Liverpool 5-0 Birmingham

Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Robinson
Spearing Lucas Maxi
Meireles
Kuyt Suarez

Goals:
Maxi 7' 66' 74'
Kuyt 23'
Cole 86'

After seven consecutive draws, a five-nil thrashing. Complete domination, a Maxi hat-trick, and a capstone from Joe Cole. Predictable.

In a lot of ways, this match paralleled the much-referenced 7-0 FA Cup mauling, mostly because Birmingham again committed seppuku after Liverpool's early goals. The result was a formality by intermission, and the opposition wouldn't have scored if they played until Tuesday.

Another tactical curveball from Dalglish and Clarke worked like a charm. With Carroll unavailable after Sunday's knock, Maxi was drafted in. More surprisingly, the formation shifted to a 4-4-2 diamond, with Spearing and Maxi bombing forward in support of Meireles and the ever-willing front line.

The movement was superb: Maxi, Spearing, and Meireles shifted from flank to flank, while Suarez dropped deep to link. The interplay and support led to the early opener, with Maxi first to the rebound when Foster spilled Spearing's swerving shot from the top of the box.

Brum's response – keeping possession and marginally threatening through crosses from fullbacks – lasted less than ten minutes, and Liverpool got the crucial second midway through the half. Meireles, in acres of space just inside Birmingham's half, strongly flicked Reina's goal kick onto Suarez, unforgivably open thanks to Johnson stupidly cheating forward. Jiranek did well to get back, while Foster redeemed himself with close-ranges saves on the Uruguayan and trailing Kuyt, but couldn't keep the battery-powered Dutchman out a second time, pinned by Carr and left watching the turned shot find the netting.

To compound matters, Foster picked up an injury during the scramble and was substituted 17 minutes later. Liverpool could have extended the gap before the interval, seeing two halfhearted penalty appeals not given in the 39th (for a Gardner shove on a Kuyt and a Carr "handball"), Kuyt heading a corner wide in 44th, and Suarez tamely shooting at substitute keeper Doyle on the break in added time. But by the second half, Liverpool were fully content to soak up pressure and look for more on the counter.

This was where Lucas came to the forefront. Relentless when Birmingham entered Liverpool's half, the opposition rarely made it into the final third, shut down by the Brazilian and the covering Spearing and Maxi. Both Flanagan and Robinson did well to prevent crosses (Flanagan was again exceptionally impressive), while Carragher and Skrtel doubled-team the isolated Jerome.

It took 20 minutes for Liverpool to dissect Birmingham on the break. Suarez beat the offside trap – played on by Carr, who was distracted by Kuyt – and charged into space down the right, finding a wide-open Maxi at the back post for the clever volley. Eight minutes later, Liverpool had a fourth and Maxi had his third, again on the rebound, this time when Doyle saved the Argentinean's shot and Meireles poked the ricochet back to him.

Once again, it was awful defending by Birmingham, letting Reina's goal kick bounce for Suarez to pick up, then leaving Maxi open as every defender converged in the Uruguayan's direction. That kamikaze defense led to Liverpool's fifth by Cole barely two minutes after he replaced Meireles. Given space to run into the box after linking up with Kuyt (again from a Reina pass out), Cole's weak effort slipped past Doyle and inside the near post, a shambolic error reminiscent of Maik Taylor allowing Cisse's blast to roll under him for Liverpool's seventh in that romp five years ago.

Today's performance was a thorough beatdown, clearly aided by some Birmingham errors. But it's also worth remembering just how many players Liverpool are missing; Gerrard, Carroll, Agger, Johnson, Kelly, and Aurelio all would have started.

With so many players injured, including the talismanic captain, this team's taken on the persona of Kuyt and Lucas – rarely the most talented, but often the hardest-working and most reliable – with a heavy dash of Suarez's talent. It also helps that Suarez never stops running either. Liverpool won today by swarming the midfield, pressing in droves, and forcing Birmingham into those errors.

Which is why Suarez and Lucas vie for man of the match. But, as against Sunderland, Manchester City, and Arsenal, this was a team performance. Maxi's goals get the headlines, Kuyt scored for the third consecutive game, Spearing and Meireles worked nonstop, Flanagan and Robinson again belied their age, and Carragher and Skrtel never yielded. Reina, utterly untroubled, is an afterthought.

Dalglish's renaissance continues, and Spurs' home draw with West Brom opens the door just a little bit more (the first good thing Hodgson's done for the club). Maybe Liverpool doesn't have such a shallow squad; even with all these injuries, the team's taken 13 of the 18 points available since the start of March.

