Fulham VS Liverpool: Match Review

Another 5-star performance by the Reds this morning
to totally destroyed the Cottage with a 2-5 away victory.
I was extremely busy over the last couple of weeks that
I missed posting review with the controversial draw with
Arsenal, and the 2 convincing victories over Birmingham and
Newcastle. But I was fortunate to watch this morning match
live and I am glad that the sacrifice of 2 hours of sleep was
all worth it as I am rewarded with a ruthless 7-goal classic by
the Reds and the best away victory for the Reds this season.

If this is the beginning of the season or even the mid-season,
it will be a great season as with such performance and
scoreline lately, Liverpool can realistically chase after the
league title, but alas we are near to the season-end and
the best the Reds can achieve this season is a 5th place
finish and a ticket to next season's Europa League, barring
an amazing collapse by Man City in its last 3 matches.

Liverpool started off the match at the Cottage without Andy
Carroll who suffered an injury during training, but the Reds
clearly do not missed him as they were in-front on the 32th
second. The skillfully crafty Suarez broke away down the
left and delivered a cross which was miscued by the defender
and goalie Mark Schwarzer and the on-form Maxi was there
to score with a well-place shot. His 5th goal in the last 3 matches
and 1-0 to the Reds.

Maxi was the scorer again in the 6th minute as he scored with
a coolly taken shot after a run at the right by Johnson and a
well-place cross from the right-back as well. Maxi's 6th and
2-0 to the Reds. You know about the saying that when you are
on a purple patch, nothing can stop you and that was what exactly
happened to the Reds recently. A rather harmless shot by Kuyt was
mishandled by Schwarzer and the ball bounced in on the near-side
of the post. 3-0 to the Reds. It could have been much worst humiliation
to Fulham as the Reds were in a triumphant mood and with better
finishing, the scoreline should have read 5-0 to the Reds after the
bombardments being rained down.

Bobby Zamora was substituted into the match by Hughes and
Fulham picked up the pace as the players must have been treated
with hair-dresser treatment by the manager and they came out of
the tunnel fired up. Dembele narrowed the gap for Fulham as he
struck in the 57th minutes and Reina was furious that he was unable
to keep a clean-sheet and his refusal to give back the ball immediately
was punished with a yellow-card by referee Lee Mason.

 But the day belongs to Maxi as he scored again in the 70th minutes
for his 7-goal in 3 matches and the second hat-trick in the last 3
matches  with a well-created solo goal. Maxi collected the ball
from Flanagan and dribbled with being closed-up and he jumped
around outside the the box before striking an unstoppable shot into
the top corner of the net. 4-1 to the Reds.

The Reds were not finish in the goal as the ever-demanding Suarez
scored in the 75th minute after a long accurate ball from Shelvey found
Suarez in lots of space. It is another one-on-one showdown with Suarez
and Schwarzer and the Uruguayan smartly round-off the goalie and
tab into the empty net. Suarez was clearly the prized-catch this season
and one can only imagine the damage he will create in the next season
after a great start in the premier league. He should have scored much
earlier with his solo efforts being blast up the stand. He proved more
than a handful to the Fulham defenders as he toyed around them with
his pace and amazing dribbling and tireless darting around the box.
5-1 to the Reds and another consolation goal for Fulham by Sidwell
completed the scoreline 5-2 superb victory to the Reds and a wonderful
match for Carragher in his 666th match for the club. I believe we will
likely get to see Carragher for quite some time and even when he retire
from club football, we can expect him to be drafted into the managaement
by Kenny and the club.

It have been a great revelation for the Reds under Kenny as
they have scored continuously in the last 18 matches and scored
17 goal in the last 5 matches and closing up the gap against Spurs
and is now in a realistically chance of finishing high enough for
a Europa League place next season. If only Liverpool started off
the campaign as brightly as how it is closing the season now,
we will be challenging for the title now. I expect to see more
high-calibre players being bring in by Kenny to strengthen the
squad to regain the title from Man United and to overtake them
again and again.But do note that no player is indispensable and
absolutely no player is above the club, we only need players who
are willing to fight and achieve for the club glory and fame.

Liverpool last 2 matches will be against Spurs at home this Sunday
and the last match will be away to Villa Park. This 2 matches is
win-able and with the 6 points, Liverpool can deservedly finish this
season with a 5th place in the league and Europa League ticket
next season.

You Will Never Walk Alone!!

Liverpool VS Man City: Match Review

Finally, Andy Carroll showed why Liverpool paid 35million
to acquire his service in January by scoring a brace in totally
demolished and destroyed Man City at Anfield this morning.
Kuyt scored again in make his goal tally to 9 this season and
the scoreline of 3-0 really flattered Man City as it could and
should have been much worse. If Suarez and Meireles have
their shooting boot on yesterday, the scoreline should read
as 5-0 or 6-0 at its best.

