Match Report 070819 vs Chelsea: 2 points Robbed by Styles

1-1 and this is definitely 2 points robbed by the referee. That penalty should have never been given. Have we win the game we would be in a very good position, although now we are still very much on track, especially after Arsenal and Manchester losing ground as well.

We controlled the game but and Torres had opened his account with a very well taken goal, although he also shown us his evil side. The most obvious thing is that now we have the confidence to win every game. And we will be pushing very hard for #19.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Finnan: 7 Solid display and was unlucky to have deemed to concede that penalty.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the troops well.
Agger: 7 At times he seem to be out of position, but in general he did well.
Arbeloa: 7 Effective display.
Pennant: 7 A good display with some dangerous crossing provided.
Gerrard: 8.5 An all-round performance and provided the killing pass.
Alonso: 7 Did reasonably well apart from a few mis-passes.
Riise: 7.5 With a few dangerous shots but was only close.
Kuyt: 7.5 Very hard working performance.
Torres: 8 Scored a neat goal that shown his skill.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 Did well and almost scored.
Crouch: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Robbed 2 points. His new look Liverpool is really convincing, and we will not drop too many points this season.

Chelsea: 6 Completely out-classed and was only helped by the 12th man.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. He's attacking, he's helping the defense, and he's everywhere.

Build up the advantage

After a labouring afternoon in France we are now back to the league and will play Chelsea. The team is now stronger than ever, and if we can avoid making any mistake, at the end we will come up on top of them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Torres
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070815 at Toulouse: Professional job

1-0 and we finished the job in a professional manner. Under the hot weather and the bad pitch the player performance are affected, but we still manage to nick a goal and come back home with an away goal.

As expected Rafa made 6 changes to the squad. Players have some problem in this hot weather, but at the end of 1H Veronin scored a goal from nowhere and shown us why Rafa rated him.

The job is not done yet, as we still need to play them in the second leg 2 weeks later, but we will be in full confidence.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not much to do, but when he's call on he delivered.
Finnan: 6.5 An average game.
Carragher: 7 Calm as usual.
Hyypia: 6.5 The heat is certainly affecting him.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Another good game.
Babel: 7.5 Played better on the right than left.
Gerrard: 7 A good game and hope his injury is not that bad.
Mascherano: 8 Very impressive display.
Benayoun: 6 Had a quiet debut.
Veronin: 7.5 Scored a goal from nowhere. Shown us his creativity.
Crouch: 7 Created the goal for Veronin.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6.5 Played better than Benayoun, and with him onboard, it allows Babel to play on the right.
Sissoko: 6.5 A solid display.
Torres: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy with the team performance.

Toulouse: 6 One season wonder? But we still need to give them our full respect in order to go through.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. We definitely need to buy him when his loan ends.

Champions League

We begin our quest to another European journey today, starting at Toulouse. It won't be an easy match, especially as the weather is extremely hot, but the players would be ready after training in Hong Kong.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Babel
Gerrard
Alonso
Benayoun
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070811 at Aston Villa: Stevie G saves the day again

2-1 and it was not until Stevie G put the ball into the net that we secured 3 points in the season opener the first time under Rafa. That goal was simply beautiful - and beyond any goalkeeper's reach. The win also made us the 4th Premier League team to win 1000 points.

We started the match brightly and controlled the game, but similar to last season we just somehow can't kill off the game. Carra's penalty was a bit harsh, but at the end, the Captain came for our rescue again, and we fully deserved the 3 points.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did very well especially at the end to gain us the 3 points.
Finnan: 6.5 A bit quiet.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back and saved us many times. Was unlucky to concede the penalty.
Agger: 7 A solid performance but at times can't compete with the big man Carew.
Arbeloa: 7 A solid performamce.
Pennant: 6.5 Didn't do enough to support the attack
Gerrard: 9 What a goal! And he looks very fresh too.
Alonso: 7 A good performance.
Riise: 7 A good performance as midfielder.
Torres: 7.5 A good debut despite unlucky not to have scored.
Kuyt: 8 An all-rounded performance and his hard work lead to the first goal.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7.5 Almost scored from his first shot. Very lively.
Veronin: 7 Controlled the rhythm well.
Sissoko: 6 Do nothing but losing the ball.

Rafa: 7.5 The new look team looks very sharp. He would be happy with the flow, but still works need to be done to convert chances into goals.

Aston Villa: 6 Was never into the game except for the first 15 minutes.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Goal of the season contender.

Kickoff

It's the big kickoff again and we will start the season away at Villa. After all the transfers the expectation for the team is high. Now that Rafa has more options to attack, we need to score more goals especially away from home. With a little bit of luck, we may finally launch #19.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Benayoun
Voronin
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Season Preview

We finished our friendly games unbeaten (in 90 minutes, anyway) and unscratched, and now we have 5 days to go for the new season. No doubt we are stronger than last season, and with the friendly games arranged, the team is fitter and get more familiar with each other.

Rafa had built a very strong squad with more than one player chasing a spot. He will rotate the team as usual based on the opponents, but one good thing is that with the new players coming, he is now able to play Gerrard more in the central role, which is what we lacked before. Whether this means a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 will depends on the opponents.

We are very strong in the defense and central midfield, and if the wingers can do well and cross more better quality balls, and the strikers able to improve the goal per shot ratio, we will pose a strong challenge to #19.

Thanks Liverpool

After a week in Hong Kong the players are back to Liverpool. Result is not important but the most important things are team bonding and fitness boasting. Of course, Rafa will still need to address the issue of the lack of goals. But I think Rafa will sort it out in the next few games.

Win the first title of the season

Tonight is the Barclays Asia Trophy Final and we have a chance to win some trophy before the season starts. Torres, Gerrard and Babel are all cleared to play and we will see some good football tonight. But once again, the most important thing is the gain match fitness while avoiding injuries.

Our new home

Stunning. The Kop is really huge and the design is really cool. It has more character with its irregular shape. Reminds me of famous baseball parks like Fenway Park or Widgley Field. More importantly, with the increased and expandable seats the new Anfield will support us and enable us to compete with the others.

Match Report 070724 vs South China: Just a friendly

3-1 and we continue our winning streak in the pre-season friendlies. The weather is too hot but players who played should gained a lot of fitness. The atmosphere in the stadium was good, although it was not as good as at Anfield. Anyway, it's just a friendly and let's hope we will play better against Portsmouth.

Liverpool is in town

Yes Liverpool is in town and all the Reds fans are very very happy. Tonight we will play South China, it is just another friendly game and let's hope the players can boast their fitness and avoid injuries in such hot weather and enjoy the game! Tonight we will turn the Hong Kong stadium into Anfield!

Quote of the day

"We are not Chelsea yet, but I hope we will be in the future" - Sven-Goran Eriksson predicts the decline and the fall of the Roman empire.

Options

After a slow start in the transfer market we suddenly spent a lot in the last 2 weeks. With Toures, Babel and Benayoun joining us we now have more options in the attack. As Rafa said sometimes it's better to have more options, as if you have one 30-goal scorer, opponents are easy to mark him out or if he is injured, the team will be in trouble. We now have several players who can score 10-20 goals and it will make the opponents difficult to follow.

Can we win the title? Yes we can. But will we? It all depends. In the past few seasons we created a lot more opportunities than other teams but failed to convert. We now have more depths and options to choose from, and if we can score 20 more goals than in the previous seasons, we definitely have a chance.

Well done Carra!

It's good news that Carra decided to quit international football unless under emergency situation. All the England coaches have constantly overlooked the best central defender in England, and England deserve to have Carra turned his back.

Now Carra can focus on bring us #19 instead of wasting energy in meaningless games or risking injuries. Although this is very unlikely, but I hope Stevie G will follow suit.

We all want a team of Carraghers, a team of Carraghers, a team of Carraghers...

Welcome our new #9

It's all set. Fernando Torres will be our record signing, and he has been proudly handed the famous No.9.

Welcome to your new home, El Nino, and bring us the glory we all want!

Thanks you, Luis

Luis Garcia will leave us. Some people may be annoyed by his inconsistency, but we have to thank him for all his wonderful goals during the past 2 years, especially in crucial games. Who can ever forget THAT goal against Chelsea? This was the last time I cried.

Thanks for all the great memories, and I wish you a very good future back home.

Where do we need to strengthen?

It's been too quiet for us in the transfer market, so let's see which position we need to strengthen:

Goalkeeper: Reina is class, but there's no backup after Dudek's gone. Carson probably won't want to stay as reserve forever and Martin may be too young. So Rafa needs to buy a good backup goalkeeper.

Central Defender: Carra and Agger will be the indispensable one-two here. It's good that Hyypia will be staying, but it will be good if we have one more backup. Paletta still has yet to shown he is capable.

Right/Left Back: Finnan and Riise will be the first choice and Arbeloa and Aurelio will be challenging them. This department looks quite healthy.

Central Midfield. We have 4 class players in Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso and Sissoko and this is probably the best of the league.

Wingers: Pennant is showing signs of development but on the left we only have Kewell now that Gonzalez and Zenden are gone. Rafa will invest heavily in this department, and we have been linked with a number of players already.

Strikers: A big unknown. Kuyt will be staying, Verorin is coming, but we are not sure about Crouch and Bellamy. This is one of the weakest department and Rafa will also be investing big here. Very unclear situation.

In conclusion, we seems to be OK for the defense and central midfield. But for the attacks, we may need a big big revolutionary change.

2006/07 Season Review

2 CL Finals in Rafa's first 3 years, but we failed to make it this time. Lots of players will leave this season, and many more to join. It would be interesting to see the lineup next season, but no doubt Rafa will be trying hard to improve the team. And next season the focus will no doubt be to challenge for Premiership.

Our home record is good but we definitely need to improve our away form. At home we are on par with Manchester and Chelsea (MU: 47 pts; Chelsea: 43; us: 46; Arsenal: 42) but away from home it's a different story (MU: 42; Chelsea: 40; us: 22; Arsenal: 26).

