Do our best

Round 2 of the trilogy is a game that we can afford to rest some players. To prepare for the final round, we definitely need fresh legs and this is a perfect time for the other players to prove themselves. Crouchy to do a hat trick again?

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Riise
Alonso
Leiva
Kuyt
Gerrard
Pennant
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080402 at Arsenal: Slim advantage

1-1 and this can be considered as a good, if not great result. Arsenal is very strong at home and we managed to score one goal immediately to make the tie in balance. The 2nd leg won't be easy, but at least we know a clean sheet will see us through.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 A bit nervous but in general not much to do.
Carragher: 7 Played at right again to contain van Persie and then Walcott.
Skrtel: 7 Solid display in general.
Hyypia: 6 Was at fault in the goal conceded.
Aurelio: 6.5 Solid display but was exposed a lot.
Alonso: 6.5 Ran across the field.
Mascherano: 7.5 Tackle after tackle.
Kuyt: 8 Scored the vital goal and helped out defense a lot.
Gerrard: 7.5 Drove the team forward with determination.
Babel: 6 Frightened and didn't play well.
Torres: 7 Played upfront without much supply.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6 Can't do much as we were defending.
Lucas/Voronin: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Spot on with his tactics.

Arsenal: 7.5 Couldn't kill off the game and will regret.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. For his determination.

Round 1

So now the trilogy begins. A good result in the first game will no doubt have a good impact on the remaining games. Both teams will be facing a make or break period, but we know how to play in Europe better, and this may be a slightly edge to us.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Riise
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

March Month Report

6W1L. We have 5 wins in the league and another win at San Siro, which bring us 5 points cleared in 4th place and a place in the Quarter Final in the Champions League. The defeat came at the usual place of Old Trafford, where we still failed to win for many years. We need to raise ourselves in these big games at our big rivals, especially two are coming up in the next 2 matches.

Players of the Month (1) Torres 7.79 (2) Gerrard 7.53 (3) Carragher 7.14. Torres scored 7 goals in 7 matches and what a guy! Gerrard had been linking up well with Torres with 2 goals and 2 assists. Carra was as solid as usual, both at center back and right back.

April Prediction:
4/2 Arsenal (a): A tough game although a scored draw could be nice.
4/5 Arsenal (a): Another tough game, this time for the league. I won't be disappointed if this is a draw.
4/8 Arsenal (h): Third game in a row.... but we should win this one.
4/13 Blackburn Rovers (h): Blackburn is running low in confidence and we should beat them.
4/19 Fulham (a): Win this game and we could send Murphy to Championship.
4/23 Chelsea/Fenerbahce (a): No matter who we face, this will be a tough away game.
4/26 Birmingham City (a): We could confirm 4th place if we win this game.
4/30 Chelsea/Fenerbahce (h): One more step to Moscow.

Match Report 080330 vs Everton: One step closer to 4th

1-0 and we are once step closer to securing the 4th place. With 6 matches to go and 5 points ahead, we still need to be careful and try our best to secure it as soon as possible, especially when there are still some tricky away games coming up.

We were in full dominance in the first half but somehow can only score one goal. In the second half players are a bit tired, and we let Everton to take control. However they rarely tested us and at the end one goal is enough.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Rarely tested in his 100th league game.
Carragher: 7 A good performance on the right with some dangerous crosses.
Skrtel: 7 Solid performance as usual.
Hyypia: 7.5 Just like his good old days.
Riise: 7 Hungry, but was a bit unlucky not to scored.
Alonso: 7 A solid display.
Lucas: 6 Very nervous.
Kuyt: 7 Another good performance and should have scored one himself.
Gerrard: 8 Tried very hard but couldn't score.
Babel: 7 A much better performance.
Torres: 7.5 Makes scoring goals look easy.

Substitutions:
Benayoun/Pennant/Crouch: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about this performance.

Everton: 6 Didn't do enough to win the game, but to be frank, lack of manpower costs them very much.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. This time he didn't allow passion to gone over.

Pick ourselves up

After a very poor display last week it is perhaps good to have another big game coming up so soon. Players need to pick themselves up for the challenge from Everton, and if we win this we will be very certain to finish top 4.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel

Result 2:0

Match Report 080323 at Manchester United: No self confidence

0-3 and it is clear that we don't have self confidence going into that game. Mascherano is simply stupid, the other players lack confidence and Stevie G can't inspire any of them. We don't deserve to win this game at all. Simple as this.

Players Rating:
Reina: 5.5 A few great saves in one on one situations, but flopped when facing crossing.
Arbeloa: 6 Didn't do much.
Carragher: 6.5 Did a lot but still not enough.
Skrtel: 6 Lack confidence as the whole team did.
Aurelio: 6.5 One of the better player of the day.
Mascherano: 4 Stupid.
Alonso: 5.5 Should do more in prevent Mascherano to get the second yellow card.
Kuyt: 5.5 Didn't offer much to the team.
Gerrard: 5 Failed to inspire the team.
Babel: 4.5 Lack of confidence.
Torres: 6 Got kicked all the time.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6 Offered some slim hope that failed to materialise.
Riise: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5.5 Failed to install confidence into the team. Now we need to pick ourselves up ASAP.

Manchester United: 7 Didn't do anything spectacular, but they don't need to. Will be Champions unless Chelsea did a miracle.

Men of the Match: Aurelio/Carragher. But the truth is, everybody were crap on this afternoon we want to forget.

Be at our best

We simply need to be at our best in order to be able to win this game. The margin of error is narrow, but this is the best time to get a first win under Rafa there to give them a major blow.

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Bebel
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080315 vs Reading: Determination put us through

2-1 and it is cleared that players are felling tired after the big game at Milan, but at the end the determination of the players see us win this game. We were 1 down very early but never give up and at the end we scored 2 and defend very well. We are now 3 points ahead of Everton and will now going into the most crucial 5 games of the season with high confidence.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Superb save at the end to ensure we have 3 points.
Arbeloa: 6 A very nervous game and was always our weakest link.
Skrtel: 7.5 Two solid tower at the back with Carra.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid performance as usual.
Aurelio: 7 Another good performance.
Alonso: 7.5 Determined to make up the lost time in midweek.
Mascherano: 8 A superb first goal for us.
Kuyt: 7 Did well from the right.
Gerrard: 7.5 A nice freekick for the winner although he looked tired at times.
Babel: 7.5 Always threatening and was unlucky not to score one.
Torres: 7.5 Superb header for the winner. His run that lead to Bikey ran into the wall was really great.

Substitutions:
Benayoun/Riise/Hyypia: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be very happy about the team's determination. Now we will go into the tough period with confidence.

Reading: Very physical team. They should be able to stay up though.

Man of the Match. Mascherano. The Kop with love to see him score more.

Recover

Our first league defeat of the season came when we were away at Reading, and this is now the time to recover this and continue to drive our team to 4th place. Reading's away form is dismal and we need to win this game before we enter the next 3 crucial league games.

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 3:0

Match Report 080311 at Inter Milan: Historical

1-0 and what a historical win! This wonderful had us a sweet revenge on our defeat 43 years ago, and put us in a strong position in the draw. No matter which team we draw, we will hold no fear and try our best to reach Moscow.

Apart from some early scares we were in general in control of the game. Torres was once again superb and what a volley! The rest of the team also did very well, and we win it as a team.

One thing worths to point out is that some Inter fan put up a banner saying "No matter what happened, Istanbul, May 2005. Thanks Liverpool." They are class.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Two world class saves and keep his 20th clean sheet of the season.
Carragher: 7 A superb right back.
Syrtel: 7.5 Getting better and better.
Hyypia: 7.5 A giant that Inter can't pass through.
Aurelio: 7.5 Good defending and a superb assist.
Lucas: 7 A good display.
Mascherano: 7.5 Awesome in cutting down the Inter attacks.
Kuyt: 7.5 Another nice display from the right.
Gerrard: 8 Drive the team going and going.
Babel: 6.5 A bit nervous in the big stage.
Torres: 8.5 A superb goal come out from nothing but his individual skill.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6.5 Keep the ball well.
Riise/Pennant: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Tactical genius.

Inter Milan: 6 Didn't perform at the big stage, but they will be Italian Champion again.

Man of the Match: Torres. Another great goal and approaching 30 soon.

First goal is crucial

First goal is crucial as if we score it, Inter need to hit us with four. There are still lots of off the field sagas going on, and players need to be fully concentrated and bring back home the glory.

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Riise
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080308 vs Newcastle United: Unstoppable

3-0 and this is a very good result. Gerrard and Torres are simply unstoppable, and we can now go into the Milan game with full confidence.

True the first goal is a bit lucky, but we did push and push and you can tell the goal is coming. At the end two brilliant one two between Torres and Gerrard before and after the break proves enough for us to cruise through, and Rafa can even rest Stevie G and Torres ahead of the big game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another easy clean sheet.
Arbeloa: 7 Solid defense.
Skrtel: 7.5 Gettong better and better.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock at defense.
Riise: 7.5 Two excellent games in a row and was unlucky not to score.
Alonso: 7 Solid and effective.
Lucas: 7 Comfortable display.
Pennant: 7.5 Very hardworking and was rewarded with a lucky goal.
Gerrard: 8.5 Very good vision in creating the first goal.
Benayoun: 7 Good display.
Torres: 8.5 Awesome. Frightening.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7 Almost scored.
Crouch/Hyypia: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be very happy with the team performance.

Newcastle United: 5 Very poor. Need to improve a lot or they will soon be in big trouble.

Men of the Match: Gerrard/Torres. Great partnership.

Keep the fourth position

We are playing a day before Everton and it is a good chance to move away from them and put the pressure back to them. Keegan and Owen will be back to Anfield, and we will welcome them by beating them comfortably.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Riise
Alonso
Leiva
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 3:0

Match Report 080305 vs West Ham United: Superb win

4-0 and Torres became the first Liverpool player to score consecutive home hat tricks in 62 years. What a feat!

