RAFALUTION

BELLAMY INSPIRES FOUR STAR REDS

2006-12-03T10:38:00.000+08:00

SKY Sports 02 December 2006
A tremendous first half display from Liverpool saw them steamroller Wigan as they claimed a memorable 4-0 win at The JJB Stadium.

Craig Bellamy put the stresses of his recent court case well and truely behind him as he doubled his tally for he season with two goals in the opening half hour as he produced his best peformance to date for the Merseyside giants.

The Reds added two more just before the interval to seal the win as Dirk Kuyt pounced and Lee McCulloch put through his own net.

The game in truth was over by half time although it could be argued that the match as a contest was done just before the half hour mark after Bellamy registered his second.

The Reds started well as they quickly came to terms with their new look 3-5-2 formation and the lead was theirs with the first meaningful attack of the game.

John Arne Riise picked dup the ball and picked out the run of Bellamy, who easily shrugged off the attentions of the hapless Matt Jackson before striding into the box and coolly side footing home past Chris Kirkland.

Bellamy then headed wide headed wide from Steve Finnan's cross as Liverpool continued to monopolise possession as they utilised their wing backs to the maximum.

Steven Gerrard should have done better when put clean through, but as he tried to find a free Bellamy in the box, who miscued his effort and Wigan cleared.

The home side did not have a sight of goal until just after the 20 minute mark as Henri Camara flashed a shot wide after good work from Paul Scharner down the left.

That proved to a brief moment of hope for Wigan as Liverpool soon doubled their lead. Josip Skoko carelessly gave the ball away in the middle and the ball eventually fell for Gerrard, who played the ball into the box to send Bellamy clear and he obliged with another cultured finished past Kirkland.

Unlike with the first, the second goal sparked Wigan into some action and they should have pulled one back through McCulloch but the Scottish international blazed over from just six yards after Jose Reina could only parry a Scharner header.

An equally good opportunity followed for Camara. Emile Heskey's first sight of goal against his former club saw him clear but Reina was out quickly to block with his chest - but Camara could not convert the rebound and fired wide.

Wigan were left to rue their missed chances as Liverpool added two more goals in a five-minute spell just before half time.

The third was a wonderfully crafted goal. Luis Garcia picked up the ball in his own half and picked out Gerrard's run with pin-point perfection - the Reds skipper took the ball in his stride before playing Bellamy clear and the Welshman unselfishly squared the ball across the box for Kuyt to fire home.

Salt was rubbed into the wounds with the fourth as this time McCulloch did find the back of the net, but unfortunately for him it was his own. Gerrard exchanged passes with Finnan down the right before crossing into the six yard box but under pressure from Kuyt, McCulloch could not help the ball hitting his leg and it left Kirkland with little chance.

Paul Jewell changed things at the interval as David Cotterill and David Wright were introduced.

It was though once again Liverpool who were quicker into their stride and Kuyt tested Kirkland with an audacious attempt from out wide as he curled the ball with the outside of his foot - but the England man was equal to it on this occasion.

Wigan then had he ball in the net with their first chance after the restart as Scharner headed home from close range - but he was adjudged offside.

Soon after Liverpool were forced into a change as Luis Garcia was brought on for Jermaine Pennant and before long Gabriel Palletta was introduced for Sami Hyypia.

Bellamy threatened to blot his copy book late on as he clashed off the ball with Leighton Baines as he kicked out at the England Under-21 man - and he may consider himself fortunate only to have been handed a yellow by Mike Riley.

With game already well won, Rafa Benitez took off Gerrard and gave Danny Guthrie a run-out in midfield.

Heskey could then have added some silver lining to another wise completely forgettable afternoon as he latched onto a loose ball in the box but he was unlucky as he shot crashed against the post and to compound Athletic's day, Cotterill could not react as the ball bounced off him and wide from just a yard.

Wright should have added a consolation in the last minute as some rare sloppy defensive work from Liverpool saw the full back work his way free in the box but he fired over, as the visitors claimed a well deserved clean sheet.

Liverpool now find themselves in fifth, but Benitez will be left beaming with the performance of his side who adapted brilliantly to playing three central defenders and it really gives him a whole new option, given how both Bellamy and Gerrard particularly flourished.

SKIPPER TO THE RESCUE AS REDS SINK CITY

2006-11-26T01:09:00.000+08:00

Steven Gerrard netted his first Premiership goal of the season as Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premiership with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield.

The skipper struck with a venomous 67th minute long-range strike to maintain the Reds' impressive home record and seal a welcome three points against a stubborn City team.

Prior to the deadlock-breaking goal it looked as though this game was heading for a frustrating stalemate and there'd been little to report in terms of goalmouth action.

Peter Crouch, Gerrard and Luis Garcia had gone close during an uninspired first half but it was not all one way traffic and the visitors looked threatening whenever they attacked.

The contest came to life after the break and Bernardo Corradi fired narrowly wide before Gerrard's winner burst the back of the Kop net.

With City pushing forward for a late equaliser Pepe Reina twice saved the day with vital saves and Liverpool deservedly hung on to claim the points that sees them move two places up the Premiership table to 8th.

Wing worries for Liverpool

2006-11-23T09:49:00.000+08:00

by Richard Jolly

It served as a microcosm of Liverpool's midfield: no sooner does Gerrard solve one problem than another is highlighted.

Without Mohamed Sissoko, he has been restored to his preferred position in the centre of midfield, but that means Rafael Benitez now has to perm two from his collection of unconvincing wingers. Jermaine Pennant maintained his place on the right and was on the receiving end of a Gerrard blast for his failure to support Finnan.

He may have neglected his defensive duties, but Pennant was still prominent.

One burst to the byline was an example of old-fashioned wing play. But when, minutes before, he had the presence of mind to lay the ball back to Gerrard, the resulting cross, bent in beautifully, was superior to anything Pennant produced and a reminder why Benitez appears to consider his captain his finest right winger.

A trademark Gerrard goal, displaying assurance with his finish after powering forward to meet Dirk Kuyt's clever ball after the Dutchman turned Alex neatly, showed why many consider him Liverpool's best central midfielder.

It was only Gerrard's second goal of the season, but that is two more than Pennant. Examinations of what his contribution amounted to, either in a defeat of PSV Eindhoven that was completed by a late Peter Crouch goal, or in his brief time at Liverpool, are inconclusive.

It may be an inappropriate description, given his colourful past, but the jury is still out on Pennant as, indeed, it is on Mark Gonzalez.

The Chilean's finest piece of play resulted in his departure. Accelerating past Jan Kromkamp with sufficient ease to provide a reminder why few lamented the sale of the Dutchman, he supplied the most inviting of crosses.

But for the awareness of Alex, Crouch would have had a tap-in. However, in the process, the summer signing hurt his hamstring and was stretchered off, head in hands.

Pennant switched flanks immediately, bur a reluctance to use his left foot meant he had a tendency to drift infield into a crowded midfield, and he had to return to the right while Luis Garcia roamed around the left.

Then, when Pennant's evening was curtailed by a hamstring spasm, enter Craig Bellamy as an auxiliary winger, the fourth of the night, while a fifth lurked infield as a result of other injuries.

When Xabi Alonso hobbled off disconsolately to join Sissoko on the treatment table, on came Boudewijn Zenden. He may prefer a central role nowadays, but his suitability for it is less obvious.

Sissoko can trace his heritage in the Liverpool midfield back to competitors of the calibre of Steve McMahon and Graeme Souness in a way the more lightweight Zenden cannot.

Benitez said: 'It was our idea to finish at the top of the group [which Liverpool have guaranteed now]. The first thing is that we are really pleased with the victory, but it came at a price.

'It was really difficult to manage in a game where you lose two players in the first half. In the end, we played with Bolo and Steve and two very offensive wingers and Luis was not 100 percent fit.'

And while wingers abounded, the contenders for the cross of the match were delivered by Gerrard and Finnan, opting for his left foot and headed inches over the bar by Crouch.

It is often said that, his height notwithstanding, Crouch is not a great header of the ball. This was an instant that shows he has both the leap and the technique to be; it is a consistent demonstration of such prowess that eludes him.

His goal, when it finally came, hardly required such finesse. Garcia, whose aptitude for the European stage is well established, delivered a deep cross that Kuyt headed back across goal and Crouch forced in from all of a yard.

It was his fifth European strike of the season and, by some distance, Crouch is Liverpool's leading scorer in the Champions League. It suggests continental defences are yet to understand the difficulties of dealing with his unique frame.

If Crouch is a one-off, his partner may not be.

Ignore the blond mop and concentrate on the way he uses his body to shield the ball and there is a hint of Mark Hughes about Kuyt. Certainly, like the Welshman, he seems capable of creating as many goals as he scores. At least Kuyt's many attributes, illustrated by his two assists, guarantee him a place in attack.

And in a team where there are few automatic choices, that is to his credit.

He stands in contrast to Liverpool's many wide men. Benitez began with too many options on the flanks. Because of three injuries, he ended with too few, but with the question of his first-choice wingers is still frustratingly unanswered.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Gerrard
He dominated the first half but, after Alonso's injury, unselfishly adopted the anchor role in midfield for much of the second. 'The quality of Gerrard was outstanding tonight,' said Ronald Koeman, who is no mean judge. A demanding Benitez added: 'He played well, but he is a very good player and he can play much better. And he knows he can play much better.'

INJURY NEWS: Alonso was reported to have a dead leg, while Pennant suffered spasms in his hamstring. So Gonzalez, with a torn hamstring, is the most serious casualty. 'Two weeks, for sure,' said Benitez.

LIVERPOOL VERDICT: They merited their victory, but it was the kind of performance that both served to show why their record is so impressive at home and so lamentable away. It still remains to be seen quite what the sum of their many parts equates to.

