I've been trying to write something constructive but it's just not happening. I feel sick. Any defeat is bad. A 4-0 defeat is shockingly bad but the scoreline isn’t the thing that has really sickened me.
The reason I feel so sick is that my faith has been shaken. When Kenny took the reins off Hodgson, I saw him as a safer pair of hands who would keep us in the Premiership until the summer when I hoped for the reappointment of Rafa or else the appointment of a world class manager to rival Rafa. With Clarke as his No.2, Kenny did so well I became convinced he was the right man to remain at the helm. It wasn’t just romanticism; what they achieved in a short space of time really made me believe we had a world class managerial team in Kenny and Clarke.
Like most fans, I wanted to see us signing players like Aguerro and Mata during the summer but I was realistic enough to accept in our situation we needed to be targeting the players that can deliver Champions League football next season rather than players that can deliver the title this season. I backed the holy trinity of King Kenny, John Henry and Daniel Comolli in their summer dealings. The Aquilani saga baffled the hell out of me but that aside, I backed all of their purchases and outgoings despite reservations over the qualities of Adam and Henderson. I continued to defend Carroll against critics that I felt needed to give him long enough to prove himself.
I did this because I had faith in King Kenny and Steve Clarke and in the new owners and their vision for our club’s success.
Now I find myself asking: “How did King Kenny and Steve Clarke get things so wrong today?” There was nothing world class about their tactics today and their signings looked far from impressive. Suddenly, I find myself worrying that we’ve wasted a serious amount of money on Carroll and Henderson and that we’ve banished Aquilani in order to accommodate an average Scottish midfielder who stood out in highlights of Blackpool’s games but whose better performances for us will only ever be “hit and miss”.
A knee-jerk reaction? The concerns about Adam, Henderson, Carroll and general tactics have been bubbling under the surface all season.
All I know is 4-0 is our worst result in 8½ years (i.e. before Rafa). We also played better in this fixture last season under Roy fucking Hodgson. That’s how badly today went! Yes there were mitigating circumstances (if two red cards can be described as such) but we were shit with 11 men, slightly better with 10 and then it was game over when we went down to 9.
I’m seriously depressed. I desparately need to see a comfortable win against Brighton followed by a slick and stylish win over Wolves, a Merseyside derby win and then a home win against those bastard Mancs.
Kenny, Clarke, winter signings, summer signings and those of you who survived the summer cull... please restore my faith. Prove that today was nothing more than a day where everything went wrong. Above all else, let me be able to watch you play and enjoy the experience again because today was just horrible.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Monday, 8 August 2011
My hopes, fears and expectations for 2011-2012
On the eve of a new season, what are my hopes, fears and expectations for the 2011-2012 season?
The ultimate hope is obviously that Liverpool win the Premiership. However, that is simply not realistic. Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City will compete for the title. City should be favourites given the squad they have amassed while both Man Utd and Chelsea have been there and done it before. Those three teams will finish in positions 1 to 3. I expect City to blow their title challenge as failure is in their club’s DNA. I wouldn’t rule out a 2nd place finish for them which would mean either United or Chelsea finishing 3rd. Chelsea or Man Utd will be champions. I’d prefer Chelsea of the two but my head says it will be United again.
Then we have a battle for the fourth Champions League spot and I believe this will be a three-way battle between Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs with Spurs finishing sixth. I honestly couldn’t call it between Liverpool and Arsenal. Since 1998, Arsenal have not failed to qualify for the Champions League. However, from the point where Kenny replaced Hodgson last season, we out-performed them in the League. We have strengthened whereas they are desperately trying to retain their best players. Should the likes of Fabregas and Nasri be sold, they will be weaker but if they were kept, would they truly give their all for a cause they wanted to abandon?
With Arsene Wenger under increasing pressure after six trophyless seasons, Arsenal have never been more vulnerable but we will have little room for error if we are to take advantage.
Fourth place is our target and my hope is that we get it – my fear is we don’t. Finishing fourth will mean we can build on our squad from a position of being able to attract some of Europe’s better players who would otherwise be deterred by the lack of Champions League football. Finishing outside of the top four will raise questions about our ability to retain the likes of Suarez and Reina. It is crucial for the development of the club that we achieve this objective.
On the playing front, my ultimate hope is obviously that every player excels. That is unrealistic though. I expect Luis Suarez to shine once more and I believe we have made an excellent signing in Stewart Downing. I do harbour concerns over Andy Carroll though.
Looking at him, I’m far from convinced he has the qualities to be a top, top striker. He looks slow, cumbersome and pretty crude in his playing style – basically the exact opposite of Luis Suarez. While I can see him causing problems to Premiership defenders and being a threat from set pieces, he does not appear conducive to swift, pass-and-move attacking football. Barring the City game, we played far better when he wasn’t in the team last season though, in fairness, the lack of quality on the wings won’t have brought the best out of him.
Ultimately my biggest worry is that having sold Fernando Torres and spent £35m on a replacement, I just don’t see Carroll ever being as good. You could argue that Suarez offsets that to a certain extent but then Suarez was bought to play alongside Torres; not instead. Carroll was the replacement for Torres and I just don’t believe that Carroll and Suarez is better than Torres and Suarez.
I hope Carroll shines this season. I hope he can develop into a player like Didier Drogba at his best. I just worry that if he flops, we have little in the way of contingency. With Ngog clearly not rated by the current regime, it leaves only Kuyt to fill in up top. Personally, I trust Kuyt more than I trust Carroll but, as effective as Kuyt can be when leading the line, there is a glass ceiling to what we can achieve in the League with him leading our attack.
To be fair to Carroll, Fernando Torres raised the bar in terms of what we can expect from strikers. Between Michael Judas Owen and him, the strikers we fielded included Neil Mellor, Milan Baros, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes, Robbie Fowler II, Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt. We also signed Voronin just before Torres. While some of those players did OK, none were of the standard of Torres. In spite of that, in those 3 years between Owen and Torres, we won the Champions League, the FA Cup and reached another Champions League Final. After signing Torres, our best achievement was being runner up in the Premiership in a season where Torres missed half the League games. That proves you don’t need a striker of Torres’ quality to be successful. Carroll can eclipse many of those players to have played up front pre-Torres. Come the end of the season, if Carroll has shown he is good enough to lead the line in a team challenging for the League and Champions League, he will stay; if not we will strengthen.
My other big concern is over Charlie Adam. He strikes me as a decent Premiership player and he shone as a big fish at Blackpool last season. I just don’t see him being one of the League’s top midfielders. He’s another who lacks pace and seems to look for the ball over the top a bit too often for my liking. People rave about his set pieces but on the evidence of preseason, he should be behind Aquilani and Downing in the pecking order.
Ultimately, I’m concerned that Aquilani may be sold and Adam played instead. Aquilani is a quality player. Yes, doubts remain over his suitability for the English League but he deserves a chance to prove himself. If he comes good, he will be twice, maybe three times the player Adam is. Adam is simply not in the same bracket of quality.
We have a lot of central midfielders at the club including Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Adam, Aquilani, Meireles, Shelvey, Spearing and Poulsen. I would question how many of those offer proven high quality. How many would get into the first teams of Chelsea or either of the Manchester clubs? Aquilani is the one player potentially good enough to play for those teams while Henderson has the long-term potential. I'd be very frustrated if Aquilani was sold without being given a chance this season.
There are serious question marks hanging over Gerrard and Carragher this season. Carra will face the same questions every season until he hangs up his boots. Every bad game will lead people to say “his legs have gone”, etc. He’s had it for a couple of seasons now and to his credit, he has generally come good over the course of the season. The concern is that there is no one threatening his place in the team. With Agger’s injury problems and Skrtel’s failure to mature into a top centre-half, Carra remains a first choice centre-half. His place won’t come under threat from Wilson or Kyrgiakos so we have to hope he has a good season.