We started the game nicely and score the first goal very soon. But then Torres becomes the difference again and scored the second goal at the hour mark to kill off the game. Just before Rafa is going to rest him, he managed to complete his hat trick, and there is still time for Stevie G to score another cracker.

It seems that Rafa has found 4-2-3-1 to be the best formation for our team, especially Kuyt who played very well in this formation.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet.
Arbeoloa: 7 Nice display.
Carragher: 7.5 Another nice display.
Syrtel: 7 Solid display.
Riise: 7 One of his better game this season, and almost scored.
Alonso: 7 Good performance with an assist.
Mascherano: 7 Solid performance as usual
Kuyt: 8 Comfortably on the right with 2 nice assists.
Gerrard: 8 Scored another cracker.
Babel: 7 Another nice display and is threatening.
Torres: 10 Another hat trick.

Substitutions:
Benayoun; 6.5 A solid display after the game is essentially over.
Pennant/Crouch: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Found the best formation for us in 4-2-3-1

West Ham United: 5 Never into the game.

Man of the Match: Torres. Another superb performance and is absolutely awesome.

Keep winning

This game is the game in hand and we need to win to be level with Everton. We are in a winning streak and West Ham has just been crashed by Chelsea so our confidence will be high. But as Stevie G said we need to guard against any complacency to avoid any back slash from West Ham

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080302 at Bolton Wanderers: Win with a bit of luck

3-1 and it is true that we have some luck finally. The early own goal set the tone of the game and from then on we finally managed a win at Reebok. This win keep us in the race for the fourth, and we need to keep on winning and winning and winning.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A superb save in 1H to keep us with the lead.
Carragher: 7 Solid at right back, although he did not do much in attack.
Skrtel: 7 Another solid display.
Hyypia: 7 Did well in containing the Bolton attackers.
Aurelio: 7.5 Scored a beauty to open his account with us.
Alonso: 7 Quiet but effective.
Mascherano: 7.5 As good as usual.
Kuyt: 7 Did well at far right.
Gerrard: 8 Commanding performance and forced the first goal.
Babel: 7.5 Scored a nice goal to put the game beyond doubt.
Torres: 6.5 A bit quiet.

Substitutions:
Riise/Arbeloa: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Probaby had find his best team and formation in 4-2-3-1.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Did pose us a few problems but at the end luck is finally on our side.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Keep driving the team towards the fourth.

Prepare for a rough game

Bolton is a rough team and there will be lots of crashes in this game. We have not win at Reebok for a long time and this is a perfect time to break the duck. Although Rafa said he will try not to rotate that much, but expect some changes to coupe with the physical nature of this game. And as Everton is playing Portsmouth, they may drop points and this is a perfect game for us to catch up.

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

February Month Report

3W1D1L and we are out of the FA Cup but we are in a very strong position to qualify to the Quarter Final of Champions League. In the League we are still fighting hard with Everton for the 4th post, and this fight may continue until the end of the season. From now till the end of the season, Rafa will try his best not to rotate that much, and we shall keep on fighting till the end.

Players of the Month (1) Torres 8.00 (2) Mascherano 7.63 (3) Gerrard 7.32. Torres scored 4 goals including a nice hat trick in our 2 League victories, and we need him. Mascherano is as usual class and a permanent deal will be finalized soon. And Stevie G, he has been slamming the team on the performance, and how right he is.

March Prediction:
3/2 Bolton Wanderers (a) A tough and ugly game but we need to win it.
3/5 West Ham United (h) The game in hand and we should win this to close the gap.
3/8 Newcastle United (h) Newcastle is in trouble and we need to show no mercy.
3/11 Inter Milan (a) Although we have a 2 goal lead we still need to be cautious approaching the game.
3/15 Reading (h) We lost 3 precious point there, and we need to take it back.
3/23 Manchester United (a) Very tough game but we have a chance to finish their title bid.
3/30 Everton (h) This game may decide who will finish 4th, and we need to be at our top form to win it.

Match Report 080223: Torres! Torres! Torres!

3-2 and this game belongs to Torres. Without Carra, the defense was really a shame. Fortunately Torres is instinctive and scored 3 great goals. Now he became the first Liverpool striker to score more than 20 goals in a season, and is on his way to have the best debut season ever for us.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not at fault for both goals.
Finnan: 6.5 Need to improve in defense.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Make-shift center back and was at fault at times.
Hyypia: 6.5 Getting tired.
Aurelio: 6.5 Didn't offer much in attack.
Lucas: 6.5 An average game.
Mascherano: 7 Good as usual.
Gerrard: 7 Dynamic as usual.
Babel: 6.5 Gradually improving.
Kuyt: 7 Did well playing out-wide.
Torres: 9.5 Individual brilliance.

Substitutions:
Benayoun/Riise: 6.5 Not much contribution.
Crouch: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to address the defensive problem.

Middlesbrough: 6.5 Credits to them in really pushing us hard.

Man of the Match: Torres. 21 goals and counting.

Second battlefield

After the superb mid week win now we are back to the second battlefield in our quest for 4th place. Without Carra the defense need to be extremely careful, and we need to break down the Boro defense to score goals.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Hyypia
Skrtel
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Benayoun
Torres
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 080219 vs Inter Milan: Well deserved win

2-0 and this is a well deserved win. We dominated the game even with 11 vs 11, and try hard and hard to win the game despite the strong defense of Inter. At the end we never give up and scored two wonder goals to win the game. But the match is not over and we still need to visit San Siro and get a result. Anyway, this is a marvelous result and we should keep this up and try to win the 4th place as well.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Finnan: 7 Did well in defense and occasionally helped the attack.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock at the defense.
Hyypia: 6.5 Apart from a few nervous moment he is fine. Had a nice header saved at the beginning.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did OK.
Gerrard: 8.5 Sheer determination and drove us to victory. The second goal is really superb precision.
Mascherano: 9 Superb.
Lucas: 6.5 Did well in controlling midfield with Mascherano.
Babel: 7 A lively performance.
Kuyt: 8 Superb goal.
Torres: 7 Very dangerous and caused lots of troubles to the Inter defense.

Substitutions:
Crouch: 7 Came on and provided us more gunpower.
Pennant: 7.5 Two nice assists that guided us to victory.

Rafa: 7.5 Master of Europe.

Inter Milan: 6.5 Didn't do much to win the game especially with 10 men. But we still need to be careful not to act foolishly in the second leg.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Everywhere on the pitch.

Do it again

Could this be the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning? This is our only chance for a trophy this year, and we need it very much. It will be very difficult, but we did it before. Have faith, and we will do it again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Skrtel
Carragher
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080216 vs Barnsley: Shameful

1-2 and this is a very shameful performance. Yes we did score the first goal, but then we try and try and couldn't kill off the game. Rafa even send Stevie G but at the end we were punished by another sloppy performance. Credits to Barnsley, they fully deserve it.

This game shows again that without Stevie G and Torres we are just a very ordinary team. No matter who will be the manager next season we need a major overhaul. But where is the money if those bastards are still owning the Club? Now we only have Champions League and the quest to 4th place for the year. Where are we going?

Players Rating
Itandje: 5.5 Should have done better.
Finnan: 5.5 Not much offered.
Carragher: 6 Not as good as he should be.
Hyypia: 6.5 Did well but we need everyone to play well.
Riise: 5.5 Another disappointed performance.
Benayoun: 5.5 Should have done better.
Alonso: 5.5 Very disappointed.
Lucas: 5.5 Get knocked all the time.
Babel: 7 Did very well and should not be subbed if our next game is not Inter.
Kuyt: 6.5 Finally broke the duck but it was not enough.
Crouch: 6 Lots of chances but couldn't convert.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 5 On his way out.
Gerrard: 6 One man is not going to save the boat.

Man of the Match: Babel. Did well in a bad day.

Play well and win this game

Although Barnsley is only a Championship team we still need to be guarded not to be complacement. The draw has been kind to us, and if we play well we will win this game.

My Team Prediction:
Itandje
Finnan
Carragher
San Jose
Riise
Pennant
Alonso
Lucas
Benayoun
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 3:0

Match Report 080210 at Chelsea: A much improved performance

0-0 and although this means we are now 3 points behind Everton with a game in hand, this is actually a good result and good performance especially if you look at Chelsea's home game result. we have enough chances to kill off the game in 1H but didn't take it, and at 2H they came back but we managed to hold them off. In fairness no team deserve to win or lose so a draw is a fair result, especially if you look at our long long injury list.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 51st clean sheets with only a few tame shots to handle with.
Finnan: 7 Solid defending.
Skrtel: 7.5 Strong and solid. A much improved performance as he is getting familiar with the teammates.
Carragher: 7 Solid display as usual.
Riise: 7 One of his best game of the season to date.
Gerrard: 7 Always determined to drive the team.
Mascherano: 7.5 Excellent display in 1H but faded out in 2H due to tireness.
Lucas: 7 A solid display for the young Brazilian.
Babel: 7 Did very well in attack in 1H but then faded out in 2H.
Kuyt: 7 A much improved performance after he was dropped.
Crouch: 7 Have 4 chances but couldn't take any one of them.

Substitutions:
Pennant: 6.5 Had a good chance towards the end but couldn't take it.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the performance in general, although the finishing still need to be improved.

Chelsea: 7 Very strong performance at home but at the end a draw is a fair result. Will probably need to settle with 3rd place.

Men of the Match: Skrtel/Mascherano. Excellent defensive works.