PSV VERDICT: The left-back Carlos Salcido produced some wonderful passes with either foot and threatened Jose Reina's goal with a deflected, dipping effort from fully 40 yards. PSV has proved a fertile hunting ground for the European giants over the past couple of decades, and the Mexican could be the next to tempt them.

DID HE REALLY SAY THAT? According to our translator, Koeman commented that 'Liverpool is a different kettle of fish in comparison with Galatasaray and Bordeaux.' There may have been some licence with that translation.

LIVERPOOL DRAW A BLANK AT RIVERSIDE

2006-11-19T12:41:00.000+08:00

by Team Talk 18 November 2006

Liverpool's wait for an away win in the Premiership this season will go after a 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough despite dominating the game.

The Reds at least left Teesside with a first away point since the opening day of the season, but they will feel they should have ended their miserable run of results on their travels.

Dirk Kuyt blasted wide before the break and Craig Bellamy saw a goal-bound header blocked by substitute Robert Huth before Daniel Agger forced a superb save from Mark Schwarzer with a 59th-minute piledriver.

And it took a magnificent goal-line clearance by Jonathan Woodgate to deny substitute Peter Crouch a late winner with an 83rd-minute header.

However, while Rafael Benitez's men were left to rue missed opportunities, they could have headed back home empty-handed but for a remarkable escape.

Jose Reina did well to block Jason Euell's close-range header but, when the ball fell to Aiyegbeni Yakubu in front of goal, he completely missed his kick.

The omens were not particularly promising for the visitors as they arrived on Teesside without a league win away from Anfield all season to meet a team which had already disposed of Chelsea and Everton.

Indeed, the Reds had won only twice in the Premiership at the Riverside Stadium in 10 attempts.

However, after an ordinary start, it was they who took the game to their hosts and created the vast majority of the meaningful openings in front of a much-improved crowd of 31,424.

Spanish midfielder Mark Gonzalez set the tone, cutting in from the left to fire a right-footed shot straight at Schwarzer with just three minutes gone and then curling a 20th-minute cross on to the roof of the net.

However, Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt perhaps should have put them in front a minute later when partner Craig Bellamy chested down Steven Gerrard's long ball, but he fired wide of the the target.

Gerrard, lining up in his preferred central role, had taken time to get to grips with opposite number George Boateng but, as his influence increased, so did the threat posed by his team.

Xabi Alonso fired wildly over on 32 minutes after Jermaine Pennant had laid off Bellamy's cross, but the former Arsenal midfielder forced a good save from Schwarzer six minutes later with a well-struck shot on the turn.

John Arne Riise warmed then goalkeeper's hands with a long-range piledriver, but still the Reds could not break the deadlock.

For their part, Boro enjoyed some success down the right, where James Morrison and Andrew Davies gave Riise a tough time, but with Yakubu again playing as a lone striker, Reina had to deal with a handful of dangerous crosses, but little else.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate was forced to make a change at the break when he replaced the injured Davies with Robert Huth. The £6million central defender slotted in at right-back and was to play his part within minutes.

Kuyt's appeals for a penalty after he went down under Boateng's challenge were waved away, but it was his side which enjoyed a remarkable escape on 53 minutes.

Yakubu found Morrison wide on the right and then made his way into the penalty area as Euell headed the winger's cross towards goal.

Reina got down superbly to block Euell's effort, but could only serve the ball up to Yakubu, who inexplicably failed to make contact with the goal at his mercy.

However, the visitors would have been in front on 55 minutes had Huth not thrown himself into the path of Bellamy's goal-bound header, and it took a fine save from Schwarzer to prevent Agger's long-range missile from screaming into the top corner four minutes later.

The Australian was the hero again after 68 minutes when he got down smartly to keep out Gonzalez's volley, and he was relieved to see Emanuel Pogatetz deflect Kuyt's cross wide of the post rather than inside it three minutes later.

Southgate rang the changes as he introduced Lee Cattermole for the injured Boateng and last weekend's match-winner Massimo Maccarone for Morrison, but they could do little to stem the tide.

However, Woodgate had to head off his own line after Crouch, on for Kuyt, got his head to a deep Gonzalez cross and looped the ball over Schwarzer.

The visitors hammered away as the clock ran down and Crouch saw another header saved in injury-time, but they could not find a way past the Boro defence.

RAFA: MISTAKES COST US

2006-11-13T08:32:00.000+08:00

from Liverpoolfc.co.uk

Liverpool were beaten by goals from Flamini, Toure and Gallas and Rafa believes at least two of the goals could have been avoided. He said, "We started well and we were controlling a lot of things, but when we conceded the first goal it was a problem.

"We made some mistakes. When you play against a good team with a lot of quality you have to be 100% all of the time, but we made big mistakes for the first and second goals."

And Rafa again lamented his side's failure to claim the game's pivotal first goal. He said, "We knew they would be a difficult team to play against and we knew it would be important to score the first goal, but we couldn't do it.

"It's clear we need to improve our away record. I have some ideas, but it wont be until next week at Middlesbrough when we see whether the improvement is there."

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger credited Liverpool's performance and agreed with Rafa's assessment when he said, "Liverpool played very well. The first goal was very important and if they had scored it, it might have been a different game.

Birmingham 0-1 Liverpool

2006-11-09T11:04:00.000+08:00

Birmingham regained their pride but still bowed out of another competition at the hands of Liverpool as Daniel Agger's goal in first-half stoppage-time settled their Carling Cup fourth round clash at St Andrews.

Blues had been humiliated 7-0 on the same ground in an FA Cup tie last season - the lowest point of Steve Bruce's managerial career.

This tie was a far more competitive affair against a Reds side who made nine changes from the starting line-up against Reading at the weekend - although the visitors were worthy winners.

Several Birmingham players appeared to throw in the towel on that ill-fated March night but the current side showed plenty of effort and determination.

But Danish international Agger's second goal of the current campaign was sufficient to earn the Merseysiders a place in the quarter-finals.

Birmingham occasionally threatened and looked more lively when Nicklas Bendtner and Gary McSheffrey were brought on up front for the final half hour.

But Liverpool were by far the better side in the second 45 minutes and Craig Bellamy could have notched a hat-trick - and saw a penalty saved by Maik Taylor.

The first chance fell to Steve Bruce's side after six minutes when Cameron Jerome battled for the ball before it fell invitingly to Julian Gray - but he fired over the bar when Reds goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek should have at least been tested.

Liverpool threatened for the first time when Mark Gonzalez exchanged passes with Boudewijn Zenden before unleashing a fierce drive which flew inches wide of Taylor's goal.

Blues midfielder Mehdi Nafti became the first player to be yellow-carded a minute later after a challenge in the centre circle on Zenden.

Liverpool enjoyed a spell of concerted pressure and recalled striker Robbie Fowler completely miskicked when attempting to convert a cross from Lee Peltier.

Liverpool were forced into a substitution after 26 minutes when, after a lengthy delay, Mohamed Sissoko was stretchered off with what appeared to be a dislocated right shoulder after he had fallen awkwardly following a challenge by Nafti.

The visitors were looking more threatening and the impressive Gonzalez exchanged passes with former Blues favourite Jermaine Pennant after taking a short corner - and his powerful cross-shot was deflected just past Taylor's far post.

Birmingham produced their best chance of the opening half after 44 minutes when Martin Taylor made a run down the left flank before sending over a low cross for DJ Campbell to run onto but he was denied at point blank range by Dudek.

But in the fifth of seven minutes of stoppage time Liverpool finally went ahead through Agger, who had the space to lash the ball into the roof of the net from close range after the hosts had failed to deal with a corner from Pennant.

Liverpool suddenly stepped up a gear at the start of the second period and began to carve open the Birmingham defence almost at will.

A cross from Gabriel Paletta picked out Bellamy, whose shot lobbed up into the hands of Maik Taylor after he had initially gone down in anticipation of a low effort from the Welsh international.

Maik Taylor then had to scramble across his goal-line to keep out a fiercely driven effort from Gonzalez at the base of a post.

The Northern Ireland number one also dealt with a long range attempt by Zenden as Liverpool started to dominate proceedings.

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce made a double substitution just before the hour mark replacing the front duo of Jerome and Campbell with McSheffrey and Bendtner.

Liverpool had the chance to double their lead after 64 minutes when Jaidi was adjudged to have fouled Gonzalez after a surging run.

But Maik Taylor kept Birmingham in contention by comfortably saving Bellamy's penalty low to his left.

Bellamy appeared to miss his kick with the goal at his mercy from Zenden's low centre, before Nafti showed his frustration when being replaced by Fabrice Muamba - heading straight for the dressing room and kicking an advertising hoarding before disappearing down the tunnel.

Gray could have taken the game into extra-time when he shot straight at Dudek from close range, before Bellamy dragged a low shot across goal.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said 'we must cross our fingers now and wait' after Mohamed Sissoko suffered a suspected
dislocated shoulder in the 1-0 Carling Cup victory at Birmingham.

Sissoko was taken off on a stretcher after a challenge by Mehdi Nafti in the first half as the Reds went on to secure their quarter-final place thanks to Daniel Agger's goal before the break.

Benitez is naturally worried about the fitness of his midfielder.

He told Sky Sports 1: 'We feel it is serious. We cross our fingers now and wait.

'Really we need all the players in our squad, especially `Momo' because he gives us a lot of energy.

'I hope it is not very serious but I don't think so.

'It was a difficult game, we had some clear chances, they have had one or two but they gave us a good cup game. It was good for supporters.

'I felt the players worked really hard. I changed some players, there were some young boys there but we were good against a difficult team.'

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce added: 'We had two or three good opportunities - you have to take them but Maik Taylor kept us in it with the penalty save.

Blues' Mehdi Nafti showed his frustration when being replaced by Fabrice Muamba - heading straight for the dressing room and kicking an advertising hoarding before disappearing down the tunnel.

And Bruce continued: 'He was disappointed but we'll deal with him over the next 24 hours.