As an aside, I also fear that Agger and Aurelio will continue to be injury-prone in the coming year. Without [as yet] having signed a left-back, Aurelio is our best player for that position and Agger is our best centre-half. Our prospects will be better with both in the team.
After successive injury-interrupted seasons, can Gerrard play enough this season to really contribute? Assuming he can, can he rediscover the form that once made him our best player after two seasons of piss poor performances? Where will he play? Does he have the defensive discipline to anchor the midfield? Will he be prepared to play on the right of midfield? Will he continue to pull rank over set pieces meaning every corner is wasted? Will he take the penalties given Kuyt’s 100% record? Will he accept being rested for his and the team’s good should the management deem it necessary?
Big questions!
As one of the few truly outstanding players in the team, we have to hope that Gerrard can have a major positive impact in the coming season.
While deadwood remains on the books, there is always the fear that they will be used. Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Brad Jones have not been shifted. Brad Jones won’t play and will most likely follow Gulacsi and Hansen out on loan. Poulsen is another matter. Who in their right mind would sign him? Even Hodgson hasn’t tried to bring him to West Brom (hypocrite!). Despite that, I think Kenny is savvy enough to know that the Dane should never again don the red shirt of Liverpool in a competitive match.
Joe Cole is another story. Steve Clarke seems to rate him from their time together at Chelsea. I don’t see him being a regular starter but I could see him featuring from the bench. Is that so bad? I just think he is one of the most brainless footballers I have ever seen and I don’t want him near our first team.
I haven’t even mentioned the likes of Degen and El Zhar. I'm also a bit disappointed to see the Greek [Kyrgiakos] still in the squad. I had hoped we would strengthen in this area.
I also can’t see where Raul Meireles will fit in this season. In many ways, that is a positive as I don’t rate him as anything more than a decent squad player and if he does force his way into the first team, it will mean he is doing very well indeed.
So lots of questions. Lots of unknowns. Bring it on!!!!
The ultimate hope is obviously that Liverpool win the Premiership. However, that is simply not realistic. Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City will compete for the title. City should be favourites given the squad they have amassed while both Man Utd and Chelsea have been there and done it before. Those three teams will finish in positions 1 to 3. I expect City to blow their title challenge as failure is in their club’s DNA. I wouldn’t rule out a 2nd place finish for them which would mean either United or Chelsea finishing 3rd. Chelsea or Man Utd will be champions. I’d prefer Chelsea of the two but my head says it will be United again.
Then we have a battle for the fourth Champions League spot and I believe this will be a three-way battle between Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs with Spurs finishing sixth. I honestly couldn’t call it between Liverpool and Arsenal. Since 1998, Arsenal have not failed to qualify for the Champions League. However, from the point where Kenny replaced Hodgson last season, we out-performed them in the League. We have strengthened whereas they are desperately trying to retain their best players. Should the likes of Fabregas and Nasri be sold, they will be weaker but if they were kept, would they truly give their all for a cause they wanted to abandon?
With Arsene Wenger under increasing pressure after six trophyless seasons, Arsenal have never been more vulnerable but we will have little room for error if we are to take advantage.
Fourth place is our target and my hope is that we get it – my fear is we don’t. Finishing fourth will mean we can build on our squad from a position of being able to attract some of Europe’s better players who would otherwise be deterred by the lack of Champions League football. Finishing outside of the top four will raise questions about our ability to retain the likes of Suarez and Reina. It is crucial for the development of the club that we achieve this objective.
On the playing front, my ultimate hope is obviously that every player excels. That is unrealistic though. I expect Luis Suarez to shine once more and I believe we have made an excellent signing in Stewart Downing. I do harbour concerns over Andy Carroll though.
Looking at him, I’m far from convinced he has the qualities to be a top, top striker. He looks slow, cumbersome and pretty crude in his playing style – basically the exact opposite of Luis Suarez. While I can see him causing problems to Premiership defenders and being a threat from set pieces, he does not appear conducive to swift, pass-and-move attacking football. Barring the City game, we played far better when he wasn’t in the team last season though, in fairness, the lack of quality on the wings won’t have brought the best out of him.
Ultimately my biggest worry is that having sold Fernando Torres and spent £35m on a replacement, I just don’t see Carroll ever being as good. You could argue that Suarez offsets that to a certain extent but then Suarez was bought to play alongside Torres; not instead. Carroll was the replacement for Torres and I just don’t believe that Carroll and Suarez is better than Torres and Suarez.
I hope Carroll shines this season. I hope he can develop into a player like Didier Drogba at his best. I just worry that if he flops, we have little in the way of contingency. With Ngog clearly not rated by the current regime, it leaves only Kuyt to fill in up top. Personally, I trust Kuyt more than I trust Carroll but, as effective as Kuyt can be when leading the line, there is a glass ceiling to what we can achieve in the League with him leading our attack.
To be fair to Carroll, Fernando Torres raised the bar in terms of what we can expect from strikers. Between Michael Judas Owen and him, the strikers we fielded included Neil Mellor, Milan Baros, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes, Robbie Fowler II, Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt. We also signed Voronin just before Torres. While some of those players did OK, none were of the standard of Torres. In spite of that, in those 3 years between Owen and Torres, we won the Champions League, the FA Cup and reached another Champions League Final. After signing Torres, our best achievement was being runner up in the Premiership in a season where Torres missed half the League games. That proves you don’t need a striker of Torres’ quality to be successful. Carroll can eclipse many of those players to have played up front pre-Torres. Come the end of the season, if Carroll has shown he is good enough to lead the line in a team challenging for the League and Champions League, he will stay; if not we will strengthen.
My other big concern is over Charlie Adam. He strikes me as a decent Premiership player and he shone as a big fish at Blackpool last season. I just don’t see him being one of the League’s top midfielders. He’s another who lacks pace and seems to look for the ball over the top a bit too often for my liking. People rave about his set pieces but on the evidence of preseason, he should be behind Aquilani and Downing in the pecking order.
Ultimately, I’m concerned that Aquilani may be sold and Adam played instead. Aquilani is a quality player. Yes, doubts remain over his suitability for the English League but he deserves a chance to prove himself. If he comes good, he will be twice, maybe three times the player Adam is. Adam is simply not in the same bracket of quality.
We have a lot of central midfielders at the club including Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Adam, Aquilani, Meireles, Shelvey, Spearing and Poulsen. I would question how many of those offer proven high quality. How many would get into the first teams of Chelsea or either of the Manchester clubs? Aquilani is the one player potentially good enough to play for those teams while Henderson has the long-term potential. I'd be very frustrated if Aquilani was sold without being given a chance this season.
There are serious question marks hanging over Gerrard and Carragher this season. Carra will face the same questions every season until he hangs up his boots. Every bad game will lead people to say “his legs have gone”, etc. He’s had it for a couple of seasons now and to his credit, he has generally come good over the course of the season. The concern is that there is no one threatening his place in the team. With Agger’s injury problems and Skrtel’s failure to mature into a top centre-half, Carra remains a first choice centre-half. His place won’t come under threat from Wilson or Kyrgiakos so we have to hope he has a good season.
As an aside, I also fear that Agger and Aurelio will continue to be injury-prone in the coming year. Without [as yet] having signed a left-back, Aurelio is our best player for that position and Agger is our best centre-half. Our prospects will be better with both in the team.
After successive injury-interrupted seasons, can Gerrard play enough this season to really contribute? Assuming he can, can he rediscover the form that once made him our best player after two seasons of piss poor performances? Where will he play? Does he have the defensive discipline to anchor the midfield? Will he be prepared to play on the right of midfield? Will he continue to pull rank over set pieces meaning every corner is wasted? Will he take the penalties given Kuyt’s 100% record? Will he accept being rested for his and the team’s good should the management deem it necessary?
