Match Report 100502 vs Chelsea: Toothless

0-2 and we simply do not have the energy and squad to compete with Chelsea, after the 120 minutes fight with Atletico. In the 1H the players did have an intention to win the game, but an awful back pass by Gerrard changed the game, and in the 2H the players were too tired for any miracle. The defeat means our fight for fourth is officially over, and we will be competing in the Europa League in the coming season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Did very well to reduce the hurt to the minimum.
Mascherano: 7 Another good performance at right back.
Carragher: 6.5 Could not help the team to another clean sheet and was injured.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Did OK against the big guy.
Agger: 6.5 Did not provide too much attacking help.
Maxi: 6.5 Did well but was injured early on.
Gerrard: 6 Poor back pass proved to be decisive.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Benayoun: 6.5 Too slow to cover that lead to the second goal.
Aquilani: 6.5 Did well in 1H but quickly faded away.
Kuyt: 6 Drifted away too often despite in the forward role.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Could not change the game.
Ayala: 6.5 Solid and calm when called up.
Ngog: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the way the team act. Is his days numbered?

Chelsea: 7 A bit nervous at the start but as soon as they scored, there is only 1 winner.

Man of the Match: Reina. Never let us down.

Farewell to Carlsberg

This is the last home game we play under Carlsberg and there will be a special jersey with Chinese name on it. The players will be tired today after 120 minutes against Atletico and we need to try hard to raise our game, but it will be very difficult.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Maxi
Gerrard
Aquilani
Benayoun
Babel
Kuyt

Result 0:2

April Match Report

4W2D2L and we are out of Europa League and all but out of top 4. The month started with a defeat at Benfica, although we did turn around in the 2nd leg in between 2 disappointed draws in the league. We then beat West Ham convincingly but then we lost at Atletico after a long long journey and then we beat Burnley. Although we finish the month with a victory over Atletico, but it was not enough and we are out of Europa League.

Players of the Match (1) Mascherano 7.35 (2) Gerrard 7.22 (3) Reina 7.18. Mascherano was superb throughout the month no matter where he plays, and Gerrard finally edge closer to his best form. And Reina was as reliable as usual with 3 clean sheets kept in the month.

May Prediction:
5/2 Chelsea (h) Players will be tired after 120 minutes at Atletico, not sure if we still have gas for this.
5/9 Hull City (a) An end of the disappointing campaign.

Match Report 100429 vs Atletico Madrid: Too little, too late

2-1 but it is not enough and we were out of the Europa League by an away goal. In summary Yossi's wrongly disallowed goal proved to be crucial, and we did very well to try to go through. It is really disappointed to see us lost the tie like this and we now need to wait till next season for any chance of winning a trophy.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Could do nothing on the goal conceded.
Mascherano: 8 Superb commitment as a right back.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the back.
Agger: 7 Had a goal ruled offside.
Johnson: 7 One mistake proved to be crucial.
Gerrard: 7 Did well in 1H but faded out afterwards after receiving a yellow card.
Lucas: 7 Good performance as defensive midfielder and capped with an assist.
Benayoun: 7.5 One goal, one assist but was not enough.
Aquilani: 7.5 Scored an absolutely great goal to bring us some hope.
Babel: 7 Did well in drifting the Atletico defense apart.
Kuyt: 7 Still moved tonte side too often even though he should be the center forward.

Substitutions:
El Zhar: 6.5 Not much impact.
Degen: 6.5 Did not provided any width as instructed.
Pacheco: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the team performance.

Atletico Madrid: 6.5 One chance and they are in final. Good luck.

Man of the Match: Mascherano: As impressive as usual, no matter which position he is playing.

Do it again

We were behind after first leg for the last two rounds, and each time we came through. Atletico will be a tough opponent especially without Torres and Maxi, but we tend to do things the hard way and this time, we are going to do it again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Babel

Result 2:0

Match Report 100425 at Burnley: Away joy finally

4-0 and we finally win an away game in the league in 2010. First half was very tight, but as soon as Gerrard scored the opening goal, there is only 1 winner. The whole team did very well in the game, and it is good to see young guns like Ayala and Pacheco to get chances to participate.

The win puts us within 2 points of Spurs and we still have a slim chance to finish fourth. The coming two weeks will be interesting.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made 2 great saves for yet another clean sheet.
Johnson: 7 Did well on both side of the pitch.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending.
Ayala: 6.5 Apart from some scary moment early on he was doing fine.
Agger: 7 Good overlaps.
Mascherano: 7.5 Did well as defending midfielder and right back.
Maxi: 7.5 Scored a truly deserved goal.
Gerrard: 8 First goal may be lucky but second goal showed that he is back to his best.
Aquilani: 8.5 Shown us how go he can be when fully fit.
Babel: 7.5 Scored a nice goal to wrap up the game.
Kuyt: 6.5 Injury early on in second half.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Very lively performance.
Lucas: 7 Nice assist.
Pacheco: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted that we finally win an away game.

Burnley: 6 From the performance early on in the season, they deserve to stay up. Hope they will come back soon.

Man of the Match: Aquilani. Three nice assists.

Show no mercy

We have yet to win away from Anfield in the league in 2010, and against 2nd bottom team is a very good chance to finally do so. A win today will send Burnley back to the Championship, and we should show no mercy and try to win this game, in preparing the 2nd leg of the Europa semi final.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Aquilani
Mascherano
Maxi
Gerrard
Babel
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100421 at Atletico Madrid: Improvements needed

0-1 and once again we lost the first leg of the Europa Cup tieYossi was denied a goal, or else we will be in a better position with the away goal. Anyway, we need a strong performance in the return leg at Anfield.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made two world class saves to reduce the damage.
Johnson: 6.5 Good in defense.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending but failed to clear the goal conceded.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Conceded many fouls, some unnecessary.
Agger: 6.5 Was a bit slow in covering for the goal conceded.
Lucas: 6.5 A quiet game.
Mascherano: 7 Fight with heart.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 7 Drove forward but could not score.
Benayoun; 7 Put the ball into the net but was denied incorrectly.
Ngog: 6.5 Worked hard as lone striker.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Failed to have much impact.
El Zhar: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed by the lack of shot on target and no corner gained. But this is only first half and we still have 90 minutes to play.

Atletico Madrid: 7 Marginally better and we need to avoid concede a goal at Anfield.

Man of the Match: Reina. Superb goalkeeping.

The long long trip

After 24 hours of traveling the team finally arrived in Madrid, and are ready for the quarter final with Atletico. The travel may have some impact on the team condition, but still we need to at least score an away goal so that we can be better position in the second leg at Anfield.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100419 vs West Ham United: Fight on

3-0 and we are still fighting on the slim chance of top 4, or are we fighting for to 6 for Europa Cup? We played the match very well and one early goal from Yossi against his former club settles it. We then keep pressing and scored 2 more goals for a well deserved victory.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A good clean sheet to make him top of the Golden Glove table.
Johnson: 7 Very active running forward.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending.
Kyrgiakos: 7.5 Very active during free kicks and corners.
Agger: 7 Did well on the left.
Maxi: 7.5 Very active performance.
Gerrard: 7.5 Great crossings delivered.
Lucas: 7 Quiet but effective.
Benayoun: 8 Scored a great goal with his tummy.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored a beauty.

Substitutions:
Mascherano: 7 Solid run-in when came on.
Degen/Babel: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the team performance.

West Ham United: 5.5 Very poor defending especially during set pieces.

Man of the Match: Benayoun. Genius acts.

For the fans

4th place is now very remote but we still need to play well in the remaining for the fans. With no Torres we are weakened, but it is a chance for the rest of the team to show what we can do.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Maxi
Aquilani
Mascherano
Babel
Gerrard
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100411 vs Fulham: Almost over now

0-0 and another draw means that our slim chance of finishing 4th is now even slimmer. Although we created many chances but without Torres the team is not confident and nobody is able to finish any of them. The team is losing confidence coming into the final month, and we need to resolve it somehow.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well in keeping the score at 0-0.
Johnson: 7 Very lively on attacking.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the back.
Kyrgiakos: 7 Clear the line well and had a few chances to score.
Agger: 7 Another good game as left back.
Mascherano: 7.5 Tried very hard to win the game.
Maxi: 7 Linked up well with Johnson
Gerrard: 7 Boss the midfield as usual.
Aquilani: 7 Some very good passing.
Babel: 6.5 A bit quiet on the left.
Ngog: 6.5 Could not take any of the chances.

Substitutions:
Kuyt: 6.5 Tried very hard.
Benayoun: 6 Could not do much to change the game.
Pacheco: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about how the team reacted without Torres.

Fulham: 6.5 Come for one point and succeed. Hope we can meet them again in the Europa Final.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Never give up.

Rehearsal

As both teams are in the semi final of the Europa Cup the match vs Fulham could be a rehearsal of the Final. Of course we have more reasons to fight for the remaining of the season, but Fulham would also be preparing for the Europa Cup and they would not be easy opponents. We definitely need to play like vs Benfica again if we want to bring 3 points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100408 vs Benfica: A nice turnaround

4-1 and we are through to the semi final, with a Torres reunion in Madrid going to take place. We were in control of the game, and apart from a 12 minute period scare when Benfica put one back, there were not many scary moment. Athletico will be waiting and Torres will be no doubt looking forward for a reunion in his hometown.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Exposed during the goal conceded by poor wall.
Johnson: 7 Solid in defending and attack on the right frank.
Carragher: 7 Lead the back line well.
Kyrgiakos: 7.5 Many header clearances.
Agger: 7 Did well as temporary left back.
Lucas: 8 Scored a goal like how Torres did, and was superb all night.
Mascherano: 7.5 Inch-perfect pass to Torres for the wrap-up goal.
Kuyt: 7.5 Scored another header from corner and provided a superb pass to Torres.
Gerrard: 7.5 Many deadly passes and created two goals.
Benayoun: 7 Contributed to the third goal.
Torres: 7.5 Scored two goals to wrap up the game.

