Match Report 090322 vs Aston Villa: Confidence is the key

5-0 and this is a very good performance, especially when both Manchester and Chelsea faltered. The victory took us to only a point behind, although we played one extra game. We are now back on the title challenge, and who knows what will happen in the coming 2 months.

We bombered the Villa defense from the first minute. After Kuyt scored his great volley Villa tried to hit us back, but Reina was in top form and made two great saves. He even went one step further and provided another great assist to Riera. Then Stevie G took the show and scored a hat trick.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8.5 2 great saves and 1 assist.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Superb defending and support attack.
Carragher/Skrtel: 8 Solid throughout
Aurelio: 8 Superb in attack and defense.
Alonso: 8 Control the midfield well.
Mascherano: 8 Tackles everywhere.
Kuyt: 8 A great goal to open the floodgate.
Gerrard: 9 Two great penalties and one great free kick for his first Premier League hat trick.
Riera: 8.5 Run the left side of midfield and left Reo-Coker well behind.
Torres: 7.5 A bit quite and unlucky not to score.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7.5 Had a good chance to score but shot wide.
Agger: 7.5 Nice to see him coming back.
Ngog: 7.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8.5 Still not satisfied after 5 goals. But credits to him in peaking us at the right time.

Aston Villa: 5 Really low in confidence, but they need to rebound in the next match.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. First Premier League hat trick.

Momentum

This is the first of nine must win game if we want to win the Champion, and we need to build up from the good news from the past week. Villa is hitting a big slum recently and this is a good chance for us to take 3 more points.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090314 at Manchester United: Happy days

4-1 and this is a superb result in their backyard. Once again Rafa's game plan was perfectly executed and we came out as well deserved winner in our biggest victory there since 1936. Although they are still in the driving seat for league winner but we are now more confident to capitalize from any potential slip by them.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Conceded a needless penalty but apart from that he did well in general.
Carragher: 8 Superb defending as temporary right back.
Skrtel: 7.5 Good defending.
Hyypia: 8 Great vision in another superb defending.
Aurelio: 8 Scored a great free kick and worked very hard.
Lucas: 7.5 Made many great tackles and were everywhere.
Mascherano: 8.5 Everywhere on the pitch to make up for the injustice sent off last season.
Kuyt: 8 Worked hard as usual and provided calmness for the teammates.
Gerrard: 8.5 Superb linkage with Torres and scored a great penalty.
Riera: 6.5 Below average performance.
Torres: 9 Superb strike made it happened. Simply unstoppable.

Substitutions:
Dossena: 8 Wonder strike!
Babel/El Zhar: 7.5 Good efforts in a short period of time.

Rafa: 8 Two great results in a week, now we need to keep winning to see if there is any chance to win the title.

Manchester United: 6 Poor display and now the big question is, will this affect their confidence and let us have a chance?

Man of the Match: Torres. Another great goal to keep our dream alive.

Make us dream

A win may not be enough to win the title, but at least we can still dream about it. And you never know...

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 090310 vs Real Madrid: Even Rafa is happy

4-0 and this is a superb result against one of the greatest team. From the first minute our game plan is to attack, and if not Casillas was superb the scoreline can easily be doubled. And if Casillas is their MoM after conceding 4 goals, you know how good we are. Now we need to remember this performance level and do it again for the remaining of the season, and who knows what may happen?

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few saves to keep another clean sheet.
Arbeloa/Carragher/Skrtel/Aurelio: 7.5 Defense as a unit played very well.
Alonso: 7.5 Nice control of the midfield.
Mascherano: 8.5 Superb performance, everywhere on the pitch.
Kuyt: 8 Worked tirelessly and set up for the first goal.
Gerrard: 8.5 Two great goals to kill off the game.
Babel: 8 Superb performance with many great crossings.
Torres: 9 Did every thing to ensure a Liverpool victory.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7.5 Composed display.
Spearing: 7.5 Good home debut.
Dossena: 7.5 Completed the game with a well taken goal.

Rafa: 9 Even Rafa is delighted about this performance, but we need to transfer it into domestic performances as well.

Real Madrid: 5 A very poor display and should be glad to concede just 4 goals.

Man of the Match: Torres. Thank God he was born as an Atletico fan.

Clean Sheet

After a weeks' rest the focus is now back to Champions League. Real Madrid will be looking for a win to save their season, and although a clean sheet will be enough to see us through, we still need to try to score goals. We have a few injuries and suspension, and the remaining players need to rise in the moment.

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 090303 vs Sunderland: Bounced Back

2-0 and the team rebound from the setback over the weekend. Although we did not played particular well, we did control the game from the beginning. Chances were rare until Ngog opened his Anfield account. In summary this is 3 points well deserved, and we will keep fighting till the end.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a good save early on, but have not much to do afterward.
Mascherano: 7.5 Very good performance as a temporary right back.
Carragher/Skrtel: 7 Solid as usual.
Insua: 7 Good in defending and help the attacks as well.
Benayoun: 8 Always dangerous.
Alonso: 7 Solid performance in protecting the back 4.
Gerrard: 7 A bit quiet but still managed to create a goal.
Riera: 7 Great crossing to create the first goal.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard as usual.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored one and created one in his first Anfield start.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7 Almost scored from a header.
Babel/El Zhar: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be very happy about the way the team responded.

Sunderland: 6 Apart from a scoring chance early on they don't provide any threat.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. A great goal gifted by Sunderland.

Pick ourselves up

After a miserable weekend we need to pick ourselves up with a victory. There will be no Torres, Arbeloa and Agger, but the remaining team will keep fighting for the second place.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera
Kuyt

Result 2:0

February Month Review

3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, and we are out of FA Cup and our dream of winning the league is almost over. We started the month brightly with a convincing victory over Chelsea, but then we get beaten by Everton in the FA Cup, followed by another superb win at Portsmouth. Our title dream then get a big hit as we can only drew Manchester City after the international break, but a superb away win at Real Madrid put us in a good position in the Champions League. However, the month ended with a poor performance at Boro, and our title dream is almost over now.

Players of the month: (1) Benayoun 7.39 (2) Carragher 7.35 (3) Alonso 7.03. Benayoun stood up after Stevie G is injured with many great performances and a great header at Real Madrid. Carragher is solid as ever at the back, and Xabi also did well in general in the midfield.

March prediction:
3/3 Sunderland (h) A win is needed to pick ourselves up.
3/10 Real Madrid (h) We are in a good position to qualify, but we need to be careful as Real is a very strong team.
3/14 Manchester United (a) A match that have lost its significance, but we still need to try our best to capture any possible fall out of Manchester.
3/22 Aston Villa (h) A win vs Villa will almost secure our top 3 status.

Match Report 090228 at Middlesbrough: The dream is all but over

0-2 and our title dream is almost over now. What's worse, we seems to have no heart to fight for it, and the way we lose the game was shameful. We now only have the Champions League and the quest for 2nd to fight for, but both still require a hard fight, and we need to pick ourselves up soon.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Did well to keep the damage down.
Skrtel: 5.5 Did poorly as right back and failed to contain Downing.
Carragher: 5.5 Suffered from heavy legs.
Hyypia: 6 Steady performance.
Aurelio: 5.5 Not much help for the attack.
Alonso: 5.5 Very unlucky to score an own goal.
Mascherano: 6 Solid tackles.
El Zhar: 5 Poor shooting and was scared on his first start.
Gerrard: 6 Only shown patches of sparks.
Babel: 5 No contribution.
Kuyt: 5.5 Missed a great chance to equalize.

Substitutions:
Ngog/Benayoun/Lucas: 5.5 Not much contribution.

Rafa: 5 Would be unhappy about this lack of heart display. Title dream is over now, let's move on.

Middlesbrough: 6.5 Deserved to get 3 points on this day.

Man of the Match: Reina. If a goalkeeper is MoM after losing 2 goals, that tells you how the others were performing.

Relax

With the league title gradually fading away the players should feel less pressure now, and we can start another winning steak. Torres and Arbeloa will be out, and Stevie G may not be able to start, but we will go forward to capture any Manchester slip up.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Hyypia
Aurelio
Benayoun
Alonso
Mascherano
Riera
Babel
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 090225 at Real Madrid: Perfect execution of game plan

1-0 and the players executed Rafa's game plan to perfection. With a rock solid defense, we were never in danger of conceding a goal. And we managed to score an away goal, which may be crucial. We are now in a very good position to progress, but the job is only half done. We still need to beat them in the second leg.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few good saves.
Arbeloa: 7 Solid defending.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock solid.
Skrtel: 7 Defend with ease.
Aurelio: 7.5 Superb assist and handled Robben well.
Alonso: 7.5 Controlled midfield and almost scored from own half.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb tackles.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard as usual and earned us the crucial free kick for the winner.
Benayoun: 8 Scored a great free header and was always dangerous.
Riera: 6.5 A quiet game and was unlucky to get a yellow and will miss the 2nd leg.
Torres: 6.5 Had a half chance but was saved. Affected by the ankle twist.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Not much contribution.
Gerrard/Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted that the players executed his game plan to perfection.

Real Madrid: 6.5 Apart from first 15 minutes they don't seem like they will win this game. But we need to beware of them.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Did the Stevie G role well.

Get an away goal

After a disappointing weekend the focus has now turned to Europe, and we are facing the mighty Real Madrid. They are extremely strong with their recent run, especially at home, and we may not risk Gerrard that soon, but Rafa will have enough information to prepare a plan to beat them. In any case an away goal is crucial.

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Benayoun
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090222 vs Manchester City: Dream fading away

1-1 and our title dream is gradually fading away. With 12 games to go and 7 points behind, it is now extremely difficult for us to win the title. Nevertheless if there is still s possibility, we shall keep fighting and who knows what will happen?