Big questions!
As one of the few truly outstanding players in the team, we have to hope that Gerrard can have a major positive impact in the coming season.
While deadwood remains on the books, there is always the fear that they will be used. Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Brad Jones have not been shifted. Brad Jones won’t play and will most likely follow Gulacsi and Hansen out on loan. Poulsen is another matter. Who in their right mind would sign him? Even Hodgson hasn’t tried to bring him to West Brom (hypocrite!). Despite that, I think Kenny is savvy enough to know that the Dane should never again don the red shirt of Liverpool in a competitive match.
Joe Cole is another story. Steve Clarke seems to rate him from their time together at Chelsea. I don’t see him being a regular starter but I could see him featuring from the bench. Is that so bad? I just think he is one of the most brainless footballers I have ever seen and I don’t want him near our first team.
I haven’t even mentioned the likes of Degen and El Zhar. I'm also a bit disappointed to see the Greek [Kyrgiakos] still in the squad. I had hoped we would strengthen in this area.
I also can’t see where Raul Meireles will fit in this season. In many ways, that is a positive as I don’t rate him as anything more than a decent squad player and if he does force his way into the first team, it will mean he is doing very well indeed.
So lots of questions. Lots of unknowns. Bring it on!!!!
Three to go down
Once again it is time to pick the three teams I predict will be relegated. Last season I went for Blackpool, Wolves and West Brom scoring just 1 out 3. Hodgson really did fuck up everything last season! Ultimately, West Ham were staggeringly bad while Birmingham's relegation was a huge shock.
For likely strugglers this season, look no further than teams beginning with ‘W’.
I’d love to see Roy Hodgson get the relegation he so richly deserves at West Brom. With signings such as Zoltan Gera (32), Gareth McAuley (31) and Marton Fulop (28), Roy is continuing his policy of signing old, predominantly shit players with no resale value. Typical of the journeyman manager, his signings are intended for short-term impact and show no signs of long term planning – after all, why plan for the long term when you rarely stop at a club for longer than two years?
Roy’s basic football tactics designed to eke out the bare minimum of points required to avoid relegation appear well-suited to West Brom. In another season I’d make them favourites for the drop – especially as they have never survived two successive seasons in the Premiership before – but there are worse-equipped teams in the League this year.
That said, a bad start could leave them fighting an uphill battle and given their first two opponents are Man Utd and Chelsea, their third fixture at home to Stoke will be a “must-win” game. With Norwich (a), Swansea (a), Fulham (h), Sunderland (a) and Wolves (h) next, if West Brom sit in the relegation zone come mid-October, they will be in serious trouble.
Wigan will go down sooner or later. They like to flirt with relegation and will most likely do so again but I’d expect them to stay up this year. They have a bizarre habit of getting hammered by crap teams yet beating or drawing with decent sides. Don’t be surprised if they lose 5-0 to Swansea yet draw with Liverpool.
Wolves are fucking detestable. Epitomised by their shithead manager Mick McCarthy – aka Fergie’s mate – they will mix it up and provide some lousy, ugly, unwatchable football matches in this Premiership season. Sadly, I think their experience of scrapping for survival over the last two seasons gives them an edge over the newly promoted teams.
Aston Villa threatened to relegate themselves under Gerard Houllier last year but Randy Lerner has bizarrely replaced the Frenchman with Alex McLeish – the man who relegated rivals Birmingham against all odds last season. Quite why, nobody knows but with a manager who has been there and done it before and with their new policy of selling their best players, you can’t rule out relegation for Aston Villa. It would, however, be a major shock and I would expect Villa to remain one of the 7 ever-present teams in the Premiership’s history.
Blackburn are in total chaos. Bought by Indian chicken farmers who bizarrely sacked Sam Allardyce only to promote his number two Steve Kean beyond his level of competence, their transfer business so far has only weakened them. I would be stunned if Kean lasted the season in charge. I’d tip them as the established Premiership team most likely to break into the bottom three.
I expect Stoke to be safe this year. Ditto Sunderland and Fulham.
So my three to go down?
Norwich, Swansea and QPR.
I can’t see any of the teams coming up having the quality to stay up. I will also predict that Neil Warnock will be sacked by QPR before the season’s end.
For likely strugglers this season, look no further than teams beginning with ‘W’.
I’d love to see Roy Hodgson get the relegation he so richly deserves at West Brom. With signings such as Zoltan Gera (32), Gareth McAuley (31) and Marton Fulop (28), Roy is continuing his policy of signing old, predominantly shit players with no resale value. Typical of the journeyman manager, his signings are intended for short-term impact and show no signs of long term planning – after all, why plan for the long term when you rarely stop at a club for longer than two years?
Roy’s basic football tactics designed to eke out the bare minimum of points required to avoid relegation appear well-suited to West Brom. In another season I’d make them favourites for the drop – especially as they have never survived two successive seasons in the Premiership before – but there are worse-equipped teams in the League this year.
That said, a bad start could leave them fighting an uphill battle and given their first two opponents are Man Utd and Chelsea, their third fixture at home to Stoke will be a “must-win” game. With Norwich (a), Swansea (a), Fulham (h), Sunderland (a) and Wolves (h) next, if West Brom sit in the relegation zone come mid-October, they will be in serious trouble.
Wigan will go down sooner or later. They like to flirt with relegation and will most likely do so again but I’d expect them to stay up this year. They have a bizarre habit of getting hammered by crap teams yet beating or drawing with decent sides. Don’t be surprised if they lose 5-0 to Swansea yet draw with Liverpool.
Wolves are fucking detestable. Epitomised by their shithead manager Mick McCarthy – aka Fergie’s mate – they will mix it up and provide some lousy, ugly, unwatchable football matches in this Premiership season. Sadly, I think their experience of scrapping for survival over the last two seasons gives them an edge over the newly promoted teams.
Aston Villa threatened to relegate themselves under Gerard Houllier last year but Randy Lerner has bizarrely replaced the Frenchman with Alex McLeish – the man who relegated rivals Birmingham against all odds last season. Quite why, nobody knows but with a manager who has been there and done it before and with their new policy of selling their best players, you can’t rule out relegation for Aston Villa. It would, however, be a major shock and I would expect Villa to remain one of the 7 ever-present teams in the Premiership’s history.
Blackburn are in total chaos. Bought by Indian chicken farmers who bizarrely sacked Sam Allardyce only to promote his number two Steve Kean beyond his level of competence, their transfer business so far has only weakened them. I would be stunned if Kean lasted the season in charge. I’d tip them as the established Premiership team most likely to break into the bottom three.
I expect Stoke to be safe this year. Ditto Sunderland and Fulham.
So my three to go down?
Norwich, Swansea and QPR.
I can’t see any of the teams coming up having the quality to stay up. I will also predict that Neil Warnock will be sacked by QPR before the season’s end.
Friday, 29 July 2011
Galatasaray 3 Liverpool 0
What the fuck was that all about?
Seriously.
I’m not arsed about the result. I’m not worried that we have lost two consecutive preseason games 3-0 and conceded 3 in each of the four games played so far.
What arses me is that when the players and management should be preparing for the new season, they were pissing about in Turkey wasting everyone’s time by playing a match that they quite clearly didn’t want and weren’t prepared to take seriously.
Doni in goal; a back four of Flanagan, Kelly, Kyrgiakos and Insua; fucking Poulsen in midfield with Shelvey; Jack Robinson on one wing and fucking Degen on the other; fucking Joke Cole in the hole, and Andy Carroll inexplicably picked to play with the dross.