Contrary to what other may be thinking, we are actually not that bad against the remaining of the top 5 (MU: 14; Chelsea: 10; us: 12; Arsenal: 15) but this year the problem is against teams from 6th place to 10th (MU: 25; Chelsea: 24; us: 12; Arsenal: 18). 5 points were lost against Everton, Portsmouth and Blackburn, and we still yet to win at Bolton. Another area to improve is against bottom 5 teams, where Manchester won all 10 matches, and we only get 23 points.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Dudek: 6G 540M 13GC 2CS 0MoM 5.50
Martin: 5 unused substitutes
Padelli: 1G 90M 2GC 0CS 0MoM 5.00
Reina: 51G 4620M 36GC 26CS 6MoM 6.90

Reina has a very good second half and has the first team place firmly grabbed. 26 clean sheets this season is still very spectacular. Dudek finally called his day in Liverpool, and we wish you all the best. Padelli has an awful game against Charlton, and it is unlikely that his loan will be extended.

Defenders
Agger: 43G 3624M 4GS 3A 3MoM 6.87
Arbeloa: 14G 1067M 1GS 1A 0.5MoM 6.55
Aurelio: 25G 1487M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.47
Carragher: 51G 4375M 1GS 0A 5MoM 7.03
Darby: 1 unused substitute
Finnan: 47G 4179M 0GS 8A 1MoM 6.69
Hobbs: 2 unused substitutes
Hyypia: 29G 2573M 3GS 1A 2MoM 6.59
Insua: 2G 165M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.23
Kromkamp: 1G 90M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Paletta: 8G 579M 1GS 2A 0MoM 5.64
Peltier: 4G 344M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.72
Riise: 48G 3880M 5GS 1A 0MoM 6.75
Roque: 1G 6M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Smith: 1G 16M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Warnock: 7G 413M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.96

Carra leads the defenders will another impressive season. Agger has edged himself ahead of Hyypia and became the regular partner of Carra, and lead the defenders score board with 4 goals. Sami featured less in the second half (he was the leading defender during first half) but still managed to score 3. Finnan is another unsung hero and this year he has an impressive 8 assists recorded. On the left Riise made the position his own especially there were not too many challenges to him. Arbeloa and Aurelio both has an OK first season, but they need to improve a lot to challenge Finnan and Riise. And we seem to have less cover in center defense, so Rafa should try his best to hold Sami for at least one more season.


Midfielders
Alonso: 51G 3983M 4GS 2A 4MoM 6.84
Anderson: 1 unused substitute
El Zhar: 3G 50M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Gerrard: 51G 4256M 11GS 6A 8.5MoM 7.14
Gonzalez: 36G 1638M 3GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.28
Guthrie: 7G 218M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.82
Kewell: 3G 77M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.44
Luis Garcia: 27G 1680M 6GS 5A 1MoM 6.72
Mascherano: 11G 993M 0GS 0A 0.5MoM 7.04
Pennant: 52G 3132M 1GS 11A 1.5MoM 6.92
Sissoko: 28G 2013M 0GS 1A 2MoM 6.80
Zenden: 30G 1776M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.35

Despite switching back and forth from central and right midfield, Stevie G continues to lead the team. Perhaps John Barnes is right in saying that we need to holding midfielder, ie, if Stevie G plays in the middle, we should play a 4-5-1 as otherwise we will run into trouble should he lose the ball. On the right Pennant surprised everyone by becoming the player who played the most game this season. And he finished with a respective score of 6.92. Xabi continues to be reliable in the midfield, and Mascherano proved to be a very good player and challenging Sissoko for the midfield position. As for Momo, he is trying very hard to gain back his position, but at times he tried too hard. He is still young and can improve dramatically. On the left both Gonzalez and Zenden have an average season and will leave. Kewell just come back in time for the Champions League final, and next season we need a healthy Kewell to start performing. The injury to Luis Garcia also proved to be crucial. We missed his decisive goals.

Attackers
Bellamy: 42G 2664M 9G 8A 8MoM 6.86
Crouch: 49G 2559M 18GS 9A 4MoM 7.05
Fowler: 23G 1033M 7GS 4A 3MoM 6.91
Kuyt: 48G 3631M 14GS 5A 7.5MoM 7.07
Sinama-Pongolle: 1G 1M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00

One problem of our team is the lack of goals. At times we created many chances but just failed to convert. Crouch lead the scoring board with 18 goals, and Kuyt came close with a good 14 goals under his name, 12 of which is in the league. Bellamy has an on-and-off season and managed 9 goals, and Fowler, despite playing much less, also had 7 goals.

Players of the season (2000 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.14
(2) Kuyt 7.07
(3) Crouch 7.05
(4) Carragher 7.03
(5) Pennant 6.92

Rafa: 6.79. He needs to sort out the away problem and the lack of goals. Our goal conversion rate is dismal.

Goal Conversion
Goal conversion has been a problem. Throughout the season we had 895 goal attempts and scored 90 goals (10.1% goals/goal attempts), whereas our defenders had minimized the opponents to 444 goal attempts but still conceded 52 goals (11.7% goals/goal attempts). At home we are on par, with we scored with 11.6% g/ga whereas the opponents scored with 11.7%, but in away games our goal conversion is dropped to 7.8%, while the opponents still scored at 11.1%. The lack of goals, especially away from home, continues to hinder our chance of challenging the top 2.


Match of the season
1. 3/31/07 Arsenal (h) League (4-1) : 7.71
2. 5/1/07 Chelsea (h) Champions League Semi Final (1-0): 7.70
3. 12/9/06 Fulham (h) League (4-0) : 7.67
4. 2/24/07 Sheffield United (h) League (4-0): 7.66
5. 1/1/07 Bolton Wanderers (h) League (3-0): 7.62

Worst match of the season
1. 1/9/07 Arsenal (h) League Cup (3-6) : 5.02
2. 9/9/06 Everton (a) League (0-3): 5.36
3. 11/12/06 Arsenal (a) League (0-3) : 5.46
4. 4/28/07 Portsmouth (a) League (1-2): 5.48
5. 5/5/07 Fulham (a) League (0-1): 5.89

May Month Review

1W 1D and 2L and it was a disappointing month. We started high with a great win vs Chelsea, then we lost at Fulham and drew Charlton with a second tier team. All eyes were on the Champions League Final but we failed to win.

We can't count this season as a successful one, but nevertheless, the team is moving towards the right direction. We will challenge for #19.

Players of the Month: (1) Reina 7.9 (2) Mascherano 7.30 (3) Gerrard 7.25. Reina almost single-handly sent us to the Final. Mascherano also had a great month and played well in both Champions League games. The same can be said on Gerrard.

Match Report 070523 vs AC Milan: We'll be back

1-2 and what a disappointing ending. Any defeat is hard to take but defeat in a Final - especially if the team has every chance to win it but didn't - is even harder to take. In fairness we didn't play well as well, but at least we should take our chances before it is too late.

The game probably sums up this season: Lots of chances created but unable to convert, key players misfiring at key moments, lack of luck, and we still lack something to push for the title.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 A hard finish for the great guy. Had no chance on the first goal, but could do better for the second.
Finnan: 6 A solid display but just not enough in the final.
Carragher: 6.5 Another 100% display but still failed to bring us glory.
Agger: 6 Should done better to prevent the second goal.
Riise: 6 Same as Finnan.
Pennant: 7 One of his best performance this season, especially during first half.
Mascherano: 7 A very good display that kept Kaka's threat to a minimum. And as soon as he was substituted, Kaka played that killing pass to Inzaghi.
Alonso: 6 Came close to score in the first half but then found himself guilty of giving away the freekick that lead to the first goal.
Zenden: 5.5 A poor display that ended his Anfield career.
Gerrard: 6 Failed to drive us to glory this time. Would change the game should he equalized early on during second half.
Kuyt: 6.5 No supply to him.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 5.5 Failed to have an impact to the game.
Crouch: 6.5 Rafa should have him on earlier.
Arbeloa: 6 Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed to have lost the game in such a way. A huge rebuilding work is now ahead of him.

AC Milan: 6.5 They get their revenge. And we should learn from them on how to rebound.

Men of the Match: Pennant/Mascherano. Should play bigger roles next season.

This is the moment

Yes, this is the moment. Another European Final, Fowler's farewell, and my trip to Liverpool to watch the game. We are certainly better than 2 years ago, but so is Milan. This will be a tough match for us, and Milan will certainly want to gain revenge. But we have Rafa. We have Gerrard. We have Carra. We have Fowler. We have all the players that are hunger to win their first or second Champions League medal. And last, but not the least, we have the Kop and all those great fans. Let's make history again. In Istanbul we won it five times. In Athens, we win it six times.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Zenden
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070513 vs Charlton Athletic: That's Life

2-2 and we did not get what we want, as Fowler was substituted just before we get a penalty. But he still has one last chance to scored a goal in the CL Final - just like what Smicer did.

The match was another non-event and although Rafa fielded a strong team, everybody's mind is on the Final and try to avoid injury. Padelli has a poor debut that he probably wants to forget, and the defense were making lots of errors. Fowler and Gerrard tried very hard to win the game, but at the end a draw is a fair result, and it's really nice to see Kewell coming back and I won't be surprised if he started in the Final.

Players Rating:
Padelli: 5 Poor communication with teammates. Need to learn English ASAP...
Finnan: 6 A nice run-in to keep his form up.
Carragher: 6 A good performance.
Agger: 6 Solid display.
Riise: 6 Not providing much assist in attack.
Arbeloa: 6 Missed a glorious chance where he should have pass the basll to Fowler - get caught in two minds.
Gerrard: 7.5 Wanted to win the game more than anybody else.
Mascherano: 6 Lost the ball cheaply that lead to the first goal.
Zenden: 6 A fair performance.
Fowler: 6.5 Missed a few chance but we still want to thank you for all the goals over the years, but one more in the Final will be even better.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 7.5 Scored a penalty and created a goal.
Alonso: 7 Coolly scored a goal.
Crouch: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Could forgive the player of not trying too hard in getting injuries, but the timing of the Fowler substitution was really bad.

Charlton Athletic: 6.5 Fight hard for glory but it was too late. Good luck to them and hope they will bounce back soon.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Only player tried hard enough.

Thanks for all the great performances

Today we will say goodbye to two of our heroes, Fowler and Dudek. Fowler has been doing well since he's back but still we need to move on and chances for him will be remote. For Dudek, who can remember that night two years ago? Although he can never pick up his form since then, we shall still be thankful for him for bring us Champions League glory. And let's give them our biggest roar to the final home game of the season, and to prepare for another glorious night 10 days later.

Thanks for all the great performances, and no matter where you are, you'll never walk alone.

