Once again, Spurs came back from behind to beat the opponent
as Aaron Lennon scored in a one-to-one situation after terrible
defensing by Konchesky allow Lennon to nick in from behind.
The Reds performed well in this very open end-to-end game with
many shots but poor finishing and woeful defensing destroyed what
should be a justified 1-1 draw or better.
Reds started the game full of ambition and vigour as the midfield
pairing of Lucas and Meireles controlled the central area and Kuyt
and Maxi were flying on both flanks. Both team have a number of
chances to opening the scoring and with the attacking-minded players
looking and searching for spaces for a decent scoring opportunities.
All the midfield players, Lucas, Maxi, Meireles and Kuyt registered
shots but were unable to open the scoring. The Reds were help in its
course with Van der Vaart limping off just 10 minutes of play and
Kaboul were injured and off too in the 35th minutes.
Liverpool finally broke the deadlock with Skrtel scoring in the 42th
minutes and what followed really angered me in the last few minutes
of match action before the break. Spurs came fighting for an equalizer
before the break and that leave gaps in their defense and both Maxi
and Torres have clear-cut chances to put away the game or at least
secure a comfortable lead into the dressing room. Both failed to do
so, and Liverpool went into the break with a mere thin lead of a single goal.
After the break, Torres were again presented with an glorious open one-to-one
opportunity to increas the Reds' lead but he again failed to shoot in time
before the challenge from the defender arrived. Both team continued
where they left off before the break and aerial and groundbombardments
were plentiful in the match with a total of 30 shots and 12 shot-on-target
in the match. Gareth Bale were very lively and full of running in the match,
and on occasions, even a double-team of Johnson and Kuyt or Lucas
can't even stop him from delivering crosses into the danger zone, and he
also got a goal-destined shot cleared off at the line by Meireles.
Spurs were "handled" a penalty after Ngog jumped with both arms aloft in the
wall after being awarded a free-kick and the referee pointed to the penalty
spot. I was expecting Bale to step-up to the task but Defoe decided he
should be the executor. He fired his shot wide and he will really be
executed by Harry if that penalty miss cost his team dearly.
Spurs' first goal eventually came in the 65th minutes after Lukas
Modric burst into the box with amazing speed and wonderful ball-control
and his toe-poke cross can only be diverted into his own net by a desperate
last-minute lunge by Skrtel. The scoreline was even again.
Both teams had their chances to win the game but steady and stubborn
defense from both side canceled any attacks. I was thinking to myself that
a 1-1 draw wasn't a bad result with Carragher out injured with a dislocated
shoulder in the 87th minutes and his 450th match for the Reds. The world
came crashing down in the 92th minutes after Aaron Lennon darted
past the terrible Konchesky after Crouch had headed the ball down and
beat Reina in a one-to-one situation. Why can't Torres and Maxi do the same
in this situation!!
Final score in White Hart Lane, Spur 2 - 1 Liverpool, and this is incidentally
the same scoreline at the same pitch for 3 consecutive seasons.
Liverpool may have won the match if the finishing from Torres and
Maxi were better, but we can't put on all the blames on the 2 players now.
The team indeed performed well in this match after being labeled
as the underdog, and a 1-1 draw is definitely a more justified and
deserving scoreline. If the team play in this manner in every match,
we can beat any team along the way.
After the match, it was revealed that Carragher will be out for at
least a month after having a dislocated shoulder and the FA Cup
3rd round draw also put the team against Manchester United which
was scheduled to be played on 9th January 2011. It will be a cracking
match to look forward to.
Liverpool managed to get 7 points out of the possible 15 from the last
5 matches with victories against Chelsea and West Ham, defeats at
Stoke and Spurs and a single draw with Wigan. The next 5 matches
will be:
6th Dec Liverpool VS Aston Villa
11th Dec Newcastle VS Liverpool
18th Dec Liverpool VS Fulham
26th Dec Blackpool VS Liverpool
29th Dec Liverpool VS Wolves
As what Hodgson said, there are not easy matches against the weaker
team nowaday, but I am still looking at a 11-13 points from the maximum
15 points. I hope I will be right this time.
Liverpool will travel to Romania to face Steaua Bucuresti this Friday
in the Europa League group match, and it is confirmed that Hodgson
will field a side without many first-team players like Torres and Kuyt,
and give the young players a chance to shine again.
You Will Never Walk Alone!
Liverpool VS West Ham : Match Review
I got the score right for this match although I
hope that I was wrong and Liverpool managed to
add-on to the 3 goals scored in the first half.
Before the fans got carried away with this comfortable
victory, I have to say that we did not play very well
but it is because the opponent clearly gave up and
played extremely bad. Some reports that I encountered
used the word "Convincing", "Crashing", "Thrashing"
to describe the win, but to me, it is more like "Deserving",
"Comfortable" and "Splendid".
We play well in the first half as we completely dominated
the midfield, with Poulsen and Meireles having a good game.
Maxi and Kuyt were industriously running the flank and
Johnson helped in the attacks with his bustling runs. Johnson
was criticised by Hodgson last week for his below-par
performances, and he marked his return from injury with
a wonderful goal. He Chested the ball from the corner down
and fired an unstoppable shot past the hapless Robert Green.
1-0 to the Reds!
The 2nd goal was a penalty converted by Kuyt after West Ham's
Gabbidon handled the ball in the box.
2-0 to the Reds!
Ngog and Torres did not play well although they have a number
of goal scoring chances, but it was Torres who "indirectly" created
the 3 rd goal. Torres had a 1-to-1 shot blocked by Green's leg but
the rebound went to Konchesky who whip in the ball into the
danger zone, and the unmarked Maxi was there to guide the ball
with the slightest touch of his head into the right bottom corner of
the goal.
3-0 to the Reds.
I was hopeful that the team will have an equal, if not better performance
in the 2nd half to really add up to the Goal Difference which still
stands at -1 at the break. But the pace and the tempo of the team
dropped tremendously after coming out of the tunnel. The team looks
to be protecting the 3 goal cushion and trying to run down the clock.
