Victory over PSV will ease Atletico concerns

I know we shouldn't really underestimate PSV, but it should be yet another case of 3 easy points in the bag for us. Plus they'll be missing their star creative player (Afellay) who sustained a toe injury last week. Our game with City on Sunday is far more important but I hope Rafa stills plays our strongest side against PSV to ensure victory.

Atletico have already beaten PSV with ease (3-0). So wins for us and Atletico tomorrow night should make our match with them in a few weeks less important. Torres might be a professional but he has supported Atletico his entire life, so knowledge that Atletico will probably qualify regardless of our result should ease any concerns he might be feeling.

Maybe it does matter who scores

I think I'll contradict my post yesterday where I stated that it doesn't really matter who scores, only that we win (link). The essence of it is still very much true, in that we just want the team to win, any way we can.

But there's serious positive effects for a player when he scores (not including OG's). Torres hasn't had the best start to this season, but as soon as he scored, he looked so much sharper and more confident. As was evidenced by his follow on strikes (was gutted he was denied his hat trick).

Keane can also keep his head up, as he played vital roles in both goals, his pass for the opener was sublime. Keane might look shy when it comes to shooting but his overall game is bound to get a boost from this. When he gets his first goal, expect the flood gates to open after that.

It's not about who scores, it's about who wins

Apart from when we beat United, our form this season has been terrible, thankfully the results have been pretty good. The thing with derby days though, is that form generally goes out the window. The possibility of beautiful football is non-existant, and we expect physical battles.

Even though Torres & Keane have both been off form this season, it's Keane that bears the brunt of the criticism by the media. Gerrard is another player with the spotlight on him. I just hope we don't get a repeat of last week where he pursues his 100th goal at the expense of the team.

I'm sure we'd all love to see the Torres & Keane partnership explode onto the scene against Everton, or even for Gerrard to get his 100th. But it's a team game, all that matters is that we win, not who scores.

Who benefits from Degen's injury ?

Degen is after breaking a couple of ribs and joins Aurelio on our injury hit list, which leaves us looking a little light in our full back positions. Dossena and Insua have the left-side sewn up. But what about the right-side ?

Many Kopites would love to see Stephen Darby make the breakthrough to the first team. He impressed in pre-season and with his consistency at youth levels. But he didn't even make the bench against Crewe tonight.

Daniel Agger hasn't featured much for us this season and must be wondering where his next game is coming from. It's highly likely that Carragher will be playing at right back while Arbeloa has problems with form/fitness. So Degens injury could end up being the catalyst which allows Agger to find his form and cement his place in central defence again.

Crewe could be just the tonic for Keane

This could be a double edged sword for Keane, if he scores, it should give him the confidence to relax and perform in subsequent games. On the other hand if he doesn't score against a team of Crewes calibre, that's bound to shatter his confidence even more than it already is.

This isn't the first and no doubt the last time that he has experienced goal scoring droughts. In fact I reckon all strikers have experienced the same at some stage of their careers. But the great thing about Keane is that he has always managed to bounce back and start scoring again.

Too many people are prematurely writing off Keane, but Keane is an excellent striker. Whether Rafa chooses to risk him tomorrow night or go with the youngsters up front (Pacheco, Nemeth, Ngog) remains to be seen.

24 shots, 69% possession, and 1 referee

Gerrard scored his 100th goal, only for the referee to disallow it for some unknown reason. It's one thing for the crowd to be labelled the 12th man, but when the referee is the 12th man, it's a bit of a sucker punch. Can't really blame the referee for 2 points lost though.

The harsh reality is we lacked the creativity required to carve open a stubborn Stoke City who were determined to defend for 90 minutes. Despite our huge number of shots, most were from distance, and only 6 were on target.

Even though we clearly dominated the game, most of the lads played very poorly. I feel sorry for Dossena and Keane who are struggling to find their form / confidence. I had hoped the team would build on the victory over Manchester United but it appears that confidence booster has been wasted.

Improving the atmosphere at Anfield Road

Following Chelskis example of introducing cheerleaders to Anfield Road is probably not the best way to liven up the crowd. It's sad to say but Anfield Road can be disappointingly quiet at times, fans clearly need no encouragement for the big games, but it's a very different story for the smaller ones.

Fortunately Rafa has come up with another clever tactical maneuver this season. The decision to reverse the order in which the Premier League anthem and "You'll Never Walk Alone" are played before each match, has resulted in better atmospheres at the start of games (link).

