Match Report 101021 at Napoli: Youngsters seized their chance

0-0 and we have now go 7 games without a win. Nevertheless the kids do seized their chances and performed well. An away draw is not a bad result, and it lead us into a comfortable position entering the last 3 games of the group.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Solid throughout.
Kelly: 6.5 Have a good game.
Carragher: 6.5 Did well as usual before he is rested.
Skrtel: 6.5 Solid at the back and help cover Konchesky a lot.
Konchesky: 6.5 Made a goal line save.
Spearing: 6.5 A solid game in the midfield.
Poulsen: 6.5 The slow pace of Napoli created an illusion that he played well.
Jovanovic: 6.5 A good performance on the right.
Shelvey: 7 A very promising first start for the kid.
Babel: 6.5 Missed a glorious chance.
Ngog: 6.5 Have good movement throughout the game.

Substitutions:
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Solid display.
Aurelio: 6.5 Not much influence.
Cole: 6.5 A good performance when called upon.

Roy: 6.5 Should show some dignity and quit now.

Napoli: 6 Did not do much for three points.

Man of the Match: Reina/Shelvey. Good performance throughout the game.

Countdown

We are very unhappy about Hodgson's performance, especially his shifting of burden to the players. A loss tonight will almost certain to say goodbye to him, although a win may also be not good enough. Let's see how it goes.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Kelly
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Lucas
Poulsen
Babel
Cole
Jovanovic
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 101017 at Everton: Sack the incapable manager

It's really rare for Liverpool fans to call the head of the manager, but Rodgson is really not up to standard. He is unable to lift the team, has no plan B, slow to react, and somehow thought we played well. With him on board there is a very high risk that we may relegate. Dear Mr Henry, act now.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Can do nothing on both goals conceded.
Carragher: 6 Can't lift the team.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 With heart to fight for the team.
Skrtel: 6 Could have done better.
Konchesky: At fault on the first goal conceded.
Lucas: 6 Did OK at the center.
Meireles: 6 At fault on the second goal conceded.
Maxi: 5.5 No crossing on the right...
Gerrard: 6 Could not lift the team.
Cole: 5.5 Wasted on the left.
Torres: 6 No service provided.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6 Could not provide more spark for the team.
Babel: 6.5 Have a great run and should be rewarded with a start.
Jovanovic: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Roy: 5 Should go now.

Everton: 7 Credits to the toffees for playing well and be the deserved winner of the match.

Man of the Match: Kyrgiakos. Still need to improve in defending.

New chapter

It's a new chapter for the Club and how nice it is to face our nice neighbor. Both sides were not doing well recently, and we need to be at our best if we want to start the winning way again.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Konchesky
Lucas
Meireles
Maxi
Gerrard
Cole
Torres

Result 2:0

Welcome on board, NESV!

It's good to have finally get rid of G&H. Together, let's build a winning team, and you'll never walk alone!

Match Report 101002 vs Blackpool: Shame

1-2 and the result is simply unacceptable. The players have no heart, the manager is clueless and the fans are angry about this. Should we lose the derby Roy should probably leave before further damage is done.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Tried his best to reduce the damage.
Johnson: 5.5 Horrible defending.
Skrtel: 5.5 Poor defending.
Kyrgiakos: 6 Scored a goal but his defending was horrible.
Carragher: 6 Did OK on an unfamiliar left back position.
Meireles: 6 Limited his talent on the right.
Gerrard: 6.5 Could not lift the team.
Poulsen: 5 Shouldn't have played.
Cole: 6 Frustuated on the left.
Torres: 6 Played 10 minutes and injured.
Kuyt: 6.5 Worked hard as usual.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6 Could not turn the game.
Jovanovic: 6 A better performance.
Maxi: 6 Not enough time to impress.

Roy: 4 Does he know what he is doing?

Blackpool: 7.5 Well deserved winner. Credits to them and please keep it up.

Man of the Match: Reina. But one man alone can't save us.