To me, I don't like such a weak and conservative tactic deployed by
Hodgson. Several reports that I read suggested that Hodgson is
trying to be a Mr Nice Guy and not causing the opposing team's
Grant to have a "Thrashing" defeat! Before I end the review
on the match, I have to tell Hodgson that if you have spare cash
after buying all the players that you wanted in January, you can
consider snatching Carlton Cole at a bargain. I feel that Cole will
want to leave the team, and he will be good buy below 10 million,
within the 5-8 Million range.
We should and could have scored more goal if we just maintain
our momentum throughout the match, and further improve on
our negative Goal difference. In our next match against Spurs,
we need to the ruthless in our mindset, attacks and tackles.
Spurs had a great match overturning a 2 goal deficit by scoring
3 goals and won the North London derby against Arsenal.
They are on a high note, and if Liverpool were to beat them,
we need to hit them hard and fast. Go on a attack at the blow
of the whistle and seek to unsettle the Spurs' defence with
blistering attacks from the flank and midfield.
As what Hodgson said that the team was "written off" too early
and a win over Spurs will provide more evidence of the
revival of the team toward the top 4 and I certainly won't
want to discount the team off from even reaching the Top
if they can manage to put on a winning steak.
I will write on the preview in another few days on the match
aginst Spurs at White Hart Lane this Sunday.
hope that I was wrong and Liverpool managed to
add-on to the 3 goals scored in the first half.
Before the fans got carried away with this comfortable
victory, I have to say that we did not play very well
but it is because the opponent clearly gave up and
played extremely bad. Some reports that I encountered
used the word "Convincing", "Crashing", "Thrashing"
to describe the win, but to me, it is more like "Deserving",
"Comfortable" and "Splendid".
We play well in the first half as we completely dominated
the midfield, with Poulsen and Meireles having a good game.
Maxi and Kuyt were industriously running the flank and
Johnson helped in the attacks with his bustling runs. Johnson
was criticised by Hodgson last week for his below-par
performances, and he marked his return from injury with
a wonderful goal. He Chested the ball from the corner down
and fired an unstoppable shot past the hapless Robert Green.
1-0 to the Reds!
The 2nd goal was a penalty converted by Kuyt after West Ham's
Gabbidon handled the ball in the box.
2-0 to the Reds!
Ngog and Torres did not play well although they have a number
of goal scoring chances, but it was Torres who "indirectly" created
the 3 rd goal. Torres had a 1-to-1 shot blocked by Green's leg but
the rebound went to Konchesky who whip in the ball into the
danger zone, and the unmarked Maxi was there to guide the ball
with the slightest touch of his head into the right bottom corner of
the goal.
3-0 to the Reds.
I was hopeful that the team will have an equal, if not better performance
in the 2nd half to really add up to the Goal Difference which still
stands at -1 at the break. But the pace and the tempo of the team
dropped tremendously after coming out of the tunnel. The team looks
to be protecting the 3 goal cushion and trying to run down the clock.
To me, I don't like such a weak and conservative tactic deployed by
Hodgson. Several reports that I read suggested that Hodgson is
trying to be a Mr Nice Guy and not causing the opposing team's
Grant to have a "Thrashing" defeat! Before I end the review
on the match, I have to tell Hodgson that if you have spare cash
after buying all the players that you wanted in January, you can
consider snatching Carlton Cole at a bargain. I feel that Cole will
want to leave the team, and he will be good buy below 10 million,
within the 5-8 Million range.
We should and could have scored more goal if we just maintain
our momentum throughout the match, and further improve on
our negative Goal difference. In our next match against Spurs,
we need to the ruthless in our mindset, attacks and tackles.
Spurs had a great match overturning a 2 goal deficit by scoring
3 goals and won the North London derby against Arsenal.
They are on a high note, and if Liverpool were to beat them,
we need to hit them hard and fast. Go on a attack at the blow
of the whistle and seek to unsettle the Spurs' defence with
blistering attacks from the flank and midfield.
As what Hodgson said that the team was "written off" too early
and a win over Spurs will provide more evidence of the
revival of the team toward the top 4 and I certainly won't
want to discount the team off from even reaching the Top
if they can manage to put on a winning steak.
I will write on the preview in another few days on the match
aginst Spurs at White Hart Lane this Sunday.
 | ||||
| Johnson scoring the first goal for the Reds! |
 | ||||
| Kuyt scoring from a beauty from the spot! |
 |
| Maxi putting the final nail into the coffin! |
Facts and Stats of Liverpool VS West Ham
Facts and stats ahead of Liverpool's Premier League encounter with West Ham at Anfield.
West Ham have won none of their last 24 Premier League away matches.
The Hammers have only kept one clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League away games.
Fernando Torres has scored five goals in four Premier League appearances against West Ham.
West Ham have failed to score in 12 of their 15 Premier League visits to Anfield.
The Hammers have failed to win in their last 38 league visits to Anfield since September 1963, failing to score in 27 of those games.
Liverpool have only won four of their last nine Premier League home games.
Liverpool have lost 49 Premier League matches at Anfield.
West Ham have drawn all five games against teams starting the weekend in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Fernando Torres has hit 44 goals in 47 Premier League appearances at Anfield.
All 12 of Liverpool's goals since the opening day of the season have been either scored or assisted by Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres.
West Ham have won none of their last 24 Premier League away matches.
The Hammers have only kept one clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League away games.
Fernando Torres has scored five goals in four Premier League appearances against West Ham.
West Ham have failed to score in 12 of their 15 Premier League visits to Anfield.
The Hammers have failed to win in their last 38 league visits to Anfield since September 1963, failing to score in 27 of those games.
Liverpool have only won four of their last nine Premier League home games.
Liverpool have lost 49 Premier League matches at Anfield.
West Ham have drawn all five games against teams starting the weekend in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Fernando Torres has hit 44 goals in 47 Premier League appearances at Anfield.
All 12 of Liverpool's goals since the opening day of the season have been either scored or assisted by Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres.
