Despite the victory against Everton putting us 5 points ahead of them, we're still not in the safe zone just yet. We've got a triple header with Arsenal in the space of a week, all are important and very difficult games, while Everton only have to play Derby (who have nothing left to play for).
Things have a habit of changing all too quickly in football and this weekend that 5 point gap is likely to be reduced (hopefully not too much). At the risk of sounding like a pessimist I don't see us beating Arsenal at the Emirates stadium, but a draw would be a good result and we should be able to maintain a reasonably healthy point gap above Everton.
Archives for March 2008
March 31, 2008
March 30, 2008
Liverpools new signing to be Little Rafa ?
Rafa has confirmed that Liverpool have agreements with 2 young players and also a senior player who can walk in to the Liverpool first team (LINK).
With all the constant media speculation about possible new signings, the most pragmatic I've heard yet is regarding the brazilian Rafinha (aka "Little Rafa") who plays at right back for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. It also helps that the player himself has already welcomed the idea of joining LFC ;-)
However he'll only be turning 23 this September, so I'd hardly class him as a 'senior player', but maybe Rafa does. Hopefully we will be securing his services as he's a solid defender who is comfortable with the ball and has the ability to burst down the flank, not to mention he's equally good with both feet.
With all the constant media speculation about possible new signings, the most pragmatic I've heard yet is regarding the brazilian Rafinha (aka "Little Rafa") who plays at right back for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. It also helps that the player himself has already welcomed the idea of joining LFC ;-)
However he'll only be turning 23 this September, so I'd hardly class him as a 'senior player', but maybe Rafa does. Hopefully we will be securing his services as he's a solid defender who is comfortable with the ball and has the ability to burst down the flank, not to mention he's equally good with both feet.
Who really cares about Gillets revelations
Gillets recent 'revelations' during an interview on Canadian radio (LINK), merely confirms what many have guessed to be true, that his working relationship with Hicks has long since broken down.
At the core of the issue is money (let's keep all romanticism out of the equation), Gillet wants to cash out and finance his other toys, while Hicks is holding out to maximise his profits before leaving LFC.
They've reneged on many of their initial promises and landed the club in a great deal of debt. Whatever problems they're experiencing behind the scenes is largely irrelevant, as are their attempts to manage their public personas. All that matters is that LFC is in the hands of people who are willing to move our beloved club forward. Time for Gillet & Hicks to Walk Alone.
At the core of the issue is money (let's keep all romanticism out of the equation), Gillet wants to cash out and finance his other toys, while Hicks is holding out to maximise his profits before leaving LFC.
They've reneged on many of their initial promises and landed the club in a great deal of debt. Whatever problems they're experiencing behind the scenes is largely irrelevant, as are their attempts to manage their public personas. All that matters is that LFC is in the hands of people who are willing to move our beloved club forward. Time for Gillet & Hicks to Walk Alone.
March 26, 2008
We need more players like Sami Hyypia
Hyypia has been an amazing player for Liverpool over the years, his commitment and consistency have been phenomenal in that in spans what is soon to be a decade at the club (a feat which is extremely rare these days). He has earned the contract extension which is being offered to him.
What impresses me most about him is his attitude, he doesn't make demands about being guaranteed how many games he plays, instead he looks on it as he has to earn the right to play and the only way to do that is by playing well.
I can only begin to imagine how good Liverpool would be if the rest of the squad felt they had to earn their place instead of sulking for not having things handed to them on a plate (especially when they least deserve it).
What impresses me most about him is his attitude, he doesn't make demands about being guaranteed how many games he plays, instead he looks on it as he has to earn the right to play and the only way to do that is by playing well.
I can only begin to imagine how good Liverpool would be if the rest of the squad felt they had to earn their place instead of sulking for not having things handed to them on a plate (especially when they least deserve it).
March 24, 2008
Do we have a mental block with ManUre ?
Mascherano & Aurelio (who would have thought!) were our best players, but the rest of the team didn't bother their arses to perform, all that recent confidence we supposedly acquired went flying out the window.
Reina despite some excellent saves was clearly at fault for 2 of their goals, I'm not saying it was his fault we lost the game, nor was it Mascheranos fault we lost. Stevie G has been a 'legend' for us over the years but that's mostly against the 'small teams', he has an alarming tendancy to disappear against the big teams (in particular against ManUre), for every good game he has against the big boys he has several bad ones against them too.
It's a shame the team usually falls apart against ManUre, it's like we suffer from some sort of collective mental block. We should be good enough but we're not.
Reina despite some excellent saves was clearly at fault for 2 of their goals, I'm not saying it was his fault we lost the game, nor was it Mascheranos fault we lost. Stevie G has been a 'legend' for us over the years but that's mostly against the 'small teams', he has an alarming tendancy to disappear against the big teams (in particular against ManUre), for every good game he has against the big boys he has several bad ones against them too.
It's a shame the team usually falls apart against ManUre, it's like we suffer from some sort of collective mental block. We should be good enough but we're not.