New month

After a very poor September finally we are entering October at 18th place. The team needs a result to kick start the season, but Blackpool is on a high recently. So we definitely need to improve a lot if we want to win this game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Kelly
Gerrard
Poulsen
Kuyt
Meireles
Cole
Torres

Result 2:0

September Month Report

1W4D1L and we are unable to win in the league and are already out of League Cup. Hodgson seems to be unable to do anything to inspire the team and with October coming, it will be a crucial time for the club, both on the pitch and off the pitch. We need to start winning and get ourselves some momentum.

Players of the month (1) Reina 7.0 (2) Carragher 6.63 (3) Meireles 6.62. Reina is solid in general over the month. Carra is as usual solid at the back, and Meireles did OK for his first month with the club.

October Prediction:
10/3 Blackpool (h) Blackpool is going strong so we need to play better if we want to get 3 points.
10/17 Everton (a) Derby game but both teams are not doing well...
10/21 Napoli (a) A win at Italy would mean we get closer to qualification.
10/24 Blackburn Rovers (h) Home in is needed to shut Big Sam's month.
10/31 Bolton Wanderers (a) Another physical game to test the players's strength.

Match Report 100929 at Utrecht: Another disappointing draw

0-0 and luckily result elsewhere suited us, but once again it is another boring draw. We have no width and the midfield duo of Lucas and Poulsen could not provide any service to Torres and Kuyt. And most worrying at all, Hodgson could not do anything to inspire the players.

Player Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a few saves although at times look shaky.
Johnson: 6 Overlap a lot but could not provide any help.
Carragher: 6.5 Did well from the vice captain.
Skrtel: 6 A flat performance.
Kelly: 5.5 Tough night for the young kid at an unfamiliar position.
Meireles: 6.5 Did better in 1H but fade out soon.
Lucas: 6 Many mispasses
Poulsen: 6 Slightly better than last game.
Cole: 6 Did not feel comfortable on the left.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard on his return to homeland.
Torres: 6 No service and ruined his only chance.

Substitution:
Maxi: 6 Not much contribution.

Roy: 5.5 Could not lift the team and it is another clueless performance by the manager.

Utrecht: 6.5 Solid at the back and would regret not to win the game.

Man of the Match: Reina. Solid in general.

Kuyt comes home

It's the homecoming match for Kuyt and he will no doubt be fired up. We also need to get a result in order to build up momentum into the league, so we would be fielding a strong squad and hope to bring another 3 points home.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Kelly
Lucas
Poulsen
Kuyt
Meireles
Cole
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100925 vs Sunderland: Slump continues

2:2 and our worst ever start in Premier League continues. We scored an intelligent goal (which is legal and valid, shut up Bruce) but then conceded two goals, before Gerrard rescued us again. We could have win it but the finishing denied us another goal. Hodgson's insistence of not using all 3 substitutes and 4231 could have cost us a lot. True, 4231 is the way to go, but Torres is still not fully fit and need someone to support him. Plus Gerrard is play like two men in the midfield so we may not concede that many possession as you may expect. We definitely need a win to kick start our season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 Helpless on both goals conceded.
Johnson: 6.5 Still better going forward than defense.
Carragher: 6.5 Lead the defense.
Skrtel: 6.5 Go forward often.
Konchesky: 6 Injured early on.
Gerrard: 7.5 Scored an important equalizer but could not drive us to victory.
Poulsen: 5.5 Conceded a needless and was in general poor.
Kuyt: 7 Back with a clever goal.
Meireles: 6.5 A good display.
Cole: 6.5 Getting better and better.
Torres: 7 Gradually improved his condition.

Substitutions:
Agger: 6.5 Solid defense and should have score the winner.
Ngog: 7 Came on and give us more attacking options.

Roy: 5.5 Should have play Ngog more often and be more proactive in substitutions.

Sunderland: 6.5 Would be delighted with getting a point home.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Once again saved us from further embarrassment.