'There's always something going on - but it doesn't worry me at all.'

Tonight's result ended a run of five successive wins in all competitions - and Bruce's men return to Coca-Cola Championship action with successive home games against Barnsley and Wolves in their quest for promotion back to the Barclays Premiership at the first attempt.

Bruce added on Sky Sports 1: 'The league is the bread and butter - a cup run is lovely for everybody but we've got a couple of huge games coming up at home now.'

NO FIREWORKS, BUT CARRAGHER'S BURNING BRIGHT

2006-11-08T11:33:00.000+08:00

Daily Post 06 November 2006

BONFIRE Night is an occasion when most of us admire the spectacular as the darkening autumn sky is filled with bright colours.

But if Liverpool's two-goal hero against Reading on Saturday Dirk Kuyt is the showman who gets to light the fireworks and impress the fawning crowd, then Jamie Carragher is the bloke who risks doing his back in by lugging all the wood to build the bonfire.

Anfield stalwart Carragher became the first Liverpool player to reach 300 league appearances for the club this century at the weekend but - as you'd expect - he didn't make much fuss about the landmark occasion.

His manager, Rafael Benitez, says that if he had another two or three Jamie Carraghers in the side then Liverpool would be virtually unbeatable.

The question is - if you did fill your line-up full of JC carbon copies (unfortunately I think they broke the granite mould when the original popped up in Bootle in 1978), who would get the goals?

You see, Carragher is such a consummate team player that he seldom indulges in that very selfish act for a defender of abandoning his post to surge forward and nick a goal, even if he did rattle a header into the back of the Aston Villa net at the Kop end in his first Premiership start almost a decade ago.

Saturday's matchday programme noted how apt it would be for Carragher to mark the occasion by getting on the scoresheet, seeing as it's nearly eight years now since he bagged one in the Premiership - and even that was in a 7-1 romp over Southampton in January 1999 - a game in which he was eventually substituted for Bjorn Kvarme.

Putting such giddy hopes aside, I suspect that keeping Liverpool's first clean sheet in the Premiership since September was far more important for him.

This factor was exemplified in second-half stoppage time when, with the score at 2-0 and the game already won, Carragher was the only outfield Liverpool player in his own half when his side earned themselves a corner kick in front of the Kop.

The nature of football will always mean that the deeds of prolific strikers and creative midfield maestros continue to receive the lion's share of the plaudits.

But as a keen student of the game - I've been told that he drives his good lady wife nuts with the number of matches he watches at home - Carragher is intelligent enough to realise that on the whole his role is neither eye-catching nor spectacular but ultimately no less crucial.

Fans love a dedicated professional who will "play for the jersey" and Carragher never gives anything less than his all when he pulls on the Liverpool shirt.

Like all great sons of the city, he's a musical man too, with Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire a favourite tune for both himself and his father and you could imagine him jumping through one if it was required to achieve victory for Benitez's side.

If Steven Gerrard is the heartbeat of this Liverpool team, then Carragher provides the stomach for the battle.

The visit of Steve Coppell's Reading to Anfield was far from being the most taxing of Carragher's 300 Liverpool outings to date.

As a defender, coming up against solitary striker Kevin Doyle it was a relatively quiet afternoon - although he did manage to get in at least one crucial intervention beyond the call of duty to block one of the visitors' attacks.

Victory over a Reading side who have now lost their last five games was achieved in a no-nonsense routine manner for Liverpool.

While it was unspectacular, it was certainly efficient.

Dare I say, it was probably just the way Carragher would have liked it on his special day.

Liverpool 2-0 Reading: Kuyt at the double

2006-11-06T01:19:00.000+08:00

by soccernet.com

Liverpool's rehabilitation from their painful early season form continued apace with their fourth victory at Anfield in 11 days thanks to two goals from Dirk Kuyt in a 2-0 win over Reading.

They went go-karting in midweek for a spot of team bonding but they took a long time to get revved up as Reading set out to spoil from the start.

• Benitez hails Kuyt's work-rate

But the win stretched their unbeaten home league record to 22 matches, dating back 13 months to the hammering by Chelsea last October.

For Reading their early season promise is beginning to wane as they fell to their fourth successive league defeat.
Liverpool relied on two more goals, one in each half, from their Dutch summer signing as they toiled for victory.

Rafael Benitez's side were without Luis Garcia because of a hamstring problem and Mohamed Sissoko was rested on the bench, which meant Jermaine Pennant and Bolo Zenden came into a side unbeaten at home in the league for 13 months.

Reading, who lost 4-3 at Anfield in the Carling Cup last week, brought in Glen Little and Sam Sodje for their first Premiership starts.

And they started as if they had taken to heart Reading boss Steve Coppell's pleas that his team should not to be frightened of Liverpool.

Little got away on the right after seven minutes and found Bryn Gunnarsson 10 yards out but his crisp shot hit Jamie Carragher and bounced just wide.

That shocked Liverpool out of their initial lethargy and with Steven Gerrard back into central midfield they went ahead after 14 minutes.

Gerrard's neat chip into the box was nodded down by Peter Crouch and with Marcus Hahnemann in two minds whether to come for the ball Kuyt fired into an open goal from six yards.

For the rest of the first half Liverpool sought to string together their passes and another Gerrard flighted ball into the box was met by Kuyt's flicked header with Hahnemann saving well to his left.

Pennant tested the Reading keeper from 20 yards and then Jamie Carragher - on his 300th league appearance for the club - ventured into unchartered waters as he raced from the back to drive just over the angle.

Reading strung five across the back and left Kevin Doyle up front, attempting to deny Liverpool space, but it was an increasing struggle to halt the flow of the home side.

Kuyt had a long-range strike deflected wide and saw two headers bounce across goal, and Reading did well to survive until the break without further damage.

Carragher had to be sharp to force the ball away from Stephen Hunt in the box but Liverpool were soon back on the offensive with even Sami Hyypia coming forward to boost the attacking numbers.

Steve Sidwell was booked for dissent as Reading made the most of their best ammunition from set-pieces and there were some anxious moments in the Liverpool defence.

It was a horrible match to watch, lightened by another run from Hyypia which ended with another 20-yard shot flying just over.

Sodje was then booked for clattering into the back of Kuyt but it was no surprise when Mark Gonzalez replaced Zenden after 65 minutes in an attempt to add some variety and movement.

Gerrard headed wide from Pennant's corner before Ibrahima Sonko forced the ball home from a corner only for the effort ruled out because of a foul on Reina.

Liverpool's second goal came when Pennant's 73rd-minute corner was diverted by Crouch's head into Hahnemann and it dropped for Kuyt to force home from three yards.

It secured the points, albeit not with the sort of flowing style Liverpool would have hoped for.
Benitez hails Kuyt's work-rate

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez hailed the work-rate and goals of Dirk Kuyt as the Dutchman grabbed both in the 2-0 success over Reading at Anfield.

Kuyt took his tally to five for the season as Liverpool extended their unbeaten home league run to 22 matches.

'Kuyt always works, always makes great effort and shows the right level of commitment,' said Benitez of the Dutchman he signed from Feyenoord in the summer.

'He creates space for others and the partnership with Peter Crouch is working well.

'We have won four at home now but we know this form must be translated into our away form.

'Since the defeat at Manchester United (on October 22) we know we have done better and scored goals.

'Now we are away to Birmingham in the Carling Cup and then Arsenal in the league and we know we must improve on our away form.'

On Reading's determined performance to deny his side Benitez said: 'They are organised and work hard and I think they are good enough to stay up.

'But we expected five defenders and five across midfield and it was difficult to find space.

'When we got the second they had to come out and that left us with more chances.'

Reading manager Steve Coppell made no apology for his team's tactics.

'We are trying to bridge a huge gap,' he said.

'Liverpool are a tremendous team with great individuals and two seasons ago they were champions of Europe. At that stage we were in a different division.

'It is very hard to compete with that sort of quality. We needed to change the system and give us a strong foundation and to make life difficult for them.

'We had to keep it tight and see what happened. But you need a break, you need to get your noses in front and although we had a couple of chances, it didn't happen for us.

'We know we have lost four on the trot in the league, but I do not think of runs like that.

'When we started the season we did well but that was probably a coincidence of the fixtures.

'Now we have lost these last four. That too is a coincidence of the fixtures. We have had Arsenal, Chelsea and now Liverpool in that sequence.'

PREVIEW: LIVERPOOL V READING

2006-11-04T13:24:00.000+08:00

Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt is back in contention after sitting out the game at Portsmouth, but skipper Graeme Murty is unlikely to make his comeback.

The defender stays on the sidelines along with Dave Kitson, John Halls, Peter Mate, Simon Cox and Aaron Brown.

Reading keeper Marcus Hahnemann on playing at Anfield:

"No disrespect to other teams but it is better than going to Swansea, Southend or Burnley.

"We are going to Anfield. This is every kid's dream and we are still living the dream every day.

"One of the strongest memories I have of growing up was of John Barnes, Ian Rush and Bruce Grobbelaar playing for Liverpool against Everton.

"That's the stuff you remember and to have the chance to play in the huge stadium of Anfield is phenomenal."

Big-match facts

LIVERPOOL and Reading square up to each other for the second time in 10 days, with the Merseysiders looking for a quick double over the Royals, having knocked them out of the Carling Cup by the odd goal in seven.

The Reds go into this game high on confidence. Rafael Benitez named an unchanged line-up for the first time in 100 matches, and they duly delivered with a 3-0 home win over Bordeaux to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. It was Liverpool's third win in a row in all competitions, in a sequence that's seen 10 goals scored and four conceded.

The Carling Cup tie on 25 October was the first time these two clubs had met in any competition.

READING started their first ever season of top flight football impressively, with four wins and a draw from their first seven outings. But they go to Anfield on a three-match losing run in the Premiership, and a four-game string of defeats in total - including the Carling Cup reverse.

