RAFALUTION

As reported by the BBC.

Liverpool came from behind to record their first league win of the season.

Keeper Jose Reina was badly at fault for West Ham's goal, misjudging Bobby Zamora's cross and compounding his error by pushing the ball into the net.

But Liverpool recovered to go in at the break 2-1 ahead, equalising through defender Daniel Agger's superb shot.

Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia then combined to set up a goal for Crouch, while late on Lee Bowyer should have equalised only to hit the post.

The game marked the first time the two clubs had met since Liverpool's thrilling FA Cup win as well as being the day the Kop celebrated its 100th birthday.

Reina endured a shaky game in May's final before redeeming himself in the penalty shoot-out and Liverpool's Spanish goalkeeper badly miscalulated as Zamora prepared to cross.

Reina moved away from his line anticipating the cross but Zamora's effort veered towards the goal, and the Spaniard in attempting to recover, could only push the ball into the net.

West Ham were quickly back on attack and Marlon Harewood went desperately close with a shot after Yossi Benayoun's through pass.

Liverpool had looked much the better side before Reina's misjudgment and Gerrard and Garcia might have done better with shots from good positions.

Fabio Aurelio's dipping free-kick then caused some anxiety for Carroll before Paul Konchesky headed off the line.

Crouch also claimed John Paintsil had grabbed hold of him as the Liverpool striker tried to reach a Jermaine Pennant cross.

But Zamora's goal knocked Liverpool out of their stride and despite plenty of possession the home side struggled to make use of it.

Given Agger has never scored for Liverpool his goal was well worth waiting for.

The 21-year-old Dane picked up the ball in the centre circle from a Xabi Alonso pass and as he ran towards the West Ham goal the visitors' defence backed off.

As they did so Agger proceeded to unleash an unstoppable shot past West Ham goalkeeper Roy Carroll.

That goal rejuvenated Liverpool and three minutes later Crouch added a second.

A combination between Gerrard and Garcia set Crouch free and after rounding Carroll the England striker struck a fierce shot into the net.

Early in the second half Crouch was replaced by Liverpool's new £10m signing Dirk Kuyt.

The Dutch international made an immediate impression, trying his luck with a shot and a header and then trying to release Gerrard with a clever dummy.

Kuyt's delicate flick set up Bellamy for a goal, but the Welsh international was ruled just offside.

Kuyt continued to lead Liverpool's with plenty of vim and he drew a fine one-handed save from Carroll.

Benayoun provided West Ham's best attacking threat in the second-half, troubling Liverpool's defence with a shot and mazy dribble.

And Bowyer came desperately close to equalising for West Ham as they sought to maintain their unbeaten start to the season when his scuffed shot clipped the post on 79 minutes.

Reina also did well to save substitute Carlton Cole's close-range effort.

The World Cup has been gone for a over a month now but its repercussions is still being felt by the losers and winners. Dr Istivan Gorgenyi has just written an article as to why Brazil lost the World Cup on SBS's The World Game website.

Below is the article:

How Ronaldo delivered Brazil's failure - Dr. Istvan Gorgenyi

Dr. Istvan Gorgenyi was the coach of the Gold medal winning Australian Women’s Water Polo team in Sydney 2000. An expert in group dynamics, he developed a theory in team life called 'The Hunting Territory®'.

Gorgenyi is a consultant and presents at universities, management and coaching courses. He prepared a study about the Socceroos' 2005 Confederations Cup performance for Football Federation Australia and is currently working on the Australian national team's 2006 World Cup performance analysis).

In this first instalment of three, Gorgenyi examines the 2006 World Cup failure of Brazil, via his theory of 'The Hunting Territory'.

The failure of Brazil to win its quarter-final against France and its lacklustre performance throughout the 2006 World Cup reveals the importance of structural issues in football, which can in fact be applied to any team sport.

Every player needs a certain 'personal space' in order to deliver his actions.

In football imagine a forward taking on a defender: if a team-mate now enters into this contest he would bring a defender there, often from outside the range of dribbling player’s peripheral vision. That would be the end of the dribbling action; the entering defender might steal or block the ball.