Relegation fight

After 5 league games we are sitting at 16th place and the match against Sunderland is now like a relegation fight. We are playing poorly and we need to get a result as soon as possible, and anything but a win will mean the Club will have more pressure.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Konchesky
Gerrard
Poulden
Kuyt
Meireles
Cole
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100922 vs Northampton: Shame

2:2 and we lost the penalty shootout to a League 2 team. Can Roy steer us through the storm? Very doubtful.

Players Rating:
All very poor. The experienced players did not perform and the youngsters could not cope with it. Do we have a future?

Roy: 5 Toothless in preventing us from further sinking.

Northampton: 7 Credits to them in playing the game of their life.

Man of the Match. Spearing. But still the whole team is unacceptable.

Kids to shine

League cup is a good venue for the kids to show us how good they are, and for many years we have not have a good draw, except this year. No disrespect to Northampton, but the gap of the class should be big enough for the kids and B team to go through.

My Team Prediction:
Jones
Kelly
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Wilson
Spearing
Shelvey
Dalla Valle
Pacheco
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100919 at Manchester United: So close, so far away

2-3 and this is a really heart breaking scoreline considered we come back from 2 goals down. At the end the mistake of the defense is costly, and we went home empty handed. The good thing is that we did better and better into second half, and looks like the shape of Roy's team is gradually completed. From next game onward we need to go out and win more games.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Can't be fault on all three goals, as defense let him down.
Johnson: 6 Did well going forward.
Carragher: 6 Solid in general but at the end can't mark Berbatov and let in the third goal.
Skrtel: 6 Should do better in covering Carra.
Konchesky: 6 Failed to defense the post for the first goal conceded.
Gerrard: 7 Scored two goals but at the end was not enough.
Poulsen: 6.5 Did much better in 2H.
Maxi: 6 Very ineffective.
Meireles: 6.5 Gradually gelled with the team.
Cole: 6.5 Have a killer pass that lead in the penalty.
Torres: 6 No supply and still picking up his form.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6.5 Came up and give us some more attacking options.
Jovanovic/Agger: 6 Did not do much when coming up.

Roy: 6 Would be disappointed in conceded a late goal, but he should also take note of the gradually improved performance in the 2H.

Manchester United: 7 One man show and whether their leaky defense and aged squad will sustain is questionable.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. Need to help Torres to find his form as well.

With hope in your heart

It's the toughest game of the year and we are not in a good shape. Torres is still not sharp, Kuyt is injured, new boys still need time to gel and we are still affected by the off the field incidents, but the players will be fired up and will try to get a result.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Konchesky
Gerrard
Meireles
Maxi
Cole
Jovanovic
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100916 vs Steaua Bucharest: Nice start in Europe League

4-1 and this is a very impressive result from the team. Many of the reserve team players played in this game and they did well to impress the manager. The victory makes us comfortably sitting at the top of the table, and is a morale boaster before the big game on Sunday.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Solid display from the captain.
Kelly: 7 Impressive performance from the youngster.
Kyrgiakos: 7 Very dangerous when coming up and gained us the penalty.
Agger: 7 Good performance after the weekend snub.
Konchesky: 7 Good home debut.
Meireles: 7 Dynamo in the midfield.
Spearing: 7 Worked hard and provided a nice assist to the final goal.
Maxi: 6.5 A bit quiet.
Cole: 7 Scored a nice goal to open his Anfield account.
Babel: 7 Did well to impress the manager.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored two nice goals.

Substitutions:
Lucas: 7.5 Scored a wonder goal that even Stevie G applauds.
Pacheco/Eccleston: 6.5 Good display from the kids.

Roy: 7 Would be delighted about the second half performance. Now we need to keep this up and maintain it for 90 minutes.

Steaua Bucharest: 6 Had a good chance and took it. But at the end the difference of class makes a difference.

Man of the Match: Ngog. Silence his critics.