Without Stevie G and Xabi, we do not have any midfield creativity. Especially when we are 1 goal down we lost the midfield completely at all. However Benayoun continues his recent good run and his crossing helped created the equalizer. He was unlucky not to score the winning goal, but one player played well won't win us the game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Could not do much about the goal conceded.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Unlucky to have deflected the goal conceded.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the back but not much going forward.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defending.
Dossena: 6.5 Poor crossing.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid but could not create any opportunity for the forwards.
Mascherano: 6.5 Solid defending, but wasted many opportunities with his tame shots.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard and scored the equalizer.
Benayoun: 7.5 Created the equalizer.
Riera: 6.5 A quiet performance.
Torres: 6.5 Frustrated in the game.

Substitutions:
El Zhar/Aurelio/Babel: 6.5 Not much inputs to the game.

Rafa: 6.5 With a huge mountain to climb now.

Manchester City: 7 Probably their best away performance so far this season.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Unlucky not to be on the scoresheet.

Believe

After a break in the season the players are now fully recharged. With 13 games to go and 5 points behind, we need to believe in ourselves. Anything can happen, and with hope in your mind.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Benayoun
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090207 at Portsmouth: Determination drives us on

3-2 and we are so determined that at the end Rafa's gamble pays off. With players exhausted Rafa had to star with a very strange formation. Basically it is like playing Football Manager and Rafa just picked players with condition over 90%. We made some silly mistakes in defending but at the end when the big guns come on they helped us to victory and keeping pace in the title run.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Made a bad mistake in conceding the second goal.
Agger: 7 Solid defending.
Carragher: 7.5 Shield the defense very well.
Skrtel: 7.5 Did well defending and help created our first two goals.
Arbeloa: 7 Did well up and down.
Mascherano: 7 Did his job quiet but well.
Aurelio: 7.5 Scored a great goal and did well as makeshift midfielder.
Dossena: 7 Solid defending.
Benayoun: 8 Very lively performance capped with a superb assist for our winner.
Ngog: 6 Failed to make an impact.
Babel: 6 Lively performance but missed a sitter.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 7.5 A very good performance with a nicely taken goal.
Alonso: 7.5 Controlled midfield well when came up.
Torres: 7.5 Superb header winning us another game.

Rafa: 7 Forced to make change after the hard fought game in midweek but at the end he was spot on.

Portsmouth: 6.5 If they played like this week in week out they will survive.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Stood up and be counted.

Win it for our captain

With Stevie G injured and Lucas suspended we are now short of midfielder. Although Portsmouth is having lots of problem it is still a difficult place to visit. Yet we should be able to beat them, especially the prize is to regain the lead at least temporarily.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Benayoun
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090204 at Everton: Get well soon, Stevie G

0-1 and we lost a hard fought battle. Stevie G was injured early in the game, and a stupid by Lucas had us down to ten men. We kept fighting, but at the end a deflected goal ended our cup run. It was a really bad night for us.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did very well but at the end he was beaten by a deflected goal.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Did not go forward too often.
Carragher: 8 Solid as a rock and lead by example.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defending.
Dossena: 7 Good defending although he should go forward more often.
Alonso: 7 Did well in midfield.
Lucas: 5 Clumsy challenge that lead to the red card and our defeat.
Riera: 6.5 Did not go forward too often.
Gerrard: 6 Get well soon.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard especially after Gerrard injured.
Torres: 6 Not in form, and not interested in the game. Go down too easily.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6.5 Not as influential as the last 2 games.
Mascherano: 6.5 Did well in protecting the back 4.
Babel: 6 Not much offered.

Rafa: 6.5 Would need to sort out how we can cope without Gerrard especially now that Robbie Keane is gone.

Everton: 6.5 Did not do very well but with one man more, you expect them to win.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Did well although he would be gutted that we lose the derby.

3rd time lucky

After 2 successive draws against Everton this time there will only be one winner. Everton at home is difficult to beat, but we have confidence and the players are ready to beat them and go into the next round.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Dossena
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090201 vs Chelsea: Bravo!

2-0 and this is a well deserved victory. We controlled the game from the first minute and there was only one team who is trying to win the game. It looks like we will get another draw, but at the end two find strikes from Fernando Torres sealed us the victory, and we are back in the race for the title.

One major talking point of the game would be the red card. It did look like a red card when Lampard committed this foul, and without the aid of slow motion, the referee made a mistake, and the red card should be rescinded. But no matter what, one team is going to win the game, and it is Liverpool.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Very solid with very few things to do apart from running all the way to celebrate Torres' first goal.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Very assured performance.
Carragher: 8 Rock solid.
Skrtel: 7.5 Solid performance.
Aurelio: 7.5 Solid in defense and provided a wonderful assist.
Alonso: 8 Very accurate passes.
Mascherano: 7 Tackles after tackles as usual.
Kuyt: 7 Work extremely hard.
Gerrard: 7.5 Tried very hard to win the game, including a few hard tackles and a dive.
Riera: 7 Have two chances in 1H but missed both.
Torres: 8.5 Still not back to his best, but the two goals are well taken.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 8 Came on with an impact.
Babel: 7 Just run and run without a clear goal.
Ngog: 6.5 Not enough time to kick the ball.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the victory and his gamble in leaving Keane out. Now we need to keep chasing.

Chelsea: 6 Did not deserve to get anything from this game, with or without the red card.

Man of the Match: Torres. First goals at Kop end since May.

Forget January

After the miserable January we now entered February and things will go better, started with the news that Rafa is getting what he wishes in control in transfer. Chelsea has a mini revival recently, but this is a home game and we will go for this game to maintain pressure on the top.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

January Month Review

1 win and 3 draws, and we are now down to 3rd place with 2 points behind having played 1 more game with a far worse goal difference, and are still hanging on the FA Cup. Too many draws this season has been killing our chance of winning the league, and Rafa seems to have lost the plot. We definitely need to clear up the mess and play better in February. At least January is now over, and we normally play much better in February under Rafa.

Players of the month: (1) Gerrard 7.51 (2) Reina 6.88 (3) Riera 6.88. Stevie G has not been affected by the court case and continues to shine, but he himself alone cannot drive us to glory. All the other players are playing badly, with Reina and Riera doing slightly better than the others.

February prediction:
2/1 Chelsea (h) If we do not win this game, our dream for league title will be almost over.
2/4 Everton (a) Another make or break game if we want to win FA Cup. But this time they will not park the bus in front of their fans.
2/7 Portsmouth (a) A trip to the south is always tough especially for a 5:30 game. Portsmouth are having bad times recently so we need to seize our chance.
2/14 Doncaster/Aston Villa (h) If we get pass Everton this will be another hurdle for our Cup glory, but this game will be at Anfield so we will have the advantage.
2/22 Manchester City (h) Last time we have the belief and won from behind. Surely we can win this again.
2/25 Real Madrid (a) Back to Europe, Rafa and Torres will be fire up for this.
2/28 Middlesbrough (a) A potential trouble game, but we have enough power to overcome it.

Match Report 090128 at Wigan Athletic: Sort out the mess!

1-1 and once again we were denied a victory. The players just did not have the right mentality to hold on for a win, and we are further slipped to 3rd place. Rafa seems to be a bit loss the plot, and we need him to be back to normal ASAP in order to have a real fight. Starting in February.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A steady performance, but where were he when Lucas conceded the penalty?
Carragher: 6.5 Disappointed not to win on his birthday.
Skrtel: 6.5 Steady performance.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did not offer much going forward.
Mascherano: 7 Superb assist and solid tackles.
Lucas: 6 Good overall but conceded a poor penalty.
Benayoun: 7.5 Scored a wonderful individual goal.
Gerrard: 7 Good performance but lack that spark for a second goal.
Babel: 6.5 A better performance.
Torres: 6.5 Had one chance but hit the post.

Substitutions:
Riera/Kuyt: 6 Not much offered.
Keane: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Need to sort out the mess as soon as possible. We are gradually fading in challenging top spot.

Wigan Athletic: Did not do much to deserve more than a win.

Man of the Match: Benayoun: A great goal but not enough.

Start winning again

After 3 consecutive draws and conceded pole position, we now need to start winning again. As Sami said every game is now a must win game. Although Wigan did not have good result recently, they did gave us a lot of problems at home, and we need to be alert going to their place.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Kuyt
Alonso
Gerrard
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090125 vs Everton: Disappointed again

1-1 and this is another frustrating draw. Once again we dominated the game but failed to score one more goal. Now we need to visit them next Wednesday, which put us in an awful position as games are piling up. The road to glory is becoming rougher, but we need to fight till the end.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can do nothing about that goal.
Arbeloa: 6.5 Glad to see him coming back.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid in defense.
Skrtel: 6.5 One lapse of mind led to the goal conceded.
Dossena: 6.5 Did well especially going forward.
Alonso: 6.5 Should have mark Cahill better during corner.
Mascherano: 6.5 Did well, but should have stay on the ground firmer.
Kuyt: 6.5 Should have shot the ball better.
Gerrard: 8 Once again saved us the day.
Babel: 6 No real contribution.
Torres: 6.5 Superb assist and getting closer to top form.

Substitution:
Riera: 6 Not much contribution.

Rafa: 6 Should be disappointed in getting another unwanted game. But we definitely need to work out on set pieces.

Everton: 6.5 Come for a draw and get what they want.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Bring us to a replay, but is it a good thing?

Take two

After a disappointing draw on Monday this is now a chance for us to move on. Rafa will rest certain players, but we still have enough manpower to win this game.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Dossena
Benayoun
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090119 vs Everton: We did not do enough to win

1-1 and it is very disappointing as Everton seems to be the team that want to win it more. We did not work hard enough, and defense had made a big mistake and paid the price. At the end of the day, a draw is not too bad, and we still have 16 games to go. And we will keep on fighting till the end.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did very well but that goal conceded was too good.
Carragher: 6.5 Not much offered going forward.
Skrtel: 6.5 May have conceded a penalty just before we scored.
Hyypia: 6.5 Solid in defense.
Aurelio: 6.5 Solid but without going forward too often.
Kuyt: 7 Hard working as usual.
Gerrard: 8 Scored a great goal but unfortunately it was not enough.
Alonso: 6.5 Solid in the midfield.
Riera: 6.5 Did not offered too much from the side.
Keane: 6 Very quiet performance.
Torres: 6.5 Should have scored and won a penalty for us.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6 Did not offer too much, and conceded freekicks too often.
Lucas/Babel: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 It becomes more and more difficult, but we will fight till the end.