Liverpool VS West Ham : Match Preview
Frankly speaking, I was in no mood to write a preview of
the utter-disappointing defeat against Stoke last Saturday.
I kept thinking "What if Rafa managed to sign Kenwyne
Jones last season" and "What didnt't Rafa keep Pennant
in the team" throughout the match, but all these was history
and we can't turn back the clock.
This Saturday, we will be at home against bottom-place
West Ham, which will not be an easy game as seen
on paper. Gerrard will be out for action for 3-4 weeks
after suffering a hamstring injury during the England
defeat to France match. This will be a huge blow to the team
and we just have to make use of we have left in the squad.
Lucas will be suspended for this match followed his
double yellow cards during the last game. Joe Cole is
still out with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, Kuyt, Skrtel,
Johnson and Torres are declared fit for tomorrow game.
Hodgson can start the game with Konchesky, Carragher,
Skrtel and Johnson in defense with Kyrgiakos and Kelly
in strong contention to start as well. The main issue now
is who to put in the central midfield role. With Lucas and
Gerrard unavailable, Hodgson will possibly put Poulsen and
Meireles in the important role. I am still not convince that
Poulsen deserve to wear the Reds jersey as what you can
read from my past postings. But I am willing to give him
a chance to prove me and other critics wrong as he promises
to prove himself in Liverpool. Meireles played superb during
the wonderful victory against World Champion, Spain, and
I hope that he can duplicate the same performance and
form in Liverpool.
I strongly feel that Jovanovic deserve chance to play in
the left wing again after falling out of favour of Hodgson's
selection. He got the skill and attitude to excel in this
position although he maybe lacking the speed aspect.
He stated that he won't play for Serbia until he wins back
his place in Liverpool first team, and this is the type of
never-say-die and gung-ho attitude that I like.
Hodgson, give Jovanovic a chance to shine again.
Maxi will be starting in the right wing and Kuyt can start
with Torres in attack. There will be backup from Babel,
Shelvey, Spearing and Ngog if they are needed
to provide the width coverage or the attacking power.
If you ask me, I have to say that Hodgson made a grave
mistake to loan Aquilani to Juventus at the beginning of
the season, if not, we can have the Italian's service right now.
He may be a sick chicken when he arrived at Anfield,
but during his occasional appearances, he proved what
he can do with and without the ball. To me, he will be
a great asset to the team, but somehow, Hodgson don't agree
with me, and we will likely lose him forever. Aquilani had openly
stated that he likes it in Italy, and urged Juventus to sign
him permanently. I feel that Hodgson can make a sincere
last-minute face-to-face talk with Aquilani to convince him
that he still has a marvelous future at Anfield.
Avram Grant's West Ham is like a wounded animal in a
corner, and Liverpool is without several key players at the
moment. This is really not a good time to meet, but it is
too late to say all these bullshit. If the real Liverpool play
like what we did to Chelsea 2 weeks ago, we can have
a convincing win with a few clear goals even without
Captain Gerrard around. We really need to score more
goals as we are -4 in the goal difference category.
Final Score: Liverpool 3 - 0 West Ham
Players to watch: Scott Parker, Boa Morte, Carlton Cole.
the utter-disappointing defeat against Stoke last Saturday.
I kept thinking "What if Rafa managed to sign Kenwyne
Jones last season" and "What didnt't Rafa keep Pennant
in the team" throughout the match, but all these was history
and we can't turn back the clock.
This Saturday, we will be at home against bottom-place
West Ham, which will not be an easy game as seen
on paper. Gerrard will be out for action for 3-4 weeks
after suffering a hamstring injury during the England
defeat to France match. This will be a huge blow to the team
and we just have to make use of we have left in the squad.
Lucas will be suspended for this match followed his
double yellow cards during the last game. Joe Cole is
still out with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, Kuyt, Skrtel,
Johnson and Torres are declared fit for tomorrow game.
Hodgson can start the game with Konchesky, Carragher,
Skrtel and Johnson in defense with Kyrgiakos and Kelly
in strong contention to start as well. The main issue now
is who to put in the central midfield role. With Lucas and
Gerrard unavailable, Hodgson will possibly put Poulsen and
Meireles in the important role. I am still not convince that
Poulsen deserve to wear the Reds jersey as what you can
read from my past postings. But I am willing to give him
a chance to prove me and other critics wrong as he promises
to prove himself in Liverpool. Meireles played superb during
the wonderful victory against World Champion, Spain, and
I hope that he can duplicate the same performance and
form in Liverpool.
I strongly feel that Jovanovic deserve chance to play in
the left wing again after falling out of favour of Hodgson's
selection. He got the skill and attitude to excel in this
position although he maybe lacking the speed aspect.
He stated that he won't play for Serbia until he wins back
his place in Liverpool first team, and this is the type of
never-say-die and gung-ho attitude that I like.
Hodgson, give Jovanovic a chance to shine again.
Maxi will be starting in the right wing and Kuyt can start
with Torres in attack. There will be backup from Babel,
Shelvey, Spearing and Ngog if they are needed
to provide the width coverage or the attacking power.
If you ask me, I have to say that Hodgson made a grave
mistake to loan Aquilani to Juventus at the beginning of
the season, if not, we can have the Italian's service right now.
He may be a sick chicken when he arrived at Anfield,
but during his occasional appearances, he proved what
he can do with and without the ball. To me, he will be
a great asset to the team, but somehow, Hodgson don't agree
with me, and we will likely lose him forever. Aquilani had openly
stated that he likes it in Italy, and urged Juventus to sign
him permanently. I feel that Hodgson can make a sincere
last-minute face-to-face talk with Aquilani to convince him
that he still has a marvelous future at Anfield.
Avram Grant's West Ham is like a wounded animal in a
corner, and Liverpool is without several key players at the
moment. This is really not a good time to meet, but it is
too late to say all these bullshit. If the real Liverpool play
like what we did to Chelsea 2 weeks ago, we can have
a convincing win with a few clear goals even without
Captain Gerrard around. We really need to score more
goals as we are -4 in the goal difference category.
