Ex-Spurs Strikeforce In Red's Reunion

This season's first 'North-West derby' commences this Saturday following the international break, which saw many of our players jetting off all over the globe to play for their respective countries. But this simultaneously allowed time for new signings, fresh from the closure of the transfer window, to train at Melwood and current players to recover from their injuries.
Team news ahead of this clash at Anfield will inevitably focus on the added assets of both teams, totalling a staggering £50million. Keane and Berbatov may come head-to-head for the first time competitively and become embroiled in one of the most infamously ferocious encounters during this season.
Unfortunately, such matches have looked favourably towards the Mancunians in recent times, with the history of the last 4 Benitez years in the Premier League reading: 0 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses. Now for this opinionated fan, the most recent games (bar the embarrassing 3-0 mauling, not helped by the idiotic Bennett), we have dominated throughout and ended up losing, either because we haven't been clinical enough or simply unlucky. And as a precursor to this game, the public slanging commences and is not so surprisingly initiated by the Scotsman. This time we hope to see the jibe from SAR on our Robbie backfire, akin to the Rafa/Drogba mess in the Champions League.
The news leading up to this Top Four meeting is not positive, as the two most influential players we have are more than likely going to be out - Gerrard with a persistent groin problem that was operated on, and Torres who pulled his hamstring against Villa. This could however be put into some sort of perspective, by the absence of Ronaldo and Hargreaves from the opposition, negatively effecting their start to the season.
This game may see the introduction of our new left winger, who has had just under 2 weeks available to train and prepare with the team. Some primary advantages for him to settle quickly at LFC is his command of English, his nationality as his fellow countrymen rife at the club and his time in Manchester in 2006. He has past experience of this league during his time with City, and has been involved in high profile games with his former club Espanyol, such as the UEFA Cup Final in 2007 where he scored against the defending champions Sevilla. He is seen as the outlet on the wing to display his technique and provide bombarding deliveries for our strikers. Such an option has not been forthcoming with the nature of forwards Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun. Keane has still to make his mark in a Red shirt and with the two so often heralded members of the team missing, we need to see new leaders step forward and perform.
During the season, it is often speculated by pundits that to win the title you have to take points off you're competitors. As of late, Liverpool FC have generally underachieved in this area, be it deserved or not. We are entering this match with a heavily depleted team, who have played poorly in the opening matches. And we are going to face the club and manager successfully chasing down our record with two consecutive championships. So all I can surmise is that we can only hope for the best this time.

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.

Kopite Keane Successfully Signed

Robbie Keane has signed for Liverpool FC today for a fee of £19million, on a four-year deal and will earn £80,000 a week. He will wear the iconic number 7 shirt associated with Reds legends Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, Ian Callaghan and Peter Beardsley. He has been included in the squad which travels to Spain for the friendly against Villarreal on Wednesday.
Liverpool had been working behind the scenes to bring Keane to Anfield, as was announced by Daniel Levy in his scathing attack on our club for not pursuing the official channels of communication and negotiation. This was greatly helped by the player himself being a boyhood fan/atic and displayed by him submitting a transfer request. Liverpool FC have agreed to make a donation to our Club’s main charity, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, as compensation and Tottenham Hotspur have therefore agreed not to continue in their official complaint to the Premier League.
Keane is now one of the most expensive footballer’s in the world, having been involved in transfers totalling £58m having previously played for Wolverhampton, Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds before joining Tottenham in 2002. He established himself as a consistent performer at Premier League level at Tottenham, scoring 13-17 goals in his first four campaigns and 22/23 in the most recent seasons. Keane scored 80 goals in 197 appearances for Tottenham and has scored 33 international goals in 81 appearances.

Systematic Squad Shredding Sought

The current Liverpool FC first team roster, in my opinion, accumulates to 26 players. I think this amount of available players needs to be reduced to 23 which involves five outgoing players and two incoming. The duo of imports to the club are apparent from my previous posts, hence I will continue into the current squad members that need to be sold if we realistically want to rise to the head of the league. The cut will not only decrease the number of possible players eligible for the manager to select (contributing to a limitation of his relentless rotation) but simultaneously incentivise the reserve players. The 23 man squad would include 4 current reserve players (which would therefore lower the main group again, to 19) and they may be given a larger role in the lesser competitions and minor Premier League games. Two players for every position is still maintained and this is a clear shift towards quality over quantity. This venture would also benefit the club fiscally, generating financial funds which would contribute towards transfers, wages and the like.
Itandje, Finnan, Alonso, Pennant and Voronin are the 5 players that should be shown the door and would garner collectively considerable prices, at approximately £26million, which would be added to the net profit gained from previous departure deals. The reasons for the exit of these players hinges on many factors, such as their age, potential, valuation and also the nature of future purchases.

