The game at Old Trafford told us all we need to know about Man Ure and Arsenal – not that we didn’t already know it.
As we’ve seen time after time Arsenal played fantastic football and totally dominated the game but failed to make the scoreline reflect their superiority and paid a high and totally unjust price. As we have also seen time after time, Manchester United will always be awarded penalties when they need them. There can be no doubt that Rooney played for the penalty but it was correctly awarded. Cynical, yes. Cheating, no. Almunia made a bad decision and Rooney ruthlessly exploited the rules of the game. However, earlier in the game, Darren Fletcher brought down Arshavin in the Man Ure penalty AND handled the ball in doing so. Clear-cut, cast-iron penalty but nothing given. Then Diaby compounded the sense of injustice by inexplicably heading into his own goal giving Man Ure a major slice of good fortune and a hugely undeserved win. To add salt into Arsenal’s wounds, they had a last minute equaliser (correctly) ruled off-side and Arsene Wenger was subjected to utter humiliation by referee Mike Dean in the farcical charade that followed.
Old Trafford is a vile place and the home of everything bad about football. What happened to Wenger was an absolute disgrace and, if there is any justice, Dean should face the most severe reprimand on a par with the treatment he subjected Wenger to. It won’t happen, of course.
Man Ure’s 2009-10 team is a shadow of those we’ve seen in previous seasons. Their best players apart from Rooney are all defenders. The likes of Berbatov, Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs, Park, Foster, Brown and O’Shea would never appear on the wanted lists of the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona or Manchester United. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all have stronger first XIs.
The trouble is, Man Ure’s manager is the master of the dark arts and they will always get the breaks at the crucial moments. As a result, they will be the team to beat again this season. Right now Chelsea look favourites to beat them.
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Bolton Wanderers 2 Liverpool 3
Let’s not talk about title challenges. Let’s not discuss zonal-marking, dodgy Greek debutants, under-performing big-name stars, injuries or arse-hole Americans. Let’s just savour the fact that Liverpool won a game of football that they thoroughly deserved to win despite twice falling behind against the run of play.
That feeling as Steven Gerrard smashed in the winning goal is why we keep coming back to watch the Reds despite being made to feel utterly drained by the previous result and despite the frustration, anger and despair felt when Bolton took the lead in a first half in which they had been played off the park.
If we wanted to, we could worry that Liverpool have conceded 6 goals from set-pieces in 4 games and look extremely vulnerable at the back – a consequence of a general lack of height and experience in the team and some individual defensive errors rather than an indictment of the defensive system employed. We could concern ourselves that, having lost half our opening 4 games, we look incapable of challenging for the title this season and may have a fight on our hands to stay in the top four. We could concern ourselves with the below-par performances of Gerrard and Mascherano or any of the wide midfield players (Babel, Kuyt, Benayoun and Riera) or with the increasingly despondent body language of Torres. But let’s not.
Let’s instead focus on the fact that Liverpool won a tense game. Bolton’s undeserved goals made the contest more absorbing as a spectacle. Liverpool got three very presentable goals to come back and win. Johnson, Torres and Gerrard scored. We won. That’s all that matters today and that is reason to smile for the next couple of weeks as another stupid international break (they’re all stupid in my opinion) disrupts the season.
That feeling as Steven Gerrard smashed in the winning goal is why we keep coming back to watch the Reds despite being made to feel utterly drained by the previous result and despite the frustration, anger and despair felt when Bolton took the lead in a first half in which they had been played off the park.
If we wanted to, we could worry that Liverpool have conceded 6 goals from set-pieces in 4 games and look extremely vulnerable at the back – a consequence of a general lack of height and experience in the team and some individual defensive errors rather than an indictment of the defensive system employed. We could concern ourselves that, having lost half our opening 4 games, we look incapable of challenging for the title this season and may have a fight on our hands to stay in the top four. We could concern ourselves with the below-par performances of Gerrard and Mascherano or any of the wide midfield players (Babel, Kuyt, Benayoun and Riera) or with the increasingly despondent body language of Torres. But let’s not.
Let’s instead focus on the fact that Liverpool won a tense game. Bolton’s undeserved goals made the contest more absorbing as a spectacle. Liverpool got three very presentable goals to come back and win. Johnson, Torres and Gerrard scored. We won. That’s all that matters today and that is reason to smile for the next couple of weeks as another stupid international break (they’re all stupid in my opinion) disrupts the season.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 3: The horror
Shocking. Stunning. Devastating.
Unlike in the Spurs game where I anticipated and so was prepared for a Liverpool defeat, I could envisage nothing other than a Liverpool victory prior to this game. Had Benayoun, Torres and Gerrard taken their early chances, perhaps this could have been another mauling the like of which this fixture produced last season.
But they didn’t take those chances and a promising opening descended into a spectacle of negative triangular passes between Carragher, Skrtel and Mascherano. The same trio could be seen surging forward with the ball in the second half trying to respond to the crowd’s chants of “Attack! Attack! Attack, attack, attack!” but by then it was too late. Liverpool had wasted the opportunity to win the game in the first half, as they had done so often last season, and farcically found themselves 2-0 behind by the time the half-time whistle was belatedly blown.
Villa came to Anfield still waiting for their first goal of the season. But for Lucas Leiva, perhaps they might still be waiting. I have in the past defended Lucas from the barrage of criticism he receives. I’ve seen glimpses of quality there and genuinely believed it was because he has not been deployed in a role that plays to his strengths that we haven’t seen anything to justify his status as a Brazilian international. However, his performance in this game was indefensible. Compounding his clumsy foul by heading the resulting free-kick past his own keeper was a step too far. Even Rafa Benitez appeared to decide enough was enough when he withdrew the Brazilian and dropped Gerrard back into midfield. Liverpool looked a far better team with Voronin on for Lucas and not because Voronin was anything other than typically ineffective. I’ve written before that until Aquilani is fit, Gerrard should play in midfield at the expense of Lucas. Once he dropped back, suddenly we had a player in midfield who could bring others into play and we began to force Villa back into their own half, eventually forcing the goal that could have been the start of a comeback had Gerrard not blotted his own copy book by crazily scything down Nigel Reo-Coker in our penalty area.
Liverpool’s players looked a frustrated bunch as bookings for Reina and Torres for dissent attested. I always think bookings for dissent are stupid ones to pick up but in Torres’ case I do have some sympathy. Rafa might well be right to tell him to stop whining at referees and certainly it appears to do him no favours with them but, for fucks sake, the man has a point. In three games, I have watched in horror as no-mark journey men attempt to flatten his facial features and crack his skull with their arms and elbows. He went into this match sporting a shiner and a patch on his head covering the stitches he needed after the Stoke match. In the first half he took three direct blows to the head, only to be continually told by referee Martin Atkinson to get up and get on with it. If Didier Drogba or another Chelsea player goes down, irrespective of whether contact has been made (and usually it hasn’t), a free-kick is invariably awarded. Meanwhile, when Torres is bludgeoned right under the referee’s nose, he is told to play on. It is simply not right.
I’m not about to imitate Gerard Houllier or any Everton fan and blame the referee for every bad result without acknowledging the shortfalls in my own team’s performance. However, the lack of protection given to our skilful players like Torres is undoubtedly having a detrimental effect on our chances of winning football matches.
What was so disappointing last night is that no outfield player is exempt from criticism. Torres scored our goal but wasted some earlier chances. Gerrard gave away the penalty. Carra, Skrtel and Mascherano were too negative in the first half and struggled to deliver quality when they did get forward in the second half. Benayoun and Kuyt were both shockingly ineffective. Reina might have done better for Villa’s second goal. Johnson was kept quiet and Insua had a poor game. Lucas was the worst of the bunch. Then when Rafa sent on Voronin and Babel to try to change the game, as usual, they delivered nothing but more frustration.
My conclusion? I no longer believe we will challenge for the title this season. A knee-jerk reaction? I don’t believe so. It isn’t because we have lost twice in three matches and already trail Chelsea by 6 points that I am writing off our title chances. I am just making an honest assessment of the strength of our squad based on my observations. We haven’t lost the title after three games of the season but I believe our title challenge has been fatally undermined by the club’s owners failure to give Rafa the means to strengthen the squad in critical areas over the summer. Time will tell whether Aquilani can fill Alonso’s boots but given last season we looked short of quality in midfield when the Spaniard didn’t play, we needed to bring in more than just the one replacement. Bringing Voronin back into the squad is nothing but a step backwards. He wasn’t good enough two seasons ago and he is not good enough now. We needed to sign at least one more striker/forward and a left-sided attacking player who would have Riera as his back up. I am now certain that Ryan Babel will never make the grade at Anfield.
The last time we lost twice in the opening three League games of a season was 2001-02 when after losing an away game 2-1 we were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa (sound familiar?). We went on to finish second, above Manchester United (who had been Champions for the last 3 seasons), and were narrowly pipped to the title by Arsenal. The points total we achieved that season (80) was at that time our highest ever in the Premiership and that record has only twice been beaten, both times by Rafa Benitez. Therefore, this disastrous start to the season doesn’t necessarily mean our League campaign is over before it has begun.
I am certain that Liverpool will get better and that we will soon be back up in those top four places. Sadly, I just think that is the best we are capable of achieving this season.
All I can do is hope for (a) a miraculous recovery by Liverpool that sees me eat my words in May or more realistically (b) that Chelsea win the League and extend the race for the 19th title for at least another season.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Unlike in the Spurs game where I anticipated and so was prepared for a Liverpool defeat, I could envisage nothing other than a Liverpool victory prior to this game. Had Benayoun, Torres and Gerrard taken their early chances, perhaps this could have been another mauling the like of which this fixture produced last season.