My Team Prediction:
Padelli
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Mascherano
Sissoko
Kewell
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070505 at Fulham: Another poor display from the 2nd tier

0-1 and once again Rafa made a lot of changes but the second tier just failed to deliver. Sometimes you need to start worrying for if we want to win the league we need to have a bigger squad with better quality. But no doubt Rafa will be looking at improvements.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a few good saves.
Arbeloa: 5.5 A poor performance.
Paletta: 5 Not up to Premier League standard yet.
Hyypia: 6 Did well and at times need to sort out the mess created by the other defenders.
Insua: 5.5 Still too young, but time is on his side.
Pennant: 6 A good performance.
Alonso: 6 Need to pick up his form very quickly for the Final.
Sissoko: 6 Need to improve a lot.
Fowler: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.
Bellamy: 6.5 Worked very hard but couldn't find the net.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6 Another taste of Premiership but still need to learn a lot.
Finnan: 6.5 Provided better shelter on defense when came on.
Kewell: 6 Glad to see him back and he will push for a place in the Final.

Rafa: 6 Will need to worry on the injuries, the missed chances and the level of the second tier.

Fulham: 7 Battled hard and should now be safe.

Man of the Match: Reina. Reduced the damage to a minimum.

Secure Third

With a win today and Arsenal lost to Chelsea, third place will be secured. Of course all minds are now on the Champions League Final and Rafa will rest lots of big guns like Carra and Gerrard, but there will be 18 places in the squad for the Final and so the players will have to fight for the place. Surely this is enough motivation for us to win?

My Team Prediction:
Padelli
Arbeloa
Hyypia
Paletta
Insua
Pennant
Hobbs
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Fowler
Bellamy

Result 3-0

Match Report 070501 vs Chelsea: When Carragher cramps, we win the penalty shoot-out

1-0 and we won the penalty shoot-out 4-1! Reina is absolutely class in saving penalties. He is going to be a legend.

The match itself was actually very poor. Both teams just tried to pass the ball to the strikers as quick as possible. Rafa surprised everybody by putting Alonso on the bench and started Zenden. At the end it worked and Zenden also scored a beautiful penalty. Agger answered some of the critics by having a good defensive performance and also scored a well practiced goal. On the other hand, it is sad to see Dudek not even on the bench, after his poor performance over the weekend. His days in a Liverpool jersey is now finally over. But we will never forget his heroic performance that night two years ago.

Players Rating:
Reina: 10 Perfect performance. Master of penalty saves.
Finnan: 7.5 Provided the much needed balance to the team.
Carragher: 8 All over the pitch for defending.
Agger: 8 Answered the critics by scoring the goal. Did well in defending too.
Riise: 7 Did well both attacking and defending.
Pennant: 7.5 Very lively performance and provided many dangerous crossings.
Gerrard: 8 Did well in lifting the team.
Mascherano: 8.5 Would be my MoM in normal plus extra time. He's everywhere trying to help the defense.
Zenden: 7 Somehow it worked. And he repaid Rafa's faith with a nice penalty.
Kuyt: 7.5 Tried very hard but he can only managed to hit the bar and another one marginally ruled offside. But he had the last laugh with that last penalty.
Crouch: 6.5 Was not too effective.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 6.5 A nice display.
Bellamy: 6 Not much impact.
Fowler: 6.5 Almost provided the winning pass to Kuyt. And it is really nice to see Rafa putting his faith and let him be the last penalty shooter.

Rafa: 9 Perfect game plan. Don't know why he start Zenden, but it worked.

Chelsea: 6 No matter what Mourinho said, they just didn't play very well. No excuse. The best team won.

Man of the Match: Reina. Single-handly guided us to the Final over two legs.

Moment of Truth

We need to win by 1-0 or more than 2 goals to proceed. We have done so before, in 1977, in 2005 when we were one down and need to score 3, and we have faced Chelsea at this stage. We need to did what we have done before, and we will be in the Final again. In Kop we trust.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Hyypia
Agger
Finnan
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

April Month Review

5W1D2L and we secured top 4 in the league, but need to overturn Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League Semi Final. It won't be easy, but we did it before and can do it again. With the help of the Kop.

Players of the month (1) Kuyt 7.32 (2) Reina 7.25 (3) Carragher. Kuyt scored 3 nice goals 1 assist in April then helped us to secure top 4. Reina had 5 clean sheets in the months and keep our Champions League dream alive. Carragher just played well as he always does and is in pole position of the Player of the Match award of liverpoolfc.tv

May Prediction:
5/1 Chelsea (h) We are going to win 2-0.
5/5 Fulham (a) We need to win this game to secure top 3.
5/13 Charlton Athletic (h) Final home game and could be the last game for Fowler and Dudek in a red jersey.
5/23 CL Final (n) If we get there, we are going to be underdog. Make it six.

Match Report 070428 at Portsmouth: Not good enough

1-2 and although the result meant nothing, the performance is really bad. The reserves didn't have any hunger to fight and the youngsters were too green. This game showed that we still need to improve a lot to fight for the title.

Players Rating:
Dudek: 5 At fault for the first goal although he did made two great saves. He will probably have two more games in a Liverpool jersey.
Arbeloa: 5 Did poor in this make-shift defensive lineup.
Paletta: 5 Still too green to play in the first team.
Hyypia: 6.5 Did very well in the game and is in line with a first team recall.
Insua: 5 Very nervous in his first game.
Bellamy: 5.5 Worked hard but didn't have much impact.
Alonso: 6 Probably reserving some energy for the Chelsea game.
Sissoko: 5.5 Another poor game. I am worrying he may become another Traore.
Zenden: 5.5 Another ineffective game.
Gonzalez: 5 Very disappointing.
Fowler: 6 A nice assist. But you don't expect much from him as a lone striker.

Substitution:
Pennant: 6 Didn't change the game much.
El Zhar: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5.5 Would be disappointed by the performance although he has his mind fully in the Chelsea game. Defense is especially poor.

Portsmouth: 7 Well deserved of getting all three points. Still have a slight hope of getting a UEFA Cup spot.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Pushing for a starting place tomorrow.

Give them a chance

Rafa will rest a lot of players and this is a good chance to give some old squads and youngsters a chance to shine. We will face James and Traore, and what a chance for Fowler to score some goals for fun.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Peltier
Paletta
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennent
Sissoko
Mascherano
Gonzalez
Linfield
Fowler

Result 2-0

Match Report 070425 at Chelsea: We need to improve

0-1 and it was a very poor performance in the first half that cost us the game. There were too many miss passes and we let them controlled the midfield. Second half was better but we lack the killing touch to grab the vital away goal. Now we need to go back to Anfield and let the Kop to guide us to the Final once again.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did made at least two great saves to keep the scoreline.
Arbeloa: 6 A bit slow to let Joe Cole scored the goal.
Carragher: 7 Did well in defense when the others didn't.
Agger: 6 Cannot contain Drogba and let him crossed the ball for Cole.
Riise: 6 Not at his best.
Gerrard: 6.5 Had a nice shot superbly saved.
Alonso: 6 Failed to run the midfield.
Mascherano: 6 Very quiet and a bit too soft to fight the ball.
Zenden: 6.5 Did a reasonably good job.
Bellamy: 5.5 Largely disappointing.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked very hard but what we need is the killer instinct.

Substitutions:
Crouch/Pennant: 6 Didn't change the game much.

Rafa: 6 He would be angry about the first half performance. We need to change a few things in the return leg.

Chelsea: 7 Played hard and deserved the win. But this is only half time and we will bring on the Kop.

Man of the Match: Reina. Keep the scoreline for another famous Anfield night.

Do our best

Stamford Bridge is a bogey venue for us but it would be nice to break the duck tonight. The managers are playing mind games, and no doubt we are better prepared both physically and mentally. With the players fully alert we will ensure we are in pole position coming next week.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Pennant
Alonso
Mascherano
Gerrard
Bellamy
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070421 vs Wigan Athletic: Stage 1 cleared

2-0 and we secured Champions League qualification without Stevie G. Rafa's game plan was executed perfectly with us keeping lots of possession and finding ways to peel off the Wigan defense. Now we can focus on Chelsea and finishing third.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A quiet afternoon but did made a world class save to warm up for the Chelsea game.
Arbeloa: 7 Solid display again.
Carragher: 7 A fine display from the stand-in captain.
Hyypia: 7 Another solid display and he will be ready should Rafa wanna play 3 at the back.
Riise: 7 Another nice display on both ends.
Pennant: 7.5 A very good display and he will be pushing for a start for the Chelsea game.
Alonso: 7 A solid display and dictated the midfield.
Zenden: 6.5 A bit too quiet.
Gonzalez: 6.5 Still haven't settled in.
Kuyt: 8.5 Two nice goals but he should have a hat trick.
Crouch: 7 Nice display.

Substitutions:
Bellamy: 7 Came up and made an impact.
Gerrard/Agger: 6.5 Came up when the game is all settled.

Rafa: 7.5 Excellent game plan executed well by the players.

Wigan: 6 A poor display and they need to really gear up or they may be relegated.

Man of the match: Kuyt. Two great goals.

Get the qualification tonight

With a win today we will be guaranteed Champions League status. Rafa is thinking to rest Gerrard ahead of the Chelsea game, but not matter who is starting we need to be at our best to get the job done.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Pennant
Alonso
Mascherano
Gonzalez
Fowler
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070418 vs Middlesbrough: One step closer

2-0 and we are one step closer to Champions League qualification. Thanks to Stevie G's goals we break through the stubborn Boro defense after an hour's work, and it was due to Stevie G moving back to central midfield.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Solid display with not much to do.
Arbeloa: 7 Another comfortable display.
Carragher: 7 A rare lapse almost lead to a goal, but other than that he is solid as usual.
Agger: 7 Solid defense works
Riise: 7 Reliable if not spectacular.
Pennant: 7.5 Created lots of problems to the Boro defense.
Sissoko: 6 Still tried too hard and complicated matters, and missed a glorious chance.
Mascherano: 7 Another well display.
Zenden: 7 Played well against his former club and almost scored.
Gerrard: 8 Ineffective as a second striker, but shone after moving back to central midfield.
Crouch: 6.5 Should have done better apart from getting a penalty that sealed the game.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7 Provided more gun power and made an impact to the game.
Gonzalez: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Did well in bringing Kuyt on and moved Gerrard back to central midfield.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Sealed the three points for us.