Substitutions:
Ngog/Aquilani/El Zhar: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about how the team played in style.

Benfica: 6.5 A good team with a good recorded was reduced to an ordinary team by our good performance.

Man of the Match: Lucas. Now he needs to play like this more often to silent the critics.

Score and keep a clean sheet

To go through to semi final we need to beat Benfica and and make sure they won't score more than us away. It is not an easy task, especially with Babel and Insua suspended, but if we play to our full strength we should make it.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100404 at Birmingham City: Losing ground

1-1 and we are losing ground further. In fairness drawing at St Andrew's is not a bad result, but with only 5 games remaining, the draw could be crucial. The talking point of the game is the way Rafa substituted. But Torres was really ineffective and we only created chances after he was substituted, maybe it's really fate that we didn't win this game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Helpless with the goal conceded.
Johnson: 7 Fluke passing/shot created the goal for Gerrard.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending.
Kyrgiakos: 7 Good defending overall.
Insua: 6.5 Did well in supporting attack.
Maxi: 7.5 A very good performance and was unlucky not to score.
Gerrard: 7 Great goal gave us hope at one time.
Lucas: 6.5 Protecting the back 4 well.
Benayoun: 6 Not effective.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard but was not effective.
Torres: 6 Never into the game.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6.5 Missed many glorious chances.
Babel: 6.5 Linked up well with the team.
Aquilani: 6 Seems unwilling to play.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the way we conceded the goal, and will be forever blamed for substituting Torres should we not get the 4th place.

Birmingham City: 7 Tough to beat at the home.

Man of the Match: Maxi. If only he scored...

Touch away game

Birmingham away is perhaps the most difficult away game remain, but to get to fourth place we need to beat them. As shown last week they are very strong at home, so we need keep attacking in order to win it.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100401 at Benfica: Away goal could be crucial

1-2 and we lost the game with ten men. However we did score an important away goal and it could be crucial when we go back to Anfield. Babel's red card was stupid, the referee performance was lousy, but we still get the chance to win it at Anfield.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Helpless on both penalties.
Johnson: 6.5 Did well in supporting attack.
Carragher: 6.5 Defended well as usual but conceded a soft penalty.
Agger: 7.5 Scored a beauty that could be crucial.
Insua: 6 Stupid mistake in conceding a penalty.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in midfield.
Mascherano: 6.5 Did OK in midfield.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 7 A good freekick to create our goal.
Babel: 5 Stupid mistake for the red card.
Torres: 7 Did well and was unlucky not to score.

Substitutions:
Ngog/Benayoun: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed in the way we lose, but we still have 90 minutes to recover the match.

Benfica: 6.5 Get many helps by the referee.

Man of the Match: Agger. A nicely taken goal.

Tough game

Benfica is probably the toughest remaining team of Europa Cup but to win it we need to beat some tough opponents. We lost to them in Champions League 4 years ago, so it won't be easy and we need to be really good to get anything from the match.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

March Month Report

3 wins and 3 losses in March and we are in the quarter final of Europa League but lost some ground in the race for fourth place. We lost one match in the Europa League, but we turned around in the second leg. For the league, the two defeats, especially at Wigan, could be costly as we are now 4 points behind Spurs with one more game played. April would be crucial as we have a relatively easier run-in, but we really need to win all remaining league games now.

Players of the Month (1) Torres 7.23 (2) Babel 7.21 (3) Reina 7.13. Torres is back to his best with 7 goals in his last 4 games. Babel finally comes good with 1 goal scored and another assist created. And Reina have been doing very well all year round, and also had an assist and a penalty saved under his name in March.

April Prediction:
4/1 Benfica (a) A tough away game that we need to score an away goal.
4/4 Birmingham City (a) The toughest away game remaining, and we need to play well.
4/8 Benfica (h) Edging pass Benfica and we will see a Spanish reunion.
4/11 Fulham (h) Potential rehearsal of Europa League Final, we need to beat them to amend the first half defeat.
4/19 West Ham United (h) West Ham will be fighting for their survival so we need to keep attacking from the first minute.
4/22 Atletico Madrid/Valencia (a) Rafa/Torres will be re-uniting with old friends and we need to get a result there.
4/24 Burnley (a) Burnley is in trouble but we need to show no mercy to them.
4/29 Atletico Madrid/Valencia (h) A win will bring us another European final.

Match Report 100328 vs Sunderland: This is how it should be done

3-0 and it is a very impressive performance, especially the first half. From the first minute we pressure on Sunderland and keep attacking, and it only takes 3 minutes before Torres scored a beauty that kick start the game. From then on it is one way traffic, and we even have the luxury in resting both Torres and Gerrard. The 442 formation really works well and we should try to use it more often in the remaining matches, especially at home.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Nice assist and a superb save to deny Zenden a consolation goal.
Johnson: 8 Scored one and created another.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back as usual.
Agger: 7.5 Very close in scoring his first goal of the season.
Insua: 7.5 Very impressive link up with Babel.
Maxi: 7.5 Very good performance.
Gerrard: 7.5 Good display moving back into central midfield.
Mascherano: 7.5 Solid in destroying any Sunderland opportunity.
Babel: 7.5 Selfless teamwork performance.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked tirelessly for the team.
Torres: 8 Scored a beauty and an easy goal.

Substitutions:
Aquilani: 7 Neat performance after coming up.
Ngog: 7 Missed a sitter.
El Zhar: 7 Nice display.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the way we roll forward.

Sunderland: 5.5 Completely out classed.

Men of the Match: Johnson/Torres. Goals bring us 3 points home.

7 Finals

After a disappointing weekend our fate is now not in our hands. But there are still many games to come and other teams will lose points. So we need to treat the last 7 games as finals and win all of them. We lost to Sunderland not just by a beach ball but also poor performance, so we need to raise our game this time in order to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Aquilani
Mascherano
Babel
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

7 Finals

After a disappointing weekend our fate is now not in our hands. But there are still many games to come and other teams will lose points. So we need to treat the last 7 games as finals and win all of them. We lost to Sunderland not just by a beach ball but also poor performance, so we need to raise our game this time in order to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Maxi
Aquilani
Mascherano
Babel
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100321 at Manchester United: Road is more difficult

1-2 and we make the road to fourth place more difficult with this defeat. To be honest, we did not do enough to win the game. We let them run the show and we did not create enough chances to try to win the game. With 7 games left we now need the other teams to lose points if we want to keep the top four spot.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well to save a Rooney penalty but could do nothing about the two goals conceded.
Johnson: 6 Unable to move forward to support attack, and was guilty of losing Park in the goal conceded.
Carragher: 7.5 Very solid at the back and lead by example.
Agger: 6.5 Solid in defending but his long range shot let us down.
Insua: 6 Was having many trouble in containing Valencia.
Lucas: 6 An average game.
Mascherano: 6.5 Played with big heart but were unlucky to have deemed to concede the penalty.
Kuyt: 6.5 Did not do much apart from the superb assist.
Gerrard: 5.5 Apart from a perfect pass to Kuyt that lead to our goal, basically do nothing in the game.
Maxi: 6 Unable to do anything meaningful.
Torres: 7 Scored a perfect header but then there were no service provided to him.

Substitutions:
Aquilani: 6 Did not do much in the tight midfield.
Babel: 6 Could not make many meaningful forward runs.
Benayoun; 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the lack of response from the team. Can he motivate the team to finish high with the remaining 7 games?

Manchester United: 7 Can the Gunner stop them please?

Man of the Match: Carragher. Should be our captain.

Make it four

Away at Old Trafford is always the toughest game of the season, but we have beat them 3 games in a row. With the birthday boy Torres getting back to top form we are in a good position to make it 4 in a row. But we need to start scoring away.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100318 vs Lille: Through

3-0 and we come back from the one goal deficit in the first leg to go through to last 8 of Europa League. From the start we were determined to win the game and an early penalty equalized the game. An early goal from Torres in the second half put us in the lead, but it was not until the final minute that Torres score another one that really secure the victory. We draw Benfica in the last 8, it will be difficult but we can beat them if we perform well.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Solid at the back.
Johnson: 7.5 Lively performance.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the defensive unit with example.
Agger: 7.5 Headed many balls away.
Insua: 7.5 Dedicated performance.
Lucas: 7.5 Made many good forward funs.
Mascherano: 7.5 Dedicated in midfield.
Kuyt: 7.5 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 7.5 Early penalty to ease off pressure.
Babel: 7.5 Another good performance.
Torres: 8 Two goals in 2H to seal the victory.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Getting close to match fit.
Kyrgiakos/Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be happy about the team performance. Keep it up for the rest of the season!

Lille: 6.5 Did not do much to warrant anything from the game.

Man of the Match: Torres. Hit top condition at the right time.

Turn it around

With 0-1 down after first legs anything but a win will mean we are out of the Europa League. Confidence is growing after the Pompey win, so we need to continue the run and try to turn it around.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100315 vs Portsmouth: Fluid performance

4-1 and this is a very fluid team performance. Torres and Aquilani shines in this game and it was almost perfect if we have not conceded a late goal. The victory turned the mood of the team and we are still chasing the vital fourth place.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Not much to do but still have a superb one hand save.
Johnson: 7.5 A very good performance with lots of support to the attack.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid at the back and also supported attack.
Agger; 7 Neat and tidy.
Insua: 7.5 An improved performance with lots of running ups and downs.
Mascherano: 7.5 Controlled the midfield with ease.
Maxi: 7.5 A very good performance with an assist.
Gerrard: 7 Tried very hard and was lucky not to be sent off with that elbow.
Aquilani: 8 One goal one assist and played very well in this forward role.
Babel: 7.5 Lots of forward runs and willing to support defending, and was rewarded with a nicely taken goal.
Torres: 8 Superb performance and involved in all four goals.

