Sunday 31 August 2008

Match Day: Premier League #3

Aston Villa 0 - 0 Liverpool
Sunday 31 August 2008 16:00

Liverpool XI: Reina, Dossena, Carragher (c), Skrtel, Arbeloa, Leiva, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt (68), Torres (30), Keane (78).

Substitutes: Benayoun (12), El Zhar, Babel, Ngog (60), Cavalieri, Aurelio (22), Agger.

Friday 29 August 2008

Boardroom v Benitez: Bust-ups, Battles And Barry

Anticipating the fixture to round off the month of August, I thought this is the most opportune time to provide the final views on the long running issue of the summer. Liverpool travel to the Midlands to face Aston Villa, and as we now know, Gareth Barry will be staying a Villain. That is until the next chance to switch arises.
For me there is little competition between the midfielders at the centre of the saga: Barry and Alonso. I feel the Englishman outweighs his Basque counterpart in almost every aspect of the game. Barry is better equipped offensively (delivery, penetration, goals, assists, set-pieces), defensively (tackling, marking, endurance, ball-retention, concentration) and generally (versatility, composure, acceleration, decisiveness, leadership).
The fact is Gareth Barry would be a stellar addition to Liverpool FC, and all the evidence, being both statistical and anecdotal, displays Barry as top player. Our abject left side is a major concern, which may be soothed with a new arrival (Riera is taking a medical today), and Barry could have been a short-term solution. His sheer consistency in the Premier League is commendable, and alongside his box-to-box attributes he is often see as the lynch-pin of the Aston Villa team. His adaptability creates a wealth of options over the field, and for such an investment, the lack of injuries he has picked up guarantees his availability for a full season. And as he is English he contributes to UEFA domestic league quota legislation, which may be preventing the sale of Pennant or Finnan.
The man, originally from the South coast, has been subject to constant media speculation, taunts from his home crowd and the loss of his testimonial match. Lucrative incentives prevented him from handing in a transfer request, but an unauthorised newspaper interview took place criticising his manager. Administrative procrastination and politics then took place, with Benitez publicly urging an early conclusion towards the capture of his top target. Multiple bids were lodged and rejected over the months, with mixed messages from the owners over finances and willing for the deal to happen. The stumbling block seemed to be with deal-breaker Rick Parry, who has been under fire from all corners, and most recently from the manager, again. A statement released on the official website, with the notable exception of the owners names, read that the fee was "too high". Much has been reported in the media of the movement towards football being controlled by money more than ever. Players are often seen as assets and property, or as Blatter and Ronaldo stupidly see it: "slaves". Liverpool may have considered residual or sell-on value for Barry and deemed that they would not recoup enough on a sale of a player that haven't purchased yet.
I believe in today's relative economic climate, the market dictates the cost of players with prices rising year on year in spite of fears for global recession. Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner have clear reasoning over the matter, with players in similar roles such as Hargreaves, Essien and Mascherano costing upwards of £18million. This price has obviously been baulked at, as a major factor in this transfer is the age of the player in question, and also the premium prices for English players. Benitez himself can be seen as delusional and hypocritical for demanding £16million for Xabi Alonso. Even though some could say he is protecting the interests of the club, he regularly excuses his chances of winning the league by referring to the spending power of the top 2 sides and the difficulties in beating teams with the likes of Carrick, Anderson and Mikel warming the bench. Such an inflated value has warded of interest from Juventus and league rivals Arsenal, but one stark development is the absence of interest from Spanish teams. The clubs make regular homeward bound calls for their ex-patriots through the press, but haven't even been rumoured to put in a bid.
As the seasons have rolled on, Alonso has been depreciating in form and value. He established himself in his first two seasons as an expensive import who could control the flow of the game, setting a tempo and rhythm to our play with clear vision and passing; the consummate professional. But subsequently has been laid off to the treatment room and been replaced by Mascherano, Lucas and most recently Plessis, playing bit-part roles with varying success.
I think there may be a future for the Barry deal, and the first opportunity will the the January transfer window. One point that supports this idea is that his UEFA Cup appearance in Iceland cup-tied Barry until the knock-out stages of the UCL this season, which get underway in February. This is when the competition really starts to take shape and a big-money name at such a time would be a great boost, even though such agreements are usually sealed in the summer. The structure of the deal would change, concerning the payment schedule, involving a lower price and perhaps instead significant add-on clauses or compensation.
But the most important reasoning to secure Barry is the necessity to bring in the right player for the team.