Second tier game

With United visit on Sunday Roy will not play our big guns in this game. We have not played Steaua for many years but they will not be easy opponent, and our boys need to be really stand up and be counted if we want to win the game.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Agger
Kyrgiakos
Meireles
Poulsen
Maxi
Cole
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100912 at Birmingham City: Disappointing draw

0-0 and this is the 7th consecutive draw with Birmingham. We did poorly and does not deserve to win the game, and thanks to the heroic performance of Reina, we managed to keep a clean sheet and a draw. More rebuilding works need to be done, but we need to sort it out quickly.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Superb saves to keep us one point home.
Johnson: 5.5 Horrible defending.
Carragher: 7.5 Vision on the ball is still second to none.
Skrtel: 6 Defend poorly.
Konchesky: 6.5 A nice debut before pulling his hamstring.
Lucas: 6 Uninspired performance.
Poulsen: 6 Invisible in 1H but gradually picking up in 2H.
Maxi: 6 Ineffective on both flanks.
Gerrard: 6.5 Tried hard but failed to deliver.
Jovanovic: 6 Not doing enough.
Torres: 6 Poor performance as there is no supply.

Substitutions:
Meireles: 6.5 Nice debut performance.
Agger: 6.5 Came up and did OK.

Roy: 6 Need to work hard in bringing the team on form. Some tough game coming up...

Birmingham City: 6.5 Credits to them in playing well at home.

Man of the Match: Reina. Yet another superb performance.

Break the duck

After the international break we are now back to the league. Birmingham at home is tough to beat and under Rafa we have not beat them in the league. New boys will get a chance to play, and we need to start break the duck.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Gerrard
Poulsen
Maxi
Meireles
Jovanovic
Torres

Result 2:0

July/August Month Report

5W1D1L but we are not having a good start in the league, and are already 5 points behind the leader. We did reasonably well in Europa and will be in the group stage. Despite playing for more than 1 month now we are still unable to play consistently in 90 minutes. More works need to be done by Roy and there could be one or two signings to be coming.

Players of the Month: (1) Carragher 7.08 (2) Ngog 7.07 (3) Reina 6.90. Despite one year older Carragher was as consistent as ever and have many good performance during the month. Ngog also shows he is capable as a deputy to Torres and scored 4 goals in the month. And despite a setback vs Arsenal Reina recovered and were solid between the goal post.

September Prediction:
9/12 Birmingham City (a) We did not win quite often at St Andrew's under Rafa and it is now time for a change.
9/16 Steaua Bucharest (h) Start of Europa Group stage and the kids will have a go.
9/19 Manchester United (a) Toughest match of the year and we need to gear up.
9/22 Northampton (h) Another chance for the kids to perform,
9/25 Sunderland (h) Black cats did not have a good start but we still need to perform to bring three points home.
9/30 Ultrecht (a) Kuyt comes home.

Match Report 100829 vs West Bromwich Albion: First win

1-0 and we have won our first league game under Roy in the third attempt. The performance was not good and the team still needs to be fine-tuned, but what is important is to get the momentum running, and three points is what we needed at this moment.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Great save followed by a superb vision that provided us the winning goal.
Johnson: 6.5 Not much support offered for attack.
Carragher: 7 Solid as usual.
Skrtel: 7 Lively and almost scored from a corner.
Lucas: 6 Doing the dirty job.
Poulsen: 6 Lack some killing pass.
Kuyt: 7 Worked hard on both flanks and provided assist to the goal.
Gerrard: 7 Worked tirelessly.
Jovanovic: 6 Not effective.
Torres: 7 Scored a great goal and could have score more.

Substitutions:
Maxi: 6.5 Lively when come up.
Babel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Roy: 6.5 Would be delighted to bagged the first victory, although the form need to be improved.

West Bromwich Albion: 6 Defended well but at the end the different of class tells a difference.

Man of the Match: Reina. Great vision.