Many a team’s attacking tactics are built around this need. Screens and picks (to use basketball parlance appropriate to this situation) are designed to provide this space by disturbing the defence, deterring defenders’ moves and attention. On the other hand defensive tactics are designed to prevent attackers getting the necessary space to deliver their passes or shots.

Moving players carry their personal space with them. By doing this they are able to open up space for others to make incisive passes or create goal-scoring chances. This creates the flow of attack that confuses defence and provides continuous opportunities for the attacking team. It gives the rhythm, the beauty of the game. It is like jazz - this music is not just to enthuse the spectators but provides the energy and creativity that teams cannot win without.

When a player who occupies a crucial territory or position in front of goal is not creating space, whose touch and control is off, who doesn’t have the speed and flexibility to snap up the sudden and unpredictable half chance, then the attacking team is dead. This player does not simply underperform but also prevents others from utilising that crucial space. It is frustrating and it is energy draining.

The above situations epitomised Brazil’s performance throughout the whole tournament. Ronaldo was slow, often had trouble with controlling the ball and yet still held this pivotal position in the team. No doubt his fading talent still provided some brilliant moments and goals against weaker teams but it was no surprise that he wasn’t able to perform against the truly world-class opponents.

Like an injured whale blocking a whole channel...he drew opposing defenders far up into the congested midfield preventing Ronaldinho, Kaka and others from freely using this area and therefore stymied any true penetration into the box chased by trailing and confused defenders. Something they do for their club teams so brilliantly.

The idea of a central striker similar to Ronaldo might be bold. If he is able to control the ball then he can draw several defenders onto him and create space for others to exploit.

Didier Drogba routinely does that to great effect for Chelsea, thereby providing scoring opportunities for others. (In fact Ronaldo did that too when, in the 48th minute of the Brazil v Australia game he set up Adriano to score the first goal).

This role requires agility, awareness and fitness, separate from brilliant ball-skills and, fundamentally and first of all, vision, quick decision making and a certain degree of unselfishness.

Ronaldo hardly possessed any of these values during Germaqny 2006.

On the other hand when Robinho came on in the 72nd minute for Brazil against Australia game the whole game changed. He was moving, dribbling, dancing with the ball across the pitch and, as in the fairytale of 'Sleeping Beauty', the Brazilian team suddenly came alive. It was only a question of time as to when Brazil would score. And score it did.

I wonder what kept Ronaldo in the team when his lack of fitness was so obvious to everyone that loved and watched Brazil’s games. I remember Ronaldinho supporting Ronaldo after his poor performance against Croatia in Brazil's first group game. He claimed that Ronaldo would quickly improve and that the team indeed needed him. Ronaldo stayed on and it was Ronaldinho who also faded by every consequent game. Perhaps it wasn’t only the territory blocking Ronaldo that stopped him playing well, but it was certainly a major factor.

Had Ronaldo too large a public image in Brazil, preventing coach Carlos Alberto Parreira from dropping him and playing young Robinho more? Was there a strong clique of older experienced players to whom Parreira was committed? Was Parreira blinded by the number of goals scored by Ronaldo throughout his World Cup career?

We might never know the answer to those questions.

However the clear message of Brazil’s fall is that personal space, ' the hunting territory', is an important factor of the game and ignoring each players’ need to capitalise on this territory severely undermined the former world champion’s overall team performance.

RAFA'S JOY TEMPERED BY MORE INJURY WOE

here's the report by Mark Platt in Kiev 23 August 2006

Rafael Benitez spoke of his delight after Liverpool confirmed their place in Friday's Champions League group phase draw but admitted his satisfaction was tempered by two new injury setbacks.
Peter Crouch's goal in the 1-1 draw against Maccabi Haifa in Kiev was enough to secure an aggregate 3-2 success but it wasn’t all good news for the Reds as both Stephen Warnock and Momo Sissoko were forced off with ankle and knee problems respectively.

"It was a difficult game but it's good to have qualified. I am really happy," said Benitez. "It's not been easy to start pre-season without some players and our results in pre-season were not the best so it's always a relief to come through a tie like this. I am sure that once the international break is out of the way you will see the team improve.