The Reds started the match brightly with all guns shooting on
the fragile but stubborn Man City's defence. Suarez had a lively
game and he should have put the Reds infront on the 8th minute
when he was put through by a sweet through ball Carroll.
Joe Hart had a palm to push the shot to the left pole when with
little bit of luck, this should have been the 1st goal.

But nothing can stop Carroll from getting his first goal in the
12th minute when he let off a thunderous low left-footed half-volley
with great pace and power that flew past the wrong-footed Hart.
Anfield erupted with loud and huge cheers and the players gathered
around to congratulate Carroll for his first goal. Nerves were calmed
and the fans can just speculate that there will be more goals in this match.

In the 32th minutes, Liverpool launched attacks after attacks on the
Man City defence with shots from Suarez, Meireles, Aurelio, but it
was Kuyt who eventually fired a well-placed shot into the right-corner
of the net. The defenders will be blaming each other for not simply
blasting the ball of the play when they have the chance to do so.
It was quite a lucky goal from Kuyt as Hart was blind-sighted by his
own defence and really saw the goal-bound ball late, but that can't
stop the stadium going into a celebration frenzy. I saw Kuyt showing
a FOUR with his fingers, and I only speculate that he want the
team to score 4 goals to avenge for the defeat at Man City by 3-0.

Within 94 seconds after Kuyt scored, Carroll strikes again and this
time scoring with his trademark strongly-challenged header. Meireles
was the provider this time as he floated a cross into the box and
Carroll finished the job with a strong challenge against Kolarov
and the ball traveled past the hapless Hart.
One goal from the left foot, another a right-foot shot and to complete
the first-half blitz was a header.
3-0 to the Reds! 

The Reds had plenty of chances of adding to the goals and finish
off the opponent by first-half but the match ended at 3-0.
Man City fans and the neutrals may argued that Man City is
without Carlos Tevez as he limped off with a presumably ham-string
injury and David Silva and Nigel de Jong were rested in this match.
But the Reds had their own injury woes in the built-up to this match as
well, with captain Gerrard and Agger out for the remaining season,
and Johnson and Kyrgiakos also out injured. Kenny had to call-up
2 youngsters, Jack Robinson and John Flanagan to the senior squad
and join in the training. 18-year-old Flanagan was given a straight
senior debut without even being in the reserves before and Aurelio
was re-called into the left-back position after coming back from injury.
Local boy Flanagan performed superbly against the like of Balotelli
and Dzeko and this is a great sign of what the academy is capable
of providing the future Reds and English squad.


Reina was kept pretty free and trouble-less for the entire match except
for a 82-min stinger by Yaya Toure which the keeper had to punch it
over for a corner. It was less-exciting in the 2nd half but the Reds still
have numerous chances to seal off the game early with shots from
Suarez, Kuyt, Meireles and of course Carroll. It was nevertheless a
wonderful performance by the Reds, and the sight of Kenny celebrating
a goal is always a warm and encouraging feeling. I simply enjoy his
celebration and I want to see this being repeated many many times
again and again.

From a report that I read, the Reds had amassed 13 points against
the top 4 which was quite an achievement by any measure but why
can't the team perform as such against the lesser teams?
The team really need to be more ruthless and lethal in the finishing
when given a chance as it will all counts toward the season standing.
Suarez-Carroll strikers partnership appears to be working well currently
and it can only get better with more matches being played as they
will have better understanding of each other's style and techniques.
Things are really looking brighter to finish the season on a high note
and with more quality summer signings expected to arrive at Anfield,
the team will be a feared force next season

Liverpool will next face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday
and I am having mixed feeling about the outcome of this match.
On one hand, I want to team to continue winning in a late-surge for
an Europa seat, but on the other hand, Arsenal is the only team that
can stop Man United from getting the 19th league title. I am really in
a dilemma right now, and I have to leave it to the lads and Kenny.
Carroll is on-form right now and I don't see why he can't score again
this Sunday against a weak and toothless Arsenal defence but I don't
wish the title to be in the Manure's hand.

You Will Never Walk Alone!!

Liverpool VS SC Braga and Sunderland VS Liverpool: Match Review

Ok, Liverpool got dumped out of the Europa League after
only managing to get a goalless draw at Anfield after 90 min,
and lost out 1-0 at total score. Caroll started in this match
and lasted throughout the entire match but it was quite clear
that he was not 100% fit and I never see any fire in his eyes (yet).
The team strategy and tactic was too boring and predicatable
and it was the one-dimensional high-ball pumping that really
cause the match. Braga defended the long ball well and Caroll
was cut-off and although he was still a great threat, he never
look like he was going to score against a stubbornly resilient defence.