Steve Coppell's side would leapfrog their opponents with a win, which could consign Liverpool to a place back in the bottom half of the Premiership table.

The Royals are seeking their first ever Premiership points from the north-west. This first ever League visit to Anfield is their second top tier fixture in the region, following a 1-0 defeat by Wigan on 26 August.

Key players - Liverpool

Peter Crouch is Liverpool's top scorer with eight goals.

Craig Bellamy is a hat trick shy of 50 Premier League goals (Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn and Liverpool).

Pepe Reina is the only remaining player to have figured in every minute of the Reds' Premiership matches this season.

If he plays, Jamie Carragher will be making his 300th Premiership appearance - all for Liverpool.

Suspended: Jerzy Dudek

Key players - Reading

Leroy LITA and Kevin DOYLE are Reading's joint top scorers with four goals each.

Ivar Ingimarsson, Steven Sidwell, Marcus Hahnemann and Nicky Shorey have been on the field for every minute of every one of Reading's Premiership matches to date.

2006-11-03T23:21:00.000+08:00

now that we have won 2 games in a row... so let's start the ball rolling...

come on reds!

Benitez confident of finishing as group winners

2006-11-01T11:30:00.000+08:00

Rafael Benitez hailed Liverpool's advance into the next stage of the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Bordeaux, but still managed words of reconciliation with former club chairman Noel White.

White resigned from his position as a club director tonight in the wake of the previously anonymous boardroom attack on the Anfield boss.

White was quoted last week in the media initially as an unnamed director, criticising Benitez's management methods.

That attack had cast a shadow over the build-up to this Group C match, eventually won convincingly 3-0 by Liverpool to retain top spot in the group on goal difference from PSV Eindhoven.

But hours before the match White had admitted he was the director involved, and offered his resignation.

Benitez said: 'It is a pity, I have not had a bad relationship with Noel White, and I am sorry this has happened. Now, though, I would prefer to look to the future.

'The important thing is the club, and such things as this do not normally happen here. This is a big club and there is a way of doing things here. But I am sorry that it has had to end this way.'

Benitez then turned to his side's victory, which puts them in the next stage with two games to spare.

He said: 'This is important for us, and it gives us the chance now to go on and win the group in our next match here against PSV Eindhoven. Then we can maybe make changes for the last game and give young players European experience.'

On the red card for Fernando Menegazzo, who headbutted full-back John Arne Riise, Benitez said: 'It was a headbutt and you could see the blood. You do not like to see things like that on the pitch, you prefer to talk about good football.'

And Benitez was delighted to see Steven Gerrard break his club goalscoring duck for the season, saying: 'Maybe now we can see the best of Steven, he will be calmer now he has scored. When you have finished one season with 23 goals and not scored for a few games, it does become something that prays on your mind.'

Bordeaux coach Ricardo Gomes blamed Fernando's red card for his side's demise.

Ricardo said: 'The sending-off for Fernando was the turning point, we were disappointed that Liverpool raced away from a throw and did not give the ball back to us after a stoppage. That was not fair play.

'But it was an incident that you cannot condone, in the end it gave Liverpool the extra man and the incentive to go on and win the game. Beforehand we certainly had a chance of an equaliser.

'Our plans to attack were not helped by losing (Marouane) Chamakh early on, it meant an inexperienced player going into a very important game.

'Now we are out of the Champions League, but we have two games left in the group and we must make sure that we qualify for the UEFA Cup by taking third place in the group.

'The fact that we have not scored in the Champions League shows that we are not quite ready yet for the higher level, but I feel that with some adjustments we will be much better in a couple of seasons.'

them glasses...

2006-10-29T11:00:00.000+08:00

through my red-tinted singaporean-scouser glasses i say...

Garcia, Crouchie, Kuyt!

3-1...

the league has just begun.

in November we will see....

IS MY OPTIMISM STILL WELL FOUNDED?

2006-10-28T11:02:00.000+08:00

by Paul Tomkins

Number 19 has proved elusive, but it's been a very good decade so far; six major trophies, when other big clubs like Newcastle would kill for just one. Then there's been a return to regular Champions League football, with the Reds on the biggest stage after a dark decade in the wilderness. For three years running Rafa has overseen a successful group stage of the Champions League; it's not decided yet this year, but the Reds are in control, and that after just one home game.

But our expectations have been raised; and I'm no different. I had high hopes for this season.

I get labelled an optimist. If that's because I'm being compared with some real pessimists, then I'll accept that. I like to think I'm a realist. Then again, that's what the pessimists say of themselves. I guess we all see our own views as the true reality. Why would we think otherwise?

I personally find being pessimistic tiring. I'd rather look for the positives, but only if positives are there; I have no desire to invent them.

I do think I need those powers of optimism right now, and I'll admit I'm struggling a little. However, maybe it's my own mentality, from a lifetime in and around sport, but I don't see how focusing on the negatives helps. Of course, that's different from the club's manager ignoring the negatives; it's his job to identify problems and eradicate them (which is always easier said than done, and is why I don't like offering pithy solutions).

But I still have unswerving faith in the manager and this group of players. That's not always been the case during my lifetime, but while it's so I feel it's only a matter of time before the tide turns.

I'm generally more positive these days than when I went to 40+ games a season home and away, before I fell ill and had family commitments. I still get to games, but it's no longer possible to let going to the match dictate my life.

In my experience, going to the match can make bad results and/or performances hurt that bit more, but it can also cloud your judgement. My judgement is generally better these days. Maybe that's age and experience, but it's also not being around the negativity that can understandably swell at games when it's not champagne football. I personally think it helps me to be one step removed, as I'm not quite as obsessively invested in it; it helps me take a better overview – at least that's how I feel when comparing myself with how I was years ago. You miss things by not being at every game, of course, but you can escape the crowd mentality in your thinking.

I don't believe I've ever been a blind optimist. Was I optimistic in 1993-94? Not a chance. Was I optimistic exactly a decade later? Not at all. Indeed, was I optimistic at half-time in the Atatürk? Not in a million years (although I stayed to lift the lads in song, and prayed for a miracle, i.e. that we only lose 3-0).

It's difficult for a manager to intervene when players are lacking confidence; there's no easy fix. When the collective confidence dips, it nearly always needs something to happen on the field to boost it, while setbacks damage it yet further.

The Reds started well enough at Old Trafford, but the first goal was too big a mental blow for a team struggling to get results away from home; indeed, until this weekend's reversal, away performances hadn't been too bad on the whole. When they're confident, you know this team is easily capable of coming back from a goal down (and even two or three), but at the moment, away from home, it's killing the confidence.

Fans often mistake low confidence for not trying. But when confidence is low, you can find yourself treading water, or thinking too hard. It stops being natural. Players become more inhibited, and more static, getting caught in two minds as to where to run. There's less movement as a result, so everyone plays the ball simply, but often too safely. It's the obverse of being confident, when everyone wants a touch, movement off the ball is rife, and it all seems natural to the players. Instinct takes over.

As ever in these situations, it can sometimes take just one good result, a moment of individual inspiration, or even just one piece of good fortune, to turn things around. Arsenal were in the bottom three a few weeks back and being written off, but now they're playing some sensational stuff. Of course it doesn't look like we're about to immediately turn the corner, but we were losing badly in October 2005, too. Sometimes an upward turn in form isn't signposted; it just turns on one single moment.

How many points the Reds need to make a belated title challenge depends on what the others rack up. If it's a total like 80-85 points, as opposed to 90-95, that instantly makes it more attainable. There's now less margin for error, of course, but also far less challenging fixtures (on paper, at least) than from this point 12 months ago. The big boys all have to come to Anfield, too. And this week a year ago we were six further points behind the leaders.

I don't want to clutch at straws, merely search out reasons why the future might prove more fruitful. But it won't happen without hard work, and something to spark the confidence.

I've recently been going through the hundreds of articles I've written since the year 2000, trying to edit the list down to the best for an anthology I'm working on. In amongst the woeful predictions and the wayward pronouncements, there are examples of where my optimism has proved well-founded, and indeed, at times didn't actually prove optimistic enough.

At the start of last season I felt we'd get 80 points in the league and that our best chance in Europe was the quarter-finals. I revised that to 75 points in October, but both proved too pessimistic. In the March of the season before I said we'd win the Champions League. During the two slumps last season I never lost faith, and always felt the confidence could quickly turn, as indeed it did.

I was actually tempted to try and pass off as new an article I dug up from precisely a year ago, to see if anyone noticed the difference. It could have been written in October 2006, so similar was the situation. We didn't go on to challenge for the title, of course, but we did have our best season, points wise, for 18 years. And won the FA Cup.

Perhaps in hindsight this was a season too soon for a title challenge. I think we're around the stage in Rafa's reign when things should be clicking strongly into gear. But there was still a lot of transitional work that took place this summer, and all of it was needed. Of course I felt we'd be doing better at this stage, but it also relied on the new signings settling very quickly, and a lack of injuries, and you can never guarantee that will happen. I don't see much rebuilding work still to be done next summer, but this round of changes needs time to gel.

We've seen flashes of quality from all of the new boys, not to mention the work ethic required, but not the consistency, nor the understanding with team-mates, which is understandable. It's just not clicking for 90 minutes. Kuyt has shown some great moments, but he's yet to find his scoring rhythm or fully come to terms with how much time he is allowed on the ball. Players have to work at creating a new sense confidence when they switch to a different environment.

There have been a greater number of niggling injuries this season, to disrupt the flow. Daniel Agger's broken hand came when he was the best defender in the league; Bellamy, whose pace would have caused United to defend very differently, had to pull out injured, just as he'd found his scoring boots; then Carragher's latest injury made it impossible for him to properly defend the cross that led to Ferdinand's killer goal.

On top of this, some key players just haven't been firing on all cylinders. It's easy to take the excellent standards of some of them for granted.