Now, with only four games left, the season looks promising. Funny how that works.

Liverpool v Birmingham 04.23.11

10am ET, live in the US on FSC

Last four head-to-head:
0-0 (a) 09.12.10
1-1 (a) 04.04.10
2-2 (h) 11.09.09
2-2 (a) 04.26.08

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-1 Arsenal (a); 3-0 City (h); 1-2 West Brom (a)
Brum: 1-3 Chelsea (a); 2-0 Sunderland (h); 1-1 Blackburn (a)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Kuyt 10; Meireles 5; Gerrard 4; Maxi 3; Carroll, Johnson, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Skrtel, Suarez 2; Cole 1
Brum: Gardner 7; Zigic 5; Ridgewell 4; Bowyer, Jerome, Larsson 3; Beausejour, Dann, Johnson 2; Fahey, Hleb, Phillips 1

Referee: Howard Webb (!!!)

Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Robinson
Kuyt Lucas Spearing Meireles
Suarez Carroll

As if injuries would subside during the run-in. Ha. Not this season. Aurelio's unsurprisingly back on the sidelines, joining Johnson and Kelly with a hamstring injury, while Liverpool will make late decisions on Carragher and Carroll.

I actually hope Carragher doesn't play. It's not as if Liverpool are especially deep in defense at the moment, but Carra clearly had a concussion. If he can't remember that incident, he's not 'absolutely fine.' From how long he was out, it was probably a Grade II or III concussion. Rushing back from that is dangerous, to say the absolute least. If Carragher doesn't make it – which (knowing Carragher's temperament) seems unlikely – Kyrgiakos would probably start over Wilson.

Liverpool have more options if Carroll isn't fit and will probably be more cautious with the £35m man, but – like with Carragher – expect his participation. Suarez and Kuyt would probably play up top in the striker's absence, with Maxi, Shelvey, or Cole coming in on the flank, but Dalglish could also turn to Ngog. Regardless, Liverpool seem likely to stick with the 4-2-2-2 formation; it's been awhile since Kenny and Clarke threw a tactical curve ball as with three at the back.

There are obvious fears about playing two young full-backs yet again, regardless of each's impressive performance. Overplaying a young full-back is what ruined Insua's Liverpool career (that and Christian Purslow). But Liverpool truly have little choice. Johnson, Kelly, and Aurelio are all injured; Insua and Konchesky are on loan. That's five full-backs unavailable. Carragher could play on the right, Wilson could play on the left, but either would be mashing square pegs into round holes. The kids have been alright enough to merit another match ahead of those square pegs.

Birmingham suffered a hangover following the hilariously-surprising Carling Cup triumph, winless through March and booted from the FA Cup quarterfinals, but were unbeaten in April before losing at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Two home wins over Sunderland and Bolton plus an away draw at Blackburn have seen the Midlands club up to 15th, five points out of the relegation zone.

The Brummies have a few injuries of their own. Strikers Zigic and Martins are out with groin problems, playmaker McFadden is close to but not ready for a return after missing almost the entire season through knee injury, and supposed Liverpool target Scott Dann – like so many current Liverpool defenders – has a hamstring issue.

Away from St Andrews, McLeish is likely to play 4-5-1/4-4-1-1, regardless of Birmingham's striker injuries. Hleb started behind Jerome against Chelsea, but McLeish could also pack the middle with Gardner, Ferguson, and Bowyer (using two of Larsson, Fahey, and Bentley on the flanks) and force Liverpool to carve them open. If the latter's the case, Lucas and Spearing will have a large task to ensure they're not outnumbered in the same way Lucas and Poulsen were in the reverse fixture.

And Liverpool have struggled to carve Birmingham open for a few years now. The Blues were Benitez' bogey side – never beating Brum in the league – and then stifled Hodgson's Liverpool in a dire 0-0 at St Andrews. The two clubs have played out seven consecutive league draws dating back to 2005 – the longest such streak in the league.

At Anfield, Liverpool are odds-on favorites despite this fixture's history. Picking up points at home is one of the few things this team's done consistently well (along with raising its game against better opposition). But Liverpool will have to break down determined foes, no matter Birmingham's line-up, and will probably have a lot more possession than usual (something I wrote about earlier in the week). One game is just one game, but this should tell us a lot about the progress made since August's meeting.

Liverpool 0-0 Birmingham

Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Konchesky
Maxi Lucas Poulsen Jovanovic
Gerrard
Torres

Awful. Just despicably awful. The only reason Liverpool's coming away with a point is the sheer brilliance of Pepe Reina. Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate matches against Birmingham? Yet another draw, the seventh consecutive between these two sides in the league. And of those seven, it's the draw I'm "happiest" about, as Brum were the better side by far for the first hour.