Back to focus

After the midweek Europa game the focus is now back to the league, with West Brom visiting. They have never score against us in the league, but we should not take it for granted. We still need to perform in order to bring home the first league win of the season.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Agger
Lucas
Poulsen
Kuyt
Gerrard
Jovanovic
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100826 at Trabzonspor: Early scare

2-1 and it was after some nervy early scare that we fight back with two goals. We did poorly in 1H but improved after the break. But we still need to wait until the 84 minutes to equalize and secure the progression.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6.5 No chance on goal conceded.
Johnson: 7.5 Have a goal scored ruled out and provided the crucial pass that lead to the own goal.
Carragher: 7 Solid at the back.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Did well on the evening.
Kelly: 6.5 Did OK on the left.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Poulsen: 6.5 Getting closer to match fit.
Kuyt: 7 Scored the winner.
Cole: 7 Provided assist to the winning goal.
Aurelio: 6 Not effective.
Ngog: 6.5 Hard battle at the front.

Substitutions:
Pacheco/Babel: 6.5 Not enough time to impress.

Roy: 6.5 Would be relieved to see the team progress and Kuyt commits.

Trabzonspor: 6.5 Credits to them in giving us an early scare and hold on for so long.

Man of the match: Johnson. More similar performances needed.

Pick up the mind

After a dismal defeat the focus is now changed to Europa. With a one goal lead the tie is far from over. Again first goal will be crucial. Although Europa is not high in our priority we still need a result to pick ourselves up.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Lucas
Poulsen
Pacheco
Cole
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100823 at Manchester City: Reality Check

0-3 and we suffered the largest defeat for 1.5 years. We did not do well, Roy probably get it wrong with the 442 formation as we were flooded in midfield, and at the end the 0-3 result were justified. It is still early in the season and we have a lot of works to do to salvage the season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 6 Helpless.
Johnson: 6 Not effective going forward.
Carragher: 6.5 Solid at the back.
Skrtel: 5.5 Conceded a penalty but was lucky to stay on.
Agger: 6 Not effective going forward.
Kuyt: 6 Not into the game.
Gerrard: 7 Only spark after two goals down.
Lucas: 6.5 Solid in the middle.
Jovanovic: 6.5 At time showing signs of greatness.
Ngog: 6 Have a good shot saved.
Torres: 6 Not back to top form yet.

Substitutions:
Babel: 6.5 Have a great shot saved when came on.
Pacheco: 6.5 Not much time to impress.

Roy: 6 Honeymoon is over and he need to get his tactics right. 442 away at City is like suicide.

Manchester City: 7.5 Very compact and were hungered to win. Not many teams will come here and get a result.

Man of the Match: Gerrard. But we expect more from our captain.

Money isn't everything

The second league game have us visiting big spending City. City may have spent a lot to buy glory but there are something that money cannot buy. And after all, this is a game of 11 vs 11 in 90 minutes, so money is not everything.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Mascherano
Poulsen
Kuyt
Gerrard
Jovanovic
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 100819 vs Trabzonspor: More work to do

1-0 at home is not a bad result, but failing to visit Trabzonspor with a two goal lead means that the game is far from finished, and we have a lot of works to do in the second leg.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7.5 Made a good save to keep us the first of many clean sheets.
Kelly: 7 Good run from the youngster.
Carragher: 7 Rock at the back.
Kyrgiakos: 7 Good support at the back.
Aurelio: 7 Glad to see him back in action.
Lucas: 7 Solid in the middle.
Poulsen: 7 Almost scored on his debut but was controversially ruled out.
Maxi: 7 A nice run-out.
Cole: 7 Nice assist but missed the penalty to see us two goals up.
Jovanovic: 7 Another impressive run.
Babel: 7.5 Grab his chance well with a nice taken goal.

Substitutions:
Torres: 7 Almost score from his first action.
Ngog: 6.5 Did well when come up.

Roy: 7 Would be delighted about the 2H performance and the one goal advantage.

Trabzonspor: 6 Could be dangerous at home so we need to be guarded.

Men of the Match: Reina/Babel. Combined to bring us the one goal lead.