"In the first half we had a lot of clear chances but their goalkeeper was fantastic. In my opinion, he was man of the match. We had some problems towards the end defensively but that is normal when a team is chasing the game. In these situations we need to score again to kill the game.

"But it was very disappointing to lose another two players through injury. Stephen's is hopefully not too serious but Momo could be out for two or three weeks. We will have to see."

Replay makes Grand Slam debut at US Open
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
August 20, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Imagine this scenario unfolding in a few weeks' time: Andre Agassi vs. Roger Federer, U.S. Open final, fifth set, full house, match point. Agassi whips a shot past Federer and drops to his knees, celebrating a Grand Slam title in his last tournament as a pro. The crowd goes wild.

Uh, hold on a second. Federer walks over to the chair umpire and challenges the call. Agassi gets up. Fans hush. Everyone looks up at the overhead screen to watch a video replay, and ... the call stands. Agassi drops to his knees again. Cue the crowd.

Anticlimactic? Perhaps. But the man in charge of the U.S. Open wouldn't mind: Arlen Kantarian wants to make sure calls are correct, which is part of why the challenge system will make its Grand Slam debut in Flushing Meadows a week from Monday.

"This thing is changing outcomes of matches -- so, so far, so good," Kantarian, a U.S. Tennis Association executive, said in a telephone interview. "It's been met with virtually complete support on the part of the players. Hey, the lack of controversy has been no fun at all."

Kantarian followed that line with a chuckle, but there's certainly some underlying truth there.

After all, one goal of using replay is to try to make sure there's no repeat of the obvious-to-everyone-but-the-umpire missed calls in a 2004 U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati. Another goal is to add spice to the sport.

It's why the WTA Tour is allowing on-court coaching. Why the U.S. Open courts are now blue. Anything to draw attention.

"It's about marrying a sport that's been steeped in tradition with innovation," Kantarian said. "We've got to give the players some recourse and the fans some more excitement -- and, so far, instant replay has done both."

As two-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal put it at the Cincinnati Masters: "It's part of the show."

All indications from U.S. Open tuneup tournaments over the past month is that the system really is a hit with players and fans. Well, most players. One holdout is two-time U.S. Open champion Federer, who didn't like the idea from the start.

More representative is Andy Murray, the 19-year-old Scot who ended Federer's 55-match winning streak in North America last week.

Earlier this month, at an Open tuneup in Washington, Murray was enthusiastic -- even though he was 0-for-the-tournament on challenges until then.

"If you can get the crowd involved in any way, that's better. They're going to enjoy it more, regardless of how many you get right or wrong or how much it can change a match," Murray said. "And that's the most important thing: If you can get people to come and watch, that's better for us."

At Washington, spectators applauded or yelled when players challenged calls, then made more noise when replays were shown. They were as animated about replays as any volley or groundstroke.

"It's great for the fans, it's great for the players, it's great for the linesmen -- it lets them know if they're right or wrong," said Brad Gilbert, who's coached Agassi and Andy Roddick and now works with Murray.

"Unlike NFL football, where it takes a long time," Gilbert noted, "it's 10 seconds."

And unlike in football, there aren't judgment calls to be made by an official tucked under a replay-hiding hood. When a player questions a call, above-court video screens show a graphic rendering of the ball's flight, in slow motion, with a dark spot indicating where it landed. That spot either touches a white line -- the ball was in -- or it doesn't -- the ball was out. Simple as that.

"It doesn't distract the game a lot," 2004 U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva said.

That's also because players get two challenges per set, plus an extra one if a set goes to a tiebreaker. Through the first four weeks of the U.S. Open Series, there were an average of 3.09 challenges per men's match and 2.25 per women's match. Calls were overturned 39 percent of the time overall.

Kantarian isn't surprised by the changed rulings.

"The speed and power of today's game is something that the human eye cannot keep up with," he said. "You've got 150 mph serves, 100 mph forehands, and right now, technology is going to have to make its impact on this sport."

Some don't like that intrusion, though, and there are other concerns, including why the number of challenges is limited.

