Reina better than Grobbelaar & Clemence ?

He may lack the eccentricities & charisma of Bruce Grobbelaar, or have quite the reputation which is attributed to Ray Clemence. But Pepe Reina has a much better shut out rate than both of them, and is after winning the Golden Glove award for the 3rd season running.
Sure enough at times he has been a little suspect at crosses or fluffed the odd ball. But I remember Grobbelaar having his moments in his first couple of seasons (although I wasn't even born, I'm sure Clemence did too).
Defensively Reina's solid as a rock (gives the rest of the team confidence to go forward) and offensively he's brilliant too, starting attacks instead of randomly punting the ball away. Maybe you'll disagree with me, but I'd rate him our best ever goalkeeper with the attributes to develop into the best in the world.

Wasted opportunity to blood more youngsters

With nothing left to play for at this stage of the season, I'd hoped that Rafa would take the opportunity against Manchester City to blood some more youth players (e.g. Plessis & Nemeth). Sadly it didn't quite work out that way but at least Insua & Lucas got their game.
Insua showed some nice touches, got forward often and played the full game. He's shown plenty of potential in the reserves and depending on transfer activity this summer we just might get to see more of him next season.
Lucas had an ok game, he keeps things nice and simple, but was well impressed with his overhead kick attempt. I reckon he's still just finding his feet and gaining confidence, next season we should see what Lucas is really made of.

We got what we deserved [knocked out]

I'm actually not too bothered that we lost to Chelsea. The harsh reality is that we just weren't good enough and didn't deserve to win.
I was surprised Benayoun & Torres weren't subbed earlier. Sure Torres scored a cool goal but he was largely anonymous throughout, and Benayoun who created the goal beautifully also had a terrible game.
Gerrard true to form [against the big teams] didn't perform well, while Alonso was average [again]. I'd high hopes that Riise would be eager to make up for his gaffe in the 1st leg but it seems he wasn't too bothered.
If it wasn't for the likes of Skrtel, Carragher, Mascherano & Reina we would've been torn apart completely. Last week I thought it might be a case of 3rd time lucky for Chelsea, this week I know they deserved it.

On a more positive note, our Ninja Skrtel

How awesome was Skrtel tonight, definitely man of the match, dominated the game against Chelsea. It's amazing how the lad has only been here a few months but has adapted so quickly to the game.
Both himself and Agger are blessed with pace, power and awareness. Carragher is going to have a real fight on his hands for a place in the team next season and I reckon we're going to have the best central defensive partnership in the Premiership as a result of that.

Fourth spot is pretty much in the bag

I only saw highlights of todays game and despite Fulham not being top class opposition I was still thrilled with the progress of Lucas Leiva. He continues to impress and develop well. As for Mascherano, a true midfield general if ever I saw one, not since Souness have I seen one so good for LFC.
Todays win against Fulham has pretty much wrapped up fourth spot for us. We're 8 points clear with only 3 games to go. The implications of qualifying for next seasons Champions League are straight forward enough, we need the money so we can afford to sign a few more top class players and then mount a proper challenge in the Premiership next season. Despite a couple of rocky patches, we're finishing the season strongly, surely number 19 is only around the corner ?

The scoreline flattered us, but we're through

At 2-2, my heart sank briefly as I reminisced about '89 and contemplated the prospect of us getting knocked out by Arsenal. But any doubts I had were short lived. In the first half I thought we were very poor (we passed to their players more than our own) and the crowd was very subdued. It took a bullet header from Hyypia to liven things up for everyone.
Thankfully the 2nd half was much more enjoyable to watch, with Torres scoring yet another stunning goal and Babel completing it with a well taken goal also. Despite all the stick Kuyt gets, he was truly immense again tonight. As for Gerrard, he said it best himself in his interview "one of my worst performances in a Liverpool shirt". Overall I felt we deserved to win. Next up Chelski, hope it's not a case of 3rd time lucky for them though !

Damien Plessi was a very pleasant surprise

I knew Rafa would field a weakened team against Arsenal, but I didn't think for a second that he would give a starting berth to Plessi for his debut. I'd only seen him play for the reserves prior to today and alongside Insua, he looked most likely to make a first team breakthrough.
He's been likened to a young Patrick Vieri, but then again wasn't the same said for Momo Sissoko. Unlike Sissoko though, Plessi looks to be a far more accomplished passer of the ball. He looks a very good prospect and was very composed for his debut (especially given that 4th place is far from certain).
Hopefully he'll get many more chances to prove himself this season. With our shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation, there's room for another top class midfielder, who knows maybe Plessi can develop in to such a player.