Finish top 4 by weekend

Should we win tonight and then on Saturday, we will be guaranteed a top four finish. With Arsenal won last night we also need to win to get pass them. And the key is how Rafa can keep the teams away from distractions from Champions League.

Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Gerrard
Mascherano
Alonso
Zenden
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070414 at Manchester City: Disappointed

0-0 and as Rafa said we should be disappointed about the performance. With Arsenal winning the quest for third is still on, although the quest for Champions League seems to be almost finished as we need only 6 points to guarantee first 4, which could be done before this weekend. As Hyypia said we need to sort this out ASAP, so that all minds are focused on the semi final.

On a minor note, this result means mathematically we will not be able to finish first.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do. And the bar saves him one more time.
Finnan: 6.5 Worked hard.
Carragher: 7 Had a good chance from a Pennant corner but only hit the side net.
Agger: 6.5 Done well in defense.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A good display.
Pennant: 6.5 Did well in 1H but gradually faded.
Alonso: 7.5 Almost score from own half again.
Mascherano: 6 Very quiet performance.
Riise: 6 A poor performance and could not provide any width.
Gerrard: 6 Very sloopy. Need to gear up ASAP.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard. But once again he can't score if he always run to midfield or left wing. Teammates need to support him.

Substitutions:
Gonzalez/Crouch/Zenden: 6 Not shining in the match.

Rafa: 6 He's rightly disappointed by the performance. We need to penetrate through the width but failed to create any impact. And as Chelsea also plays a counter-attack tactic but better than City, we definitely need to sharpen up ourselves.

Manchester City: 6.5 They played for a point and get it. But they definitely need to improve their firepower for next season. One thing that worth to mention is that City showed very big respect to the Hillsbourgh victims, with the flag half down and Barton presenting flowers to the crowd. You'll Never Walk Alone.

Player of the match: Alonso. Too bad he didn't score.

Get the third place first

Before we play Chelsea we need to sort out the qualification of Champions League. With some help from Bolton we could be all but settled for third place if we beat Manchester City. And let's present Rafa a nice birthday gift.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Math Report 070411 vs PSV Eindhoven: Now bring on Chelsea

1-0 and the job is done. From the beginning this won't be a spectacular game, and we don't intend to let it be one. We were very professional, and after the unexpected red card by the referee, there is only one winner and we promptly take it. So now we have to face Chelsea the 14th and 15th time in 3 seasons...

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did well to deny PSV from scoring at the beginning of both half. Essentially killed off any false hope for them.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A solid display.
Agger: 7 Another solid display.
Hyypia: 7 Maybe the last time he will start a game as our captain, and he did well.
Riise: 7 Another impressive display and it was his 40 yard shot that lead to the winning goal.
Pennant: 7 Another nice performance and was unlucky not to have scored.
Alonso: 7 Solid if not too impressive.
Sissoko: 6.5 A better performance than last weekend due to the presence of Xabi.
Zenden: 7 Tried hard to score against his former club.
Bellamy: 6 Too bad he is injured so early.
Crouch: 7.5 Grabbed the winning goal well.

Substitutions:
Fowler: 6.5 A nice instinct for the assist. Fans still love him and Rafa please take note.
Gonzalez/Paletta: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 There is not much he can do as the match was essentially over before it has started.

PSV: 6 Although they have lots of injuries, but they should at least play better. If they play like this they will lose the Dutch title as well.

Men of the Match: Reina/Crouch. Bring us the win from both ends.

Perform well

At 3-0 lead all we need is to perform well, and we will be through. Although I hate to meet Chelsea again, but if we are through Rafa will be ready to bring us to the final. But we still need to get through first. Don't slip up.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Zenden
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070407 at Reading: A hard fought victory

2-1 and we almost threw it again but thanks to Rafa's shrewd substitutions, Pennant and Kuyt created the winning goal 4 minutes from full time. As Arsenal beaten at home to West Ham we are 5 points ahead of them with one game more played. The road to third place is now completely in our hands, so grab it.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A fine performance.
Finnan: 6.5 Good display in general.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Hyypia: 7 A nice performance despite not playing regularly recently.
Arbeloa: 7.5 A nice taken goal and a good defensive display. Broken the scoreless jinx of Liverpool #2.
Gerrard: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.
Mascherano: 7 Another solid performance.
Sissoko: 6 Need to improve his passing.
Gonzalez: 6.5 Not much impact from Speedy.
Bellamy: 6 A poor performance.
Crouch: 6.5 A nice assist and a nice header that almost conceded an own goal.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7.5 A nice goal that gave us all three points.
Pennant: 7 A nice assist.
Riise: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Another nice tactical change from Rafa.

Reading: 7 Nice atmosphere, but next season will be tough for them.

Men of the Match: Arbeloa/Kuyt. Two nice goals than gave us three points.

Keep going

As Rafa said we need to keep going to fight for the third place - for the fans. With the Champions League tie almost guaranteed Rafa will file a strong team this time. And why not let Fowler score some goals for fun?

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Sissoko
Mascherano
Gonzalez
Fowler
Bellamy

Result 2-0

Match Report 070403 at PSV Eindhoven: Great win!

3-0 and this is beyond our expectations. The result also highlighted how good Rafa a coach is, especially in European games. Now we are one step inside the final 4, and with a careful game plan, we will be there.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A comfortable display with not much to do.
Finnan: 8.5 A superb performance with 2 assists.
Carragher: 7.5 Captured the first attack of the night.
Agger: 7.5 Solid at the back.
Aurelio: 6.5 A bad injury. Hope he is recovering soon.
Gerrard: 8 Superb performance and broke Rush's European Cup goals record. Set the tone for the night.
Alonso: 7.5 Effective in the middle.
Mascherano: 8 Another good performance.
Riise: 8 Another great goal.
Kuyt: 7 A good all-round performance with a nice yellow card that make sure he will be available for the semi-finals.
Crouch: 8 Another nice header.

Substitutions:
Zenden/Gonzalez/Pennant: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Even Rafa won't imagine we won by 3 goals. A great performance overall.

PSV Eindhoven: 5.5 They should be embarrassed on their defense.

Man of the Match: Finnan. Just getting better and better.

Nick a win

PSV has an injury crisis and this is a good time to play them. Last time we earned a 0-0 draw there, but if this time we can nick a win, we would be comfortably awaiting for the 2nd leg next week.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Gonzalez
Bellamy
Crouch

Result 2-0

March Month Review

1W1D2L and the month just get better. We lost 2 home games vs Manchester United and Barcelona, had a very boring game in drawing Aston Villa, and then beat Arsenal convincingly 4-1 at home. We are in the final 8 of the Champions League, and would finish third if we keep the pace and Arsenal losing points away from home.

Players of the month (1) Carragher 8.0 (2) Agger 7.31 (3) Alonso 7.10. Carragher was a rock at the back and won 3 man of the match performances in the month. Agger played well alongside Carra, and notched a goal against Arsenal. Alonso also did well at the centre in guiding the traffic.

April Prediction:
4/3 PSV Eindhoven (a) Win this and we will be very close to final 4.
4/7 Reading (a) Reading's form is not as good as earlier in the season, and this is a good time to play them.
4/11 PSV Eindhoven (h) We will win this game and going into Final 4.
4/14 Manchester City (a) By this time City should be safe from relegation and will be loosen up.
4/18 Middlesbrough (h) A home game that we need to win.
4/21 Wigan Athletic (h) Wigan will still be fighting for their Premiership position, so we need to play well to win this.
4/25 Champions League semi-final (a) No matter the opponent is Valencia or Chelsea, we need to be at our best to win this.
4/28 Portsmouth (a) Portsmouth will have nothing to play for, so let's not slip here.

Match Report 070331 vs Arsenal: That's more likely

4-1 and this is our best performance this season. What a way to start a new era under the new owners. Rafa is bold enough to play an unfamiliar lineup with lots of players rested for the PSV game, and a new formation in 4-5-1, but it gained big dividends as Crouch finally got the services he needed and duly scored a hat-trick. It was a massive win and we are in big confidence going to PSV.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did well to keep Arsenal from scoring more goals.
Arbeloa: 8 Great understanding with Pennant for the first goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock at the back.
Agger: 8 Solid at the back and what a header.
Aurelio: 8 Two great assists.
Pennant: 8 Combined well with Arbeloa.
Alonso: 8 Great vision for the second goal.
Mascherano: 7.5 Did the dirty works well.
Gonzalez: 7 His speed is threatening.
Gerrard: 6.5 A bit quiet from his usually high level of performance.
Crouch: 9 Hat-trick hero. One from his right foot, one his head and one his left foot. What else can you expect?

Substitutions:
Kuyt/Zenden/Riise: 6.5 Did fair enough when needed.

Rafa: 9 Genius tactic master. And he is happy with the reaction from the team.

Arsenal: 5.5 A very poor performance and there is absolutely no excuse for them, although they fielded a weak young team. If they keep on playing like this, our third place will be guaranteed.

Man of the Match: Crouch. With proper services from the wings, he is unstoppable.

Start of a new era

This game is the first game under the new owners, and is also our last chance to finish 3rd. With the international games in mid week and PSV game coming on Tuesday Rafa may be tempted to rest a few players. But let's start the new era with a convincing victory.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Fowler
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070317 at Aston Villa: zzz....

0-0 and this is as bored a game as I have watched over the years. The only real chance for both teams was the header by Fowler in the 90th minutes, and other than that both teams were just trying to play for a draw. Boring.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Nothing to do.
Finnan: 6 Poor game and should count himself lucky not to be judged to concede a penalty.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid as ever.
Agger: 7 Good in defense.
Aurelio: 6 Not effective as a defender.
Gerrard: 6 Performance was affected by the slight injury and also playing out of position.
Sissoko: 6 Missed too many passes.
Mascherano: 6 Played too deep and not really helping the attacks.
Riise: 6.5 Not going forward enough.
Bellamy: 6 Not effective.
Kuyt: 6 Also ineffective. And he should stay up front more.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 6.5 Played slightly better than Sissoko.
Pennant: 6.5 Tried hard to go pass the Villa players and provided a killer pass to Fowler.
Fowler: 7 Had the only chance of the game but was unfortunately saved.

Rafa: 6 A dull performance and I don't understand why Fowler did not start.

Aston Villa: 6 A draw is a good result for them although they must find themselves unlucky not to get a penalty.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Another good performance.

