March Month Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rafa: 7 Would be happy about this performance.

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

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

Pick ourselves up

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

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 080323 at Manchester United: No self confidence

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be at our best

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

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Carragher
Skrtel
Hyypia
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Bebel
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080315 vs Reading: Determination put us through

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recover

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

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 3:0

Match Report 080311 at Inter Milan: Historical

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

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

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

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

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

Rafa: 7.5 Tactical genius.

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

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

First goal is crucial

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

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Riise
Mascherano
Lucas
Kuyt
Gerrard
Babel
Torres

Result 2:0

Match Report 080308 vs Newcastle United: Unstoppable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep the fourth position

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

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

Result 3:0

Match Report 080305 vs West Ham United: Superb win

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

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

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

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

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

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

West Ham United: 5 Never into the game.

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

Keep winning

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

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

Result 2:0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prepare for a rough game

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

My Team Prediction:

Reina
Finnan
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Pennant
Gerrard
Mascherano
Babel
Torres
Crouch

Result 2:0

February Month Report

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

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

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

Match Report 080223: Torres! Torres! Torres!

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

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

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

Rafa: 6.5 Need to address the defensive problem.

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

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

Second battlefield

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

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 080219 vs Inter Milan: Well deserved win

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

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

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

Rafa: 7.5 Master of Europe.

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

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

Do it again

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

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

Result 2:0