But they didn’t take those chances and a promising opening descended into a spectacle of negative triangular passes between Carragher, Skrtel and Mascherano. The same trio could be seen surging forward with the ball in the second half trying to respond to the crowd’s chants of “Attack! Attack! Attack, attack, attack!” but by then it was too late. Liverpool had wasted the opportunity to win the game in the first half, as they had done so often last season, and farcically found themselves 2-0 behind by the time the half-time whistle was belatedly blown.
Villa came to Anfield still waiting for their first goal of the season. But for Lucas Leiva, perhaps they might still be waiting. I have in the past defended Lucas from the barrage of criticism he receives. I’ve seen glimpses of quality there and genuinely believed it was because he has not been deployed in a role that plays to his strengths that we haven’t seen anything to justify his status as a Brazilian international. However, his performance in this game was indefensible. Compounding his clumsy foul by heading the resulting free-kick past his own keeper was a step too far. Even Rafa Benitez appeared to decide enough was enough when he withdrew the Brazilian and dropped Gerrard back into midfield. Liverpool looked a far better team with Voronin on for Lucas and not because Voronin was anything other than typically ineffective. I’ve written before that until Aquilani is fit, Gerrard should play in midfield at the expense of Lucas. Once he dropped back, suddenly we had a player in midfield who could bring others into play and we began to force Villa back into their own half, eventually forcing the goal that could have been the start of a comeback had Gerrard not blotted his own copy book by crazily scything down Nigel Reo-Coker in our penalty area.
Liverpool’s players looked a frustrated bunch as bookings for Reina and Torres for dissent attested. I always think bookings for dissent are stupid ones to pick up but in Torres’ case I do have some sympathy. Rafa might well be right to tell him to stop whining at referees and certainly it appears to do him no favours with them but, for fucks sake, the man has a point. In three games, I have watched in horror as no-mark journey men attempt to flatten his facial features and crack his skull with their arms and elbows. He went into this match sporting a shiner and a patch on his head covering the stitches he needed after the Stoke match. In the first half he took three direct blows to the head, only to be continually told by referee Martin Atkinson to get up and get on with it. If Didier Drogba or another Chelsea player goes down, irrespective of whether contact has been made (and usually it hasn’t), a free-kick is invariably awarded. Meanwhile, when Torres is bludgeoned right under the referee’s nose, he is told to play on. It is simply not right.
I’m not about to imitate Gerard Houllier or any Everton fan and blame the referee for every bad result without acknowledging the shortfalls in my own team’s performance. However, the lack of protection given to our skilful players like Torres is undoubtedly having a detrimental effect on our chances of winning football matches.
What was so disappointing last night is that no outfield player is exempt from criticism. Torres scored our goal but wasted some earlier chances. Gerrard gave away the penalty. Carra, Skrtel and Mascherano were too negative in the first half and struggled to deliver quality when they did get forward in the second half. Benayoun and Kuyt were both shockingly ineffective. Reina might have done better for Villa’s second goal. Johnson was kept quiet and Insua had a poor game. Lucas was the worst of the bunch. Then when Rafa sent on Voronin and Babel to try to change the game, as usual, they delivered nothing but more frustration.
My conclusion? I no longer believe we will challenge for the title this season. A knee-jerk reaction? I don’t believe so. It isn’t because we have lost twice in three matches and already trail Chelsea by 6 points that I am writing off our title chances. I am just making an honest assessment of the strength of our squad based on my observations. We haven’t lost the title after three games of the season but I believe our title challenge has been fatally undermined by the club’s owners failure to give Rafa the means to strengthen the squad in critical areas over the summer. Time will tell whether Aquilani can fill Alonso’s boots but given last season we looked short of quality in midfield when the Spaniard didn’t play, we needed to bring in more than just the one replacement. Bringing Voronin back into the squad is nothing but a step backwards. He wasn’t good enough two seasons ago and he is not good enough now. We needed to sign at least one more striker/forward and a left-sided attacking player who would have Riera as his back up. I am now certain that Ryan Babel will never make the grade at Anfield.
The last time we lost twice in the opening three League games of a season was 2001-02 when after losing an away game 2-1 we were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa (sound familiar?). We went on to finish second, above Manchester United (who had been Champions for the last 3 seasons), and were narrowly pipped to the title by Arsenal. The points total we achieved that season (80) was at that time our highest ever in the Premiership and that record has only twice been beaten, both times by Rafa Benitez. Therefore, this disastrous start to the season doesn’t necessarily mean our League campaign is over before it has begun.
I am certain that Liverpool will get better and that we will soon be back up in those top four places. Sadly, I just think that is the best we are capable of achieving this season.
All I can do is hope for (a) a miraculous recovery by Liverpool that sees me eat my words in May or more realistically (b) that Chelsea win the League and extend the race for the 19th title for at least another season.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Liverpool 4 Stoke City 0
Following on from my piece about the ludicrously short-sighted overreactions of some supporters, Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Stoke on Wednesday was probably the most satisfying win since we beat the Scum at Old Trafford last season.
Glen Johnson – a waste of money apparently – was awesome and brought the attacking threat from wide areas that was sorely missed in fixtures such as this. Lucas – a waste of space apparently – had a fine game and showed much more attacking intentions than he has done in the past. Torres – anonymous against Tottenham – found the space to poach the crucial opening goal and generally looked a lot sharper.
There was further pleasure to take from the performances of some of the youngsters. Insua now appears so well established that it’s easy to overlook the fact he is only 20 years old and was making only his 20th appearance for the first team. Once again he brought attacking width on the left and was solid at the back.
Many, including myself, considered it a big risk to field 18-year old Daniel Ayala in the absences of Skrtel and Agger but the young central defender acquitted himself extremely well on his full debut. When on the ball he played it simple (something Carra has been doing for years, at times frustratingly so) and consequently made no mistakes in possession. He also dealt as well as any of his more experienced teammates with the ugly sustained aerial assault from Stoke’s throw-ins and set pieces during the first half. With Kyrgiakos now in the squad, it may be some time before Ayala gets to trot out with the first team again but with two first team games now under his belt and no goals conceded during his time on the pitch, we can all have a little more confidence in the Spaniard the next time Rafa needs to call on him.
Rafa has brought Andrily Voronin off the bench in both games so far this season but 20-year old David N’gog’s cameo against Stoke issued a clear statement that he should be ahead of the tired old Ukranian in the pecking order. It wasn’t just that N’gog scored the fourth goal but his whole approach to the game in contrast with Voronin's. An experienced pro, Voronin came on at 3-0 with the mindset that the game was won and with the intention of playing out time. N’gog came on at 3-0 wanting to get on the scoresheet himself – and he made sure he did.
That’s what supporters want to see. We want goals. We want our team to attack until the final whistle. If we’ve scored 3, we want 4. If we’ve got 4, why not go for a fifth? At the back end of last season, we were annihilating teams at Anfield, just like last night, and it looked as though every Liverpool player was enjoying his football and wanting to get on the scoresheet. That gives the players and supporters confidence that their team will get the goals and will get the win – even if set-backs are suffered along the way. We need to keep that mentality and avoid at all costs reverting to cagey first halves, trying to cling on to 1-0 leads as early as the 60th minute, negative passing from the back and all the other frustrating elements that led to us drawing 7 home games last season.
Having young, hungry players like N’gog come off the bench will help sustain that. Bringing on crusty old Ukranians with silly blonde pony tails is akin to stating “We settle for what we have.” No thanks.
I’m looking forward to Liverpool versus Aston Villa tonight. I was especially pleased that the game had been moved to a Monday night as I’ve been on a stag weekend and would have missed it had it been played on the Saturday. I think it’s as good a time as any to play Villa. They’ve had a rotten start to the season and, while there’s always the risk of a backlash, I expect our players to go into the game with greater confidence and greater hunger to get the 3 points. Given Villa’s 5-0 spanking at Anfield last season, an early goal for Liverpool could see their confidence disintegrate. I'm confident Liverpool will win tonight.
There were no big surprises in the weekend’s other results. Man Ure, Arsenal and Man City all had easy fixtures and won. Chelsea’s win over Fulham came as no surprise and West Ham v Tottenham could have gone either way. Everton’s defeat at Burnley was predictable given their start to the season.
I saw Michael Shithead’s goal for Man Ure against Wigan. His journey towards the Dark Side is complete. The man has no sense of honour as his pathetic goal celebration – blowing kisses at the Scum’s supporters – showed. What a little turd.
Glen Johnson – a waste of money apparently – was awesome and brought the attacking threat from wide areas that was sorely missed in fixtures such as this. Lucas – a waste of space apparently – had a fine game and showed much more attacking intentions than he has done in the past. Torres – anonymous against Tottenham – found the space to poach the crucial opening goal and generally looked a lot sharper.
There was further pleasure to take from the performances of some of the youngsters. Insua now appears so well established that it’s easy to overlook the fact he is only 20 years old and was making only his 20th appearance for the first team. Once again he brought attacking width on the left and was solid at the back.
Many, including myself, considered it a big risk to field 18-year old Daniel Ayala in the absences of Skrtel and Agger but the young central defender acquitted himself extremely well on his full debut. When on the ball he played it simple (something Carra has been doing for years, at times frustratingly so) and consequently made no mistakes in possession. He also dealt as well as any of his more experienced teammates with the ugly sustained aerial assault from Stoke’s throw-ins and set pieces during the first half. With Kyrgiakos now in the squad, it may be some time before Ayala gets to trot out with the first team again but with two first team games now under his belt and no goals conceded during his time on the pitch, we can all have a little more confidence in the Spaniard the next time Rafa needs to call on him.