There was a bit of early promise in Liverpool's ability to keep possession to start the match, but from there, it was only increasing terror and Pepe Reina saving the day time and time again. Birmingham had ten shots in the first half. I'm struggling to remember any meaningful ones from Liverpool, but they did have two firm shouts for penalties ignored by Mark Halsey. The more things change, the more the stay the same.

The first heart-in-mouth moment came in the 23rd, when Jerome found space between Skrtel and Carra, only to see Reina somehow dive to keep the free header out. The second came 14 minutes later, with Craig Gardner between Carra and Johnson, and Reina replicating his earlier heroics. Both were unbelievable stops after incredibly poor defending. Thank you, Pepe. You are phenomenal.

To say Birmingham were dominant in the first half is an egregious understatement, while Liverpool were beyond terrible. The two penalty shouts – the first for a handball on Maxi's acrobatic effort in the 32nd (with Halsey's view obstructed), the next seconds before Gardner's near goal when Roger Johnson tackled Torres in the box – would have been both undeserved and fair by the letter of the law. Having followed Liverpool as long as I have, I'm not surprised either was given.

At least Liverpool were "better" in the second half, as per usual under Hodgson, but there was nowhere to go but up for everyone bar Reina and maybe Jovanovic. Gerrard finally tested Foster soon after the restart, with a volley too close to the keeper, but Liverpool soon regressed as Scott Dann again found space for a free header, this time on a 57th minute set play. Man marking is obviously fantastic and and underutilized.

But as the match went on, Birmingham seemed more and more content to keep the scoreline blank. The home side blocked something like eight shots in the second half, packing blue shirts in the final third. Meireles' entrance for Lucas in the 76th helped massively, playing further forward as Gerrard went into central midfield, and the Brummies were under the gun for the final 10 minutes. But Liverpool couldn't find a way through as shots from Torres, Poulsen, Johnson – among others - were closed down. And Birmingham has more reasons to be angrier with one point instead of all three.

Once again, the most criticism will be directed at the Lucas/Poulsen pairing. Not only was it insipid in driving forward, but both players gave the ball away constantly, although Poulsen was the far guiltier party; Lucas played as Lucas always plays, if marginally sloppier. He wasn't the biggest problem by any definition.

Most infuriating were how isolated Torres and Gerrard were – today was as off-form as I've ever seen Liverpool's #9 – and how poorly Carragher, Skrtel, and Johnson defended at times (especially Johnson, but he was trying to get forward to supplement Maxi's banal performance). I'll be stunned if Torres starts on Thursday for fitness reasons, and I'll be stunned if Maxi starts for footballing reasons.

The few positives were Reina's continuing awesomeness, Jovanovic's effort and attempts at running with the ball, Meireles' 15 minutes, and Konchesky's second half. That's it. That and taking an arguably undeserved point away from Birmingham – and those are low standards, no matter how hard a venue St Andrews is.

It's been four league matches – and eight overall – and Liverpool still hasn't impressed outside of the home match against Sunday League Rabotnicki and a backs-against-the-wall 10-man second half against Arsenal. No matter how much time Hodgson needs to get his ideas in place, as with any new manager (especially one in this clusterfuck of a situation), that's still frightening. And after this week's Europa League match against Steuea Bucharest, Liverpool travel to Old Trafford. If they replicate today's performance – and play today's line-up – they will get absolutely massacred.

Liverpool at Birmingham 09.12.10

Live in the US on FSC at 11am ET.

Last four head-to-head:
1-1 (a) 04.04.10
2-2 (h) 11.09.09
2-2 (a) 04.26.08
0-0 (h) 09.22.07

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-0 West Brom (h); 2-1 Trabzonspor (a); 0-3 City (a)
Brum: 2-2 Bolton (a); 3-2 Rochdale (h); 2-1 Blackburn (h)

Referee: Mark Halsey

Halsey's one of the few PL refs I actually like. Which is probably a bad sign. But let's hope the good feelings from refereeing Carra's testimonial remain.

Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Carragher Agger Konchesky
Poulsen Meireles
Maxi Gerrard Jovanovic
Torres

Is Birmingham still Liverpool's bogey side now that Benitez is gone?

Liverpool never beat the Brummies in the league while Rafa was here – just two cups victories at St. Andrew's (including one 7-0 mauling). Otherwise, there have been six draws and two losses since '04/05, with both losses coming in Benitez's first season.