Final Score: Liverpool 3 - 0 West Ham
Players to watch: Scott Parker, Boa Morte, Carlton Cole.
Stoke VS Liverpool : Match Preview
Will the real Liverpool please stand up?
Forget about the disappointing performance and result
against Wigan and concentrate on winning against
Stoke at Britannia Stadium this Saturday.
Gerrard shouldered the blame of drawing with Wigan
but he shouldn't had done so. Although his shot hitted
the crossbar when it could be the winning goal, Liverpool
played a off-form game and on other occasions, it could
have resulted in favour of the home team.
Kyrgiakos and Johnson may be back into the
defense line-up but I think Kelly can continue to start
matches to gain more exposures and experiences.
With Kyrigiakos back, the Reds will have a deadly
header to aim for during corners and free-kicks,
and I just have a feeling that he will rise to the occasion
and head in goal(s).
Cole may be back too after recovering from hamstring
injury but with Maxi playing decently in last few matches
it will be a good fight between them to start tomorrow.
Lucas and Meireles will continue to be featured at
midfield and hopefully they can control and dominate
the centre battle ground. Kuyt was virtually anonymous
in the last match, and it can be due to the fact the he
had just recovered from injured and is feeling tired.
He will start tomorrow and partner Torres in attack with
the help of Captain Marvel Gerrard running the show.
If you have read my previous posting, you may notice
that I have great respect for current Stoke striker,
Kenwyne Jones. He is the danger man tomorrow, and
Carragher and Kyrigiakos have to be alert to his aerial
ability and mark him tightly.
All in all, it will be an exciting match but the outcome
will be a away win for the Reds with the scoreline
Stoke 0 - 2 Liverpool at the fulltime whistle.
Players to look out for: Kenwyne Jones, Ricardo Fuller,
Jermaine Pennant
Forget about the disappointing performance and result
against Wigan and concentrate on winning against
Stoke at Britannia Stadium this Saturday.
Gerrard shouldered the blame of drawing with Wigan
but he shouldn't had done so. Although his shot hitted
the crossbar when it could be the winning goal, Liverpool
played a off-form game and on other occasions, it could
have resulted in favour of the home team.
Kyrgiakos and Johnson may be back into the
defense line-up but I think Kelly can continue to start
matches to gain more exposures and experiences.
With Kyrigiakos back, the Reds will have a deadly
header to aim for during corners and free-kicks,
and I just have a feeling that he will rise to the occasion
and head in goal(s).
Cole may be back too after recovering from hamstring
injury but with Maxi playing decently in last few matches
it will be a good fight between them to start tomorrow.
Lucas and Meireles will continue to be featured at
midfield and hopefully they can control and dominate
the centre battle ground. Kuyt was virtually anonymous
in the last match, and it can be due to the fact the he
had just recovered from injured and is feeling tired.
He will start tomorrow and partner Torres in attack with
the help of Captain Marvel Gerrard running the show.
If you have read my previous posting, you may notice
that I have great respect for current Stoke striker,
Kenwyne Jones. He is the danger man tomorrow, and
Carragher and Kyrigiakos have to be alert to his aerial
ability and mark him tightly.
All in all, it will be an exciting match but the outcome
will be a away win for the Reds with the scoreline
Stoke 0 - 2 Liverpool at the fulltime whistle.
Players to look out for: Kenwyne Jones, Ricardo Fuller,
Jermaine Pennant
Liverpool VS Chelsea : Match Review
2 masterclass goals by Torres secured 3 points for the
Reds and propelled Liverpool to the top half of the
league table in the 9th position with 15 points from 11
games and just 5 points from the 4th position.
John Henry was present to watch the match with his lovely
wife and they must have enjoyed the proceedings.
He should make himself readily available in every home
games as the players will get a boost from the sight of
the boss and play the matches with vigor and passion.
Kuyt returned from injury and was unexpectedly playing
behind Torres as a supporting striker, and he is back
to his hardworking and tireless attitude which is always
good to see. Hodgson seems to be getting grip of the Liverpool games
nowaday, as he shifted Maxi to the left-wing and Meireles
to the right side, and Captain Gerrard and Lucas as the
midfield maestro. This strategy works as the Reds controlled
the midfield battles and this become somewhat easier with
Essien and Lampard out of Chelsea due to injuries.
Torres scored his first goal in the 11th minutes when a
perfectly angled cross from Kuyt found him between
Terry and A.Cole, and he controlled the ball well and
put in a well-placed shot passed the oncoming Cech.
1-0 to the Reds!
If the first goal is impressive then the second one will be
magnificent. Torres really showed that he is clearly on
his way to gaining his form back when his predatory instinct
surfaced. After receiving a pass from Meireles a minute before
halftime, he dribbled toward the Chelsea defender, Ivanovic,
and fired a wonderfully curling shot to the far post of Cech
and into the net. It was clearly the best first-half display of the
season from Liverpool. If only we can have many such performance
every week.
2-0 to the Reds!!
Drogba came on at the 2nd half and he look so sickly as
he was recovering from a fever. He is nevertheless still a
big threat and Carragher and Skrtel were there to counteract him.
Anelka had a bad game and he was never a real threat throughout
the match, but he was also constantly marshaled by Lucas and
Konchesky. Martin Kelly was handed a start in place of
injured Johnson, and he performed brilliantly to deal with
the 2nd half onslaught from Chelsea.
I was unhappy to see that Hodgson was trying to protect
the lead, and play very defensive in the 2nd half, only attacking
on the counter. It led to Chelsea having most of the possessions
and Reina was called into serious action and was tested 3 times
but he is on form too and managed to palm and block the shots
to safety with the help from the defenders too. The scoreline could
have been extended by Kuyt and Maxi in the dying minutes, but
it was not to be. The final score at Anfield was 2-0, and indeed
the Reds gave Chelsea "hell of a game" and send them back to hell.
This is an invaluable victory and the 3 points lifted the team
up the table and the spirit and morale of the team and fans.