Rafa has brought Andrily Voronin off the bench in both games so far this season but 20-year old David N’gog’s cameo against Stoke issued a clear statement that he should be ahead of the tired old Ukranian in the pecking order. It wasn’t just that N’gog scored the fourth goal but his whole approach to the game in contrast with Voronin's. An experienced pro, Voronin came on at 3-0 with the mindset that the game was won and with the intention of playing out time. N’gog came on at 3-0 wanting to get on the scoresheet himself – and he made sure he did.
That’s what supporters want to see. We want goals. We want our team to attack until the final whistle. If we’ve scored 3, we want 4. If we’ve got 4, why not go for a fifth? At the back end of last season, we were annihilating teams at Anfield, just like last night, and it looked as though every Liverpool player was enjoying his football and wanting to get on the scoresheet. That gives the players and supporters confidence that their team will get the goals and will get the win – even if set-backs are suffered along the way. We need to keep that mentality and avoid at all costs reverting to cagey first halves, trying to cling on to 1-0 leads as early as the 60th minute, negative passing from the back and all the other frustrating elements that led to us drawing 7 home games last season.
Having young, hungry players like N’gog come off the bench will help sustain that. Bringing on crusty old Ukranians with silly blonde pony tails is akin to stating “We settle for what we have.” No thanks.
I’m looking forward to Liverpool versus Aston Villa tonight. I was especially pleased that the game had been moved to a Monday night as I’ve been on a stag weekend and would have missed it had it been played on the Saturday. I think it’s as good a time as any to play Villa. They’ve had a rotten start to the season and, while there’s always the risk of a backlash, I expect our players to go into the game with greater confidence and greater hunger to get the 3 points. Given Villa’s 5-0 spanking at Anfield last season, an early goal for Liverpool could see their confidence disintegrate. I'm confident Liverpool will win tonight.
There were no big surprises in the weekend’s other results. Man Ure, Arsenal and Man City all had easy fixtures and won. Chelsea’s win over Fulham came as no surprise and West Ham v Tottenham could have gone either way. Everton’s defeat at Burnley was predictable given their start to the season.
I saw Michael Shithead’s goal for Man Ure against Wigan. His journey towards the Dark Side is complete. The man has no sense of honour as his pathetic goal celebration – blowing kisses at the Scum’s supporters – showed. What a little turd.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
A rant about stupid people
I said the opening fixture was no barometer for a team’s prospects over the season. My point was backed up last night by Wigan. After their win over Aston Villa on Saturday all the media muppets were raving about the quality of their football and predicting they could be a surprise package this season. Then 3 days later they lose 1-0 at home to Wolves. Point proved.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, after the overblown reaction to their mauling of an out-of-sorts Everton, out-passed and out-played Celtic last night – as they have done to many teams over the last few years – but crucially struggled to create any genuine goal-scoring chances – their Achilles heel in recent campaigns – and were extremely fortunate to take a 2-0 lead back to London courtesy of a ludicrous deflection and a calamitous own goal. Without those huge slices of luck, Arsenal might well have been returning to the capital kicking themselves for yet again failing to convert dominance into goals. They won’t always be so lucky and on this evidence I can see them struggling to break down those gritty teams who will stick 11 men behind the ball at the Emirates as they have in recent years.
However, if you listened to half the morons out there, Arsenal are title contenders whereas Liverpool have blown it – after one game. I’ve had to grind my teeth and suppress the urge to shout at people over the last week or so after some of the rubbish talked about Liverpool and their players by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. In my office, I sit within hearing distance of a bluenose, a dirty Manc, a Leeds fan and a woman who claims to be a Liverpool fan but finds it hard to watch games in between jumping on the latest bandwagon. Despite all following different teams, they appear to find fellowship in slating Liverpool at every opportunity.
After the farcically timed England friendly last week – which I didn’t watch as England games are boring and England fans are mostly stupid – the Manc was slating Glen Johnson claiming he couldn’t defend and Liverpool have wasted £17 million on a donkey. This would be the donkey who made the PFA XI last season, who scored the goal of the season, and who is the first choice England right-back ahead of say, Wes Brown?
Yesterday, I was forced to overhear the alleged Liverpool fan questioning Rafa Benitez’s summer dealings because, in her opinion, Tottenham had a stronger bench than Liverpool. If that was the case, it was only so because Liverpool were unable to include Aquilani, Riera, Agger and Aurelio in their squad due to fitness issues whereas Tottenham had a comparatively clean bill of health. In spite of that, which of Spurs’ substitutes had more of an impact on the game than Yossi Benayoun when he was brought on? Meanwhile, after Ayala replaced Skrtel, Liverpool did not concede a goal and Voronin should have won a penalty after being unceremoniously barged off Benayoun’s through-ball. What did Peter Crouch do apart from head a ball straight at Pepe Reina? What did Jamie O’Hara achieve after replacing Modric? If Tottenham’s bench was so much stronger than Liverpool’s why did Liverpool’s substitutions have the greater impact?
The other point to consider is what would you rather, a stronger bench than your opponent or a stronger starting XI? Despite the disappointing performance, no one can argue that on paper at least, Liverpool’s starting XI was stronger than Tottenham’s. I know whose I’d rather have.
In spite of this, the alleged Liverpool fan joined the Manc, the Bluenose and the supporter of the lower division team in criticising Rafa for blowing all his transfer budget on Johnson and Aquilani.
Had Rafa gone out and bought 5 or 6 players costing in the region of £6 million each, everyone would have been saying we needed quality, not quantity. When the guy spends big (but barely half of the ‘big’ fees spent by Chelsea, Man City and Man Ure), he gets slated for that as well. There’s no pleasing some people.
Meanwhile, Johnson had a good game against Tottenham and earned the equalising penalty after some excellent work. When did Arbeloa ever do something like that?
Today, the “football panel” were mocking Liverpool for signing “cheap Greeks” after we were reported to be signing Sotiris Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. I don’t know Kyrgiakos as a player but if we are bringing him to the club it will be as cover for first choice centre-halves Carra, Skrtel and Agger. If all three were fit, and hopefully they will be soon, Kyrgiakos won’t play (except maybe in the Carling Cup) but if we have injuries in that department (like right now), doesn’t it make sense to have an experienced international defender to be able to bring in ahead of inexperienced youngsters like Ayala?
Someone who calls him or herself a Liverpool fan should not be slagging off our team to fans of our most hated rivals who want nothing more than to believe we are in disarray and our manager has lost the plot. This person was all too happy to celebrate the 4-0 win over Real followed by the 4-1 win at Old Trafford but after one defeat, the knives are out and the manager apparently no longer knows what he is doing. When I last checked, the lyrics of the song were not “When you walk through a storm put your head down and slate your team”.
If Liverpool deliver the goods tonight – and I believe they will – it will be a different story tomorrow. Let’s face it, if they bang in six, suddenly everyone will be talking about them as title challengers. Fickle idiots.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, after the overblown reaction to their mauling of an out-of-sorts Everton, out-passed and out-played Celtic last night – as they have done to many teams over the last few years – but crucially struggled to create any genuine goal-scoring chances – their Achilles heel in recent campaigns – and were extremely fortunate to take a 2-0 lead back to London courtesy of a ludicrous deflection and a calamitous own goal. Without those huge slices of luck, Arsenal might well have been returning to the capital kicking themselves for yet again failing to convert dominance into goals. They won’t always be so lucky and on this evidence I can see them struggling to break down those gritty teams who will stick 11 men behind the ball at the Emirates as they have in recent years.
However, if you listened to half the morons out there, Arsenal are title contenders whereas Liverpool have blown it – after one game. I’ve had to grind my teeth and suppress the urge to shout at people over the last week or so after some of the rubbish talked about Liverpool and their players by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. In my office, I sit within hearing distance of a bluenose, a dirty Manc, a Leeds fan and a woman who claims to be a Liverpool fan but finds it hard to watch games in between jumping on the latest bandwagon. Despite all following different teams, they appear to find fellowship in slating Liverpool at every opportunity.
After the farcically timed England friendly last week – which I didn’t watch as England games are boring and England fans are mostly stupid – the Manc was slating Glen Johnson claiming he couldn’t defend and Liverpool have wasted £17 million on a donkey. This would be the donkey who made the PFA XI last season, who scored the goal of the season, and who is the first choice England right-back ahead of say, Wes Brown?
Yesterday, I was forced to overhear the alleged Liverpool fan questioning Rafa Benitez’s summer dealings because, in her opinion, Tottenham had a stronger bench than Liverpool. If that was the case, it was only so because Liverpool were unable to include Aquilani, Riera, Agger and Aurelio in their squad due to fitness issues whereas Tottenham had a comparatively clean bill of health. In spite of that, which of Spurs’ substitutes had more of an impact on the game than Yossi Benayoun when he was brought on? Meanwhile, after Ayala replaced Skrtel, Liverpool did not concede a goal and Voronin should have won a penalty after being unceremoniously barged off Benayoun’s through-ball. What did Peter Crouch do apart from head a ball straight at Pepe Reina? What did Jamie O’Hara achieve after replacing Modric? If Tottenham’s bench was so much stronger than Liverpool’s why did Liverpool’s substitutions have the greater impact?
The other point to consider is what would you rather, a stronger bench than your opponent or a stronger starting XI? Despite the disappointing performance, no one can argue that on paper at least, Liverpool’s starting XI was stronger than Tottenham’s. I know whose I’d rather have.