I've another suggestion for the team which will guarantee even better atmospheres home and away. If the team is putting in the effort and playing good football then I think they'll find the crowd will respond in kind.

Doubt we'll have another 8-0 annihilation

It has been 8 long years since we last played Stoke City. God scored a hat trick in a game we won 8-0 at their place. But I think it's safe to say that they're a much improved side since then (mind you, so are we). It's common place for new teams to become the whipping boys of the Premier League.

But Stoke have shown that they're capable of scoring some sneaky goals. That other team from Liverpool (you know the little one) have already beaten them 3-2. Also they did manage to beat Aston Villa, which is more than we could do. So maybe we shouldn't take them too lightly tomorrow.

Nice start to the Champions League

There's a strong resilience building amongst the players, as we've had to come from behind 3 times already this season to win. Thankfully they didn't keep us waiting too long this time, with Gerrard scoring a brace of goals.

Despite all the rumours about being injured, Mascherano played, but I'll bet we don't see him this weekend as he looked very tired. Lucas also failed to impress which weakened our midfield, fortunately our defence and in particular Reina were up to the task to repel Marseilles attacks.

Special mention must go to Babel who probably had his best game for us yet. His phenomenal talent is there for all to see and he looks so much stronger than he did last season. If he keeps up that kind of form, we're going to have many exciting attacking options this season.

Carlsberg don't do Liverpool in France

For the curious among you, the only reason why Liverpool didn't display Carlsberg on their kit against Marseille in tonights Champions League game, is solely because of French advertising laws.

Why did I bother writing this post ? Simply because my website analytics tells me that hundreds of people are searching for the answer but ending up at an old post from last season instead (link). So for anyone else who happens across this post tonight, I hope the answer satisfies your curiosity ;-)

Global Warning - Number 19 is coming

The greatest thing about beating [finally] Manchester United, is that the lads performed very well in doing so, and this without Torres and before Gerrard even got on the pitch. Very attack minded, excellent possession, and dominant for the majority of the match.

How can I even begin to choose a man of the match, there was so many stand out performances. Mascherano was awesome but then the likes of Alonso, Riera, Kuyt, Skrtel, Aurelio, Babel and Keane also had excellent games. It was just too much fun to watch.

Imagine the confidence booster this is going to give the lads. Expect a run of excellent form now. It's early days yet, but you can sense something big is going to come of this.

Dream debut for Riera

Making his debut in one of the biggest games of the season, I'll admit to being slightly concerned about how he'd perform. Needless to say, the lad was pretty darn cool. Bags of tricks, taking on players, mean shots, nice crosses (well maybe one was off).

He didn't look out of place, despite only having had several training sessions with the team. I can only begin to imagine how much better he's going to get with more experience with the lads.

A whole lot of people weren't thrilled by the signing of Riera, simply because of his performances with Manchester City 2 years ago. I think we can write that off as his bedding in period to the Premiership.

A reversal of fortunes seems in order

Since Rafa has been in charge, we've lost 7 and drawn only 1 game against Manchester United in the Premier League. That statistic doesn't paint the prettiest of pictures, but we can take some solace in that performance wise, we've been better on many occasions.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that at times, we've tried playing 'pretty' football, while they've dug their heels in for trench warfare. But tomorrow I reckon it'll be the other way around. To complete the reversal though, we'll have to secure the 3 points without actually deserving them ;-)

Brave but perhaps a little naive of Carragher

Never mind merely documenting certain events or quoting statements made by the parties involved. Carragher has chosen to have a right go at the owners of LFC in his autobiography. He calls them ruthless and accuses them of breaking promises and profiteering (link).

Carragher has a huge profile, but I doubt it's big enough to take on Hicks & Gillett. It's nice that he chose to say it how it is, but maybe he should have waited until his playing days were done before making any revelations.

No matter how justified his arguments may be, there's bound to be consequences. Perhaps this could expedite the developing partnership of Agger & Skrtel, or maybe he could get lucky and avoid any recriminations.

Why is everyone so worried about Mad City ?

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people have told me over the last week how worried they are about Mad City (link) and the possible repercussions. Yes Al-Fahim is going to change the financial landscape more so than Abramovich has. But I look at it and see many possible positive outcomes.

We've got some exciting talents at youth level who are on the verge of making the breakthrough to the first team. We can't hope to compete with Chelski & Mad City on the transfer front and no doubt they'll be vying for [and signing] all the big names. Which in turn should make it easier for the starlets to make their first team breakthroughs. Some of them are potential world class players.