Fight for the third place

Rafa said top 4 is priority, and third and fourth is not really a big difference. But we still want to challenge for the third place. And Rafa should also use Fowler at some point of this time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Gonzalez
Fowler
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070306 vs Barcelona: A superb result

0-1 and we are through to last 8. It was a strange game that like the weekend game, we dominated but can't suck the ball into the net, thanks to some superb goalkeeping skills and the lack of luck. Strangely, rather we were one up or not actually does not mean much, and the fact that we were strong at the back make us through to the next round.

A tribute must be paid to David Moores who will probably be the Club chairman for the last time last night. Although he missed winning the league champions, he put the Club in safe hands, and #19 will arrive home soon.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another nice display but were unable to prevent the goal.
Finnan: 7.5 Get stronger and stronger towards the end. One of his best performance in a Red shirt.
Carragher: 8.5 Another MoM performance. Reduced the Barca attack to minimal.
Agger: 7 A nice performance.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Did well apart from covered the offside position for the goal conceded.
Gerrard: 7.5 Drive the team to a famous "defeat" and eliminated Barca.
Alonso: 7 Another silent but effective performance.
Sissoko: 8 Almost opened his scoring account. We will miss him for the next match due to suspension.
Riise: 8 Could have get a hat trick.
Bellamy: 7 Created problems to the Barca back line.
Kuyt: 7 Another hard working performance but without many scoring opportunities.

Substitutions:
Pennant: 7 A good performance and almost provided an equaliser.
Aurelio: 6.5 A good performance.
Crouch: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance to equalise the score, although at the end it does not matter.

Rafa: 8 Great tactic win. The team now plays according to his tactics. Now we need to sharpen our scoring.

Barcelona: 6 Lose out in tactics. But they are really tough opponents.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Rock at the back.

Get the job done

With a tiny goal lead what we need to do is to avoid defeat and we will be through. But Rafa will not play for a draw. What we need to do is, tighten the defense, hit them at the back, and nick a famous win. Of course the Kop will be there full swing.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeola
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Riise
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070303 vs Manchester United: Absolutely Bad Luck

0-1 and even Ferguson said they are lucky to win the game. But we only have ourselves to blame. Once again, we only control the game but did not take any chances. Now they will be league winners, and we need to concentrate to get the job done against Barcelona. But the best thing is, if we play like this against Barcelona, we will qualify.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Should parried the ball away to a corners, but it was a tricky one.
Finnan: 6 A deadly mistake in fouling Giggs.
Carragher: 8.5 The rock at the defense. Cleared us from danger a few times.
Agger: 6.5 Had a well taken goal attempt from 40 yards, but at the end he was lucky not to concede a penalty.
Riise: 7 Almost scored again. So close.
Gerrard: 7.5 Did his best.
Alonso: 6.5 A bit subdued from his usually high standard.
Sissoko: 7.5 Controlled the midfield.
Gonzalez: 6.5 Flying high at first half but fatigued in 2H.
Bellamy: 7.5 Passed defenders again and again, but did not have the sense of where the teammates were. Had a goal correctly but cruelly ruled out.
Kuyt: 6 Worked hard but failed to create much impact.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 6 Not much contribution.
Pennnat: 6 Responsible to the foul that lead to the goal conceded.
Crouch: 6.5 Had a golden opportunity but failed to convert.

Rafa: 7.5 Spot on tactics, but luck was not on our side and players did not contribute.

Manchester United: 6.5 Come for one point, should get none, but somehow take all three back home. They will be champions this season.

Man of the Match: Carragher. But the teammates let him down.

Defer their title

As Rafa and Stevie G said we will try our best to win the next two games. Rafa will try to use similar squad for both games but Fowler should start the United game. He showed us what he can do for the team, and if he really leave us next season, it will be a nice gift to him to score against United, and raise the hand with five fingers one more time, as he needs to raise both hand with six next time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Zenden
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

February Month Review

2W1D1L, and the month just get better as time goes. We started with a disappointed 0-0 draw by a small team and then suffered a set back at Newcastle that lost us any hope of catching the top 2. And we dominated both games. Then we did the improbable by coming from behind and beat Barcelona at Nou Camp, then completed the month with a convincing 4-0 win at Anfield. This month also see the takeover completed and the Club in safe hands.

Players of the month (1) Bellamy 7.26 (2) Gerrard 7.23 (3) Carragher 7.15. Bellamy scored a nice goal vs Newcastle (although he somehow missed a hat trick) and then scored against Barcelona after the fiasco at the training camp. Stevie G as usual drives the team on and completed the month by scoring a goal vs Sheffield United. Carragher has been a rock vs Barcelona and were also superb in the other matches.

March Prediction:
3/3 Manchester United (h) Start Fowler for this match.
3/6 Barcelona (h) Be careful of a Barca back fire, and we should play to win the game.
3/18 Aston Villa (a) Villa has become a different team since the early dash, should not be a big problem.
3/31 Arsenal (h) Win this and 3rd place is probably secured.

Match Report 070224 vs Sheffield United: Keep Fowler

4-0 and once again Fowler scores when he starts. 7 goals from 7 starts is just phenomenal, no matter who the opponents are. Rafa need to find an extremely good goal scorers or else he should keep Fowler. Maybe as the Playing Coach.

The match is effectively finished within 30 minutes when Fowler scored 2. The whole team is playing very well and Mascherano had a very good debut. It shows the strength of the squad that Rafa has built, that we can rest 7 members of the first team and still managed to win 4-0.

Players Rating:
Dudek: 7.5 Regained some of his reputation with a clean sheet.
Finnan: 7.5 A nice display.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back and get a rare 13 minute rest.
Hyypia: 8 Back with a nice taken goal.
Riise: 7.5 Solid performance and helped attack as well.
Pennant: 7.5 Lively performance on the right and his corner lead to the first penalty.
Gerrard: 9 Really shines at central midfield.
Mascherano: 8 Showed Rafa chased him for so long. His presence made Gerrard a better player.
Gonzalez: 7 Showed his speed again and should have score.
Fowler: 8.5 Two nice taken penalties and a nice assist. Too bad he didn't get a hat trick.
Crouch: 6.5 Too bad he needs to come off with a nose injury.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7 Need to learn the art of finishing from Fowler.
Alonso/Agger: 6.5 Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 8 Thumbs up with the tactics. And he should rest Kuyt and Bellamy and start Fowler and Crouch against Manchester United.

Sheffield United: 5 Destined to lose from the very beginning. But they will stay up this year.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. An all round performance.

Time for some supporting players to shine

On paper this is an easy game and Rafa may be tempted to let some supporting players to play in this game, especially we have some difficult games coming up in the next 10 days. But let's not get carried away, as first 4 is not yet secured.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Agger
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Zenden
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 3-0

Match Report 070221 at Barcelona: Teamwork

2-1 and this was a nice win that put us in a very good position. It was really nice to see Bellamy and Riise scored both goals, after the weekend controversy. It is exaggerated by the media, and the team is bonding very well. Although the work is only half way done, Rafa will make sure we will go through the next round by focusing in the game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did well to keep us in the game before the equaliser, although he was a bit lucky not to concede a goal from a Deco freekick that hit the post.
Finnan: 7.5 Visionary assist to Bellamy's goal.
Carragher: 8 Rock at the back.
Agger: 7 A bit soft at first but grew bigger as the match developed.
Riise: 8 What a goal - from his right foot!
Arbeloa: 7 A nice display on right midfield and left back. A good full debut.
Alonso: 7 Doing much of the defensive work in the expense of his usual creativity
Sissoko: 8 A rock at the midfield and protected the back 4 well.
Gerrard: 7.5 Driving the team as usual, although he was guilty in letting in the first goal.
Bellamy: 8.5 What a game to silent all the critics!
Kuyt: 7.5 A good game but missed a glorious chance from a set-piece.

Substitutions:
Pennant/Zenden/Crouch 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Master mind.

Barcelona: 6.5 Defense was a disgrace. But they have enough talent so we need to be very careful.

Man of the Match: Bellamy. His talent is second to none.

Respond

We have 10 days to prepare for this match, and at the end of the training camp the players gone too far and ruined their reputation. Now is the time for them to respond and repair the damages. We have a good record at Nou Camp and we need to extend it. Barcelona is a great team but not unbeatable. But we need to be at our best to do so.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Sissoko
Aurelio
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 1-0

Match Report 070210: All hopes are gone now

1-2 and we basically lost any hope of winning the title this year. With only 11 points to go and 16 points behind, there is just too big a gap to claim back. We may still have a slim chance to finish 2nd, but to chase back 10 points in 11 games is also unlikely.

We still have the same old problem of not taking chance. Some may due to luck and some due to skill, but anyway, the team now need to focus on the Barcelona game as this is the only chance we can achieve some glory this season.

Players Rating:
Reina: Some may question the timing of his rush out that lead to the first goal, but I won't blame him too much as Agger is clear at fault.
Finnan: 6 Unable to go forward.
Carragher: 7 The only good defender of the day.
Agger: 5.5 Had a very poor game as he was unable to coupe with Dyer's speed.
Riise: 6 Gave away a penalty.
Pennant: 6.5 Not much offered apart from the assist.
Gerrard: 6 Failed to bring in the creativity to the team.
Sissoko: 7 Came back after the injury and was tackling as hard as he used to be.
Zenden: 6 Missed a glorious chance to put the game 2-0, and was quickly fade away in 2H.
Bellamy: 7.5 Scored a clever goal but missed at least 3 other good chances.
Kuyt: 6 Missed an open goal early 2H.

Substitutions:
Guthrie/Arebola/Crouch: 6 Insufficient time to impress.

Rafa: 6 A poor display and need to work much harder on goal conversion.

Newcastle United: 7 Despite hammered by us in 2H, they held on and at the end won the game, although they should count themselves a bit lucky.

Man of the Match: Bellamy. Too bad this is not a happy return for him.

Start of a new era

This is the first game after the Club is taken over, and also the start of another winning streak. Bellamy will certainly receive hostile treatment from the Newcastle fans, and without Alonso, Rafa may need to play Sissoko or Zenden. But nevertheless, we can win this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Gonzalez
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Done deal

The Club is sold for 450 million pounds to Gillett and Hicks. At first look these two Americans are genuine sports fans, but only time will tell.

We are now in a new era, and although there are lots of uncertainties, we need to move on. Fast.