We lack the trickery, pace and skill of Suraez in this match and
although we didn't lose the match, we lost the only chance of getting
a silverware this year to sneak into the next year's Europa League
through the back door if we win the cup.

Now, we need to finish at 5th place or higher to guarantee a place
in the European games next year. It had been debated and argued
that it may be better for the Reds to miss out completely in a year
of European matches to concentrate in the domestic matches and
rebuilding the team again. I have the same view as Kenny and I
believe that the Reds need the European matches and who can
forget the incredible and  exciting European night that we have
been through. Come on Reds, get the 5th spot or higher this year!

After the Europe slump, the Reds recovered well and fought to
a well-earned victory against Steve Bruce's Sunderland. I think many
fans should remembered the comical but unluckily sad beach ball incident
last year when the shot from Bent rebounded into the goal past a
hapless Reina after hitting the beach ball thrown in by our own fan.
Yesterday, Lady Luck was with us. The first goal was a wrong decision
by referee Kelvin Friend when Sunderland's center-back John Mensah
cleared fouled Spreaing outside the box. Friend initially awarded a free-kick
outside the box but after further consultation with assistant-referee Billy
Smallwood, he awarded the penalty and Kuyt stepped up to finish the job.
1-0 to the Reds.

The second goal was a classic and any more of such goal from Suraez
will definitely propel him to the next Kops hero status. Kenny had really
bought the right man and he scored his 2nd goal for the Reds in an
amazing situation. After getting a throw from Kuyt, he snaked himself
at the by-line, dribbling past Cattermole, and just when everyone is expecting
a cross-in to his team-mate, he delivered a audaciously thunderous shot from
almost the acutest angle past the helpless goalie Mignolet's near side.
An almost carbon copy deja vu from what we saw last week when he beat
Man United defenders with ease and Kuyt tab-in his goal-bound shot It seems
like with Suarez, we can really expect the unexpected with his unpredicatable
silky moves. I hope to see many of such goals coming in the future match.
He was taken off the field in the dying minutes in what looks like a hamstring
pull, hope that he recover well in the 2 weeks break.

Every fan must be talking the tall-short strikeforce combination that it seems
like we have Heskey and Owen once It was suppose to be a lethal force but
Carroll is not fully fit yet although he should still score from a clear-chance
yesterday but it was block at the line. We just have to wait till he is 100%
fit to see his aerial power and prowess again. If you are wondering what is
with the Reds celebration like the below photo, it is because Lucas become
a father for the first time on Saturday with the arrival of his son, Pedro.

 

The Premier League will now take a 2-week break and this week

we will have the international friendlies. Hope that they players will

not be injure and the next game will be a home against WBA. 

Another 3 points in the bag!

You Will Never Walk Alone!

Liverpool VS Man United: Match Review

First of all, a Happy Belated birthday to King Kenny.
This match review is about 3-4 days late and it is dued
to the fact that I was down with illness for the last few days.

A wonderful victory for the mighty to beat the lousy
Man United at Anfield with a hat-trick from Kuyt and
Suarez involved in each and every goals. If we have
a bit more luck from Lady Luck, the scoreline should read
5-1 or even 6-1 with some efforts from Kuyt, Suarez and
Gerrard being denied.

It is a very enjoyable feeling to watch how the face
of Ferguson can go so red in an instant although the scene
is not very often and I certainly hope to see his black-red
face again when the season is over and Man United was
denied the league title again.

The match started off with Liverpool completely dominated
the midfield and the pace and tempo of the game. Old man
Scoles and Giggs were chasing shadows and the only useful
Nani was being tackled and covered with every ball and passes.
Suraez had really capture the Kops' heart and soul with his
intelligent and crafty run and the way he "created" the first
goal was out-of-this-world. He snaked past 3 defenders before
side-flick the ball toward goal. Had the ball went in this way,
it will be the goal of the season without doubt, but Kuyt can't
be certain that it will not be clear off the line in the last second
and he got to simply tab in the goal from 1/2 yard.
1-0 to the Reds!

Minuted later, a harmless cross meant for Meireles was being
headed back into the danger zone by Nani and Kuyt was behind
to head in the 2nd goal of the match. Thank you, Nani.
2-0 to the Reds!