To throw out another heart-warming statistic, it's been nearly a year since Birmingham last lost at home – to Bolton on September 26 – one of their two home losses last season (the other was 0-1 to Villa earlier that month). They picked up draws against Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham, and City in addition to the (im)memorable 1-1 against Liverpool last April. And to further raise spirits, Liverpool are always fantastic after international breaks, aren't they?

Kuyt's injury should mean a like-for-like replacement with Maxi on the right. Granted, the two aren't similar players, but they're competing for the same position. Maxi offers more width and more intricate passing, even if I'll continue to rant that Kuyt's underrated; he's not just a 'big game player,' he's fairly crucial to how Liverpool play no matter the opposition. He's the perpetual target for punts forward from Carragher or Reina, and chips in with crucial assists against the likes of, say, West Brom. But there's been a clamor to see what Maxi can do with a run of games since he signed, and I'm interested to see it as well. The other alternatives are Babel – who Hodgson seemingly sees more as a striker – or Pacheco – although the subs bench looks a more likely option for Dani at this stage.

Once again, with Cole suspended, I expect to see Gerrard "in the hole." It was hit-and-miss against West Brom: one, because it was his first time playing there under Hodgson and two, because of the troubles the Lucas/Poulsen midfield had linking play. But I still think he's best suited to "partner" Torres in this position – I don't need to say that the two of them have combined fantastically in the past – despite increasing time (and increasing dominance) from a central midfield role, especially in England's two recent international matches (coincidentally, without Lampard eating up space).

Sunday should see debuts for both Konchesky and Meireles. I'm far more certain about Konchesky's inclusion give the player's familiarity with the league and manager, and time spent at Melwood during the last week. But Meireles played a draining (both mentally and physically) 180 minutes for Portugal over the international break. While I assume the question is Poulsen or Lucas, there's just as good a chance it'll be Poulsen and Lucas again, despite our (my?) reservations over the pairing. At the least, that pairing should be more effective away from Anfield. And if it's Poulsen or Lucas, my guess is the natural destroying talents of Denmark's captain will win out, but that is a guess, and it's a guess again based on his experience with Hodgson.

The only question about the backline seems Agger or Skrtel partnering Carragher. I think Agger's the better defender as well as better at bringing the ball out of defense, which should lessen the reliance on route 1 football, but he's been deployed at left back so far this season and could still be suffering from the effects of concussion, despite playing twice for Liverpool and once for Denmark in the meantime. Skrtel also seemingly offers more aerial defense against the likes of 6'6" Nikola Zigic – although that could just as easily be an argument for the inclusion of Kyrgiakos.

Last April's draw at Birmingham was the last time Liverpool played 4-4-2 until the mauling at Manchester City. And yes, that was the game which led to those lovely animated gifs of Gerrard's reaction when Torres was subbed off in the 65th minute with the match level. Just felt I should note.

Birmingham will be without their star new signing, as Alex Hleb picked up a knock during the international break. But Chile's impressive World Cup winger Jean Beausejour is available – and is a pacey threat who prefers to play wide but can also start centrally. Otherwise, as usual with McLeish's currently-unbeaten side, the team pretty much writes itself. The back four's consistently been Carr, Dann, Roger Johnson, and Ridgewell, while Craig Gardner's been excellent in midfield and Cameron Jerome can score goals from next to nothing when he's in the mood – evidenced in last year's 2-2 draw at Anfield.

No matter expectations or form, recent history's proven any positive result at Birmingham is a good result. This will be a difficult, cagey match if past is any precedent. But, as often written, Liverpool has to continue momentum built up with two hard-fought victories in the last two matches, despite the week off for exceptionally necessary and important international matches.

Liverpool 1-1 Birmingham

Reina
Johnson Kyrgiakos Carragher Insua
Maxi Lucas Gerrard Benayoun
Torres Kuyt

Goals:
Gerrard 47’
Ridgewell 56’

Sigh. Every single time. Matches against Birmingham are miserably predictable. And the inability to keep a lead costs Liverpool yet again, for the second straight game no less.

The first half was unsurprisingly cagey. Birmingham defended well, while Liverpool’s midfield underwhelmed and the attack was too narrow, feeding into the home side’s game plan and strengths.

Liverpool were mainly limited to speculative shots from distance early on, none of which truly tested Hart. For all the possession, Liverpool – as usual – only looked dangerous when countering, and that’s where the first half’s lone chance came.

