someone to score ASAP.

Charlton Athletic: 7 You have to give them credits. Despite us controlling at least before the 2 goals, they were tightly defending and also play counter attack well in 2H.

Man of the Match: Alonso. But just the better one in a poor team performance.

Welcome back, Jersy

With Reina suspended it will be time for Dudek to resurrect his career. Three games to prove his worth. Together with Stevie G's injury there will be another resuffle tonight. And we need to start scoring goals.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Kromkamp
Carragher
Agger
Warnock
Luis Garcia
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060205 at Chelsea: A Poor Game

0-2 and it was a very disappointed result. Not that because we lost but because of our continuous problem of lack of a cutting edge finishing. Before Chelsea scored the first goal they have not a single shot on target. For us? We havel lots of half chances and couldn't take any. This is the major reason we lost.

As for Reina's red card, he need to learn how to react when an opponent stir up fire. But maybe it's a chance for Dudek to recapture his World Cup position. And we are now feeling the fatigue factor.

Perhaps it is good to lose this match. We can now focus on more realistic goals (ie, finishing 2nd, and try our best in Champions League and FA Cup). But we need to improve our finishing and set-pieces.

Player Rating:
Reina: 5 Should not raise his hand. Lesson learnt.
Finnan: 6 One of the better player.
Carragher: 7 Lead by example.
Hyypia: 6 Had a good game but we miss his goals.
Warnock: 5 At fault in covering Crespo for the offside position, and shaky.
Gerrard: 6 Had a shot saved by Cech. And maybe it's time to let others to take corners.
Alonso: 5.5 One of his poorer game with lots of missed passes.
Sissoko: 6.5 Was controlling midfield before we lost the first goal.
Riise: 6 Not too effective.
Kewell: 6 With a shot close to target.
Crouch: 5.5 No real impact on the game.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6 Come and off, but can't change the score line.
Ciise/Dudek: Does Cisse play? At least Dudek made a good save.

Rafa: 5 Need to solve the problem of lack of goal and our set-piece conversion. It's really no point just to win corner and shots but without any goals.

Chelsea: 6.5 A dirty performance. I really don't think they have the attitude to be called "Champion". Let Barcelona teach them a lession.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Prevent us from further humiliation.

Don't let the dream die - yet

If we still want to have the dream of winning the title, we must win this game - although winning it may not be enough. The team is a bit tired currently, but we still need to keep a high tempo to have any real chance to win. Although Rafa hinted he may start Fowler but I think he would play a 4-5-1 to pack the midfield. But I may be wrong.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Luis Garcia
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Crouch

Result: 1-0

Match Report 060201 vs Birmingham City: The party was spoiled

1-1 and as Rafa said it is a disappointing result. Look at the fact: We have 25 shots with 10 on target and can only score one, yet for Birmingham they have 3 shots and 2 on target. And on a night when Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal slips, we definitely should win the game.

The result make Birmingham remains 1 of the 4 teams Rafa's team has yet beaten. The other twos are Manchester United (which we will beat them on 2/18) and Sao Paolo (which we should have won) and Burnley (which was a shame to lose).

As Rafa said if you are winning 1-0 and creating lots of chances and them with 10 men, you should win the game, but we just couldn't find the goal.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well to parry away the Heskey header but couldn't prevent Alonso to score the own goal.
Finnan: 6.5 Provided some crossing but didn't make a big impact.
Agger: 6.5 A nice debut, saw him go up front quite often, almost conceded a goal due to lack of concentration, and almost scored on his debut.
Hyppia: 6.5 Commanding performance.
Riise: 6.5 Not much to do at the back, but failed to make an impact going up.
Luis Garcia: 6 Return from injury and still picking up his match fitness. Should have scored.
Gerrard: 7.5 Scored a goal and then rested.
Hamann: 6 Not much contribution.
Kewell: 7 Lively, but just couldn't find the net.
Crouch: 5.5 Not a good game, though his look when substituted was quite innocent.
Morientes: 7 Have another nice assist and should have scored or provide another few more assists.

Substitutions:
Fowler: 7 His movement is good, scored an overkick goal but was (correctly) ruled offside. Need more match fitness.
Alonso: 5. Dreadful own goal. Need to repay Fowler for spoiled his party.

Rafa: 6 His tactic may be wrong this time. Maybe he just want to rest Xabi and Stevie G (after his scoring) but playing at home we need more creativitely rather than steel.

Birmingham City: 6.5 Stolen 2 points from us, but they deserve it for their never-say-die spirit. But they need to improve a lot if they want to survive.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Provided the platform for the party, but other players let him down.

Thanks Rafa for bringing Fowler back

Enough have been said in Rafa's bringing back our favorite son. You can tell from his words and his face how happy he is. To quote a few:

"It has always been a club close to my heart. I grew up supporting the other side but ever since I came to Liverpool when I was 11, I grew very close to everyone involved with the club. You put on the red shirt again and it's just an amazing feeling and I'm glad I'm going to get that opportunity again."

"Yes. I think if you pray enough for things, well I'm proof that they can happen. I'm absolutely delighted to be back. I feel like a kid waking up on Christmas morning every day now! It's fantastic and it's something that I have wanted to happen for such a long time. I am very glad that it has come about again."

And to quote the words from Rafa and Parry:

Rafa: "I don't think I've ever seen a player quite so happy to be joining a club.”

Parry: "I had to persuade Robbie to look at the contract. I think I could have put a contract in front of him with no money on it and he'd have signed it!"

Whether he will be successful in getting a longer term contract is now completely up to him. If he play well certainly he will get one, but even if he doen't play well and get one, at least he tried.

Welcome back, Robbie, and we can't wait to see you score and hold your left waist high. Lovely.

Chapter Two

Fowler will probably not start this game but expect to see him in the bench and present for 10-20 minutes. After all these years our favorite son is back to where he belong. He may not have the pace or match fitness yet, but he will contribute in terms of lifting the morale and atmosphere, and he is as deadly as he was.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

January Month Report

3 wins, 1 draw and 1 lost in January amd we lost 5 points in 2 away league games. The lowest point is no doubt the defeat at Manchester United, but it is sure that even though we lost that particular battle, we will win the war and finish higher than them, although we may not yet catch Chelsea. And for the highest point, is no doubt, the return of God. Expect to see his second debut vs Birmingham.

Players of the Month: (1) Gerrard 7.1 (2) Kewell 7.0 (3) Alonso 6.9. As usual Stevie G carries the team and scored in both FA Cup games. Kewell scored a well deserved cracker and win us the game against Spurs. And Alonso scored 2 amazing goals at Luton that averages 50 yards. Special credit must also be given to Sinama-Pongolle who scored 2 great goals at Luton as well.

February Prediction:
2/1 Birmingham City (h): Return of God.
2/5 Chelsea (a): If we want to maintain any slight hope of catching Chelsea, we must win this game.
2/8 Charlton Athletic (a): Charlton may have revived a little bit but we should win this. Remember God's overhead kick at the final game in the Treple Season there?
2/11 Wigan Athletic (a): Well done Wigan in getting into the League Cup Final, but we will beat them.
2/14 Arsenal (h): At this stage they will be preparing for Champions League.
2/18 Manchester United (h): 5th time lucky for Rafa.
2/21 Benfica (a): Return of European game, and we will get a result there.
2/26 Manchester City (h): Thanks City of allowing God to be back to his true home, but we will show no mercy.

Match Report 060129 at Portsmouth: A dull performance, but at least we are through

2-1 and it was not a good performance at all, but the result was good and we have now entered the hat for drawing Round 5.

The freshly laid field certainly does no good to the performance of both teams, and it was not until Stevie G slot in that penalty before we have a goal on target. After that Riise scored an absolute streamer. In 2H we were lapsed and let them score one. After that Riise almost score another one but unfortunately it was his right foot. But then it is enough and we are through.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6 An average performance but he was alert when Portsmouth have chance.
Kromkamp: 6 Not a good full debut.
Carragher: 7 Good as usual.
Hyypia: 6.5 Back from illness and performed OK.
Warnock: 6 An average performance.
Gerrard: 7 Scored from penalty.
Alonso: 6.5 Control the midfield without really sparkle.
Sissoko: 6 Not a good performance and please don't dive.
Riise: 7.5 Scored a cracker but should have score one more.
Cisse: 6.5 Feeling the pressure now and played quite good in 2H as right midfielder.
Morientes: 6 Apart from the assist had done nothing.

Substitutes:
Crouch/Finnan/Kewell: Not enough time to impress

Rafa: 6.5 Not a good performance from the team, but the result is OK.