Frankly, I was disappointed with the rash and reckless tackle from
Carragher on Nani although I am a loyal Reds fan. He was very
lucky to be still on the field with just a yellow card to his name.
Nani really disgraced himself by crying on the pitch in an attempt
to make the referee into "rewarding" his sympathy with a red-card
to Carragher. I don't know what Meireles said to his international
team-mate but it helps in cooling him down and he got be strechered
out and replaced by Hernandez who scored the consolation goal
for United in the dying minutes of the match.

The 3rd goal by Kuyt was once again "created" by Suarez as his
well-placed free-kick was spilled by Van de Sar and Kuyt was
the quickest to react and he flick in the goal from 1-2 yard.
I read that the total distance of all his goal was a mere 7 yards
and those are really poacher's goals. He is always anticipating
passes from the teammate and mistakes from the opponents and
he was duly rewarded by the 3 goals. His superb performance
had cemented his reputation and name into the Kops' history
book and he will be remembered for a very long time. I believe
Suarez had also captured the support and love of the Kops
supporters and with his best yet to come with more matches played,
we can expect more scintillating runs and assists and marvelous
goals in the near future.

There are only 9 premier league matches left in the season calendar
and among them are some exciting and tough matches against the
like of Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle and Spurs.
I will list down the remaining 9 matches and they are as follow:
March 20 - Sunderland VS Liverpool
April 2     - WBA VS Liverpool
April 11   - Liverpool VS Man City
April 17   - Arsenal VS Liverpool
April 23   - Liverpool VS Birmingham
May 1     - Liverpool VS Newcastle
May 7     - Fulham VS Liverpool
May 15    - Liverpool VS Spurs
May 22    - Villa VS Liverpool
In-between the premier league matches, the Reds still have the
Europa League matches starting with the game against FC Braga
on March 10 and 17. From a total of 27 points in the last 9 matches,
I believe that the team should be able to gain 20-22 points which
should be enough to fight for a 4th place finishing should the other
teams ahead drop points and form.

You Will Never Walk Alone!!

West Ham VS Liverpool : Match Review

After 8 unbeaten matches on a row, Liverpool were
finally defeated by lowly West Ham yesterday night.
By the look of the team performance, we deserved
a draw or even better if not for the poor goalkeeping
by Reina and the heroic saves made by Green at the
other end.

If I have to point finger of the culprit to the match loss,
it must be the manager himself, King Kenny. I thought
he played a wrong strategy in using Kuyt as the main
striker and Suarez in a supporting role. It should be
entirely opposite switch of role between the 2 players.
Suarez is a fox in the box and we can see that in the
2nd half when he was creating panic and chaos in
the Hammers' box with his swift and pacy twists and
turns. Nevertheless, he created the goal for Johnson to
tap in with all his might and agility. If only he was made
to do the same in the 1st half.

Kuyt if he is playing in the supporting striker can help to
fill up the midfield gap with his tireless workhorse attitude.
Gerrard, Lucas and Meireles just can't dominate the critcal
midfield area and even when Cole was substituted in to replace
the injured Kelly, there is still lots of space for the West Ham's
midfielder to run into. I am convinced that Cole will be the
next "Roy Hodgson" who just about everyone and anyone were
singing praises on the player but he simply cannot perform up
to the standard and quality required. It will be better for Cole to
just ship him out of the club and to another mid-table club where
he may then shine in the team. Look like he got no future in the
club and in my view, even Aquilani is a better player than Cole.

Reina wasn't at his best yesterday and I think he will admit to that
statement himself. He should be able to save the 1st goal by Parker
as he was so close to the ball with his dive. The 2nd goal by Ba was
a diving header and I agree that it is a defensive lapse and it was
amazing how he got so much space to perform such an act.
The third goal by Carlton Cole was simply a speculative shot and
Reina was surprisingly being caught out at his near post which was
a very bad mistake made by the world-class keeper. He need to be
at his very best in the next match against Arch-Rival Man United.

Gerrard had a forgettable afternoon with a below-par performance
and that can be due to his first return match from injury. He need
to lead by example and buck up soon and lead the team to victories
again and again. Meireles had a knock at the knee and was substituted
in the 2nd half. He should be fit again this weekend according to the
post-match interview with Kenny. Lucas was really a by-stander
in the match yesterday and with such inconsistent performance by
the Brazilian, I wonder whether he will still be with us in the next season.


To be frank, I was really hoping that Kenny will bring Carroll to
West Ham and feature him for about 20 minutes of the game, but
I think he intend to unleash him in the Big match this week.
Suarez played reasonably well yesterday and was unlucky not to
have score 1 or maybe even 2 goal if he is fortunate enough, but he
still managed to create the assist with a simple tap-in by Johnson.
Kuyt and Ngog are not really the "right" striker for Liverpool and
with Carroll back in action this week, they are bound to fall in the
pecking order. I look forward to the days that Carroll and Suarez
can work together as a lethal and fearsome strike-force and
score plentiful of goals between the 2, starting from this week
BIG match against Man United.