• Itandje: Last season Itandje had shaky and indifferent performances for Liverpool FC. He played in no Premier League or Champions League matches and had in total 7 appearances with 1 clean sheet, conceding 10 goals. In many ways it is unfair to judge him on sporadic games, which involves plenty of pressure on a goalkeeper, who is nervous and desperate to impress, and I think fans have been overcritical of him in some instances. Some goals he conceded were either simply skilful or plain unfortunate, like the last minute Barnsley goal in the FA Cup 5th Round and the deflected Lampard goal in the Carling Cup defeat, during which he won the fan's man of the match vote. His time seems to be up with him not travelling out to Switzerland training camp and the arrival of Cavalieri. Plus it has been rumoured he is in advanced dialogue with the Turkish champions Galatasaray and Ligue 1 club PSG, who could pay a decent fee for his services. Also his attitude and demeanour could be questioned, however this could be symptomatic of his reserve goalkeeper role which requires copious amounts of patience and optimism. These types of players are regularly unsettled and don't stay for too long, evident in past stoppers such as Kirkland, Dudek and most recently Carson.

• Finnan: Last season Finnan was ordinary, looked slow and was predictable in his movement and decision making on the right side, often being espoused by centre half Jamie Carragher. His lack of speed may now be revealing his age of 32, and he has never been a genuine threat to the opposition or held much technical ability, unlike his counter-parts in the league. He has previously been the steady and reliable man to put in a shift, and ironically taking headlines as the unsung and under-rated player at Liverpool. Now these attributes are no longer required and the club, who need to be more expansive and creative in wide areas, utilising the full capacity the turf can provide. Finnan can produces standard crosses and uninspiring displays, which leads me to believe he could be easily replaced, especially since Degen has joined the club. Defensively he is definitely capable, but is now surplus to the team, and could be used as a make-weight to Aston Villa for the acquisition of Gareth Barry, or return to Fulham or even Ireland to extend his career.

• Alonso: Last season for Alonso was disappointing to say the least, and in my view his injury heavily contributed to this, interrupting his fourth season at the club. It is said form is temporary andclass is permanent, however the Spaniard has progressively lost his dominating skill of unleashing pin-point passes and defence splitting assists. I think he has lost his mobility, confidence and has a questionable temperament, developing into reckless behaviour to the detriment of the team. His indisciplined actions result in conceding set-plays in dangerous areas and him picking up infractions. He may also be injury prone with two ankle problems: a break and ligament sprain, plus breaking his metatarsal this season, which are all considerable injuries involving long lay-off times. But the crux of the argument is his competitors, with Mascherano an £18m shoo-in for a starting berth and the possible inclusion of Barry who is ranked above Alonso for this opinionated fan. The club has a wealth of centre midfielders, and the numbers being exchanged in the media point towards an economically beneficial transfer. But despite this, Juventus decided against this move, favouring the Dane Christian Poulsen. Other rumours indicate Internazionale are now interested with their prospective deal for Lampard hitting the buffers. I wouldn't be surprised to see him prosper in the Italian league, which is heavily tactically based and has a slower tempo and style. This is substantiated in his Euro 2008 performances for Spain were he impressed, however his role was more advanced than at Liverpool and he was given more freedom offensively, whereas Gerrard occupies that position at the moment. He will be missed the most if he leaves, especially with memories of his half-way line goals and the 3rd goalin Istanbul, and this is reflected in the high value he demands.

• Pennant: Last season was not particularly successful time for Pennant and he didn't build on the limited positives of the season before, with the highlight being his starting appearance in the Athens final. When Pennant was purchased I felt that he was the third choice that Benitez wanted in 2006. This is reflected recently with Kuyt replacing him, showing the fans the continuous hard graft and goal scoring and assisting that is needed for such a role. In contrast Pennant has a small box of tricks and turns, with spurts of pace and dribbling on the right wing. To me it seems he lacks enthusiasm and endeavour during games, and appears to be content with his time on the bench at a top 4 club who is playing in the Champions League. I have thought that he could progress at Liverpool, especially as he is our only true winger, and could give us the touch-line hugging play we seem to crave (calls to buy Bentley and David Silva) but he has not improved enough and needs to leave. He won't attract a high price, but at the moment any revenue is welcome to match the high cost of our two targets, and there have been tenuous links with Blackburn for a sale. However one stumbling block may be a change to a UEFA ruling in 2006, regarding locally trained players. It stipulates that clubs are required to register 4 club trained and 4 domestic association trained players in each squad. Pennant would qualify for the latter of these groups since he trained at a different club (Arsenal) for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21. But with the loss of Kewell and Crouch, and possibly Finnan, who were registered last season when the rules were only 3 players of each, that would leave us in a degree of strife. David Martin, Barry and Keane are eligible to fill this quota, and therefore either Finnan or Pennant would need to stay.