Everton: 7 Solid as a team, came for a point and get what they deserved.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. 250th captaining but unfortunately his goal was not enough to bring us victory.

Regain the top spot

With so many off the field sagas happening and everybody else winning, this game becomes more important. Everton will be without many players, but they will gear up to face us. And we need to be at our best to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090110 at Stoke City: Frustated

0-0 and we were deeply frustrated by Stoke City. We started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which we did extremely well at Newcastle. Unfortunately with Xabi injured this time we could not break the Stoke defense, as we lost midfield completely. Credits to Stoke as well, they did create many chances and not just sitting back. At the end a draw away is not too bad, but we are now in danger of being overtaken.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well in defending the set pieces.
Carragher: 7 Solid in defending.
Skrtel: 7 A bit rusty but in general a good come back.
Hyypia: 7.5 Solid in defending and almost scored.
Aurelio: 7 Good display after so many games out.
Lucas: 6 Too many miss passes.
Mascherano: 7 Closing down the opponents well.
Benayoun: 6 Failed to break down the Stoke defense.
Gerrard: 6.5 Was double marked and did not shown up until late.
Riera: 7 Provided a few great crosses.
Kuyt: 6.5 Did not do well as lone striker.

Substitutions:
Torres: 6.5 A quiet performance.
Babel: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed that the team failed to break through tough opponents.

Stoke City: 7 Credits to them, they executed their game plan well and was rewarded with a point.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. 700 superb displays.

Move forward

With Chelsea playing on Sunday a win today will bring us 6 points clear on top for a day. We failed to break down Stoke at home, and they have Delap's free throw attack, but the team is well prepared to tear them down.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 090103 at Preston North End: Business as usual

2-0 and we extended our winning streak. Stevie G was not affected by the off the field saga and played a good game, and we were basically in control despite not scoring the second goal in the last minute. In general this is a good result and we are through to the next round, with Everton awaiting for a rematch of the 1989 Final.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7 A clean sheet although sometimes he was not as convinced as Reina.
Carragher: 7 Battling as hard as usual.
Agger: 7 Did well up front and behind.
Hyypia: 7 Solid defense.
Insua: 7 Another impressive performance.
Alonso: 7.5 Did well before injured.
Mascherano: 7 Solid display.
Babel: 6 Committed more fouls than having scoring opportunities. Disappointing.
Gerrard: 8 Superb performance and was a bit unlucky not to score.
Riera: 7.5 Superb goal.
Keane: 6.5 Missed a lot of chances.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7 Nice performance.
Torres: 7 Scored an easy tap-in to rediscover his scoring touch thanks to the Captain.
Aurelio: 7 Good to see him back.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted to see the team go through to the 4th round.

Preston North End: 6.5 Credits to them for fighting till the end, although at the end the difference in class tells the difference.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Unselfish performance that lift the team to victory.

Steven Gerrard is our captain

So many times, when we were in trouble, he stood up and be counted.

Now he is in trouble, so it is time for us to repay him.

For we are one team, we are Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard is our captain
Steven Gerrard is a red
Steven Gerrard plays for Liverpool
A scouser born and bred

Support our captain

After a week of headlines on the wrong page it is good to be back to football. We need to support our captain during the hard time, for he has given us so many joy in the past, and it is now time for us to show him our support.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Lucas
El Zhar
Gerrard
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

December Month Review

4 wins, 3 draws and we sit on top of the league with a 3 point lead, and finished top of the table in Champions League. Two consecutive home draws against lower teams had lead to many questions from the critics, but we responded well with two impressive wins after Christmas. If we can maintain our performance in the second half, we definitely have a chance to win the league.

Players Rating: (1) Gerrard 7.62 (2) Hyypia 7.5 (3) Alonso 7.31. With 5 goals and 3 assists Stevie G once again took the top spot. Hyypia proved he is still capable in playing in the top by some superb defensive displays and one superb header. And Alonso continues his superb run and scored 2 goals.

January prediction:
1/3 Preston North End (a) Away at Preston won't be easy and we need to play very well if we want to take this game.
1/10 Stoke City (a) We were held at home and we need to make sure we will get 3 points at Britannia Stadium.
1/19 Everton (h) Everton will be fired up so we need to be prepared for the game.
1/24 FA Cup 4th round proper Depend on the draw, but we should have enough power to go through.
1/27 Wigan Athletic (a) We were almost humiliated at home vs Wigan Athletic, so we need to ensure this time we can win it easier.

Match Report 081228 at Newcastle United: As good as it should be

5-1 and it is a really superb result. We controlled the game from the beginning till the end, and the scoreline can be doubled if we seize our chances. With Chelsea subsequently drawn our lead is now extended to three points going into 2009. If we can keep up performance like this we will definitely win the league.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do.
Carragher: 7.5 May be at fault in the goal conceded, but in general a good performance.
Agger: 7.5 Solid display.
Hyypia: 8 Scored a great header and could score a hat trick.
Insua: 7.5 Another solid performance.
Lucas: 8 Should have scored a hat trick.
Mascherano: 7.5 Determined to break down Newcastle any opportunities
Benayoun: 8 Very lively performance.
Gerrard: 9 Two great goals and created another 2 goals.
Babel: 7.5 Good performance.
Kuyt: 8 Superb workrate to break through the Newcastle defense.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 7.5 Great vision as usual.
Ngog: 7 Nice runs and forced a penalty.
Skrtel: 7 Great to see him back in action.

Rafa: 8 Would be delighted about the performance and the challenge is to maintain it.

Newcastle United: 6 Have no offering to show they can get at least point from the game.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. We need more of this performance.

Extend the lead

With us playing before Chelsea and Man United it is a perfect chance to exert more pressure to them if we win the game. Newcastle at home will be tough to beat, but with the team warmed up for the first half, we have the mentality and ability to crush them on our way to glory.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Agger
Hyypia
Insua
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

2008/09 Mid Term Report

All is well in the first half. We played 29 games in the first half with 18 wins, 9 draws and 2 defeats. In the league we have 12 wins, 6 draws and 1 defeats with 42 points and are sitting on top of the league, 1 point ahead of Chelsea. This is much better than the same period last time (P19 W10 D7 L2 with 37 points). We did very well against the other big 4 with 2 wins and 1 draw, but 4 draws at home (3 of them were 0-0 against lower teams) means we cannot extend our lead even more. In the Champions League we qualified with style and will now play Real Madrid, which is a great game for everybody.

Departmental Comments:
Goalkeeper
Reina is as best as usual with 14 clean sheets in 27 games, but Cavalieri is yet to show he can be a decent challenger yet.

Defender
Carragher is doing extremely well in both center back and right back. In the start of the season it was Skrtel who clinched to the other center back position, but once he is injured Agger just slotted in smoothly. Although Hyypia did not get into the Champions League lineup due to the rule of domestic players, he is as reliable as ever when called up in the league and cup games. On the side, Arbeloa is having his best season with us and kept the right back position his own, but on the left Aurelio did well until he was injured, and Dossena is still adapting to the pace of Premier League. But Insua is showing signs he is ready to challenge the position as well.

Midfielder
Gerrard is driving the team forward as usual with many wonderful performances and is our leading scorer. With the transfer saga in pre-season finally over, Alonso is determined to prove he is worth a place in the team and is now back to his very best. Mascherano and Lucas are also playing well in the midfield. On the wings Kuyt is becoming a very good winger, and Benayoun always do well when called upon. El Zhar is also maturing very quickly and is one of the surprised package of the first half. On the left side with Riera joining us we finally have a good left winger who is constantly providing deadly crosses and scoring goals. Howver, Babel is not playing well and as a result he is not getting as many games as he wish.

Attacker
Torres had been sidelined twice in the first half but still managed to score 5 goals, although he is yet to score at Anfield this season. Kuyt is having a great season and had scored many important goals. Despite having a slow start as usual, Keane is showing signs of adapting into the team and had played much better recently. Ngog is yet to show signs to challenge in this department, but his time will come.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Cavalieri: 3G 270M 6GC 0CS 0MoM 5.83
Gulacsi: 2 unused substitutes
Reina: 26G 2370M 16GC 14CS 2MoM 7.13

Defenders
Agger: 15G 1350M 1GS 1A 1MoM 6.83
Arbeloa: 25G 2241M 1GS 1A 0MoM 6.75
Aurelio: 15G 1022M 0GS 3A 0MoM 7.03
Carragher: 28G 2468M 1GS 0A 1MoM 6.97
Darby: 2G 27M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.39
Degen: 2G 157M 0GS 0A 0MoM 5.96
Dosenna: 16G 1298M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.34
Hyypia: 12G 813M 1GS 0A 2MoM 7.22
Insua: 5G 394M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.91
Kelly: 1G 9M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50

Midfielders
Alonso: 26G 2096M 2GS 2A 5MoM 7.13
Babel: 20G 820M 2GS 3A 0MoM 6.59
Benayoun: 21G 1044M 1GS 2A 0MoM 6.65
El Zhar: 12G 334M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.63
Gerrard: 24G 1969M 11GS 5A 7MoM 7.57
Kuyt: 26G 2250M 7GS 5A 1MoM 7.15
Lucas: 18G 805M 1GS 2A 1.5MoM 6.69
Mascherano: 15G 1279M 0GS 0A 2MoM 7.03
Pennant: 4G 247M 0GS 2A 0MoM 7.05
Riera: 22G 1480M 3GS 1A 0MoM 6.88
Spearing: 1G 14M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50

Attackers:
Keane: 25G 1634M 7GS 5A 3.5MoM 6.93
Ngog: 8G 365M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.33
Torres: 16G 1153M 5GS 2A 3MoM 7.04
Voronin: 1 unused substitute

Players of 1st half season (1848 mins or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.57
(2) Kuyt 7.15
(3) Alonso 7.13
(4) Reina 7.13
(5) Carragher 6.97

Team: 6.94. The team scoring is actually 0.01 lower than last season but we get more points. This is probably due to more consistency within the team. We did not score enough goals but our defense is solid enough to earn us points. With Torres coming back and Keane starts to score goal with fun, we should be able to score more goals in the second half of the season. As usual we have lots of possessions and shoting chances, but we can still improve especially at home. We need to find ways to break through the stubborn defense of the opponents.