2nd team to shine

With the priority in league Roy may let some second team player to play in tonight's Europa game. We have not played Trabzonspor for 34 years but we know that traveling to Turkey could be tricky. So we need to get a result at home before we visit them.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Lucas
Poulsen
Kuyt
Cole
Babel
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100815 vs Arsenal: Wrong decisions cost us points

1-1 and it was two wrong decisions that cost us a victory. Cole's straight red was a bit harsh, and Reina's rare error means we have to settle for one point. Anyway the boys can be proud of their fighting spirit, and we shall continue to fight for the season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 7 Made many world class safes but at the end an error cost him the MoM glory and 2 points for us.
Johnson: 7 A good performance.
Carragher: 8 Rock solid performance for the evergreen player.
Skrtel: 7 As tough as ever.
Agger: 7 Good display despite suffered from concussion.
Gerrard: 7.5 Lead the team with example.
Mascherano: 7.5 Another superb performance despite wanting to leave.
Kuyt: 7 A bit quiet in the first half but gradually picking up.
Cole: 5 Stupid tackle that earned himself a red card.
Jovanovic: 7.5 Very impressive league debut.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored another great goal to continue his nice run.

Substitutions:
Maxi/Torres/Lucas: 6.5 Doing well when called up.

Roy: 7.5 Would be delighted about the fighting spirit of the team, although he still need to finetune the squad a bit.

Arsenal: 7.5 Did well in 1H but somehow let us score. At the end 1 point for them is not a bad result.

Man of the Match: Carragher. Evergreen.

League starts

Another season, another manager, and potentially another owner. This is a fresh start and we have a tough opponent in gooners. Torres is still not available, but the remaining players would be eager to impress the new manager and please the fans.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Carragher
Skrtel
Agger
Gerrard
Lucas
Maxi
Cole
Jovanovic
Kuyt

Result 2:0

Match Report 100805 vs Rabotnicki: Eased through

2-0 and we are easily scroll through to the next round of Europa. In truth this is more like a friendly game as we have 2 goals from the first leg. Players have a good run in this game and it is good for the preparation of the league to be started in 10 days' time.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7 Another clean sheet from the Brazilian.
Johnson/Carragher/Skrtel/Kelly: 7 Easy game for the defenders.
Gerrard: 7.5 Opened his account with a nicely taken penalty.
Lucas: 7 Another good performance.
Pacheco: 7 Good home start for the youngster.
Cole: 8 A good all-round game with a nice assist.
Jovanovic: 7 Another good performance from the new boy.
Ngog: 7.5 Scored another nice header.

Substitutions:
Aquilani/Maxi/Spearing: 6.5 Did well when called up.

Roy: 7 Would be delighted to see the team finish the game off professionally.

Rabotnicki: 6 The gap between the teams is too big for them.

Man of the Match: Cole. A home debut that pleased everybody.

Home debut

The first home game of the season also signals the home debut for many players and the manager, and with a two goal lead we are in a good position. Our standard should be much higher than our opponents but still cautious is the key, as an early goal conceded can make the team very nervous.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Johnson
Kyrgiakos
Carragher
Insua
Lucas
Gerrard
Aquilani
Cole
Jovanovic
Ngog

Result 2:0

Match Report 100729 at Rabotnicki: Young guns make us proud

2-0 and this was a very good away result in Europe. Without so many first team regulars the match would be tough. But our boys did well and provide us a two goal cushion into the 2nd leg.

Players Rating:
Cavalieri: 7 Solid performance.
Kelly: 7.5 Good assist.
Kyrgiakos/Skrtel: 7 Solid in the back
Agger: 7 Good performance as make-shift left back
Aquilani/Spearing/Jovanovic: 7 Good game in midfield
Lucas: 7.5 Good assist as the team captain.
Amoo: 7 Good game from the young boy.
Ngog: 8 Scored 2 great goals.

Substitutions:
Darby/Dalla Valle/Eccleston: 6.5 Solid display from the young boys.

Roy: 7 Would be delighted with the performance of the team.

Rabotnicki: 6 Feared by our name and did not perform well.

Man of the Match: Ngog. Two great goals that build us a comfort cushion.

Season starts tonight

With no TV broadcast and many first team players absent, the season is starting with a very low profile, as we enter the unknown territory of Europa League qualifier. We have not yet score a goal in the friendlies, and the team has yet to reach a good condition, so a draw would not be a poor result.