Forget the spin, Mascherano messed up
It's all good and well for Rafa to try and defend Mascheranos actions by saying he was only asking the referree what happened when he booked Torres for dissent. But let's cut through the crap, Alonso tried pulling back Mascherano before he even asked the first question, yet Mascherano ignored Alonso and still went for the referree which is pretty bloody stupid.
His reaction to the red card is going to earn him a very lengthy ban from the FA which means we also miss one of our best players for the crucial league games against Everton & Arsenal. Having said all that Mascherano was probably our best player against ManUre, full of passion and drive (which is more than I can say about most of the lads).
His reaction to the red card is going to earn him a very lengthy ban from the FA which means we also miss one of our best players for the crucial league games against Everton & Arsenal. Having said all that Mascherano was probably our best player against ManUre, full of passion and drive (which is more than I can say about most of the lads).
March 19, 2008
No more floating bones for Agger
Agger finally went under the knife and the surgeon discovered the source of Aggers discomfort for the last several months. To think that all this time it's been a floating bone which has been keeping him out of action, nasty !
While they're not ruling out the possibility of a return by the end of the season, it's probably better if they wait until next season so he heals fully. Then we can bear witness to a world class partnership of Agger & Skrtel ;-)
While they're not ruling out the possibility of a return by the end of the season, it's probably better if they wait until next season so he heals fully. Then we can bear witness to a world class partnership of Agger & Skrtel ;-)
March 16, 2008
Still mathematically possible for a title tilt
I spent most of the season backing Rafa, right up until the very end of January, at which point I said the only thing which is going to restore my faith was an 80 odd point finish coupled with winning the Champions League.
At the time I didn't really think things would be turned around but alas that's precisely what appears to have happened over the last several weeks. I don't want to get ahead of myself as we've got a nasty couple of weeks coming up with Everton and a triple header with Arsenal, a simple little fortnight which could potentially bring our season crashing back down to earth.
On the other hand if things go well, the skies the limit. We're only 8 points from the top of the table and with both Arsenal & ManUre still left to play, there's even a remote chance of a very late title tilt ;-)
At the time I didn't really think things would be turned around but alas that's precisely what appears to have happened over the last several weeks. I don't want to get ahead of myself as we've got a nasty couple of weeks coming up with Everton and a triple header with Arsenal, a simple little fortnight which could potentially bring our season crashing back down to earth.
On the other hand if things go well, the skies the limit. We're only 8 points from the top of the table and with both Arsenal & ManUre still left to play, there's even a remote chance of a very late title tilt ;-)
Gotta take my hat off to Mascherano [again]
Mascherano has had a tendancy to dominate many of my posts lately, so much so that I'm almost (no not really) tired off talking about the guy. But hey, let's be fair to the lad, he's just scored his first goal for Liverpool (and it was an absolutely stunning goal too).
It's always been his sheer workrate and destructive qualities which I've admired but watching his celebration was endearing in that it was akin to how you would imagine a regular fan would celebrate upon scoring a goal for Liverpool :-)
It's always been his sheer workrate and destructive qualities which I've admired but watching his celebration was endearing in that it was akin to how you would imagine a regular fan would celebrate upon scoring a goal for Liverpool :-)
March 14, 2008
Injury prone Agger out for rest of season
Beautiful, just f**king beautiful. It's just been confirmed that Agger will have to undergo surgery and as a result will miss the rest of the season. I can't help but wonder if Aggers career is always going to be dogged by injury considering how often he's been injured.
Fortunately Skrtel has settled into the side much quicker than I initially imagined he would so that should help alleviate Aggers absence. Hopefully the surgery will resolve Aggers metatarsal once and for all as I'd love to see how good Agger & Skrtel can be together, there really is the potential for them to surpass Lawrenson & Hansen as our best ever central defensive partnership.
Fortunately Skrtel has settled into the side much quicker than I initially imagined he would so that should help alleviate Aggers absence. Hopefully the surgery will resolve Aggers metatarsal once and for all as I'd love to see how good Agger & Skrtel can be together, there really is the potential for them to surpass Lawrenson & Hansen as our best ever central defensive partnership.
Carlsberg don't do Europe but Liverpool do
Oh bugger, the one team I didn't want us to meet in the Champions League quarter finals was Arsenal and sure enough we've drawn them. That means we'll have to play them 3 times in a row (in just one week) !!!
The first leg will be at the Emirates Stadium on April Fools Day, which of course means we've the luxury of the 2nd leg being at Anfield. If the lads maintain their champions league confidence going into this tie, we should emerge victors and will mostly likely have another semi final meeting with Chelsea (hopefully it won't result in a 3rd time lucky for them trying to beat us in Europe).
What are the odds of facing Manchester United in the final, imagine that, to win the champions league this year we've to beat the top 3 teams in the premiership, kinda rubs salt in to the wounds of finishing fourth in the premiership :-(
The first leg will be at the Emirates Stadium on April Fools Day, which of course means we've the luxury of the 2nd leg being at Anfield. If the lads maintain their champions league confidence going into this tie, we should emerge victors and will mostly likely have another semi final meeting with Chelsea (hopefully it won't result in a 3rd time lucky for them trying to beat us in Europe).