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-5th place teams (Chelsea H, Manchester United A, Aston Villa H, Arsenal H) 3W1D
6th-10th place teams (Everton H, Hull City A, Fulham A, Wigan Athletic A) 3W1D
11th-15th place teams (Portsmouth A, Newcastle United H/A, West Ham United A, Sunderland H, Manchester City H) 5W1D
16th-20th place teams (Tottenham Hotspur H, Middlesbrough A, Stoke City A, Blackburn Rovers H, West Bromwich Albion A) 5W

Total for 2H 16W3D 51 points
Total for the season 93 points

With 93 points we will win the league .

In FA Cup, Preston North Point will be a tough challenge for the team, but we should be able to pass through and have a good cup run In Champions League, Real Madrid will be tough to beat, but we will be feared in Europe. However the priority is the League no doubt.

Match Report 081226 vs Bolton Wanderers: Keane on fire

3-0 and Keane finally getting back to his best. We were in control of the game and we need to play like this more often. With Torres also edging back to the first team our second half performance should be better.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not really tested and shown his great vision in creating the 3rd goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Did well as the make-shift right back and almost scored a great goal.
Agger: 7.5 Solid performance.
Hyypia: 7.5 As reliable as ever.
Insua: 7.5 Going to take the left back position as his own.
Benayoun: 7.5 Always threatening.
Gerrard: 7.5 Created two goals.
Alonso: 7.5 Great vision in passing the ball.
Riera: 7.5 A great goal to open the floodgate.
Keane: 8 Two great goals to boast his performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Another hard working performance.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 7 Provided width to the team.
Lucas/Ngog: 7 Did well when called upon.

Sammy: 7.5 Would be delighted about this performance.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Did not do anything to guarantee any return.

Man of the Match: Keane. Did much better in 2nd half as usual.

On top on Christmas Day

It is a good feeling to sit on the top on Christmas day, but we still need to fight till the end to win the league. It is Bolton again, and we need to find ways to crack the stubborn defenses of the opponents and start winning at home again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 081221 at Arsenal: We missed the chance to extend the lead

1-1 and we failed to extend our lead to four points. In truth a draw at Arsenal is not a bad result, and it is only December, but still another draw, especially with a man's advantage, it is slightly disappointing.

Credits to Arsenal, as they were very determined to get something from the game, and their goal is unstoppable. And we did not show enough determination to win the game, so at the end a draw is not a bad result.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Can't do much on the goal conceded, and not much else to do.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A bit over react on getting Adebayor sent off.
Carragher: 6.5 At times finding it difficult to mark Adebayor and van Persie, but in general he was solid as usual.
Agger: 7 Provided a nice pass to Keane's goal, and almost scored in the last minute.
Insua: 7 Impressive performance by the young Argentinian.
Alonso: 7.5 A very good performance and shown us why Wenger wanted to get him.
Lucas: 7 A determined game, always tackle to win the ball.
Kuyt: 7 Had a few great chance but could not score.
Gerrard: 7 Missed a great chance at the end of the first half.
Riera: 6.5 Found it difficult to get pass the Arsenal defense.
Keane: 7 A superb volley to earn us a point.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Very poor performance.
El Zhar: 6.5 Had a nice header just off the post.
Ngog: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Sammi Lee: 6.5 Had the hot seat with Rafa on sick leave, but still Rafa was in full control. Would be disappointed not to win the game.

Arsenal: 6.5 Apart from the goal they did not have too many clear cut chances. Playing beautiful does not earn you any point, and with Fabregas out for injury, they have a high wall to climb.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Many lovely passes.

Break another duck

We have yet to win at Emirates Stadium and this game will give us another chance to do so. Arsenal will be up for this game in order to maintain a shout in the title race and keep up with Villa, we will not have Torres, but still the remaining players will have enough power to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081213 vs Hull City: Missed opportunity

2-2 and after the results of the weekend, we found ourselves missed another opportunity to extend our lead to 4 points.

We started great but gradually Hull was back into the game. From two set pieces we found ourselves two goals down, but fortunately we have Stevie G once again saved the day. We try hard to bomber Hull, but at the end it was another two points dropped.

A big talking point is that Rafa did not play Robbie Keane. While this is a questionable move but as a team we win together and lose together. The manager has his thinking of using or not using a certain player, and there is no point to complain. After all, we are Liverpool and we are a great team with great togetherness.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Should have done better in saving the second goal.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A steady performance.
Carragher: 5 Argued with the referee and let Hull had a fast break that lead to the second goal. Was unfortunate for the own goal, but he should be more attention in the free kick in the first place.
Hyypia: 7 Did well and almost scored from corner.
Dossena: 5.5 Could not cope with the pace of Mendy, although he did well in crossing the ball into the penalty area.
Alonso: 6.5 Did well but couldn't score the winner.
Mascherano: 6.5 Should have provide more protection to the back 4.
Benayoun: 6.5 Always dangerous but was a bit indecisive in front of the goal.
Gerrard: 8 Two great goal to give us one point.
Riera: 6.5 Form gradually getting back.
Kuyt: 7 Hard working but did not score.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6 Provide more width to the team.
Babel/Lucas: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to sort out the problem of not winning at home.

Hull City: 7 Credits to Hull, they came here not feared and deserved to take a point home.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Saved the day again.

Extend our lead

With Chelski playing on Sunday this is a perfect time to extend our lead to 4 points to exert some pressure on them. Hull has been the surprised team in this season and we need to be very careful to avoid another setback, but with the big guns rested, we should be ready for the challenge.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Benayoun
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 081209 at PSV Eindhoven: Job done from team B

3-1 and it was a job well done by our team B. It was particular encouraging to see three local young lads came through the rank and played in this game. Once again Keane did not score but his performance was really good and unselfish. We now finish top and will have the second game of next round played at Anfield, which is good.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7 Did well in the game.
Arbeloa: 7 Consistent display and were unlucky to get a yellow card.
Carragher: 7 Solid as ever.
Agger: 7 Another nice display.
Dossena: 7 Grafually gelled into the team.
Babel: 7 Scored a nice header and did much better.
Lucas: 7.5 A very good performance with a superb assist from free kick.
Mascherano: 7 Composed and was rewarded with the captain armband when Carra is rested.
Riera: 7 Scored a beauty from far range.
Ngog: 7 In general wasteful, but at the end benefited from Keane's superb pass.
Keane: 7 Unselfish act and helped teammates to score.

Substitutions:
Darby/Kelly/Spearing: 6.5 Very encouraging to see three local lads come through the rank.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the performance in general.

PSV Eindhoven: 6 Tried very hard but at the end the gap of class tells the difference.

Man of the Match: Lucas. Repaid the faith from Rafa.

Fight for the top spot

Although we are qualified for the next round we still should try to top the league, for we can then have the second leg played at home. PSV is also fighting for pride and third place, and Rafa will rest some players, but we still have enough power to take the game. Especially Keane should proof himself and play well.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Benayoun
Mascherano
Lucas
Riera
Babel
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081206 at Blackburn Rovers: Patience pays

3-1 and we won the game thanks to the patience of the players. Blackburn was defended very well in the first hour and it was not until Xabi's excellent placing that opened the gap that we created more chances and won the game. It was a tough game but at the end the win was justified.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Superb one hand save in 1H. Was let down by the defenders in conceding that soft goal.
Arbeloa: 7 Another good performance and superb climb to celebrate the Xabi goal.
Carragher: 7 Superb as usual.
Hyypia: 7.5 Shown he can be relied on when required.
Insua: 7 A good performance despite somewhat losing attention for the goal conceded.
Alonso: 8 Determined to win the game.
Mascherano: 7 Solid performance.
Benayoun: 7.5 Nice performance and was rewarded with a nice individual goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Created the first goal and finished the last goal.
Babel: 5.5 Disappointing especially for the handball.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked very hard and created two goals.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 7.5 Came up and changed the game.
Lucas: 7 Not enough time to impress.
Riera: 7 Unselfish and assisted Stevie G the goal.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the way we played and scored the goal, although he will be upset about the way we conceded the goal.

Blackburn Rovers: 6.5 Defended well for 60 minutes but at the end the result is justified.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Lifted us from another bored draw.

Above us only sky

We are now at the top of the table, and above us only sky. As King Kenny said, we need to enjoy ourselves and result will get in. We are up where we belong, and we will get results along the way, with old boys like Fowler, Ince and Warnock cheering for us.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081201 vs West Ham United: Top of the league

0-0 is enough to bring us to the top of the league, although we should have won the game. We were in control from beginning to end, if not for some dubious referee decision of not giving out handball and for West Ham's superb defense, we should have 3 points in our bag. Anyway it is only December and we still have a long way to go. We need to keep getting results and when May comes, we will be the Champions.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Superb performance as usual.
Arbeloa: 7 An assured performance.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Hyypia: 7.5 Superb on both ends of the ground.
Dossena: 7 Played with more confidence.
Benayoun: 7 Had a golden chance denied.
Gerrard: 7 Didn't have the major touch this time.
Alonso: 7 Solid display.
Riera: 6.5 Not as effective as he should be.
Kuyt: 7 Did well but couldn't break the wall.
Keane: 6 Need to improve as soon as possible.