You Will Never Walk Alone!

Liverpool VS Sparta Prague : Match Review for the 2 legs

A boring draw and a narrow win in Anfield ensured
Liverpool a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Kuyt grabbed the winner on the 83th minute but ideally
the match should already be wrapped up by half-time.
Ngog missed a sitter and if Cole has more courage or
taller by 5-10cm, he will score the follow-up.
Nevertheless, this is a fantastic victory for King Kenny
who pick up his first victory in European match as
Liverpool manager.

There were a number of injuries from this match with
the likes of Martin Kelly, Kyrgiakos and Agger. Although
we still have enough defenders as the back-up, it is
essential that the injury list is keep to a minimum as we
strive for a Champions League position and getting the
first silverware as the Europa League remains as the only
realistic opportunity to be won.



Ngog was wasteful in his finishing and with a bit of help
from Lady Luck, he should have scored 2-3 goals this
morning. Joe Cole played the full 90 minutes and he
delivered a reasonable performance which will be 
wonderful if he scored the nearly 1-to-1 opportunity
near the end of the match. I do think he is better than 
Maxi sometimes but he need to be consistent and 
perform at his best when he is given a chance to shine.
Meireles was quite quiet in this match and he should have
scored the open volley when he had the clear scoring chance.
But it is Ok if he continues to score in the Premier League
as we need all the 3 points we can get and leave the 
scoring in the Europa League to the rest of his team-mate.
Kuyt was as usual very hardworking throughout the match
and his effort was paid off with a header goal. He remains
as the Kop favourite and look to be written into the history
book if he ends his career at Liverpool.

The next match will be away to West Ham and it will 
be exciting if Kenny choose to start Carroll with Suarez
or use him as a substitute during the match. With a commanding
towering figure, Carroll will cause chaos to the fragile
West Ham defence and create chances for Suarez and 
himself to score. Gerrard maybe back from injury and
ready for this match as well but Kenny will make the
final decision whether to risk Carroll and Gerrard in this match.
I don't think West Ham can deal with Saurez's skill and 
agility and Carroll's strength and power, this match will
likely ended in a clear 2 goal victory for the Reds.

Chelsea VS Match Review

To pursuit a higher peak of his career, Fernando Torres
supposedly left the Anfield faithfuls to move to a "Big"
club, Chelsea, and I wonder what will be his feeling
and reaction after his lousy performance and Chelsea's
7th defeat in the league and a double-win by Liverpool
yesterday night.

The fact that Liverpool won the match without any of
the recently recruited Suarez and Carroll made the victory
even more sweeter and succulent. With a renewed confidence,
and with vice-captain Carragher back from injury, the
Reds fought for every ball and defended well and strongly
against any onslaught and aerial assaults from the Blues.
Torres, Drogba and Anelka were shut off almost completely
throughout the whole match and their rare shots were
either saved by an alert Reina or cleared off and blocked
by the defenders or just flew wide and far from any danger.

Kenny had done superbly well in his recent team selection
and it is clear to see to see he is playing the team to counteract
the opponent's strength and then using our own strengths to
clear down the opponent's defence. The fact that Kenny employed
6 defenders against Stoke and 5 defenders against Chelsea shows
the intelligence and experience that Kenny has in dealing with
every difficult opponent. There may be some critics that the
tactic is conservative and old-time but as long as it works and
delivers the 3 points, it is a good tactic. And Liverpool had 13 points
out of the possible 15 points in the last 5 matches and 4 clean sheet
victory in a row signify that the team can really strive for the
Champion's League position as we are now at 6th and 6 points
from the leading pack.

Meireles once again provided the winning goal and it is his
fourth goal in the last 5 matches and he is playing as a very
confident player that just can't stop scoring. His goal in the
69th, 3 minutes after Torres was substituted was a timely strike
that the Reds are the Big club and the Blues are just the
pretender.

In the dying minutes of the match, I was expecting Kenny to
bring in Suarez in place of Kuyt who had work tirelessly throughout
the match, and use out some precious time leading to the final
whistle, but Kenny never did so. Maybe he wanted the players
and formation to stay intact for the last few minutes and allow
the players to walk off the field with their head held up high. 

The next match will be this Saturday against Wigan at Anfield
and followed by Europa League match against Sparta Prague
across 2 weeks. The away match against West Ham will be
the last match in Februray and in March, we have the Biggest
match against Man United on 6 March.