Perhaps players like Carragher and Gerrard are suffering from so much unrelenting high-pressure football in the last two years, and from maintaining incredibly high standards in that time. I don't wish to make excuses for them, but maybe there are extenuating circumstances at work.

Since the turn of 2005 they have played on the way to, and in, four cup finals (League Cup, Champions League, World Club Championship, FA Cup), and played at the World Cup finals with England, which was also psychologically tiring, given the team's struggles. (It was tiring watching, too). The 2004/05 season ended late, and the 2005/06 season began just a few weeks later for the Reds, and Japan clogged up the fixture list. This summer, thanks to events in Germany, there was little rest, too.

If either of these players gets rested, there follows criticisms of rotation. But beyond missing the odd game, they've not had a decent break in all that time; the Reds played 122 games in Rafa's first two seasons, compared with the 88 Spurs undertook, by way of an example. As the Reds' captain and vice-captain, and as locals, they perhaps feel the pressure more than most. As players who never go out to merely stroll, that too takes its toll.

Carra is playing okay, but he's so much better than okay. Last season he wasn't directly at fault for a single goal in the Premiership, a remarkable record. This year you could fault him in some way on three, maybe four. But the ones at Goodison and Old Trafford (two places where you don't want to be making mistakes) came when he wasn't 100% fit.

And Gerrard is doing well at times, but just not finding those goals that are an essential ingredient of the Reds' attacking prowess. His sharpness in front of goal isn't quite there, although he's been close on numerous occasions. You could blame shifting him between different positions, but last season his minutes were split pretty equally between the right, the centre and as a second striker. It never harmed him then.

So I'll continue to look for the positives, and make no apologies for that. Sometimes teams have bad seasons, for a number of reasons that converge and conspire to derail things, and it's happened to all the best managers. Arsenal had massive struggles in the league last year, and it was mostly away from home; Manchester United have had a few poor years by their 1990s standards. Both Wenger and Ferguson know the English game inside out. The key is to never have two bad seasons in a row.

It's not too late to turn this season around. But if Rafa can't fully revive this campaign, he's still the right man to take this club forward. After winning the league in his first season with Valencia the team slumped to 5th a year later. Was he a flash in the pan? The media thought so.

Lesser men might not have been able to reverse that trend, and would have let a rot set in. But he roused his team to win both the title and the Uefa Cup in his third season. That's an important indicator of how he works. To quote Iain Dowie, he has 'bouncebackability'.

Rafa's first season at Liverpool was a mix of the mediocre and the magnificent. His second, punctuated by two sluggish spells, was full of impressive records. Liverpool won a massive percentage of Premiership games, and the FA Cup provided a second piece of silverware. The team defended like marvels for much of the campaign. If it was capable of doing that, it can do it again.

And the same applies to the team as a whole. Form is temporary, class is permanent, and you have to trust that the class will shine through sooner or later.

IS INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL HARMING THE REDS?

2006-10-18T23:08:00.000+08:00

by Paul Tomkins 18 October 2006

I don't know if it's different for fans of other teams, but I know very few Liverpool fans who care more about their country's fortunes than that of the club they worship. The national team is secondary. For many, it's not even that important.

It's just a hunch, but I've always been under the impression that it is the fans of unsuccessful English clubs who care most passionately about the England side. When there's less chance of seeing a successful team week-in week-out, and there's no Champions League football for added glamour and excitement, it's probably more tempting to hitch your affections to the national side. England compete on the highest stage, and their fans always think they have a chance, however deluded that may be. For Liverpool fans, international football seems a mere hindrance these days.

It's been another fortnight of disruption for Benítez. No time to prepare for the visit of Blackburn last weekend, and three key players who would almost certainly have started returning to Anfield unfit for the game. Agger (the PFA Player of the Month), Sissoko and Kuyt have been three of the Reds' best players this season.

Perhaps of equal importance, all three play in the spine of the team, which is clearly the key area to any side. Agger is a more progressive player than Sami Hyypia; the young Dane's passing and willingness to bring the ball out from the back makes him a valuable asset in home games, when more is expected from defenders in an attacking sense.

Some newspapers focused on the fact Blackburn had two Australian full-backs returning from the other side of the world, but at least they were fit to play. Those two do deserve credit, but they've not played anywhere near as much football this season as the Reds' key men. And the tiredness will catch up with Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton.

It's not like Liverpool don't have they depth in the squad to cope with injuries. But for all the talk of rotation, three enforced changes to the heart of the side meant Rafa's hand was somewhat forced. Injuries picked up on international duty are that bit more frustrating, as they are sustained fighting someone else's cause. (When they're friendlies, it's even worse.)

Benítez made the point before the Blackburn match that there's now a long period without these constant interruptions. But that run really starts now, as the weekend's game was still one of those that couldn't be fully prepared for. As a manager who thinks hard about tactics, the preparation time for games is arguably more crucial than to a manager who sends out the same eleven week after week with the instructions "more of the same, lads".

It's interesting that the same patchy start has plagued the Reds in 2005/06, and that last year it was only once the international games were over that the form improved. If there is a link, it's now up to the coaching staff to work out how to solve the problem. If it's a mere coincidence, then it's an unfortunate one. A title challenge isn't beyond the Reds, but it's only getting harder with every point dropped.

Let me be clear, though: I don't for one second think the Reds' average start to the league campaign has been solely down to the international fixtures. Nor is it solely down to rotation, if indeed it is down to that at all (given, like all conspiracy theories, it thrives on being impossible to prove either way; you can never prove results would have been better with different selections).

Such simplistic arguments ignore a whole host of factors, such as poor finishing, myopic refereeing, integrating new players, injuries, uncharacteristic mistakes from defenders, tough away fixtures, and a lack of the kind of good fortune all successful teams need. It's a combination of complex factors. But the international fixtures have contributed, too.

I think clubs rightly feel very conflicted about international football. Complaining, however, smacks of sour grapes; it's the natural drawback of having the best players (although, of course, the problem also applies if you have a few Andorran and Lithuanian internationals).

Then there's the fact that if you deny players the chance to represent their country you're risking mutiny. Your players will resent it, and new players won't be eager to join a club if they can't represent their country. Players see it as their divine right to play at that level, if selected.

It does have to be said that international football is good for the game in a number of ways, not least in how the World Cup introduces new fans to the game, and unites the planet behind one global event. It's the stage that all players gravitate towards, although the quality is no better than the business end of the Champions League, and arguable worse. Another bonus is the experience players pick up in international football, which clearly helps in their education.

There's also the fact that it presents a chance for players to play their way back into form without the result affecting Liverpool FC. Craig Bellamy is the perfect case in point: without that superb finish for Wales a week ago the ex-Blackburn man might not have placed such a confident header past the ex-Red, Brad Friedel. No goals in two months, then two in four days. Pepe Reina will also have benefited from a run-out for Spain, and his late block against Rovers was the young keeper back to his very best.

Meanwhile, Peter Crouch's stature as a footballer has grown to become more comparable with his height following the most remarkable year representing England, and a record-breaking 11 goals in a calendar year.

The flip-side of this, of course, is that players can suffer a hard time with their country, as Crouch did a year ago, and have their confidence damaged as a result. The worry now, of course, is that Crouch hasn't scored in the last two internationals. How long before the backlash?

I also find it hugely frustrating that there's little accountability from the national teams towards the clubs. It is club fans who pay the wages of all international players; not those who attend international matches. And the clubs are not adequately compensated as a result of injuries. The international game as a whole cannot afford the insurance policies of top players, but some international federations do make a profit. Some kind of compromise needs to be sought. The English FA has one of the best insurance policies, but it still doesn't cover the full wages of its best players.

I'm not calling for an end to international football, but the increasing professionalism of the club game, and the greater financial pressures involved, mean too much has changed in recent years to sustain the current model.

Another worry is that international managers don't have a duty to protect players from injury or strain; they are dealing in the here and now, the quick result to keep their job, and their next fixture might not be for a couple of months. That doesn't necessarily make them reckless, but once the international match is over, they are handing back a player whose condition is not really their concern.

Arsene Wenger's recent analogy was excellent: "What the national coaches are doing is like taking the car from his [club manager's] garage without even asking his permission," Wenger said. "They'll then use his car for 10 days and abandon it in a field without any petrol left in the tank. We then have to recover it, but it is broken down. Then, a month later, they'll come to take your car again – and for good measure you're expected to be nice about it."

Wenger stopped just short of saying that the car then gets wrapped around a lamppost and torched. But that's what a serious injury to a key player must feel like to a club manager.

It's been a tough year for the Reds regarding international injuries. John Arne Riise missed the crucial Benfica tie following an injury for Norway, and Harry Kewell hasn't been seen since picking up a new injury at the World Cup. Dirk Kuyt missed just five games in five years in Dutch football, but he's already missed one for Liverpool after representing his country.

So it remains a complex issue, full of pros and cons – but for clubs who have shelled out fees for the players, and who pay their wages, there’s arguably a greater percentage of the latter than the former.

counting chickens

2006-10-15T18:10:00.000+08:00

i know many people might start to count their chickens even as the eggs lay dormant in the nest with regards to Liverpool Football Club's lack of form but i shall say this once and for all.

let us wait till november.

blame it on the World Cup for the lack of preparedness but i believe they will come good.

i have seen enough to see that their form will pick up.

Liverpool 1-1 Blackburn

2006-10-15T17:59:00.000+08:00

by soccernet.com

Craig Bellamy ended the perfect week with his first league goal for Liverpool - but it could not salvage their 100% home Premiership record.

Bellamy, captain of his country, scored his first Wales goal for 20 months in midweek, and followed that up with a face-saving equaliser against the club he left in the summer to move to Anfield.

Blackburn more than deserved their point and led at the break through Benni McCarthy, who swept home a fine cross from David Bentley.