Substitutions:
Ngog/Babel: 6 Didn't do much to change the game.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to find ways to break down the opponent defense especially at home.

West Ham United: 7 Solid defense.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Always there when called upon.

To the top

With Chelsea losing a win will mean we will be 3 points ahead again. West Ham does not have a good season and if we play well we will beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Thanks Stevie

Thanks a lot Stevie.

During the past 10 years you have provided us many joyful moments.

You have ups and downs, but it was the low points, particular the Chekski saga, that makes you rebound and keep you running.

You have won most of the glories that the Club has get, and there is still one missing item, which we will win very soon.

Thanks for the first 10 years, and we look forward for the next 10 years with more glories.

November Month Review

3 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats and we are still joint top in the league and qualified for the last 16 of Champions League, despite out of League Cup. We started the month with the first defeat at Spurs and then we drew vs Atletico and beat West Bromwich Albion. We then get beaten by Spurs again in the League Cup, and then we win at Bolton but drawn at home vs Fulham. At the end of the month, another mightly Stevie G goal and we are through in the Champions League.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.61 (2) Alonso 7.31 (3) Aurelio 7.06. Gerrard scored 3 great goals in the month that also is his 10th anniversary with the Club. Xabi also did well in the month with a nice assist to the winning goal vs Marseille. And Aurelio just get the left back post his own and played consistently well.

December prediction:
12/1 West Ham United (h) West Ham is inconsistent and we need to get points.
12/6 Blackburn Rovers (a) A tough game on the road but we will be ready for the challenge.
12/9 PSV Eindhoven (a) Although we want to finish top but the key is to let the youngsters to gain some experience.
12/13 Hull City (h) Hull is the surprised package but their good run is running out and we need to take our chance.
12/21 Arsenal (a) A tough away game and we need to be at our best to beat them.
12/26 Bolton Wanderers (h) Bolton will want revenge and we need to be guarded to get 3 points.
12/28 Newcastle United (a) A tough away game to end the year.

Match Report 081126 vs Marseille: Job done

1-0 and we are through to the next round of Champions League. Although we did not do too well especially in the second half but at the end Stevie G's 30th goal in Europe is sufficient to see us through. Whether we finish first or second does not really matter, and now we can give the young guns a go in the last game at PSV.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few great saves to keep another clean sheet.
Arbeloa: 7 Another nice performance.
Carragher/Agger: 7.5 Two rocks in the centre.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did well before his substitution.
Alonso: 7.5 Superb crossing for the goal.
Mascherano: 6.5 A bit moody that affected his performance.
Kuyt/Riera: 6.5 Good performance although not particular shining.
Gerrard: 8 Pin-point header that secured our qualification.
Torres: 7 Edging closer to his peak.

Substitutions:
Dossena: 6.5 Almost conceded a penalty but also threw himself to block many shots.
Benayoun: 6.5 Failed to create another goal.
Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the result despite a few scary moment in the second half.

Marseille: 6.5 Did their best to resurrect but it was too little, too late.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Another superb European night.

Qualify

A draw tonight will mean we are qualified to the next round, and we need to do it so that Rafa can try some youngsters in the last match. Marseille was the surprised winner last year at Anfield and we need to be guarded to prevent the same to happen again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081122 vs Fulham: Chance missed

0-0 and we missed a great chance to go ahead of Chelsea on a rare day they slipped at home. With Gerrard, there is really not enough players to drive the team. The only fortunate thing is that the other title contenders also draw or lose, so at least we are not losing ground.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet and he did well at the rare occasions he was called on.
Arbeloa: 7 One of the better player of the night. Went forward as much as he could.
Carragher: 7 Solid as the captain.
Agger: 6.5 Did well in defense, but not much offered for attack during corners.
Aurelio: 6.5 A nice game.
Kuyt: 6 Had a great chance denied.
Lucas: 6 Many missed passes.
Mascherano: 6 A poor game by his standard.
Riera: 6 Form continued to dip.
Keane: 6 Great chance denied.
Torres: 7.5 The only player daring to win the game.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 7.5 Provided many accurate passes.
Babel/El Zhar: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the result. Also need to teach the team to motivate against lesser teams.

Fulham: 6.5 Came for 1 point and got what they wanted.

Man of the Match: 7.5 Getting closer to his peak.

Keep moving on the right track

Fulham has been quite strong and winning the last 2 games. However they are very poor travellers and we should put this in mind and try to get the 3 points and keep moving on the right track.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Kuyt
Alonso
Mascherano
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081115 at Bolton Wanderers: Back on the right track

2-0 and this is a nice win that bring us back on the right track. We controlled the game and apart from a scary spell in the first 15 minutes of second half there is only one leader. At the end two nice headers and the game is over.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not really tested.
Carragher: 7 Played well as debuty right back, although he did not offer much attacking.
Agger: 7 Solid display.
Hyypia: 7 At time unable to cope with the speed of Gardner, but in general he had a good game.
Aurelio: 7.5 Did well going forward with a nice assist.
Alonso: 8 Superb passing and dictated the game.
Mascherano: 7 Tackle and tackle.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored an acute header.
Gerrard: 7.5 Superb diving header.
Riera: 7 Nice display.
Keane: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7.5 Hardworking and was rewarded with a nice assist.
Lucas: 7 Should have scored from 6 yards.
Benayoun: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the way we control the game, although we cannot score a goal by foot.

Bolton Wanderers: 6 Potential banana skin but did not shown up in 1H.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Playing near his peak for us.

Go back to the right track

After a dismal result at Spurs we now need to go back to the right track as soon as possible. Bolton is a difficult place to visit and we need to be patience to gradually break them through.

My Team Prediction:
Reina

Carragher
Darby
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081112 at Tottenham Hotspur: Shamble defense

2-4 and we were well beaten. Defense from both sides were shamble, and we may have a penalty denied, but in reality we really don't deserve to win this game at all.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 4 Can't be blamed on the first goal, but should have done better for the others.
Degen: 5 Should have win us a penalty.
Agger: 5.5 Poor performance.
Hyypia: 7 The only player to have shown up.
Dossena: 5 Hopeless.
El Zhar: 6.5 Had a few nice runs.
Lucas: 5.5 Sat too deep without helping attack.
Plessis: 6 Scored one but in general sat too deep as well.
Babel: 6 Two nice corners lead to two goals.
Ngog: 5.5 Run into defenders all the time.
Torres: 5.5 Still getting back from injury.

Substitutions:
Insua: 6 Offered very few to the team.
Alonso: 6.5 Installed some stability to the team.
Darby: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Would be upset about the team playing with no heart.

Tottenham Hotspur: 7.5 Have more desire to win than us, and rightly deserved the victory.

Man of the Match: Hyypia. Scored one to restore us some pride.

Second string to shine

After our surprised defeat at Spurs 10 11 days ago we are now back to White Hart Lane and this is a chance for us to revenge. Rafa will only play most of the fringe players apart from Torres, and we need to be at our very best to beat Spurs the defending champion.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Degan
Agger
Hyypia
Dossena
Leiva
Plessis
Pennant
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081108 vs West Bromwich Albion: Back on the right track

3-0 and it was a comfortable win. Keane finally opens his account in the league, and Arbeloa scored another superb goal. Apart from the first 15 minutes when West Brom was keeping possession well, we were never in trouble. We always had the ball, and once Keane scored his first we were in complete control. Together with Torres back in action, we can now start another long unbeaten run.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A comfortable afternoon.
Arbeloa: 8 A very good performance ended with a supreme goal.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Agger: 7 Defended well.
Aurelio: 8 His best performance for us and involved in the first two goals.
Benayoun: 7 A lively performance.
Gerrard: 7 Not as influential, but there was not a need.
Mascherano: 7 Solid performance.
Riera: 7 Not as sharp as he first joined us.
Kuyt: 7.5 Another hard working performance.
Keane: 9 His best performance for us so far.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 A steady performance.
Torres: 6.5 A long-awaited back to action. Provided some pace to us.
Alonso: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the performance especially the rebound from the Spurs defeat.

West Bromwich Albion: 6 Credits to them for not parking the bus. However they did not offer much to guarantee at least a draw.

Man of the Match: Keane. Two superb goals.

Rebound

After an unlucky defeat at Spurs and a lucky draw vs Atletico Madrid, it is now time for us to rebound. A loss in the season is not unusual, but if we want to be Champion we need to show the world we can cope of it, and rebound to start another winning streak.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 4:0

Match Report 081104 vs Atletico Madrid: Lucky Escape

1-1 and it was a very, very lucky and close escape, as Stevie G needs to score a 95th minute penalty before we can get a draw, and the penalty was a bit debatable. We did not do well in 1H and was rightly punished. We geared up a bit in 2H but still couldn't break through, until the very last minute that the referee generously gave us a penalty.

In general the team is tired, and we missed Torres badly. Without him, we just cannot convert chances into goals, as can be seen in the last 5 matches with a single goal only.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Not much to do and can't do much for the goal conceded.
Arbeloa/Aurelio: 6.5 Did not go forward too often.
Carragher: 7 Solid defense in general.
Agger: 7.5 Had several chances to score but missed.
Alonso: 7 Dictate the pace well.
Mascherano: 7 Quiet and effective.
Kuyt: 7 Hard working as usual.
Gerrard: 7.5 His never-say-die spirit earned us a point.
Riera: 6.5 Form dipped.
Keane: 6.5 Has a great chance but was too late to shot.

Substitutions:
Babel/Ngog/Lucas: 6 Not much impact.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to address the team's lack of goals. But with Torres coming back, the situation may change.

Atletico Madrid: Did well and were a bit unlucky not to win this game. Anyway, both teams should go through to last 16.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Saved us again.