Substitutions:
Kelly: 7 Neatly performance on his league debut.
Benayoun/Ngog: 7 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about this attacking lineup. Should use a similar formation against Lille if we want to qualify.

Portsmouth: 6 Destined to be relegated but hope they can still have a fight till the end.

Man of the Match: Aquilani/Torres. Great attacking performances.

Time is running out

With two of the three Top 4 chasers losing points we need to win tonight to restart the momentum. Pompey beat us at their home so it will not be an easy game tonight, especially we have yet to win on Monday. And we need to raise our game before it is too late.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100312 at Lille: How many wake up calls do we need?

0-1 and we lose again. We played for a draw but at the end a nicely taken free kick conceded us to a second successive defeat. We still can quality with one goal down going into Anfield, but how can we escape from this abyss?

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Keep the embarrassment to a minimum.
Johnson: 6 Not doing much to help the attack.
Carragher: 6 Was lucky not to concede a penalty.
Agger: 6.5 Solid at the back.
Insua: 6 Not much contribution.
Mascherano: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Lucas: 6 Barely seen.
Kuyt: 6 Very tired and was largely anonymous.
Gerrard: 6 Not interested in the game with many miss passes.
Babel: 6.5 Had a few great chances but failed to take any of them.
Torres: 6 Had a nice header saved.

Substitutions:
Riera: 6 Not much contribution.
El Zhar: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Need to sort it out now!

Lille: 6.5 Would be delighted to go to Anfield with a goal on hand, but we can still quality.

Man of the Match: Reina. Only player ready to fight for the team.

Wake up

It is clear that the team is not right and our performance is thus affected. Lille will fancy their chance of getting something from the game, so we need to forget our misery and focus in the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Aquilani
Gerrard
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100308 at Wigan Athletic: Time is running out

0-1 and this is yet another toothless performance away from home. Despite the importance of the remaining games we did not do much to get anything from the game, especially during first half. The result put us in an awful position with 9 games to go, and there is now very small margin of error.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Was helpful on the goal conceded.
Mascherano: 7 Solid both at right back and midfield.
Carragher: 6.5 Even Carra was awful in this game.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Solid in air.
Insua: 6 Was exposed a few times.
Maxi: 6 Did not do much in the game.
Gerrard: 6 Very indecisive.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in the middle and willing to fight.
Benayoun: 6.5 Made a few great runs in the game.
Kuyt: 6 Error backpass lead to goal conceded.
Torres: 6.5 Had many chances but couldn't take any of them.

Substitutions:
Johnson: 6 Still recovering from injury.
Aquilani: 6 Still adapting to Premier League.
Babel: 6.5 Tried very hard but could not help to get the equalizer.

Rafa: 6 Would be very disappointed about the performance in 1H. Time is running out, need to start scoring goals away and win on Monday as soon as possible.

Wigan Athletic: 7 Truly deserved to win the game with their solid defending.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Our only player fighting for the game.

Break another duck

It is strange that after almost 6 seasons under Rafa we have yet to win on a Monday night. We have 3 Money night games coming up so we better start the winning habit. With Gerrard back in form and Torres coming back, we will start scoring goals away from home. Wigan has not win in many games so it is a good chance for us to win.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

February Month Report

4W1D1L and we are still in fight of the top four spot and in the last 16 of Europa League. We started the monthly brightly with a convincing win vs Everton with 10 men. However we were unjustly denied at least a point at Arsenal, and drawn a very tactical game at Manchester City. In between we beat Unirea Urziceni home and away into the last 16 of Europa League, and we ended the month on a high with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in a very physical match.

Players of the Month (1) Mascherano 7.40 (2) Reina 7.25 (3) Gerrard 7.00. Mascherano was at his top form throughout the month and even scored at Unirea Urziceni. Reina was also superb at the goal and kept 3 clean sheets and made many saves. Gerrard is also getting back to his top form with 2 goals scored and 1 assists.

March Prediction:
3/8 Wigan Athletic (a) This is another must win game if we want to get the fourth place.
3/11 Lille (a) Lille will be our opponent in the Europa League and we need to get a result at their stadium.
3/15 Portsmouth (h) We did poorly and lost 0-2 at their home so this time we need to win no matter what.
3/18 Lille (h) If we want to qualify this is a game we need to win.
3/21 Manchester United (a) Toughest match of the season and we need to be in top form to beat them again.
3/28 Sunderland (h) We were unjustly defeated by the balloon and we need to perform well to win this game.

Match Report 100228 vs Blackburn Rovers: We survived the bombing

2-1 and we win in this very physical game. Why Blackburn finish the match with 11 men is a question we need to ask the referee. Rafa expected a very physical game so he put Mascherano at right back and the result is very satisfactory. Gerrard and Torres are getting close to their top level and one goal from each of them proved to be the difference.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made many world class saves.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb display at right back.
Carragher: 6.5 Unlucky to concede a penalty, and was a bit shaky afterward.
Agger: 7 Solid at the back.
Aurelio: 6.5 Injured again...
Maxi: 7.5 Getting adapted to Premier League pacing with a superb assist for the winning goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Getting closer to top fitness with a superb goal that took the lead.
Lucas: 6.5 Doing the defensive work well in general.
Benayoun: 7 Superb assists to Gerrard but gave away the ball cheaply that lead to the Carra penalty.
Kuyt: 7 Worked very hard all over the pitch.
Torres: 7.5 Very dangerous throughout the game and scored the winning goal.

Substitutions:
Insua: 6.5 Did well when called upon.
Babel/Ngog: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the team display in general.

Blackburn Rovers: 6.5 Tried very hard to get something from the game but the lack of goalscorer is the key.

Man of the Match: Reina. Keeping the team in the fight for fourth place.

Run in starts

With the team marching into last 16 of Europa League the focus is now back to the race for fourth. We have been goal shy recently, with only 3 goals scored by Kuyt in our last 6 games, but as Torres is edging back and Gerrard and Babel back on form, we will have more gunpower in this crucial period of the year. We were held back by Blackburn at Ewood Park and we need to get a better result at Anfield.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Kelly
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100225 at Unirea Urziceni: Progression despite early scare

3-1 and we are now through to the last 16 of the Europa League. We were one down from a poorly defended corner, but the team response well and scored three goals in return. This is the first time we score more than 2 goals since September and the win see us comfortably progressed.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7 Can't do too much on the goal conceded.
Carragher: 7 Solid defense and provided a supreme crossing that lead to the equalizer.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defense but was unfortunately injured.
Agger: 7 Defended well throughout.
Insua: 6.5 Out-jumped for the goal conceded.
Mascherano: 7.5 Scored an absolute beauty.
Lucas: 7 Solid display in the middle.
Benayoun: 7.5 Superb run that lead to Gerrard's goal.
Gerrard: 8 Scored and become the leading British scorer in Europe.
Babel: 7.5 Scored the winning goal that killed off the opponent.
Ngog: 7 Worked hard at the front.

Substitutions:
Kelly: 7 Solid performance in his European debut.
Kyrgiakos: 7 Did well in defending.
Aurelio: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted with the response of the players after conceding an early goal.

Unirea Urziceni: 6.5 Did well to give us an early scare but at the end the difference in class tells the difference.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Leading European scorer.

Progress

With a slight 1-0 lead we are traveling to Romania for the second leg of the Europa League. Unirea will need a win so they will try to attack and there should be more space for our players to work on. First goal will be key, so we need to try very hard to score one early and we will then be very comfortable for the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Agger
Skrtel
Aurelio
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Babel

Result 2:0

Match Report 100221 at Manchester City: Losing ground

0-0 and together with result elsewhere we have lost some ground in the race for fourth. The stake of losing the game is too high so both team just played very cautiously, and at the end a draw is not too bad. We still have 33 points to play for and we need to improve our form.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a great save to keep another clean sheet.
Carragher: 6.5 Failed to help the attack and at times unable to contain the City wingers.
Skrtel: 7.5 Back to his top form with a couple of superb tackles.
Agger: 6.5 Solid at the back in general.
Insua: 6.5 Unable to support the attack.
Lucas: 6 Too many miss passes.
Mascherano: 7 Played with commitment as usual but was lucky not to be sent off.
Kuyt: 6.5 Did not do too much.
Gerrard: 6.5 Getting closer to top fitness.
Maxi: 6 Almost anonymous.
Babel: 6.5 Get a rare chance to start but did not do too much.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Very active and could have won us a penalty.
Torres: 6.5 Good to see him back.
Aquilani: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be delighted to see Yossi and Torres back, from now on we need to work out our attack and score more goals.

Manchester City: 6.5 Both team will be there for the race for fourth.

Man of the Match: Skrtel: Superb tackles helped us for another clean sheet.

Fight for the fourth

Manchester City and us are chasing for the fourth place and both teams will be making sure not to lose ground. City is very strong at home so we need to perform some magic if we want to bring 3 points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100218 vs Unirea Urziceni: Tough win

1-0 and Unirea has defended well and it took us 81 minutes to find a way to score. Despite we have the majority of possession and 24 shots we still lack the cutting edge and so we can only score 1 goal. Nevertheless it is a clean sheet and a lead into the second tie so we are in a pole position in this match up. When Yossi and Torres are back to the squad things will change.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Very rarely called upon service.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid in defense but failed to help the attack.
Agger: 6.5 Solid in general.
Skrtel: 6.5 Almost scored from one corner.
Aurelio: 6.5 Have a few chances from free kick but failed to hit on target.
Aquilani: 6 No space to work on and still a bit off form.
Mascherano: 7.5 Driving the team forward with his never-say-die spirit.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual but should take more shots.
Gerrard: 6.5 Still picking up his form after the injury.
Riera: 6.5 Have a few long shots.
Ngog: 7 Worked hard and is rewarded with the winning goal.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7.5 Came on with an impact and provided the winning cross.
Pacheco: 7.5 Win an assisting header despite being the smallest player on the pitch.
Lucas: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be delighted about the clean sheet but still need to address the problem of lack of gunpower.