Thursday 28 August 2008

Champions League Draw: Group Stage

16 September v Marseille (a)
1 October v PSV Eindhoven (h)
22 October v Atletico Madrid (a)
4 November v Atletico Madrid (h)
26 November v Marseille (h)
9 December v PSV Eindhoven (a)

Wednesday 27 August 2008

Match Day: Champions League Qualifier #2

Liverpool 1 - 0 Standard Liege
Wednesday 27 August 2008 20:05

Liverpool XI: Reina, Arbeloa, Aurelio, Carragher, Skrtel, Gerrard, Alonso, Benayoun (60), Kuyt {118}, Torres (119), Keane (83).

Substitutes: Cavalieri, Dossena, Agger, Plessis (1), Spearing, El Zhar (37), Babel (60).

Tuesday 26 August 2008

Poor Performances And Late Luck

I would firstly like to state my happiness for our two Premier League wins of the season. I say this as it is widely acknowledged that Liverpool FC have had dismal performances, displaying numerous weaknesses and ugly football, and this bumpy start isn't in line with the positive signs shown in our pre-season form.
Throughout the beginning stages of our campaign I have noticed worrying signs in tactics and player's attitude. One vital area of a successful team is the many partnerships that need to be strong, fluent and flexible when playing, so in a 4-4-2 formation (which Rafa has adopted thus far) there are 5 duos over the pitch. Arguably the most important of these are the strikers and we have seen the great and the good during the Sunderland and Middlesbrough games. Naturally time is necessary for a comfortable harmony to germinate between Torres and Keane, but we all hope that its sooner rather than later, and there are certainly positive indications of the pairing being fruitful and if not bounteous. One good sign is the first away goal for Torres at the Stadium of Light, which was a concern last term as he only managed to score 3 times away from Anfield in the league.
Unfortunately there have been a series of anonymous players during matches and this is an unacceptable trait. Forwards thrive on service, and with players like Gerrard (now playing in a midfield role), Kuyt and Benayoun not providing enough quality deliveries, it is hard for strikers to execute their role. And then they tend to drop deeper and deeper to seek the ball or long hoofs from the defenders are seen. This totally the opposite situation to bygone seasons when we made plenty of chances and had no-one good enough to finish them. Gerrard himself has been quoted as being only 70% fit due to groin problems and international duty, but so far he has been lackadaisical, seen as simulating/diving and over appealing to referees (and I have as much blind loyalty as the next fan) when he should simply get on with the game. Alonso has been similarly poor, with him being caught on the ball, missing easy lateral passes and appearing discomposed and edgy. Another disappointing feature of our game is the useless corners/set pieces that we engineer, as poor delivery is a regular occurrence with the ball hitting the first man and the ball being cleared instantaneously.
Dossena is another player that could be scrutinised, as he has exhibited positive and negative techniques during his short tenure at Liverpool FC. Dossena represents the first ever Italian player to join Liverpool and he was credited to being the second best left back in Serie A, behind Juan Manuel Vargas, who made the move from Catania to UCL contenders Fiorentina this summer. He currently holds two international appearances for Italy and vies for that spot with Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan) and Fabio Grosso (Lyon). Labelled as a wing-back he is often overlapping on the touchline to provide options and genuine width. He has a medley of decent tricks to make space for himself and send in a good cross, plus he can hit accurate 50 yard cross-field passes. However it is his defensive qualities that are to be questioned, which is understandable as he is switching from a back 5 to a 4. He maintains positional deficiencies on the ground and in the air, electing to over commit and slide tackle, which if unsuccessful, then leaves that flank vulnerable and creates unnecessary pressure on the team. A balance of decision-making is needed of when to chase and block shots/crosses, and the more flamboyant and crowd pleasing lunging forays. Also defensive responsibilities cannot be attributed to him if he has run the length of pitch and is subject to a rapid counter-attack. This job must then be assigned to a destructive midfielder to plug the gaps and break up opposition moves. The key word is time for both him and Degen (plus other possible foreign recruits) to adjust to a new culture and language; adapt to a different system and the speed/physicality of the Premier League.