"Unlimited challenges would render the game mechanical. We don't want to turn this into a video game," Kantarian said. "Keeping the human element in all sports is critical."

Another complaint: Because of the money and logistics involved, the system is being used only on one court at most events and will be used at two of 18 courts at the U.S. Open (at a cost of about $300,000).

"You have to be the same for everyone -- same rules," top-10 player Tommy Robredo said.

His loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Cincinnati Masters semifinals Saturday ended on a challenged call. Instead of closing out the match with an outright winner, Ferrero had to wait while Robredo made the umpire check a ruling.

"It was a little bit disappointing finish," said Ferrero, the 2003 U.S. Open runner-up. "But it's one kind of finish we can have in tennis, no? Not the best, but. ..."

It's also the sort of finish that could be seen a lot more, depending on how things go in New York. While the French Open doesn't need replay, because balls leave marks in the red clay, Wimbledon and the Australian Open are looking into it.

"We'll be monitoring the U.S. Open very closely," Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said, "to see how successful the system works there and if there are any lessons to be learned."

AP Sports Writers Beth Harris in Carson, Calif., Joe Kay in Mason, Ohio, and John Pye in Australia contributed to this report.

The game against Sheffield United was a bad result. Liverpool were missing Xabi Alonso. As a result play was not as fluid as it could be. Below is the article written by The Insider on Soccernet.com.

Liverpool fail to send out the right message
The Insider


Sheffield United 1 - 1 Liverpool

So here we go again and even on day one of this brand new Premiership season, a crucial afternoon in the title race was upon us.


First impressions count in this game and if Liverpool were to live up to their billing as genuine contenders to Chelsea's apparently unbreakable dominance of the English game, Rafa Benitez's men needed to lay down a marker.

Against the hot favourites for relegation from the Premiership, this was not a day for lame excuses for failure, but by the end, that is just what we got from the Reds and their bedraggled looking manager.

Gloomy odds on survival mattered little to the hoards of Sheffield United fans who made their way to Bramall Lane with the sort excitement that has been missing from their stride for all too long. After so many promotion near misses, this was the afternoon so many in this football mad city had waited so long for and the noise that rippled around the sell-out crowd prior to kick-off send a shiver down the spine.

The pre-match performance of Bramall Lane's booming PA system was certainly Premiership class and with a set of tunes that clearly hit the right notes with Blades followers, this compact ground was rocking by the time the time the two teams emerged from the tunnel. Such raucous home support may just be one of their best hopes of defying those odds and surviving in the Premiership this season.

Our focus for the day was on Liverpool and once this game got underway, it became rapidly clear that we would be provided with as many questions as answers as they stumbled through the first test of their title credentials.

Many an observer has based their positive predictions for Liverpool on the back of a solitary victory against an under-prepared and badly organised Chelsea side in last Sunday's Community Shield. However, such a blinkered view neatly blocks out some of their less than impressive pre-season displays ahead of that game in Cardiff, so this was an occasion to show that a summer of squad reshaping at Anfield has had the desired effect.

Benitez sprung something of a surprised when he named Brazilian signing Fabio Aurelio in an advanced midfield role rather than his preferred slot at left-back, with his decision to leave natural wingers Mark Gonzalez and Jermaine Pennant on the bench clearly made with next week's Champions League game against Maccabi Haifa in mind.

His move to pair Robbie Fowler with Craig Bellamy up front was also mildly unexpected as the theory was that Peter Crouch was penned in to be the ideal foil for either of Liverpool's two little predators, yet in these formative days of the season such selection dilemmas are yet to be resolved.

A scoreless first half represented a victory for the underdogs and while Liverpool had dominated possession, their lack of cutting edge up front and invention in midfield was blatantly evident. On the plus side, their work rate was impressive, with the hunger to match Sheffield United's passion their best quality, but they will need much more than raw determination to match Chelsea this season.

Lacking ideas on set-plays and troubled every time the speedy Danny Webber ran at their back line, the half-time whistle was greeted with a roar that must have been heard all over Sheffield, yet the volume levels were to be upped to previously unimaginable levels 60 seconds after the re-start.