Match Report 070203 vs Everton: 5 point loss

0-0 and we lost 5 points this season vs Everton. Rafa's comment of Everton as a small team is a bit wild off, but it is inevitable that some team will come to Anfield with 9-men defense and for one point, and it is up to Rafa and the team to find way to create space and thus chances. In this regard we failed completely.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did well to prevent Johnson's well taken shot.
Finnan: 7 Unable to help the atttacks.
Carragher: 7 Did well at defense and almost scored at the other end.
Agger: 7 Solid defending.
Riise: 7 Should have go forward more frequently to support the attacks.
Pennant: 6.5 Get the ball a lot of times but failed to create a goal.
Gerrard: 7 Did well in protecting the back 4, but at the expense of not going forward enough.
Alonso: 6 Had an off day and wasted too many passes.
Bellamy: 7 Had a nice taken goal correctly ruled offside.
Kuyt: 7 Worked extremely hard as usual, but lack the final midas touch.
Crouch: 6.5 Wasteful inside the box.

Substitutions:
Fowler: 6.5 Insufficient time to change the game.

Rafa: 6.5 At times we were out-numbered in midfield. Perhaps we should play 3-5-2.

Everton: 6.5 Come for one point and get what they wanted. Good luck for their chase of 6th spot for UEFA Cup.

Man of the Match: Reina. Another solid goalkeeping performance.

Don't be distracted by off the field activities

There have been lots of confusions during the past few days on the takeover, and all of a sudden the future of the Club is unclear. But players need to retain their focus in the derby game. We need to keep winning and maintain pressure of Chelsea.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Gonzalez
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

What is the Board thinking?

So DIC pulled out as they are not happy about the Board's decision to let Gillett to bid.

I think most of the fans will think DIC are better owner of the club, especially DIC will clear the debt of the Club, and there was rumor that Gillett will prefer ground share with Everton. It looks like the Board members are thinking to personal profit from Gillett's 10% more bidding, while putting the Club's future in uncertainty.

As fans we do not have access to the details and I hope Moores and Parry will do their best to protect the Club. As Shankly said Liverpool Football Club is not owned by the board, the manager or the players. It is owned by the fans. And now we have to trust Moores and Parry.

January Month Report

4W2L with all 4 wins were in the League and we lost both FA Cup and League Cup to Arsenal. It is now too early to call, but it may be a blessing in disguise as it ease up our schedule (look at Arsenal) and we may yet try once more to overtake Chelsea and to challenge the impossible dream. As Rafa said we will just keep winning and see how far we can go. And there are a few hurdles in February that we need to overtake first. Sissoko and Zenden are already back so will provide some cover to the team. Rafa will have the luxury to worry who to choose from.

Players of the Month (1) Kuyt 8.01 (2) Crouch 7.65 (3) Pennant 7.52. 4 goals in January from the hard working Kuyt brought him another top spot in the month. Crouch also did well and also scored 4. For Pennant, he scored a superb goal against Chelsea, and has been lively in other games as well.

February Prediction:
2/3 Everton (h) We need to get a revenge after the humiliation in September.
2/10 Newcastle United (a) Rafa probably won't play 3-4-3 but could play 3-5-2.
2/21 Barcelona (a) A very difficult game, but Rafa has extensive knowledge in Spanish football and will have us well prepared.
2/24 Sheffield United (h) We lost 2 points at their venue, and we need to get 3 at home.

Match Report 070130 at West Ham United: We edge closer

2-1 and we are within two points of Chelsea although with one more game played. We need to keep winning and see how far we can go.

Rafa was very bold and played another 3-4-3. It paid off brightly with 2 superb goals in the first 8 minutes of the second half, the first one came within 12 seconds. After that we slowed down a bit and let them sunk one in, but at the end it was still a comfortable win.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8.5 Made many good saves.
Carragher: 7.5 Superb in defense.
Hyypia: 7 Good display at the 3 men defense
Agger: 7 At time a bit sloppy.
Finnan: 6.5 Lost the ball too many times.
Gerrard: 7.5 Inspired the team to another win.
Alonso: 7.5 Dictated the pace very well.
Riise: 7.5 Worked very hard at left back.
Bellamy: 7 Worked very hard but missed a few chances to put the game beyond West Ham's reach.
Kuyt: 8.5 Linked up with midfield very well, and beautifully taken the goal to put us ahead.
Crouch: 8 One goal, one assist from the big man.

Substitutions:
Pennant: 6.5 Lost the ball that lead to the West Ham goal.
Gonzalez/Fowler: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Brilliant touch to start 3-4-3, and provided a joke to us by slipping on the sideline.

West Ham: 6 Need to improve in order to survive.

Men of the Match: Reina/Crouch. Steered the team to victory on both ends.

Keep it up

A win at West Ham will put us within 2 points of Chelsea - at least for 24 hours so we need to keep the momentum. They are suffering from a second season syndrome and we have a good rest over the weekend so we would be ready both physically and mentally. Also the transfer of Neill to West Ham certainly will add more sparks to this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Aurelio
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result: 2-0

Match Report 070120 vs Chelsea: Compresensive Win

2-0 and this is a comprehensive victory. Chelsea has lots of problem and also lack any fighting spirit, and we were never get challenged. Credit must be given to Rafa in his spot-on tactics.

We are now almost certain to finish top 4, and now we should push forward to challenge second place. And who knows what may happen after that?

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Never really tested.
Finnan: 7 Solid defense.
Carragher: 8.5 Rock solid and marked Drogba completely.
Agger: 7 A solid if not spectacular display.
Riise: 8 Came close twice, and was unfortunate not to score.
Pennant: 7.5 Opened his scoring account with an absolute cracker. As Rafa said sometimes he should be more selfish.
Gerrard: 7.5 A comfortable display.
Alonso: 7.5 A nice display with guts.
Aurelio: 7 A good display both attacking and defending. Linked well with Riise.
Kuyt: 8.5 Scored a nice goal, but should have score more.
Crouch: 7.5 Missed a few good chances.

Substitutions:
Bellamy/Gonzalez: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Spot on in his tactic. And what a cool display.

Men of the Match: Carragher/Kuyt. Two giants in the team.

One step at a time

It is well documented that we play poorly vs the other big 3, and now it is Chelsea at home. They are having a lot of problems and it may or may not be the best time to play them, but if we want to get closer, this is the best chance. Of course, our defense need to be very alert, the midfielders try their best to create chances, and the strikers to grab their chance. Above all, Anfield needs to support the players.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Aurelio
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070113 at Watford: A much better performance

3-0 and although this is only Watford, the result is timely and will boast the team before the Chelsea match.

Rafa is very bold in playing a 3-4-3 formation, and it worked really well as the Watford pitch is very narrow and their attackers are well contained by our triple tower at the back. On the other end of the pitch, the Watford defense has serious problem in dealing with the speed of Bellamy, and the aerial attack of Kuyt and Crouch.

After this week's game the first 4 is sailing farther away from the rest of the league. And starting next week we will try our best to get higher position. Starting vs Chelsea.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Carragher: 7 Solid performance at the back.
Agger: 7 Good at defense and had a goal correctly ruled out.
Hyypia: 7 A much better performance.
Finnan: 7.5 Nice wing back performance and was alert to get the ball in for the first goal.
Gerrard: 7 A quiet performance.
Alonso: 7 Good distribution.
Aurelio: 7 A nice performance especially from dead ball.
Bellamy: 9 Scored one and made two.
Kuyt: 7.5 Played hard and was unlucky not to score.
Crouch: 8.5 Scord two and made one.

Substitutions:
Pennant/Riise/Fowler: 6.5 All come on after the game is sealed.

Rafa: 7 Bold move to play 3-4-3 and get the reward.

Watford: 6 They were playing for one point at home and look certain to be relegated.

Man of the match: Bellamy. Very effective match.

Sort out the mess. Now.

After a week of two humiliating defeats it is now back to our bread and butter. Watford is still at the bottom of the league and everybody expects us to win. And we need to.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Aurelio
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070109 vs Arsenal: Nightmare V2

3-6 and we conceded 6 goals at Anfield the first time in 77 years. Basically it was like 6 vs 11, with the whole defensive line invisible. What's more, Gonzalez and Luis Garcia are both injured and we are suddenly short on the left side. And Rafa will need to answer questions for his tactic in this match.

Players Rating:
Dudek: 2 With each Arsenal shot converted into a goal, the only credit he got is for the saving of the penalty.
Peltier: 5 Poor defending.
Paletta: 5 Helpless against the Arsenal attack, but somehow he has 2 assists.
Hyypia: 5 Slow against the youngsters. But did score one header.
Warnock: 5 Also poor.
Gonzalez: 6 injured early in the game.
Guthie: 5.5 No impact.
Gerrard: 6.5 Failed to inspire the team despite scoring one goal.
Aurelio: 6 One of the better player, his freekick lead to the first goal.
Bellamy: 5.5 Failed to trouble the Arsenal defense.
Fowler: 6.5 Scored a nice tap-in, but his teammates let him down.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6 Played OK but was unfortunately injured again.
Alonso: 6 Not much impact, but what do you expect when the team is already 3 goals down?
Carragher: 6 Had a shot but was saved.

Rafa: 4 Need to address the psychological impact of this impact to the team, and there will be lots of questions asked on his team selection and tactics.

Arsenal: 7 Aided by our inability to score and defend.

Man of the Match: Fowler. I think Rafa should start him more.

Respond

Winning the League Cup is not the same as winning the FA Cup, but we need a response after the shocking result on Saturday. Both teams are expected to make changes, and Rafa need to find a way to convert possession into shots, and shots into goals.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 2-0

Match Report 070106 vs Arsenal: Dream is Over

1-3 and our quest for defending the Cup is already over. If it is fate that we won't win the Cup in successive years, I would rather lose now than later. But Rafa need to find a way to beat Arsenal. It's really disappointing to have 62% possession and 15 shots vs 5 shots and yet we lose 1-3. Maybe we should play like Sheffield United or Fulham.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 5.5 Rafa promised to play him in the Cups, but on this instance he could have done better to try prevent the goals.
Finnan: 6.5 The unsung hero and constantly overlap with Pennant to provide crosses.
Carragher: 5.5 Need to forget this performance and raise himself for the League Cup game. Responsible for the third goal conceded in particular.
Agger: 6 His worst performance in a Red shirt so far.
Riise: 6 Not much contribution.
Pennant: 7 Worked very hard but get struck against the tough Arsenal defense.
Gerrard: 6 Couldn't raise up the team.
Alonso: 6.5 Was incorrectly judged to have dived.
Luis Garcia: 6 No magic this time.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard and get rewarded with a goal.
Crouch: 6.5 Apart from the assist, failed to pose any paricular threats.