A slight surprise this season has been the minutes gained by Nabil El Zhar in the first team. Personally I think he and Leto are not good enough to be Liverpool players now or in the future, which is a view shared by Voronin who has bemoaned his lack of opportunities. But another angle on this situation is the absence of Jermaine Pennant and hopefully progress is underway to shift him out to a more suitable mid-table club. Pennant embodies the only true winger in the first team squad, and it seemed Benitez would rely on flying wing-backs to cause havoc. But this clearly hasn't materialised, and with fans and pundits alike highlighting the chronic lack of width to our game, a response may be the arrival of a left winger. Tactics have had us resorting to ugly long ball assaults, but Albert Riera of Espanyol made be the man to supply regular service from wide areas and utilising the pitch to stretch teams on the counter-attack. Views on him vary with some citing his below par stint at Manchester City and others stating he is alongside Luis Garcia as the Barcelona based club's best players last season. He seems to be a confidence player and in need of the 'arm around the shoulder' approach to achieve consistency, as last season his form dropped considerably in the latter period. This is a name that was mooted in the early stages of the transfer window with a 'come and get me' plea from the player as he became disillusioned by the home supporters giving the team abuse as poor league form saw their season peter out, but he has since made his peace with them. Media reports have suggested a fee has been agreed at around £8-10million depending on appearances, and the player denied a move to Everton who stumped up the same amount. This transfer seems to be in reaction to the denial of the Gareth Barry move, that was blocked by the owners and seemingly CEO Rick Parry. The problem was not financial and spectators saw this as the board undermining the manger's decisions and showing that off-field tensions have resumed. Barry was rated statistically as the best all-round player last season, and with Alonso in indifferent form, a change is needed for this opinionated fan.
I think the appropriate juncture to judge the new signings is after they have individually played 6 league games, and then the fans can assess their adaptation rate and performance levels. Alongside the fresh faces at Anfield we must take into account the fitness of established players. As previously said, Gerrard is not at his best and the ability to reach optimum level of other players has been hampered by late returns from Euro 08 (Torres, Kuyt etc) and the toll on players in the hot and polluted conditions of the Beijing Olympics (Mascherano/Lucas/Babel) which lasted the whole 2 week duration of the Games. All these issues were known prior to the season and seem to have not been totally offset, but the fact remains that we have secured 6 points. The manager and captain have commented on the immediate change in atmosphere made by the return of these players and this should stabilise the team and positively affect our on-field displays.

Saturday 23 August 2008

Match Day: Premier League #2

Liverpool 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
Saturday 23 August 2008 15:00

Liverpool XI: Reina, Dossena (75), Carragher {85}, Skrtel, Arbeloa (83), Benayoun (65), Gerrard (c) {90+4}, Alonso, Kuyt, Torres, Keane.

Substitutes: Agger, Plessis, Aurelio (15), Ngog, El Zhar (7), Babel (25), Cavalieri.

Saturday 16 August 2008

Match Day: Premier League #1

Sunderland 0 - 1 Liverpool
Saturday 16 August 2008 17:30

Liverpool XI: Reina, Dossena, Hyypia, Carragher, Arbeloa, Benayoun (80), Gerrard (c), Plessis (45), Kuyt, Torres {83}, Keane (77).

Substitutes: Alonso (45), Aurelio (10), El Zhar (13), Ngog, Cavalieri, Agger, Skrtel.