Liverpool toiled away without much cohesion or confidence, and boss Rafael Benitez will hope to have some of his injured stars back for the midweek Champions League trip to Bordeaux.

The Anfield chief was without Mohamed Sissoko and Dirk Kuyt, both injured playing for their countries, and that saw a recall for Fabio Aurelio and Peter Crouch.

Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel had recovered from a groin problem to keep his place.

Early chances went begging, first when Friedel failed to gather a John Arne Riise long throw, and a surprised Crouch failed to connect in the six-yard box. Then from Jermaine Pennant's chip, Steven Gerrard saw a header sail wide.

Rovers survived thanks to Lucas Neill's goalline clearance from a Crouch shot, Friedel having only palmed away a Riise drive. Crouch was then unable to get enough power behind a 12-yard shot.

Blackburn were looking to Bentley and he responded with an excellent delivery of deep, angled balls into the box.

A couple had previously had caused uncertainty in Liverpool's defence, and when he produced another on 17 minutes, it fell perfectly for the unmarked McCarthy to drive past Jose Reina.

On 28 minutes Bentley was booked for catching Riise in full flow down the left, but Liverpool were not creating anything. The movement and control had gone from their game.

Gerrard, playing in the central midfield role he is constantly denied by club and country, found space to curl in a 20-yard shot that Friedel dived to touch away to his left.

Friedel needed lengthy treatment after that, and a change of shirt, but was able to continue. Neill was booked for a string of fouls on Pennant.

A half-time change saw Riise moved to left midfield and Aurelio to left back, while within seven minutes Luis Garcia was on in place of Pennant.

Neill had Reina scurrying across his goal chasing a 30-yard shot that went wide, before Robbie Savage was booked for a foul on Gerrard. Still Liverpool were not testing Friedel.

Even when Crouch headed down for Luis Garcia, the Spaniard failed to connect on the far post, while Riise drove wide after a Steve Finnan cross had eluded Crouch and Bellamy.

But on 64 minutes Bellamy did connect. Aurelio's corner sailed into the box and the striker nodded home from six yards - his first league goal for the club, following on from his first Wales goal for 20 months.

At last Liverpool came to life. Riise failed by inches with a cross-shot as the pressure increased on the Rovers defence, with Gerrard turning on the edge of the box to send a screamer into the Kop.

Liverpool's ideas petered out and Blackburn could have stolen it. Sami Hyypia was booked for tripping Savage when the Welshman was charging through after winning possession, and he took the free-kick himself, curling the effort just over from 25 yards.

Then Blackburn almost scored when Hyypia failed to clear and Bentley found a yard of space but still could not beat Reina from eight yards.

It had to be you

2006-10-15T17:54:00.000+08:00

by Richard Jolly
on soccernet.com

It had to be him. Mark Hughes admitted as much. Indeed, since Craig Bellamy swapped Ewood Park for Anfield in the summer, there was a certain inevitability about him scoring against Blackburn. Especially, perverse though it sounds, after a goal drought.

It was 700 minutes, to be precise, since Bellamy's only previous goal in Liverpool colours. Frustration at Anfield was becoming audible with the £6 million striker. Usually an irrepressible irritant, Bellamy had been strangely subdued.

'I thought we'd kept him quiet all afternoon,' admitted Hughes. 'But we switched off at one set play.' It brought an equaliser from a combination of two of Liverpool's most ineffective players, a Fabio Aurelio corner converted from close range by Bellamy.

Hughes added: 'I can't say I'm pleased for him, but he was a big success for us last year and I'm sure he will be a big success here. He's got an exceptional work ethic.'

There were a few among the Liverpool support who were unconvinced. In a disjointed performance, they had much else to complain about.

Mediocre against Macedonia second-rate in Zagreb, Peter Crouch's glorious bicycle kick against Galatasaray is being consigned to ever-deeper recesses of the memory.

Bellamy's goal illustrated his nuisance value, but, nonetheless, it is hard to credit Crouch after he missed his header from the Brazilian's cross. But, with defenders distracted by the jumping giant, an unmarked Bellamy supplied the decisive touch.
And though Xabi Alonso's exceptional passing range was displayed again and, through Jermaine Pennant, John Arne Riise and substitute Luis Garcia, Liverpool posed a threat on the flanks, their susceptibility at the back is the major reason why they trail Manchester United by eight points.

Chief among Rafael Benitez's achievements at Anfield was to construct a defence who ranked among the stingiest in the Premiership. High among the challenges for him is to effect a return to the days where clean sheets were a norm. To do that, it may require a change of personnel.

Given that it was the established back four (of Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher and Riise) who started the game - though the Norwegian later took Aurelio's position at left midfield - it is the more surprising.

But, confronted with a pair of strikers with the pace and physical power of Benni McCarthy and Shabani Nonda, Hyypia's lack of pace was an impediment. Given Daniel Agger's emergence, the decline of one of Liverpool's finest servants of recent years suggests the Dane will soon replace him.

Meanwhile Riise was both Liverpool's most threatening attacker and, vacating the left back spot, a cause of problems at the back. As a unit, unusually, their indecision was final.

An alternative interpretation is that Jose Reina's nervousness was contagious. High-profile errors against West Ham and Everton have endangered his place; misfortune against Bolton compounded a miserable spell for the Spaniard.

Now he was culpable for Blackburn's goal. David Bentley's cross enticed Reina out and left him in no man's land as Benni McCarthy half-volleyed in at the far post. 'The defenders were in a bad position and it was a great pass,' explained Benitez. 'We need to improve in defence.'

Jerzy Dudek's impending three-match ban, for a reserve-team red card, may earn Reina a reprieve. In fairness to the Spaniard, he also made the match's outstanding save, a late block that deflected Bentley's shot on to the post and deprived Blackburn of a late winner.

Hughes admitted they were happy with a point. Nonetheless, positives abounded for his team.

McCarthy was one of them and, while six goals so far represent an excellent return on Rovers' £2.5 million investment, it was instructive what pleased Hughes most. 'Some of his link-up play was excellent and I was pleased with his work off the ball, he worked really hard for the team.'

The Rovers work ethic, part of the reason Bellamy earned Hughes' praise, is being understood by a South African.

And two Australians. There were few more energetic players than the Antipodean full-backs Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton, excelling after 27-hour journeys back to Britain. Amid the complaints from managers about players being exhausted after international duty, two with a right to rest were indefatigable.

'How they hell they do it, I don't know,' added Hughes. He knows how Bellamy scores goals; on this occasion, he just wished he didn't.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Andre Ooijer - The Dutch defender had a decidedly difficult introduction to English football. Now, with a greater understanding of the Premiership's demands, he excelled alongside Zurab Khizanishvili - another contender for the man of the match award - in the centre of the Blackburn defence. 'All the back four were excellent,' said Hughes, and it was hard to disagree.

LIVERPOOL VERDICT: Momo Sissoko was missing and, though Steven Gerrard was restored to his preferred role in the centre of midfield, Liverpool suffered as a consequence. A winning formula remains elusive and, though he supplied the goal, it is hard to see how Aurelio was preferred to Mark Gonzalez and Luis Garcia on the left flank. If anything, the absent Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger had their claims to a place in Benitez's strongest 11 strengthened.

BLACKBURN VERDICT: Excellent in the first half and resilient in the second, this was a sign that they have put a slow start to the season behind them. Though they remain physical, there was a genuine commitment to wingers - the improving Bentley and Morten Gamst Pedersen - and, in McCarthy, they have signed a goalscorer. A repeat of last season's top-six finish is certainly feasible.

Change for change's sake?

2006-10-10T16:02:00.000+08:00

by
Norman Hubbard

With a typical blend of eccentricity and intelligence, Claudio Ranieri coined his own nickname, the 'tinkerman'.

Benitez is approaching a century of unchanged teams from his large squad.

It may be time for him to develop a new moniker, however, for he is in danger of losing his current tag to Rafael Benitez. If the excitable Italian made a more obvious tinkerman than the seemingly rational Spaniard, a reluctance to name the same 11 in the last 94 matches suggests the stolid Castilian's appearance belies a similarly changeable manager.

And as one of English football's most enduring clichés is 'never change a winning team', any subsequent setback can be attributed to Benitez's inability to present the same teamsheet. The realities of defeat are often more complex, but the school of lazy punditry finds fault with the Liverpool manager; that his tinkering contributed to eventual victory in Istanbul is currently being ignored.

But as Benitez approaches an unlikely century, there are five facets to his ever-changing team selection. The first is a methodology that is the polar opposite of, say, Arsene Wenger's: a concession to the opposition in his thought process.

Hence Sami Hyypia's height led to his inclusion against Bolton while Luis Garcia's European pedigree resulted in his starting place against Galatasaray. They were selections based on scientific assessment rather than blind faith, a belief the best available 11 is dictated by situation and opposition rather than merely fitness and suspension.

Then there are the merits of squad rotation. Benitez's thesis - that it is impossible for a club with aspirations to succeed to play 65 games a season while fielding the same 11 players throughout - is gaining widespread acceptance. Indeed, it is substantiated by Fabio Capello's Juventus, who steamrollered their way towards the Italian title in successive seasons, but tired together and limped out of the Champions League. Liverpool, in contrast, ended the campaign in blistering form.

Then a summer recruitment drive left Benitez with a squad size commensurate with Liverpool's status among the biggest clubs. The dynamics of the modern transfer market and the absence of a billionaire backer, however, are contributing factors in the Spaniard's decision to split his transfer budget several ways. Lacking any galacticos means there are few automatic choices.

Squad rotation, therefore, becomes a method of placating the majority of his charges, albeit while elating few of them.
Fourthly, there are the options at Benitez's disposal which, given the adaptability of many of his players, are more than Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or Wenger have to ponder.