Substitution:
Aurelio: 6 Didn't do much.

Rafa: 6 Need to convert possession and shots into goals.

Arsenal: 7 Played well in defense and counter attack. And this is all they need to win.

Men of the Match: Pennant/Kuyt. The two guys who worked hard in the game.

Defend the Cup

The defend of FA Cup starts with a tough home game vs Arsenal. Henry is back and the defense need to be at their best to prevent him scoring. With the help of the Kop, we will make Stevie G be the first Liverpool captain to lift the Cup twice.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Mid Term Report

In the first half of season 2006/07 we played 33 games, 2 games less than the same period last time. We had 20 wins 6 draws and 7 defeats. In the league we won 12 matches, drawn 4 and lost 6 with 40 points and sitting in 3rd place, 14 points behind leader Manchester United and 8 points behind 2nd place Chelsea. We are still in all the Cups, but face tough opponents in Barcelona and Arsenal. With 16 league games remaining the highest we can get is 88 points. As we have played all our toughest away games, and the new players started to get familiar with the team and the World Cup handover over, I expect we will get better result in the remaining games.

Departmental Comments:

Goalkeeper
Reina still keeps the first team place, and despite some poor games at the start of the season, he is picking up his form again and have already got 16 cleansheets, 12 of which in the League. When Dudek is called up for the Cup games he is doing fine as well.

Defender
Carra suffered a bit of World Cup handover and was not as good as he should be at the start, but is now back to his best again and even scored a league goal. Hyypia is getting less game but he is still reliable when playing against physical opponents. Agger is our biggest surprise in defense and have many excellent performances and scored 2 great goals and created another 2. At both sides of the defense Riise and Finnan still holding their places, as there is no real challenge to them. But they still perform well.

Midfielder
Gerrard is back to center midfield and have been playing very well. He is now more mature and won't go forward at any occasion to an extend he is leaving a big hole in the midfield. Alonso scored some great goals, and before he was injuried Sissoko was a rock. On the right side Pennant is still not playing as good as we expect, but he had a benchmark in the Bolton game when he was the most effective. On the left is probably our weakest position, although Luis Garcia is starting to pick up his form again. Gonzalez, Zenden etc was not playing too good, and Kewell is still recovering from injury.

Attackers
Our strikers are sharing the burden with everyone scoring. Rafa is certainly selecting the right strikers depending on the opponent. Kuyt proved he is a bargain, and despite the recent lack of chances, Crouch is still our leading scoring. Bellamy had been a sensation after his court case, and although Fowler did not play as many games as we want, he is still doing his part whenever he is called on.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Dudek: 2G 180M 2GC 1CS 0MoM 6.50
Martin: 4 unused substitutes
Reina: 31G 2790M 24GC 16CS 1MoM 6.65

Defenders
Agger: 29G 1864M 2GS 2A 3MoM 6.94
Aurelio: 16G 889M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.33
Carragher: 29G 2470M 1GS 0A 1.5MoM 6.83
Finnan: 29G 2610M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.59
Hyypia: 34G 3053M 0GS 0A 1.5MoM 6.62
Kromkamp: 1G 90M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Paletta: 4G 299M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Peltier: 3G 254M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.32
Riise: 26G 2201M 3GS 0A 0MoM 6.63
Roque: 1G 6M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Smith: 1G 16M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Warnock: 6G 355M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.28

Midfielders
Alonso: 29G 2328M 3GS 2A 3MoM 6.88
El Zhar: 1G 18M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00
Gerrard: 29G 2376M 6GS 5A 5.5MoM 7.20
Gonzalez: 22G 1039M 3GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.38
Guthrie: 5G 113 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.05
Luis Garcia: 25G 1526M 6GS 4A 0MoM 6.80
Pennant: 29G 1856M 0GS 7A 0.5MoM 6.86
Sissoko: 18G 1207M 0GS 1A 2MoM 6.87
Zenden: 17G 978M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.30

Attackers:
Bellamy: 25G 1596M 6G 5A 5MoM 6.89
Crouch: 28G 1458M 10GS 5A 2.5MoM 6.94
Fowler: 12G 492M 4GS 1A 2MoM 6.98
Kuyt: 27G 1908M 7GS 4A 4.5MoM 7.06
Sinama-Pongolle: 1G 1M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.00

Players of the 1st half season (1000 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.20
(2) Kuyt 7.06
(3) Agger/Crouch 6.94
(4) Bellamy 6.89
(5) Alonso 6.88

Rafa: 6.76. He would be happy to see the defense back to our best, the new players settled and World Cup handover finally. Although it may be a tall goal to win the league this year, Rada will try his best to win one game at a time.

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-5th place teams (Manchester United H, Chelsea H, Arsenal H) 2W1D
6th-10th place teams (Portsmouth A, Everton H, Reading A, Manchester City A) 3W1D
11th-15th place teams (Fulham A, Aston Villa A, Newcastle United A, Middlesbrough H) 3W1D
16th-20th place teams (Sheffield United H, Wigan Athletic H, West Ham United A, Charlton Athletic H, Watford A) 5W

Total for 2H 13W3D 42 points
Total for the season 82 points

And with 82 points, we will be on par of last season, and hopefully this time we will be at least second.

In the Cup games, both Arsenal and Barcelona will be tough opponents. But Rafa will provide a game plan to win all these games as well. And we really love to win the Cups.

Match Report 070101 vs Bolton Wanderers: A great team effoert the start the new year

3-0 and this is really a great team effort. Rafa's strategy was spot on, by playing two wide players that made the tired Bolton defense shaky. They resisted for 60 minutes, but as soon as Crouch scored that beautiful bicycle kick, it was going to be one winner.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A very comfortable afternoon.
Finnan: 7.5 Solid defense and had our best chance in 1H.
Carragher: 7.5 Another solid display.
Hyypia: 8 Superb defense after a short break. Shown he is class when facing physical challenges.
Riise: 7 Solid defense and constantly going forward.
Pennant: 8.5 Best performance so far as a Liverpool player. Worked hard to threaten the Bolton defense.
Gerrard: 8 Scored a cracker to kick start the year. Welcome, MBE!
Alonso: 7 Pulling the strings in the midfield with a few long range shots.
Gonzalez: 7 Also helped to provide troubles to the Bolton defense.
Kuyt: 8.5 Worked extremely hard, provided one, and scored a well deserved goal.
Crouch: 8 What a goal!

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 7 Provided constant threats and a nice assist to Kuyt.
Aurelio/Fowler: 6 Not enough time to imopress.

Rafa: 7.5 A nice tactics that run the Bolton defense hard.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Came for one point and get none. But they will finish in top 6.

Men of the Match: Kuyt and Pennant. But it was really a team effort.

Get strong

Bolton is one of the difficult team to play against due to their physical style. With Bellamy probably out and after a tough game at Spurs, Rafa will certainly rotate a few players, and let us start the year with a win and stay at 3rd of the table.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Fowler
Kuyt

Result 2-0

December Month Review

5W2L and we are back to top 4. The defeat against Galatasary was a game of no meaning, and apart from this we win 5 and lost 1 in the league, conceding 1 goal. Surely this is a very good month, and we need to build up the momentum as we face 2 crucial months coming.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.73 (2) Bellamy 7.60 (3) Carragher 7.50. Gerrard as usual drives the team forward and scored 2 great goals an d provided 3 assists. After he is cleared from the court case Bellamy is a different man and was on fire with 4 goals and 2 assists. Carra finally scored a league goal after 7 years, and had a superb defensive display at the last game of 2006.

January Prediction:
1/1 Bolton (h): A physical game and Rafa will need to put enough rock to get a win.
1/7 Arsenal (h): As defending champion we need to play very well and advance.
1/9 Arsenal (h): Franky I am not sure if we should win this game or not as it will means 3 more games to the already tighten schedule, but let Rafa decide.
1/13 Watford (a): Another London visit and we should get a result there.
1/17 Tottenham Hotspur (a): If we beat Arsenal we will make sure we win this as well.
1/20 Chelsea (h): Time to revenge and get closer to Chelsea, although this may mean we are helping Manchester United.
1/24 Tottenham Hotspur (h): Win this and we will go to Cardiff for at least one more time.
1/27 FA Cup 4th Round: Whoever we draw we will beat them.

Match Report 061230 at Tottenham Hotspur: Defensive Art

1-0 and it was a victory from a Luis Garcia magic and the superb defense of Carragher. Someone may say Spurs deserve at least a point, but how about the Blackburn game? I would say it's finally luck on our side.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet despite a few scary moments.
Finnan: 7 Nice defense although he almost scored an own goal, fortunately the bar saved him.
Carragher: 9 Another great defensive display from Carra.
Agger: 7 A solid performance.
Riise: 7 A good display.
Luis Garcia: 8 Contained Lee very well and scored the winning goal.
Gerrard: 7 A bit subdued but still inspired the winning goal.
Alonso: 7 Helped controlling the pace.
Aurelio: 6.5 A fair performance.
Bellamy: 7 Worked hard again.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked really hard and should have scored.

Substitutions:
Pennant: 6.5 Lively performance from the bench.
Crouch: 6 No real impact and can't hold the ball.
Gonzalez: 6 Not enough time to impress

Rafa: 7 Should be happy with the score.

Tottenham Hotspur: 7 Could get a point but our solid defense denied them. Will push all the way for a UEFA spot.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Helped denying Spurs.

Time to stand up

After the defeat at Blackburn we are facing two tough games. We seldom beat Spurs at home, and they are on fire at home at the moment, but we need to get a result. Time to stand up.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result: 1-0

Match Report 061226 at Blackburn: Back to square one

0-1 and we are back to square one, with lots of chances but failed to convert. The first defeat in 7 league games sent us back to 6th place, and critics are saying our chase for CL is endangered, especially we face 2 challenges in the next 2 games. This is purely rubbish, Rafa will fix the problem soon.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Was exposed and have no chance on the goal conceded.
Finnan: 6.5 Played well as wing back.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid if not spectacular.
Hyypia: 7 The better defender.
Agger: 6.5 Solid display but get an unnecessary hand ball.
Riise: 6.5 Tried hard to help the attack.
Gerrard: 6.5 A bit affected by the illness of his daughter, but still play well.
Alonso: 7.5 Unlucky not to score at least a goal - one denied by the post, one by Friedel.
Gonzalez: 6 Disappointed performance.
Bellamy: 6 May be he got too excited by the return to Ewood Park, unfortunately this is not a game he want to remember.
Crouch: 6 Missed a hat trick.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 6.5 Almost made an immediately when coming up.
Aurelio: 6 No impact at al.
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Tried hard but didn't get anything.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed by the ruthless attack.