My Team Prediction:
Cavalieri
Darby
Kyrgiakos
Skrtel
Agger
Spearing
Lucas
Aquilani
Jovanovic
Ngog
Eccleston

Result 2:0

Thanks a lot Rafa

We have a real good time. Although things didn't come as we wish, we will move on, but we will never forget the joy you brought us, especially the night at Istanbul, and the countless European nights at Anfield.

Hopefully one day you will come back and lead us to more glory.

YNWA

2009/10 Season Review

It was a disappointing season in any measure, as we only finished 7th with 63 points. Many reasons contributed to this decline, namely lose of key personnel, injuries, bad luck and poor management decision. The team seems to be getting nowhere with the unclear cloud of ownership hanging around, but there is no excuse and we should do much much better next season.

Player Rating (Games played, Minutes played, Goal scored/conceded, Assists/cleansheets, MoM, Rating)
Goalkeepers
Cavalieri 4G 390M 6GC 1CS 1MoM 6.96
Gulacsi 3 unused substitutes
Reina 52G 4710M 48GC 21CS 11.5MoM 7.16

Reina once again lead the team but he himself is not enough to prevent the downfall. Cavalieri did OK when called upon, but is likely to leave next season.

Defenders
Agger 36G 3209M 1GS 0A 0MoM 6.87
Aurelio 23G 1171M 0GS 2A 0MoM 6.61
Ayala 5G 233M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.68
Carragher 53G 4724M 0GS 1A 4MoM 6.90
Darby 3G 180M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Degen 11G 589M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.35
Dossena 5G 235M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.16
Insua 44G 3905M 1GS 5A 1MoM 6.64
Johnson 35G 2999M 3GS 4A 3.5MoM 6.87
Kelly 3G 123M 0GS 0A 1MoM 7.30
Kyrgiakos 21G 1667M 1GS 0A 2MoM 6.71
Robinson 1G 3M 0GS 0A 1MoM 6.50
Skrtel 29G 2060M 1GS 0A 1MoM 6.56

With so many injuries many kids got a chance to play this season. Ayala was in particular impressive when called upon. Carra once again lead the defense and Johnson did OK in his first year, although he is better going forward than defending. But we still need to strengthen in this area, especially Carra is getting old and we are still a bit weak in left back.

Midfielders
Aquilani 26G 1213M 2GS 6A 1.5MoM 6.89
Babel 38G 1708M 6GS 3A 1MoM 6.68
Benayoun 45G 2828M 9GS 7A 2MoM 6.97
Eccleston 2G 14M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.07
El Zhar 7G 129M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.77
Gerrard 49G 4127M 12GS 12A 4MoM 6.99
Kuyt 53G 4477M 11GS 4A 4.5MoM 6.81
Lucas 50G 4166M 1GS 3A 2MoM 6.77
Mascherano 48G 3946M 1GS 2A 6MoM 7.00
Maxi 17G 1208M 1GS 3A 1MoM 6.89
Plessis 1G 76M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.50
Riera 16G 898M 0GS 4A 0MoM 6.67
Spearing 5G 256M 0GS 0A 0MoM 6.54

Stevie G's form dropped a lot this season with only 12 goals scored comparing to the previous season of 24. With Alonso left there is a big hole yet to be filled. Aquilani has been troubled by injury but at least we see some good points for him. Mascherano and Lucas did solid in the middle, but they lack attacking creativity. Maxi was perhaps the biggest surprise in the season, and quickly adapted to the England style.

Attackers:
Ngog 37G 1751M 8GS 0A 2MoM 6.71
Pacheco 7G 79M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.62
Torres 32G 2481M 22GS 3A 7MoM 7.05
Voronin 12G 376M 0GS 1A 0MoM 6.19

We are still very weak in the attacking department. With Torres as lone striker it is really difficult to find a good backup. Torres is still troubled by injury but still managed to score 22 goals. Ngog had grown up a lot of this season but it is a tough job to be Torres' acting. We definitely need to find some more firepower next season.