What the fuck?
Right now, Andy Carroll needs to build his confidence up. The supporters need to build a bit of confidence in Andy Carroll. We need some reassurance that Kenny, Comolli and co didn’t blow £35m on a player not worth £5m. How is that supposed to be achieved when he has shit players around him who can’t string 3 passes together let alone supply anything resembling goal-scoring chances?
Why has fucking Poulsen featured in every preseason game so far? He is shit. What does he need games for? Surely Kenny and co aren’t thinking of using him in a competitive match(?) so why is he out on the pitch clocking up minutes that could be helping another player to gain fitness and sharpness ahead of the new season? I’ve heard the claims that Kenny is putting him in the shop window but it doesn’t wash. No prospective buyer is going to watch him gifting Milan Baros a goal and think “I must sign him”. If anything, giving him game time is going to make him harder to offload. He is an embarrassment to the club and must not be allowed to pull on a Liverpool shirt again.
The same sentiments apply to Philipp fucking Degen. Why the fuck was he playing?
And what about Kyrgiakos? Don’t get me wrong, I like the Greek but he is too error prone and too susceptible to pace to play for a club with the lofty ambitions that we hopefully have. We need better quality. Seeing him playing in every preseason game and captaining the side last night, it didn’t appear as though he was a player earmarked for the exit.
Meanwhile, one of the few players to do himself justice, Alberto Aquilani (who came on at half time), continues to be linked with moves away. Aquilani is the one player who has consistently impressed in preseason. He looks a quality footballer who belongs in a top team. I dearly hope the press speculation is nonsense as I cannot comprehend why we would consider parting with this player without giving him a proper chance to show us what he can do in our first team.
I can understand that with a game in Norway in just a few days and with all the travel this schedule involves, Kenny might not have wanted this fixture. I can understand that despite the wishes of the manager and his staff, the money men might insist on an inconvenient fixture being played in order to tap into the Turkish market. However, with a squad the size of ours, I cannot understand why we needed to field a team that weak. The first and second half teams used in the Far East were all stronger than the XI that started yesterday.
It was embarrassing to see that team and hear it called Liverpool FC.
Seriously.
I’m not arsed about the result. I’m not worried that we have lost two consecutive preseason games 3-0 and conceded 3 in each of the four games played so far.
What arses me is that when the players and management should be preparing for the new season, they were pissing about in Turkey wasting everyone’s time by playing a match that they quite clearly didn’t want and weren’t prepared to take seriously.
Doni in goal; a back four of Flanagan, Kelly, Kyrgiakos and Insua; fucking Poulsen in midfield with Shelvey; Jack Robinson on one wing and fucking Degen on the other; fucking Joke Cole in the hole, and Andy Carroll inexplicably picked to play with the dross.
What the fuck?
Right now, Andy Carroll needs to build his confidence up. The supporters need to build a bit of confidence in Andy Carroll. We need some reassurance that Kenny, Comolli and co didn’t blow £35m on a player not worth £5m. How is that supposed to be achieved when he has shit players around him who can’t string 3 passes together let alone supply anything resembling goal-scoring chances?
Why has fucking Poulsen featured in every preseason game so far? He is shit. What does he need games for? Surely Kenny and co aren’t thinking of using him in a competitive match(?) so why is he out on the pitch clocking up minutes that could be helping another player to gain fitness and sharpness ahead of the new season? I’ve heard the claims that Kenny is putting him in the shop window but it doesn’t wash. No prospective buyer is going to watch him gifting Milan Baros a goal and think “I must sign him”. If anything, giving him game time is going to make him harder to offload. He is an embarrassment to the club and must not be allowed to pull on a Liverpool shirt again.
The same sentiments apply to Philipp fucking Degen. Why the fuck was he playing?
And what about Kyrgiakos? Don’t get me wrong, I like the Greek but he is too error prone and too susceptible to pace to play for a club with the lofty ambitions that we hopefully have. We need better quality. Seeing him playing in every preseason game and captaining the side last night, it didn’t appear as though he was a player earmarked for the exit.
Meanwhile, one of the few players to do himself justice, Alberto Aquilani (who came on at half time), continues to be linked with moves away. Aquilani is the one player who has consistently impressed in preseason. He looks a quality footballer who belongs in a top team. I dearly hope the press speculation is nonsense as I cannot comprehend why we would consider parting with this player without giving him a proper chance to show us what he can do in our first team.
I can understand that with a game in Norway in just a few days and with all the travel this schedule involves, Kenny might not have wanted this fixture. I can understand that despite the wishes of the manager and his staff, the money men might insist on an inconvenient fixture being played in order to tap into the Turkish market. However, with a squad the size of ours, I cannot understand why we needed to field a team that weak. The first and second half teams used in the Far East were all stronger than the XI that started yesterday.
It was embarrassing to see that team and hear it called Liverpool FC.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Hull City 3 Liverpool 0
Oh dear. We score 10 goals in 2 games but then get beat 3-0 at Hull. It was a funny game in many respects. Liverpool dominated possession but carried little goal threat – particularly in the first half – while Hull scored from two long-range efforts in the first half and then bundled in a third in the second half after poor Liverpool defending. We wore our horrible third strip and got the sort of result you would expect from a team in blue and white.
Positives could be found in some of the build-up play – especially after half-time – but generally it felt a bit flat and things aren’t quite clicking yet.
As for the previous games, we played different XIs in the first and second halves and, as before, I will choose my best XI...
Doni v Jones
Neither made a save of note. Doni was powerless to stop two long-range strikes in the first half. Jones would have done well to save Hull’s third. Purely on the basis that Doni was beaten twice and Jones just the once, I’ll give it to Jones.
Kelly v Flanagan
Kelly didn’t have the best of games but Flanagan offered no challenge here. Once again, Flanagan was rash in the challenge conceding a number of unnecessary free-kicks and could have been shown a straight red for a reckless lunge early in the second half. It’s looking increasingly baffling that Flanagan was able to do so well for the team in the back end of last season. I’m going for Kelly.
Carragher v Kyrgiakos
Neither excelled but neither were particularly bad. As one would expect, Kyrgiakos offered more in an attacking sense while Carra resorted to a few long punts up the pitch instead of attempting actual football. Kyrgiakos was my pick.
Ayala v Wilson
Ayala didn’t stand out. Wilson actually had a few decent moments. Wilson definitely looks a better prospect at centre-half than at full-back. I’m choosing Wilson.
Robinson v Insua
Robinson looked decent. He made a number of good tackles/blocks, got forward well and I really like the way he seems to glide around the pitch. Insua was at fault for the third goal playing the scorer onside. That aside, he acquitted himself well enough without being spectacular. Robinson was my pick.
Poulsen v Spearing
Poulsen was anonymous allowing Hull’s players time and space on the ball in the central areas. Spearing was his usual terrier-like self but in truth only had to turn up to be better than Poulsen. Spearing easily.
Aquilani v Henderson
This is a really tough one. I liked the look of Henderson. He was energetic and got around the pitch well plus he played a number of decent and intelligent passes. Aquilani looked calm and composed in possession, rarely wasting a pass and demonstrating that rare commodity of finding time and space in congested areas. Aquilani was let down by a lack of intelligent movement from his teammates whereas the second half team that Henderson played in was much better as a team. I’m going to go for Aquilani but that is no slight on Henderson.
Coady v Adam
Coady looked lost out there. He was at fault for Hull’s first goal and was never able to impose himself on the game. Adam looked decent. His passing is starting to match his vision and his set pieces were much more effective. Adam at a stroll.