In the 35th minute, after Brum had kept the ball in the opposition’s end for more than a fleeting minute, Liverpool countered at pace through Kuyt, Gerrard, and Torres, with the striker’s right-sided cross finding Maxi. But Hart (who easily should be England’s #1) somehow kept out his volleyed shot, just tipping it onto the bar with his fingernails. That chance led into increased Birmingham pressure – your level of surprise at that depends on your level of pessimism – with an offside Jerome (somehow ruled on) stinging Reina’s palms and Insua subsequently having to clear a cross from the six-yard box around the 40th.

The opener had both a touch of good fortune and Gerrard at his irrepressible best. Less than two minutes after the restart, the captain’s corner made its way back to him after Johnson’s mishit shot found him open on the left. Working space by baffling Bowyer, he curled a lovely shot into the far corner. Simply brilliant, but also with the requisite luck in Johnson’s “assist.”

Yet less than 10 minutes later, Liverpool were back to square one completely of their own making. Partly sitting back, but with Birmingham clearly going for a quick equalizer, McFadden danced his way into space on the left and curled a cross for an absolutely unmarked Ridgewell, ghosting in behind both Johnson and Maxi, to tap in. Just embarrassing.

I reckon that Rafa will come under more criticism for the subsequent substitution that Liverpool’s marking will for the goal. In the 65th, in what had to be pre-planned, Torres came off for Ngog to what sounded like boos from both supporters and bewilderment from both Torres and Gerrard.

And while Liverpool upped their game, actually creating chances, nothing came. Three minutes after the change, Ngog headed Johnson’s cross inches wide of the near post. Converting that sure would have made the substitution look a lot smarter.

A minute later, Brum could have taken the lead, with Ridgewell crossing from Liverpool’s right only to see an open Bowyer completely mis-control at the back post, but from there, it was all the away side. ‘All the away side’ still couldn’t find the back of the net.

First, Ngog missed another great chance, shooting wide after good interplay between Kuyt and Maxi in the 73rd. In the last ten minutes, Maxi’s shot from Ngog’s cutback hit Aquilani in the six-yard box (came on for Kuyt in the 81st, while Babel replaced the anonymous Benayoun in the 71st), Gerrard’s curler from inside the D was inches high, and Maxi somehow volleyed over after Hart pushed Gerrard’s cross right to the midfielder. Babel’s shot into the side netting and Ngog unable to get good contact on Gerrard’s excellent ball over the top in injury time summed up the last half-hour adequately.

If we’re jumping to any conclusions from the Torres substitution, only two are applicable: Rafa is prioritizing the Europa League over the possibility of two more points here (see also: Masch and Agger left out) and that Torres still isn’t fully fit. But that’s “Grandmaster Benitez.” That Ngog missed three clear-cut chances, probably better than anything Liverpool had besides the goal and Maxi’s volley off the bar, makes it even harder to take. To be fair, Liverpool had two good chances while Torres was on and six or seven after, but still, you have to believe he would have tallied one of them.

Other than taking off Torres, Benitez “went for it.” In an away match! Liverpool lined up 4-4-2 with Lucas and Gerrard, a pairing present in 4-0 and 6-1 wins over Burnley and Hull respectively. But the midfield couldn’t impose itself, leading to mostly Route 1 passes in the first half, which Birmingham ate up. Benayoun’s deployment on the left led to increasingly narrow play (something Maxi’s also prone to) with the Israeli unable to make any impact. Both Babel and Aquilani were “positive” substitutions, but neither could add the needed final ball.

Birmingham continues to be my least-favorite bogey club, and results like these happen every single year. It’s just that Liverpool’s on such a slim razor’s edge to begin with that makes it so much worse.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that Liverpool could draw two games – this one and Chelsea – and still pip fourth if City and Spurs drop enough points. Both have tougher run-ins, and Spurs helped matters by surprisingly losing to Sunderland. This certainly sucks an incredible amount, but it didn’t decide fourth. However, Liverpool dearly needs a result against Chelsea, and combined those other results going Liverpool’s way, would probably mean that United win the league.

All I can say is Liverpool had better progress on Thursday after today's result.