Portsmouth: 6 Now they can concentrate the fight against relegation. But need to gear up 1 or 2 gears.

Man of the match: Riise. Nice goal that kill off the game.

Welcome back, God

Yes, he's back. To me it is even a bigger news than Michael Jordan back to basketball. It is really surprised that he is still only 30 after all these years. I don't really mind if he can still perform for us, but he is a player with a Liverpool heart.

It's a pity he is cup-tied in FA Cup, but Champions League is on the way.

Welcome back!

Rebound

After last week's underserved defeat now is the time to bounce back. Portsmouth was absolutely poor recently, and although we have never beat them in FA Cup, now is the time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Kromkamp
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Sinama-Pongolle
Morientes

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060122 at Manchester United: We lost the battle, but will win the war

0-1 and we were very unlucky not to get at least 1 point in a game we dominated. Should the strikers be less wasteful we would have win the game easily. Anyway lady lucky was not on our side, and we shall move forward even though we failed to capitalize on a rare Chelsea slip.

Up front Cisse got a lot of sticks and was rightly so. Rafa need to find a way to solve this. We also lack smoothness in terms of passing, and are still extremely wasteful in set pieces. We also lacked a moment of concentration and paid the price. And we miss Luis Garcia.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6 Cannot do much on the goal but other than that he had a good and quiet game.
Finnan: 7 One of the better player on the field.
Carragher: 7 A good performance.
Hyypia: 6 At time he was exposed but overall he had a good game.
Riise: 6 Moving ups and downs but failed to create any real chances.
Gerrard: 6 1H as right midfielder, 2H as middleman, but not effective as he should be. And he need to mind his tackles at times.
Alonso: 6.5 Good quarterback performance.
Sissoko: 6.5 Good display with heart.
Kewell: 6.5 Played well with heart. This is what we like to see from Harry.
Cisse: 5.5 Guilty of missing the big chance with the goal at his mercy.
Crouch: 5.5 Very unproductive.

Substitutions:
Morientes: 6 Not much influence.
Sinama-Pongolle: 6 Tried hard but failed to impact.
Kromkamp: Not enough time to impress. Expect Rafa to start him at Portsmouth.

Rafa: 6 Failed to win the game with his changes this time.

Manchester United: 6 The better team lost. But we will edge them out, at least.

Men of the Match: Carragher and Finnan. Two good and consistent defenders.

What do you do with 3 iPods?

Answer: Make a tripod

Plan for a win

It's away at Old Tradford and although a draw would not be too bad for the race for second, Rafa will no doubt plan to win the game. It will probably be a very physical game, but with Kewell reborn, we can exploire their defense using Crouch's height and Cisse's speed. And we will show them where the Big Ear is.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 060114 vs Tottenham Hotspur: Revival of a great player

1-0 and it is the revival of Harry Kewell! Coping with the defeat of Manchedter United we are now in a firm position to capitalize in any potential Chelsea fall off.

Throughout the game we have controlled the game very well, the only scare period is after halftime when Spurs seemed to be geared up and we almost conceded goal. Robinson proves why he is England's no. 1, and it requires a superb strike from Harry Kewell that break the deadlock. He derserves to score such a goal, especially in front of the Kop, and also Carra's praise. Welcome back, Harry!

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Good in goal and keeps his 8 consecutive home clean sheet.
Finnan: 7.5 Great crossing for the goal and is a constant threat from the right.
Carragher: 7 Superb defending at the back.
Hyypia: 7 Played much better than last game knowing that Agger has arrived. Healthly competition.
Riise: 7 Active on the left.
Gerrard: 7.5 Lift the team as usual.
Alonso: 7.5 Great vision in terms of his passes, and his goal in Luton makes the opponent goalkeeper afraid to come out too far away.
Sissoko: 7 He is more self-controlled and played very well in protecting the back 4.
Kewell: 8 Great goal to break the deadlock. He is back.
Morientes: 7 Tried hard but only hit the bar.
Crouch: 6.5 Had a free header saved early in the match.

Substitutions:
Cisse: 6.5 Provided another way of threat with his speed.
Kromkamp/Warnock: Not enough time to impress

Rafa: 7 His continuous faith in Kewell is finally repaid.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6.5 Tough to breakdown Robinson, but somehow their attack has an off day. But they will be there to challenge Arsenal for the 4th spot. Just ask Jol to shut his mouth.

Man of the Match: Kewell. A nice goal that deserves the endorsement of Carra and the Kop.

Start of a critical period

There are lots of tough games in the coming week that will shape our season, as we will play the first 5 teams in the league that starts with Spurs at home tomorrow. The defenders may look at bit tired and conceded 5 goals in the last 2 games, but with new signings arrived Rafa will be able to rotate the players a little.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Kromkamp
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 060107 at Luton Town: Great result, poor performance

5-3 and it was a roller coaster that we went from 1-0 to 1-3 and win the game 5-3. From an entertainment point of view this is a great game, but from the team's point of view there are lots of things to worry like the defense started to leak goals, and the players were tired or complacement. The good thing is that perhaps it that the players have enough quality and belief to win the game, and now is probably a good time to refresh ourselves and to gear up for the rest of the season.

We filed a very strong starting 11 with Reina the only first team player rested. We did not start too well and Luton were the better team. Maybe due to tireness or the absense of Reina, the defense were pressured wave by wave. Somehow Stevie G scored a great goal, but after that Luton did not give up and derserved to scored two nice goals in the expense of the very poor defense.

After the break we come out better with Cisse moved to right and Stevie G moved to central. We have a penalty but Cisse missed it. Then Luton had a penalty and promptly scored. At this point of time we stil have a lot of time, and with a tactical masterstroke Rafa turned it around. The introduction of Sinama Pongolle started another comeback and quickly he scored. From this point onward it is only a matter of time on when the 2nd goal will be scored. And it came from a superb 40 yard lob from Xabi. We keep pressuring, and Luton is now tired, and Sinama scored a header and we are up front again. At the stoppage Xabi shown his great football sense as he turned the Luton goalie who came up for a corner and scored from 60 yards. And this goal won a punter 25,000 pounds.

Player Rating:
Carson: 5.5 Leaked 3 goals and should have done better.
Finnan: 6.5 The better defender and he had a great cross for Sinama's header.
Carragher: 6 A poor day for Carra as he was turned for a goal conceded.
Hyypia: 5.5 One of his worst game for us. Tired and outplayed for too many times.
Riise: 6 As with the other defenders he did not have a good game.
Gerrard: 7 Whether he was disinterested or showing complacement or don't think the match is over is subject to debate. But at 1-3 it was him who rally the boys through.
Alonso: 7 Very poor 1H as he was outmuscled (probably the same reason Rafa didn't start him at Bolton), but scored two wonderful goals in 2H that averaged 50 yards.
Sissoko: 5.5 His worst game for us, and could have been sent off for a bad tackle.
Kewell: A fair game with not too many contribution. But it is clear that Rafa rated him very high.
Cisse: 6.5 Had a penalty saved.
Crouch: 6 Outmuscled by the Luton boys???!!!

Substitutions:
Sinama Pongolle: 8.5 As in the Olympiakos game, Sinama come from the bench and scored for us - this time 2 goals. This is the first game he scored more than 1 for us, and he has a very big Liverpool heart, unlike Le Tallec. Rafa please take note.
Kromkamp/Warnock: Not enough time to impress. Welcome on board Jan!

Rafa: 7 He proved he can really turnaround a game, this time by the timely substitution. But he would be angry about the complamency.

Luton: 7 Credits to them and particular their manager Newell. If they have enough stamina to press for 90 minutes we were already out.

Man of the Match: Sinama Pongolle. Don't loan him out.

We want to win the FA Cup as well

After the "mistake" last season in sending a weak team and lost to Burney, Rafa will send a stronger team this time. The fans love the Cup and although Luton may be a tricky draw, the teams are motivated to win it.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Kromkamp
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Potter
Gerrard
Sissoko
Kewell
Sinama-Pongolle
Crouch

Result: 3-0

Midterm Report

We played 35 games in the first half of the season, 4 games more than the same period last time. We have 22 wins 8 draws and 5 defeats, which is a big improvement than last year. In the league we won 12 matches, drawn 5 and lost 2 with 41 points and sitting in 3rd place, 17 points behind leader Chelsea (2 games in hand), 3 points behind 2nd place Manchester United (1 game in hand). In Champions League we are in last 16 but was already out of the League Cup. With 19 league games remaining the highest we can get is 98 points.