In spite of this, the alleged Liverpool fan joined the Manc, the Bluenose and the supporter of the lower division team in criticising Rafa for blowing all his transfer budget on Johnson and Aquilani.
Had Rafa gone out and bought 5 or 6 players costing in the region of £6 million each, everyone would have been saying we needed quality, not quantity. When the guy spends big (but barely half of the ‘big’ fees spent by Chelsea, Man City and Man Ure), he gets slated for that as well. There’s no pleasing some people.
Meanwhile, Johnson had a good game against Tottenham and earned the equalising penalty after some excellent work. When did Arbeloa ever do something like that?
Today, the “football panel” were mocking Liverpool for signing “cheap Greeks” after we were reported to be signing Sotiris Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. I don’t know Kyrgiakos as a player but if we are bringing him to the club it will be as cover for first choice centre-halves Carra, Skrtel and Agger. If all three were fit, and hopefully they will be soon, Kyrgiakos won’t play (except maybe in the Carling Cup) but if we have injuries in that department (like right now), doesn’t it make sense to have an experienced international defender to be able to bring in ahead of inexperienced youngsters like Ayala?
Someone who calls him or herself a Liverpool fan should not be slagging off our team to fans of our most hated rivals who want nothing more than to believe we are in disarray and our manager has lost the plot. This person was all too happy to celebrate the 4-0 win over Real followed by the 4-1 win at Old Trafford but after one defeat, the knives are out and the manager apparently no longer knows what he is doing. When I last checked, the lyrics of the song were not “When you walk through a storm put your head down and slate your team”.
If Liverpool deliver the goods tonight – and I believe they will – it will be a different story tomorrow. Let’s face it, if they bang in six, suddenly everyone will be talking about them as title challengers. Fickle idiots.
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Tottenham and Phil Dowd United 2 Liverpool 1
Well, I said I didn’t expect Liverpool to win at White Hart Lane and sadly I was correct. My concerns that we weren’t ready for this match proved to be spot on as we were woeful in the first half and only marginally better after the break.
Make no mistake, Spurs were not magnificent but they were better than us. Despite that, they only won because fortune favoured them on the day. Carragher’s sickening clash with Skrtel only helped Spurs who took the lead from Assou-Ekotto’s wonder strike after it had looked as though only something special would beat Pepe Reina. Liverpool improved after half-time and equalised from Gerrard’s penalty only to ruin their good work but conceding a silly and utterly preventable goal from a set-piece three minutes later. Then Phil Dowd took centre stage waving away two legitimate penalty appeals from Liverpool, the first of which was so cast-iron, even Glen Hoddle said it should have been given.
Hoddle attempted to justify Dowd’s incompetence by saying it would take a brave man to award two penalties against Spurs at White Hart Lane in the same game. Sorry, but that’s no excuse. If the laws of the game were correctly applied – and it is the referee’s job to ensure they are – Liverpool should have had three penalties. Instead, Voronin was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by foul play from Assou-Ekotto and Liverpool were harshly treated.
The result was disappointing but I won’t be reading much into it. The opening day of the season is no real barometer for how teams will fair over the whole season. Freak results can occur – particularly if one team is better prepared than another for the big kick off. Take Everton and Arsenal for example. Everton’s preseason was disrupted like ours and they have been undermined by City’s disrespectful and ruthless pursuit of Joleon Lescott in the same way the Alonso transfer saga messed us around. They were clearly not ready for their opener against Arsenal and as a consequence they were atrocious. The pundits will rave about Arsenal but in truth, they didn’t have to do an awful lot to score their six goals. Every goal bar the first stemmed from shocking Everton defending. Arsenal were as clinical as Everton were atrocious but time will level the playing field. Arsenal are not, as the media would have us believe, suddenly serious title contenders and neither are Everton likely to battle relegation this season. Chelsea and Man Ure were fortunate to beat Hull and Birmingham in their respective home games. Chelsea had to come from behind equalising from a free-kick that should never have been awarded before Drogba’s mis-hit cross spawned into the net in the 93rd minute. Man Ure, meanwhile, won 1-0 after Rooney’s shot hit the post and rebounded extremely fortuitously to the same player to tap in the winner. Had either failed to win, no one would have been dismissing their title chances so I won't be writing off Liverpool's just yet.
Liverpool now have a 37-game season instead of 38 and the season begins on Wednesday against Stoke at Anfield. Yesterday was the final preparation game Rafa needed to assess his squad and pick the right XI to start the season for real. Hopefully, Rafa will have seen, as we all did, that Lucas and Mascherano must not be used together. Lucas will attract most of the stick from supporters but it is not his fault that he simply is not creative enough to play the deep-lying midfield role alongside another midfielder who offers no incisive passing or creativity. Lucas has a value to the squad as understudy to Mascherano but the two are too similar to play together. Until Aquilani is fit to play, Steven Gerrard has to be utilised in midfield.
There is absolutely no point having Gerrard and Torres up front if the team can’t get the ball to them. It's the equivalent of lining up a two-man firing squad and letting the condemned prisoner run around somewhere behind them. Stick the prisoner in their sights and he's dead man but otherwise you're left with two potentially dangerous guys with nothing to do. Better to have one lethal marksman and use the other to shove the target in front of the other.
Benayoun did enough at the tail end of last season to warrant a place in the first team and when he came on against Spurs, he was Liverpool's best outfield player. He can play behind Torres and Gerrard should partner Mascherano in the centre of the park.
I'm assuming Riera was unfit to play given he wasn't even on the bench but yet again Babel did nothing to stake a claim for repeated inclusion in the first team. I have to confess I have lost faith in Babel ever realising his undoubted potential at Anfield. You can fine tune talent but, as Rafa found with Djibril Cisse, you can't put a footballing brain into a head that doesn't contain one.
If Riera isn't fit to play against Stoke, Babel will get another chance but if he is as useless again, Rafa may as well deploy Dossena on the left. Dossena is a crap defender but his goals against Real Madrid and Man Ure, as well as his performance at Fulham last season suggest he can do a job with less defensive responsibility. Any job would be a step up from Babel's recent efforts.
Forget Tottenham. By the time we meet again, they will be shielding their eyes looking up the table towards us. For us, the season really starts on Wednesday and we owe Stoke a good hiding.
Make no mistake, Spurs were not magnificent but they were better than us. Despite that, they only won because fortune favoured them on the day. Carragher’s sickening clash with Skrtel only helped Spurs who took the lead from Assou-Ekotto’s wonder strike after it had looked as though only something special would beat Pepe Reina. Liverpool improved after half-time and equalised from Gerrard’s penalty only to ruin their good work but conceding a silly and utterly preventable goal from a set-piece three minutes later. Then Phil Dowd took centre stage waving away two legitimate penalty appeals from Liverpool, the first of which was so cast-iron, even Glen Hoddle said it should have been given.
Hoddle attempted to justify Dowd’s incompetence by saying it would take a brave man to award two penalties against Spurs at White Hart Lane in the same game. Sorry, but that’s no excuse. If the laws of the game were correctly applied – and it is the referee’s job to ensure they are – Liverpool should have had three penalties. Instead, Voronin was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by foul play from Assou-Ekotto and Liverpool were harshly treated.
The result was disappointing but I won’t be reading much into it. The opening day of the season is no real barometer for how teams will fair over the whole season. Freak results can occur – particularly if one team is better prepared than another for the big kick off. Take Everton and Arsenal for example. Everton’s preseason was disrupted like ours and they have been undermined by City’s disrespectful and ruthless pursuit of Joleon Lescott in the same way the Alonso transfer saga messed us around. They were clearly not ready for their opener against Arsenal and as a consequence they were atrocious. The pundits will rave about Arsenal but in truth, they didn’t have to do an awful lot to score their six goals. Every goal bar the first stemmed from shocking Everton defending. Arsenal were as clinical as Everton were atrocious but time will level the playing field. Arsenal are not, as the media would have us believe, suddenly serious title contenders and neither are Everton likely to battle relegation this season. Chelsea and Man Ure were fortunate to beat Hull and Birmingham in their respective home games. Chelsea had to come from behind equalising from a free-kick that should never have been awarded before Drogba’s mis-hit cross spawned into the net in the 93rd minute. Man Ure, meanwhile, won 1-0 after Rooney’s shot hit the post and rebounded extremely fortuitously to the same player to tap in the winner. Had either failed to win, no one would have been dismissing their title chances so I won't be writing off Liverpool's just yet.
Liverpool now have a 37-game season instead of 38 and the season begins on Wednesday against Stoke at Anfield. Yesterday was the final preparation game Rafa needed to assess his squad and pick the right XI to start the season for real. Hopefully, Rafa will have seen, as we all did, that Lucas and Mascherano must not be used together. Lucas will attract most of the stick from supporters but it is not his fault that he simply is not creative enough to play the deep-lying midfield role alongside another midfielder who offers no incisive passing or creativity. Lucas has a value to the squad as understudy to Mascherano but the two are too similar to play together. Until Aquilani is fit to play, Steven Gerrard has to be utilised in midfield.
There is absolutely no point having Gerrard and Torres up front if the team can’t get the ball to them. It's the equivalent of lining up a two-man firing squad and letting the condemned prisoner run around somewhere behind them. Stick the prisoner in their sights and he's dead man but otherwise you're left with two potentially dangerous guys with nothing to do. Better to have one lethal marksman and use the other to shove the target in front of the other.
Benayoun did enough at the tail end of last season to warrant a place in the first team and when he came on against Spurs, he was Liverpool's best outfield player. He can play behind Torres and Gerrard should partner Mascherano in the centre of the park.