Liverpool at Birmingham 04.04.10

10am ET, live in the US on FSP

Last 4 head-to-head:
2-2 (h) 11.09.09
2-2 (a) 04.26.08
0-0 (h) 09.22.07
1-0 Liverpool (a; League Cup) 11.08.06

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-2 Benfica (a); 3-0 Sunderland (h); 1-2 United (a)
Brum: 1-1 Arse (h); 1-2 Blackburn (a); 1-3 Sunderland (a)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 18; Kuyt 9; Gerrard 6; Benayoun 5; Ngog 4; Babel, Johnson 3; Aquilani, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel 1
Brum: Jerome 9; Bowyer 5; Larsson, McFadden, Phillips 4; Chucho, Ridgewell 2; Gardner, O’Connor 1

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Johnson Carragher Agger Insua
Lucas Mascherano
Maxi Gerrard Babel
Torres

Please, please, please don’t punish Babel for yesterday’s sending off. The result and subsequent criticism have been punishment enough, and if any player’s a confidence player, it’s Babel. You’ve all seen my past condemnation of him, and my recent conversation to advocate. If he becomes out of favor for this incident, I fear that the last six weeks of good work will go down the drain, especially since he’s ineligible for next week’s match at the least.

Yes, I’m surprised I’ve guessed a line-up without Kuyt as well. My reasons are two-fold. One, I would willingly pay money so that Maxi doesn’t line up on the left. The more I’ve seen him, the more I’m convinced he is a right-winger, and needs to line up on that side. He was outstanding last Sunday. The second is resting Kuyt after an all-action performance yesterday, running ragged for 90 minutes with a man down for two-thirds of that.

Were this at Anfield, I’d be tempted to suggest the same line-up that won 3-0 against Sunderland, and I almost guessed it anyway. But 4-4-2 away from home admittedly still frightens me. I wouldn’t be surprised (or upset) to see it, but wanting to control the middle of the park seems more likely in a match such as this.

I still don’t expect any changes in defense, even with some mandatory next Thursday. Maybe we’ll see Agger or Carragher on the left (remember, Carra spent an entire season at LB under Houllier) with Kyrgiakos in the middle as preparation for the Europa League, or maybe Benitez will throw a complete spanner in the works, like 3-4-3 at Sunderland in the fall or Johnson at LB (happened twice in preseason), but I doubt it. Insua needs the start for confidence as much as Babel, even if he’s played far too many games this season.

I fancied Brum to surprise this season – one of the few predictions I was right about – but I didn’t expect to see them in 9th, fairly comfortable in the top-half of the table with six games to play. McLeish has done an amazing job (yet again), and I only expect the club to improve with Yeung looking to spend in the summer. Both Chucho and Jerome are dangerous strikers, demonstrated in November’s meeting, while Lee Bowyer and Kevin Phillips have both turned the clock back this season.

Birmingham’s continued their voodoo over Liverpool even after Steve Bruce’s exit. The last time Liverpool beat them in the league was before Benitez, in May ‘04 (although the club spent ‘06-07 and ‘08-09 in the Championship).

Thankfully, Liverpool has a bit of motivation going into this one. Fourth is still barely up for grabs and the team should be full of vengeance after Thursday. Liverpool have multiple points to prove. Prove them.

Liverpool 2-2 Birmingham

Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Insua
Lucas Mascherano
Benayoun Kuyt Riera
Ngog

Goals:
Ngog 13’
Chucho 26’
Jerome 45+3’
Gerrard 71’ (pen)

The beach ball season rolls on. That’s seven league games without a win against Birmingham.

And both sides will feel cheated. With the amount of possession and chances, it’s two more points dropped by Liverpool. In front thanks to yet another set piece goal conceded by Liverpool and a wonderful second, Birmingham will rue Ngog’s dive for glory, which rescued said point.

After a quarter of the game, it looked to be just what was needed. Liverpool were ahead after patiently carving open Birmingham. Ngog scored a wonderful left-footed volley from Riera’s cross after Hart miraculously kept out two previous efforts. The home side were on top, especially down the right, as the beating Glen Johnson was giving Liam Ridgewell would see him jailed in 37 states. Didn’t last. Couldn’t last. Not this season.

It started when Liverpool conceded what was probably the dumbest equalizer of the season, which is saying something. Lucas gave up an insanely soft free kick, holding on a goal kick. McFadden lofted it into the box, and Birmingham won two headers (Roger Johnson at the back post over Glen and Ridgewell over Skrtel) before Chucho pounced from about a yard out. This is a short team, missing its most important defender, but come on.

Once again, Liverpool were knocked off-stride by conceding. But they still should have retaken the lead with a plethora of chances around the 32nd minute. First, Hart barely tipped over a Mascherano shot from distance on the break. When Birmingham were unable to fully clear the subsequent corner, they were under siege before an open Ngog miskicked and Lucas’s tame effort was cleared off the line by two players. Finally, Skrtel blasted a volley over from the top of the box, giving Birmingham a reprieve Liverpool would dearly regret.