Qualification

After a disappointing weekend we now have another big game coming up. Depending on result of Marseille vs PSV, a win tonight may see us qualified, which means we can then focus on the league. Torres may be a bit early to start, but expect him to come up as a sub and get the applause from both sides of fans.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081101 at Tottenham Hotspur: Unlucky

1-2 and we suffered our first defeat of the season, and temporarily conceded the pole position. For the first 70 minutes, in particular the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, we did very well and could win by 4:0, but somehow we only scored one and then we get punished for missing so many chances. Carra scored his 3rd own goal against Spurs, and at the end a sloppy mistake by the defense let Spurs out of the lion den with 3 points.

A loss in this context is very hard to take, but over the season we will concede points here and there, and now we need to react and rebound quickly. Show the world we can win the league.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Made a few great saves but was also a bit indecisive. May have affected the defense.
Arbeloa: 6.5 A bit shaky.
Carragher: 6 Was superb until the own goal.
Agger: 6.5 Should have done better in clearing the 2nd goal conceded.
Dosenna: 6.5 Get caught off position for the 2nd goal conceded.
Alonso: 7 Did well and should have scored from a free header.
Mascherano: 7 Did his job effectively.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored a great goal and should have score more.
Gerrard: 8 Hit the woodwork twice.
Riera: 6 A bit quiet.
Keane: 6.5 Did well in 1H but level drops significantly in 2H.

Substitutions:
Babel/Benayoun: 6 Not much impact.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be gutted in losing the match, but now need to make sure we respond positively.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6.5 Would be glad they win this game. Clearly good luck is more important than good football. And if their luck continues they will avoid relegation.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Very unlucky not to score a goal and win the game.

Beware of the banana skin

After a hard earned victory against Portsmouth we now have a tricky game at Spurs who has a new manager and have high spirit after their amazing come back from 2-4 at Arsenal. Rafa has rested a few players for the midweek game and although Torres seem to be still a few days from a start, we still have the manpower to win the game and maintain the 3 point lead. Keane will be in particular eager to have a great game in his memorial first game back to the Lane.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

October Month Review

5 wins, 1 draw, and we are on top of both the Premier League and Champions League group table. We were perfect in the league with 4 wins, 2 dramatic came from behind followed by a superb win at Chelsea, and then we break down the tight defense of Portsmouth to maintain a 3 point lead in the table. In Europe we continued our good run by beating PSV but a rare mistake let Atletico equalised. In general this is a very good month, but there are still 7 months to go and we need to keeping fighting till the end.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.85 (2) Kuyt 7.79 (3) Alonso 7.60. Stevie G once again excels with 2 goals and 2 assists in the month, and he has been the engine in driving us forward. Kuyt did very well in the absense of Torres and scored 4 goals including 2 match winners in our comebacks. Xabi also did very well throughout the month, with a highlight of scoring the winning goal at Stamford Bridge.

November prediction:
11/1 Tottenham Hotspur (a) Spurs is on a high after the dramatic comeback at Arsenal, so we need to be at our best to tear the down for Keane's return.
11/4 Atletico Madrid (h) Torres to welcome his buddy, and a win will guarantee our entrance in the last 16.
11/8 West Bromwich Albion (h) West Brom will be defending hard so we need to be patient to break them down.
11/12 Tottenham Hotspur (a) Rafa will rest some key players but whoever play need to be at their best to go through.
11/15 Bolton Wanderers (a) Win this game for Sammy Lee to maintain the momentum.
11/22 Fulham (h) Another stubborn defense to break down.
11/26 Marseille (h) Whichever team Rafa put on for this match would need to perform well to get another 3 points.

Match Report 081029 vs Portsmouth: Patience is the key

1-0 and Stevie G has once again saved the team and won us a crucial 3 points. Portsmouth came with an idea to get a point, and we need to be patient to tear down their defense. At the end our patience paid off, and from a wild needless handball by Diop we earned a penalty, Gerrard converted the resulting penalty with superb precision.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Another cleansheet.
Arbeloa: 7 A nice performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Handled Crouch very well.
Hyypia: 7.5 A convincing performance both up and down the field.
Aurelio: 7 Good performance and constantly attacking.
Alonso: 7.5 Another nice performance in dictating the midfield.
Lucas: 7 Good performance.
Pennant: 6.5 Couldn't deliver the ball from the side too often.
Gerrard: 8.5 Everywhere on the pitch.
Babel: 6.5 Got kicked many times.
Kuyt: 7 Had a few great chances denied by James.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6.5 Had a good one-on-one opportunity but couldn't convert.
Riera: 6.5 Did well when coming up.
Keane: 7 Had two great chances despite only play for 3 minutes.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the team's determination to win the game.

Portsmouth: 6 Didn't offer much as their intention is to come and get one point.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Determined not to let the points slipped away.

Up where we belong

It has been a long long time since we were top of the table. The pressure is here, but we have enough strength to keep moving towards the title. And this is up where we belong.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Babel

Result 2:0

Match Report 081026 at Chelsea: Records are there to break

1-0 and we finally break the duck and will at Stamford Bridge. What's more, we also ended their home unbeaten run of 86 games, and we did it with style.

We controlled the game well and were never in danger of losing, especially once we went ahead. In fact we should have win by a higher margin. Everybody played well and it was almost perfect.

This win will send a strong message to the rest of the league that we mean business and are now strong title challenger. However, we must not get carried away and we need to keep it up until we win the title. Then we can start thinking of #20 and beyond.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not much to do.
Arbeloa: 7.5 Probably his best game in a red jersey.
Carragher: 8.5 Rock solid and excelled when we were in trouble.
Agger: 7.5 Approaching his best conditions gradually.
Aurelio: 7.5 Solid defending and one of his best game with us.
Agger: 9 Scored the winning goal and almost scored another. Also dictating the midfield well.
Mascherano: 8 Keep tackling with ease and style.
Kuyt: 8 Hard working as usual and was involved in the goal.
Gerrard: 8.5 Linked up well with the striker and the midfielders.
Riera: 8 Superb performance as usual.
Keane: 7 Slightly affected by the injury but still perform well.

Substitutions:
Babel: 8 A constant threat to them.
Lucas: 7.5 Solid defending in the middle.
Hyypia: 7.5 Headed us to safety despite only played for 4 minutes.

Rafa: 8.5 Tactical genius.

Chelsea: 6.5 Ran out of ideas and were never in threat of scoring a goal. But they will rebound so we need to keep going.

Man of the Match: Alonso. Wonder goal.

Perfect 90 minutes

As Rafa said we need a perfect 90 minutes to end their 86 games home unbeaten league games run. Torres will not be available, but we still have enough strength to win this game. It will be tough, but we can do it.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081022 at Atletico Madrid: Two point loss but one step closer

1-1 and although we blew the chance to be 3 points clear at the top, we are indeed a step closer to qualification. However we have Keane, Alonso and Gerrard slightly injured and we need them to recover as soon as possible to cope with the coming games.

We started the game well and scored one quickly despite Keane seemed to be offside. We then have several chances and a decent penalty claim but were unable to extend the lead. At the second half they moved up a gear and we were unable to coupe with. At the end a draw is a fair result.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a few saves but have no chance on the goal conceded.
Arbeloa/Agger/Dossena: 6.5 Defense as a group could not cope with the Ateletico attack in 2H.
Carragher: 6.5 A rare mistake lead to a goal conceded.
Alonso: 7 Dictate the game well until he was forced off.
Mascherano: 6.5 A bit quiet.
Benayoun: 7 Had a legitimate goal ruled out.
Gerrard: 7.5 A pin-point pass to create the goal.
Riera: 6.5 A bit quiet.
Keane: 7.5 Scored a nice goal.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 6.5 Hard working as usual
Babel: 6.5 Missed a great chance to kill off the game.
Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: Would be gutted not to win this game at his home town. However, he now have more works to do to sort out defense errors and the injures.

Atletico Madrid: 6.5 Slow in 1H but gear up in 2H. It is very likely that both team will qualify for last 16.

Men of the Match: Gerrard and Keane. Nice assist and nice goal taken.

Win it for Torres

It is a pity that Torres has been denied a chance to go back home, but we should have enough strength to win this. A win will mean we will be almost certain to quality for the next round, so we need to sort this out as soon as possible.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 081018 vs Wigan Athletic: The art of coming from behind

3-2 again and once again we need to come from behind to win the game - this time we need to do it twice. Wigan was very strong and they don't just come to get one point but they were targeting for all three points. We made a few silly mistakes at the back, but we try and try and finally we scored two great goals to win the game.

Although this game proves we have the strength to beat any team under any situation, we must not come to this kind of position too often. Rather, we need to try to go up front, kill off the game and then relax a bit. This is good for everybody's health.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 A bit careless for conceding the first goal.
Arbeloa: 6 Did OK but not too impressive.
Carragher: 6.5 At times he found it difficult to cope with Zaki.
Agger: 6.5 Responsible for the first goal but recovered very soon with a nice assist.
Dosenna: 5.5 Awkward defending throughout the game.
Pennant: 7.5 Provided a few great crosses, especially the winner.
Gerrard: 6.5 A poor game for his standard. Also tried too hard to win the game single hand and should trust his teammates.
Alonso: 7 A calm figure in the team and once again his ankle proves the crucial by leading to another sent-off.
Riera: 8 A superb equalizer to open his Anfield account - and it's with his right foot!
Keane: 7.5 Impressive runs throughout the game and was a bit unlucky not to score one.
Kuyt: 9 He did it again in saving us another 3 points.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 7.5 A superb pass to creat the second equalizer.
Benayoun: 7 Came up to help the attacks.
Hyypia: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the fighting spirit but he need to address the problem at the back very soon.

Wigan Athletic: 7 All credits to them. They didn't just come and sit back hoping for a point. But at the end we have more will to win it.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. There's always a place for the flying Dutchman.

Break another duck

This is a season of breaking all the ducks. We finally beaten Manchester under Rafa, and now it is time to beat Steve Bruce's team in the league. We won't have Skrtel, Torres and Babel, but we should have enough firepower to shot them down.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Alonso
Riera
Keane
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 081005 at Manchester CIty: Istanbul

3-2 and we come from two goals down and win the game in injury time. The players really have the belief to win, and we fully deserve it.

