January Month Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Start winning again

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

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 090125 vs Everton: Disappointed again

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

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

Substitution:
Riera: 6 Not much contribution.

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

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

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

Take two

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

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

Result 2:0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regain the top spot

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

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 090110 at Stoke City: Frustated

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

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

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

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

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

Man of the Match: Hyypia. 700 superb displays.

Move forward

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

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

Result 2:0

Match Report 090103 at Preston North End: Business as usual

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steven Gerrard is our captain

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

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

For we are one team, we are Liverpool.

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

Support our captain

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

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

Result 2:0

December Month Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extend the lead

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

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

Result 2:0

2008/09 Mid Term Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With 93 points we will win the league .

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

Match Report 081226 vs Bolton Wanderers: Keane on fire

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

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

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

Sammy: 7.5 Would be delighted about this performance.

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

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

On top on Christmas Day

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

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

Result 2:0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Man of the Match: Alonso. Many lovely passes.

Break another duck

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

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

Result 2:0