After that, we were back to constant pressure, no end product, before Cameron Jerome notched the best goal he’ll ever score. And Birmingham had the best chance before that, on the break, only to see Reina thankfully come out to push Chucho too wide for a shot on target. Riera and Benayoun switched flanks to little effect, Birmingham blocked a smattering of half-chances, and then Riera pulled up injured, clutching the hamstring that previously kept him out. Surprisingly, Gerrard came on. Surely, Superman would change the game. Well, the game sure changed.

Less than two minutes later, Scott Dann headed out of defense just looking to clear his lines. Jerome collected, held off Mascherano, and unleashed a dipping shot from over 35 yards. Reina, marginally off his line (as he should be in that situation), had no chance. Sums up this season. Liverpool had 75% of the possession and Birmingham had two goals from three shots.

One up and unable to believe their luck, Birmingham were even happier to park the bus in the second half. Had luck been with Liverpool, Kuyt would have won a penalty in the 51st when Ridgewell clipped his ankle in the act of shooting. Of course, if luck had been with Liverpool at all this season, they wouldn’t have been in this situation.

Naturally, you’ll counter with “you make your own luck.” Which is exactly what Ngog did. More and more frustration led to sloppier and sloppier play until the 63rd, when Gerrard caromed a header off the post. From there, Liverpool found another gear and turned up the pressure before Ngog dove his way to an equalizer six minutes later.

Let’s get it out of the way now. We’re all against diving. Diving is bad for the sport. I’m sure more than a few British pundits will mention Ngog’s from France. At this point, I’d push my own mother down a flight of stairs for a Liverpool win, and she’s just recovering from a broken ankle. So I’m not going to complain if Ngog goes down when Carsley lunges in. Ngog and Carsley had some handbags – understandable on Carsley’s part – and both saw yellow before Gerrard sent Hart the wrong way.

That was the point where Liverpool would find the breakthrough. That was the point where Liverpool would turn the season around, get the winner, and go into the international break deeply relieved, only a point behind fourth. Ha. At least they didn’t concede. Again.

Liverpool found chances harder and harder to come by with 10, then 11 men packed in Birmingham’s box. The home side saw all of the ball, and Birmingham were all hands on deck, but the breakthrough wasn’t coming. Continuing the luck with injuries, Benayoun pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 78th (for those counting at home, that’s two attackers lost to hamstring injuries today), with Babel coming on, before Aquilani made his home debut for Lucas in the 83rd.

Unable to write the dream script, I thought Aquilani actually slowed down play too much. Before anyone gets carried away, I’m not blaming him for anything, and I’m thrilled to see him healthy. But with Benayoun and Lucas out, Liverpool resorted to crosses and hoofs from the middle, and Birmingham’s defenders had more than enough to keep that out, even with Liverpool throwing every man forward.

For the next two weeks, I’ll be reduced to repeating ‘at least it’s a point’ in an effort to keep sane, fully aware that Liverpool needed a dive to draw against the 15th placed side. That’s normally, and obviously, not good enough – even against a bogey team like Brum with injuries as they are. But this hasn’t been a “normal” season for some time now. The team’s holding on by their fingernails.

At least it’s a point. At least it's a point. Sigh.

Liverpool v Birmingham 11.09.09

3pm, live in the US on espn2

Sorry this is late, but I wanted to wait given the injuries and the game being on Monday. Posting on Friday morning like usual would have meant even more baseless speculation over who’s available.

Last 4 head-to-head:
2-2 (a) 04.26.08
0-0 (h) 09.22.07
1-0 Liverpool (a; League Cup) 11.08.06
7-0 Liverpool (a; FA Cup) 03.21.06

Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-1 Lyon (a); 1-3 Fulham (a); 1-2 Arsenal (a)
Brum: 0-0 City (h); 2-1 Sunderland (h); 1-3 Arsenal (a)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 10; Benayoun, Gerrard, Kuyt 3; Babel, Johnson, Ngog 2
Brum: Bowyer, McFadden 2; Larsson, O’Connor, Phillips, Ridgewell 1

Referee: Peter Walton

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Insua
Lucas Mascherano
Kuyt Benayoun Aurelio
Babel

At least are looking a little brighter on the injury front, even if we’re still massively unsure whether Gerrard or Torres will need surgery thanks to contradictory reports. But Benitez was much more positive over Johnson, Aurelio, Skrtel, and Riera, which would be a huge boon.

At the same time, both Degen and Carragher are suspended. Degen’s out for three games for serious foul play, while Carragher will only miss this match for a professional foul. Given the injury troubles and recent form, it’s certainly not the best time to be missing two defenders, including the vice-captain.