What are the odds of facing Manchester United in the final, imagine that, to win the champions league this year we've to beat the top 3 teams in the premiership, kinda rubs salt in to the wounds of finishing fourth in the premiership :-(
March 11, 2008
Not even Pele could stop Liverpool
Ok not THE Pele, instead I'm playing a bit on Inter Milans poor sub who is his namesake. Coming in to the match they were missing their central defenders and the replacements were never really going to stop us on the counter attack given our [Torres] current form.
The media will probably focus on Torres [excellent] goal but I'd be more inclined to focus on Mascherano and Skrtel as being the best players (even though the whole team played very well). Once Agger is back, it'll be interesting to see how good a pairing he makes with Skrtel, it's bound to be our best defensive partnership since Lawrenson & Hansen.
The draw for the quarter finals takes place on Friday, doesn't matter who we draw as the only thing I can see stopping Liverpool now, is Liverpool themselves.
The media will probably focus on Torres [excellent] goal but I'd be more inclined to focus on Mascherano and Skrtel as being the best players (even though the whole team played very well). Once Agger is back, it'll be interesting to see how good a pairing he makes with Skrtel, it's bound to be our best defensive partnership since Lawrenson & Hansen.
The draw for the quarter finals takes place on Friday, doesn't matter who we draw as the only thing I can see stopping Liverpool now, is Liverpool themselves.
March 10, 2008
Mascherano is back but Finnan still out
Thankfully Mascherano has recovered from the groin strain he received last week and will be fit to face Inter Milan tomorrow night. Hopefully this will allow Rafa to continue with a 4-2-3-1 formation which has been used so effectively in recent weeks (it might have been a bit much to expect Lucas to make the jump for such an important game).
Unfortunately Finnan is still out with a hamstring injury which means we'll most likely have Arbeloa on the right and the ever so ineffectual Riise on the left :-(
Unfortunately Finnan is still out with a hamstring injury which means we'll most likely have Arbeloa on the right and the ever so ineffectual Riise on the left :-(
March 09, 2008
4-2-3-1 formation liberates Liverpool
In recent weeks Rafas usage of 4-2-3-1 has been looking quite impressive, more so because of the freedom Gerrard has and also his link play with Torres. While it's no great secret that Gerrard lacks a certain amount of tactical awareness, the supporting role for Torres suits his style of play better than being an out and out central midfielder.
We've got precisely the right kind of players in the central areas to make this work (plus with the emergence of Babel we've got someone who is equally adept at being an attacker or striker [cover for Torres]), all we need now is some more quality wingmen to make this formation work to such a degree that we can launch a realistic title challenge [next season].
We've got precisely the right kind of players in the central areas to make this work (plus with the emergence of Babel we've got someone who is equally adept at being an attacker or striker [cover for Torres]), all we need now is some more quality wingmen to make this formation work to such a degree that we can launch a realistic title challenge [next season].
March 05, 2008
Oh You Beauty - Torres, Torres, Torres
How many superlatives can be found to describe Fernando Torres, he's already acquired legend status amongst Reds fans the world over. His hat trick [again] was just the tonic to help take peoples minds off the turmoil our club is experiencing at the moment, with fans venting their anger again.
Our very own Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtel also had an excellent game [again] and I can't help but look at the quality we've got in the squad and think that we're only a few players shy of mounting a realistic title challenge.
Such is the impact of Torres though, that I can't even begin to imagine Liverpool without our new talisman. Whatever would we do without him now ?
Our very own Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtel also had an excellent game [again] and I can't help but look at the quality we've got in the squad and think that we're only a few players shy of mounting a realistic title challenge.
Such is the impact of Torres though, that I can't even begin to imagine Liverpool without our new talisman. Whatever would we do without him now ?
March 04, 2008
Does Mr. Hicks want to rob us blind ?
After months of speculation in the press regarding DIC making bids for LFC, I'd resisted making any comments until they actually did. Thankfully they've finally lodged a £400 million bid for LFC.
Originally the Yanks wanted a dreamland valuation of the club to be met (£1 Billion), fortunately one of them has climbed down on that ridiculous valuation (rumoured to be Gillet). It's disgusting to think that these Yanks could make so much money from us without providing any real value to the club at all.
I'm long since tired of reading about all the off field problems with LFC and the sooner DIC can take over LFC then the sooner our club can start moving forward again. We all want real progress on the new stadium, not to mention a management team which are capable of efficiently running the club.
Originally the Yanks wanted a dreamland valuation of the club to be met (£1 Billion), fortunately one of them has climbed down on that ridiculous valuation (rumoured to be Gillet). It's disgusting to think that these Yanks could make so much money from us without providing any real value to the club at all.
I'm long since tired of reading about all the off field problems with LFC and the sooner DIC can take over LFC then the sooner our club can start moving forward again. We all want real progress on the new stadium, not to mention a management team which are capable of efficiently running the club.
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