We started brightly in this game but somehow two careless mistakes and we were 2 down. But we never gave up, Torres once again show his skills and scored two to equalized the game. Kuyt has missed twice in 1H but at the end he has the last laugh by scoring the winning goal. The worrying sign is that Skrtel is injured, and we wish him to come back soon.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Could have done better for the two goals conceded, especially the second one.
Arbeloa: 7 Did well going forward especially in the second half.
Skrtel: 6.5 Was exposed by the speed of Robinho and later on injured. Get well soon.
Carragher: 7 Did well as usual.
Aurelio: 6 Cannot keep with the pace of Wright-Phillips.
Alonso: 7.5 Consistent performance throughout.
Mascherano: 6 A rare poor performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Missed two sitters in 1H, but at the end he had the last laugh.
Gerrard: 8 Over played in 1H but did well to recover in 2H including a superb corner that lead to the equaliser.
Riera: 7 Provided many deadly crosses but nobody at the end to take them.
Torres: 9 Annoymous in 1H, but did well in 2H to score two goals. Also missed another hat trick.

Substitutions:
Dossena: 7 Did well when coming up.
Keane: 7.5 Created spaces for Kuyt and Torres for the winning goal.
Benayoun: 7 Did well in attack.

Rafa: 7 Would be disappointed about the mistakes in 1H, but would be happy about the way we came from behind. However he needs to sort out the defense as Skrtel is injured.

Manchester City: 6.5 Superb in 1H but then offered nothing in 2H. The red card may be a cause but long before that they let us controlled the game.

Man of the Match: Torres. Missed another hat trick though.

Money can't buy you love

Manchester City is the latest team to have limitedness riches, but sometimes money just can't buy you success. City of Manchester Ground is a place we seldom, but they are still not there yet, so we need to take this chance.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Aurelio
Kuyt
Gerrard
Mascherano
Riera
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 081001 vs PSV Eindhoven: Almost perfect

3-1 and this is a superb performance. We controlled the game throughout and the team is showing signs of ruthless. It was also a night of milestones, with Keane scoring his first goal for us, Stevie G the 100th, and this is Rafa's 250th game and we scored 100 goals in Champions League, and Carra is now in the top ten list of most games for Liverpool.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Nothing to do except picking up the ball from the net which he has no chance to save.
Arbeloa: 7 A very good performance.
Skrtel: 7 A good performance except for a lost of attention that lead to us conceding a goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock at the back.
Aurelio: 7.5 Nice performance that capped with a simple assist to Stevie G.
Kuyt: 8 Our Europe King keeps on scoring.
Gerrard: 8 Superb 100th goal at the Kop.
Alonso: 7.5 Disciplined game.
Riera: 7 Quiet but effective.
Keane: 8.5 Opened his scoring account with a superb goal.
Torres: 8 Didn't scored but did very well in creating chances.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Effective display.
Lucas/Babel: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Would be very happy about this performance, although we conceded a goal needlessly. Now we need to keep this momentum.

PSV Eindhoven: 5 Completely outclassed.

Man of the Match: Keane. First goal of many for us.

Avoid complacency

After a superb derby win it is now back to Europe, and we are facing PSV once again. They are a different team than two years before, and we need to be guarded to beat them. And if we beat them, we will be in a very good position to qualify.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Aurelio
Kuyt
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

September Monthly Review

4 wins, 1 draw. We maintained our position as joint top in the league, got 3 precious points at Marseille, and are through to the next round of the League Cup. In the league we beat our two greatest rivals, although we could not break through the stubborn Stoke defense. Definitely we can still improve in October, and there are some tough games coming up.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.84 (2) Reina 7.50 (3) Carragher 7.34. Stevie G came back from surgery and scored two great goals at Marseille, Reina is strong at the back and add two more clean sheets to his record book, and Carragher is as solid as ever, doing some last man saves.

October prediction:
10/1 PSV Eindhoven (h) PSV is not as strong as they used to be, but we still need to do well to get three points.
10/5 Manchester City (a) They are still not there yet, and we need to take three points home.
10/18 Wigan Athletic (h) We need to break through their stubborn defense and avoid a repeat of Stoke.
10/22 Atletico Madrid (a) Torres return home, would be sensational.
10/26 Chelsea (a) We need to get a result at the Bridge.
10/29 Portsmouth (h) Return of Crouch, Carra will find a method to contain him.

Match Report 080927 at Everton: Torres back

2-0 and Torres is back with two lovely goals. If not for Kuyt's infringement he would have scored a hat trick. We controlled the game with ease and fully deserved the victory.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Rarely tested.
Arbeloa: 7 A good performance.
Skrtel: 7 Solid display.
Carragher: 8 Superb save on the line.
Dossena: 6.5 A little bit quiet.
Kuyt: 7.5 A constant threat.
Gerrard: 7.5 Self-disciplined performance.
Alonso: 7 Quietly but effective.
Riera: 7 Provide a few good crossings.
Keane: 7.5 Great assist to the first goal.
Torres: 8.5 Two great goals that settled the game.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 6.5 Provided defensive support.
Lucas/Pennant: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Great team performance as we were always at the top.

Everton: 6 Didn't do much to deserve at least one point.

Man of the Match: Torres. Back from the goal drought.

The Derby

After a disappointing weekend vs Stoke we need to lift ourselves up as soon as possible, and a derby win will certainly help to boast the morale. Everton had not win at home yet this season, but they will be up for it, so we need to be strong.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080923 vs Crewe Alexandra: Credits to the railroad men

2-1 and although we are through, we need to give credits to the Crewe players. They gave us lots of pressures and at the end we are strong enough to go through. The youngsters did quite well and Rafa will take note and give them some more chances when available.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 6.5 A fair debut.
Degen: 6.5 Unlucky to have injured on his debut.
Agger: 7.5 Scored a great freekick, but is also responsible for the goal conceded.
Hyypia: 7 Solid display from big Sami.
Insua: 6.5 Willing to go forward.
Pennant: 7 A lively performance and provided a great assist.
Lucas: 7.5 Scored a brave header.
Plessis: 6.5 Solid performance.
El Zhar: 6.5 Lively and productive.
Babel: 7 Have a few chances.
Ngog: 6.5 A good full squad debut.

Substitutions:
Torres: 6.5 Have 2 great one on one chances.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid as a make-shift right back.
Keane: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be happy in general about the 2nd tier team performance.

Crewe Alexandra: 7 Raised to the moment and did well.

Men of the Match: Agger and Lucas. Two great goals scored.

Youngsters to shine

League Cup vs Crewe will be the last item on Rafa's agenda, and this is a good chance for youngsters to impress. Hopefully, Keane will open his account tonight.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Degan
Agger
Hyypia
Insua
El Zhar
Lucas
Plessis
Riera
Keane
Ngog

Result 4:0

Match Report 080920 vs Stoke City: Two points lost

0-0 and this is a very disappointing result. We were robbed by the referee of a Stevie G centurion goal, and then we try our very best but just could not break down the Stoke defense. Credit must be given to Stoke as being so resistant, and they deserved to get a point.

We now missed the opportunity to go to the top of the league, but there are still 33 games to play, so we need to get back to the right track now.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not much to do but he is alert when called to service.
Arbeloa: 7 Doing well in helping the attack.
Carragher/Skrtel: 7 Solid as usual and also helped in attack.
Dossena: 6.5 Did not offer too much to the attack.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard but couldn't score.
Gerrard: 7.5 Goal should have count. He tried very hard to win it for us.
Alonso: 7 A nice curler and almost scored.
Riera: 6.5 Did not offer too many crossings.
Keane: 6.5 Have a few half chances but could not make it.
Torres: 6.5 Not back to top fit condition yet.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Not much offered.
Benayoun: 6.5 Offered a few sparks but couldn't turn them into goals.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the result, although the team had tried hard.

Stoke City: 6.5 Come to get a point and get what they deserved.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. 100th goal will come very soon.

Roll on

Stoke at home may seems like an easy game, but we still need to pay respect to the opponents. Their strength is their free throws and we need to be strong enough and alert to this big threat.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Keane
Torres

Result 3:0

Match Report 080916 at Marseille: Belief

2-1 and this is the 3rd time in this season that we win from behind. The team really has confidence to beat anyone in any situation.

Marseille was very strong in attack and we got caught by their quick action. Fortunately we have Stevie G and he scored a beauty and a re-taken penalty calmly. The team has a great start in the Champions League and if we perform like this, qualification won't be a problem.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made many good saves to earn us 3 points.
Arbeloa/Aurelio: 7 Solid display and willing to help the attacks.
Carragher: 7 Despite one lose of mind that lead to the first goal, he was rock solid as usual.
Skrtel: 7 Good display.
Lucas: 7 Repaid Rafa's faith in helping to create the equaliser.
Mascherano: 7 A bit quiet but very effective.
Kuyt: 7.5 Clever flick on to assist Gerrard.
Gerrard: 9 Two great goals and bring his total goals for us to 99.
Babel: 7.5 A few great chances but were denied.
Torres: 6.5 A bit quiet on his return.

Substitutions:
Riera/Benayoun: 6.5 Came up to maintain the form of the team.
Keane: 6.5 Not enough time to shine.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the way we came from behind, but need to work on defense.

Marseille: 7 A good team at home but at the end we edge through them.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. 99 goals and counting.