Against all odds

With Chelsea unbeaten at home for a very long long time and the fact that Rafa has yet to pick up a point away from home against the other Big Four team, and adding the misery of many injuries and Xabi's suspension, it will be very unlikely that we will win at Stamford Bridge. But we need to try to break the duck. Miracle happens.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Lucas
Benayoun
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 1:0

Match Report 080202 vs Sunderland: Good result unconvincing performance

3-0 and the result really flattered us as we did not play that well. Thanks to the referee Sunderland had two shouts of penalty denied, and at the end we got another one and scored. But a win is still a win and we need to build up from here, although it will be tough as next game is away at Chelsea, but at least we should try.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Became the quickest Liverpool goalkeeper to reach 50th clean sheet.
Carraher: 7.5 Surprisngly played as right back but unsurprisingly played very well with an assist.
Skrtel: 6.5 Still a bit nervous but he is getting there.
Hyypia: 7 Did well in helping Skrtel.
Aurelio: 6 A poor performance.
Pennant: 7 Lively performance.
Gerrard: 7 Lead the team in attack.
Mascherano: 7 Another superb defensive performance.
Lucas: 6 Not convincing as a winger.
Torres: 7.5 Scored a superb goal.
Crouch: 8 Scored one and assisted one.

Substitutions:
Finnan: 6 Did OK as left back.
Benayoun/Kuyt: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the result, but we still need to work hard and improve.

Sunderland: 6 May find themselves unlucky not to get at least a point.

Man of the Match: Crouch. Should start more games.

Back the team

After a disappointing week we now need to back the team. Sunderland has revived a little bit recently, and it is up to us to show some class if we want to beat them. Confidence is low, and so Kop should be there to cheer the team. In Rafa we trust.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Fnnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Torres
Crouch

Result 3:0

January Month Report

2W4D1L and we have yet to win a League game since Boxing Day. We are now in the Last 16 of FA Cup with a good draw, but have lost too many grounds in the league and may even have trouble to qualify for Champions League. Something need to be done very quickly if we really want to save the next season, and off the field, we also need to do something.

Players of the Month (1) Torres 6.79 (2) Carragher 6.75 (3) Gerrard 6.72. Torres scored 2 league goals but we still managed to draw two games. Carra was as consistent as usual, and Stevie G scored a FA Cup hat trick. But apart from the big 3, are there anybody fighting for the team?

February Prediction:
2/2 Sunderland (h) Gotta win this game.
2/10 Chelsea (a) At the current form a draw would be considered a good result.
2/16 Barsnley (h) The draw has been nice to us, don't waste it.
2/19 Inter Milan (h) We gotta win this game before we visit San Siro.
2/23 Middlesbrough (h) We lost 2 points at Riverside, but at Anfield it would be different.

Match Report 080130 at West Ham United: Powerless

0-1 and we are powerless and suffered once again. The team lacked any spark, and together with the assistance of the referee of not giving us a penalty, there is no chance we can win. At the end a mistake of leaving too less people at the back proved costly. Now we even have a big challenge to even finish fourth. The team is in need of quick improvement now, and I am not sure how it will come.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Not much to do and tried his best to save the penalty.
Finnan: 6 Very flat performance.
Carragher: 6 Unlucky to be in that situation to concede the penalty.
Hyypia: 6.5 One of the better performer in a disappointing night.
Aurelio: 5.5 Weakest link and was constantly attacked by Ljungberg.
Benayoun: 6 Had a bright start but fade out too quickly.
Gerrard: 6 Very flat performance in 1H but gradually improved in 2H.
Alonso; 6 Not much inspiration provided.
Kewell: 5.5 Probably on his way out.
Kuyt: 6 Same old comment, work hard, but nothing more.
Torres: 6 No support at all.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Not much offered.
Lucas: 6.5 Came up and slightly changed the game, but the finishing was not there.

Rafa: 6 Any idea how to change this around?

West Ham United: 6.5 Tried to get 1 point and was lucky to get 3.

Men of the Match: Hyypia/Lucas. Hyypia did OK at defense and Lucas at least gave us some hope.

Play better

We need to start picking up points if we want to finish top 4, and although it is really remote, we have a very very slim chance to win the title if result goes in favour of us. No matter watch, we need to play well and make sure no more silly goal will be conceded.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Benayoun
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080126 vs Havant & Waterlooville: Result flattered us

5-2 but the result really flattered us. Credit to Havant, they really come to try to win the game and twice took the lead. But at the end the different in class and strength shown up, but they can leave with pride, while we should be ashamed of our performance. We definitely need to improve if we really want to win the FA Cup.

Another thing is that the Kop was very quiet. Especially in the first half only the Havant fans were singing. We should support the team whether we were winning or losing, and in particular if we were losing fans should support the team more. This is what a fan should do. On the other hand, it was very touching at the end when we gave them our full respect and YNWA. It was really a touching moment. For the Havant team and fans, this was an once in a lifetime opportunity, and they deserved it.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 5.5 Not an convincing performance. Rafa may drop him if we draw some big guns.
Finnan: 5.5 At fault for both goals conceded.
Syrtel: 5 A very very poor full debut that he would like to remember.
Hyypia: 6 The only performing defender.
Riise: 6 Still seeking his first goals for more than 100 shots.
Pennant: 6.5 Gradually picked up and have two nice assists.
Lucas: 6.5 A superb first goal for the Brazilian.
Mascherano: 6.5 Did OK.
Babel: 6.5
Benayoun: 8 Another superbly taken hat trick to saved us from humiliation.
Crouch: 6.5 Worked hard and closed the game with a professionally taken goal.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 6 As usual, work hard but couldn't score.
Carragher: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.
Gerrard: 7 Nice assist.

Rafa: 6 Will be very disappointed about the performance especially for 1H.

Havant: 7.5 Well done Havant!

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Second hat tricks for us for such a short period.

Ensure no surprise

Havant is 6 leagues below us and everyone said this is David vs Goliath. For us we need to act professionally and don't underestimate them. Now that the off-the-field saga seems to be finally end, we need to focus in the game and make sure there is no surprise.

My Team Prediction:
Itandje
Finnan
Carragher
Skrtel
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 5:0

Fergie has his point

Although he is a hated figure for us and he won't waste his chance to claim we are a "small club", he really has his point.

“At big clubs, it’s absolutely paramount that the board show their class. Arsène Wenger has had great support at Arsenal and I’ve had great support, too, ever since I came here. So there’s a certain type of unity there.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3241461.ece

Match Report 080121 vs Aston Villa: Same old story

2-2 and this is the same old story that we failed to score the crucial goal to kill off the game, and then hurt by this. Villa is actually not that bad, but we should win every home game. Now we are 2 points behind Everton with one game in hand, and there is not much room for error now. And of course, as Stevie G said, we need to sort out the off the field activities as soon as possible as the players are being affected by them.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Poor display and sometimes very nervous.
Arbeloa: 6 Needlessly conceded the free kick that lead to the first goal conceded.
Carragher: 7 Did well as usual and even captured an assist when moved to right back.
Hyypia: 6 A fair performance.
Aurelio: 6 Scored his first goal for the club - but sadly it's an own goal.
Benayoun: 7 Offered nothing apart from scoring the goal.
Gerrard: 6 Not much offered.
Mascherano: 7 As good as he usually does.
Kuyt: 6.5 Created the first goal, but failed to do anything well.
Torres: 6 Not many chances.

Substitutions:
Skrtel: 6 A fair debut.
Babel: 6 Had a quick shot when came up but then not much contribution.
Crouch: 7.5 Came up and saved us from further misery.

Rafa: 6 Failed to motivate the team.

Aston Villa: 7 Did very well and deserved to earn the point.

Man of the Match: Crouch. Rafa should start him more often.

Don't give up

Although the title is now farther and farther away we should try our best to reduce the gap. Villa will be in high mood now and we need to play to our best to win the game. And forget the off the field problems.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080115 vs Luton Town: Player responds

5-0 and it is a very good result to celebrate Carra's 500th game and to create a proper headline for the newspaper. Although we find it hard to break through during first half, Luton relaxed a bit in the injury time and we quickly take advantage of it. The second half is a one way traffic and starting from the first kick that Xabi try to score from the midfield, it's only a matter of how many goals we will score. Now we need to move on and start scoring more goals for fun.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 7 Not tested at all.
Arbeloa: 7 A much improved performance.
Carragher: 7.5 500 consistent performance.
Hyypia: 8 Did very well going upfront during set pieces and was rewarded with a great goal.
Riise: 7 Still tried too hard to score.
Pennant: 7 A nice performance.
Gerrard: 9 Hat trick hero.
Alonso: 7 Solid as usual.
Babel: 8 Best game for us so far. Opened the floodgate and was unlucky not to score more.
Torres: 7 Saved the goals for the next game.
Crouch: 7.5 Did very well but the finishing is not there.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 6.5 Tried very hard but failed to score.
Aurelio/Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress, but did reasonably well.

Rafa: 7.5 Would enjoy the result especially he knows he have the backing of the players and fans.

Luton Town: 5 Credits to them for frustrated us for almost 1.5 games.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. First FA Cup hat trick for us since Collymore in 1996.

Win this for Rafa and Carra

Now that Hicks confirmed he had a talk with Klinsmann, I think it is now for the players and the fans to show support to our manager. This is also Carra's 500th game and let's win it for Rafa and Carra, for they deserve our support.

My Team Prediction:
Itandje
Finnan
Carragher
Hobbs
Riise
Babel
Gerrard
Alonso
Kewell
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080112 at Middlesbrough: Unable to break the duck

1-1 and it is another 2 point loss. Away at Boro is also a tough challenge for us, as we have not even score a goal there since 2002. At least we scored one, but we also conceded another poor goal. If you also consider Arsenal was beaten there, then this is not a bad result. But on a day when Arsenal lost points, we failed to capitalize and reduce the gap. The team is surely affected by the off the field quarrels, and the Board need to act quickly.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 A bit rash as he has no faith in the defense.
Finnan: 6 Good in clearing the ball but not much else.
Carragher: 6.5 Cleared the ball well, but cannot offer any thing more.
Hyypia: 6.5 A decent performance and almost win us 3 points with his header.
Arbeloa: 5 Horrible.
Benayoun: 5.5 Not much contribution.
Gerrard: 6 A poor performance.
Mascherano: 6.5 A hard man as usual.
Riise: 5.5 Poor as midfielder but better as left back.
Voronin: 5 Offered nothing to the team.
Torres: 7.5 Once again saved the team for further humiliation.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 Came on and did very well to change the game. Could have scored.
Alonso: 6 An average performance.
Kuyt: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Helpless to boast the team morale.