Losing John Arne Riise and Jamie Carragher due to injury inside the first 34 minutes left Liverpool with a defensive line-up that has never before played as a unit and as a fizzing free-kick was spun into the box by David Unsworth, Blades debutant Rob Hulse scored the first Premiership goal of the season.

Liverpool's marking was of Championship standard, with Aurelio guilty of allowing Hulse a free header from point blank range and an afternoon that started with such high hopes for the visitors was rapidly developing into a nightmare for Benitez and his team.

How a side reacts to a setback is often a sign of their quality and with Sheffield United sinking into their shell, Liverpool piled on the pressure. After a series of near misses, a fine one two between Fowler and Steven Gerrard finished in a penalty that the former tucked away with ease. TV replays suggested referee Rob Styles was harsh to give the spot kick as Chris Morgan failed to make contact with Gerrard in the box.

After that touch of good fortune, the moment had come for Benitez's men to prove they could then find the killer touch all champions possess, yet just when it seemed the introduction of Peter Crouch seemed obvious, he took off the struggling Fowler and threw Jermaine Pennant into the fray. Leaving Bellamy up front alone for the final 15 minutes was a curious move that drew the sting out of Liverpool's final flourish.

There was only one team celebrating at the end and for Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, there was much to ponder as he faced the media hoard.

"We did not play well in the first half, we know that," conceded a rattled coach who claimed to be bemused by the physical nature of Sheffield United's game that he blames for the injuries to Carragher and Riise.

"If we want to have a successful season, then we have to show more of what we produced in the second period. Dropping points now is not good news, but you never know what might happen this weekend. It was a tough away game to start off with and we will take this.

'Still, they saw this is a marathon season in England and we are still in the first kilometre, so let's not talk about the significance of dropping two points now."

It came as little surprise that Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock, the would-be head of an Anti-Referees Association, wasted little time in moving onto a familiar topic after his first game as a Premiership manager.

"Our lad didn't touch Gerrard, but that is the sort of decision that we generally tend to get at this club," stated Warnock, whose controversial post-match briefings are bound to be a delight to attend this season.

"Rob Styles is a good referee, but he got the major decision wrong today. No one involved in professional football will think that was a penalty, but they didn't deserve a penalty and it does leave a sour taste. If he thought it was a foul, he should have sent the player off, so it was strange. Robbie Fowler said to me that it was never a penalty, but there you go.

"This was a great day for Sheffield United, but it could have been even better. I was top of the Premier League for a few minutes you know. That might never happen again! Still, I'm proud of the lads because that was one of the top teams in England and we had a lot of heroes out there. The shame is we will all be talking about one man and he didn't kick a ball today."

In a week when the A-level results were released to students across Britain, it seems fitting to give Liverpool a grade after their first exam of the season and it is hard to give them much more than a C- for their effort at Bramall Lane. With so much room for improvement, Chelsea will not be quaking in their boots.

• MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Gerrard: After a slow start, the Liverpool captain began to dictate the game as his side battled back from the shock of going behind. However, performing for just 45 minutes will not be enough for Benitez.

• FACE IN THE CROWD: New England boss Steve McClaren was sitting just down the stand from us and Blades fan Sean Bean looked every inch the Hollywood superstar in his shades as the James Bond baddie walked past the assembled media pack.

• FOOD WATCH: The early kick-off meant a pre-match snack was in order and the chicken and mushroom pie on offer hit the mark.

• INJURY UPDATE: John Arne Riise looked to have done serious damage to his ankle in the first half, but the word is he only has a sprained his ankle.

• ONE TO WATCH: Sheffield United's Danny Webber has long been hailed as one of the most promising young players in the game and on the evidence of this impressive opening day display, he will be a threat in the Premiership this season.

• LIVERPOOL VERDICT: Benitez clearly felt this was a day for his 'little forwards' to unlock the door to victory, but their lack of physical presence up front gave the Blades a chance to claim a morale boosting point. He now looks to have the raw materials to build a powerful side, but this Liverpool effort did not suggest they are about to end the club's long wait for an English league title this season.