Crouchie isn't happy and wants to leave

Despite being clearly out of favour this season, that hasn't stopped Crouchie from turning in some excellent performances for us. He's scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in just 16 starts this season.
If his post match interview is anything to go by, then I think Crouchie wants to leave Liverpool, he just doesn't sound happy and was non-committal. He's far too good to be sitting on the bench week in / week out.
Shame himself and Torres never got much of a chance to forge a strike partnership, it would've been interesting to see how our 2 best strikers performed together given time. But I can't see that ever happening as a more permanent shift towards a 4-2-3-1 formation seems inevitable.

Some excellent performers against Arsenal

Not only did some of the players have a great game but so did the referee. If ever there was a game of 2 halves, this was it. We looked to be in control for most of the first half, but Arsenal dominated the second half.
Fortunately all of our defenders had excellent games (can Skrtel get any better) as did Reina and particularly Kuyt (for both his defensive and offensive contributions). I wasn't surprised to see the ineffectual Babel taken off so early but was surprised Alonso (well off the pace) stayed on so late.
Arsenal can whinge as much as they like about their penalty claim (replays show minimal contact with a big dive) but the referee got it right. In fact the referee was spot on throughout the match (not often you see that). The score draw sets us up nicely for the return leg at Anfield :-)

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).

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).

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.

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 :-)

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.

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].

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 ?

No arrogant demands, just loyalty & desire

Sami Hyypia, one of LFCs all time greats has announced his desire to take his career with us into his 10th season. Despite the fact that he'll be competing with Carragher, Agger & Skrtel for a playing spot he is prepared to fight for his position. He's a true pro and we can count on him to not moan about playing every week and also to put in the effort when required. If only all our players possessed such a mentality, far too many seem to think they have a devine right to play.
Some people might prefer that a youth player get the 4th central defender spot, but given the lack of playing time they would be exposed to, that same player might be better off going on a season long loan. As for Hyypia, he's been outstanding for us over the years and thoroughly deserves a new contract, even if only for another season and then give him a well deserved testimonial.

If only Rafa could do this all the time

Watching us play against Inter Milan, I can't remember the last time the whole team looked so hungry. It's quite sad comparing our performances in the big European games with our Premiership efforts. If only Rafa could motivate the lads to play like that on a consistent basis we could be genuine title contenders.
As for the players, Mascherano was as monstrous as ever, Lucas did very well on his champions league debut. Kuyt was his typical busy self, was shocked when he scored, I hope it helps with his confidence so we see more of it. Torres came close to scoring a brace and Gerrard deserved his goal.
With Materazzi & Cordoba out of the second leg, it should make it easier for us to nick a goal and seal our passage to the next round. As it stands it's merely half time and I don't want to get carried away just yet.

Positives to take from game with Chelski

Skrtel put in a very impressive performance (shame about his wrist though) and the experience will do him the world of good. I can only assume Hyypia is injured as Mikel San Jose was our only central defender on the bench.
Mascherano was a monster breaking up the play all over the pitch, thankfully we're almost certain to be retaining his services permanently. Lucas continues to impress with his composure and also produced some superb passes.
Babel had a rare start and showed some real class, can't believe he got subbed, would've made more sense for Kuyt to come off. Our lack of pace up front was glaringly obvious, I'd a bad feeling before the game that Rafa wouldn't take a chance and pair Crouch & Babel, and I can't help but feel that cost us 3 points as Chelski were there for the taking today.

Slovak in a half shell, Skrtel power

With Gerrard & Carragher out of action for a number of weeks due to this court case (LINK) Skrtel should find himself getting plenty more experience in the premiership. Like Agger I reckon it'll take him a few months to adjust to premiership life, but we could very well have something cool to look forward to next year. He's after beating out Marek Hamsik to the title of Slovakian footballer of the year, which should speak volumes given that Hamsik is one of the best left wingers in Serie A (in just his first season there!).
I've no idea who the anonymous person was who posted a suggested song for Skrtel in this post (LINK), but I reckon I'm going to get a fair bit of milleage out of it everytime I talk about Skrtel, cheers dude/dudette :-)