Middlesbrough: 6 Did well in 1H but the draw is probably the best they should get.

Man of the Match: Torres. Once again let down by teammates.

Don't give up yet

It may be unlikely for us to win the title now but we should not give up now. Keeping winning, and see how high we can go. Away at Boro will be tough, and we need to be at our best to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080106 at Luton Town: We only have ourselves to blame

1-1 and we only have ourselves to blame for not winning the game. Luton just wants to win (or draw?) this game more than us. True, the pitch is bad, but still we should win this game comfortably even though they play physically hard. Now we have one more game next week and we should win it and go into 4th round.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 6.5 Made a few important challenges but could do nothing on that spectacular own goal.
Finnan: 6 Didn't offer much.
Carragher: 7 Played well with his heart.
Hyypia: 6 Was constantly exposed due to his speed.
Riise: 5 Horrible. But could have score and win the game for us.
Benayoun: 6 Not much space to work.
Alonso: 6 Couldn't break through the tight defense.
Lucas: 6 A reasonably well performance.
Babel: 6.5 Should have score in the first minute.
Kuyt: 6 Another headless chicken performance.
Crouch: 6.5 Well taken goal, but should have score more.

Substitution:
Mascherano/Voronin/El Zhar: 6 Not much impact when called on.

Rafa: 6 The team just doesn't have the right mentality to win the game.

Luton: 6.5 Poor quality but excellent determination.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Teammates let him down again.

Realistic goal

After losing 10 points in recent games FA Cup becomes our realistic goal in this season. We all remember what happened 2 years ago at Luton, and history seems to be rewriting itself again. But no need for another 5-3 scoreline.

My Team Prediction:
Itandje
Finnan
Carragher
Hobbs
Riise
Pennant
Alonso
Leto
Kewell
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 080102 vs Wigan Athletic: Dream is almost over

1-1 and we can't start 2008 with a win, but we only have ourselves to blame. The team lacks the killer instinct and cannot kill off the game, so at the end we were punished. Rafa intended to use Stevie G as a second striker but it did not work well. The good thing is to see Pennant back, so we will have more options going into new year. Also title hope is fading quickly but we still need to keep fighting. You never know.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do and can't do much on that goal conceded.
Finnan: 7 A very lively performance with a nice assist.
Carragher: 6.5 Did OK.
Arbeloa: 6 Another below par performance as center back.
Aurelio: 6.5 Getting better and better and will soon score.
Pennant: 6.5 Back from the long injury with a nice performance.
Alonso: 6.5 Did OK.
Mascherano: 6.5 Was a bit unlucky to concede the free kick that lead to the goal, and was unlucky again the Stevie G's clearance hit him and gifted Bramble the goal.
Kewell: 6.5 Doing better and better and almost scored.
Gerrard: 7 Tried very hard to win the game but was denied by Kirkland.
Torres: 7.5 Another coolly taken goal but at the end it was not enough.

Substitutions:
Benayoun/Crouch/Kuyt: 6 Not much impact on the game.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed by the lack of killer instinct and need to address the problem of over-relying on Gerrard and Torres.

Wigan Athletic: 7 Deserved to get the point. Steve Bruce is really our bogey opponent as Rafa has still yet to beat him in the league.

Man of the Match: Torres. But other players need to help him as well.

Start the new year with a win

We will welcome Wigan in the first game of 2008. With no fresh injury Rafa can stick with our best team, and rotate some players in the FA Cup. We beat them in the away fixture thanks to a late Benayoun goal, and we should beat them again this time at home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Arbeloa
Aurelio
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Kewell
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

Season 2007/08 midterm report

We played 30 games in the first half, 3 less than last season, with 17 wins, 8 draws and 2 defeats. In the league we have 10 wins, 7 draws and 2 defeats with 37 points and are 13 points behind Arsenal with 2 games in hand. This is slightly better than the same period last time (P22 W12 D4 L6 with 36 points) but were poorer than the season before that (P19 W12 D5 L2 with 41 points). We failed to win all our 3 home games against the other top 4 teams, and will need to do much better in order to have a chance to catch up. Otherwise we can only settle on 4th place, which is not yet secure as Manchester City and Everton are still trying to break in. In the Champions League we will play Inter Milan, which is a tough game but we will be ready.

Departmental Comments:
Goalkeeper
Reina is as best as usual with 14 clean sheets but Itandje is showing he can be a challenger should he get any chance. Carson will probably leave, but we should be OK.

Defender
Carragher is also doing extremely well, and with Agger suffering injury, Hyypia did very well as well until his recent injury. Hobbs is picking up well, but we definitely need to buy another cover in this area. For other defenders, Finnan and Arbeloa are also doing well, and Aurelio is also gradually settled in. The only disappointment is Riise, who at times have tried too hard to impress.

Midfielder
With Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano we have the luxury to rotate in this area. Lucas is also doing well but Sissoko has been the biggest disappointment among all and may be sold very soon. On the wings Pennant was doing fine before his injury, Benayoun already showing some good performance although he is not very consistent. On the left side Rafa has been giving Kewell lots of opportunities to show why we should extend his contract and he is doing well, and Babel, despite not a natural winger, did quite well and bagged in 6 goals already, 5 of them as substitute.

Attacker
Torres! 15 goals already and is absolutely world class. However the other 3 are not doing very well. Kuyt still works hard but it is clear that he is not as class as Torres. Crouch has been mourning but he does not take his chance when given. Voronin has shown some flashes but was then fade out, may be due to Rafa continuing to play him out of position. Still rooms for improvement here, or Rafa can try move Babel up front to partner with Torres.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Itandje: 3G 270M 5GC 0CS 0MoM 6.50
Martin: 7 unused substitutes
Reina: 27G 2430M 17GC 14CS 1MoM 7.07

Defenders
Agger: 6G 516M 0GS 0A 0MoM 7.08
Arbeloa: 25G 2155M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.88
Aurelio: 13G 760M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.64
Carragher: 28G 2458M 0GS 0A 2.5MoM 7.04
Finnan: 20G 1632M 0GS 1A 0.5MoM 6.70
Hobbs: 5G 310M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.56
Hyypia: 23G 1870M 2GS 2A 0MoM 6.85
Riise: 23G 1694M 0GS 3A 0MoM 6.61

Midfielders
Alonso: 8G 655M 2GS 0A 1MoM 7.24
Babel: 26G 1193M 6GS 2A 0MoM 6.48
Benayoun: 23G 1446M 6GS 6A 3MoM 6.96
El Zhar: 2G 101M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.85
Gerrard: 26G 2105M 12GS 10A 10.5MoM 7.46
Kewell: 11G 527M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.95
Leto: 4G 280 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.38
Lucas: 13G 536M 0GS 1A 0MoM 7.03
Mascherano: 20G 1677M 0GS 1A 3MoM 7.45
Pennant: 11G 717M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.60
Sissoko: 14G 915M 1GS 0A 0.5MoM 6.34

Attackers:
Crouch: 19G 1043M 4GS 1A 0MoM 6.77
Kuyt: 22G 1480M 7GS 2A 2MoM 6.99
Torres: 23G 1669M 15GS 2A 4MoM 7.54
Voronin: 19G 1199M 4GS 3A 0.5MoM 6.76

Players of 1st half season (1620 mins or above):
(1) Torres 7.54
(2) Gerrard 7.46
(3) Mascherano 7.45
(4) Reina 7.07
(5) Carragher 7.04

Team: 6.95. With Torres we are more likely to score now, but he still need to improve especially in away league games, where he only scored one in the first half of the season. We have lots of possessions and shotting chances, but we still need to improve in the league as we only score with 10% of our shots. It will be difficuly to close the gap now, but we need to try.

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-5th place teams (Arsenal A, Manchester United A, Chelsea A, Everton H) 2W2D
6th-10th place teams (Aston Villa H, Manchester City H, Blackburn Rovers H, West Ham United H/A) 4W1D
11th-15th place teams (Newcastle United H, Tottenham Hotspur H, Reading H, Middlesbrough H/A, Birmingham City A) 5W1D
16th-20th place teams (Bolton Wanderers A, Sunderland H, Wigan Athletic H, Fulham A) 4W

Total for 2H 15W4D 49 points
Total for the season 86 points

If we really can get 86 points we should be 1st or 2nd.

In FA Cup, we should go pass Luton Town, Whether we can win it or not will depend a lot on luck. In Champions League, Inter will be a tough draw, but they will fear us as well. We need to play very well in order to reach Moscow.

In Rafa we trust.

December Month Report

4 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses and see us further away from the top. The good thing is that we are now in the final 16 of Champions League and will play Inter Milan, but in the league we are now 13 points behind although with 2 games in hand. We definitely need to play much better in the second half.

Players of the Month (1) Mascherano 7.60 (2) Torres 7.56 (3) Gerrard 7.37. Mascherano shown us why Rafa loves to keep him by several superb display. Torres scored 5 goals in the month to bring his total to 15. And Stevie G, despite a few off days in the month, also scored 5 and also with 4 assists.

January Prediction:
1/2 Wigan Athletic (h) We need to win this game to keep up with the top.
1/6 Luton Town (a) Luton's priority will be survival, but we still need to make sure we go through. Rehearsal of the 2006 winning season?
1/12 Middlesbrough (a) A tough away game but we should win it.
1/21 Aston Villa (h) Villa is doing well recently, but we can win this especially as Carson will be ineligible.
1/26 FA Cup 4th round No matter who we will draw, we can win it.
1/29 West Ham United (a) Another tough away game, but if we can get through, we will be closing gap.