Departmental Comments:
Goalkeeper
Reina is a big rock in the goal although at times he was nervous. But with 22 clean sheets in 35 games you cannot say he is poor. Dudek did not get a chance to play and he may want to leave to save his World Cup dream, but Rafa may have a second thought. Carson also featured in 3 games.

Defence
Carragher and Hyypia are just two magnificant giants at the back, although Rafa will still look for backup for them. Finnan also played very well and was the unsung hero. With Kromcamp coming there will also be a good backup and provide some competition in this area. Warnock, Riise and Traore all featured as left back and looks like Rafa will continue to rotate among the three, with Riise the obvious first choice. If needed, we will have Whitbread and Ravan to be called up from the reserve and they may yet feature in the FA Cup.

Midfielder
Our strongest department and lots of goals scored here. Stevie G is getting better and better and even shines at right midfield. Alonso and Sissoko provided solid support in the middle, with Xabi sitting back as a quarterback and Sissoko doing all the Hamann jobs. At the two franks Luis Garcia played quite well although at time still suffer from inconsistency, and Harry Kewell is getting better and better. It was a pity that with Zenden started to gel into the team, he got an injury and we missed him for several months. Rafa may still need to improve by adding a right midfielder.

Attackers:
Crouch is scoring for fun recently and Cisse and Morientes also played well, although not as good as people think they should be. Apart from the big three Sinama-Pongolle also featured a few games, although he has not proved to provide a big impact yet. Rafa probably will not buy or sell any player in this department.


Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Reina: 32G 2910M 16GC 22CS 0.5MoM 6.69
Carson: 3G 270M 3GC 1CS 0MoM 6.33
Dudek: 9 unused substitutes

Defenders
Carragher: 32G 2874M 1GS 2A 3MoM 6.92
Finnan: 28G 2473M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.57
Hyypia: 34G 3053M 0GS 0A 1.5MoM 6.62
Josemi: 12G 832M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.39
Medjani: 1 unused substitute
Raven: 1G 90M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Riise: 29G 2051M 1GS 4A 1MoM 6.75
Traore: 14G 815M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.28
Warnock: 18G 1322M 0GS 0A 1MoM 6.31
Whitbread: 3G 216M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.33

Midfielders
Alonso: 29G 2305M 3GS 4A 5MoM 7.07
Baragan: 1G 12M 1GS 0A 0MoM n/a
Gerrard: 30G 2351M 15GS 9A 10MoM 7.33
Hamann: 18G 1320M 0GS 1A MoM 6.56
Kewell: 16G 827M 0GS 3A 0MoM 6.93
Le Tallec: 2G 148 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.50
Luis Garcia: 33G 2027M 7GS 3A 4MoM 6.71
Potter: 7G 400M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.42
Zenden: 17G 1095M 2GS 2A 0MoM 6.60

Attackers:
Baros: 2G 38M 0G 0A 0MoM 6.50
Cisse: 31G 1687M 12GS 2A 2MoM 6.78
Crouch: 27G 1832M 6GS 3A 3MoM 6.79
Morientes: 24G 1574M 6GS 2A 2.5MoM 6.66
Sinama-Pongolle: 14G 490M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.45

Players of the 1st half season (1000 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.33
(2) Alonso 7.07
(3) Carragher 6.92
(4) Crouch 6.79
(5) Cisse/Sissoko 6.78

Rafa: 6.74 Rafa had successfully planted his team concept to the players and we now have a very solid and difficult to beat team. The 10 games winning streak is an evidence of it. The defense look very strong and nobody question the zonal system anymore. Although the forwards may at time be quesitioned for lack of goals, but with goals flying in from everywhere, who cares?

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-6th place teams (Chelsea A, Manchester United A, Tottenham H, Wigan Athletic A, Arsenal H/A) 3W3D0L
7th-10th place teams (Bolton H, Blackburn A, Manchester City H, West Ham A) 3W1D
11th-15th place teams (Newcastle A, Aston Villa H, Charlton H/A, Fulham H, Everton H) 4W2D
16th-20th place teams (West Bromwich Albion A, Portsmouth A, Birmingham City H) 3W0D0L

Total for 2H 13W6D0L 45 points
Total for the season 86 points

Champions League: Same comment as last season, and same result?
Another good draw and we should be able to go through to quarter final. As the strong teams are playing each other in final 16, with a bit luck we can get a good draw, and who knows where we will end up to be?

FA Cup: Luton away should not poise too much problem, and Rafa will learn from last year's mistake. With a bit of luck in the draw we will win this.

Match Report 060102 at Bolton Wanderers: The streak has ended

2-2 and our 10 games winner streak has ended. Bolton played very physically on a poor pitch and we gifted them the opening goal. The defense looks very shaky, and the referee's decisions are questionable. Now we need to start another winner streak, and to maintain our unbeaten run.

Player Rating:
Reina: 5.5 Dropped the ball and was very nervous throughout the game.
Finnan: 6.5 The better defender of the day.
Carragher: 6 Seemed to lost his temper and even kicked Diouf.
Hyypia: 6 Tried to save Reina but unfortunately kicked the ball to Jaidi for the first goal.
Traore: 6 Poor in the first 30 minutes but get better afterwards. Had a nice shot saved.
Gerrard: 8 Lost temper as well, but at the end we have 1 point from his leadership.
Sissoko: 6 Could be sent off in this highly physical game.
Hamann: 6 A very poor performance from Didi. Unable to pass the ball or defend the back 4.
Kewell: 7 Had lots of opportunities but unable to find the net.
Sinama-Pongolle: 5.5 Outmuscled by the Bolton players.
Crouch: 6.5 Unable to find a clear cut chance.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 7 Available at the right time. Scored a beauty.
Alonso: 7 Provided a great assist.
Cisse: 7 Almost scored the winner.

Rafa: 6 Maybe he should not play Sinama-Pongolle given Bolton is a strong physical side.

Bolton: 6.5 Played a highly physical game plan and succeed in getting the point.

Player of the Match: Gerrard. Lead by example and earned a penalty and converted it.

Beware of the potential banana skin

Away at Bolton is a tricky game. We lost there last year as they scored a tricky free kick, and Luis Garcia's debut goal was incorrectly disallowed. This time, our team is much well prepared and we will fight for a win.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Crouch
Cisse

Result: 2-0

December Month Report

6 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in December and we are still in our 10 game unbeaten league one. We should have win the Sao Paolo game as well but the referee just disallowed our 3 goals. Rafa's team has formed and we are a big red mean machine. Teams are fearing us again. And Crouch is scoring for fun. Thanks a lot Rafa for all these.

Players of the Month: (1) Crouch: 7.64 (2) Gerrard 7.50 (3) Alonso (7.29). Kewell (7.21) and Morientes (7.20) also come close. Crouch scored 7 goals in the month and is really full of confidence. The Captain also linked up well with Crouch and is scoring for fun as well. Alonso played well in organising the team in the DM position.

January Prediction:
1/2 Bolton Wanderers (a); This is a potential banana skin and we should be careful. Luis Garcia to score the goal that should be counted?
1/7 Luton Town (a): Rafa had learned it the hard way last year and will put a stronger team this time.
1/14 Tottenham Hotspur (h): Rafa's teams had not beat Spur in regular time yet (4 consecutive draws) and this is the time to beat them.
1/22 Manchester United (a): If we win we will be very likely to finish at least 2nd place.
1/28 FA Cup 4th Round: No matter who we draw we should go through.
1/31 Birmingham City (h): Rafa's team has not beat them yet (2 losts and 1 draw) and motivation is high to beat them.

Match Report 051231 vs West Bromwich Albion: Perfect 10 to end 2005

1-0 and we have won 10 consecutive games in a row. Although Chelsea also win, we are still in a position to capitalize any Chelsea slip. Credit must be given to Rafa who had planted his tactic to each team player.

We earned enough chance to win 5-0 but the West Brom goalkeeper is just very good, but Crouch did managed to put the ball into the net with a nice header. The only bad point from the match is that we seemed to focus on long shots too frequently. Maybe this is a result of the tight defense, but surely Rafa will take note of this.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Very quiet New Year's eve and made the team to feel safe.
Finnan: 7 Solid defense and some good crossing as well.
Carragher: 7 Good defending and did come up for attack a few chance, although didn't help much.
Hyypia: 7 Good defending as a group.
Riise: 7 Good defending and helped attack as well.
Luis Garcia: 7 His form seemed to be dipped a bit, and at times he is guilty of losing the ball.
Gerrard: 7.5 Leading with example once again.
Alonso: 7.5 Good organizer in the middle.
Kewell: 7.5 Played one of his best game for us, with a nice assist and earned a well deserved standing ovation.
Cisse: 7 Injuried slightly but in general played a good game.
Crouch: 8 Scored the winner with a nice header.

Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Lively performance.
Sissoko/Traore: The Mali duo did not have enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Nice tactic and found a way to tear the West Brom defense.

West Bromwich Albion: 6.5 Solid defending, and if they can improve on their attack they can stay up.

Man of the Match: Crouch. 7 goals in December, well done man!

Make it perfect 10 to end the year

The last game of 2005 sees West Bromwich Albion visiting, and traditionally we trash them - with the 4 Premiership games 2-0, 6-0, 3-0 and 5-0. They may have revive a little bit with a fresh 2-0 win over Spurs, but we are on a high roll and will crash them again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 3-0

Match Report 051228 at Everton: Record ended at 761 minutes, but the winning streak is still on

3-1 and it is a convincing win. Although the clean sheet record ended at 761 minutes, but we never look at risk of losing point in the match. The quality can be seen through the pictch and convidence is high. The only down point is that our defense seemed to be unable to cope with the aerial attack of Everton. Rafa would no doubt be thinking on how to improve.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Record finally ended, and it is time to start a new one.
Finnan: 6.5 A bit shaky in defense in dealing with the aerial attack.
Carragher: 6.5 Suffer as the rest of the defense when facing aerial attack.
Hyypia: 6.5 Same as Carra.
Warnock: 6.5 Take the place of the rested Riise and played quite good apart from facing aerial attack.
Gerrard: 8 Another goal, another assist, another MoM. I am worrying if Rafa can really rest him.
Alonso: 7.5 Dictating the midfield.
Sissoko: 7.5 Doing all the brilliant dirty works. He would not regret the decision of joining us.
Kewell: 7.5 Another assist and the goal will be coming soon.
Cisse: 7 Scored a great goal to kill off the game. His face showed how much he cares about the club.
Crouch: 7.5 There is no way they can take this goal off. A great performance.

Substitutions:
Morientes/Riise/Luis Garcia: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 A great performance from the team and he is no doubt delighted.

Everton: 5 Very poor performance and deserves the 5 consecutive loss. And two stupid players suspended.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Sensational performance.

Derby

It's Derby time and although Everton has been poor recently, they will be fired up and play extreemly hard to get a result. After learning it the hard way last year, Rafa now knows the significance of this match and no doubt he will file a strong team this time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051226 vs Newcastle United: A easy win

2-0 and all the hypes about the return of an ex-player quitely evaporated. We won the game comfortably, and he did not get a single shot. It was such a convincing performance that at half time there is only one winner and Newcastle had only 1 shot for the whole match. Simply brilliant.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Finnan: 7 As usual the forgotten hero.
Carragher: 7 He contained his former roommate very well.
Hyypia: 7 Going up and down the pitch as usual.
Riise: 7 Good defending and attack.
Kewell: 7.5 Worked very hard and should be rewarded a goal soon.
Gerrard: 8 Outstanding performance with a nice goal.
Alonso: 7.5 His passes are just a joy to watch.
Luis Garcia: 7 Worked hard but at times guilty of doing too many fancy things.
Crouch: 7.5 He seemed to need to score 2 goals to have 1 credited under his name... and a nice assist as well.
Morientes: 7.5 Worked very hard in front of his mate Raul, but just lack a bit of luck, especially Solano's hand ball.

Substitutes:
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Very lively and Rafa should keep him instead of loan him out.
Cisse: 7 His body language tells he is not happy, but be patient.
Josemi: Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 7.5 Nice tactics and reduced Newcastle to just one single shot in the match.

Newcastle United: 6 Simply poor. Need to resolve the circus defense.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Shown his former mate where he should be.

Boxing day

The Boxing day features the return of a certain ex-player. The buildup will probably be loaded with lots of fuss about his return, but what we need to do is to bounce back and win it.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Hamann
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051218 vs Sao Paolo: Now we need to get back to business soon

0-1 and the unbeaten and clean sheets runs finally ends at 11. For the record, we have not conceded a goal in 1,041 minutes. Well done all the players, you deserved a place in the record book.

We actually controlled the match and have won everything from goal attempts, possession and even corners (17:0!) But we failed to scored and this is the most important - or, we scored three goals but none counted. The first and third are especially ridiculous for the referee to rule them out. Anyway, this is football and now the players need to fight against the jetlag. We have 8 days to prepare for the Christmas games, and every player will have a chance in this busy period.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can't do much for the goal.
Finnan: 6.5 Good in both attacking and defending.
Carragher: 6.5 Carra as usual.
Hyypia: 6 Covered the offside position that lead to the goal. May have scored but Alonso's corner was curved out of bound.
Gerrard: 7 Try every tricks but can't put the ball pass the Sao Paolo goalkeeper.
Alonso: 7 Had some nice passes but can't provide the assist.
Sissoko: 6.5 Tackled hard in midfield.
Kewell: 6.5 Not a very good game.
Luis Garcia: 7.5 Lively, and should have scored if not the referee ruled out the goal incorrectly.
Morientes: 6.5 Tried very hard but cannot score.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6.5 Provided some attacking edge when he was on.
Sinama-Pongolle: 6.5 Scored a goal but was incorrectly ruled off.
Crouch: Not enough time to impress, but still provide some control of the game when he was on.

Rafa: 6 Failed to change to provide the equaliser. Although the 3 goals ruled out was harsh, but we still need some one to score up front.

Sao Paolo: 6.5 Deserved winner? I'm not too sure.

Man of the match: Luis Garcia. Was very lively and shined in the game.

Chance to be World Champion

If we win vs Sao Paolo we will be World Champion. To do this we need a much better display than the last game. Credits to Rafa to stay with the team despite the death of his father. RIP Francisco Benitez, and we will win the World Champion for you.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051215 vs Deportivo Saprissa: We coasted into final

3-0 and we break the record of consecutive clean sheets for the Club. The players deserved all the honours, although at the end it was a bit scary that Deportivo may have scored a goal after Hyypia was rested. Fortunately Reina stood up and made a few good saves and he make sure himself in the record book.

The match was an one way traffic and there is no doubt we will be through. The attack is smooth, and Crouch was guilty not to score more. Cisse was unlucky not to get on to the scoresheet, but his time will come. The next game vs Sao Paolo is the real test, and we definitely need to gear up to be the World Champion.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Earned his record.
Josemi: 7 Not bad as there is vert low pressure from the opponents.
Carragher: 7.5 As good as ever.
Hyypia: 7.5 His importance is notified where he is not on the pitch.
Traore: 7 OK as left back, but not effective as centre back. Still not convincing.
Gerrard: 8 One goal and one assist. A very good performance.
Alonso: 7.5 Doing well as the conductor.
Sissoko: 7.5 Lively as usual.
Riise: 7 Very good attack sense. One assist and almost scored.
Cisse: 7.5 Very good and unselfish display. Unlucky not to score.
Crouch: 8.5 Scored 2 very nice goals but could have scored more.

Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 7 Lively display and should have scored.
Luis Garcia: 7 Similar to Sinama-Pongolle.
Hamann: Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 7.5 Very displined from the team, although we winded down in 2H and almost let them scored.

Deportivo Saprissa: 5.5 Not posing any real threats.

Man of the Match: Crouch. Two nicely taken goals.

Club World Championship

It is the semi-final against Deportivo Saprissa. Rafa is well prepared and since we are in the competition we will try to win it as well. And as a gift, make it 11 in a row.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 3-0

Match Report 051210 vs Middlesbrough: Perfect 10

2-0 and we equalized our previous best of 10 clean sheets in a row. We won 8 and drawn 2 during this run and the 2 draws are in Europe when a draw is already enough. With 7 wins in a row in the League we now sit at 2nd in the table before the team head off to Japan.

We controlled the match very well but could not find a way to score. It was not until Luis Garcia came up and the team had another dimension to play and the goals come. In 2H Reine need to make 2 good saves to make sure we take all 3 points. And it is really nice to see Nando scored 2.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Two excellent saves for the perfect 10.
Finnan: 7 Rock solid defense.
Carragher: 7 Commanding figure.
Hyypia: 7 Vintage performance.
Riise: 7 Good defensive play.
Gerrard: 7.5 Driving the team forward.
Alonso: 7.5 Great passes from Xabi.
Sissoko: 7 Did well to protect the back 4 and almost scored.
Kewell: 7.5 Worked hard, did well, had a clever lob and earned a well derseved standing ovation from the crowd.
Crouch: 6.5 Winning almost all headers but failed to convert.
Morientes: 8 Scored 2 clever goals.

Substitution:
Luis Garcia: 7.5 Came up and made the difference.
Cisse/Josemi: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Genius stroke in bringing up Luis Garcia that changed the game.