Benitez has utilised Gerrard in a series of positions. Though greatest success has come from the right of midfield.
Versatility is an asset Benitez values; the addition of Fabio Aurelio and Boudewijn Zenden, providing an alternative in three and four positions respectively, shows at much. At Anfield, however, accusations of being a jack of all trades, but a master of none could dog either player. Steven Gerrard, Luis Garcia, John Arne Riise and Craig Bellamy are all flexible enough to complicate selection similarly.

Meanwhile, summer acquisitions give Benitez more players to perm from, especially in the final third. Mark Gonzalez and Jermaine Pennant provide pace on either flank, but are rarely selected together. One change, in other words, necessitates two to provide balance on the other wing and a third midfielder with defensive awareness.

That frequently involves Gerrard. If Benitez is yet to grant his captain a permanent position, that should not necessarily be regarded as a fault.

His preference for centre midfield is well known and his capacity to dominate is established yet, when Gerrard was granted his favourite role against Galatasaray, Liverpool missed Momo Sissoko's physicality; pair him with Gerrard and they may have cause to lament the absence of Xabi Alonso's inventive passing. That the majority of Gerrard's 23 goals came from the right flank last season should not be ignored, nor that he was arguably the outstanding Premiership player in that position.

If Gerrard and Luis Garcia, each deployed just behind the main striker, are included, Benitez has six options in attack and 15 possible partnerships.

Yet, where the squad system was abandoned, the result was despondency for Robbie Fowler; even the substitutes' bench has been beyond his grasp for the last five games. For five of them, Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt were united, providing an indication that they may be regarded as a long-term partnership. For Benitez, the consequence was criticism because of the omission of Peter Crouch.

Other players lend themselves to rotation. The enigmatic Luis Garcia, capable of outstanding goals and inexplicable misses, is one such. A matchwinner who can be mediocre, he lacks the consistency to be regarded as an automatic starter.

But who is? Benitez's propensity to rest Gerrard, particularly in European away games, means Jamie Carragher and Jose Reina are the closest, and even the latter is on probation.

Even the central defensive partnership, largely untouched last season, has been altered, the result of a rare injury to Carragher and evidence of the admirable Hyypia's decline which, coupled with Daniel Agger's precocious performances, means another significant decision every match for the Spaniard.

In contrast, at Chelsea, Petr Cech, John Terry, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko are assured of their places, especially for the bigger games. Arsenal and Manchester United can each boast half a dozen players similarly certain to start.

Whether a lack of consistency in team selection at Anfield equates to a lack of consistency in results is another matter. Certainly, it is the frequency of Benitez's changes that can be questioned; four or five alterations in the starting 11 are not unusual.

The suggestion is that he does not know his best team - and this interpretation is that it depends upon the circumstances anyway - but that lends an opportunity, especially for newcomers like Bellamy, Pennant and Gonzales, to prove they belong in it.

And in the meantime, whenever Liverpool next win because of a substitution or surprise selection from Benitez, it could be seen as a reason to carry on tinkering.

RAFA NOT GIVING UP ON TITLE

2006-10-06T02:12:00.000+08:00

SKY Sports 01 October 2006

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has refused to concede his side's title hopes.

The Reds slumped to their third defeat in seven Premiership games at Bolton on Saturday to leave them playing catch-up in the championship chase.

Liverpool are six points behind leaders Chelsea, but Benitez says it is too early to say his side are out of the title race.

"Now it is important to be calm and believe it is too soon to make judgements about the title," said Benitez.

"We can talk now about the problem, but two wins in a row will put us back in a challenging position.

"This is a bad time with an international break now, but afterwards we must keep winning our home games and start to do the same away.

"This season will be different. The difference between the top sides is not as big as before. Now there are also other sides who can beat or take points from the top sides; Bolton here, Aston Villa drawing with Chelsea.

"People will ask me now about the title, and our chances. Maybe if we win two games in a row then the question will be different in a couple of weeks.

"I am used to such questions, but for us we must wait and see if we can get three points next time. I do not accept that rotation and changing the team is the problem. I have been told that Manchester United won the title once and Sir Alex Ferguson changed the side 38 times."

Benitez admitted his side's disappointing away form was a worry for him having failed to win on their travels this term.

"Our away form is not the best," added Benitez.

"But we have faced good teams, at Chelsea when we played really well, at Everton we had more chances but conceded three. Now against Bolton, a difficult team.

"Even facing Sheffield United first, the game was massive for them after so long out of the top flight. Maybe if we faced them now it would be different."

Benitez hails two-goal hero Crouch

2006-09-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

from soccernet.com

Rafael Benitez hailed Peter Crouch's spectacular double but he knows he must solve defensive problems if Liverpool are to make any serious impact on the Champions League.

The Reds were 3-0 up thanks to Crouch's fine efforts and a header from Luis Garcia, but ended up hanging on to their precious three points to head Group C as Galatasaray swept back with two fine goals of their own from substitute Umit Karan.

It had Anfield in a state of nervous exhaustion by the end of a thrilling game in which they could easily have lost had former Blackburn striker Hakan Suker not missed two decent late chances.

Benitez described Crouch as 'amazing', with the big striker back in the front line after four games on the bench, hitting goals and form at just the right time to aid England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign next month.

Crouch too, was delighted with his display and especially his second goal - a scissor-kick - telling Sky Sports: 'It was great. It's nice to get a goal like that. It was obviously a special one.

'That second one was my best for the club, you don't get too many of those. Most of the time they go over the stand and thankfully that one went in the corner and it's got us the win, so it's great.

'There are dangerous sides in the Champions League and if you step back and allow teams to come on to you it can become very difficult.'

Benitez revealed his relief at the end, with three points in the bag the hard way.

He said: 'It was a strange game, we started so well with lots of crosses, shots and goals.

'And we were well on top after just 20 minutes. But maybe we were thinking the job had been done, and then they started to cause us problems.

'The positives were the amazing second goal by Crouch. When you see him score a goal like that, a fantastic hooked volley, then you understand his quality.

'But Galatasaray started to move forward when they were three down with nothing to lose. They attacked with lots of players and we had trouble controlling the game after that.

'But we have taken three points, we are still unbeaten in the group and we are top as well. If we win our final two home games we should qualify.'

He added: 'I am normally calm and trying to analyse the game in the closing minutes, but we were under pressure and it was very difficult. But we aim to continue to look forward to the next match and we are grateful for the three points.'

Galatasaray coach Erik Gerets was angry with the mistakes that allowed Liverpool into a three goal-lead.

He said: 'We forgot to play football in that first half, we were too impressed by the surroundings and the team we were facing.

'If you play like that with stars in your eyes, then you end up losing. If we had played in the first half like we did in the second it would have been a different story.

'In that second period the team played so much better and attacked more and caused them many problems.

'We could easily have scored more, we missed some late chances to equalise. Now we are crying and unhappy and I am angry that too many players made too many mistakes at crucial times to give them goals.'

CROUCH HAS THE X FACTOR

2006-09-28T17:15:00.000+08:00

Daily Mirror 28 September 2006

IF IT is wonder goals you are after, then Anfield is clearly the place to be - just as long as your heart can stand the excitement.

A quite ridiculous Champions League tie saw Liverpool romp into a stunning three-goal lead last night, thanks to another goal of the season contender from Peter Crouch that matched even Xabi Alonso's 70-yard stunner here against Newcastle a fortnight ago.

But even as the English club were celebrating another famous chapter in their illustrious European history - and Crouch's incredible overhead kick will surely go down in legend - Galatasaray found a way to almost spoil the party with an improbable comeback that was almost too much for the Kop to bear.

It all seemed so simple when Crouch announced his return from exile on the bench with an opening goal on nine minutes that was followed by some wonderful play by the home side and a second before the break from Luis Garcia.

Soon after the interval the England striker showed just why he is held in such high esteem by his managers, even when others doubt him, with a goal that defied physics. Steve Finnan's tenacity allowed him to cross from the right and Crouch launched himself horizontally to smash an overhead volley into the roof of the net.

Three-nil, and the party could begin, as qualification for the next round crept closer.

But the visiting Turks had other ideas, and they almost spoilt Crouch's big moment when substitute Umit Karan twice diverted delicious headers into the net within the space of six breathless second-half minutes.

From there Liverpool limped home with several alarming moments as their defence seemed to disintegrate, but even though their bubble was spectacularly burst, it was still a very important victory.

Rafa Benitez's team changes are one of the few certainties in life. That he again rotated his line-up - for the 94th game in succession - was barely worth recording, but for the inclusion of one very significant figure.

Crouch is significant in more ways than one, of course, given his piste-like proportions and his recent glut of goals for his country.

But he has languished on the bench for the past four matches as Benitez has relied on his summer signings Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy up front.

Crouch, though, has an unshakeable belief in his own ability and can always be relied on to bounce back from any setback - a point he proved perfectly inside nine minutes.

It was a fine goal too, in keeping with the quality of Liverpool's display on a blustery Merseyside evening.

Steven Gerrard started the move, the drive he brings to the centre of midfield when offered a rare berth there instantly evident as he fired a fine pass to Fabio Aurelio, whose first time pass found Crouch lurking with intent to steer the ball home from within the six-yard box.

It was a significant goal from a significant striker.

Not only did it end an interminable 460 minutes without finding the net for Liverpool in the Champions League proper, it was also the 200th of Benitez's reign at Anfield, and it was a goal to grace such a landmark.

It signaled too perhaps Liverpool's best form of the season so far, as they entertained an expectant crowd with some fine passing and quick movement.

The only surprise was that they added just one further goal before the break, when three or four more would not have flattered them. This time, it was another of the men restored to the starting line-up, Luis Garcia, who provided the finish. Maybe this rotation business has some merit after all.

Jermaine Pennant exploited the poor control of Galatasaray full-back Cihan to steal the ball and cross for Garcia to head into an unguarded goal.

In fact, with Aurelio setting up the first goal, Benitez could rightly point to the fact that the game was effectively won in the first half by men with fresh legs from being rested.