I'm assuming Riera was unfit to play given he wasn't even on the bench but yet again Babel did nothing to stake a claim for repeated inclusion in the first team. I have to confess I have lost faith in Babel ever realising his undoubted potential at Anfield. You can fine tune talent but, as Rafa found with Djibril Cisse, you can't put a footballing brain into a head that doesn't contain one.
If Riera isn't fit to play against Stoke, Babel will get another chance but if he is as useless again, Rafa may as well deploy Dossena on the left. Dossena is a crap defender but his goals against Real Madrid and Man Ure, as well as his performance at Fulham last season suggest he can do a job with less defensive responsibility. Any job would be a step up from Babel's recent efforts.
Forget Tottenham. By the time we meet again, they will be shielding their eyes looking up the table towards us. For us, the season really starts on Wednesday and we owe Stoke a good hiding.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Predictions for relegation
My Dad and I have an annual game in which we try to predict the three teams that will end up relegated. Last season I went for the three promoted teams (Stoke, Hull and West Brom) and came up with a pretty miserable 1 out of 3. I’ve only ever got three out of three once in 2000-01 when I correctly predicted the demise of the three cities: Manchester, Coventry and Bradford. This season it looks harder than ever given the number of really crap teams in contention.
Hull surprised everyone in the first half of the season but went into freefall after Christmas and in the end would have gone had Newcastle found an equaliser at Villa. Phil Brown’s embarrassing karaoke on the final day of last season to celebrate a defeat that, thanks to other results, didn’t matter said it all about the size of their ambitions. This summer they’ve signed no one having tried to sign everyone and I really think a bad start would prove as good as it gets for them.
Portsmouth have sold Crouch and now carry zero goal threat. Johnson has also been sold so they are undoubtedly weaker this term. Throw into the mix the chaos going on at board level and the fact they have no manager (who the hell is Paul Hart?) and it looks pretty bleak for the South-coast team.
Having previously stated that Wigan would never appoint a foreign manager, Chairman Dave Whelan appointed Spaniard Martinez as the successor to Steve Bruce. Whelan then bizarrely declared that he had such faith in his new manager that Martinez would not be sacked even if Wigan were relegated. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Martinez could well be this season’s Paul Ince who last season, having done well in the lower divisions, struggled to match expectations at a medium-sized club that had over-achieved under the previous manager. Wigan have adopted a dangerous policy of selling their best players. The only thing worse than selling your best players is selling your best players when your best player is Emile Heskey.
Stoke stayed up last season by packing their defence with tall players and scoring the occasional goal off Rory Delap’s exocet throw-ins. This season, teams will be more aware of their tactics and without variation, they will find their second season tougher.
Burnley and Wolves look as ill-suited to the Premiership as any teams promoted in recent seasons. While Birmingham, despite having recent Premiership experience, don’t possess a strong squad.
Bolton and Blackburn are crap but should keep out of danger simply because there are worse teams. Meanwhile, Sunderland should improve on last season’s performance this time around.
I’ve gone for Burnley, Hull and Portsmouth as my three to go. If Wolves and Stoke survive, they’ll almost certainly be in my three to be flushed out next season.
Hull surprised everyone in the first half of the season but went into freefall after Christmas and in the end would have gone had Newcastle found an equaliser at Villa. Phil Brown’s embarrassing karaoke on the final day of last season to celebrate a defeat that, thanks to other results, didn’t matter said it all about the size of their ambitions. This summer they’ve signed no one having tried to sign everyone and I really think a bad start would prove as good as it gets for them.
Portsmouth have sold Crouch and now carry zero goal threat. Johnson has also been sold so they are undoubtedly weaker this term. Throw into the mix the chaos going on at board level and the fact they have no manager (who the hell is Paul Hart?) and it looks pretty bleak for the South-coast team.
Having previously stated that Wigan would never appoint a foreign manager, Chairman Dave Whelan appointed Spaniard Martinez as the successor to Steve Bruce. Whelan then bizarrely declared that he had such faith in his new manager that Martinez would not be sacked even if Wigan were relegated. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Martinez could well be this season’s Paul Ince who last season, having done well in the lower divisions, struggled to match expectations at a medium-sized club that had over-achieved under the previous manager. Wigan have adopted a dangerous policy of selling their best players. The only thing worse than selling your best players is selling your best players when your best player is Emile Heskey.
Stoke stayed up last season by packing their defence with tall players and scoring the occasional goal off Rory Delap’s exocet throw-ins. This season, teams will be more aware of their tactics and without variation, they will find their second season tougher.
Burnley and Wolves look as ill-suited to the Premiership as any teams promoted in recent seasons. While Birmingham, despite having recent Premiership experience, don’t possess a strong squad.
Bolton and Blackburn are crap but should keep out of danger simply because there are worse teams. Meanwhile, Sunderland should improve on last season’s performance this time around.
I’ve gone for Burnley, Hull and Portsmouth as my three to go. If Wolves and Stoke survive, they’ll almost certainly be in my three to be flushed out next season.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
The countdown to kick-off...
As the clock counts down to the big kick off I'm feeling unusally pessimistic. As keen as I am for football to resume, whereas normally I would look forward to the opening game anticipating a win that would kick start a hopefully successful title challenge, this season I'm not looking ahead to our opening fixture with much optimism.
Why? Well, firstly we've been given a tough away fixture (again) while Man Ure and Chelsea have fairly easy home games against Birmingham and Hull respectively to get their seasons off to a flier. Secondly, I don't expect us to win our game. I hope we do, obviously, and by no means is it impossible that we will but I don't expect it.
Spurs have the potential to be a decent team. I won't be worried about them competing with us for League positions but on their day they will give a few teams a tough match and they will be up for this fixture in front of their home fans. New boy Peter Crouch will be doubly motivated making his debut for them against his former club, while Robbie Keane will feel he has something to prove - if selected. Jermaine Defoe offers a greater goal threat than Keane but last season Pavlychenko was the player who did most damage to us so they undoubtedly carry a goal threat. Of more concern is the fact we are limping into the game - literally in the cases of Carragher and Skrtel - rather than looking like a team ready to hit the ground running. Aquilani is not yet available meaning Lucas will start alongside Mascherano so you wonder where the creativity will come from.
Then there is the fact that White Hart Lane has been something of a bogey ground for Liverpool - especially when our fixture list sends us there before we entertain Spurs at Anfield. In the last 12 seasons, Liverpool have played their away fixture against Spurs before the home fixture on 6 occasions and never won. You need to go back to the 1996-97 season for the last time Liverpool played Spurs away before at home and won. In the 12 seasons since, we have beaten Spurs away 3 times (twice under Rafa in the last 3 seasons) but only after playing our home fixture against them first.
The most common result in the last 12 seasons has been 2-1 to Tottenham (the same result as last season when we played them at the Lane before Anfield and it occurred in 2003-04, 2000-01 and 1998-99 in the same circumstances). However, we have played them away in the first 3 League fixtures twice before under Rafa (including our first League game under him) and drawn them both so perhaps a draw is on the cards.
Personally, I'm preparing myself for the worst and would be relieved with a draw and delighted with a win.
Once that crap opening fixture is out of the way, the next few games look winnable. Surely Stoke can't frustrate us again and while Aston Villa will be a tough opponent, we should be taking 3 points from that game. Beyond that, Bolton are a soft proposition under Gary Megson and then we invite Burnley to Anfield. If at that stage we have 12 points on the board, we'll have made a good start to the season so I won't be too concerned if we're still on 0 points after Sunday.
Whether we can win the League this season remains to be seen. Whereas at the end of last season, I felt we were on the brink, following the transfer activity this summer I am concerned that the same shortfalls could come back to bite us again. I said at the start of summer we needed a striker, a winger and cover for right-back. We've not signed a striker or a winger and, while I think Johnson was an excellent signing and a definite improvement on Arbeloa, the fact Arbeloa was sold means we're still short of cover for right-back. With Alonso going and Aquilani an unknown quantity, no one can say whether the midfield will be as effective as last season and after Hyypia's departure, I feel we need more cover at centre-half.
We'll definitely be up there but whether we can repeat the points haul of last season I don't know. Logic tells me if Torres and Gerrard stay fit and in form, we can do but I worry about how we'd cope if either suffered a long-term injury.
Man Ure, while still having a really strong squad, are unquestionably weaker without Ronaldo and Tevez. I was more than happy watching Berbatov lumbering around up front for them in the Community Shield. Chelsea have yet another new manager and, while they have a strong squad, they've not bought anyone who will obviously make them stronger. Their hopes will hinge on how well they adapt to Ancelotti's new tactics. If they suffer a few dodgy results, Ancelotti's diamond formation will come under intense media scrutiny (as Rafa's zonal marking has done repeatedly) and it may be tough for him to recover.
Liverpool can compete with both teams (Arsenal and City won't challenge) but ultimately the title winner will be the team that gets the small details in their favour. The winner will be the team who suffers the least injuries to key players and is able to field its best XI on the most occasions; whose players get away with it when they should be sent off and avoid being on the receiving end of harsh red cards; who get penalties awarded when they deserve them and when they don't; who plays teams when they are vulnerable rather than bang in form and fully fit; who gets that jammy deflection on the late winning goal, and who gets the rub of the green and the bounce of the ball on enough occasions over the campaign. Fergie's team got the most luck last season and picked up the title. God willing, this season it will be ours.
For now though, I'll use the old cliché and take one game at a time, starting with Tottenham on Sunday...