Middlesbrough: 6 Apart from 2 chances they really have no intend to come for a win. And they played quite dirty. Would have no problem finishing top 10.

Man of the Match: Morientes. Starts the scoring run.

Make it 10 in a row before we are off to Japan

After this match the team will fly to Japan for the World Club Championship. As Manchester United will not play until Sunday we can at least sit at 2nd place for more than 24 hours if we win this game. And another clean sheet to make it a perfect 10.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Alonso
Gerrard
Luis Garcia
Kewell
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051206 at Chelsea: Excellent defensive display

0-0 and it is a game we can afford to lose, but we keep our pride and we extended our unbeaten and cleansheet runs to 9.

The defense were playing very well but Luis Garcia may be guilty of losing the ball in too many occasions. Anyway for the last 8 Benitez vs Muorinho we are 1W 3D 4L, but the game we won is still the most important one. And we have a upper hand in Europe against them.

Payer Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well when he is required to make a save.
Finnan: 7 Another solid defensive show.
Carragher: 7.5 Great defensive play.
Hyypia: 7.5 As good as Carra.
Traore: 6.5 Even Traore played OK.
Gerrard: 7 Leading the team with example.
Sissoko: 6.5 Have some great tackles.
Hamann: 7 Credit to him in playing for the whole match despite the tackle by Essien.
Riise: 7 Had our best chance.
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Lose possession too many times.
Crouch: 7 Had a good game.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 6.5 Played well.
Morientes: 6.5 Played quite well as lone striker.
Sinama-Pongolle: Nice to see him involved.

Rafa: 7 The team is getting better and better.

Chelsea: 7 They want to win the game more than we do but failed. Credits to our team in denying them the victory.

Players of the Match: Carragher/Hyypia. Two rocks at the back.

Time for a break?

We only play this game for pride with a win or draw will guarantee qualification. It will be interesting to see who Rafa will play. Reina and Alonso will probably be rested as they both carry 2 yellow cards. Dudek will probably not involved as it will reduce his resale value should Rafa want to sell him (or on the other hand, if Rada really don't want to sell Dudek, perhaps Rafa should play him?) And we probably don't want to lose our unbeaten run and clean sheet run, so perhaps a 0-0 is looming?

My Team Prediction:
Carson
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Gerrard
Sissoko
Hamann
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 0-0

Match Report 051203 vs Wigan Athletic: The duck has been broken

3-0 and Crouch scored 2! Although the first was recorded as an own goal this is just ridiculous. It should be Crouchie's.

As Sissoko is suspended Gerrard is moved to center and we played like a 4-1-3-2 with the 3 midfielders changing sides all the time. From the beginning we were in control and cruised over comfortably. Every player contributed to the win and it was a really nice game to watch.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Got a save to made.
Finnan: 7.5 Good assist and some great crosses
Warnock: 6.5 Solid defending
Hyypia: 7 Good defending
Carragher: 7 Carra as usual
Luis Garcia: 7 Not as lively as he should be, but still scored a goal
Gerrard: 7.5 Why he didn't score today is really a mystery
Alonso: 7 Good control of midfield
Kewell: 7.5 Worked very hard and should have scored
Crouch: 9 What else can you say? I keep on laughing when I saw the replays
Morientes: 7.5 Should have scored but Luis Garcia "stolen" the goal.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6.5 Good display
Hamann: 6.5 Provided some protection to the back 4 just when we need it
Cisse: 6.5 Very unselfish today. Should have his reward for the next match by scoring against Chelsea.

Rafa: 7 His tactic is getting better and better as players start to understand.

Wigan Athletic: 6 Need to rebound for the next 2 games against Chelsea and Manchester United. Henchoz had a bad game and defensive was very poor.

Man of the Match: Crouch. Could be Gerrard but Crouchie's celebrations are just marvelous.

Return of Henchoz

It's Wigan next and we will see the return of Henchoz. Rafa was right to play Carra at central defender, but sadly this also means Henchoz has to leave. Wigan is in a downward trend and so it is probably a good time to play them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Hamann
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

November Month Report

5 wins and 1 draw (but a draw is enough to qualify CL) and scored 11 goals and conceded none. Can you expect more? This is what we called consistency and what we love to see. Although Crouch may not be scoring, but who cares? Only the media cares.

We started the month sharply followed a nice win vs West Ham at the end of October with a 3-0 win at Anderlecht. Then it was followed by 2 league wins at Villa and vs Portsmouth. A draw vs Betis is enough for us to qualify for CL, and another 2 wins at Manchester City and Sunderland see us back to 4th place. We are in a position to challenge the top 3, and also well prepared to win the World Club Championship.

Players of the Month: (1) Alonso 7.75 (2) Carragher 7.50 (3) Gerrard 7.38. Xabi has been doing very well 2 months in a row, and he ended the month with a goal and 2 assists. Carra showed us what defense really means, and Stevie G also ended with 1 goal and 2 assists starting from the right side of the midfield. And he is a much happier man now and is glad that he made the right decision in staying.

December Prediction:
12/3 Wigan Athletic (h): Wigan is falling and it is a nice time to face them.
12/6 Chelsea (a): A not so significant game, expect Rafa to send out Carson and draw the game.
12/10 Middlesbrough(h): Last time we somehow lost 2 points at the ground, we need to get maximum point this time.
12/15 World Club Championship Semi Final (n): A break from the league for some good trophy.
12/18 World Club Championship Final (n): Time for us to be the World Champion.
12/26 Newcastle United (h): Boxing day feature and we need to make sure it is not a happy Christmas for a certain ex player.
12/28 Everton (a): Send them to relegation.
12/31 West Bromwich Albion (h): A nice game to wrap up the year.

Match Report 051130 at Sunderland: Manager of the Month

2-0 and we have 5 consecutive wins and clean sheets in a row in the league! Rafa is certainly to be manager of the month.

On the minus side, Cisse seemed to be unhappy and was rightly "rested" for the month. Sissoko learned a lesson and will now serve a 2-match ban (1 for the red card, 1 for 5 yellows). But Hamann is always there and always ready.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Doing well when he is called upon.
Finnan: 6.5 Solid performance.
Carragher: 6.5 A rarely slightly lower than par performance.
Hyypia: 7 Doing well and enjoying his game.
Riise: 7 Almost scored again.
Gerrard: 7.5 Scored a nice goal.
Alonso: 8 Two excellent assists.
Sissoko: 6 Need to learn from the lesson.
Luis Garcia: 7.5 Scored another nice goal.
Crouch: 6 Still no goal.
Morientes: 6.5 Another hard working day.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 6.5 Doing well.
Traore/Warnock: Not enough time to impress

Rafa: 7.5 We are getting closer to Rafa's mean machine.

Sunderland: 5.5 Destined to relegate.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Great vision.

Let's keep the good run

Sunderland is in a mess and it is probably the best time to face them. The weather may be back, but we should have enough strength to win the game. Who Rafa will play up front would be interesting.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Sissoko
Hamann
Luis Garcia
Kewell
Morientes

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051126 at Manchester City: 3 points from a bored game

1-0 and this is not the best of performance, but the result is most important. To win the title you really need to win this kind of game, especially away from home. And this is something we lacked in the past few seasons.

1H is almost a non event with only Stevie G's shot near the end worth mentioned. Cisse and Crouch are both invisible. At the back the defense is solid lead by Carra's 3 great tackles. In 2H Rafa substituted Cisse with Kewell and before the City knew what was going on Riise scored a classic goal. After that we cruise ahead and another cleansheet and another win.

Cisse may be unhappy about the change, but he didn't perform in 1H and in hindsight it worked. He need to work harder and wiser.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Another spectator performance thanks to Carra and fans.
Finnan: 6.5 Solid performance
Carragher: 7.5 3 great tackles in 1H says it all.
Hyypia: 7 Looking solid.
Warnock: 6.5 Good display.
Gerrard: 7.5 Provided the best chances to the team.
Sissoko: 7 The most fouled player on the pitch, and he played well too.
Hamann: 7 Hamann as usual.
Riise: 7 First goal since the league cup final. And it was a nice goal.
Cisse: 5.5 Very poor performance.
Crouch: 6 Poor performance, and some may argue it should be him instead of Cisse to be off.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 7 Provided an instant impact when he was on.
Luis Garcia/Morientes: Not enough time to perform.

Rafa: 7 Somehow his change work, although he still need to address the misfire at the front.

Manchester City: 6 Never provided any scarce to us.

Men of the Match: Carragher/Gerrard. Two nice scousers.

