In the same vein as the earlier Torres post, highlighting tidbits I’ve found interesting, here are a few more things that have struck me recently. Most of these facts are the ones brought up in the mid-season review.
• In 30 games so far this season, Liverpool’s scored 55 goals. Liverpool scored 52 in 04/05 and 57 in both 05/06 and 06/07. With eight games to go, Liverpool is only 3 goals away from the high water mark of Benitez’s tenure.
• Conversely, Liverpool conceded 41 in 04/05, 25 in 05/06, and 27 in 06/07. They’ve conceded 21 so far this season. Similarly, Liverpool kept 7 clean sheets in 04/05, 22 in 05/06, and 20 in 06/07. There have only been 14 kept this campaign.
• After 30 games, Liverpool had 47 points in 04/05, 58 in 05/06, and 54 in 06/07, finishing 5th, 3rd, and 3rd respectively. They have 59 so far this season, the highest ever under Benitez at this point of the season.
• Liverpool has eight games remaining: United (a), Everton (h), Arse (a), Blackburn (h), Fulham (a), Brum (a), Man City (h), and Spurs (a).
Birmingham was in the Championship last season; in the other seven games, Liverpool only earned 8 points, with losses to United, Arsenal and Fulham (late in the season, when nearly the entire first team was rested), draws against Everton and Blackburn, and wins against City and Spurs.
6 comments :
gotta love rafa coming out and saying the title race is still on. brass of a riverboat gambler.
official site
I'd copy/paste the highlights of what he said, but there's not a word I disagree with, and it’s worth reading the whole thing. Everyone points to Mourinho as a master of using the media to put pressure on opponents, but Benitez does it just as well, albeit in his own, subtler, way
But make no mistake; what's said on the field over the next five games is far more important.
"But make no mistake; what's said on the field over the next five games is far more important."
Basically the whole domestic campaign rests on Sunday's performance. Even with a win, we just have too many teams to climb over on the way to hardware. I just don't see it. Still, if they play hard in England and take 4th, if they stay in the Champions League for a while, I'll definitely be happy with the season.
I wouldn't say the whole domestic campaign rests on Sunday, but whatever pretense at a longshot title bid that still survives sure does.
I will be in Fargo, North Dakota on Sunday morning at 8:30 CST when the match begins. Nine hours away from home. Without internet service. At church. In Fargo, North Dakota.
There's no way we can still win the title, even taking into account what wins at Old Trafford and the Emirates would do, we'd still have to hope for several slip-ups from the other three sides to stand any chance. We might get close and certainly a lot closer than looked possible a month or so ago but it's too much, even for a side playing so well at the minute.
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