Gerrard unleashed one ferocious drive that Mondragon didn't even see, but somehow saw the ball flash off him to safety, and then Garcia struck another that the visiting keeper did well to divert.

Kuyt twice came close to getting onto the end of dangerous crosses as Galatasaray were overwhelmed, but the Turks mustered some late resistance when Pepe Reina had to be alert to block a fierce cross shot from Sabri.

RAFA HAPPY AS REDS WIN AGAIN

2006-09-23T23:32:00.000+08:00

Rafael Benitez declared himself satisfied with his side's second home victory in the space of four days as they moved up to fifth in the table after a 3-0 victory over Tottenham.
Second half goals from Mark Gonzalez, Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise secured the points for the home side, with Gonzalez's opening goal coming just seconds after Spurs missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Jermaine Jenas slide the ball wide from close range.

Benitez said: "It was a good game, a difficult game. We knew how Spurs were going to play and in the first half it was hard for us to make clear chances.

"In the second period we were better. We got the ball wide earlier and the quality of players we now have meant we were able to make better opportunities. Tottenham had one good chance in the first half and one in the second but apart from that I thought we were the better side.

"I'm happy with the team and happy with the confidence we have after winning again."

Asked whether successive victories had helped repair some of the early season damage caused by defeats at Everton and Chelsea, the Reds' boss replied: "I don't like to talk about what has happened in the past. You know my idea is always to look forward and in our case that means games against Galatasaray and then Bolton.

"Our performance today was good and we want to carry that on into our midweek game now."

ALONSO HIGH AS A KUYT AS REDS WIN

2006-09-21T21:03:00.000+08:00

Xabi Alonso scored one of the most spectacular goals in Anfield history as Dirk Kuyt got off the mark in a red shirt and Liverpool got back to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Kuyt netted for the first time since his August arrival from Feyenoord when he opened the scoring by converting from close-range in the 29th minute.

But it was Alonso's stunning strike that people will be talking about for years to come. It came 11 minutes from time and was an almost carbon-copy of his famous long-range goal against Luton in January.

Dispossessing Charles N'Zogbia about 60-yards out, the Spaniard potted Steve Harper off his line and floated a delightful dipping effort high into the Kop net.

It put the seal on a well-deserved win for the Reds who dominated for long periods and have moved up six places in the Premiership table as a result.

Teams

Liverpool: Reina, Aurelio, Agger, Carragher, Finnan, Garcia (c), Alonso, Sissoko, Gerrard, Bellamy, Kuyt. Subs - Crouch, Dudek, Gonzalez, Hyypia, Warnock

Newcastle United: Harper, Babayaro, Moore, Ramage, Carr, Duff, Parker (c), , Milner, Ameobi, Martins. Subs - Butt, Krul, N'Zogbia, Rossi, Sibierski

Referee: Mark Halsey

Conditions:

Attendance: Unavailable

Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Xabi Alonso

REDS UNDONE BY DROGBA ROCKET by Sky Sports

2006-09-21T20:58:00.000+08:00

Didier Drogba’s thunderbolt shortly before half time was enough to give 10-man Chelsea a 1-0 win over Liverpool, denting The Reds’ title hopes in the process.
The Blues were not at their best and for long periods were under the cosh following Michael Ballack's dismissal in the second half, but they ground out the points.

The contest was ultimately settled on 42 minutes when Drogba controlled Frank Lampard's cross from the right before unleashing an unstoppable volley.

Chelsea began the better of the two with Jose Mourinho's charges dominating the possession in the opening exchanges at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues could have been ahead on 10 minutes, but Daniel Agger was on hand to clear the danger under pressure from John Terry, although referee Mike Riley had already blown for holding by Drogba.

Despite little of the ball, Liverpool should have opened the scoring when Xabi Alonso found Dirk Kuyt with a superb through ball, but the Dutch striker opted for power and his thumping effort cannoned off the crossbar.

The teams then traded attempts with Lampard's free kick finding Jose Reina, while at the other end Craig Bellamy's shot from the left angle was easily gathered by Petr Cech.

Chelsea continued to create the chances, but summer signing Andrei Shevchenko was never likely to beat Reina from just inside the area with his left-footed volley.

Shortly after Steve Finnan wasted a good chance in the middle following a raking pass from Steven Gerrard, the home side were ahead before the interval with a goal out of the blue.

Lampard's cross from the right looked harmless enough, however, Drogba controlled in the middle and in a flash he lashed home past Reina with a sensational volley.

Liverpool had the final chance of the half, but after Gerrard got the better of Khalid Boulahrouz he fired his shot over Cech's bar from the angle.

Controversy struck shortly after the interval when Ballack was shown a straight red card for an apparent stamp on Reds midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.

Ballack was incensed at failing to get a decision from Riley and seconds later appeared to catch Sissoko's inner thigh after he played the ball.

Mourinho reorganised his side by pulling Shevchenko into a deeper position with Drogba playing in a familiar lone striker role.

The Ukrainian did not last long in the midfield with Dutch winger Arjen Robben making his comeback from a calf injury shortly after the hour mark.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez made a tactical change after bringing on Boudewijn Zenden for Sissoko and the switch allowed Gerrard to move into a central role.

The move nearly paid instant dividends with Alonso's shot finding Gerrard in the middle and he flicked the ball over Boulahrouz only to see his close-range effort superbly blocked by Cech.

Liverpool continued to pile on the pressure and Cech had to be on his toes to get behind Agger's long-range drive, while Kuyt was inches from levelling with a back post header from Finnan's cross.

The visitors thought they had a penalty when Lampard bundled over Gerrard in the box, however, Riley waved away their appeals, much to the disappointment of Benitez.

For the second time of the afternoon Kuyt should have scored, but after a knock-down by substitute Peter Crouch in the middle, the Dutch striker spooned over from 12 yards out.

Crouch should have snatched a point in injury time, however, he failed to direct his header past Cech in the middle following a superb delivery from Finnan's cross.

Despite creating all the chances in the second half, Benitez's side failed to bag that all-important leveller, leaving them with just a win and a draw from their opening four Premiership outings

MISTAKES COST US

2006-09-10T14:24:00.000+08:00

Rafael Benitez felt basic mistakes was the reason why Liverpool lost the derby 3-0 and described his team's defending as "very poor."
The Reds manager also felt his team could have got back into the game as Liverpool did create some decent openings but was disappointed with the chances that weren't taken on the day.

"We made a lot of mistakes, too many mistakes and our defending was really poor," explained Benitez.

"Last season we had a lot of clean sheets so we need to analyse why we are conceding goals so easily.

"I thought we were too nice at times and put ourselves under pressure. Someone said to me we had 21 shots at goal but that counts for nothing if you don't take your chances.

"It is a very disappointing day for us for sure."

REDS SLUMP TO DERBY DEFEAT

2006-09-10T14:22:00.000+08:00

Two goals from Andrew Johnson and one from Tim Cahill condemned Liverpool to a 3-0 Derby defeat at the hands of Everton and their first defeat in 18 games at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Reds finished the game with 10 men when after Rafa Benitez had used all of his substitutes John Arne Riise had to go off after suffering a 78th minute recurrence of the ankle injury that has kept him out since the opening day of the season.

The statistics of this game will show that it was Liverpool who created by far the most goalscoring chances, but they slipped to their first Derby defeat since 2004 after Everton capitalised on the few they had.

Everton's goals both came in the first half. Tim Cahill opened the scoring in the 24th minute after meeting Carsley's flick on before sliding the ball under Reina from 6 yards. And Andrew Johnson made it 2-0 in the 36th minute when beating Carragher to the ball and placing it beyond Reina into the bottom left corner.

Not that it was all one way traffic in the first half because Fowler forced Howard into a smart save after just 8 seconds; and Steven Gerrard was agonisingly close when hitting the post after Howard had only been able to parry Luis Garcia's shot.

The Reds dominated the second half and Gerrard hit the post again in the 75th minute in an incident that should have seen them awarded a penalty after Hibbert handled the ball when on the ground.

Liverpool's misery was compounded in injury time when Andrew Johnson scored his second to make it 3-0, in the process making it the first time Everton have scored three times against their neighbours since the Premiership began.

So it will be the blue half of Merseyside who have the bragging rights after this 204th Merseyside Derby, but Liverpool must quickly put that behind them. The Reds have big games almost every week and they're playing PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.

LIVERPOOL 2-1 WEST HAM

2006-08-27T02:40:00.000+08:00

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.

Reasons why Brazil lost the World Cup

2006-08-24T15:24:00.000+08:00

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.

2006-08-24T13:53:00.000+08:00

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."

2006-08-22T14:12:00.000+08:00

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.

2006-08-20T19:54:00.000+08:00

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.

2005-05-09T12:26:00.000+08:00

a win at last...

on sunday, against a team called venice we won 3-2!!! ok not a flattering scoreline, however, if u are in team that has lost 4-0 and 7-1 respectively, we will do with a scrappy win. right???

in the first game, team captain Irwan (who is in Melbourne Honeymooning and wont be back till the 9th of June) provided a greatly flawed 5-3-2 formation... i mean unless we play a soak and strike game (counter attacking) then i dont think that strategy will work at all. i for one, have little understanding of that formation. i mean i can organise the defence, however the midfield needs to work too... indeed a 4-4-2 formation, i understand that system more. in that very game, i changed the system halfway, which worked for a while, but by the time, we were run ragged by the opposing team... Xmen... (funny name)...

the second one, quite expected. we had only 9 outfield players! naturally. but we discovered the sweet left foot of this one particular Jap bloke named Takashi... muuaaahhhahahhaaa.....

hence i had the inspiration for the following game...

ok 4 games to go...

Saturday 9am kickoff
Sunday 11am....

PS-my legs a bit wobbly. not sure whether its due to the sex or football... maybe a bit of both....