Bring on City

Manchester City away was not always an easy game, but with us on a high and City on a low, this is a good chance to win the game.

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

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051123 vs Real Betis: Mission accomplished

0-0 and we are through to the last 16 of the Champions League. Crouch tried very hard with 11 shots but still fail to score. It's getting too long now, something must be done. At the back Hyypia was as good as his best and made Reina a spectator. Now that we are through Rafa can rest some players and give the youngsters or back up player a chance.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 A spectator iof the game.
Finnan: 6.5 Solid in defense.
Carragher: 6.5 Played well as well.
Hyypia: 7.5 His best game this season. As solid as he can be.
Riise: 6.5 After a rest he is best with a good performance.
Gerrard: 7 As usual.
Sissoko: 6.5 A solid game.
Hamann: 6.5 Hamann as usual.
Zenden: 6.5 Very lively.
Morientes: 7 Created lots of problem.
Crouch: 7 Still can't score although he worked very hard.

Subsitutions:
Cisse: 6.5 A bit sloopy.
Kewell/Potter: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 A job well done. We can see he tried to move the defensive line back to tackle Betis' counter attack.

Real Betis: 6 They should play better. Good luck in UEFA Cup and pick up in the Spanish league. And Joaquin to join us.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Reminds us his best form.

Let's play for a win

Although we need only a win to qualify, we shall approach this game as if we are playing for a win. Betis seems to be playing quite well in Champions League and even beat Chelea last time, but we are on a good run and playing at home and the fans will help us through.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Sinama-Pongolle
Gerrard
Sissoko
Zenden
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051119 vs Portsmouth: A well deserved win

3-0 and it is 4 straight wins and clean sheets in a row. We were in control of the game and never looked back, but on the down side Crouch still yet to score one. He need to be more selfish as Rafa said. And Rafa even have the luxury to rest some key players before the big game vs Real Betis. Luis Garcia and Alsonso were injuried but should be able to recover for the Real Betis game.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do but when he needs to, he shows his composure in the area.
Finnan: 7 Solid in defense.
Carragher: 7 As good as usual.
Hyypia: 7 Good defensive work and causing trouble during set pieces.
Warnock: 7 A good display.
Luis Garcia: 6 Too bad he is injuried so early in the game.
Gerrard: 7.5 The driving force.
Hamann: 7 Solid in providing support to the back 4 and let Stevie G roars.
Zenden: 7 Get the penalty and scored a quick react goal from the penalty saved.
Cisse: 7 Scored a fluke goal.
Crouch: 6.5 Missed the tame penalty, tried very hard but still cannot score.

Substitutions:
Morientes: 7.5 Worked very hard and at the end scored the well deserved goal. Back to his best.
Alonso/Josemi: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 A good strategic plot and he is even able to rest some key players.

Portsmouth: 5.5 Never create any trouble. Would need to fight hard to avoid relegation.

Men of the Match: Gerrard/Morientes. Both played very well in driving the team to the well deserved victory.

Keep it up

It has been a nice international weekend with lots of positive results from current and former Liverpool players (apart from Riise...) and no fresh injuries, and morale would be high especially for Luis Garcia. Portsmouth is a team in deep trouble and it is probably a good time to face them. Let's make it 4 clean sheet wins in a row.

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

Result: 3-0

Rafa revealed his speech

'Don't let your heads drop. We're Liverpool. You're playing for Liverpool. Don't forget that. You have to hold your heads high for the supporters. You have to do it for them.


'You can't call yourselves Liverpool players if you have your heads down. If we create a few chances we have the possibility of getting back into this. Believe you can do it and you will. Give yourself the chance to be heroes'

Even today when I read this tears still come out from my eyes. Purely genius.

----------------
RAFAEL BENITEZ has finally revealed the chaos and confusion from which he conjured Liverpool's greatest triumph out of impending disaster.

Giving the first in-depth account of what really happened in the dressing room as his side faced up to the mountain they had to climb from a 3-0 half-time Champions League Final deficit against AC Milan, Benitez admitted he did not know if he could find the words to bring his team back from the dead.

The Liverpool manager also confessed that at one stage he was sending out a 10-man team for the second half in Istanbul as his plans verged on bedlam.

While his players were reeling, Benitez strode from the dug-out and down the tunnel at Attaturk Stadium to find a Liverpool dressing room in a state of shock and knowing he had a brief window of opportunity to get across the most important message of his career.

"I walked into the dressing room rehearsing what I was going to say to them but also how I was going to say it," he said. "It's really difficult to come up with all the things you want to say in a foreign language. I was trying to find the right English words.

We talked about what we were going to change. It's tough enough motivating a team which is losing 3-0 in Spanish. In English, it is much, much tougher.


"But the words came more easily than I could ever have hoped. The important aspect was to lift their spirits.


"I started with a motivational speech to get them fired up. I demanded they start working again and emphasised there were 45 minutes left and we had to come off the pitch proud of ourselves because we'd done everything in our power.


"So I reminded them it had been a hard battle to reach such a massive game and that we owed something important to all the Liverpool people. I said if we scored we would totally change the course of the game. I emphasised it was the most important challenge.


"I said: 'Don't let your heads drop. We're Liverpool. You're playing for Liverpool. Don't forget that. You have to hold your heads high for the supporters. You have to do it for them.


'You can't call yourselves Liverpool players if you have your heads down. If we create a few chances we have the possibility of getting back into this. Believe you can do it and you will. Give yourself the chance to be heroes'."


It was a chance that was gloriously, unforgettably taken and Benitez broke open the secrets of his finest moment in A Season On The Brink, a new authorised account of his first term at Anfield, by distinguished Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.


But the Liverpool chief told how even after he had given the exhortation that changed everything, his plans were enmeshed in a few minutes of sheer chaos.


Benitez wanted to introduce Didi Hamann and told Djimi Traore he was coming off - but then learned Steve Finnan's injury was too bad for him to continue.


Benitez added: "I started to write the new formation on the board. I told Traore to get changed and that Hamann was coming on for him. The idea was for Hamann to make Kaka's life much tougher.


"I took Didi up to the whiteboard so he understood what I wanted and explained the tactical changes to the rest of the side. Then I was told Finnan was injured.


"Finnan was unhappy. He believed he could keep going. But I reckoned if he told me midway through the second half I'd have to make a change beyond my control.


"It was a total mess for a while. I was reckoning on Djibril Cisse on the right but someone pointed out I'd have no more substitutions.


"So I took Cisse out but also deleted Luis Garcia from the board because I wanted to move him. Now I only had 10 players in the team. The system was changed several times on the board and it created havoc.


"The idea was to play 3-4-2-1 with John Arne Riise tucked in. But with the realisation Finnan wasn't fit to stay on, the logical thing was to tell Traore he wasn't being taken off. By this time he had his boots off and was on his way to the shower."


Somehow, despite the flurry of thoughts and the situation, the seeds of glory were being sown.


Benitez added: "In the first half we weren't threatening around their box. We wanted to change the pattern by using two players in the hole between midfield and Milan Baros.


"The task was to produce terrific movement and also put massive pressure on Milan building out of defence through Pirlo. We felt we could slam the brakes on the damaging work which Gatuso, Seedorf and most of all Kaka were doing.


"Using three centre-halves would make us more secure by staying tight on the runs of their strikers. You can try anything tactically if you've worked hard on such ideas in training. We had."


In that instant, a voice cried out, reminding the players of the second half comeback against Greek side Olympiakos that had brought the Reds back from the brink in their final group game.


Outside, the stunned Liverpool fans were singing the roof off the stadium, not even dreaming of what would follow in front of their disbelieving eyes.


Benitez said: "Normally it's Xabi or Carra or Gerrard who shouts 'Come on boys' when it's needed. In the first few minutes there wasn't any of that.


"But in the last couple of minutes before going back out, the animation and noise hit a normal level.


"We needed to attack and they let us. We scored and started to look confident all over the pitch. When a team loses control of a match, it can take 15 minutes to get it back. While they are recharging their batteries, anything can happen.


"I didn't hear the fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone from the dressing room. On the way out I did hear it but I was lost in my thoughts."


The thoughts had changed everything. What followed is now legendary.

Match Report 051105 at Aston Villa: A nice result, although we should win it more comfortably

2-0 and this is our first away league win since Portsmouth in mid April, and our first win after an European game since beating Arsenal about a year ago. We controlled the game very well but it was not until Rafa made some changes before we win the game.

At the back Carra had at least 3 crucial tackles that keep the cleansheet. This is purely class and now that he is rested for the friendly game it should be good for the team. Crouch was very lively although he did not score, but his time will come.