Unirea Uziceni: 6 Came for a draw but at the end failed to hang on. Would expect them to gear up in the next round.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Always play with 100% dedication.

Into unknown territory

After a disappointed defeat at Gunners we are now into the Europa League. Unirea Urziceni may be an unfamiliar opponent but Rafa has done his homework and we will find the suitable players and tactic for the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100210 at Arsenal: Referee stole points

0-1 and once again the referee stole points from us. We did not played particularly well but we have 2 genuine handball claim denied and one of it could be a penalty. A draw would be a fairer result. The defeat ended our 7 game unbeaten run and we are now equal in points with Manchester City, but played two more game. The next match at City will be very crucial for our fight for 4th place, and we need Torres and Carragher to be back from injury for this match.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well in general but could not do anything for that goal when he is fully exposed.
Carragher: 7 Performed very well before the injury.
Skrtel: 6.5 Solid in general but was at the wrong place for the goal conceded.
Agger: 6.5 Solid performance.
Insua: 6.5 Did well in defending.
Lucas: 6.5 Have a nice chance to score but missed.
Mascherano: 7.5 Compact in the middle to protect the back four.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.
Gerrard: 6.5 Form improving and should have equalized in the last minute.
Maxi: 6.5 Still adopting with the Premier League pace.
Ngog: 6.5 Not enough ball provided to him.

Substitutions:
Degen: 6 Completely missed his marker for the goal conceded.
Babel: 7 Did very well and almost scored for us.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the result. Need to solve the goal scoring drought. Maybe Babel up front with Ngog?

Arsenal: 6.5 Lucky to win the match. Probably will occupy the third place spot now.

Man of the Match: Mascherano. Always played with heart.

Break the duck

We have not win at Emirates yet and not win away at Arsenal for a decade, and it is now time for us to break the duck. The gunners will be played like wounded animal after two recent defeats, and we need to contain them well and hit them with counter attack if we are to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Agger
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100206 vs Everton: Team sprit drives us through

1-0 and despite playing with 10 men for two third of the game, we were clearly on top and was the deserved winner of the game. The referee made some poor decisions and put us in a disadvantaged position. But the players played very hard and bring us the victory we needed that put us back to top 4 spot going into the next two crucial away games.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a superb save in 2H to protect us to another clean sheet.
Carragher: 7.5 Excelled at both right back and center back.
Kyrgiakos: 6 No complaint on the red.
Agger: 7 Stylish display at the back.
Insua: 7 Solid at the left back.
Lucas: 7 Tackles and tackles.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb performance as a slot-in right back.
Kuyt: 8 Scored a beauty as his 50th goal.
Gerrard: 7.5 Inch perfect corner for the goal.
Maxi: 6.5 A bit quiet into the big game.
Ngog: 6.5 Worked very hard as lone striker.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Provided fresh leg to stretch the toffee defense.
Aurelio/Skrtel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7.5 Would be delighted about the fighting spirit and another clean sheet.

Everton: 6 Did not do much despite with a man advantage for most of the game.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. Right man at the right place at the right time.

Tough Derby

Every derby is tough but this one is especially tougher. Both teams are in a good run recently into this game, and both teams need points for going to Europe. We are still without Torres thus lack of gun power, but the players are up for the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

January Month Report

2W3D1L and we are out of the FA Cup after two matchups with Reading. In the league we did better with 2 home wins and 2 away draws in light of the injury problem. We now sit 1 points behind Spurs but City are level with us with two games on hand, so the race to fourth is still tough, especially we have 3 tough games coming up in February. It will be very crucial, but we are now in a better form approaching the challenges coming up.

Players of the Month (1) Kyrgiakos 7.25 (2) Reina 7.2 (3) Carragher 7.08. Kyrgiakos has finally come to age with a few find defensive performance. Reina also did well 3 clean sheets in the month, and Carra has been great in the defense, no matter as right back or centre back.

February prediction:
2/6 Everton (h) Both Merseyside teams are on form so this would be a tough match.
2/10 Arsenal (a) Gooner are not doing well recently but we need to avoid any backslash from them.
2/18 Unirea Urziceni (h) Start of Europa League but Rafa should let the kids to do the playing. Focus should be in the league.
2/21 Manchester City (a) A 6 pointer for the race of fourth and it is almost a must win game for us.
2/25 Unirea Urziceni (a) As mentioned above Rafa should let the kids gain experience in this matchup.
2/28 Blackburn Rovers (h) We lost two points at Blackburn and this is time for us to get a revenge.

Match Report 100130 vs Bolton Wanderers: Confidence growing

2-0 and although the win is not that beautiful, yet confidence is growing. We did not play very well in 1H and was lucky to go one up thanks to another great Kuyt effort. We played better in 2H, and cruised to a two nil victory. It is another victory and we are now 4W2D in our last 6 league games, and it is very important to enter the crucial February in fine form.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another solid performance to keep another clean sheet.
Carragher: 7 Lead the defensive line to another clean sheet.
Kyrgiakos: 7.5 Another outstanding performance with a goal line save.
Skrtel: 6.5 No nonsense display.
Insua: 7 Defected shot to make it 2-0.
Aquilani: 6.5 Had a superb assist but otherwise too many miss passes.
Mascherano: 7 Protect the back 4 well.
Kuyt: 7 Scored the winner at the right place.
Gerrard: 7 Was tightly man marked in 1H but did well to get rid of it in 2H.
Riera: 6.5 Had a few good crosses.
Ngog: 6.5 Missed a sitter.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7 Came on and changed the swing of the game.
Maxi/Babel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be delighted about the result and another clean sheet.

Bolton Wanderers: 6.5 Although they have a few great chances but the difference in class counts.

Man of the Match: Kyrgiakos. Another fine display of defense.

Restart once again...

Our season has been ups and downs and after another midweek disappointment we need to revitalize our season once again. Bolton had a new manager and they just won their first game, so they have a bit momentum and we need to play very well to bring three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Insua
Aquilani
Mascherano
Maxi
Gerrard
Riera
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100126 at Wolverhampton Wanderers: Two points lost

0-0 and we did not do much to deserve more than 1 point. Wolves defended well and we could not break through them. At the end a draw is a fair result, and our recent run of 3W2D in 5 games are not bad, but it also means we are further behind in the race for 4th place.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Assured performance in spite of the constant boo from Wolves fans.
Carragher: 7 Lead the defense team well.
Skrtel: 6 A few missed time tackles which fortunately was not serious.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Another Solid performance
Insua: 6.5 Good in defense.
Lucas: 6 Too many miss passes.
Mascherano: 6.5 Good in protecting back four.
Maxi: 6.5 Found it tough on his first full debut.
Gerrard: 6.5 Not yet full match fitness.
Riera: 6.5 Have a few nice passes but faded out in 2H.
Kuyt: 6.5 Not too many chances.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6.5 Installed some pacing to the team but couldn't change the result.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the lack of attacking creativeness. But why isn't Aquilani play at least a few minutes?

Wolverhampton Wanderers: 6.5 Did not do much to worth getting more than 1 point.

Man of the Match: Reina/Carragher. Lead the defensive line well for another clean sheet.

Stevie G is back

We have not win at Wolves since 1979 and it is now time to break the duck. Stevie G is back and could play a part of the game, and we need to keep up the momentum in the league and bring three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Gerrard
Aquilani
Riera
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100120 vs Tottenham Hotspur: We have determination

2-0 and two Kuyt goals secured our first win in 2010. From the first minute we were on top and the whole team is determined to close the gap. It is still a long battle but we are now in a better position than before to finish 4th, and we have the courage to do so.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Very solid at the back and his perfect delivery lead to the first goal.
Carragher: 7.5 Lead the team by example and are always willing to tackle.
Skrtel: 7 Solid defending.
Kyrgiakos: 7.5 Another superb performance and should have scored again.
Insua: 6.5 Solid in defending but did not offer much attacking, especially during first half.
Lucas: 7 Strong performance in the middle.
Mascherano: 7 Solid and determined to cut all balls passed him.
Degen: 6.5 Played better as a wing back but still lack confidence in front of goal.
Aquilani: 7.5 Superb assist and were willing to tackle.
Riera: 7 Good performance and delivery from set pieces.
Kuyt: 8 Scored two great goals.

Substitutions:
Maxi: 7 Getting blended in the team.
Ngog: 7.5 Came on and swing the game towards us.
Darby: 7 Nice league debut.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the performance of the team. We are willing to fight for the 4th place.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6 Could not cope with the pressure from the team and the fans.

Man of the Match: Kuyt. Made up for the miss in the Stoke game.

Attack

This is a very crucial game as a win will bring us to within 1 point of top 4. Spur is a different opponent to Stoke City as they will not be as physical but will be more dangerous in attack. We need to keep our defense well, and to attack them as much as we can.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Aquilani
Maxi
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100116 at Stoke City: A hard blow to the hard work

1-1 and we conceded another late goal to lose two points. Kuyt had a glorious chance to win the game at the last minute but only hit the post. Together with the poor decisions by the referees, it sums up how good our luck is at the time being. The only lucky thing is results elsewhere are kind to us that minimize our misery, but we certainly missed a great chance to close the gap.

With such a long injury list going to Stoke, Rafa had opted to tackle with the threats with 2 layers of full backs. It worked defensively but the team did not create many chances. Kyrgiakos did very well and showed he is very effective against strong but slow opponents. Unfortunately we could not get the crucial second goal and at the end nerve came to us and we conceded a late goal from corner. It is hard to take, but we need to move on and make sure we get three points in the next game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Solid and assuring at the goal.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the right back although did not help attack that much.
Kyrgiakos: 7.5 Win everything in the air and scored our goal.
Skrtel: 6.5 Not very effective.
Insua: 6.5 Not much contribution.
Degen: 6 Give away the ball too cheaply.
Lucas: 6.5 Should have win us two penalties, but poor referee...
Mascherano: 7 Showed he cared the team and is willing to fight.
Aurelio: 6.5 Inch perfect delivery for our goal.
Ngog: 6 No service to him.
Kuyt: 6.5 Hit the post at the end or else we will win the game.