Match Report 071230 at Manchester City: Hard to break through

0-0 and the Manchester City defense is really tough to break through. We created lots of chances but just couldn't apply the final touch. We are now gradually drifting away from the top, but still this is only half way and if we can improve, we may have a chance.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Finnan: 6.5 A consistent display.
Carragher: 7.5 Made a few important clearances.
Arbeloa: 6 Scary as a cover centre back.
Aurelio: 7 One of his best game in a red shirt and almost scored.
Benayoun: 6 Not very effective.
Gerrard: 6.5 Another off day.
Mascherano: 7 Another supreme display.
Kewell: 6.5 Fade out too soon.
Torres: 6.5 Not many chances.
Kuyt: 6 Should have do better with the header.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Provided another options to the team when coming up.

Rafa: 6.5 Still need to solve the problem of not taking chance. Look at Arsenal! And another cover centre back is the transfer priority.

Manchester City: 7 Did extremely well as a defensive unit. Hamann is still class.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Superb defensive display.

Perfection

Away at Manchester City will be a difficult game, especially when we have some defensive problem as Hyypia is injured. City may have been showing signs of leaking recently, but we still need to be perfect in order to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hobbs
Riise
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Torres
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 071226 at Derby County: We should have win easier

2-1 and we should have win it easier. We controlled the game but failed to score the 2nd goal to kill off the game. Then a defense lapse lead to an equalizer, fortunately when in danger Stevie G comes. He ran 60 yards, passed the ball, Torres shot and saved, and Stevie G scored on the rebound. Bravo.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do.
Finnan: 6.5 Back from injury and did well.
Carragher: 7 Did well.
Hyypia: 6 Limped off and we hope he will come back very soon.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did well.
Babel: 6.5 Should have scored and killed off the game.
Gerrard: 7.5 Never accept defeat.
Alonso: 7 Back from injury with a good game.
Riise: 6 Did well in midfield but poorly as cover central defender.
Voronin: 6 Not very effective.
Torres: 7 Scored an incredible goal.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6 An OK game.
Kuyt: 6 Come up to provide us more options up front.
Lucas: 6 Come up to kill off some time.

Rafa: 6.5 Should tune the team to perfection.

Derby County: 7 Full of fighting spirit, but it is still unlikely they will survive.

Man of the match: Gerrard. Saved the team again.

Keeping winning

Away at Derby is an easy game on paper but we know what happened at Reading, especially Derby is showing signs of improvements recently. We need to play well in order to get a result. We definitely need to get this 3 points to chase the top 3.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hobbs
Aurelio
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Voronin
Kuyt
Babel

Result 2:0

Match Report 071222 vs Portsmouth: A good start to Christmas

4-1 and this is a very good result. We controlled the game from start to end and except for the 10 minutes between 2-1 and 3-1 we were never in any danger of throwing away the game. In fairness we didn't play extremely well but we did win, and we need to keep winning and pressure the top 3.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Never really troubled.
Arbeloa: 7 A solid display.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the defense well and involved in the last goal.
Hyypia: 7 Solid display.
Riise: 7 One of his better game this season.
Benayoun: 7.5 Nice taken goal.
Gerrard: 6.5 One of his off day but still managed to get an assist.
Mascherano: 9 Top class.
Kewell: 7 Did well in 1H but quickly fade out.
Kuyt: 7 Another hard working performance.
Torres: 9 Scored two great goals and was involved in the own goal.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 His quickness forced the 3rd goal.
Aurelio/Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: Would be happy about the team performance especially Mascherano.

Men of the match: Mascherano/Torres. Two great performances.

Start winning

3 losses in the last 4 game is not good, and we need to start winning in this holiday season. We haven't beat Portsmouth for 4 games now and we need to start this habit. It will be tough, but we can do it.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 071219 at Chelsea: Not a bad result

0-2 and it was not a bad result actually. We held them for 60 minutes and then they scored with another deflection, then Crouch was sent off and game was essentially over. But we saw some flashes of good signs, like Itandje and Lucas played quite well. Anyway we will now play 3 less games and can concentrate on other higher priorities.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 7.5 Made a few great saves.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Solid defense.
Carragher: 7.5 Was unlucky to have deflected the goal.
Hobbs: 6.5 Solid display
Aurelio: 6.5 Did well.
Alonso: 6.5 Good to see Xabi back.
Lucas: 6.5 Offered a great chance but failed to score.
Sissoko: 5 May have seen his last game for us.
Babel: 5.5 Not much offered.
Crouch: 4 Silly tackle.
Voronin: 6 Didn't play well out of position.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6.5 A nice performance.
Benayoun: 6 Didn't do much.

Rafa: 6 Probably won't be too unhappy about the result. But perhaps 4-5-1 just doesn't work for us.

Chelsea: 7 Should have won this game easier with such a strong squad.

Men of the Match: Itandje and Carragher. Two rocks in the defense.

Try our best

Away at Chelsea is always difficult, no matter whether it is a league game, CL game or League Cup. Rafa will rest some key players, and so will Chelsea. We need to try our best to get a result.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hobbs
Aurelio
Benayoun
Alonso
Sissoko
Kewell
Voronin
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 071216 vs Manchester United: Big mountain to climb

0-1 and this result left us to climb a big mountain. Same old story, we controlled the game, get chances, failed to score, and let them scored one. What else can we do?

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do and not much can he do.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Good defending.
Carragher: 7 Contained Rooney well.
Hyypia: 7 Another nice performance.
Riise: 6 Always drive into centre where it was too packed. Should try to pass more to Kewell.
Benayoun: 6 Not much offered.
Gerrard: 6 One of the off day for the captain.
Mascherano: 7.5 Winning balls again and again.
Kewell: 6 Didn't do well and didn't have much chance to do so.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.
Torres: 6.5 Didn't have much space to work on and didn't score from a great chance.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7 Quite impressive.
Crouch/Aurelio: 6.5 Didn't have much time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Still need to address the wastage issue. Also the defending of the corner that lead to the goal was poor.

Manchester United: 7 Of the other Big 4, they poised the most threat to us. Would be genuine title contender.

Men of the Match: Carragher/Mascherano. Did well but still not enough.

Seize the chance

This is a big game and a great chance for us to close the gap. Our confidence is high but yet we still need to play extremely well in order to win it. It is really a surprise that we have yet win or even score a goal against United in the league, but this jinx will end in this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 071211 at Marseille: Great escape

4-0 and we completed our great escape and stormed into the next stage of Champions League. Rafa's game plan simply works and now the match is essentially wrapped up by the 11th minutes. No matter who will be facing in the next round, we will not be feared. Let's bring in Real Madrid for Torres.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not a save made.
Arbeloa: 8 Solid defensive works.
Carragher: 8 Played with lots of passion.
Hyypia: 8 Good defensive works.
Riise: 7.5 Good performance.
Benayoun: 7.5 Good display.
Gerrard: 9 Drove the team to glory.
Mascherano: 8.5 Excellent defensive works.
Kewell: 8.5 Almost back to his best.
Torres: 9 Brilliant individual goal.
Kuyt: 8 Scored the goal at the right timing to kill it off.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 7.5 Nice assist.
Babel: 7.5 Another goal scored.
Lucas: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Great game plan to complete the escape.

Marseille: 6 Didn't do much.

Men of the match. Gerrard and Torres. Another twin act.

With hope in your heart

A win will guarantee us into the Final 16 of the Champions League, and a draw will only do should other result gets in our way. This will be a tough game, but the players are ready. And for us fans, we need to support the team and lift the team. With hope in heart.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 071208 at Reading: Robbed

1-3 and first of all, we played poorly. Together with no luck and them played with 12 players, there is no chance to win. Rafa is bold enough to withdrawn all 3 big guns and preserved for the next game, which became more important with 2 goals down.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Should do better with the second goal conceded.
Arbeloa: 6 A flat performance.
Carragher: 6 Conceded a penalty that never was.
Hobbs: 6 Not the nice league start he wanted.
Riise: 6 Getting better, but still need to improve a lot.
Gerrard: 7 Scored one nice goal but at the end proved not enough.
Sissoko: 6 Did well in tackling but still poor in distribution.
Mascherano: 6 Not a good game.
Voronin: 6 Didn't do well in the far line, and had a few tame shots.
Torres: 6.5 Did well providing an assist to Stevie G and denied 2 penalties.
Crouch: 6 Couldn't get himself on the scoresheet and hit the post.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 6 A flat performance.
Babel: 6 Failed to change the game.
Hyypia: 6 Came up to protect Carra from getting another yellow card.

Rafa: 6 Would be unhappy about our performance.

Reading: 7.5 A nice executed game plan and well deserved to win.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Keep on scoring.

Expect roughness

Away at Reading is always a rough game, and we need to play with a strong heart to win. Rafa will have one eye on the next game at Marseille, but still we need to win this game to keep up the momentum.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Hobbs
Hyypia
Riise
Benayoun
Gerrard
Lucas
Kewell
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 071202 vs Bolton Wanderers: Another nice performance

4-0 and it is another convincing win. Stevie G is on form again and scored one and created all three other goals, with Torres also showing his deadly instinct and close understanding with Gerrard. They are like Batman and Robin, and the second goal was a typical through pass in Winning Eleven.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Very solid in defense.
Carragher: 6.5 Crash on Reina and almost lead to an equalised goal.
Hyypia: 8 Scored the opening goal and did well in defense.
Riise: 6.5 Still not back to his best.
Benayoun: 7 A good if not too impressive display.
Gerrard: 9 In very good form.
Lucas: 7.5 A very good display for the youngster.
Kewell: 7 Gradually go back to his best form.
Torres: 8.5 Scored another great goal the sealed the game.
Crouch: 7.5 Tried hard but couldn't get his name on the scoresheet.

Substitutions:
Hobbs: 7 A solid league debut.
Babel: 7.5 Another substitution goal, although he should score one more.
Kuyt: 7 Lively display and lead to the fourth goal.

Rafa: 7.5 Should be happy as the team is getting closer to the top and played close to Rafa's expectation now. And he is getting the fans' support.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 A poor display without really testing us apart from Anelka's miss of the season.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Keep on scoring.