In the Villa team Milan was doing well but there was just not enough support to him and Carra simply one class above everyone. We now keep 3 cleansheets and win 3 straight games. We will soon catch up with first 4.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Well protected by the back 4 and he did have a good punch early on.
Finnan: 7 Very nice defending in the defense unit but not much in attack.
Carragher: 9 Player of the year peformance.
Hyypia: 7 He is much better than a few months ago. No wonder he is Finnish Footballer of the Year again.
Riise: 7 Doing well in defense but not much in attack.
Gerrard: 7.5 Not as influential as he should be, but he is still brave enough to take the penalty.
Alonso: 7.5 Scored a beauty, but one mistake almost need to Milan scoring but thanks to the perfect interception of Carra it was not a issue.
Sissoko: 6.5 Solid performance.
Luis Garcia: 6 Not effective this time.
Cisse: 6 Wasted too many chances and was not confident enough.
Morientes: 6 Very invisible. Maybe he is still carrying the injury?

Substitutions:
Zenden: 7 Doing well from the left with a few good crosses. One of it lead to the second goal that sealed the game.
Crouch: 7 Provided lots of troubles for Villa. Although he did not score but he earned the penalty for the first goal and it was his continuous challenging the Villa defenders that lead to the second goal.
Kewell: 7 Doing well from the right wing.

Rafa: 7.5 Most people would think the game will end up to be a disappointing draw again, but his substitutes changed the story. Well tactical changes.

Aston Villa: 6 Sorensen is probably robbed a good result by his defenders, and Milan was lively but simply run in a wall with Carra and Hyypia.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Excellent defensive display.

Stick with the winning formation

Another tricky away game, and this is time to starting winning away and get a result after an European game. Baros will be fired up this game so Carra and Hyypia need to be at their best, and Rafa will stick with the winning formation.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Luis Garcia
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051101 vs Anderlecht: Best performance this season

3-0 and this is easily our best performance this season. Rafa seems to have found the best lineup for the team and it is now up to him to stick with this formation for a longer time. Stevie G did well on the right and moving as a free role and is everywhere. It just make the opponents more difficult to mark him. Morientes scored a nice goal that will make him confident, and Luis Garcia... what a header! Love him or hate him, he is King of Europe.

The only down point is really Chelsea not winning, so we need to get at least a draw vs Betis to secure qualification.

One thing worth noting is that the referee Mr Nielsen has done a great job in sending off the guy who racially abused Sissoko. These things are just not tolerable.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Nothing to do but is commanding.
Finnan: 7 Do well and his crossing are beautiful. Benefited the most with Stevie G moving right.
Carragher: 7 Commanding as usual.
Hyypia: 7 He is retiring from international football and it should be good for the team. Not seriously challenged.
Riise: 7 He feels comfortable back to left back and the defense looks more solid.
Gerrard: 7.5 A nice assist, and he is everywhere.
Alonso: 7 Pulling the strings in the midfield as usual.
Sissoko: 7 Commanding in the midfield, earned a yellow card and get the opponent sent off when he was abused.
Luis Garcia: 8 Simply on fire and contributed a lot to the attack.
Crouch: 6 Yet to score and pressure is now on him.
Morientes: 7.5 Scored a goal that bring his confidence back.

Substitutions:
Zenden: 6.5 Created a lot of opportunities.
Cisse: 7 Scored another great goal from assist of Kewell.
Kewell: 7 Created a very good goal for Cisse. His intellegince was shown in passing the ball such that Cisse is not offside.

Rafa: 8 Now that we have our best formation and lineup found, it's up to Rafa to stick with it as often as he can.

Anderlecht: 6 11 straight loss in Champions League, hope they can stop the count now and at least draw Chelsea.

Man of the Match: Luis Garcia. Great European player.

Win it and cheer for Chelsea as well!

Should both Chelsea and us win tonight we will both qualify, and Rafa can spare the next 2 games testing some other formation and let some fringe players to have a taste of Champions League football. Anderlecht is still without Kompany and let's roll them over tonight.

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

Result: 2-0

October Month Report

3 Wins and 3 Loss in the month, we are out of League Cup but we are very close to qualify in Champions League, and We lost 2 league games. This is not a good month, but finally it's all over. Now we need to win the Anderlecht game and wish Chelsea also beat Real Betis, and we can focus this month on the league. With 4 league games it is time to pick up points, especially playing away.

Players of the Month:
(1) Alonso 7.1 (2) Gerrard 6.83 (3) Cisse 6.75. Xabi ruled the midfield very well especially when Stevie G was injuried. When he is back, Stevie G always give his best to the team and scored 2 goals. And Cisse shown some sign of how good he could be in scoring 2 goals.

November Prediction:
11/1 Anderlecht (a): Win it and cheer for Chelsea, and we will both qualify.
11/5 Aston Villa (a): A potential banana skin vs Milan, but we need to start winning away.
11/19 Portsmouth (h): Should be a relative easier game of the month.
11/23 Real Betis (h): Hope by this time we can send a team B for ths game. Give Carson another chance.
11/26 Manchester City (a): Another tough away game, but we need to win.
11/30 Sunderland (a): Sunderland is one of the favorite team to go down and we definitely need to get 3 points from this game.

Match Report 051029 vs West Ham United: A well derseved win

2-0 and this is a well deserved win. From start till the end we are in cruise control, although it was not until 81th minute that Zenden scored the 2nd goal to kill off the game. The defense is more stable will Riise at left back once again, and Rafa played Gerrard as right midfield and it seems to be working. Although the strikers did not scored, Nando did play one of his better game with us. Needless to say, Alonso and Luis Garcia are just fired up. This is the performance we fans all demand Liverpool to play like, and Rafa please stick with a similar formation for at least a few matches.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6 No saves need to be made, but his distribution are very poor and fortunately he was not punished.
Finnan: 6.5 Shows why he is the #1 right back for the Club.
Carragher: 6 One of his rare off day, but never mind in this occasion.
Hyypia: 6.5 Just when Carra is not playing well, Sami did played very well.
Riise: 7 Rafa should play him as left back more often.
Gerrard: 6.5 Right midfield is not his best position, but he is willing to sacrifice a bit for the team. Well done.
Alonso: 7.5 Scored a beauty and control the midfield very well.
Sissoko: 6.5 Doing well without really excel.
Luis Garcia: 7 His movements are great, his motiation is high, and his corners are much better than Stevie G's. Lead almost all the attacks in 2H.
Cisse: 6.5 Sometimes he tried too hard in doing fancy things, but maybe just a simple shot will do.
Morientes: 7 Worked very hard and the only thing lack is the goal. Well deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

Substitutes:
Zenden: 7 Provided some freshness to the team and captured a nice opportunity when the West Ham defense committed an error and scored his first goal for the Club.
Crouch: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 He had it right this time in playing the suitable defense, put Stevie G on the right, and plays 4-4-2.

West Ham: 6 They come here for a point and even without a shot on target. But overall they should have enough strength to finish above 15th place.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Scored a beauty and we never looked back. Luis Garcia is not too far behind though.

We need to get a result

With 2 losses in a row already, losing the 3rd game in a row will probably be considered a tragedy. West Ham seems to be doing quite well this season but we should still win this game. Players, please play for your shirts.

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

Result: 2-0

See you in the concert, Sandy

This is so true...

當我發現到一個位，係冇辦法再同呢個人行落去，我就要決定要忠於自己，定係繼續唔開心咁保持『結婚』呢個無形枷鎖。




林 憶 蓮 披 露 離 婚 內 情

林 憶 蓮 最 近 忙 為 十 一 月 舉 辦 的 演 唱 會 宣 傳 及 排 練 ， 她 日 前 接 受 吳 君 如 主 持 的 有 線 節 目 《 再 睇 星 期 五 》 訪 問 ， 大 談 感 情 事 。 憶 蓮 表 示 現 階 段 的 她 喜 歡 有 才 華 及 成 熟 型 男 士 ， 而 其 現 任 男 友 陳 輝 虹 就 是 最 佳 例 子 。

「 冇 辦 法 再 行 落 去 」
當 君 如 表 示 父 母 有 責 任 讓 孩 子 有 個 完 整 家 庭 時 ， 憶 蓮 首 次 透 露 她 與 李 宗 盛 離 婚 的 心 情 ， 她 說 ： 「 呢 個 係 一 個 好 長 時 間 決 定 ， 未 結 婚 前 覺 得 係 一 輩 子 事 ， 但 當 我 發 現 到 一 個 位 ， 係 冇 辦 法 再 同 呢 個 人 行 落 去 ， 我 就 要 決 定 要 忠 於 自 己 ， 定 係 繼 續 唔 開 心 咁 保 持 『 結 婚 』 呢 個 無 形 枷 鎖 。 」
憶 蓮 謂 她 與 李 宗 盛 是 性 格 和 溝 通 上 都 配 合 不 來 ， 她 謂 ： 「 大 家 背 景 有 差 距 ， 小 事 上 合 不 來 ， 大 事 上 有 分 歧 。 」 憶 蓮 還 表 示 不 知 道 自 己 還 會 不 會 結 婚 。

Match Report 051026 at Crystal Palace: Away woe continues

1-2 and this is another disappointing display. Our domestic away form need to be improved. As Stevie G said the players should play hard for the fans who pay a lot of money to watch the team play. The strikers also need to start to score goals.