Substitutions:
Maxi: 6 Not much to do in his debut.
Aquilani: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be delighted about how the team responded, but need to address the lack of confidence especially towards the end of the game.

Stoke City: 6.5 They are also dangerous at home and they should be able to survive with such performance.

Man of the Match: Kyrgiakos. Solid against strong defenders.

Get out of the abyss

With team confidence very low and the never ending injury list, we are deeply in trouble and the season may be fall apart soon. Is Rafa still have the magic touch to turn this around? I really don't know. For the first time in history I become doubtful on whether Rafa is still the right person to lead us out of this abyss. But as a fan we should always support the team. With hope in our heart.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Aquilani
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100113 vs Reading: Disappointing

1-2 and this is a very disappointing performance. Not only is that we lose to a Championship side, but the way we played was just disgraceful. Although we may still claim advantage in possession but keeping the ball alone won't give you victory. You still need to put the ball into the net, and this is what we failed to do. Worse of all, our injury list is stacking up again. We need to turn around quickly (once again) and this time we need to keep going up, or the season will fall apart.

One big problem is that in general none of the players did really bad, but at aggregate we lack confidence. We need a few wins to kick start the season.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 6.5 Made a few good saves but was helpless in the two goals conceded.
Degen: 6.5 Quite solid performance although he was guilty of diving.
Carragher: 7 Had an early mistake but recovered afterwards.
Agger: 6.5 Solid in general.
Insua: 6 Poor performance.
Aquilani: 6 Not picking up the English game yet.
Lucas: 6.5 One of the better player.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard but no use.
Gerrard: 6.5 Injured but his performance was just average.
Benayoun: 6 Did not do much and was guilty of conceded a last minute penalty.
Torres: 6 Very average before his injury.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6 Tried very hard - too hard.
Babel: 6 Just running and running but no real threat.
Skrtel: 6 Average performance.

Rafa: 5.5 Is he still able to turn this around? We hope so, and need him to do so immediately.

Reading: 6.5 Credits to them, they created more deadly chances and could have win it in normal time if their finishing is better.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Only player to have the heart to fight.

Go through next round

After the weekend match was cancelled the focus is once again back to FA Cup. We have 10 days of rest and the players are raring to go. Reading may fancy their chance but if we perform well and avoid complacency we will go through 4th round and face Burnley at home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Climb up the table

After a disappointing FA Cup game we are now back to the league. Spur has beaten us in the season opener and we need to get something back in the return match. They are red hot at the time being, sitting comfortably at 4th place and have kept 3 consecutive clean sheets, and we need to be at our very best to beat them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Agger
Insua
Aquilani
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100102 at Reading: Inconsistency

1-1 and once again inconsistency in performance means we need to play a replay at Anfield. Without Aquilani and Benayoun in the midfield, the team lacks creativity and there are only few chances created. Credits to Reading, they pressured us and made us make errors and they truly deserved to earn a replay.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a great save to keep us in the Cup.
Darby: 6.5 Good in defending but still need to improve in bring the ball forward.
Carragher: 7 Solid in defense as usual.
Skrtel: 6.5 Did OK in defense.
Insua: 6.5 Mistake lead to free kick for the goal conceded.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard but not much help.
Gerrard: 7 Scored the equalizer.
Lucas: 6.5 Failed to trace the ball and lead to the goal conceded.
Aurelio: 6.5 Missed two glorious chances to win the game.
Torres: 6.5 Not really into the game with no service provided.
Ngog: 6.5 Dipped in 2H.

Substitutions:
Aquilani/Benayoun: 6.5 Could not changed the game.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed about the lack of fight. Also need to improve our consistency.

Reading: Credits for their courage.

Man of the Match: Reina. Keep us in the Cup.

Realistic chance for trophy

FA Cup is our only realistic chance to get a trophy this season, so we need to put up 100% effort for the cup. Rafa will no doubt rest some players but we should have enough strength to beat Reading and qualify for 4th round.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalleri
Degen
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Aurelio
Aquilani
Spearing
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

December Month Report

3 wins 1 draw and 3 defeats. We started the month still in a poor form with a draw at Blackburn and then defeats by Fiorentina and Arsenal. We thought a home victory vs Wigan may have turned our luck, but a defeat at lowly Pompey had everybody questioning the team. Luckily we finished the month strongly with successive wins against Wolves and Aston Villa. We are still lying at 7th place, but our confidence is now better and we can go into the new year strongly to challenge the top 4 spots.

Players of the Month (1) Gerrard 7.14 (2) Reina 7.08 (3) Carragher 6.92. Stevie G is getting closer to his top form and is always carrying the team through the hard time. Reina has been one of the better players this month with another consistent month, and Carragher is also getting better despite early setbacks.

January prediction:
1/2 Reading (a) A chance for some second tier players to shine.
1/10 Tottenham Hotspur (h) We lost to Spurs on the opening day and this is another important match in the race for top 4 spot.
1/16 Stoke City (a) Last year we failed to break down their stubborn defense and this year we need to find some way to bring 3 points home.
1/23 FA Cup 4th round proper (TBA) No matter who we will play we need to play well to go through.
1/26 Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) They may still be complaining about the Ward sent off so we need to be careful.
1/30 Bolton Wanderers (h) Bolton will have a new manager installed so we need to make sure they won't have the additional adrenaline to please the new man.

Match Report 091229 at Aston Villa: Determination makes the difference

1-0 and it was not until the 93nd minutes that Torres scored the winner. The build up may be lucky but the finishing is world class. The win bring us two points behind Villa and we are now in a much better position to challenge the top 4 position.

The match was very even with us slightly in control of the game, but both teams did not do well in finishing and both goalkeepers were doing their jobs. But at the end a world class striker makes the difference and we happily bring another three points home. The performance may not be good, but the win will no doubt boast our confidence going into a new year.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made a world class save.
Johnson: 6 Giving the ball away in too many occasions.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending.
Agger: 7.5 Getting closer to his best with another good performance.
Insua: 6.5 At times guilty in defending especially during corners.
Aquilani: 6.5 A bit rusty with his passes.
Lucas: 7 Another good game protecting the back four.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard as usual and had a penalty turned down.
Gerrard: 7.5 Driving the team forward as usual.
Benayoun: 6.5 Failed to break down the Villa defense.
Torres: 7.5 One chance, one goal.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Missed a great chance to score.
Skrtel: 6.5 Conceded a dangerous foul.
Aurelio: 6.5 Not enough time to kick the ball.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the victory. Now the key is to build on the momentum and get more wins.

Aston Villa: 6.5 Would be there to challenge top 4.

Man of the Match: Reina. Building the platform for the victory.

Second half starts

After a disappointing first half we definitely need to improve in the second half. We lost 1-3 at home to Villa and this is time for us to get back something. And we need to start a winning streak.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Gerrard
Lucas
Kuyt
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

2009/10 Mid Term Report

What a difference in one year! We did very well last year and finished 2nd and everybody is with very high hope entering the season. However we did not perform well and after 27 games we only managed 12 wins, 4 draws and 11 defeats. In the league we have 9 wins 3 draws and 7 defeats with 30 points and are sitting on 7th place, 5 points behind Villa who occupying the 4th place and 12 points behind the leader Chelsea. And last year we were on top (P19 W12 D6 L1 with 42 points). We still beat our old rivals as Manchester United and Everton, but we failed to win in 7 games including some low teams like Portsmouth, Sunderland and Fulham. We also didn't do well in the Champions League and is already crashed out. We will play in the Europa League in the new year. In the League Cup. as usual we were eliminated by an London team.

Departmental Comments:
Goalkeeper
Although he is conceding more goals, Reina is still a very good goalkeeper with 8 clean sheets in 24 games, and Cavalieri is gradually showing he can be a decent challenger.

Defender
Although he did not played too well in the start Carragher is gradually picking up and is now getting back to his normal high level. Agger is doing very good after his early injury and is taking the other central slot. On the sides Glen Johnson and Insua are taking the franks as their own, and both have opened their scoring accounts as well. It is also good to see youngster such as Ayala get a chance and did well, but some older players are playing poorly.

Midfielder
Although he is yet to get back to his best Gerrard is still leading the team with his good performance. With Alonso left us our midfleld is weakened a lot, and Aquilani is also injured we are struggling in the middle. Mascherano and Lucas are doing OK if not too impressive, but they both lack the creativity of Alonso. On the sides Kuyt is doing well as usual, and Benayoun is also taking the other side as his own.

Attacker
Torres' season has been on and off but he still scored 11 goals in the league and is on his way to be the quickest to score 50 goals for us. It is also worth nothing that Ngog is gradually showing he is a capable player and he had already scored 6 goals in just 730 minutes of action.


Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Cavalieri: 3G 270M 4GC 1CS 1MoM 7.17
Gulacsi: 2 unused substitutes
Reina: 24G 2160M 30GC 8CS 4MoM 7.04

Defenders
Agger: 14G 1181M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.84
Aurelio: 16G 861M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.66
Ayala: 3G 110M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.89
Carragher: 24G 2152M 0GS 1A 1.5MoM 6.82
Darby: 1G 90M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Degen: 5G 272M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.39
Dosenna: 5G 235M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.16
Insua: 24G 2113M 1GS 4A 1MoM 6.68
Johnson: 20G 1695M 2GS 2A 3MoM 6.90
Kelly: 1G 74M 0GS 0A 1MoM 7.50
Kyrgiakos: 6G 529M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.16

Midfielders
Aquilani: 7G 216M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.66
Babel: 14G 518M 3GS 2A 1MoM 6.32
Benayoun: 26G 1734M 7GS 4A 1MoM 7.04
El Zhar: 1G 18M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Gerrard: 22G 1767M 5GS 6A 3MoM 7.08
Kuyt: 26G 2153M 6GS 2A 2.5MoM 6.87
Lucas: 24G 2052M 0GS 1A 1MoM 6.84
Mascherano: 23G 1747M 0GS 1A 1MoM 6.74
Pacheco: 2G 20M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.65
Plessis: 1G 76M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Riera: 11G 597M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.71
Spearing: 5G 256M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.54

Attackers:
Eccleston: 2G 14M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.07
Ngog: 15G 730M 6GS 0A 2MoM 6.88
Torres: 18G 1407M 11GS 1A 5MoM 7.02
Voronin: 12G 376M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.19

Players of 1st half season (Minimum 1,458 mins (60%) or above):
(1) Gerrard 7.08
(2) Reina 7.042
(3) Benayoun 7.041
(4) Johnson 6.90
(5) Kuyt 6.87

Team: 6.81. The team scoring is 0.13 lower than last season and is a good reflection that we are doing poorer. In general we are lacking more goals and scoring fewer goals, so we have many rooms for improvement. With 19 league games to go the priority is to get back to top 4. It is not easy, but achievable. But we first need to start another winning run first.

2H Result Prediction
League:
1st-5th place teams (Chelsea H, Manchester United A, Aston Villa A, Arsenal A, Tottenham Hotspur H) 3W2D
6th-10th place teams (Manchester City A, Birmingham City A, Fulham H, Sunderland A) 3W1D
11th-15th place teams (Stoke City A, Blackburn Rovers H, Burnley A, Everton H, Wolverhampton Wanderers) 4W1D
16th-20th place teams (Wigan Athletic A, West Ham United H, Bolton Wanderers H, Hull City A, Portsmouth H) 5W

Total for 2H 15W4D 49 points
Total for the season 79 points

With 79 points we will finish at top 4.

In FA Cup, Reading away will be a good test for the team but we should be able to get pass them. In Europa League the draw is not too tough, but our focus is to finish top 4 so Rafa should not rest some of the key players. We will see how far we can go.

And finally, with hope in your heart, in Rafa we trust.

Match Report 091226 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: A win is a win

2-0 and at the end it was a comfortable win, especially after Wolves were down to 10 men. We basically controlled the game but just lack a bit confidence. As long as we are one man up we are in complete control of the game, and 2 goals in 8 minutes settled the game. It was not pretty, but it will improve our confidence level going into new year.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A superb defending performance.
Johnson 6.5 Good defending but seldom support attack.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending.
Agger: 7 Good defending performance.
Insua: 7 Defend well in general and provided the killer pass for Gerrard's goal.
Gerrard: 8 Superb goal to kick start the team.
Lucas: 7 Very composed performance.
Benayoun: 7.5 Good goal to kill off the game.
Aquilani: 7 A good first league start despite lack of match fitness.
Aurelio: 6.5 Solid on the left.
Torres: 6.5 Mourned too much without any real threat.

Substitutions;
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.
Pacheco/Spearing: 6.5 Performed well in general.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the improve of performance. But still need to improve the confidence and Torres' form.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: 6 Did not do much to warrant more.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Captain sets role model again.

Rebound

After a very poor performance at Pompey we definitely need to rebound. Wolves can beat Spurs so they are not a poor team, and we need to perform well in order to bring three point home for a happy Christmas.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Gerrard
Lucas
Kuyt
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091219 at Portsmouth: We are in big trouble

0-2 against the bottom team and you will not have any excuse. True, the first goal may be offside, the referee was bad, and we were one man down for half the game, but we should at least have more team spirit and give them more threats. One shot on target and it was from Dossena won't win you anything. If we do not improve quickly we will be in bigger trouble.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Have no chance on both goals conceded.
Johnson: 6 Unable to provide any threat on his return to Pompey.
Carragher: 6.5 Showed character but could not prevent the tragedy.
Agger: 6 Solid defending.
Insua: 6 One of his poorer game of the season.
Mascherano: 5 Stupid red card.
Lucas: 6 Solid in midfield.
Kuyt: 6 Did not provide many attacking help.
Gerrard: 7 Trying to lift the team but could not do so.
Dossena: 5 Very poor performance.
Torres: 6 Loss his temper and was lucky for not being sent off.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6 Slight injury affected his performance.
Aurelio: 6 Could not help the team with 10 men.
Spearing: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Loss his temper as well. But the key is to regroup the team and restart the season. Now.

Portsmouth: 7 On performance like today they should survive.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. We need more people to play with heart like the captain.

Be careful

After a midweek victory at home we are now away at Pompey in the early hours. The weather is bad and the travel is long, but we have the squad to bring home the 3 points we needed.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091216 vs Wigan Athletic: A better result

2-1 and apart from a few scares we were in control of the game. Confidence may be still a bit low, especially after they scored, but we are getting better in general. Ngog was especially sharp and he is a good backup for Torres.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Another good performance in general.
Carragher: 7 Solid as a make-shift right back.
Skrtel: 6.5 Did well in defending.
Agger: 7 Should have scored from a corner.
Insua: 6.5 Solid defending.
Benayoun: 7 Very lively performance.
Gerrard: 7 Getting closer to his right level.
Mascherano: 7 Solid tackles.
Aurelio: 7 Deadly crossing that lead to the first goal.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual and with have a great shot saved.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored another great goal and growing confidence.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 6.5 Solid when came up to protect back four.
Torres: 7.5 Scored a great goal in his 100th game.
Aquilani: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted in the result and the performance in general, but still need to grow the team confidence.

Wigan Athletic: 6 Didn't do too much to deserve more from the game.

Man of the Match: Ngog. Not quite Torres but a useful backup.

Grow our confidence

We are now playing without much confidence and we need to address this as soon as possible. The coming three games are against the bottom teams and we need to get 9 points from these games. Although confidence may be low but we still have enough talent to take these points. Starting tonight.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091213 vs Arsenal: We need some luck

1-2 and this is a very disappointing as this is a golden opportunity for us to move up the table, as most of our rivals were losing. We played quite well in the first half and were fully deserved with a half time lead. But luck ran out in second half and as soon as Johnson scored an own goal the momentum changed. As Gerrard and Torres tired we didn't have any tricks to win the game, and the result left us at 7th place. Time is running out and we definitely need to win the next 3 games, where we should be capable to do so.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Could do nothing with both goals.
Johnson: 6 Bad luck in scoring an own goal and should mark Arshavin tighter for the second goal conceded.
Carragher: 7 Solid defending and lead the defense well.
Agger: 6.5 Did well in defensing.
Aurelio: 6.5 Did not do much to support attack.
Mascherano: 6.5 Not his best game.
Lucas: 6.5 Did OK in the midfield.
Kuyt: 7 Scored a great goal but could not lead us to victory.
Gerrard: 6.5 Should have win us a penalty.
Benayoun: 6 A very quiet day.
Torres: 6.5 Had a few chances but failed to take any of them.

Substitutions:
Aquilani: 6.5 Failed to change the game.
Ngog/Degen: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Need to improve the confidence of the team. We miss them badly.

Arsenal: 6.5 A poor game but luck was on their side.

Men of the Match: Carragher/Kuyt. But still not enough to bring us anything from the game.

Season restarts here

I have lost count of how many times we think we will restart the season, but hopefully this is it. Gunners will be tough opponents but we have an almost full squad finally available. It would not be easy, but with the support of the Kop, we will win this.]

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Aurelio
Gerrard
Mascherano
Kuyt
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091209 vs Fiorentina: Result summarises our Champions League fate this season

1-2 and once again we conceded at the last minute. Without these three late goals we will have qualified, and now we are only content with Europa League. We played the game well but did not take our chances, and the Viola capitalized their chances and took them well.

It is good to see Aquilani finally starts and Torres back in contention. We deadly missed them.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7.5 Made many good saves.
Darby: 6.5 A bit nervous in his debut and made two mistakes that lead to both goals conceded.
Skrtel: 6.5 Made covers for Darby.
Agger: 6.5 A solid defensive performance.
Insua: 6.5 Not going forward too often.
Gerrard: 7 Getting closer to his normal level.
Mascherano: 6.5 Made many tackles.
Benayoun: 7 Scored another goal and become our CL top scorer this season - with 2 goals.
Aquilani: 7 A stylish first start and we would like to see more from him.
Dossena: 6.5 Left midfield is a more suitable position for him.
Kuyt: 6.5 Did not provide too many threats.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7 Came up and changed the flow of the game.
Pacheco: 6.5 A nice debut from the promising new start.
Aurelio: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Still need to change the psychology of the team to become more positive. It is time to serious consider playing Aquilani more.

Fiorentina: 6.5 Well deserved to qualify.

Man of the Match: Cavalieri. Would be great to see him involved more in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Trial match for the youngsters

Tonight's game has no significant value apart from improving match fitness of some players. Rafa should use this opportunity to give the youngsters a chance so that they can learn more from playing in an European game.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Darby
Kyrgiakos
Skrtel
Dossena
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pacheco
Aquilani
Riera
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 091205 at Blackburn Rovers: Missed opportunity

0-0 and with result elsewhere against us, we are now further adrift in the race for 4th place. First half was in particular poor with no real chances created. In the second half we stepped up and with a few great chances, but we failed to grab any of them. Defense was solid or otherwise we will lose the game.

One thing that Rafa need to sort out is the lack of creativity of the midfield. Lucas and Mascherano are good, but if Rafa play them together we lack creativity, as they are too similar to each other. With Aquilani approaching his first start we hope the problem can be resolved soon.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Did well to earn us another clean sheet.
Johnson: 7.5 Very sharp in the 2H with many deadly crosses.
Carragher: 7 Solid in denying Blackburn from scoring.
Agger: 7 An elegant display.
Insua: 6.5 Did not move forward very often.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid but lack creativity.
Mascherano: 6.5 Solid in defending.
Benayoun: 6.5 Did not create many opportunities.
Gerrard: 7 Worked hard on his 500th game but with no prevail.
Riera: 6 Very quiet.
Kuyt: 6.5 Tried hard but could not score.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6.5 Had a great chance but hit the bar hard.
El Zhar: 6.5 Worked very hard but could not change the game.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to improve the creativity of the game ASAP.