Keep the momentum

After a nice win over our bittiest rival our focus is now moved to Europe. We beat Marseille 4-0 and their home last year, but they are an improved team now and they won't let this happen again. This is a tough group and we need to be at our best in order to get a result.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Gerrard
Riera
Kuyt
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 080913 vs Manchester United: We finally beat them

2-1 and we finally beat them. And we deserved it. Despite conceded a goal in the 3rd minute we keep pressing and pressing, and at the end we beat them. The whole team did well, and the Kop was very loudly as well. This win give us confidence and this season is going to be exciting.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Superb throughout.
Arbeloa/Aurelio: 7.5 Did well and provided many dangerous crossings.
Skrtel/Carragher: Two rocks in the middle.
Alonso: 7.5 A solid display.
Mascherano: 9 He is everywhere and drives the team in the absence of Gerrard.
Kuyt: 8 Superb workrate.
Benayoun: 7.5 Many clever runs that drags the defenders out of position.
Riera: 7.5 Nice debut.
Keane: 7.5 Good performance.

Substitutions:
Gerrard: 7 A composed display.
Babel: 8 Super sub.
Hyypia: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 8 Would be happy about the performance especially the response to conceding the early goal.

Manchester United: 5.5 An off day for them despite leading in 3 minutes. They don't deserve to get anything from this match.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Repaying Rafa's faith.

7 year's itch

It has been 7 years since we last beat them, and this is the time to do it again. We may have a bit fitness problem, but whoever plays will need to be at 100% to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Skrtel
Carragher
Dossena
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

August Monthly Review

3 wins, 2 draws. We are joint top of the league and in the Champions League Group Stage. So far so good. But we have problem in scoring and now that Gerrard and Torres are both injured, and Keane has yet picked up his form. Rafa had a lot of homework to do, especially we have a few tough games coming. The team needs to improve to sustain the run.

Players of the Month: (1) Reina 7.56 (2) Gerrard 7.06 (3) Carragher 6.88. Reina has 4 clean sheets in the month and was the major contributor to the result of the month. Stevie G drives us to victories over victories and scored the winning goal vs Boro. And Carra, the man actually scores and has now scored as many goals as own goals.

September Prediction:
9/13 Manchester United (h) Tough game with Stevie G and Torres doubtful, it's time for Keane to deliver.
9/16 Marseille (a) Kick off of Champions League as where we left in Group Stage last season. We won 4-0 last time and this time it will be tough.
9/20 Stoke City (h) We need to win this game.
9/24 Crewe Alexandra (h) Time for the youngsters to shine. Ngog X Nemeth?
9/27 Everton (a) One of the biggest game of the season, they seems to be weaker and has yet to win at home, but we still need to be at our top to beat them.

Match Report 080831 at Aston VIlla: We missed Gerrard and Torres

0-0 and although the result is not too bad given it is an away game at a tough ground, the performance of the team was really bad. We rarely tested Friedel and at the end we get what we deserve - 1 point. The more worry sign is that Torres will now be out for 2 to 3 weeks. This is a very worrying fact consider who our next opponent is.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Not really tested.
Arbeloa/Skrtel/Carragher/Dossena: 6.5 Solid display as a group.
Mascherano: 7.5 Nice performance.
Lucas: 6 Not much help to the attacks.
Kuyt: 6.5 Had a few close shots.
Alonso: 6 Not much help in attack.
Keane: 6.5 Had one of our best chance when played in the middle, but he lacked confidence.
Torres: 6 We are going to miss him.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6.5 Quite lively.
Aurelio/Benayoun: 6 Not much contribution.

Rafa: 6.5 Seems like he come for a point, and he gets what he want.

Aston Villa: 6.5 Solid display but in reality they did not do enough to win the game.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Played a better game than the rest of the squad.

Improve our game

We were lucky in our first 4 game, but we need to improve our game quickly before lucky runs out. With Stevie G the other players need to play much harder especially Villa Park is a tough place to go, and they will be up for this after the Barry saga.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Keane
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080827 vs Standard Liege: Lucky escape

1-0 and we were really lucky to win the game. Standard Liege played very well and Reina was at his best to keep us in the game. It was not until the 118th minute that Kuyt received a great crossing from Babel that ruled out the penalty shootout. In all it was a very poor performance and we were lucky to go through.

Is the problem due to formation? To cope with Keane and due to absense of Mascherano, Rafa needed to change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2, but it was very clear that we lack wide players. It was not until El Zhar came on that we have more attacks from the side, and Babel was virtually anonymous before the winning cross. Now that Stevie G need to have an operation, Rafa may still need to play 4-4-2, but the next two games are going to be very tough. More works need to be done by Rafa in the next fortnight.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8.5 Another on fire performance.
Arbeloa: 6 Poor performance.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid performance.
Skrtel: 6.5 Solid but not impressive.
Aurelio: 7 Willing to go forward and was one of the better player.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked hard and at the end he sent us through. But he is not a wide player and lack pace.
Gerrard: 6.5 Affected by injury.
Alonso: 6 Not much contribution.
Benayoun: 5.5 Anonymous.
Keane: 6 Still couldn't gel into the team yet.
Torres: 6 Not many chances.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Largely anonymous before his terrific cross.
El Zhar: 7 Came on and provided us the much needed width.
Plessis: 6 Time killer.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the performance, and he now has another big problem to solve as Gerrard will be out for 10-15 days.

Standard Liege: 7 Would count themselves unlucky not to go through.

Player of the Match: Reina. 12 million saves.

We need to win

This is a must win game and we need to be gear up to avoid any embarrassment. Standard Liege proved they can be dangerous at their home, but this is Fortress Anfield and the Kop will drive us to another memorable European night.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Skrtel
Dossena
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Babel
Torres
Keane

Result 3-0

Match Report 080823 vs Middlesbrough: We created our luck

2-1 and two late late goals from Carra and Stevie G settled the win. Some may say that this is due to luck, but we need to create our own luck. Should Carra not be alert and not take a shot, there will not be an equalizer; Should Stevie G gave up after his wonderful freekick was blocked by Turnbull, there will not be a winner. These are great turning points of the game, and we won the game with the never say die spirit.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 A good performance and had no chance to the Mido goal.
Arbeloa: 6 Did not offer too much going forward.
Skrtel: 7.5 Solid defending.
Carragher: 8.5 Scored one, saved one. Superb.
Dossena: 6.5 Didn't go forward as expected.
Kuyt: 6 Not much offered.
Gerrard: 8 Tried and tried and scored a winner.
Alonso: 6 Was guilty of giving away the ball for the goal conceded, but repaid by involving in both goals scored.
Benayoun: 6 Not much offered.
Torres: 7 Very lively but couldn't scored.
Keane: 7 Much better performance and was involved in the winning goal.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6 Largely anonymous.
Aurelio: 6 Not enough time to impress.
El Zhar: 6.5 Provided more width to us.

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about the fighting spirit. But we need to improve to beat Standard Liege.

Middlesbrough: 7 A well done performance and they deserve at least one point. But this is Fortress Anfield.

Player of the Match: Carragher. Inspired us to win with short sheeves.

Home win

First home game of the season is vital to give something for the fans to cheer for, and no doubt we need to work hard for a win. Boro was single hand destroyed by Torres last season, and he will be continuing his momentum with the help of Keane and the gang.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Benayoun
Torres
Keane

Result 2:0

Match Report 080816 at Sunderland: Torres saves the day again

1-0 and it was the wonder goal of Torres that won us the 3 points. It was a difficult match, and we did not start playing well until 30 minutes. But in the second half it was one way traffic with Alonso coming on, and he almost scored from 60 yards. At the end he provided a killer pass to Torres and what a golden goal it was.

At the end of the day, 3 point away from home is not a bad result, but if we want to win #19, we definitely need to improve a lot.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another clean sheet as he was not seriously challenged.
Arbeloa: 6 An average performance.
Carragher: 7 A solid performance.
Hyypia: 7 Apart from an early error he was superb especially in his positioning.
Dossena: 7 Good performance especially when going forward.
Kuyt: 6 Average performance.
Gerrard: 7 Good performance.
Plessis: 5.5 Poor in passing.
Benayoun: 6.5 Had a good game and should have win us a penalty.
Torres: 7.5 Two chances, one goal.
Keane: 6 Did not do to well and even blocked Torres' shot.

Substitutions:
Alonso: 8 Superb performance. If he play like this week in, week out Rafa would keep him.
El Zhar/Aurelio: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Still need to improve especially the understanding between Keane and Torres.

Sunderland: 6 Didn't do much to win the game apart from the first 30 minutes, but they are a much improved team then last year.

Player of the Match: Alonso. One assist, and almost scored from 60 yards.

Start perform well

After a disappointed draw at Belgium it is now back to our bread and butter. Sunderland away won't be an easy task and we need to play much better if we are to get a result. Gerrard will be back and give the team more confidence, and Keane and Torres need to play with more understanding. A draw won't be too bad at this early stage, but if we really want to challenge for the title, start with a win.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Kuyt
Gerrard
Alonso
Benayoun
Keane
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080813 at Standard Liege: Wake up, team!

0-0 and we were very lucky not to lose the game. Is it because Gerrard was injured, or just the players are not yet into the game? Thanks to the superb performance of Reina, who made a few good saves especially a penalty save and we can go home with a draw. Still we definitely need to wake up if we are to qualify, as one mistake with a goal conceded will make it very difficult.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Superb performance to keep us alive.
Arbeloa/Carragher/Agger: 6 Average performance.
Dossena: 6 Handball almost cost us the game, although it should be out of penalty area.
Alonso: 6 Almost scored from a free kick.
Plessis/Kuyt: 5.5 Very quiet.
Keane/Benayoun: 5 Anonymous.
Torres: 5.5 Not yet back to his normal performance.

Substitutions:
Gerrard: 6.5 Came up and brought some confidence to the players.
El Zhar: 6 Insufficient time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Disappointed about the team performance and need to do a lot to improve.

Standard Liege: 6 Would regret not winning the first leg.

Man of the Match: Reina. Saved us from further disgrace.

Season starts

Season will start tonight with a tricky trip to Belgium. Although our focus should be in the league, we still need Champions League money to finance the team, so we need to make sure we can get in. With several injuries Rafa may play some youngsters. Whoever will start tonight, make sure to bring victory home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Agger
Plessis
Kuyt
Keane
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0