Keep Winning

We are in a good run and we will continue this good run. Bolton has just beaten Manchester United, and we need to stop their run and make sure we get the 3 points. Don't let them win 2 at a row yet.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Gerrard
Mascherno
Sissoko
Kewell
Torres
Crouch

Result 2-0

November Month Review

4 wins and 1 draw and we are now after all the meaningless international games. The team is played well and should we win our game in hand we will be second in the league. We are also still in the Champions League and a win at Marseille will see us through to second stage. Off the field Rafa is having some trouble with the owners but it is nice to see thousands of fans backing Rafa, yet we know the contributions of the owners and not criticizing them. Everybody now just need to go back and work together to the benefit of the team.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 8.17 (2) Benayoun 7.50 (3) Mascherano 7.38. Stevie G is now hitting form and do well consistently. Benayoun also did well and scored a hat trick. Mascherano is also as solid as ever. It is also worth mention that Torres is back from injury and also managed to score 3 goals in 200 minutes, leading to 2 team victories.

December Prediction:
12/2 Bolton Wanderers (h) We need to keep winning especially at home.
12/8 Reading (a) We beat them in the league cup, and will do it again in the league.
12/11 Marseille (a) Crucial game. Win it and we are through.
12/16 Manchester United (h) Game of the season. We need to win this game to keep pace. And G&H will be here as well.
12/19 Chelsea (a) Although league cup is a low priority but since this is Chelsea, we still need to do our best.
12/22 Portsmouth (h) Portsmouth is doing well but we have the ability to beat them.
12/26 Derby County (a) Derby is heading trouble and if we beat them on Boxing Day they will probably be relegated.
12/30 Manchester City (a) A surprise package, this will be a very tough game but we need to beat them to round off the year.

Match Report 071128 vs Porto: Still hope

4-1 and we are still in the Champions League. Although we need to beat Marseille at their home, but we now have the believe and the strength to do so. And it was nice to see the fans backing Rafa, yet without criticizing the American owners. Everybody should move on and focus in supporting the team, and act for the benefit of the team.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not really tested.
Finnan: 7 A solid performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Arrange the defense well.
Hyypia: 7 Another vintage performance.
Arbeloa: 7 Did well apart from the goal conceded.
Benayoun: 6.5 Average performance.
Gerrard: 8.5 Scored one, made two.
Mascherano: 7.5 Solid display although he is party blamed for the goal conceded.
Babel: 7 Tried hard but just couldn't score a goal.
Voronin: 6.5 Worked very hard but couldn't create any significant chances.
Torres: 8.5 Scored two great goals. Bravo.

Substitutions:
Crouch: 8 Came up and changed the game.
Kewell: 7.5 Created the winning goal with his vision.
Kuyt: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the performance. Now we need to win the next game.

Porto: 6.5 Didn't create much chances.

Men of the Match: Gerrard and Torres. Simply awesome!

Win it for Rafa

Rafa is a man who is whole-hearted to win trophies for Liverpool. No doubt about that. In repay to Rafa we need to win this game and keep us within chase of qualification. The fans are ready and so are the players. We have been in similar situation in the past and go through, and we will do this again tonight.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Gerrard
Mascherano
Sissoko
Kewell
Torres
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 071124 at Newcastle United: Great play

3-0 and we have a comfortable win. Although the game is clouded by the boardroom chaos the team is not affected and coasted to victory easily. We simply out-played Newcastle and should have win by a larger margin, but after all, getting three points is most important.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Comfortable game with not much to do.
Finnan: 7 Easy game but failed to go forward to contribute.
Carragher: 7.5 Bossed the back 4 well.
Hyypia: 8 His best game this season, excellent positioning, and also found time to go forward to assist for Kuyt's goal.
Arbeloa: 7 Solid in defense but not much going forward.
Gerrard: 9 Scored one, created the other two. Great performance.
Lucas: 8 Nice passings.
Sissoko: 7.5 Doing the dirty works well.
Kewell: 7 Gradually back to form.
Kuyt: 7.5 Managed to get on scoresheet.
Torres: 7.5 Missed a hat trick.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7.5 Scored another nice goal.
Crouch/Riise: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Wasn't affected by the quarrels with owners. Hope he will stay on.

Newcastle United: 5 Just a disgrace. Very poor performance.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Played well for Liverpool, not England!

Back to real business

From Rafa's comment there seems to be some problem behind the scene. But now we are back to real business and we need focus and beat Newcastle to keep challenging the top. The injured players are recovering well, and we can field a strong squad to meet this challenge.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Babel
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kewell
Voronin
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 071110 vs Fulham: Fernando saves the day

2-0 and it was the brilliant Torres that scored the goal and saved us the day. We were on top for 80 minutes but just couldn't score a goal, and then a clever Reina passed the ball to Torres, with a beautiful spin, scored the goal and changed the game. This is the kind of player we need to win the title.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Superb vision for the assist.
Arbeloa: 7 Solid display.
Carragher: 7 Lead the defense well.
Hyypia: 7.5 One of his best of this season.
Aurelio: 7 Almost scored from a free kick. Will get that goal soon.
Benayoun: 7 Missed an absolute sitter.
Gerrard: 7.5 Driving the team forward.
Mascherano: 7 A little bit poor from his usual high standard. Too many mis passes.
Riise: 6 Another so-so performance.
Voronin: 7 Had chance to score at least 2.
Crouch: 7 Did well and earned us the penalty for the decisive goal.

Subsititutions:
Babal: 7 Nice performance.
Torres: 8 Come to save us.
Lucas: 7 Another nice performance from the youngster.

Rafa: 7 Nice touch by picking up the same team, and then changed to make the difference.

Fulham: 6 Was trying hard to get 1 point. Would be struggling for survival as usual.

Man of the Match: Torres. It's really joyful to watch him play.

Catch up

After the superb performance in midweek we need to transfer the form to the league. Surprisingly we only won 1 match and drawn 4 at home, and we need to start picking points at home now. Fulham has not win away for a long time and we need to extend their streak as well.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Mascherano
Sissoko
Benayoun
Gerrard
Voronin
Crouch

Result 3:0

Record Breaker

8-0 and we have broken the biggest win record in Champions League history. We controlled the game from the beginning and this time, an early goal set the pace and we just cruised till the end. Benayoun was sensational and shown us why Rafa has trusted him. At the end the whole team did well and the result is about right. If we can play like this day in day out, we will qualify and can win the League title.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made one save in the whole match.
Arbeloa: 7.5 A solid display.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the defense well
Hyypia: 7.5 A much improved performance.
Aurelio: 7.5 Getting better and better.
Benayoun: 10 3 goals and 2 assists. Sensational.
Gerrard: 8.5 Scored one and created another.
Mascherano: 8 As good as usual.
Riise: 8.5 A quick throw-in that lead to the second goal and an assist from a shot. Was unlucky not to have scored one himself.
Voronin: 8.5 2 assists and was also unlucky not to register himself on the scoresheet.
Crouch: 9 Opened the floodgate and closed it. A sensational performance.

Substitutions:
Babel: 8.5 A brilliant back heal, a fluke goal, and was unlucky not to score a hat tricks.
Kewell: 7 Getting better and better.
Lucas: 7 A solid display.

Rafa: 8 Would be very happy about the performance. Now we need to do it day in, day out.

Besiktas: 5 No defense at all. It's a mystery why they beat us 2 weeks ago.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Is he Luis Garcia in disguise? But Yossi is younger and more consistent.

Cup Final #1

In order to have any chance to qualify the Group Stage we need to win this game. What kind of attacking formation will Rafa play? Nobody knows. And should we lose this game and concentrate in the league? Maybe.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Aurelio
Voronin
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 071103 at Blackburn Rovers: We need improvement

0-0 and it should be a fair result. We played very badly in 1H and may be 2 down, but we played much better in 2H. Kewell and Crouch had a good game and deserve a starting place. Kuyt had a really bad game, but as Rafa said he is a hard working warrior, and we need to give him chance.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well when required.
Finnan: 7 Had a better game.
Carragher: 7 Did 1.5 men's job and almost conceded a penalty.
Hyypia: 6 A mispass earned Carra a yellow card.
Riise: 6 Still disappointing.
Mascherano: 7 Good game as usual.
Sissoko: 6.5 Still too many mispasses.
Benayoun: 6 Not effective.
Gerrard: 7.5 Almost win the game for us.
Babel: 6 Not effective.
Kuyt: 6 Missed a lot of chances. Could have scored 2.

Substitutions:
Kewell: 7 Changed the game when he was bought up.
Crouch: 7 Did well and almost scored.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to find someone to score other than Torres and Stevie G.

Blackburn Rovers: 7 Did well and could have win the game in 1H. Serious top 6 contender.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Getting better and better.

No more injuries

Away at Blackburn is always a tough game for us, and a few years ago, Baros and Carragher were both injured in this matchup. We now have enough injuries to worry, so the least thing we want is more. Nevertheless, we still need to get something from this game, especially as Arsenal is playing Manchester and they will lose points. Time to do some catch ups.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Gerrard
Mascherano
Sissoko
Benayoun
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

October Month Review

2W2D2L for the month of October. On the plus side we still maintain our unbeaten run despite we dropped 4 more points, but on the minus side we lost both Champions League matches and are now on the edge of failing to qualify. Also more worrying is the injury list is piling up, with Torres and Alonso out after a brief return vs Arsenal. Come November there will be some tough games coming, and we need to start winning.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.09 (2) Mascherano 6.91 (3) Reina 6.70. Stevie G picked up his from finally with 3 goals and 2 assists and also earned us a penalty at Everton. Mascherano just did well consistently and played the Hamann role extremely well. Despite not picking up a cleansheet Reina was the main reason we did not concede too many goals despite Agger is still a week from return to the squad.

November Prediction:
11/3 Blackburn Rovers (a) A tough away game, but we need to get something.
11/6 Besiktas (h) Need to win this to have any chance to qualify.
11/10 Fulham (h) One of the easier game of the month, but we still need to find some way to score.
11/24 Newcastle United (a) Another tough away game but we need to break Owen's dream once more.
11/28 Porto (h) Another must win game if we still want to qualify.