Blackburn Rovers: 6.5 Did not do too much to win the game either.

Man of the Match: Johnson. Provided many opportunities but our attacks failed to take any of them.

Build on result

After two victories and clean sheets in a row we now need to continue our run into December. Rafa should have a full squad to choose from as Torres should be returning, so we need to make sure we are strong from the back and take the three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Bebayoun
Ngog

Result 2:0

November Month Report

2 wins and 3 draw, we are out in the Champions League but we gradually climbed to fifth place of the league. Performances were not great but were improving, and we managed consecutive clean sheets since mid September. Our injury list is also reducing and going into December we should be able to field our strongest eleven finally.

Players of the month (1) Reina 7.20 (2) Carragher 7.13 (3) Lucas 7.10. As Hansen said without Reina we would be even worse this season. Time after time he has been there to save us from further misery. At the same time Carra's performance also gradually picked up, and he is now back to his normal level. And Lucas had some inspirational games in the month as well.

December prediction:
12/5 Blackburn Rovers (a) Start picking up points after the derby victory.
12/9 Fiorentina (h) A meaningless game now, Rafa should give the kids chances to show their worth.
12/13 Arsenal (h) We need to beat the gooners if we want to keep our top four berth.
12/16 Wigan Athletic (h) Wigan may be a bogey team but we need to beat them at home.
12/20 Portsmouth (a) Portsmouth is at the bottom of the league so we need to grab our chance and get 3 points.
12/26 Wolverhampton (h) Boxing day with the wolves and we need to bring some gifts to our fans.
12/29 Aston Villa (a) We lost to them at home so it is now time for a revenge. And for the top four berth.

Match Report 091129 at Everton: Change of luck

2-0 and although we were second best most of the time, we finally have some luck and have the last laugh. Our defense was superb and we took our chances well. This is an important win and bring us to fifth of the table. We now need to build on the win and kick start our season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8.5 Superb double saves to earn us three points.
Johnson: 7 Good defending.
Carragher: 7.5 Rock at the back.
Agger: 7.5 Confidence growing.
Insua: 7 Almost scored from a header.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb shot that bring us the lead.
Lucas: 7 A bit nervous but still defending well.
Kuyt: 7 A bit quiet but calmly scored a tap-in.
Gerrard: 6.5 Very quiet.
Aurelio: 6.5 Doing the defensive work well but seldom go forward.
Ngog: 6.5 Not yet strong enough to beat the Everton defense.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7.5 Changed the game flow when come on.
Riera: 7.5 Provided the crucial pass to the second goal.

Rafa: 7 Would be delight about the teamwork, although he also admit we were only second best on the pitch.

Everton: 6.5 Lack some luck but talks about them relegation is a bit pre-mature.

Man of the Match: Reina. World class goalkeeper.

Merseyside in trouble

The 212th Merseyside derby sees both teams in trouble recently. It is a time for the teams to restart the season. Everton may be poor as poor as (if not poorer than) us recently but in a derby game form means nothing. We need to play 120% if we want to take the three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091124 at Debreceni VSC: Europa here we come!

1:0 but the victory is not enough and we now find ourselves in the Europa League. We were in control of the game and after the early strike by Ngog we have many many chances to increase the lead. But Debreceni hold on and at the end we only managed to beat them by one goal. Overall our performance is much better than previous games, and we now need to build on this result and restart our season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a great save in the 2H to keep the clean sheet.
Johnson: 7 Provided many wicked crosses.
Carragher: 7.5 Solid defending and a great assist.
Agger: 7 Solid defending after the weekend injury.
Insua: 7 Solid defending and did well going forward.
Mascherano: 7 Control the midfield and almost scored.
Lucas: 7 Setting up the tempo well.
Kuyt: 7 Overlap well with Johnson.
Gerrard: 7 Condition better than last Saturday and almost scored.
Aurelio: 7.5Superb crossing that lead to the goal. Many wicked crosses as well.
Ngog: 8 Scored a goal from instinct and could have score more.

Substitution:
Benayoun/Dossena/Aquilani: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Would be delighted about the team effort.

Debreceni: 6 Clearly different class.

Man of the Match: Ngog. Continue his fine form.

Do our best and pray for the rest

We are on the brink of elimination from the Champions League. Even a win tonight may not be enough, should result elsewhere is not helping us. And we have never win at Hungary. And Torres and Babel did not travel. Nevertheless we still need to do our job, and hope that we have some luck so that we can have a final showdown in two weeks' time.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Lucas
Mascherano
Kuyt
Aquilani
Gerrard
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 091121 vs Manchester City: When can we have some luck?

2-2 and our injury list just increased by two. We were in control the team but we sit back after taking the lead. Two silly defensive mistakes later and we found ourselves behind. Luckily City was also sleeping so we snatched a goal quickly. We have many chances to win the game, but just could not take any of them.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Defense let him down again.
Carragher: 6.5 Did OK on the right but failed to help attack.
Agger: 6 Injured early on.
Skrtel: 7 Scored a great goal, almost scored another, but were also guilty of conceding both goals.
Insua: 6.5 An average performance.
Lucas: 7.5 Solid performance with growing confidence. Just lack a bit creativity.
Mascherano: 7 Solid display.
Kuyt: 6.5 Have a few chances but failed to take.
Gerrard: 7 Not in his best condition and faded out quickly in 2H.
Babel: 6 Injured and could not contribute more.
Ngog: 6.5 Assisted on the equalizer.

Substitutions:
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Solid in defending but his lack of pace is a big hindrance, especially facing pacy forwards like Tevez.
Benayoun: 7 Did well and scored a fantastic equalizer.
Aurelio: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to sort out the defense and pray for the injured players to return soon.

Manchester City: 6.5 Would such an expensive squad you expect them to play much better.

Man of the Match: Lucas. Need to improve his creativity though.

Restart the season

After a much needed break many injured players are recovering, and it is now time for us to restart the season. City has spent big money trying to buy glory, and we need to play to our best to get the 3 points to restart the season.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 091109 vs Birmingham City: Luck needed

2-2 and this is another 2 points lost. With the chances we created we should have won this game comfortably, but Torres was not around and we somehow conceded two goals. The penalty was dubious, but Ngog was not diving and merely lost balance and fall down. And our injury problem is never ending as Riera and Benayoun were both injured. Realistically we should now focus on safeguarding 4th place.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Can't do much on both goals conceded.
Johnson: 7.5 Very lively performance and created many chances.
Agger: 7 Solid display despite playing with back pain.
Skrtel: 6.5 Generally solid but at times feeling nervous.
Insua: 6.5 Did well in defending.
Lucas: 7 Solid in midfield.
Mascherano: 7 Tackles everywhere.
Benayoun: 6.5 Feeling a bit tired and torn his hamstring.
Kuyt: 6.5 Not taking his chances well.
Riera: 7 A nice assist before he torn his hamstring again.
Ngog: 7 Great goal scored, but was accused of diving in 2H.

Substitutions:
Gerrard: 7 Scored a penalty to savage 1 point.
Babel/Aquilani: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be grateful on the performance but not the result. Need to find ways to change our luck.

Birmingham City: 6 Taken their chances well and earned one point.

Man of the Match: Johnson. Good game going forward.

Pick ourselves up

After a period of 1 wins in 8 matches we now need to pick ourselves up and try to win every game. Many of the injured players are recovering, so we can have a better lineup tonight. Normally I don't like Monday night football but this time, the extra 2 days' rest really helps.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Skrtel
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091104 at Lyon: Miracle Needed

1-1 and this result send us to a mission impossible. We need Lyon to help us to beat Fiorentina in order to have any real chance to qualify. It will be very difficult, but it is not impossible. We played well and deserved to win but with one error in the last minute, our hope is fading and Europa League is looming onto us.

Player Ratings:
Reina: 7 Made a few great saves but could do nothing on the goal conceded.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the right back position.
Kyrgiakos: 5.5 His lack of pace exposed us and lead to the goal conceded.
Agger: 7 Solid despite playing through the pain barrier.
Insua: 6.5 Solid at the back.
Mascherano: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Lucas: 7 Did well in the midfield.
Kuyt: 6.5 Workaholic as usual but failed to have any real impact.
Voronin: 6 Missed a glorious chance in 1H.
Benayoun: 7 Quiet game other than the assist to Babel.
Torres: 7 Credits to him in holding up the Lyon defense despite playing with an injury.

Substitutions:
Babel: 7.5 Finally made an impact again when called up.
Ngog: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6.5 Would be disappointed on how we conceded the goal cheaply, despite it is clearly an offside goal. We need some more luck.

Lyon: 6.5 They didn't do too much to deserve a victory, but let's hope they will help us in beating Fiorentina in 3 weeks' time.

Man of the Match: Babel. Wonder strike although at the end it is still not enough

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high

With a long list of injuries we are hugely weakened going into this important game. Rafa can barely has 19 players flew to France and not all of them are fully fit. It is time for the squad players to stand up and be counted. And show the world that you are capable of, and show that you deserve the red shirt.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Darby
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Aquilani
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0

October Month Report

1 win and 5 defeats and this is as poor as you can see. We did have lots of injuries, no luck, and the fixture is not helping us, but still we are Liverpool and we should perform much better. Even beating United is of no use if we keep on playing this. Rafa, please turn this around quickly.

Players of the month (1) Reina 7.10 (2) Benayoun 6.99 (3) Kuyt 6.84. Although we lost so many matches Pepe has been a consistent player. Yossi also provided a lot of sparks during the month, and Kuyt has also been working hard as usual. But the other players need to step up and be counted.