Torres is clearly on the eminent path of becoming his best
again, Kuyt is as-always excel in whatever position the manager
want him to be, and Gerrrad and Lucas have a good working
relationship and understanding in the midfield. M&M (Maxi and
Meireles) are doing fine, but it looks like Maxi will lose his
place when Cole is back from injury.
If we can play every match with the same strong desire and will
to win, coupled with great determination and correct attitude,
this vibrant and unstoppable momentum can allow the Reds
to overcome any team in the league and in Europe.
The next 2 matches this week will be away to Wigan this Wednesday
(Thursday morning in Singapore) and away to Stoke this
Saturday. This is a good chance to repair the damages
caused by early poor start to the season.
Come on lads, get all the 6 points for this 2 match and
we can stage a serious challenge to the top end of the league.
You Will Never Walk Alone!
Some pictures of the match:
Reds and propelled Liverpool to the top half of the
league table in the 9th position with 15 points from 11
games and just 5 points from the 4th position.
John Henry was present to watch the match with his lovely
wife and they must have enjoyed the proceedings.
He should make himself readily available in every home
games as the players will get a boost from the sight of
the boss and play the matches with vigor and passion.
Kuyt returned from injury and was unexpectedly playing
behind Torres as a supporting striker, and he is back
to his hardworking and tireless attitude which is always
good to see. Hodgson seems to be getting grip of the Liverpool games
nowaday, as he shifted Maxi to the left-wing and Meireles
to the right side, and Captain Gerrard and Lucas as the
midfield maestro. This strategy works as the Reds controlled
the midfield battles and this become somewhat easier with
Essien and Lampard out of Chelsea due to injuries.
Torres scored his first goal in the 11th minutes when a
perfectly angled cross from Kuyt found him between
Terry and A.Cole, and he controlled the ball well and
put in a well-placed shot passed the oncoming Cech.
1-0 to the Reds!
If the first goal is impressive then the second one will be
magnificent. Torres really showed that he is clearly on
his way to gaining his form back when his predatory instinct
surfaced. After receiving a pass from Meireles a minute before
halftime, he dribbled toward the Chelsea defender, Ivanovic,
and fired a wonderfully curling shot to the far post of Cech
and into the net. It was clearly the best first-half display of the
season from Liverpool. If only we can have many such performance
every week.
2-0 to the Reds!!
Drogba came on at the 2nd half and he look so sickly as
he was recovering from a fever. He is nevertheless still a
big threat and Carragher and Skrtel were there to counteract him.
Anelka had a bad game and he was never a real threat throughout
the match, but he was also constantly marshaled by Lucas and
Konchesky. Martin Kelly was handed a start in place of
injured Johnson, and he performed brilliantly to deal with
the 2nd half onslaught from Chelsea.
I was unhappy to see that Hodgson was trying to protect
the lead, and play very defensive in the 2nd half, only attacking
on the counter. It led to Chelsea having most of the possessions
and Reina was called into serious action and was tested 3 times
but he is on form too and managed to palm and block the shots
to safety with the help from the defenders too. The scoreline could
have been extended by Kuyt and Maxi in the dying minutes, but
it was not to be. The final score at Anfield was 2-0, and indeed
the Reds gave Chelsea "hell of a game" and send them back to hell.
This is an invaluable victory and the 3 points lifted the team
up the table and the spirit and morale of the team and fans.
Torres is clearly on the eminent path of becoming his best
again, Kuyt is as-always excel in whatever position the manager
want him to be, and Gerrrad and Lucas have a good working
relationship and understanding in the midfield. M&M (Maxi and
Meireles) are doing fine, but it looks like Maxi will lose his
place when Cole is back from injury.
If we can play every match with the same strong desire and will
to win, coupled with great determination and correct attitude,
this vibrant and unstoppable momentum can allow the Reds
to overcome any team in the league and in Europe.
The next 2 matches this week will be away to Wigan this Wednesday
(Thursday morning in Singapore) and away to Stoke this
Saturday. This is a good chance to repair the damages
caused by early poor start to the season.
Come on lads, get all the 6 points for this 2 match and
we can stage a serious challenge to the top end of the league.
You Will Never Walk Alone!
Some pictures of the match:
 | ||
| Torres scoring the first goal! |
 |
| The second goal by Torres as he curled the ball to the far post! |
 |
| Victory to the Reds!!! You Will Never Walk Alone!! |
Liverpool VS Chelsea : Match Preview
It is the time of the year when a Big game comes
around, but looking at the recent articles and
pundits' view, Liverpool is going to have hard
time against Chelsea at Anfield tonight.
Chelsea is having a good start to the league
and sits at the top with 25 points, while Liverpool
is at 16th position after the Saturday matches.
This look like a loop-sided match, or is it really the case?
In my opinion, Liverpool should be able to scrap out
a narrow win tonight if Gerrard is given a free-to-run
role and duplicate the type performance against Napoli.
With a good decent form, I just have a optimistic sense
that we will continue the momentum by adding another
3 points tonight.
The main crux of beating Chelsea is to contain 3 players
in the team, namely Drogba, Anelka and Essien. I have
a lot of respects for this 3 players and I wonder why didn't
Liverpool sign Anelka after his loan spell with us. Drogba
is very deadly in-front of goal, and he is a good "actor" too.
He can "create" goal and he can score equally well, and
any centre-back that RH field today will have a tough time
dealing with this scoring-machine. Essien is another player
that I hope we have as he is simply a great midfield commander.
This 3 players will create havoc in any team's defense
and I hope RH will know how to tackle this problem
and counteract their attacks.
If I am not wrong, RH will likely put Carragher and Kyrgiakos
in the central defense, and it will require huge determination
and strength to contain the Chelsea's attackers. They will be
assisted by Johnson and Konchesky at the side, who must be
alert and ready for any wing-run. With Kuyt set to come back
into the match after recovering, he should resume his role at
the right wing, and hopefully he will be full of zest today with
all his runs. Since RH rested Maxi in the mid-week match,
he should have high expectation of him to produce a good
performance tonight, and he should do fine in the left wing.