Why? Well, firstly we've been given a tough away fixture (again) while Man Ure and Chelsea have fairly easy home games against Birmingham and Hull respectively to get their seasons off to a flier. Secondly, I don't expect us to win our game. I hope we do, obviously, and by no means is it impossible that we will but I don't expect it.
Spurs have the potential to be a decent team. I won't be worried about them competing with us for League positions but on their day they will give a few teams a tough match and they will be up for this fixture in front of their home fans. New boy Peter Crouch will be doubly motivated making his debut for them against his former club, while Robbie Keane will feel he has something to prove - if selected. Jermaine Defoe offers a greater goal threat than Keane but last season Pavlychenko was the player who did most damage to us so they undoubtedly carry a goal threat. Of more concern is the fact we are limping into the game - literally in the cases of Carragher and Skrtel - rather than looking like a team ready to hit the ground running. Aquilani is not yet available meaning Lucas will start alongside Mascherano so you wonder where the creativity will come from.
Then there is the fact that White Hart Lane has been something of a bogey ground for Liverpool - especially when our fixture list sends us there before we entertain Spurs at Anfield. In the last 12 seasons, Liverpool have played their away fixture against Spurs before the home fixture on 6 occasions and never won. You need to go back to the 1996-97 season for the last time Liverpool played Spurs away before at home and won. In the 12 seasons since, we have beaten Spurs away 3 times (twice under Rafa in the last 3 seasons) but only after playing our home fixture against them first.
The most common result in the last 12 seasons has been 2-1 to Tottenham (the same result as last season when we played them at the Lane before Anfield and it occurred in 2003-04, 2000-01 and 1998-99 in the same circumstances). However, we have played them away in the first 3 League fixtures twice before under Rafa (including our first League game under him) and drawn them both so perhaps a draw is on the cards.
Personally, I'm preparing myself for the worst and would be relieved with a draw and delighted with a win.
Once that crap opening fixture is out of the way, the next few games look winnable. Surely Stoke can't frustrate us again and while Aston Villa will be a tough opponent, we should be taking 3 points from that game. Beyond that, Bolton are a soft proposition under Gary Megson and then we invite Burnley to Anfield. If at that stage we have 12 points on the board, we'll have made a good start to the season so I won't be too concerned if we're still on 0 points after Sunday.
Whether we can win the League this season remains to be seen. Whereas at the end of last season, I felt we were on the brink, following the transfer activity this summer I am concerned that the same shortfalls could come back to bite us again. I said at the start of summer we needed a striker, a winger and cover for right-back. We've not signed a striker or a winger and, while I think Johnson was an excellent signing and a definite improvement on Arbeloa, the fact Arbeloa was sold means we're still short of cover for right-back. With Alonso going and Aquilani an unknown quantity, no one can say whether the midfield will be as effective as last season and after Hyypia's departure, I feel we need more cover at centre-half.
We'll definitely be up there but whether we can repeat the points haul of last season I don't know. Logic tells me if Torres and Gerrard stay fit and in form, we can do but I worry about how we'd cope if either suffered a long-term injury.
Man Ure, while still having a really strong squad, are unquestionably weaker without Ronaldo and Tevez. I was more than happy watching Berbatov lumbering around up front for them in the Community Shield. Chelsea have yet another new manager and, while they have a strong squad, they've not bought anyone who will obviously make them stronger. Their hopes will hinge on how well they adapt to Ancelotti's new tactics. If they suffer a few dodgy results, Ancelotti's diamond formation will come under intense media scrutiny (as Rafa's zonal marking has done repeatedly) and it may be tough for him to recover.
Liverpool can compete with both teams (Arsenal and City won't challenge) but ultimately the title winner will be the team that gets the small details in their favour. The winner will be the team who suffers the least injuries to key players and is able to field its best XI on the most occasions; whose players get away with it when they should be sent off and avoid being on the receiving end of harsh red cards; who get penalties awarded when they deserve them and when they don't; who plays teams when they are vulnerable rather than bang in form and fully fit; who gets that jammy deflection on the late winning goal, and who gets the rub of the green and the bounce of the ball on enough occasions over the campaign. Fergie's team got the most luck last season and picked up the title. God willing, this season it will be ours.
For now though, I'll use the old cliché and take one game at a time, starting with Tottenham on Sunday...
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Atletico defeat exposes squad shortfalls
Pre-season is about one thing: preparation for the big kick off. As such, you can forgive an element of rustiness, occasional bad decision-making and overall sloppiness but enough about Phil Dowd’s refereeing.
What yesterday’s match confirmed is that Liverpool look worryingly short of cover at the back. With Sami and Arbeloa having departed and with Agger, Skrtel and Aurelio all injured, Liverpool were forced to field young rookie Ayala alongside Carragher at centre-half. When Carra limped off after 15 minutes to be replaced by another rookie, San Jose, the back four looked incredibly vulnerable.
Carra is expected be fit to play at Spurs and Rafa said post-match that he was optimistic one or both of Skrtel and Agger will have sufficiently recovered in time but it is clear that more cover is needed. Both Agger and Skrtel have endured lengthy absences due to injury in the past two seasons. If both were simultaneously unavailable, as occurred last year and as was the situation last night, it would be a massive and reckless risk to rely on either Ayala or San Jose to fill in.
At full-back, the cover for Johnson is a choice between Darby, Degen and Kelly or Carragher (if both Skrtel and Agger are also fit) or Mascherano. Personally, my order of preference would be Carra, Mascherano, Kelly, Darby, fielding 10 men, Cavalieri, Voronin, the end of the world, then Degen. The situation is not ideal and given that it is a certainty Johnson will miss some games during the season, we need further cover. At left-back, Insua suddenly finds himself unchallenged as first choice with Aurelio injured until near Christmas. Dossena is still at the club for the moment but if Rafa has the chance to recoup some or all of the £7 million wasted on the fat Italian last summer he will surely take it. Either way, Dossena is a defensive liability and cannot be considered reliable back-up for Insua.
What we need is a utility player who could do a job in any position across the back four when required. I see we’ve been linked with Hull City’s Michael Turner and Pompey’s Sylvain Distin but the prices quoted appear unrealistic – even in a world where Cristiano Ronaldo costs £80 million. I’d never heard of Skrtel or Agger before we signed them so hopefully Rafa’s scouts can pull another rabbit out of the hat and get us the cover we need.
I was keen to watch how well Liverpool coped in midfield against Atletico in the post-Alonso era. ‘Mixed’ pretty much sums up my observations. Lucas seemed to play with more attacking licence than we’ve seen from him in the past while Mascherano was typically busy but the team lacked a playmaker to direct the play in Alonso’s absence. Aquilani has been signed to fill that role but clearly if the Italian is absent or simply doesn’t prove as successful a signing as we all hope, it leaves us with two realistic options: (1) bring Steven Gerrard back into midfield, or (2) replicate the sterile performances that saw Stoke, Hull, West Ham, Hull and Man City easily draw at Anfield. I would be loathe to break up Gerrard’s partnership with Torres but there’s no point having those two up front if they get no service. I hate to say it but while all teams have their key playmakers, Chelsea and Man Ure are far better equipped than Liverpool to cope with injuries to those players or the loss of players’ form in that department.
Given the lack of cover for Fernando Torres up front and the lack of a creative left-sided midfield player, I’m starting to feel increasingly concerned about this Liverpool squad’s prospects of sustaining a title challenge this coming campaign. This year, more than any in recent seasons, I really feel the title is there for the taking but as things stand, for Liverpool to win that coveted 19th title, we need to quickly invest in quality reinforcements or else will need to be exceptionally fortunate on the injury front for the whole campaign. Given the current situation at the back, it would be hugely optimistic to bet on the latter.
What yesterday’s match confirmed is that Liverpool look worryingly short of cover at the back. With Sami and Arbeloa having departed and with Agger, Skrtel and Aurelio all injured, Liverpool were forced to field young rookie Ayala alongside Carragher at centre-half. When Carra limped off after 15 minutes to be replaced by another rookie, San Jose, the back four looked incredibly vulnerable.
Carra is expected be fit to play at Spurs and Rafa said post-match that he was optimistic one or both of Skrtel and Agger will have sufficiently recovered in time but it is clear that more cover is needed. Both Agger and Skrtel have endured lengthy absences due to injury in the past two seasons. If both were simultaneously unavailable, as occurred last year and as was the situation last night, it would be a massive and reckless risk to rely on either Ayala or San Jose to fill in.
At full-back, the cover for Johnson is a choice between Darby, Degen and Kelly or Carragher (if both Skrtel and Agger are also fit) or Mascherano. Personally, my order of preference would be Carra, Mascherano, Kelly, Darby, fielding 10 men, Cavalieri, Voronin, the end of the world, then Degen. The situation is not ideal and given that it is a certainty Johnson will miss some games during the season, we need further cover. At left-back, Insua suddenly finds himself unchallenged as first choice with Aurelio injured until near Christmas. Dossena is still at the club for the moment but if Rafa has the chance to recoup some or all of the £7 million wasted on the fat Italian last summer he will surely take it. Either way, Dossena is a defensive liability and cannot be considered reliable back-up for Insua.
What we need is a utility player who could do a job in any position across the back four when required. I see we’ve been linked with Hull City’s Michael Turner and Pompey’s Sylvain Distin but the prices quoted appear unrealistic – even in a world where Cristiano Ronaldo costs £80 million. I’d never heard of Skrtel or Agger before we signed them so hopefully Rafa’s scouts can pull another rabbit out of the hat and get us the cover we need.