Cole v Kuyt
Cole was back to his frustrating worst here. No end product; failure to make a positive impact; wayward passing; bad decision-making, and a comically bad finish after Gulacsi spilled Ngog’s shot into his path in front of goal. Kuyt was involved in some good team moves and generally offered more. Kuyt – no contest.
Maxi v Downing
Maxi buzzed about but I can’t remember too much of what he did. Downing was constantly involved; whipped in a number of crosses; had a well-struck shot saved, and worked well with his new teammates. Downing is my pick.
Ngog v Carroll
Ngog was chronically dire. His first touch repeatedly let him down and, other than a shot from the edge of the area after Aquilani had cleverly slipped him in, he offered no goal threat at all. Carroll was much more of a handful for Hull’s defenders to deal with. He linked well with Downing and won a series of knock-downs that needed teammates to better anticipate. Carroll is my pick.
So far we’ve seen 29 players in action and they have not included the likes of Suarez, Gerrard, Lucas, Johnson, Skrtel, Aurelio and Reina. At this point, I would like to see more time given to the players who are actually going to feature for us next season. I cannot believe they will include Cole, Poulsen, Coady, Flanagan or Jones. In Coady’s case, it is simply too soon and barring an unprecedented injury crisis, there are too many players with greater experience ahead of him in the pecking order.
Cole, Poulsen and Jones are surplus to requirements and will surely be sent packing if takers can be found. Flanagan is a player that I am beginning to harbour doubts over. As well as he did last season, you can see a clear gap in quality comparing him with Kelly and with Glen Johnson a cut above Kelly, Flanno’s prospects aren’t great.
As much as I think we need to sign a left-back, I have high hopes that Robinson is going to develop into an excellent player in the next few seasons and I’m wary of signing someone who will block the youngster’s path into the first team. Perhaps with Aurelio and Insua already at the club and Johnson capable of playing on the left also, it might be better to stick with what we have and ease Robinson in.
I also think we need another striker. I don’t see Ngog as being good enough to lead the line in the absence of Carroll or even to compete with Carroll for a first team place. We could always go another way with Kuyt replacing Carroll and take a more fluid approach to the game but I would prefer to tailor our tactics based on the opposition rather than our own personnel.
I am encouraged by the performances of Aquilani, Adam, Henderson and Downing. I would like to see more chances created for Carroll rather than balls he can only be expected to knock-down or flick on for others. Overall, I remain positive and look forward to the start of the season.
Positives could be found in some of the build-up play – especially after half-time – but generally it felt a bit flat and things aren’t quite clicking yet.
As for the previous games, we played different XIs in the first and second halves and, as before, I will choose my best XI...
Doni v Jones
Neither made a save of note. Doni was powerless to stop two long-range strikes in the first half. Jones would have done well to save Hull’s third. Purely on the basis that Doni was beaten twice and Jones just the once, I’ll give it to Jones.
Kelly v Flanagan
Kelly didn’t have the best of games but Flanagan offered no challenge here. Once again, Flanagan was rash in the challenge conceding a number of unnecessary free-kicks and could have been shown a straight red for a reckless lunge early in the second half. It’s looking increasingly baffling that Flanagan was able to do so well for the team in the back end of last season. I’m going for Kelly.
Carragher v Kyrgiakos
Neither excelled but neither were particularly bad. As one would expect, Kyrgiakos offered more in an attacking sense while Carra resorted to a few long punts up the pitch instead of attempting actual football. Kyrgiakos was my pick.
Ayala v Wilson
Ayala didn’t stand out. Wilson actually had a few decent moments. Wilson definitely looks a better prospect at centre-half than at full-back. I’m choosing Wilson.
Robinson v Insua
Robinson looked decent. He made a number of good tackles/blocks, got forward well and I really like the way he seems to glide around the pitch. Insua was at fault for the third goal playing the scorer onside. That aside, he acquitted himself well enough without being spectacular. Robinson was my pick.
Poulsen v Spearing
Poulsen was anonymous allowing Hull’s players time and space on the ball in the central areas. Spearing was his usual terrier-like self but in truth only had to turn up to be better than Poulsen. Spearing easily.
Aquilani v Henderson
This is a really tough one. I liked the look of Henderson. He was energetic and got around the pitch well plus he played a number of decent and intelligent passes. Aquilani looked calm and composed in possession, rarely wasting a pass and demonstrating that rare commodity of finding time and space in congested areas. Aquilani was let down by a lack of intelligent movement from his teammates whereas the second half team that Henderson played in was much better as a team. I’m going to go for Aquilani but that is no slight on Henderson.
Coady v Adam
Coady looked lost out there. He was at fault for Hull’s first goal and was never able to impose himself on the game. Adam looked decent. His passing is starting to match his vision and his set pieces were much more effective. Adam at a stroll.
Cole v Kuyt
Cole was back to his frustrating worst here. No end product; failure to make a positive impact; wayward passing; bad decision-making, and a comically bad finish after Gulacsi spilled Ngog’s shot into his path in front of goal. Kuyt was involved in some good team moves and generally offered more. Kuyt – no contest.
Maxi v Downing
Maxi buzzed about but I can’t remember too much of what he did. Downing was constantly involved; whipped in a number of crosses; had a well-struck shot saved, and worked well with his new teammates. Downing is my pick.
Ngog v Carroll
Ngog was chronically dire. His first touch repeatedly let him down and, other than a shot from the edge of the area after Aquilani had cleverly slipped him in, he offered no goal threat at all. Carroll was much more of a handful for Hull’s defenders to deal with. He linked well with Downing and won a series of knock-downs that needed teammates to better anticipate. Carroll is my pick.
So far we’ve seen 29 players in action and they have not included the likes of Suarez, Gerrard, Lucas, Johnson, Skrtel, Aurelio and Reina. At this point, I would like to see more time given to the players who are actually going to feature for us next season. I cannot believe they will include Cole, Poulsen, Coady, Flanagan or Jones. In Coady’s case, it is simply too soon and barring an unprecedented injury crisis, there are too many players with greater experience ahead of him in the pecking order.
Cole, Poulsen and Jones are surplus to requirements and will surely be sent packing if takers can be found. Flanagan is a player that I am beginning to harbour doubts over. As well as he did last season, you can see a clear gap in quality comparing him with Kelly and with Glen Johnson a cut above Kelly, Flanno’s prospects aren’t great.
As much as I think we need to sign a left-back, I have high hopes that Robinson is going to develop into an excellent player in the next few seasons and I’m wary of signing someone who will block the youngster’s path into the first team. Perhaps with Aurelio and Insua already at the club and Johnson capable of playing on the left also, it might be better to stick with what we have and ease Robinson in.
I also think we need another striker. I don’t see Ngog as being good enough to lead the line in the absence of Carroll or even to compete with Carroll for a first team place. We could always go another way with Kuyt replacing Carroll and take a more fluid approach to the game but I would prefer to tailor our tactics based on the opposition rather than our own personnel.
I am encouraged by the performances of Aquilani, Adam, Henderson and Downing. I would like to see more chances created for Carroll rather than balls he can only be expected to knock-down or flick on for others. Overall, I remain positive and look forward to the start of the season.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Malaysia XI 3 Liverpool 6
This time last year we were in a malaise. Now we’re in Malaysia (sorry – terrible pun!) having played two pre-season games and achieved 2 wins; 10 goals for; 6 goals against. Two of those stats are good and were achieved without Reina, Skrtel, Johnson, Gerrard, Lucas, Suarez and new signings Henderson and Downing.
Pre-season is a time for optimism and so far our games have only fuelled that feeling. Once again we fielded two different XIs versus Malaysia. Just as I did for the Guangdong game, I’m going to compare the players from each half and pick the best player for each position.