God returned, but we have a Savior

2-1 and once again Stevie G is our saviour. It's really good to see Fowler back to Anfield once again as a player, and it was a pity he didn't score. Nevertheless we are now through to last 8 and the youngsters will have another chance to shine.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 6.5 Another good start.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A good run on the right.
Hobbs: 7 Did well on his first start of the season.
Carragher: 7.5 Leading the defense well.
Aurelio: 6.5 Committed a serious guilt in denying God a goal.
El Zhar: 7 Grabbed his chance well with a nice taken goal.
Gerrard: 8 A goal and an assist and has now scored 3 matches in a row.
Lucas: 7 Did well.
Leto: 6.5 A good game.
Babel: 6.5 A bit disappointed.
Crouch: 6.5 Need to start scoring soon.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Come up to provide assist to the winning goal.
Kewell: 6.5 A nice run after injury.
Mascherano: 6.5 Glad to see him back so soon.

Rafa: 6.5 A job well done. He would be happy to see the young lads did well.

Cardiff City: 6.5 A nice game and provided a bit scare to us. To bad Fowler didn't score.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Back to his best.

God returns

Finally it's the day. It's probably the second time I don't want Liverpool to win, the first time being the final match vs Blackburn when they were fighting for the League title. This is just a League Cup game, and we have lots of injuries, so we won't be able to field a strong squad. Chance for God to score a hat trick.

My Team Prediction:

Itandje
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hobbs
Aurelio
Leiva
Sissoko
Leto
Kewell
Babel
Crouch

Result 2-4

Match Report 071028 vs Arsenal: No complaints on the result

1-1 and we should not have too many complaints on the result. Given that they were a better team to us on this occasion and have hit the post twice, and if we don't take the chance and make it 2-0, there is always a danger that they will score.

We also suffered from the triple injuries, and wish they are not so serious, but then we will visit Blackburn next week and it will not be an easy game at all.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well although he can do nothing about that fabulous goal.
Finnan: 6.5 Did better than the midweek game.
Carragher: 8 Played with determination.
Hyypia: 7 Good display.
Riise: 6 Poor crossing all the game.
Alonso: 7 Did very well until he was injured.
Mascherano: 7.5 Another nice display.
Kuyt: 6.5 Not too effective on the wing
Gerrard: 8 Scored another beauty.
Voronin: 6.5 Too rush at times.
Torres: 6 Clearly not yet ready for this match.

Substitutions:
Crouch: 7 Had a couple of chances but just can't score.
Benayoun 6.5 Not much impact.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Midfield is not his strength.

Rafa: 7 A good formation. It may not work against Arsenal, but for weaker teams this is certainly the way to go.

Arsenal: 7.5 Serious title contender. I won't be surprise if they win it.

Man of the Match: Carragher/Gerrard. Captains led by examples.

Rebound

After a poor result in midfield we are now back to the League and will play the leader. We have a few injuries and some players are very tired, but still we need to get something from the game or otherwise we will be left behind to far away.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Riise
Gerrard
Alonso
Mascherano
Babel
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 071024 at Besiktas: Tough but not impossible

1-2 and now it will be tough, if not possible to go through the Group Stage. 3 wins should get us through and with a little help from results of the other games, 2 wins and 1 draw may do as well.

We have lots of possessions and chances but somehow can't score until it's too late. Hyypia is unlucky to have scored another own goal, and whole team in general is ineffective. Rafa needs to find way to sort it out before the big game on Sunday.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can't do much to prevent both goals.
Finnan: 6 Blocked Carra's clearance and lead to the Sami own goal.
Carragher: 6 Ineffective as a group.
Hyypia: 5.5 He does not deserve this.
Riise: 6 Not much contribution.
Pennant: 5.5 Ineffective.
Gerrard: 7 Scored a header but it's too little, too late.
Mascherano: 6 Performed his role quietly.
Babel: 5.5 Hardly seen on the pitch.
Kuyt: 6 Ineffective.
Voronin: 6 Ineffective.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6
Lucas/Crouch: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Need to sort out the mess in defense and the lack of goals immediately.

Besiktas: 6.5 They would be happy to win this game.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. If only he can score the goal earlier...

Must-not-lose game

As Rush said this is not a must-win game but it is a must-not-lose game. We have 1 points from 2 games and a win tonight will bring us closers to the top 2 teams, depending on result in the other game. We still have no Torres, and the atmosphere will be hostile, but still we need to somehow win this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2:0

Match Report 071020 at Everton: Great Escape

2-1 and this is really a big boast and a great escape for the team. We still played poorly and were a bit lucky to get 3 points. Rafa made some bold decision by "resting" Gerrard and if we don't win, he will be in big trouble. Anyway this is another 3 points and let's hope it will be a springboard for the team to rebound.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do and can't do anything with such a brilliant own goal.
Finnan: 6.5 Found it difficult to contain Lescott.
Carragher: 6.5 Played with passion.
Hyypia: 6 Would be grateful his own goal is not costing us 3 points.
Riise: 6.5 Defense as a unit simply is not good enough.
Gerrard: 7 Ineffective in 1H, but played better when switched to left side. It was his brilliant pass that lead to the 1st penalty. Unfortunately he played with too much passion and not enough brain and was substituted by Rafa.
Mascherano: 6.5 Effective display.
Sissoko: 5 Way too many mispasses.
Benayoun: 6 A flat display.
Voronin: 7 A lively display and should have his name on the scoresheet.
Kuyt: 7.5 Had the last laugh by scoring two cool penalties.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Not much contribution.
Lucas: 7 Cruelly denied a winning goal by Neville's handball.
Pennant: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 His gamble paid off, but it was close.

Everton: 6.5 Played with passion but no brain. Were a bit unlucky to lose the game, but so were we last season.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. Although he felt a bit lucky to have stayed on the pitch, but at the end he had the last laugh.

Keep cool

After the meaningless International games it is now back to normal business, and it is the 177th Merseyside Derby. Both teams have a few injuries but no doubt both teams will be fired up for this event. But as Rafa says we need to keep cool and we will win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Torres
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 071007 vs Tottenham Hotspur: Now what?

2-2 and it was no until the injury time that Torres found the equalizer that saved us some face. We did OK in the 1H and was a bit unlucky not to be 2 goals up, but then two mistakes and we suddenly became 1 goal down. Fortunately we have Torres and he had a superb header that get us 1 point, which to be fair is a fair result.

Now there will be another international break and Rafa need to sort a lot of things out. First of all it seems the departure of Pako is really getting into the players' mind, and secondly we need to sort out defense. Sami is good but we can't expect him to play week in week out at the same high level. We missed Agger. And lastly, we still need to improve the midfield so that when opponents are putting everybody back we need to find some way to explore.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can't do anything about the two goals, and at the end he seemed to risk a lot to rush out too many times, but fortunately it did no harm to us.
Finnan: 7.5 Never give up and at the end it was his lovely crossing that send us the equalizer.
Carragher: 6 A sloppy performance.
Hyypia: 5.5 Can't blame him too much, but he was really too slow and was responsible for both goals conceded.
Arbeloa: 6 A reasonable performance.
Pennant: 5.5 A poor performance and was always beaten by the Spurs players.
Gerrard: 6.5 Apart from a few nice freekicks, he failed to influence the team.
Mascherano: 7.5 Stepped up when we need him, and was unlucky not to have scored.
Riise: 6 Unable to have a big influence in the game.
Voronin: 7 His vision has lead to the first goal. Should have scored a 2nd and killed off the game. Tireless performance.
Torres: 7 Saved us some face from his nice header.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Didn't have much influence as we was expecting.
Kuyt/Benayoun: 6 Not enough time to have a big impact.

Rafa: 6 Have a lot to sort out during this international break. We just don't have the confidence to win the title.

Tottenham Hotspur: 7 Did well and will gradually climb up the table. They should keep Jol.

Men of the Match: Finnan/Mascherano. Raise their bar when we neeed them most.

We need a performance

After a very poor performance we definitely need to win to keep on track. Spurs are even worse then us and they will no doubt also want to get a result. After this game it will be international weekend again and Rafa should field his strongest squad possible.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennent
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 071003 vs Marseille: Worst performance

0-1 and as Rafa said this is probably one of the worst performance under his rule. The team as a whole is just poor. Too many bad passes and lost possessions everywhere. It was simply a night to forget.

Now we need at least 3 wins from the following 4 games, and it is a real test to the players. Or Rafa had second thoughts and wanna focus on the League?

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did very well to keep the score at 0-0 but at the end it was an unstoppable goal.
Finnan: 6 A fair performance.
Carragher: 6 Not his best performance, and sometimes were exposed.
Hyypia: 6.5 Was dangerous at corners but failed to score the goal. A bit too slow at defense.
Aurelio: 5.5 Not his best performance.
Benayoun: 6 Ineffective this time.
Gerrard: 6 Still not back to his best.
Sissoko: 4.5 Very poor and lost the ball that lead to the goal.
Leto: 5 To be fair he is too young to start a Champions League game.
Torres: 6 No service provided.
Crouch: 5 On this performance you need to wonder why Rafa should start him.

Substitutions:
Riise: 6 Did OK when came up.
Voronin/Kuyt: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Rafa is under big pressure to explain the formation of this game. It is just simply not working.

Marseille: 6.5 Deserved win for them.

Man of the Match: Reina. The only player that cared.

Return of Cisse and Zenden

Cisse and Zenden will return tonight and no doubt they will want to prove a point. This will not be an easy match, but Rafa will have enough knowhow and manpower to get us the 3 points that we need.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Torres
Crouch

Result 2-0

September Month Report

3W3D and we are still unbeaten and conceded only 3 goals, 2 in League Cup and 1 in CL. We started the month well with a 6-0 crush of Derby, unfortunately after the international break we were a bit off-pace and then we have 3 successive draws, two 0-0 in the league and one 1-1 in CL. Fortunately we started winning again and then beat Reading in the League Cup and edged pass Wigan in the league. We are still unbeaten and 4 points behind Arsenal, which is still a good result.