Lucas and Meireles will be in the centre of midfield and
they will need to cut-off any attacking from Essien and Lampard,
if he is back. Gerrard will be given the supporting role
behind Torres, and this should produce result with a
in-form Gerrard running show and Torres producing
the goals.
We will be the underdog for the match and it will be very hard-fought
match tonight, but the Reds will emerge as the victor with a 2-1
scoreline with the 12th man well behind the team, and
"You Will Never Walk Alone" singing throughout the match.
Let's give Chelsea "a hell of a game" like what RH mentioned!
Players to watch out: Drogba, Essien, Anelka, (Lampard?)
around, but looking at the recent articles and
pundits' view, Liverpool is going to have hard
time against Chelsea at Anfield tonight.
Chelsea is having a good start to the league
and sits at the top with 25 points, while Liverpool
is at 16th position after the Saturday matches.
This look like a loop-sided match, or is it really the case?
In my opinion, Liverpool should be able to scrap out
a narrow win tonight if Gerrard is given a free-to-run
role and duplicate the type performance against Napoli.
With a good decent form, I just have a optimistic sense
that we will continue the momentum by adding another
3 points tonight.
The main crux of beating Chelsea is to contain 3 players
in the team, namely Drogba, Anelka and Essien. I have
a lot of respects for this 3 players and I wonder why didn't
Liverpool sign Anelka after his loan spell with us. Drogba
is very deadly in-front of goal, and he is a good "actor" too.
He can "create" goal and he can score equally well, and
any centre-back that RH field today will have a tough time
dealing with this scoring-machine. Essien is another player
that I hope we have as he is simply a great midfield commander.
This 3 players will create havoc in any team's defense
and I hope RH will know how to tackle this problem
and counteract their attacks.
If I am not wrong, RH will likely put Carragher and Kyrgiakos
in the central defense, and it will require huge determination
and strength to contain the Chelsea's attackers. They will be
assisted by Johnson and Konchesky at the side, who must be
alert and ready for any wing-run. With Kuyt set to come back
into the match after recovering, he should resume his role at
the right wing, and hopefully he will be full of zest today with
all his runs. Since RH rested Maxi in the mid-week match,
he should have high expectation of him to produce a good
performance tonight, and he should do fine in the left wing.
Lucas and Meireles will be in the centre of midfield and
they will need to cut-off any attacking from Essien and Lampard,
if he is back. Gerrard will be given the supporting role
behind Torres, and this should produce result with a
in-form Gerrard running show and Torres producing
the goals.
We will be the underdog for the match and it will be very hard-fought
match tonight, but the Reds will emerge as the victor with a 2-1
scoreline with the 12th man well behind the team, and
"You Will Never Walk Alone" singing throughout the match.
Let's give Chelsea "a hell of a game" like what RH mentioned!
Players to watch out: Drogba, Essien, Anelka, (Lampard?)
Liverpool VS Napoli: Match Review
If RH thinks that he made a great decision to bring
in Gerrard in the 2nd half of the match that leads
to him scoring a hat-trick and winning the game
single-handedly, then he must be either blinded
by the victory or oblivious to exactly what happened
during the match.
When the team sheet was out before the match,
I was quite amazed to see that Torres was not in
the squad at all, and Gerrard was in the reserves,
and the worst part is "Why is Poulsen in the starting
11 players?!" I am glad to see that Jovanovic was
in the team but a bad feeling suddenly pop-up in
my mind, "What if Ngog got injured during the match,
who can we bring on then?" Although I know that
Jovanovic can play as the centre-forward, which is
his position when he plays for Serbia, but I seriously
doubt RH will do that.
Except for the first 10-15 minutes when the Reds
started the game brightly, the remaining time in the
first half is clearly dominated by Napoli's midfielders
although the spiky hair Marek Hamsik was kept quiet
throughout the match by Konchesky. Poulsen and
Spearing simply cannot control the midfield, although
Shelvey and Jovanovic were hardworking in helping
out with the attack and defense as well.
I have been commenting about Poulsen, RH's so-called
protege, is fast becoming the flop of the season, and his
becoming a kitten after earning a reputation of being
a ferocious "beast" in Italy, and I was proven right again
when he "created" the goal, but it was gifted to the opposition.
He headed an un-challenged ball back to the defense and
it was picked up by Napoli's Cavani who cleverly
passed the ball to Lavezzi who scored a well-placed goal
despite Reina coming out and appearing big. I wasn't surprised
with Poulsen's performance as I have already labeled
him to be player not worthy to wear the Reds jersey but
RH thinks otherwise. Fortunately, Poulsen was finally
substituted in the 65th minutes and young Eccleston has
his taste of the match for 25th minutes.
Gerrard was expected by me to be featured in the 2nd half
as the midfield is simply not there and something got be done
and addressed asap. I was quite amused when I saw that
RH bring on Gerrard at the expenses of effectual Jovanovic.
It is quite obvious that Jovanovic was hardworking and
is running the left-wing well, and RH should have taken out
tumourous Poulsen. I am not being personal but I feel that
RH really don't like Jovanovic and is trying to keep him
out of the squad despite his obvious commendable performance.
Anyway, the whole atmosphere on and off the pitch changed
when Captain Marvel is on the field, and he was tirelessly staging
attacks after attacks with his runs and crosses. He was rewarded
in the 75th minutes when he bravely challenged a back-pass by
former Reds player, Dossena, and scored the equaliser despite
protest and play-acting from Napoli's goalkeeper, De Sanctis.
I was sensing a victory is coming in the last 15 minutes as
it is looking to be a grand finale closing match. I am so
glad that my six-sense was proven right!!
The 2nd goal was a penalty won by Johnson when he was
brought down in the box and coolly put into the corner of
the net by Gerrard in the 88th minutes. My joy turned
into exuberant madness within a minute when Lucas,
coming in for injured Ngog in the 82th minutes, won
the ball and slot a through ball to Gerrard who calmly
chipped the ball past the goalie and completed his
4th hat trick for the Reds.