Player Rating:
Carson: 6 Conceded 2 goals.
Raven: 6 Not too convinced when pressured.
Whitbread: 6 A fair performance.
Hyypia: 6 Did OK.
Warnock: 6 A fair performance.
Potter: 6 Have a good chance but hit the bar.
Gerrard: 7 Lead the team by example.
Hamann: 6.5 Another typical performance.
Kewell: 6 Not back to form yet.
Morientes: 5.5 Wasted a lot of chances.
Crouch: 5.5 Same as Nando.

Substitutions:
Sinama-Pongolle: 6 Try hard but not succeed.
Luis Garcia: 6 Only come close.
Traore: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5.5 He needs to think of ways to improve the away form and the lack of goals.

Crystal Palace: 6.5 Deserved winner of the game, and their goalie played exceptionally well.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. But only him playing well is not enough.

Youngsters to be given a chance

It's League Cup time again and although Rafa said he is going to send a strong team I still expect a lot of young guns will get a chance. After the dismal display in the weekend the players need to play much better. Let's start another winning streak.

My Team Prediction:
Carson
Josemi
Whitbread
Traore
Warnock
Sinama Pongolle
Gerrard
Hamann
Zenden
Crouch
Luis Garcia

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051022 at Fulham: We need to score

0-2 and it is a very poor result. We created lots of chances but could not convert any of them. We have some careless defensive mistakes as well and so we are well beaten. Rafa need to improve the squad as soon as possible.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much he can do for both goals.
Josemi: 6 Covered the offside position and led to the first goal.
Carragher: 6.5 Not much he can do this time...
Hyypia: 6 A dull performance.
Traore: 6 Dull peformance.
Kewell: 6 Tried a clever lop but just hit it over.
Alonso: 7 The better player in the team.
Sissoko: 6.5 Energitic performance.
Riise: 6.5 Had a few chances but couldn't convert.
Cisse; 6 A dull performance.
Morientes: 6 Still searching his form.

Substitutes:
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Had lots of chances but couldn't convert. But he seems to have started another form run.
Crouch: Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 6 How can we score more?

Fulham: 7 They have a determined team and so they won. Whether they can survive is another story. Old Boy Warner played extremely well in keeping us goalless.

Man of the Match: Alonso. But he is just the better player on this day.

Let's build on

Away at Fulham last year saw we came from 0-2 down to win the game, with Biscan scored a goal with only his 2nd touch in the game. This time we should be better in defense, and with Cisse on fire, the other strikers need to do their job as well to keep their place.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Josemi
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Zenden
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Luis Garcia
Cisse

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051019 at Anderlecht: One step closer

1-0 and another goal from Cisse see us one step closer to qualification. Should both Chelsea and us win in the next game, we will both qualified and we can give some young lads European experience in the final 2 games.

Cisse's form is getting better and better and Rafa should play him more. The only thing to worry is that Reina picked up another yellow card. Maybe he should waste time again next game so that he can sit out the next game without bring the cards into the next rounds.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Made some good saves before Cisse's goal.
Josemi: 6.5 A good performance.
Carragher: 7 A rock at the back.
Hyypia: 6.5 His European streak continues, and he deserves it.
Traore: 6.5 A good performance.
Alonso: 7 Another good performance.
Hamann: 7 Doing well with an assist.
Sissoko: 7 Energetic as usual.
Riise: 6.5 Good performance even with a rare right foot shot.
Luis Garcia: 7 Surely this hole between midfield and attack is his best position.
Cisse: 7.5 Another winning goal. His form and mood is getting better and better.

Substitutions:
Kewell/Zenden/Warnock: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: Good job, although he still need to solves the problem of wastage in front of goal.

Anderlecht: Sadly, they seems to be on the way out.

Man of the Match: Cisse. Rafa should make him the first choice.

Win it and we will be very close to qualify

As Ian Rush said if we get at least 4 points from the 2 games against Anderlecht, then we will be very close to qualification. So let's aim at it. I hope Hyypia can maintain his European streak, but Rafa is ruthless and no doubt he will decide based on the best decision for the team.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Sinama-Pongolle
Alonso
Sissoko
Zenden
Cisse
Morientes

Result: 2-1

Match Report 051015 vs Blackburn Rovers: Not convincing, but it's still a win

1-0 and we finally get a win, although it's not very convincing. As Stevie G is injuried Rafa finally opted to play a 4-4-2 with Cisse and Crouch up front. Crouch was very quiet and Cisse was very wasteful but fortunately he scored the winning goal. The game is skewed as Blackburn has one man down (although before that they already come to play for one point), but with a genius free kick Cisse managed to win us the 3 points.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Only one half chance save to made.
Josemi: 6 Doing OK but Blackburn has almost no attack.
Carragher: 7 A superb captain performance but his 2 shots were not in.
Traore: 6 Typical Djimi, horrible one moment, and brilliant the other.
Warnock: 6 A good display overall.
Finnan: 6.5 Provided a few good crosses.
Alonso: 7.5 Running the midfield and taking the free kicks very well.
Sissoko: 7 Energitic and controlled the midfield.
Zenden: 6.5 A very good game, and he was unfortunate that his free kick hit the bar.
Crouch: 5.5 Very quiet game.
Cisse: 7 Wasted so many chance but at the end his only goal saved us.

Substitutes:
Luis Garcia: 6 Providing some needed attacking sense to the team.
Morientes: 5.5 Could have scored a hat trick, very wasteful.
Riise: 6 Lively performance.

Rafa: 6.5 Finally he tried a 4-4-2 and it worked. But he still need to work out on providing more service to Crouch and others.

Blackburn: 5.5 Come for one point, and deserved none. But Friedel's performance was very good apart from too slow in set pieces.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Shown his skills.

Let's start to pick up points

After a long fortnight break now it's the time to start doing business. Blackburn will be defending well and with Stevie G injuried, perhaps Rafa will try 4-4-2 this time and Crouch to open his account?

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Warnock
Sinama-Pongolle
Alonso
Hamann
Zenden
Cisse
Crouch

Result: 2-0

Match Report 051002 vs Chelsea: Learn the lesson

1-4 and it was a long time since we last concede 4 goals at home. The score line probably flattered them, but we should learn the lesson with heart and improve from now on.

We actually started the match confidently and were the better side, but a stupid mistake from Traore changed everything. Reina tried hard and was close to save the penalty, but that's life.

Stevie G reacted well with a nice taken bullet and we equalized. And suddenly the Kop roared - but only for a few minutes. After that Chelsea regained possession and Hyypia's slowness was explored and they took the league at half time.

2H we tried to equalize and left lots of holes at the ball. Chelsea did well and scored 2 goals courtesy of our defensive mess. The nice thing was at the end the fans were singing YNWA. But I think they should be more vocal through the whole season.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6 Almost saved the penalty, and couldn't do much for the other 3 goals.
Finnan: 6 OK defensively but no contribution up front.
Carragher: 6.5 As usual played well at the back. Also had a nice assist to the equalizer.
Hyypia: 5.5 It's really sad to see him exploired by others because he's too slow.
Traore: 5 Stupid mistake and from that point on we lost.
Alonso: 6.5 Played with a big heart. One of the better player on the pitch.
Hamann: 6.5 Typical Didi performance.
Luis Garcia: 6 Should do better.
Gerrard: 7 Scored a nice equalizer but at the end it was not enough.
Riise: 6.5 Tried very hard, but was only close to scoring.
Crouch: 6 Have a good chance but didn't score. It's time for him to deliver.

Substitutions:
Sissoko: 6 Player quite well but couldn't change the result.
Sinama Pongolle: 6 Tried hard but no impact.
Cisse: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Get it all wrong? I really hope he can play Cisse more - maybe as a AM?

Chelsea: 9 Well deserved winner although the scoreline flattered them. We should learn the lesson.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Nice goal, but what are the other players doing?