1st Half........2nd Half
Jones...........Gulacsi / Hansen
Flanagan......Kelly
Carragher.....Kyrgiakos
Agger...........Wilson
Robinson......Insua
Spearing.......Shelvey
Coady...........Poulsen
Adam............Aquilani
Cole..............Kuyt
Meireles........Maxi
Carroll..........Ngog
Jones v Gulacsi / Hansen
Jones had little to do and was beaten by a stunning free kick. Gulacsi had nothing to do. Jones had plenty to do and dropped a clanger to gift Malaysia their second goal of the game. Jones was the pick of the bunch.
Flanagan v Kelly
Flanagan had a rotten game. He struggled with the Malaysian’s pace, conceded a number of free kicks due to poor challenges and was ineffective on the ball. By comparison, Kelly was strong and assured. Kelly wins at a canter.
Carragher v Kyrgiakos
Carragher was faultless throughout the first half. Kyrgiakos was faultless for much of the second half but, along with his teammates, looked lost as the defence collapsed late in the game. Carragher wins.
Agger v Wilson
Agger was a bit hit and miss. Towards the end of the first half, some of his passes were going astray or dangerously close to opponents. That said, he was at least trying to play football from the back. Wilson, like Kyrgiakos, was faultless up until the collective collapse when Malaysia looked as though they could score at will. He was the closest man to Malaysia’s goal scorer for their third goal although it seemed the attacker was offside. Agger just shades it.
Robinson v Insua
Robinson had another decent game but Insua was excellent. Insua racked up a couple of assists and could have had more but for others’ finishing. On this showing, Insua should be Liverpool’s first choice left-back in the coming season. Insua wins.
Spearing v Shelvey
Spearing had a decent game, moving the ball around well and covering a lot of ground. Shelvey was even better though, looking like a real player. Shelvey wins.
Coady v Poulsen
Both players seemed to let the game pass them by making it very hard to choose between them. Being totally honest, I’d pick Poulsen ahead of Coady on this showing.
Adam v Aquilani
Adam was again hit and miss. He played some excellent passes from deep and had improved mobility since the last game. He also got on the score sheet after having to take then retake a penalty, scoring on both occasions. On the downside, he conceded a needless free-kick from which Malaysia equalised. Aquilani was simply fantastic. The build up for the fourth goal was pass and move football at its best and illustrated the folly of loaning out the Italian and Insua last season. Adam was good but Aquilani wins.
Meireles v Kuyt
Meireles had a stinker here. He struggled to control the ball, looked off the pace and delivered nothing. Kuyt was much-improved on his showing versus Guangdong and slammed in the sixth goal after a great build up involving Aquilani. Kuyt wins.
Cole v Maxi
Cole looked OK again but ultimately delivered no end product. Maxi started badly but improved and scored twice. Maxi wins.
Carroll v Ngog
Carroll looked isolated and had to feed off scraps. By contrast, Ngog enjoyed excellent service from teammates enabling him to score twice. Carroll also won the first half penalty with a dive. Ngog wins.
So after two games, who has impressed. To me, the star of pre-season so far has been Alberto Aquilani. I’ve also been impressed with Insua and Kelly. Looking at David Ngog, I can’t help but feel he is worth keeping for this season. You would expect him to be behind Carroll in the pecking order and, based on last season, you would think King Kenny will play Kuyt up front before Ngog. However, unless we are going to sign another striker, Ngog would be a decent third or fourth choice striker. When his confidence is intact, he’s a good player.
Poulsen is surely not part of the plans for the coming season and it is probably too soon to expect Coady to make the breakthrough. Both will find competition for a midfield berth intense with Lucas, Adam, Aquilani, Meireles, Henderson, Spearing and Shelvey all currently in contention.
Based on how we have lined up so far, Cole and Meireles have been used as the wide players in a 4-2-3-1 formation. If Meireles is to stay at the club, this position makes sense for him from the perspective that it neutralises his defensive deficiencies in central midfield. However, with Downing, Adam, Maxi, Gerrard and Kuyt all in contention for those same positions, it could be difficult for either Cole or Raul to hold down a place in the first XI.
The fact that Maxi has just been handed the No. 11 squad number, suggests he is part of Kenny’s plans for this season. Why change the squad number if the player is likely to depart?
What is really encouraging is the number of decent players in contention for positions all around the pitch. I still have concerns that none of the midfield options are of such quality that the top teams around Europe would be queuing up to sign them.
I also still harbour doubts over Andy Carroll but I’m willing to give him time. So far in pre-season, there has been little to choose from between him and David Ngog. Given that Carroll cost £35m and Ngog cost £1.5m, you would expect a gulf in ability but that has yet to materialise. Hopefully, with the likes of Downing, Adam and Gerrard supplying quality service, we will see Carroll develop into another Didier Drogba (but without the diving and petulance). We will see.
Right now I’m feeling good and that’s no bad thing with a new season fast approaching.
Pre-season is a time for optimism and so far our games have only fuelled that feeling. Once again we fielded two different XIs versus Malaysia. Just as I did for the Guangdong game, I’m going to compare the players from each half and pick the best player for each position.
1st Half........2nd Half
Jones...........Gulacsi / Hansen
Flanagan......Kelly
Carragher.....Kyrgiakos
Agger...........Wilson
Robinson......Insua
Spearing.......Shelvey
Coady...........Poulsen
Adam............Aquilani
Cole..............Kuyt
Meireles........Maxi
Carroll..........Ngog
Jones v Gulacsi / Hansen
Jones had little to do and was beaten by a stunning free kick. Gulacsi had nothing to do. Jones had plenty to do and dropped a clanger to gift Malaysia their second goal of the game. Jones was the pick of the bunch.
Flanagan v Kelly
Flanagan had a rotten game. He struggled with the Malaysian’s pace, conceded a number of free kicks due to poor challenges and was ineffective on the ball. By comparison, Kelly was strong and assured. Kelly wins at a canter.
Carragher v Kyrgiakos
Carragher was faultless throughout the first half. Kyrgiakos was faultless for much of the second half but, along with his teammates, looked lost as the defence collapsed late in the game. Carragher wins.
Agger v Wilson
Agger was a bit hit and miss. Towards the end of the first half, some of his passes were going astray or dangerously close to opponents. That said, he was at least trying to play football from the back. Wilson, like Kyrgiakos, was faultless up until the collective collapse when Malaysia looked as though they could score at will. He was the closest man to Malaysia’s goal scorer for their third goal although it seemed the attacker was offside. Agger just shades it.
Robinson v Insua
Robinson had another decent game but Insua was excellent. Insua racked up a couple of assists and could have had more but for others’ finishing. On this showing, Insua should be Liverpool’s first choice left-back in the coming season. Insua wins.
Spearing v Shelvey
Spearing had a decent game, moving the ball around well and covering a lot of ground. Shelvey was even better though, looking like a real player. Shelvey wins.
Coady v Poulsen
Both players seemed to let the game pass them by making it very hard to choose between them. Being totally honest, I’d pick Poulsen ahead of Coady on this showing.
Adam v Aquilani
Adam was again hit and miss. He played some excellent passes from deep and had improved mobility since the last game. He also got on the score sheet after having to take then retake a penalty, scoring on both occasions. On the downside, he conceded a needless free-kick from which Malaysia equalised. Aquilani was simply fantastic. The build up for the fourth goal was pass and move football at its best and illustrated the folly of loaning out the Italian and Insua last season. Adam was good but Aquilani wins.
Meireles v Kuyt
Meireles had a stinker here. He struggled to control the ball, looked off the pace and delivered nothing. Kuyt was much-improved on his showing versus Guangdong and slammed in the sixth goal after a great build up involving Aquilani. Kuyt wins.