I was keen to watch how well Liverpool coped in midfield against Atletico in the post-Alonso era. ‘Mixed’ pretty much sums up my observations. Lucas seemed to play with more attacking licence than we’ve seen from him in the past while Mascherano was typically busy but the team lacked a playmaker to direct the play in Alonso’s absence. Aquilani has been signed to fill that role but clearly if the Italian is absent or simply doesn’t prove as successful a signing as we all hope, it leaves us with two realistic options: (1) bring Steven Gerrard back into midfield, or (2) replicate the sterile performances that saw Stoke, Hull, West Ham, Hull and Man City easily draw at Anfield. I would be loathe to break up Gerrard’s partnership with Torres but there’s no point having those two up front if they get no service. I hate to say it but while all teams have their key playmakers, Chelsea and Man Ure are far better equipped than Liverpool to cope with injuries to those players or the loss of players’ form in that department.
Given the lack of cover for Fernando Torres up front and the lack of a creative left-sided midfield player, I’m starting to feel increasingly concerned about this Liverpool squad’s prospects of sustaining a title challenge this coming campaign. This year, more than any in recent seasons, I really feel the title is there for the taking but as things stand, for Liverpool to win that coveted 19th title, we need to quickly invest in quality reinforcements or else will need to be exceptionally fortunate on the injury front for the whole campaign. Given the current situation at the back, it would be hugely optimistic to bet on the latter.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Fergie fears this will be Liverpool's year
So now we know who Fergie thinks will be Man Ure’s biggest threat this coming season: Liverpool. After 20 years of the infantile Scotsman’s pathetic antics, we’ve learned that the team he fears the most is the one whose manager he targets to goad and attempts to engage in petty mind-games. Two weeks before the new season and he has already begun getting his digs in at Rafa.
"Liverpool had probably their best season for 20 years and still finished four points adrift," he told a tabloid rag whose name is muck on Merseyside.
"It will be hard for them to match last season, let alone improve on it. Other teams will know more about them, so it has to be Chelsea as the main threat."
Of course, the other thing we know about Fergie’s mind games is that if he doesn’t consider you a threat, he can be quite complimentary. Notice how well he gets on with Arsene Wenger these days?
By buttering up Chelsea and their new manager Ancelotti, he is revealing that he does not expect their ageing squad to improve on last season’s mixed campaign under Scholari and later Guus Hiddink – and why would they without serious investment in players?
It will be hard for Liverpool to match their League performance of last season but given that performance was achieved with Torres and Gerrard starting only a third of the games together, if that pair can play more games together this season, there is every chance we can match or exceed it this time around. Meanwhile, Fergie’s men will also find it hard to match their achievement last season (although no doubt referees will be queuing up to help them again) having lost their two main match-winners during the summer. I feel much more confident about taking on a Man Ure side containing Antonio Valencia and Michael Shit Head than one containing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Meanwhile, Giggs, Scholes and Edwin van der Sar are yet another year closer to playing ‘Legends’ exhibition matches while Gary Neville has been nothing more than the club mascot for the last three seasons (I used to think only the French had a cock for a mascot!).
Not content with just the one dig at Rafa, the Man Ure manager continued: "Ancelotti will play the Milan way... It brought him two European Cups - it should have been three because they should never have lost to Liverpool, so why should he change?"
I would agree that Milan should never have lost to Liverpool in Istanbul after being 3-0 up at half-time to a team containing Djimi Traore, Milan Baros, Vladimir Smicer, Jerzy Dudek and later Djibril Cisse. However, the fact is (I’m starting to sound like Rafa) they did lose and for their carelessness and lack of professionalism in doing so, you could argue they got exactly what they deserved. They were also extremely fortunate to have even been in the final after PSV battered them in the semi-final. Meanwhile, find me anyone who can honestly say Carragher didn’t deserve a winner’s medal for his Herculean efforts that night.
I’ll counter Fergie’s claim that Milan should have won 3 European Cups however, by pointing out that Liverpool never should have lost to Milan in Athens. Liverpool were far the better team in the first half but fell behind right before half time to a Milan goal scored against the run of play with Inzaghi’s hand. The goal never should have stood and had it been correctly ruled out, there is every chance Liverpool would have ground Milan down and taken home a 6th European Cup.
The other European Cup win by Ancelotti’s Milan was the penalty-shoot out win against Juventus in one of the most boring European Cup Finals of all time. It can hardly be argued that Milan were worthy winners on a night when the only post-match talking point was how far off the line Dida had strayed to save Juve's penalties.
And if Fergie wants to talk about teams that should never have lost European Cup Finals, what about Bayern Munich in 1999, who dominated the final and should have had more than their 1-0 lead before conceding two jammy, scrappy goals in the final minutes, or Chelsea in 2007 who were one penalty kick away from victory only for their captain to slip on his run up and slice his shot wide?
Having been totally outclassed and deservedly beaten by Barcelona in last years final, the reality is that Fergie's team should not have won any of their three Champions League Finals but in football, the prizes rarely go to the team that deserves it most (e.g. last season's Premiership title).
It bodes well for Liverpool that we have Fergie so worried that he hasn’t even waited for a ball to be kicked before starting his evil gamesmanship. Hopefully Rafa will deliver the perfect response – not a list of ‘facts’ this time but a 19th League Title for Liverpool Football Club.
"Liverpool had probably their best season for 20 years and still finished four points adrift," he told a tabloid rag whose name is muck on Merseyside.
"It will be hard for them to match last season, let alone improve on it. Other teams will know more about them, so it has to be Chelsea as the main threat."
Of course, the other thing we know about Fergie’s mind games is that if he doesn’t consider you a threat, he can be quite complimentary. Notice how well he gets on with Arsene Wenger these days?
By buttering up Chelsea and their new manager Ancelotti, he is revealing that he does not expect their ageing squad to improve on last season’s mixed campaign under Scholari and later Guus Hiddink – and why would they without serious investment in players?
It will be hard for Liverpool to match their League performance of last season but given that performance was achieved with Torres and Gerrard starting only a third of the games together, if that pair can play more games together this season, there is every chance we can match or exceed it this time around. Meanwhile, Fergie’s men will also find it hard to match their achievement last season (although no doubt referees will be queuing up to help them again) having lost their two main match-winners during the summer. I feel much more confident about taking on a Man Ure side containing Antonio Valencia and Michael Shit Head than one containing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Meanwhile, Giggs, Scholes and Edwin van der Sar are yet another year closer to playing ‘Legends’ exhibition matches while Gary Neville has been nothing more than the club mascot for the last three seasons (I used to think only the French had a cock for a mascot!).
Not content with just the one dig at Rafa, the Man Ure manager continued: "Ancelotti will play the Milan way... It brought him two European Cups - it should have been three because they should never have lost to Liverpool, so why should he change?"
I would agree that Milan should never have lost to Liverpool in Istanbul after being 3-0 up at half-time to a team containing Djimi Traore, Milan Baros, Vladimir Smicer, Jerzy Dudek and later Djibril Cisse. However, the fact is (I’m starting to sound like Rafa) they did lose and for their carelessness and lack of professionalism in doing so, you could argue they got exactly what they deserved. They were also extremely fortunate to have even been in the final after PSV battered them in the semi-final. Meanwhile, find me anyone who can honestly say Carragher didn’t deserve a winner’s medal for his Herculean efforts that night.
I’ll counter Fergie’s claim that Milan should have won 3 European Cups however, by pointing out that Liverpool never should have lost to Milan in Athens. Liverpool were far the better team in the first half but fell behind right before half time to a Milan goal scored against the run of play with Inzaghi’s hand. The goal never should have stood and had it been correctly ruled out, there is every chance Liverpool would have ground Milan down and taken home a 6th European Cup.
The other European Cup win by Ancelotti’s Milan was the penalty-shoot out win against Juventus in one of the most boring European Cup Finals of all time. It can hardly be argued that Milan were worthy winners on a night when the only post-match talking point was how far off the line Dida had strayed to save Juve's penalties.
And if Fergie wants to talk about teams that should never have lost European Cup Finals, what about Bayern Munich in 1999, who dominated the final and should have had more than their 1-0 lead before conceding two jammy, scrappy goals in the final minutes, or Chelsea in 2007 who were one penalty kick away from victory only for their captain to slip on his run up and slice his shot wide?
Having been totally outclassed and deservedly beaten by Barcelona in last years final, the reality is that Fergie's team should not have won any of their three Champions League Finals but in football, the prizes rarely go to the team that deserves it most (e.g. last season's Premiership title).
It bodes well for Liverpool that we have Fergie so worried that he hasn’t even waited for a ball to be kicked before starting his evil gamesmanship. Hopefully Rafa will deliver the perfect response – not a list of ‘facts’ this time but a 19th League Title for Liverpool Football Club.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Adiós Amigos
I just arrived back from 10 days in Turkey where I deliberately avoided any news of football for fear of seeing confirmation of Alonso’s sale to Madrid. Unfortunately on the 10th evening I caught a SKY Sports News bulletin announcing the Spaniard had submitted a transfer request.
It’s a big disappointment, not least because the player had previously stated: “I do not think a move to Real Madrid is impossible, but I would also have no regrets at all staying at Liverpool.” Evidently what he meant was: “I want to join Real Madrid whilst saying all the right things to the Liverpool fans so it looks like the club’s decision to move me on rather than my own.”