Blackburn: At time it's 1 vs 11, but still they get 3 points. Maybe 2 points too much.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Very unfortunate not to have scored.

Get a result

It was against Blackburn that Bellamy scored his first league goal for us, and this is the first real test of the Christmas season. Rafa will probably rotate a few players, but Bellamy is on fire and will guide us to another victory.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Aurelio
Bellamy
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 061223 vs Watford: Patience pevails

2-0 and it was the patience of the team that finally break through the deadlock. Bellamy is again on fire and terrorizing the Watford defense from the start. Alonso is also doing well and was rewarded with a great goal. We certainly had an eye on the remaining matches of the Christmas season and the team never go beyond 2nd gear. Nevertheless the difference in class finally separated the two teams.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not really tested apart from a few scary moments that the Watford strikers failed to shot on target.
Finnan: 7 A solid perforamance.
Carragher: 7 A bit sloopy in defense, but was unlucky not to score.
Agger: 7.5 Stands up when Carra was having a rare off day.
Riise: 7 A hard working performance.
Pennant: 7 Another good display as he picks up his form.
Gerrard: 7.5 Another good performance from center midfield.
Alonso: 8 Rewarded with a great goal.
Luis Garcia: 7.5 A lively performance on both sides of the midfield.
Bellamy: 8.5 Another great performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Helped in both goals.

Substitutions:
Gonzalez: 7 Almost provided an assist from his first touch of the ball.
Crouch/Aurelio: 6.5 Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 7 Another great team performance, although Rafa may concern on the lack of clinical finishing.

Watford: 6 Sadly, they look like the team to go down, especially finishing bottom of the league at Christmas.

Player of the Match: Bellamy. Bring on Blackburn.

Make sure we have a Merry Christmas

It is the festival week again and we will play 4 matches over this period, with a start at home vs Watford. With the forced "rest" in the midweek Rafa will be able to file a strong team to kick off this 4 games, and expect everybody to play a part in the period.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 3-0

FA Cup Rehersal

Fate has put Arsenal and us together in both the local cups, and it is a perfect time to revenge for the defeat earlier this season. Arsenal may opt for a younger squad due to their injuries and maturity of their youth team, but Rafa will no doubt play a strong team to win the game and keep the momentum running.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Fowler
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 061216 at Charlton Athletic: Another good result

3-0 and we have wasted many chances and could actually go double in the scoreline. Nevertheless this is a good result, especially we lost at the Valley last year and we get 3 points this year. The team is basically in a smooth running mode, Rafa just need to fine tune the attacks so that the strikers can improve the conversion rate especially away from home.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Another easy afternoon.
Finnan: 7.5 A solid performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Comfortable display.
Hyypia: 7.5 An easy outing for Sami.
Riise: 7 A good display.
Pennant: 7.5 A nice display on the side and even have a few scoring opportunities.
Gerrard: 8 Drove the team on and at the end get a well deserved goal.
Alonso: 7.5 His penalty goal kick started the rally.
Gonzalez: 7 A solid display.
Bellamy: 8.5 Scored an absolute beauty and run around the pitch all the time.
Kuyt: 7 Denied a goal by lady luck.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia: 6.5 Get a stupid yellow card.
Aurelio: 6.5 Welcome back.
Crouch: 7 A nice easy assist for Stevie G.

Rafa: 7.5 The big Red machine is running very smooth.

Charlton Athletic: 5.5 Sadly, it looks like they will get relegated.

Man of the Match: Bellamy. Building a rapport with Kuyt.

Time to catch up

Last season we drawn Charlton at home and lost to them away, not is the perfect chance to catch up. Stevie G is driven to overcome Reed, and with a good break in the week (and a funny Christmas Party) the team will have the momentum to keep winning.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Luis Garcia
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result: 2-0

Match Report 061209 vs Fulham: Scousers shines!

4-0 and this is another fine result. The team was patient and once the flood gate is opened, the goals just flow in. And it was really nice to see Carra scored the league goal of the century. Hope the next goal will come very soon. Now we need to keep up the momentum into the new year.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made one big save in 1H to prevent Fulham scoring.
Finnan: 7.5 Impressive performance against his old club.
Carragher: 9 Scored a great goal from the far post.
Agger: 8 Two assists from the centre back? This guy is really genius.
Riise: 7 Did well at both ends.
Pennant: 7 Performed well in the attacks at both side of the pitch.
Gerrard: 9 Scored the rebound from his own penalty to open the flood gate.
Alonso: 7.5 A quiet but effective display.
Luis Garcia: 8 Scored a nice header and was impressive overall.
Kuyt: 7 Missed a glorious chance in 1H.
Bellamy: 7 Tear off the Fulham defense.

Substitutions:
Gonzalez: 7.5 Scored from a great free kick.
Fowler: 7 Unlucky not to score, but he did contribute to the free kick that lead to the Gonzalez goal.
Crouch: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Another impressive display and he is very happy.

Fulham: 6 Come for 1 point, was resistant for 60 minutes but then fall apart.

Man of the Match: Carragher/Gerrard. Scousers shines!

Be creative

Teams coming to Anfield these days will try to defend as hard as they could. We need to be creative to explore for ways to go through. Now that more injured players are back Rafa would have more options. Just be calm.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Hyypia
Agger
Finnan
Gerrard
Alonso
Gonzalez
Riise
Bellamy
Kuyt

Result 3-0

Match Report 061205 at Galatasaray: Defense let us down

2-3 and the poor defending had let us down. Fowler did his best to scored 2 - his first two goals in Champions League, but still we lose. Since this is a game with no significance at all it is difficult to raise the level of the players, but Dudek and Fowler will feel more disappointed.

Player Rating:
Dudek: 6 Back to Istanbul, conceded 3 again, but this time no miracle.
Peltier: 6 A rare chance for the youngster.
Carragher: 6 Defense at a unit failed.
Paletta: 6 A poor mistake.
Agger: 6 Could have done better.
Pennant: 6.5 A poor performance although he had an assist at the end.
Alonso: 6 Made a bad mistake but in general OK.
Riise: 6 Should take a rest but there is no left foot player remaining.
Fowler: 8 Scored 2 great goals.
Bellamy: 6.5 In generall disappointed.

Substitutions:
Luis Garcia/Crouch/Roque: Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 It is difficult to lift the players for such a game.

Galatasaray: 7 Deserved winner.

Man of the Match: Fowler. First game scoring more than 1 goal since he is back.

Farewell to Dudek?

We are back to Ali Sami Yen Stadium and this may be Dudek's last game for us. We have many great memory of that night, and no matter where he goes, he will forever be our hero. I still feel I am crying when thinking about that night. Rafa will be resting a lot of first team players, so whoever who get a rare start tonight, grab your chance to impress.

My Team Prediction:
Dudek
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Guthrie
Roque
Luis Garcia
Fowler
Bellamy

Result 2-0

Match Report 051202 at Wigan Athletic: Sky cleared

4-0 and this is simply the best performance of the season so far. Bellamy started to do business after his court case is cleared, and the team started to win away. Although it would be nice to spare the goals to some of the previous away games so that we can get more point, but we are now back on track. Finally.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made as many saves as possible to keep the clean sheet. Wonderful performance.
Agger: 7.5 Played well in the 3-5-2 formation.
Carragher: 7.5 Leader at the back 3.
Hyypia: 7 An easy game for Sami.
Finnan: 7 A good performance at the wing back position.
Luis Garcia: 7 Performance well at both ends of the pitch.
Gerrard: 8.5 Influential performance and was involved in 2 of the goals.
Alonso: 7.5 Midfield is more assured with Xabi in.
Riise: 7.5 A nice attacking performance and was also involved in 2 of the goals.
Bellamy: 9 Scored 2, made 1 and offsided 8 times. Showed why Rafa bought him by running hard to cause problem in the counter attacks.
Kuyt: 7.5 Influential and was reward for his first goal in 1 month.

Substitutions:
Pennant/Guthrie/Paletta: 6.5 At 4-0 up you won't expect them to do any fancy things. Did well.

Rafa: 8 A nice performance and from now on we will win more away games.

Wigan Athletic: 6. The score line was cruel to them, 3-1 seems a more appropriate score. But they will have no problem to stay up.

Man of the Match: Bellamy. Will be an effective tool in counter attack.

Break the away duck

It's December and we have still to win away from home in the league. Now come Wigan. It will not be easy, especially we have so many injury now, but as we have already qualified for Champions League we will be very focused in this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Carragher
Luis Garcia
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

November Month Review

4W2D1L and we are still in the middle of the table. We secured 1st spot in the Champions League Table and are through to quarter final of League Cup, but in the league we still failed to win away, and lost 2 points at home vs Portsmouth. We also suffered from many injuries and our midfield are now left to bare minimum. December will be a busy month and it is now up to Rafa and the players to start response and move up in the table.

Players of the Month: (1) Agger 7.18 (2) Gerrard 7.17 (3) Reina 6.92. Agger responded well after his injury and will continue to challenge for the first team spot. Stevie G started scoring and playing better and better, especially in the middle. And with 6 clean sheets in the last 7 games, Pepe's form is back and is rewarded with a well deserved extension of his contract.

December Forecast:
12/2 Wigan Athletic (a) We need to start winning away.
12/5 Galatasaray AK (a) This is a game we don't really care. And it would be emotional to see Jersy back to his heroic place.
12/9 Fulham (h) A game we need to win.
12/16 Charlton Athletic (a) We lost there last year and we need to make sure we won't do so again.
12/19 Arsenal (h) No matter what team Arsenal will start, we should beat them.
12/23 Watford (h) Another game we need to win to finish the last game at Anfield in 2006.
12/26 Blackburn Rovers (a) Boxing day match, and Craig is back to his home.
12/30 Tottenham Hotspur (a) This will be a tough game to finish the year.