November prediction:
11/4 Lyon (a) A defeat will means Europa. But with currently lineup we definitely need a miracle to get a result.
11/9 Birmingham City (h) By the time we play Birmingham we may be down to 9th depending on results elsewhere, and we need to pick up soon.
11/21 Manchester City (h) They are one of the top 4 contenders so we need to beat them at home to maintain an advantage.
11/24 Debreceni VSC (a) No matter where we are heading in Europe we need to beat the Hungarian team.
11/29 Everton (a) This year the Merseyside derby will feature two teams in trouble, but this may be another good opportunity for us to keep moving up.

Match Report 091031 at Fulham: Nightmare in Halloween

1-3 and this is a very poor result. True, we were hit by injuries and virus, but the starting lineup is still full of internationals and we should get more. The fact that Torres' goal is the only shot on target tells you how poor we are. Both red cards should not be given and we will appeal for both of them.

Player Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Could not do much to avoid the three goals conceded.
Degen: 6 Did well going up but let the defense exposed. Was wrongly sent off.
Carragher: 6 Did well in the defense but was harshly sent off. Debatable decision.
Kyrgiakos: 5.5 Very poor defending and was ball-watching for the first goal conceded.
Insua: 6 Lose Zamora and let in the first goal conceded.
Lucas: 7 One of the better playing in the squad.
Mascherano: 6.5 Did OK but could not drive the team forward.
Benayoun: 6.5 Have a shot hit the bar.
Voronin: 5.5 Useless.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual but failed to provide any impact.
Torres: 7.5 His goal is not enough to get us at least one point.

Substitutions:
Babel: 5.5 Barely seen on the pitch.
Eccleston/Ayala: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 5 Another very poor display by the team and he seems to have no method of turning it around...

Fulham: 6.5 Did enough to win the game although the scoreline flatters them.

Man of the Match: Torres. We definitely need him to be fit on Wednesday.

Momentum and consistency are the keys

After a memorable victory last week we need to build on it and start another winning streak. Fulham will be tough opponent at home and we need a wonderful strike by Yossi at the last minute to beat them last year, so we need to play exceptionally well again this time to get the three points.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Degen
Carragher
Agger
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091028 at Arsenal: Nice debut by Aquaman

1-2 and although we are out of the League Cup our performance was quite well. In short this is a very balanced game, but Arsenal took their chances better than we do. And we were cruelly denied a penalty that will bring the game to extra time. In summary, the second strings did quite well and they will get another chance to shine very soon.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 6.5 Could have done better in defending both goals conceded.
Degen: 7 Surprisingly very attacking mind and almost scored an opener.
Skrtel: 6.5 Looks a bit off the form and was out-muscled in the 2nd goal conceded.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Did OK.
Insua: 7.5 Scored a cracking goal to open his account.
Spearing: 6.5 Assured performance with a few nice passes.
Plessis: 6.5 Confident display after signing a new contract.
Kuyt: 7 Good performance for the captain but he played a bit too deep.
Voronin: 6.5 Lost the ball and lead to the first goal conceded.
Babel: 6 Missed another sitter to equalise the game.
Ngog: 6.5 Did well in 1H but level dropped in 2H.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 6.5 Not many contribution.
Aquilani: 7 A very good long-awaited debut and he almost scored.
Eccleston: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 7 Although result is not good but he would be delighted about the way the second tier play.

Arsenal: 7 Showed they have more depth of players in the second tier.

Man of the Match: Insua. First of many great goals.

Second strings shine again

After a superb victory in the League we are now back to League Cup matter. With many players continuing their recovery Rafa would no doubt use some of the fringe players. And we may see Aquilani playing a part in the game as well.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Degen
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Dossena
Lucas
Spearing
Benayoun
Voronin
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 091025 vs Manchester United: Players respond

2-0 and this is a very well deserved victory. The players respond to the critics and were pressing them from the first minute onward and there is only one winner from the game. Together with most of the other results we are now in a much better position that previous week.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 A good game with not too many saves to made.
Johnson: 7.5 Shows his defensive class.
Carragher: 8 Tackles after tackles, clearances after clearances, and Carra is back.
Agger: 7.5 A very assured performance.
Insua: 7 A few mistakes in the first 10 minutes but gradually recover.
Lucas: 8 Made numerous tackles and a killing assist to seal off the game.
Mascherano: 7.5 A very solid game in the middle although slightly ruined by a stupid red card.
Benayoun: 8 Very lively with many superb passes and of course the magnificent assist.
Kuyt: 8 Worked hard as usual.
Aurelio: 7.5 Almost scored from a superb freekick and another header in 1H, but became tired in the 2H.
Torres: 8.5 Superbly taken goal that shifted the balance.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 7.5 A coolly taken goal.
Skrtel: 7 Provide more rock in the dying minutes.

Rafa: 8 Would be absolutely delighted about the way the players respond. Now we need to build another long winning streak.

Manchester United: 6 Does not have as much hunger as we did for a victory.

Man of the Match: Torres. Another superb goal with 80% fitness.

At the end of the storm, there's a golden sky

After 4 straight defeats we now face the most important game of the season. A win will bring us back on track, so as fans we need to stand behind the team in this crucial moment. At the end of the storm, there's a golden sky. We'll never walk alone.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Benayoun
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 091020 vs Lyon: We have mountains to climb

1-2 and the result leaves us a huge mountain to climb. Depends on result elsewhere, there may be a scenario that we win the next 3 games but still could not qualify. And with the list of injuries, we are really in deep trouble. As fans this is the time the team need us, and we should stand by the team in this tough moment.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made a few successive saves but still couldn't keep the ball out for the first goal.
Kelly: 7.5 A very good debut ruined by the injury and the result.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid in center, but lost a Lyon player in the dying minute that lead to the goal when forced to play as right back.
Agger: 6.5 Solid but not too impressive.
Insua: 6.5 Good in defending but did not offer much on attack.
Lucas: 6.5 Tried very hard but not much flare provided.
Mascherano: 6.5 Good at screening the defense.
Kuyt: 7 Have a goal ruled off due to pushing.
Gerrard: 6 Lasted only 25 minutes, and we need him to be back soon.
Benayoun: 7 Scored a nice goal but faded quickly in 2H.
Ngog: 6 Missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0 and finished the game.

Substitutions:
Aurelio: 7 Good display coming up and was involved in our goal.
Skrtel: 6.5 Did the job well in center defense.
Voronin: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed that everything is not right. We will support him in this difficult period.

Lyon: 7 Played better than us but we need to beat them at their home.

Man of the Match: Kelly. A composed performance in his full debut.

Bounce back

After 3 straight defeats with no goal scored we definitely need to bounce back tonight. Torres is still out but Gerrard is back, so we have more firepower for the game. Lyon won't be easy opponent so we need to forget the weekend misery and walk on.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Insua
Lucas
Mascherano
Benayoun
Gerrard
Riera
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 091017 at Sunderland: Defeat with dignity

0-1 and we were beaten by a better team. The goal may be fluke but our performance on that day would not earn us anything. Nevertheless Rafa was dignified and admitted that we don't deserve anything, and did not complain about the balloon. We now need to move on, as there are two crucial matches coming up.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a superb save to reduce the damage.
Skrtel: 6 An average performance.
Carragher: 7 Gradually back to his form.
Agger: 6.5 A nice comeback from injury.
Johnson: 6.5 Failed to help the attack.
Lucas: 6 Could not direct from midfield.
Spearing: 6 A nice debut start in the league, but he conceded the ball a few times.
Aurelio: 6 Did not offer much.
Benayoun: 6.5 Not much contribution.
Kuyt: 6.5 Not many opportunities given.
Babel: 6 Disappointing.

Substitutions:
Mascherano: 6.5 Controlled the midfield well.
Voronin: 6 Not much contribution.
Ngog: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed about the display. Need to lift the team up ASAP.

Sunderland: 7 The better team in the afternoon. Fully deserved winner.

Man of the Match: Reina. Prevent the team from further embarrassment.

Prove we are not a two men team

After the international week we have many casualties, as Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt and Kyrgiakos also picked up injuries. Sunderland will be a tough opponent to beat, as they have recently drawn a game at Old Traford and their morale will be high. But we need to show the world we are not a two men team. All the players should gear up and take the three points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Mascherano
Lucas
Riera
Benayoun
Babel
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 091004 at Chelsea: Big blow

0-2 and this is a big blow to our season. For the first 60 minutes it was very tight, with no team really on top. Then an error by Mascherano, who gave away the ball and we were soon one down. We then geared up, trying to find the equalizer, but the finishing was not good and we were a bit unlucky. As the team push ahead hard our defense is empty, and we let them scored another goal.

It is a big blow, but the season is only 8 games old. We still have plenty of games to catch up, but we need to start a winning run from next game.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Can't be blamed for both goals.
Johnson: 6.5 Defense was exposed when he moved too forward for the first goal.
Carragher: 6.5 Cannot contain Drogba for the second goal.
Skrtel: 6.5 Gradually back to his standard.
Insua: 6 Was a bit slow and could not mark Drogba for the first goal.
Mascherano: 6 Very good before the mistake.
Lucas: 6 Solid if not too impressive.
Kuyt: 6 Worked hard but no prevail.
Gerrard: 6.5 Could not lift the team.
Riera: 6 Almost scored from a free kick, but not much else offered.
Torres: 6 More interested to kick Terry instead of shot the ball.

Substitutions:
Benayoun: 7 Very lively and almost scored.
Babel/Aurelio: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Rafa: 6 Would be disappointed at the lack of fight. Definitely need to lift the team after the international break.

Chelsea: 7 The slightly better team won, and they would be title contender unless African Cup is affecting them severely.

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

Good response needed

After a very poor performance at Florence we need to show a good response. Chelsea also has their own problem in Cech suspended, but they are still a very strong team especially in attack. We need to be very cautious and at our top to have any chance to bring 3 points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Agger
Carragher
Insua
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

Result 2:0