Friday 15 August 2008

Match Day: Champions League Qualifier #1

Standard Liege 0 - 0 Liverpool
Wednesday 13 August 2008 20:05

Liverpool XI: Reina, Dossena, Carragher (c), Agger, Arbeloa, Benayoun, Alonso, Plessis, Kuyt (82), Torres, Keane (67).

Substitutes: Hyypia, Pennant, Insua, Cavalieri, El Zhar (8), Voronin, Gerrard (23).

Thursday 14 August 2008

Match Day: Pre-season Friendly #8

Liverpool 1 - 0 Lazio
Friday 8 August 2008 20:00

Liverpool XI: Reina (75), Dossena (75), Carragher (c) (80), Agger (75), Arbeloa, Benayoun (75), Alonso (75), Plessis (80), Kuyt, Torres (45), Keane (80).

Substitutes: Hyypia (15), Ngog (45), Cavalieri (15), El Zhar (15), Voronin {90} (10), Darby, Pennant, Insua (15), Finnan (10), Spearing (15), Nemeth (10).



Wednesday 13 August 2008

Match Day: Pre-season Friendly #7

Valerenga 1 - 4 Liverpool
Tuesday 05 August 2008 18:00

Liverpool XI: Cavalieri, Dossena (68), Agger, Carragher (45), Arbeloa (68), Benayoun {58} (68), Alonso {19} (54), Gerrard (c) (27), Kuyt (76), Keane (68), Torres {50} (68).

Substitutes: Darby (22), El Zhar (14), Hyypia (45), Insua (22), Nemeth (22), Ngog {84} (22), Pacheco (22), Plessis (36), Reina, Spearing (63).





Tuesday 12 August 2008

Match Day: Pre-season Friendly #6

Glasgow Rangers 0 - 4 Liverpool
Saturday 02 August 2008 15:00

Liverpool XI: Cavalieri, Dossena (60), Carragher (45), Skrtel (45), Arbeloa (45), Benayoun {60} (72), Gerrard (c) (60), Plessis (45), Kuyt, Keane (60), Torres {23} (45).

Substitutes: Agger (45), Alonso {70} (45), Darby (45), Hyypia (45), Insua (60), Nemeth (30), Ngog {56} (45), Pennant (18), Reina, Spearing (60).





Monday 11 August 2008

Summer Transfers 08/09 Update #5

1st XI
IN:
Philipp Degen (BV Borussia Dortmund - Free) [RB]
Andrea Dossena (Udinese Calcio - £7m) [LB]
Diego Cavalieri (SE Palmeiras - £3m) [GK]
David Ngog (Paris Saint-Germain FC - £1.5m) [FW]
Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur FC - £19m) [FW]

OUT:
Harry Kewell (Galatasaray SK - Free) [LW]
John Arne Riise (AS Roma - £4m) [LB]
Peter Crouch (Portsmouth FC - £11m) [FW]
Scott Carson (West Bromwich Albion FC - £3.25m) [GK]


Reserves/Academy
IN:
Deale Chamberlain (Tamworth FC | 16 y/o)
Nikola Saric (Herfolge BK | 17y/o)
Vincent Weijl (AZ Alkmaar | 17y/o)
Christopher Buchtmann (BV Borussia Dortmund | 16y/o)
Zsolt Poloskei (MTK Hungaria FC | 17y/o)
Emmanuel Mendy (Murcia Deportivo | 18y/o)

OUT:
Nikolay Mihaylov (FC Twente - Loan)
Paul Anderson (Nottingham Forest FC - Loan)
Anthony Le Tallec (Le Mans UC72 - £1m) [MD]
Danny Guthrie (Newcastle United - £2.5m) [MD]
Robbie Threlfall (Hereford United - Loan)
Adam Hammill (Blackpool FC - Loan)
Sebastian Leto (Olympiakos CFP - Loan)
Godwin Antwi (Tranmere Rovers FC - Loan)
Jack Hobbs (Leicester City FC - Loan)
Jordy Brouwer (FC Utrecht - Loan)
David Martin (Leicester City FC - Loan)
Miki Roque (FC Cartagena - Loan)