Players of the year (minimum 2550 minutes played, 50% of time)
(1) Reina 7.16
(2) Mascherano 7.00
(3) Gerrard 6.99
(4) Benayoun 6.97
(5) Carragher 6.90
(6) Johnson 6.868
(7) Agger 6.866
(8) Kuyt 6.81
(9) Lucas 6.77
(10) Insua 6.64

Torres, 7.05, just missed out as he only played 2481 minutes.

Team 6.85 and it is a big drop from last year's 7.01. With so many uncertainly ahead, we really don't know where the team will be heading. Can we see the golden sky?

Goal conversion
We have 939 shots this season, 36 more than last year despite playing 1 more game. And we only scored 84 goals this season, comparing to 106 and 119 in the last two seasons. Once again we deeply rely on Torres and when he was injured there is no backup, and Gerrard's form has deteriorated a lot. In defense we allowed 609 shots, 106 more than the previous year and we conceded 54 goals vs 46 last season. We struggled a lot in Europe, with only 0.8 goals scored and 1.2 goals conceded.

Match of the season
(1) 10/25/09 vs Manchester United 7.72
(2) 3/28/10 vs Sunderland 7.56
(3) 3/18/10 vs Lille 7.54
(4) 9/26/09 vs Hull City 7.53
(5) 8/19/09 vs Stoke City 7.40

In terms of rating, the best performance this match was only 5th in the previous season.

Worst match of the season
(1) 12/19/09 at Portsmouth 6.09
(2) 3/11/10 at Lille 6.219
(3) 8/24/09 vs Aston Villa 6.220
(4) 10/31/09 at Fulham 6.26
(5) 10/4/09 at Chelsea 6.30

May Month Report

1D1L and this is how we ended this miserable season. With nothing to fight for it is really difficult to raise the team. Chelsea was really better than us and we have no comment to lose to them, but we failed to take any chances and can only managed a draw with relegated Hull City. And so, 2009/10 season finally come to an end, and more uncertainly is ahead of us.

Players of the month (1) Reina 7.75 (2) Mascherano 7.25 (3) Lucas 7.00. Reina worked very hard and were worthy Golden Glove winner. Mascherano did very well in the right back position, and Lucas were very solid in protecting the back 4.

Match Report 100509 at Hull City: Miserable end for a miserable season

0-0 and we failed to overtake Villa. The match is similar to the season: We have lots of chances but failed to take any of them; there are lots of injuries that weaken the team, and we have hit the bar/post with bad luck. Anyway the season is now over and we need to improve a lot in the following season.

Players Rating:
Reina: 8 Made two superb saves to earn himself another golden glove.
Mascherano: 7.5 Superb fighting spirit.
Carragher: 7 Come back to break Hansen's record.
Kyrgiakos: 6.5 Solid overall.
Agger: 6.5 Solid defending.
Lucas: 7.5 Protected the back 4 well.
El Zhar: 7 Had a superb chance denied.
Gerrard: 7 Quiet in 1H but gradually improved. Unlucky to hit the post.
Aquilani: 7 Solid and was unlucky to hit the bar and missed several chances.
Babel: 6 Not much contribution.
Kuyt: 6.5 Still go to right wing too much.

Substitutions:
Ngog: 6 Very quiet.
Pacheco: 6 Did Ok when come on.
Robinson: 6 Glad to see another lad to be promoted as our youngest debutant.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to find ways to improve the squad, if he is still around.

Hull City: 6.5 Determined to end the season undefeated.

Man of the Match: Reina. Solid throughout the year.

End of the miserable season

Time really flies and our disappointing season is coming to an end. Future is still uncertain but players would like to win in the last game for the fans. Hull is already relegated and this is their last game in Premier League, but we still need to try to win and finish 6th in order to avoid an early start next season.

My Team Prediction:
Reina
Johnson
Skrtel
Kyrgiakos
Agger
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Aquilani
Babel
Kuyt

Result 2:0

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