• Voronin: Last season was a time of woe for the Liverpool faithful who saw glimpses of talent during the pre-season period (again this time around), but watching the Ukrainian forward over the following 10 months was cringe inducing dysphoria, not to mention seeing the number on his back. His lack of basic footballing ability was shocking and this was compounded by his horrific hair. Of course we wish no harm on players and we give all our men a fair chance, but I wasn't down heartened when he contracted an ankle injury in January. In all fairness he contributed goal wise, with 6 to his name and had snippets of flair, but in my opinion was thoroughly disappointing and unimpressive. His poor control, incoordination and waste of possession was infuriating to see, when more competent players could get their chance to impress. There has been some gossip surrounding this player, linking him back to the Bundesliga where he has maintained a high regard. A clutch of German clubs are reported to have shown interest and any price would be suitable in my eyes. Even though Crouch has left and Kuyt has been moved to the right, the future development of Krisztian Nemeth is promising and also the addition of Robbie Keane would rectify a loss of striking options.
  

Tailored Tactics And Top Transfer Targets

Next season Liverpool may be introduced to a variety of new styles and formations, with players adopting different roles, accommodating new recruits and eliminating current weaknesses (such as set-pieces), with an emphasis on versatility and mobility.
Fans have welcomed three new faces to Anfield in Degen, Dossena and Cavalieri, which have collectively cost £10million and are designed to contribute positively to our attacking options on the wing and of course also as a stopper in goal. They will be thoroughly initiated into the club via pre-season training and hopefully be selected to represent us in the first team on the 16th August away to the Black Cats.
A recent interview with Benitez has provided a clear insight to his plans for our team and his methods to extract the optimum amount from our players and his financial budget. Below is the excerpt of his interview and following this are my ideas for the realistic player additions and the formation that I think will be successful for the club and fans for the upcoming season.

We want to use two or three systems during the season. The key isn't the system itself, but how the players adapt on the pitch. It doesn't matter if it's 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, it's the role of the players that counts.

At the beginning of last season we were doing well with 4-4-2, so if the players can read the game and understand things, then it's easier to change the system.

Now we have more options at full-back, with Degen, Finnan and Arbeloa on one side and Dossena, Aurelio and Insua on the other. We have players with different qualities.

You can't use too many systems - two or three maximum - and the key is to teach the players how to adapt to each system.

We will continue looking for good players but not necessarily a 'proper' winger. We'll look for good players and maybe adjust the system. Don't forget, we have some very good players here already, players we have signed over the last 12 months.

We knew we were creating a lot of chances last season but everybody was talking about the wide areas. If you go to the market and want to sign a top-class right-winger, they will be in the top sides and the price will be crazy. To sign two full-backs with an offensive mentality can give us more quality out wide.