It was a wonderful performance by the Reds and
once again required the magic of Gerrard to win the
game, but the match was marred by an obvious red-card
challenge on Ngog which went unpunished. Ngog is
likely going to miss the Big match this Sunday, and one
wonder who will RH put in the reserves with Pacheco
the obvious choice.
The Reds really need to bring in quality players in the
January transfer window, hopefully matching the
standard of Gerrard and Torres. There has been
multiple reports about Henry going to provide about
25 millions for RH to beef up the squad. I know for sure
that Babel is leaving the team as RH must have
believe he has seen the best (worst) of Babel and
will seek to unload him in the transfer window.
Babel is valued about 8 millions and added to the
25 millions should be well enough to bring in some
quality players to move up the league positions
and winning the Europa League as a bonus.
in Gerrard in the 2nd half of the match that leads
to him scoring a hat-trick and winning the game
single-handedly, then he must be either blinded
by the victory or oblivious to exactly what happened
during the match.
When the team sheet was out before the match,
I was quite amazed to see that Torres was not in
the squad at all, and Gerrard was in the reserves,
and the worst part is "Why is Poulsen in the starting
11 players?!" I am glad to see that Jovanovic was
in the team but a bad feeling suddenly pop-up in
my mind, "What if Ngog got injured during the match,
who can we bring on then?" Although I know that
Jovanovic can play as the centre-forward, which is
his position when he plays for Serbia, but I seriously
doubt RH will do that.
Except for the first 10-15 minutes when the Reds
started the game brightly, the remaining time in the
first half is clearly dominated by Napoli's midfielders
although the spiky hair Marek Hamsik was kept quiet
throughout the match by Konchesky. Poulsen and
Spearing simply cannot control the midfield, although
Shelvey and Jovanovic were hardworking in helping
out with the attack and defense as well.
I have been commenting about Poulsen, RH's so-called
protege, is fast becoming the flop of the season, and his
becoming a kitten after earning a reputation of being
a ferocious "beast" in Italy, and I was proven right again
when he "created" the goal, but it was gifted to the opposition.
He headed an un-challenged ball back to the defense and
it was picked up by Napoli's Cavani who cleverly
passed the ball to Lavezzi who scored a well-placed goal
despite Reina coming out and appearing big. I wasn't surprised
with Poulsen's performance as I have already labeled
him to be player not worthy to wear the Reds jersey but
RH thinks otherwise. Fortunately, Poulsen was finally
substituted in the 65th minutes and young Eccleston has
his taste of the match for 25th minutes.
Gerrard was expected by me to be featured in the 2nd half
as the midfield is simply not there and something got be done
and addressed asap. I was quite amused when I saw that
RH bring on Gerrard at the expenses of effectual Jovanovic.
It is quite obvious that Jovanovic was hardworking and
is running the left-wing well, and RH should have taken out
tumourous Poulsen. I am not being personal but I feel that
RH really don't like Jovanovic and is trying to keep him
out of the squad despite his obvious commendable performance.
Anyway, the whole atmosphere on and off the pitch changed
when Captain Marvel is on the field, and he was tirelessly staging
attacks after attacks with his runs and crosses. He was rewarded
in the 75th minutes when he bravely challenged a back-pass by
former Reds player, Dossena, and scored the equaliser despite
protest and play-acting from Napoli's goalkeeper, De Sanctis.
I was sensing a victory is coming in the last 15 minutes as
it is looking to be a grand finale closing match. I am so
glad that my six-sense was proven right!!
The 2nd goal was a penalty won by Johnson when he was
brought down in the box and coolly put into the corner of
the net by Gerrard in the 88th minutes. My joy turned
into exuberant madness within a minute when Lucas,
coming in for injured Ngog in the 82th minutes, won
the ball and slot a through ball to Gerrard who calmly
chipped the ball past the goalie and completed his
4th hat trick for the Reds.
It was a wonderful performance by the Reds and
once again required the magic of Gerrard to win the
game, but the match was marred by an obvious red-card
challenge on Ngog which went unpunished. Ngog is
likely going to miss the Big match this Sunday, and one
wonder who will RH put in the reserves with Pacheco
the obvious choice.
The Reds really need to bring in quality players in the
January transfer window, hopefully matching the
standard of Gerrard and Torres. There has been
multiple reports about Henry going to provide about
25 millions for RH to beef up the squad. I know for sure
that Babel is leaving the team as RH must have
believe he has seen the best (worst) of Babel and
will seek to unload him in the transfer window.
Babel is valued about 8 millions and added to the
25 millions should be well enough to bring in some
quality players to move up the league positions
and winning the Europa League as a bonus.
Liverpool VS Napoli: Match Preview
It is a welcoming news to see that RH will field a
strong squad against Napoli in the Europa League
group match tonight, but it is also quite a bemused
decision from the manager too. He mentioned that
his focus this year will be the league, and all other
cups are just bonuses and maybe even disturbance
and disruption to him. Then all the most, he should
field a light squad against Napoli and rest some players
for the Big Match against Chelsea on Sunday.
The same squad against Napoli 2 weeks ago will
be too light-weight for this task which is to win
at home, so Gerrald should start behind Ngog, with
Meireles partnering Shelvey, and Maxi and Jovanovic
at the wings. Torres can be in the reserves and with
the 12th man behind the team at Anfield, he may not
even need to be featured in the match.
Johnson is expected to return for the match but I think
it is better to be cautious and leave him at the reserves.
Martin Kelly can do the job at the right-back, and with
Kyrgiakos out with injury, Carragher and Skrtel will be
our reliable centre-back with Konchesky completing
the line of defense.
John Henry will be present for tonight's match and Sunday
match against Chelsea, so let put on a good show for the
boss to admire en-route to another great victory this Sunday..