Cole v Maxi
Cole looked OK again but ultimately delivered no end product. Maxi started badly but improved and scored twice. Maxi wins.
Carroll v Ngog
Carroll looked isolated and had to feed off scraps. By contrast, Ngog enjoyed excellent service from teammates enabling him to score twice. Carroll also won the first half penalty with a dive. Ngog wins.
So after two games, who has impressed. To me, the star of pre-season so far has been Alberto Aquilani. I’ve also been impressed with Insua and Kelly. Looking at David Ngog, I can’t help but feel he is worth keeping for this season. You would expect him to be behind Carroll in the pecking order and, based on last season, you would think King Kenny will play Kuyt up front before Ngog. However, unless we are going to sign another striker, Ngog would be a decent third or fourth choice striker. When his confidence is intact, he’s a good player.
Poulsen is surely not part of the plans for the coming season and it is probably too soon to expect Coady to make the breakthrough. Both will find competition for a midfield berth intense with Lucas, Adam, Aquilani, Meireles, Henderson, Spearing and Shelvey all currently in contention.
Based on how we have lined up so far, Cole and Meireles have been used as the wide players in a 4-2-3-1 formation. If Meireles is to stay at the club, this position makes sense for him from the perspective that it neutralises his defensive deficiencies in central midfield. However, with Downing, Adam, Maxi, Gerrard and Kuyt all in contention for those same positions, it could be difficult for either Cole or Raul to hold down a place in the first XI.
The fact that Maxi has just been handed the No. 11 squad number, suggests he is part of Kenny’s plans for this season. Why change the squad number if the player is likely to depart?
What is really encouraging is the number of decent players in contention for positions all around the pitch. I still have concerns that none of the midfield options are of such quality that the top teams around Europe would be queuing up to sign them.
I also still harbour doubts over Andy Carroll but I’m willing to give him time. So far in pre-season, there has been little to choose from between him and David Ngog. Given that Carroll cost £35m and Ngog cost £1.5m, you would expect a gulf in ability but that has yet to materialise. Hopefully, with the likes of Downing, Adam and Gerrard supplying quality service, we will see Carroll develop into another Didier Drogba (but without the diving and petulance). We will see.
Right now I’m feeling good and that’s no bad thing with a new season fast approaching.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Thoughts on Guangdong 3 Liverpool 4
It is often said that pre-season is all about attaining fitness and preparing for the season ahead and therefore results don't matter. Could it be argued that in the context of preparation for the season, results do matter? After all, losing heavily in every game is hardly the ideal preparation for the season's opening games. On the other hand, a pre-season that yields wins and goals galore is likely to send players into their opening fixtures full of confidence. It's true that the result is not the be-all and end-all but winning football matches is no bad habit to get into.
Recent evidence suggests there is a link between pre-season form and early League results.
* In 2006-07, pre-season ended with consecutive defeats against Kaiserslautern (2-3), Grasshoppers Zunich (0-2) and Mainz 05 (0-5). We started the League season with a draw, a win and 2 defeats. We also failed to win an away game until early December by which time we were long since out of contention for the title.
* In 2007-08 we were unbeaten in pre-season winning 6 out of 8. We began the League season with 3 wins and a draw to top the Premiership table after four games.
* In 2008-09 we won our last 3 games against Rangers (4-0), Valerenga (4-1) and Lazio (1-0). We won 3 of our first 4 games and drew the other and went on to have our best League campaign since the Premiership era began.
* In 2009-10, we lost 2 of our last 3 games versus Espanyol (0-3), Lyn Oslo (2-0) and Atletico Madrid (1-2). We began the season with 2 defeats in 3 games, had a 'mare of a season and Rafa got sacked.
* Last season we failed to score in pre-season losing our last 2 games to Kaiserslautern (0-1) and Moenchengladbach (0-1) before embarking on the disaster that was Roy Hodgson's reign.
So basically, a poor pre-season can be linked to a poor start to the League campaign while a decent pre-season is more likely to lead to a decent start in the League. Looking at the rollickings dished out by Jamie Carragher throughout the first half or Charlie Adam's reaction to Guang Dong's third goal last night, it's clear that these players think the result matters.
That said, it is clear that the two different XIs that lined up for the first and second half last night contained a mixture of players who will be in contention for first team places in the coming season; players who will be hoping to break into the first team, and players who will be playing elsewhere when the season starts. In that respect, what does it matter if Christian Poulsen played well given we wouldn't want him anywhere near our match day squad come August 13th?
So can we learn anything from yesterday's game? There is an obvious risk of reading too much into things but it appeared to me that with entirely different personnel, the team lined up with the same formation for both halves. I claim to be no expert in team tactics and formations but I would describe that formation as a 4-2-3-1. Could this be indicative of the formation we can expect next season - particularly bearing in mind how easily it lends itself to becoming 4-3-3 when on the attack?
I was also intrigued by the use of Flanagan at left-back. Perhaps with Johnson and Kelly ahead of him in the pecking order for right-back, we may see the youngster on the left more often than the right next season. On the other hand we might still sign a left-back and not see Flanno at all outside the Carling Cup.
I thought it particularly poignant that Agger wore the captain's armband for the second half given the lack of trust shown in him by Hodgson last year. Kenny clearly rates him and is perhaps looking for more leadership from him.
I would also suggest that Gulacsi getting 45 mins in goal while Jones got 25 and Hansen 20 confirms what is commonly understood to be the goal-keeping pecking order. All three will be behind Reina and Doni too if he signs. Jones is strongly linked with a permanent transfer out of the club while Gulacsi is expected to go out on loan.
Due to the lack of fitness and the inevitable rustiness of players, it would be unreasonable to criticise players who underperform at this stage. However, I think is fair to credit those who impress given that they have time to improve further and are also giving themselves a chance of impressing the manager and coaches. So who did impress? I thought for fun I would compare like for like the players who lined up in each half and pick my XI from the 23.
Gulacsi versus Jones/Hansen
Gulacsi had more to do than Jones and Hansen (barring stoppage time). Gulacsi made one decent save and that gives him the edge.
Kelly versus Wisdom
Wisdom looked decent enough but Kelly is truly exciting when he bombs forward down the right wing - which he did a lot. Kelly was my pick.
Carragher versus Kyrgiakos
Carra made a number of well-timed tackles and general played well. Kyrgiakos was at fault for Guangdong's second goal. Carra wins.
Wilson versus Agger
Wilson was OK. Barring stoppage time, Agger looked good. Agger wins.
Flanagan versus Robinson
Tough to choose between these. Flanagan had more to do defensively but both were effective. As a left-footer, Robinson was slightly more effective in the attacking third whereas Flanagan kept having to check inside to use his right foot. In terms of style, Flanagan appears to have a more rugged approach whereas Robinson looks more elegant. If I was forced to choose I'd go for Robinson but it is really marginal.
Poulsen versus Coady
Without being spectacular Poulsen was actually OK and even scored the opening goal. Coady was a bundle of energy and scored a cracker. Coady wins.
Spearing versus Adam
Spearing was everything we have come to expect him to be but in addition played some incisive passes that opened up the opposition. Adam demonstrated an excellent eye for a pass but his technique was rusty with most being overhit. Adam's set pieces were all disappointing. Spearing just shades it.
Shelvey versus Aquilani
Shelvey showed a mixture of glimpses of quality and sloppy passing. His head dropped after numerous rollickings from Carragher. By contrast Aquilani was energetic, constantly getting involved and gave a master class of passing. Aquilani wins by a country mile and, after seeing him here, I hope to be seeing more of him in a Liverpool shirt.