It might also influence G+H to sell out now before Mad City establish themselves as a force (which could lower LFCs value). Sure, it's going to be harder than ever to win the Premier League, but knowing we haven't bought the title, will make it all the more satisfying when we do. What do you think ?

Different perspectives on Pennants situation

Rafa says he doesn't intend to freeze him out and may also look to extend his contract. It sounds like a ruse to avoid losing money which is fair enough, as he is in the last year of his contract. We signed him for £6.7 million and it would be nice to try and recoup some of that.

I like Pennant when he's on form, but it's clear that he's fallen down the pecking order. Rather than playing him in the Carling Cup games, why not take the opportunity to further blood El Zhar who looks an exciting prospect. Best to cut our losses with Pennant and let him go on the cheap instead of paying a huge salary to someone who's rotting away in the reserves.

Stoke & Birmingham City failed to agree personal terms with Pennant, seems he would prefer to sit out his contract until a better offer comes along. I'm not sure I'd want to see LFC exercising their option to extend his contract another year, only for him to repeat his refusal to leave again next summer.

The real reason Liverpool lack a cutting edge

There has been some excellent analysis done by the likes of Paul Tomkins regarding rotation myths and their resultant effects etc. But perhaps another angle should be taken into consideration also.

Clean shaven Rafa managed to win 57% of his first 180 games for Liverpool, not to mention picking up a couple of nice trophies along the way.

Sporting a new goatee look over the last 60 games has resulted in us winning only 55% of our games. As Willie Gannon pointed out, perhaps it's Rafas aversion to Gillett(e) which is having an impact on the field now ;-)

Time for Keane to shine in Torres absence

While I still believe Keane and Torres will likely make our best strikeforce since Rush and Dalglish, Keane has yet to make much of an impact with us. It's called a bedding in period, it's perfectly normal.

LFC have confirmed that Torres hamstring injury will keep him out for at least a few weeks, which means no Torres for the match against Manchester United. Gerrard too might be a bit iffy for the match. The gloom mongers will likely be out in force saying we've no chance without both those players.

In spite of this, I really hope Rafa chooses to go for an attacking line up against them. Keane has bags of talent and proven ability. It's only a matter of time before he starts scoring and what better time than against United.

There's one thing missing from Riise letter

When Luis Garcia left LFC with a touching open letter to all fans, I remarked how it was so refreshing in this day and age of millionaire footballers to see one showing how much he cared about the club. Riise too has decided to follow suit and write one of his own (link).

Riise had been a fantastic servant for us over 7 years, scoring some phenomenal goals. I prefer to remember the good times he gave us, as they outnumber the bad. But the one thing, which is missing from that letter, is the answer to the question which all Reds fans have asked so many times. How did you score that goal ?

I think we've just lost our best right back

The writing had been on the wall for quite a while now, as Finnan had clearly been out of favour with Rafa. I'd hoped beyond hope that he would stay with us, but alas that's not to be. The really surprising thing though, is that he is signing for Espanyol. I'd figured another Premiership club would win his signature instead.

He has been a fantastic servant to our club over the last few years, very underrated despite being one of our most consistent performers. It's sad that he goes without having had the chance to say goodbye at Anfield. I can't help but feel we're losing one of our best players and I hope we don't end up regretting it.

Early promise but also an early exit for Voronin

I remember thinking Voronin would make quite an astute free signing for us and was also even impressed with his early displays for us (link). Unfortunately he never really built on that early promise and faded into obscurity. Most people will probably remember him for his lacklustre displays, or worse by his criticising Liverpool (link) which ended up being blown out of all proportion by the media.

Shame really, but hopefully we can recoup the money we spent on his wages by selling him next season. This season he returns (on loan) to the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin. A good season for him, means some nice funds for us next summer ;-)

Braziliant - Vitor Flora signs for Liverpool

Our Brazilian contingent at Anfield continues to grow with the free signing of 18 year old striker Vitor Flora from Botafogo FC. He's a skillful, clever and left footed striker, but Youtube clip (link) aside, I don't know much about him. With the sheer attacking quality we have at youth level, I'm not sure where Flora is going to fit in.

He'll have a real fight on his hands to try and outshine the likes of Pacheco, Bruna, Amoo etc. But if the paperwork goes through quickly enough, we just might get our first glimpse of him in tomorrow nights reserve game which is live on LFC TV.