Additional developments are envisaged to propel the team offensively, with incoming transfers and resident players shifting in position and tactical duty. It has been postulated that Liverpool will employ a strategy of fluidity of our main attacking threats and therefore create a front three, and veer away from a direct Torres/Gerrard partnership, which itself could be also be used as an alternative which the team could revert to and be one of the 3 possible formations.
However, there are a series of factors that will disrupt our current pre-season operations, hindering the fitness and mentality of our players and any formation experimentation be severely rudimentary with key components missing. Firstly the Spanish players account for 4 members of the squad still away on their 3-week summer holiday after Euro 2008 (ending in around 10 days time). Secondly, our build up is being further undermined with Mascherano, Babel and Lucas leaving for the Beijing Olympics from 6th - 24th August, missing important Premier League matches and UCL qualifiers, not to mention fears of injury during the tournament. And thirdly, with long standing rumours of expensive imports coming to Liverpool FC, transfer dealings have not been finalised and their prepatory time is constantly being diminished, which will be to the detriment projected of our team and the players themselves.
The most prominent of transfer gossip circulating Anfield concern Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) and Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).
Developments on the Barry situation remain at loggerheads as both clubs continue to haggle over the eventual price of the player. Another bid has been rejected with the Midlands club remaining firm in their valuation of £18million, and have issued stern terms, wanting ½ the money up front and the remainder over the following 12 months. Liverpool are considering including right-back Steve Finnan in the next offer, but valuation of the player could be problematic. Meanwhile, Barry himself sent scathing remarks towards his manager (who in turn responded in defiance and banning him from the training ground) commenting on his time in punditry away in Austria and criticising O'Neill's proactive words in relation to his stagnant actions. Villa have acquired a new central midfielder in Steve Sidwell from Chelsea for £5million, while the latest story is Arsenal's entry into this Barry saga, who see him as a replacement of Mathieu Flamini.
Less acrimony surrounds the possible move for Keane, but some hostility still resonates with the London club as with Benitez has publicly stated his wish for him to join in media broadcast. The player himself has been reported to have been a Liverpool FC fan as a boy and been encouraged to move from his international manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who sees it as a positive move for the player and will benefit the Republic of Ireland team. Last season he scored several sensational goals with a collection of 15 in the league and 23 in total. However there are multiple barriers that could prevent the transfer, mainly concerning money. The Tottenham hierarchy seem to have diverging views, but what is clear is the management team are unwilling to sell their vice-captain. This could be compounded by the speculation that Manchester United are considering a bid for Dimitar Berbatov, which if successful would dramatically reduce the chances of both of their first XI strikers leaving White Hart Lane. Simultaneously there is speculation that Spurs are closing in on the acquisition of striker Luis Garcia from Spanish club Espanyol, who could pair up with £16.5million worth Darren Bent. The other major factor is Liverpool not being able to generate enough funds to buy Keane who will no doubt warrant a hefty fee. An indicator of a club having a small transfer kitty are player exchanges, which Liverpool have employed in many of their deals this summer, and Tottenham have reportedly rejected a bid from Liverpool to send Crouch in the opposite direction, who has subsequently moved to Portsmouth. The prospective exit of Xabi Alonso to Juventus would have produced a large sum of revenue of approximately £16million, which could have been diverted towards strengthening the squad elsewhere. But with the bargaining style again coming under scrutiny the deal seems to be off as the Italians seemed to have opted for Christian Poulsen from Sevilla. Therefore the capture of Robbie Keane is going to be very difficult, whereas the Barry transfer is more of a 'when and not if' situation.
These two additions seem to be the quality signings that could push us towards a title tilt. Although expensive, Benitez has earmarked the players he thinks can enter his system and supplement the already established team. I believe the much used cliché of a jigsaw could be coming together and be completed if these transfers are concluded. I am fully optimistic of our chances for the top spot, and would personally be satisfied with a concerted and sustained challenge.
Strategically, I feel Liverpool have 5 instrumental and guaranteed places for the starting XI who represent the literal spine of the team: Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard and Torres. To expand from these five, I will introduce the new wing-backs to the team, who provide an attacking dimension on the periphery and influence the dynamics further up the pitch. The next two players to be included are expected to have a significant bearing during the upcoming season, with their potential and constant improvements being witnessed last season. Assuming they are injury free, Agger and Babel have been highlighted to produce impressive performances for Liverpool and their roles to be changed accordingly. The final duo for this team to complete the 11 are the players not currently at the club, but mentioned above. Barry would act as the fulcrum in the team and line up alongside Mascherano in the less advanced position in midfield, but not have such a subdued role and alternate between attack and defence, with a license to link with Gerrard as with England. He will provide balance with 'El Jefecito' with his left foot and could be used to take free kicks and also contribute as a penalty taker as he was with Aston Villa. Keane would take up the place vacated by Kuyt, and both share a penchant for an industrious work ethic and constant attacking sense. He would be, as Kuyt has been, converted to a right sided forward and contribute to a new fluid forward line, interchanging throughout the 90 minutes. Thus a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 (Torres at the point) formation would be used. There will be slight change in position for Gerrard, who will stay as an attacking midfielder but be less advanced, and also Babel who would remain on the left. Even though he has looked suspect with an unproductive left foot last season and continually cutting inside, his crossing ability would be required less and focus would be on his pace, availability and technique. His previous faults would be negated as there wouldn't be a role for classic wingers, and progressive touchline play will be provided by the new full backs.
But all football clubs have a squad of players and I think this season will be a period of transition, for certain players beginning to retire and conversely others being promoted from within the first team squad and reserves. The older custodians of Hyypia (35), Finnan (32) and Carragher (30) have been gradually phased out with fans giving honest appraisals and criticisms of them as they have passed their peak and are waning. The most prominent of the 3 is the long serving, Kop legend Hyypia, who has been given another 1-year extension to his contract and will probably end his career at Anfield. He has already been usurped by Agger (23), with Skrtel (23) rising in the defensive pecking order, plus Lucas (21) and Insua (19) are also performing well and impressing the fans and Benitez.
One factor that may been have missed by fans due to our reserved movements in the transfer market is the solidity of our team with no dissenting voices within the ranks. Quite the opposite with many players hailing the skill and advice given by fellow players, the manager and his staff, which exudes a sense of unity and a close-knit camp. We may be the only top tier side who will have kept their core starting XI in place for next season, as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are constantly linked to losing Ronaldo, Lampard/Drogba and Adebayor/Hleb respectively. Transfer news surrounding Liverpool has either seen us as the aggressor (Barry, Keane) or the term-setting sellers (Crouch, Alonso), with varying degrees of success. This can reflect well on our management and administrative groups, but the fact remains that we have limited funds and need to purchase two vital and expensive players to consolidate a championship worthy team.