Cole versus Kuyt
Cole looked OK. He did his usual 360O turn on the ball for no obvious reason and the crowd loved it. He also set up the opener for Poulsen and delivered some decent corners. Kuyt was not good. His touch was generally poor and bar an excellent chance he created for Maxi, he did little to impress on the ball. That said, as you would expect, he ran a lot. Strictly on this showing, Cole was my pick.
Pacheco versus Maxi
Pacheco started well then disappeared. Maxi started badly looking very rusty but was involved a lot and set up Carroll's goal. Neither impressed but Maxi was my pick.
Ngog versus Carroll
Both scored though neither took their goals particularly cleanly. Ngog actually might have had another one or two but for some dodgy off-side decisions. Carroll also assisted Coady for his goal and surprised me with the amount of running he did so I'd go for Carroll.
And who didn't we see? Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Ayala, Aurelio, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Meireles, Downing and Suarez - an entire XI of which all bar Ayala would be expected to feature regularly in the first team. So in spite of performances here in China, I'd still only expect 5 at most of my picks to be first team regulars next season and possibly 2 or 3 of the non-picks to do so too (certainly Kuyt and Adam).
So what have we learned? We can field 3 pretty strong XIs but the only one I would want to see (as an XI) in the Premiership is the one that didn't play last night. Overall we've got the makings of a good team with some decent squad back up and some promising young players coming through. We also have some deadwood but then we knew all that already.
So in conclusion, maybe this piece was a complete waste of time but, hey, it's only pre-season!
Recent evidence suggests there is a link between pre-season form and early League results.
* In 2006-07, pre-season ended with consecutive defeats against Kaiserslautern (2-3), Grasshoppers Zunich (0-2) and Mainz 05 (0-5). We started the League season with a draw, a win and 2 defeats. We also failed to win an away game until early December by which time we were long since out of contention for the title.
* In 2007-08 we were unbeaten in pre-season winning 6 out of 8. We began the League season with 3 wins and a draw to top the Premiership table after four games.
* In 2008-09 we won our last 3 games against Rangers (4-0), Valerenga (4-1) and Lazio (1-0). We won 3 of our first 4 games and drew the other and went on to have our best League campaign since the Premiership era began.
* In 2009-10, we lost 2 of our last 3 games versus Espanyol (0-3), Lyn Oslo (2-0) and Atletico Madrid (1-2). We began the season with 2 defeats in 3 games, had a 'mare of a season and Rafa got sacked.
* Last season we failed to score in pre-season losing our last 2 games to Kaiserslautern (0-1) and Moenchengladbach (0-1) before embarking on the disaster that was Roy Hodgson's reign.
So basically, a poor pre-season can be linked to a poor start to the League campaign while a decent pre-season is more likely to lead to a decent start in the League. Looking at the rollickings dished out by Jamie Carragher throughout the first half or Charlie Adam's reaction to Guang Dong's third goal last night, it's clear that these players think the result matters.
That said, it is clear that the two different XIs that lined up for the first and second half last night contained a mixture of players who will be in contention for first team places in the coming season; players who will be hoping to break into the first team, and players who will be playing elsewhere when the season starts. In that respect, what does it matter if Christian Poulsen played well given we wouldn't want him anywhere near our match day squad come August 13th?
So can we learn anything from yesterday's game? There is an obvious risk of reading too much into things but it appeared to me that with entirely different personnel, the team lined up with the same formation for both halves. I claim to be no expert in team tactics and formations but I would describe that formation as a 4-2-3-1. Could this be indicative of the formation we can expect next season - particularly bearing in mind how easily it lends itself to becoming 4-3-3 when on the attack?
I was also intrigued by the use of Flanagan at left-back. Perhaps with Johnson and Kelly ahead of him in the pecking order for right-back, we may see the youngster on the left more often than the right next season. On the other hand we might still sign a left-back and not see Flanno at all outside the Carling Cup.
I thought it particularly poignant that Agger wore the captain's armband for the second half given the lack of trust shown in him by Hodgson last year. Kenny clearly rates him and is perhaps looking for more leadership from him.
I would also suggest that Gulacsi getting 45 mins in goal while Jones got 25 and Hansen 20 confirms what is commonly understood to be the goal-keeping pecking order. All three will be behind Reina and Doni too if he signs. Jones is strongly linked with a permanent transfer out of the club while Gulacsi is expected to go out on loan.
Due to the lack of fitness and the inevitable rustiness of players, it would be unreasonable to criticise players who underperform at this stage. However, I think is fair to credit those who impress given that they have time to improve further and are also giving themselves a chance of impressing the manager and coaches. So who did impress? I thought for fun I would compare like for like the players who lined up in each half and pick my XI from the 23.
Gulacsi versus Jones/Hansen
Gulacsi had more to do than Jones and Hansen (barring stoppage time). Gulacsi made one decent save and that gives him the edge.
Kelly versus Wisdom
Wisdom looked decent enough but Kelly is truly exciting when he bombs forward down the right wing - which he did a lot. Kelly was my pick.
Carragher versus Kyrgiakos
Carra made a number of well-timed tackles and general played well. Kyrgiakos was at fault for Guangdong's second goal. Carra wins.
Wilson versus Agger
Wilson was OK. Barring stoppage time, Agger looked good. Agger wins.
Flanagan versus Robinson
Tough to choose between these. Flanagan had more to do defensively but both were effective. As a left-footer, Robinson was slightly more effective in the attacking third whereas Flanagan kept having to check inside to use his right foot. In terms of style, Flanagan appears to have a more rugged approach whereas Robinson looks more elegant. If I was forced to choose I'd go for Robinson but it is really marginal.
Poulsen versus Coady
Without being spectacular Poulsen was actually OK and even scored the opening goal. Coady was a bundle of energy and scored a cracker. Coady wins.
Spearing versus Adam
Spearing was everything we have come to expect him to be but in addition played some incisive passes that opened up the opposition. Adam demonstrated an excellent eye for a pass but his technique was rusty with most being overhit. Adam's set pieces were all disappointing. Spearing just shades it.
Shelvey versus Aquilani
Shelvey showed a mixture of glimpses of quality and sloppy passing. His head dropped after numerous rollickings from Carragher. By contrast Aquilani was energetic, constantly getting involved and gave a master class of passing. Aquilani wins by a country mile and, after seeing him here, I hope to be seeing more of him in a Liverpool shirt.
Cole versus Kuyt
Cole looked OK. He did his usual 360O turn on the ball for no obvious reason and the crowd loved it. He also set up the opener for Poulsen and delivered some decent corners. Kuyt was not good. His touch was generally poor and bar an excellent chance he created for Maxi, he did little to impress on the ball. That said, as you would expect, he ran a lot. Strictly on this showing, Cole was my pick.
Pacheco versus Maxi
Pacheco started well then disappeared. Maxi started badly looking very rusty but was involved a lot and set up Carroll's goal. Neither impressed but Maxi was my pick.
Ngog versus Carroll
Both scored though neither took their goals particularly cleanly. Ngog actually might have had another one or two but for some dodgy off-side decisions. Carroll also assisted Coady for his goal and surprised me with the amount of running he did so I'd go for Carroll.
And who didn't we see? Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Ayala, Aurelio, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Meireles, Downing and Suarez - an entire XI of which all bar Ayala would be expected to feature regularly in the first team. So in spite of performances here in China, I'd still only expect 5 at most of my picks to be first team regulars next season and possibly 2 or 3 of the non-picks to do so too (certainly Kuyt and Adam).
So what have we learned? We can field 3 pretty strong XIs but the only one I would want to see (as an XI) in the Premiership is the one that didn't play last night. Overall we've got the makings of a good team with some decent squad back up and some promising young players coming through. We also have some deadwood but then we knew all that already.
So in conclusion, maybe this piece was a complete waste of time but, hey, it's only pre-season!
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