Full-time Score at Anfield:
Liverpool 2 - 0 Napoli
Player to watch out for: Marek Hamsik(You won't miss
him with his spiky hair-style), Ivan Lavezzi.
strong squad against Napoli in the Europa League
group match tonight, but it is also quite a bemused
decision from the manager too. He mentioned that
his focus this year will be the league, and all other
cups are just bonuses and maybe even disturbance
and disruption to him. Then all the most, he should
field a light squad against Napoli and rest some players
for the Big Match against Chelsea on Sunday.
The same squad against Napoli 2 weeks ago will
be too light-weight for this task which is to win
at home, so Gerrald should start behind Ngog, with
Meireles partnering Shelvey, and Maxi and Jovanovic
at the wings. Torres can be in the reserves and with
the 12th man behind the team at Anfield, he may not
even need to be featured in the match.
Johnson is expected to return for the match but I think
it is better to be cautious and leave him at the reserves.
Martin Kelly can do the job at the right-back, and with
Kyrgiakos out with injury, Carragher and Skrtel will be
our reliable centre-back with Konchesky completing
the line of defense.
John Henry will be present for tonight's match and Sunday
match against Chelsea, so let put on a good show for the
boss to admire en-route to another great victory this Sunday..
Full-time Score at Anfield:
Liverpool 2 - 0 Napoli
Player to watch out for: Marek Hamsik(You won't miss
him with his spiky hair-style), Ivan Lavezzi.
Bolton VS Liverpool: Match Review
A touch of genius from Torres and a well-taken shot by
Maxi are all it take to get Maxi-mum points from an intriguing
but scrappy match between Bolton and Liverpool on Sunday.
Like what Carragher said in the post-match interview, the Reds
were fortunate to take all 3 points in the match. Regardless of
what happened on the field, 3 points in the bag is as good as what
it can be as it moved us to 12th in the league table.
Get all the 3 points we can!
I wasn't pleased with the team selection when I saw that
Maxi is still in the same team which beat Blackburn last week,
as I felt that Jovanovic should be given a start at the left-wing
and move Cole to the right side. Maxi proved me wrong this time,
and I welcome such a move if it happens in every match. I am
still not convince that he is the right person at the right-wing
before Kuyt emerges from injury, and he is definitely not the
"New Romario" as commented by our very own Brazilian Lucas.
He is welcome to prove me wrong again, but I will stand by
my view at the moment.
In my match preview, I will expecting Kyrgiakos to tower over
Davies, but I was quite disappointed that it did not happen as
expected. Davies played well and was unlucky not to score
on multiple occasions amid the penalty shouts from the Bolton
players. Torres is still not at his best yet but he should still
buried the one-to-one opportunity that he had during the match.
Nevertheless, his sparks of genius created the goal and he is
on the right path back to his very best.
In my opinion, Liverpool need to beef up the midfield during
the January transfer window as I don't see our midfielders
dominating the match and it is a worrying scene. We have
been linked with many players like Steven Defour, Marko Marin,
Juan Mata etc, but what I would like to see is someone
like Chelsea's Michael Essien or Mascherano back then and
even Lionel Messi. By the way, Marko Marin has been hailed
as Germany Lionel Messi, and we shall see whether
Hodgson can secure his signature on January.
Liverpool next 5 league matches will be:
Nov 7 Liverpool vs Chelsea
Nov 10 Wigan vs Liverpool
Nov 13 Stoke vs Liverpool
Nov 20 Liverpool vs West Ham
Nov 28 Spurs vs Liverpool
In-between the league matches, Liverpool will have Europa games
and will face Napoli this Friday.
The following 5 matches are all tough matches, and I am
expecting 11-13 points from the matches if we play with
the same attitude and strength against Blackburn and Bolton.
Recent back-to-back winners' momentum should be the essential
impetus to beat Napoli this Friday and Chelsea on Sunday.
We should be back in the Top 4 VERY soon.
Maxi are all it take to get Maxi-mum points from an intriguing
but scrappy match between Bolton and Liverpool on Sunday.
Like what Carragher said in the post-match interview, the Reds
were fortunate to take all 3 points in the match. Regardless of
what happened on the field, 3 points in the bag is as good as what
it can be as it moved us to 12th in the league table.
Get all the 3 points we can!
I wasn't pleased with the team selection when I saw that
Maxi is still in the same team which beat Blackburn last week,
as I felt that Jovanovic should be given a start at the left-wing
and move Cole to the right side. Maxi proved me wrong this time,
and I welcome such a move if it happens in every match. I am
still not convince that he is the right person at the right-wing
before Kuyt emerges from injury, and he is definitely not the
"New Romario" as commented by our very own Brazilian Lucas.
He is welcome to prove me wrong again, but I will stand by
my view at the moment.
In my match preview, I will expecting Kyrgiakos to tower over
Davies, but I was quite disappointed that it did not happen as
expected. Davies played well and was unlucky not to score
on multiple occasions amid the penalty shouts from the Bolton
players. Torres is still not at his best yet but he should still
buried the one-to-one opportunity that he had during the match.
Nevertheless, his sparks of genius created the goal and he is
on the right path back to his very best.
In my opinion, Liverpool need to beef up the midfield during
the January transfer window as I don't see our midfielders
dominating the match and it is a worrying scene. We have
been linked with many players like Steven Defour, Marko Marin,
Juan Mata etc, but what I would like to see is someone
like Chelsea's Michael Essien or Mascherano back then and
even Lionel Messi. By the way, Marko Marin has been hailed
as Germany Lionel Messi, and we shall see whether
Hodgson can secure his signature on January.
Liverpool next 5 league matches will be:
Nov 7 Liverpool vs Chelsea
Nov 10 Wigan vs Liverpool
Nov 13 Stoke vs Liverpool
Nov 20 Liverpool vs West Ham
Nov 28 Spurs vs Liverpool
In-between the league matches, Liverpool will have Europa games
and will face Napoli this Friday.
The following 5 matches are all tough matches, and I am
expecting 11-13 points from the matches if we play with
the same attitude and strength against Blackburn and Bolton.
Recent back-to-back winners' momentum should be the essential
impetus to beat Napoli this Friday and Chelsea on Sunday.
We should be back in the Top 4 VERY soon.