Players of the Match (1) Torres 7.85 (2) Mascherano 7.57 (3) Reina 7.20. Torres scored 5 goals and whenever he played, he posed the greatest threat to the opponents. Mascherano is simply effective in the midfield, despite his start of season is interrupted by the Copa America and the "friendly" games of Argentina. Reina had 3 clean sheets and saved us many times from losing further points.

October Prediction:
10/3 Marseille (h) Return of Cisse and Zenden, but we should win this game.
10/7 Tottenham Hotspur (h) Spur is still in a turmoil and we need to kill them off in this game.
10/20 Everton (a) Merseyside Derby and Everton will be prepared for this game. We will need extra efforts especially this is a game after the international week.
10/24 Besiktas (a) Win this game and we will be in a good position to qualify.
10/28 Arsenal (h) A very important game and we need to win this.
10/31 Cardiff City (h) Return of God. This is the first time in 12 years (since that last game of the season vs Blackburn) that I don't want Liverpool to win - if Fowler scores a hat trick.

Match Report 070929 at Wigan Athletic: Ugly Win

1-0 and we have a very tight win thanks to Benayoun's supreme goal and some help from the referee. Wigan should feel unjust not to get at least 1 point (and they should get 3), but at the end, we proved we can win in an ugly way like Manchester and Arsenal, which is very important.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made 1 meaningful save.
Arbeloa: 7 A solid display.
Carragher: 6.5 A bit off pace.
Hyypia: 6.5 Decent display.
Aurelio: 6.5 Keep improving.
Pennant: 7 Provided the decisive pass for the only goal of the game.
Gerrard: 7 Gradually going back to his best.
Mascherano: 7 Effective display.
Riise: 6.5 Solid display.
Torres: 6.5 Tried too hard at times.
Kuyt: 6.5 Hardworking as usual.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7.5 Scored the goal and helped the defense. Superb performance.
Voronin/Sissoko: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be happy about the result but not the performance. But at least it's 3 points in the pocket now.

Wigan: 6.5 Would feel unjust not to get something from the game. But they should stay up at the end of the season.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Came up and changed the game.

Keep winning

After the midweek sensational performance Rafa needs to think carefully whether Torres should start. No doubt our priority is the league, and we need to keep the pace with Arsenal, so every league game is important.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riise
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 070926 at Reading: Awesome

4-2 and Torres is simply awesome. We seldom see a player single-handly destroyed the opponent that easy, and we witnessed that. Of course Rafa will continue to rotate, but this will only do the team good as this will keep Torres fresh. But the remaining strikers need to step up now.

Players Rating:
Itandje: 6 A bit scary in his debut.
Finnan: 6.5 Not the best performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Saved the team several times from trouble.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Did OK as centre back.
Aurelio: 6.5 Gradually improving after injury.
Leto: 7 A nice first start and did well on the right.
Benayoun: 8 Superb individual goal.
Sissoko: 7 Solid display.
Lucas: 6.5 A nice performance.
Torres: 10 First of many hat tricks in a red shirt.
Crouch: 6.5 Linked up well with Torres.

Substitutions:
Riise: 7 Assist with his first touch.
Gerrard: 7 An intelligent pass to complete Torres' hat trick.
Hobbs: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the performance.

Reading: 6 Didn't play well.

Man of the Match: Torres. Simply Fantastic.

Give the youngsters a chance

Although this is just a League Cup game but we definitely need to start winning. On one hand we have not done so in 3 games, and on the other hand we need to stay in the Cup to give the youngsters some games. Rafa has included some big guns like Carra, Stevie G and Torres in the squad, but he would probably just start Carra and give the youngsters a chance.

My Team Prediction:

Itandje
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hobbs
Aurelio
Benayoun
Leto
Sissoko
Leiva
Voronin
Crouch

Match Report 070922 vs Birmingham City: Disappointing

0-0 and this is a really disappointing result. We should have win this game comfortably but we failed to breakthrough the packed Birmingham defense. The big question is whether Torres should have started this game, and I think he should. I just can't see him to play in the League Cup so he should start in the league as well. Anyway it is still early in the season and we have lots of chances to catch up.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 No real test for Pepe.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A good effort.
Carragher: 7 Played well as usual.
Hyypia: 6.5 Solid display.
Riise: 6.5 Had a few close efforts in 1H but became quiet in 2H.
Pennant: 6.5 Did well but couldn't breakthrough the defense.
Gerrard: 6.5 Quiet display.
Mascherano: 7.5 A good display.
Babel: 6 Very poor.
Voronin: 6 No linkage with Kuyt at all.
Kuyt: 6 Worked hard as usual.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7.5 Did well when come up and almost scored.
Crouch/Finnan: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 It was another draw and we didn't scored in 2 league games. Something needs to be done.

Birmingham City: 7 Did well in defense and at the end earned a well deserved point.

Men of the Match: Mascherano/Torres. Did better than all others in a red jersey.

Start winning again

After 2 draws we definitely need to start winning again, especially against a "weak" team at home. There are some significant injuries in the team, but we have enough manpower to go for another home glory.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Arbeloa
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Sissoko
Riise
Torres
Voronin

Result 3-0

Match Report 070918 at Porto: 1 point gain

1-1 and this is really a 1 point we don't deserved with such a poor performance. We played like Derby when they were beaten by us 0-6, and how we get 1 point especially with 1 men down is really a mystery. Anyway, a draw away from home is not a bad result, but Rafa simply need to improve especially now that Agger is out.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 No chance for the penalty, but other than that he did well to earn us the point.
Finnan: 6.5 An OK performance.
Carragher: 7 Solid display.
Hyypia: 6 His slowness lead to the first goal, but he later made a last man save.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Solid if not impressive.
Pennant: 5 Stupid response. Need to learn from the mistake.
Garrard: 6 A flat performance.
Mascherano: 7 Quiet but effective.
Babel: 6 Failed to make an impact.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored the only goal and hardworking as usual.
Torres: 6 No service to him.

Substitutions:
Voronin/Aurelio: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Benitez: 6 Need to find ways to fill the gaps from the injuries.

Porto: 7 Good home team display.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. Scored a similar goal to the CL Final one.

Champions League starts here

Rafa wants 12 points from the group stage, and should we win this game, we are probably 30% qualified. There is a few injuries in Riise and Xabi, but Rafa had rotated well and we should have fresh legs to fight for this battle.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Agger
Arbeloa
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2-0

Match Report 070915 at Portsomouth: Disappointed, but it's not the end of the world

0-0 and it is probably a fair result to both sides. It's obvious that Rafa's preparation had been disturbed by the international games and the early kickoff, and he had no choice but to rotate, especially Porto is coming up. We didn't tested David James enough, and at the end Reina made an excellent save to the penalty, and so a draw is a fair result.

Away at Portsmouth won't be an easy game, so I am not that down. And they seem to be improving as well.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Saved us for the point.
Finnan: 6.5 A good performance.
Carragher: 6.5 Good to see Carra back.
Agger: 6.5 OK in general.
Arbeloa: 6.5 It was harsh for him to concede that penalty.
Pennant: 6.5 Did OK.
Alonso: 6.5 Couldn't inspire the team and did very poorly in freekicks.
Sissoko: 6.5 Also willing to go forward.
Benayoun: 6.5 Was not a natural winger.
Voronin: 7 One of the better player and almost scored in 2 occasions.
Crouch: 6.5 Couldn't find the net.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7 Liverly display when come up.
Gerrard/Babel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Forced to make changes and at the end it does not work as people expected.

Portsmouth: 7 A very solid team at home. I don't think many teams will beat them at their homeground.

Man of the Match: Reina. Another superb penalty save.

Real test

Away at Portsmouth is always a difficult game, especially after International weekend with an early start. Rafa will look at the conditions of the players before he decide who will start, and no doubt he will also keep an eye at the Porto game 3 days later. Nevertheless, we should have enough players to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Riise
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Kuyt
Crouch

Result 2-0

Match Report 070901 vs Derby County: Magnificent Result

6-0 and we could have score more. It's good that we have 4 players on the scoresheet in an eventful afternoon, and yes, Derby was crap, but beating a crap opponent is one thing and winning 6-0 is another thing. This team is full of confidence and improving, and is a joy to watch.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A comfortable afternoon.
Finnan: 7.5 Did well both in attacking and defending.
Agger: 7.5 Did well apart from a short moment of lost of concentration towards the end.
Hyypia: 7.5 Another solid display from the captain.
Arbeloa: 8 Did well in defense and attack, and was rewarded a first assist of the season.
Pennant: 8.5 A very lively performance especially when switched to the left. England's loss is our gain.
Alonso: 9.5 An almost perfect performance, starting with a nice goal that opened the floodgate.
Mascherano: 8.5 The destroyer of the match, his assist to the 3-0 goal to Torres is especially enjoyable.
Babel: 8 Opened his account with a beautifully taken goal.
Torres: 9.5 Scored two nice goals.
Kuyt: 8 Worked very hard and was unlucky not to have score one.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7.5 Created the second goal for Xabi.
Voronin: 8 Scored a tap-in from his acute sense in front of the goal.
Sissoko: 7 Solid when coming up.

Rafa: 8 An excellent result and he would be happy.

Derby: 3 Unless there is a miracle, we will not see them again next season.

Men of the Match: Alonso and Torres. Both scored two goals and it is difficult to tell who is better.

Keep the momentum

Derby on paper is an easy game but we still need to perform well to get the three points. It is a huge blow that Pako decided to leave, and all we can hope is he will change his mind or Rafa can find a good replacement. Nevertheless, we should not be distracted.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Agger
Hyypia
Riise
Pennant
Alonso
Sissoko
Babel
Torres
Crouch

Result: 5-0