I’m not going to criticise the player for disloyalty. The truth is there is precious little loyalty in football these days and Alonso could argue that the club (although not the fans who spent last pre-season chanting his name and singing: “You can shove your Gareth Barry up your arse”) showed him disloyalty last summer when seeking to sell him. I can understand the lure of Real Madrid for any player – let alone a Spaniard whom, in a World Cup year, might understandably see Real as the perfect shop window in which to compete with the likes of Barca’s Iniesta and Xavi for a place in the Spanish first XI. I can also understand how after 5 years at Liverpool, Alonso might feel ready for a new challenge. Saying he wants to leave Liverpool for Real isn’t the ultimate act of betrayal for a Liverpool player (that would be leaving to join the filthy Mancs) so if Alonso does go, despite the disappointment over the circumstances and timing of his departure, I would wish him well and retain largely positive memories of his contribution over the last half-decade in the Red shirt – the highlight of which will always be his equalising goal in Istanbul.
Of course, if he later follows the path to the Dark Side like Michael Shit Head Owen, that view will undoubtedly change. Take note, Xabi!
As I previous wrote on 13th July, the true impact of Xabi’s departure will depend on how Rafa responds to the situation but another crucial point was made this week by Real’s President Perez who complained: “A year ago, certain players we've asked about would have cost less than half the price we're being quoted now.”
It is true that a year ago, Alonso’s value was considered to be around £14 million and it has now risen to £30+ million. It is also true that a year ago Liverpool were willing to sell Alonso whereas this summer the club wanted to keep him and that last summer Real showed no interest in signing him, unlike this year. That is because a player’s value and the demand for the player waxes and wanes in proportion to the player’s form.
The truth is Alonso was disappointing in 2006-07 and downright crap in 2007-08. That was why Rafa was prepared to sell for half his current valuation and that was why Real didn’t want him then. One outstanding season later and the situation looks very different.
Liverpool fans should bear that in mind when considering the impact of losing the player. Last season offered evidence to suggest that had Alonso maintained his form of 2004-05 and 2005-06 during his third and fourth seasons at the club, with the progressive improvements to the squad of players around him, the team might have achieved far more than third and fourth placed League finishes in trophyless seasons. Just as last season, Alonso’s excellent form elevated the team’s performance over the campaign, in the previous two years, his rotten form left them carrying a player in a crucial position. As much as his outstanding performance against Juventus in 2005 showed what a world class player he can be, in 2007 he was a massive disappointment in Athens contributing directly to our Champions League Final defeat, not only through his culpability in Milan’s free-kick from which they took the lead (from Inzaghi’s handball) but in his overall failure to influence the game (positively) from midfield over the 90 minutes.
Not that I am suggesting Liverpool’s disappointing campaigns in 2006-07 and 2007-08 were entirely down to Xabi Alonso’s performances. The fact is, one player alone cannot win or lose the title. A player’s form and quality in conjunction with the form and quality shown by his teammates is what ultimately adds up to a campaign being successful or not. As brilliant as Alonso was last season, the improved League campaign was also aided by an outstanding campaign for Steven Gerrard while the likes of Pepe Reina, Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Aurelio and Arbeloa were far more effective than in previous seasons and Albert Riera improved the balance on the left-side of midfield.
If Liverpool kept Alonso for next season AND he maintained his form of last season, it might be enough to deliver the title IF Gerrard and Torres stay fit and on form and IF the goalkeeper and other outfield players maintain consistently good form. However, if Gerrard and/or Torres missed large chunks of the season OR Reina had a dip in form OR Kuyt and Benayoun dropped their standards, etc., Alonso’s form might prove to be a footnote on another unsuccessful campaign. Equally, if Alonso was kept and delivered his form of 2006-07 and 2007-08 it might well contribute to any potential title challenge being blown out of the water.
The bottom line is we don’t know how the team will fare with or without Alonso next season and while logic suggests we would be a better team if we retained him, equally if we signed a player who could score more than the 5 goals and create more than the 4 goals Alonso managed next season, who is to say the team won’t be better for it?
***********************************************************
I was pretty underwhelmed by the news of Arbeloa’s departure. I had thought it worth retaining him as a squad player to provide cover for Glen Johnson but I’m not overly concerned by his departure. He won’t feature in any future debates about the greatest full-backs to represent the club. He was steady but never spectacular and had a decent campaign last season. He wasn’t signed for a big fee and wasn’t sold for one either. It was clear last summer when Rafa signed Degen and Dossena that he wanted more attacking full-backs than Arbeloa and Aurelio (or indeed the departing Finnan and Riise). In Johnson, we now have that at right-back.
I think we need to bring in a replacement right-back for squad cover as the only pressure Degen will put on Johnson is the pressure to stay fit and play every game. Darby may be ready to make a breakthrough but, as with Insua last season, it is better to be able to use a young player sparingly than to rely on them in the absence (or loss of form) of the one first choice player in that position.
It’s a big disappointment, not least because the player had previously stated: “I do not think a move to Real Madrid is impossible, but I would also have no regrets at all staying at Liverpool.” Evidently what he meant was: “I want to join Real Madrid whilst saying all the right things to the Liverpool fans so it looks like the club’s decision to move me on rather than my own.”
I’m not going to criticise the player for disloyalty. The truth is there is precious little loyalty in football these days and Alonso could argue that the club (although not the fans who spent last pre-season chanting his name and singing: “You can shove your Gareth Barry up your arse”) showed him disloyalty last summer when seeking to sell him. I can understand the lure of Real Madrid for any player – let alone a Spaniard whom, in a World Cup year, might understandably see Real as the perfect shop window in which to compete with the likes of Barca’s Iniesta and Xavi for a place in the Spanish first XI. I can also understand how after 5 years at Liverpool, Alonso might feel ready for a new challenge. Saying he wants to leave Liverpool for Real isn’t the ultimate act of betrayal for a Liverpool player (that would be leaving to join the filthy Mancs) so if Alonso does go, despite the disappointment over the circumstances and timing of his departure, I would wish him well and retain largely positive memories of his contribution over the last half-decade in the Red shirt – the highlight of which will always be his equalising goal in Istanbul.
Of course, if he later follows the path to the Dark Side like Michael Shit Head Owen, that view will undoubtedly change. Take note, Xabi!
As I previous wrote on 13th July, the true impact of Xabi’s departure will depend on how Rafa responds to the situation but another crucial point was made this week by Real’s President Perez who complained: “A year ago, certain players we've asked about would have cost less than half the price we're being quoted now.”
It is true that a year ago, Alonso’s value was considered to be around £14 million and it has now risen to £30+ million. It is also true that a year ago Liverpool were willing to sell Alonso whereas this summer the club wanted to keep him and that last summer Real showed no interest in signing him, unlike this year. That is because a player’s value and the demand for the player waxes and wanes in proportion to the player’s form.
The truth is Alonso was disappointing in 2006-07 and downright crap in 2007-08. That was why Rafa was prepared to sell for half his current valuation and that was why Real didn’t want him then. One outstanding season later and the situation looks very different.
Liverpool fans should bear that in mind when considering the impact of losing the player. Last season offered evidence to suggest that had Alonso maintained his form of 2004-05 and 2005-06 during his third and fourth seasons at the club, with the progressive improvements to the squad of players around him, the team might have achieved far more than third and fourth placed League finishes in trophyless seasons. Just as last season, Alonso’s excellent form elevated the team’s performance over the campaign, in the previous two years, his rotten form left them carrying a player in a crucial position. As much as his outstanding performance against Juventus in 2005 showed what a world class player he can be, in 2007 he was a massive disappointment in Athens contributing directly to our Champions League Final defeat, not only through his culpability in Milan’s free-kick from which they took the lead (from Inzaghi’s handball) but in his overall failure to influence the game (positively) from midfield over the 90 minutes.
Not that I am suggesting Liverpool’s disappointing campaigns in 2006-07 and 2007-08 were entirely down to Xabi Alonso’s performances. The fact is, one player alone cannot win or lose the title. A player’s form and quality in conjunction with the form and quality shown by his teammates is what ultimately adds up to a campaign being successful or not. As brilliant as Alonso was last season, the improved League campaign was also aided by an outstanding campaign for Steven Gerrard while the likes of Pepe Reina, Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Aurelio and Arbeloa were far more effective than in previous seasons and Albert Riera improved the balance on the left-side of midfield.
If Liverpool kept Alonso for next season AND he maintained his form of last season, it might be enough to deliver the title IF Gerrard and Torres stay fit and on form and IF the goalkeeper and other outfield players maintain consistently good form. However, if Gerrard and/or Torres missed large chunks of the season OR Reina had a dip in form OR Kuyt and Benayoun dropped their standards, etc., Alonso’s form might prove to be a footnote on another unsuccessful campaign. Equally, if Alonso was kept and delivered his form of 2006-07 and 2007-08 it might well contribute to any potential title challenge being blown out of the water.
The bottom line is we don’t know how the team will fare with or without Alonso next season and while logic suggests we would be a better team if we retained him, equally if we signed a player who could score more than the 5 goals and create more than the 4 goals Alonso managed next season, who is to say the team won’t be better for it?
***********************************************************
I was pretty underwhelmed by the news of Arbeloa’s departure. I had thought it worth retaining him as a squad player to provide cover for Glen Johnson but I’m not overly concerned by his departure. He won’t feature in any future debates about the greatest full-backs to represent the club. He was steady but never spectacular and had a decent campaign last season. He wasn’t signed for a big fee and wasn’t sold for one either. It was clear last summer when Rafa signed Degen and Dossena that he wanted more attacking full-backs than Arbeloa and Aurelio (or indeed the departing Finnan and Riise). In Johnson, we now have that at right-back.
I think we need to bring in a replacement right-back for squad cover as the only pressure Degen will put on Johnson is the pressure to stay fit and play every game. Darby may be ready to make a breakthrough but, as with Insua last season, it is better to be able to use a young player sparingly than to rely on them in the absence (or loss of form) of the one first choice player in that position.
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