At least it sounds like Skrtel, Agger, and Johnson should be available, as would Aurelio, but I think he’s more likely to feature in midfield. And to be honest, this is a “good” game for Liverpool’s defense. Chances are that Birmingham will try to frustrate Liverpool at Anfield. Although the team’s struggled for goals, and will find it difficult to break down a very resilient Birmingham side, it’s seemingly safer than teams going on the attack against a fragile Liverpool, which has happened more in 17 games this season than in years past. Obviously, Liverpool will have to be wary on the break, especially of Chucho.

And I can’t write a preview without mentioning Torres, especially since I’m guessing he’ll miss out. Benitez argues he’s been getting better, and wants to hold off on surgery. I’d argue that he should sit this one out and rest for a full two weeks with the international break coming up. The depth at striker means he’d have to be on the bench, just in case, but Liverpool should be able to survive without him. Although I just had a seriously bad flashback to 0-0 against Birmingham at Anfield two seasons ago, when Kuyt and Voronin started in place of Torres, which inspired this post.

And at the same time, I wouldn’t mind seeing Babel get a chance in Torres’ spot after Wednesday’s match. Ngog has been Torres’ primary backup, but given the boost to Babel’s confidence after Wednesday – and yes, the need to give him a few games in a row and see if the Dutchman can do a job – I’m curious.

However, I’d still rather Aurelio or even Riera on the left, as long as it doesn’t mean Voronin in the hole. If we’re talking about Babel in midfield, the post under this one still stands: I do think Babel’s better off the bench. Both Aurelio and Riera are more secure defensively, especially when the opposition counters. And even though I’ve questioned the threat Brum will provide, Liverpool will still need to be on their guard.

And I hate when Liverpool plays Birmingham, although at least Steve Bruce, who remains a bogeyman for Benitez, isn’t the manager anymore. Let’s just pretend it’s a cup game; the last time Liverpool beat Birmingham in the league was 2004, seven games ago. Garry O’Connor will miss out through injury, while captain Barry Ferguson is suspended.

Birmingham are tied with Hull for the fewest goals scored, but they’ve only let in 12, better than any other bottom-half side and four goals fewer than Liverpool. McLeish has the team very well-organized at the back, which frightens given Liverpool’s recent reliance on a half-fit Torres for goals.

The upcoming international break, more meaningless than usual as Kyrgiakos is the only player involved in the playoffs, finally arrives, and it’s at a surprisingly good time. Hopefully, the break will allow Liverpool to lessen the massive casualty list. But they need to go into the break with a good result, or it’ll be two more weeks of ‘what’s wrong with Liverpool?’ in the media.

Three new teams, and how it affects Liverpool

Awards on Thursday and Top 10 goals on Friday should wrap up the season review stuff unless something strikes me. In addition, there may be a review of the CL final tomorrow, depending on circumstances (yes, you know what I'm implying).

But first, relegation.

I don’t know why the idea hadn’t struck me sooner, but promotions and relegations affect Liverpool. That Burnley won the playoffs instead of Reading or Sheffield United makes the connection more tenuous, but there are still some notions to be divined. It was Birmingham sealing promotion on the same day that Liverpool hammered Newcastle that hit the point home.

I hate when Liverpool plays Birmingham. Every club has those bogey teams, and Birmingham seems to be one of Liverpool’s, especially under Benitez. I thought it was just a Steve Bruce thing, but Alex McLeish’s side went and took two points off Liverpool in April 2008, a month where Brum only tallied two points on the road to relegation. At the same time, Liverpool’s won four straight over Newcastle by a margin of 14-1.

In fact, Liverpool’s lost to at least one relegated team in three of Benitez’s five seasons: Boro this season, Reading last season, and both Southampton and Crystal Palace in 04-05. The exceptions are 2005-06, where Liverpool were held by Birmingham twice, and 2006-07, where Liverpool drew at both Charlton and Sheffield United. Four points dropped is worse than three.

So, anyway, the changes for next year, and Liverpool’s last four games against each side. I am not including cup matches in Birmingham’s totals, but am including them in Burnley’s. Yes, it’s selective use of the data, but otherwise I’d be going back to at least ’75-76 for Liverpool/Burnley league matches. So we’ll pretend those cup matches counted for points. I know, but play along anyway.

Promoted:
Wolverhampton:
1-0 Liverpool (h) 03.20.04
1-1 (a) 01.21.04
0-1 Wolves (h) 01.14.84
1-1 (a) 08.27.83
5 points; 3 goals for, 2 goals against
Birmingham:
2-2 (a) 04.26.08
0-0 (h) 09.22.07
1-1 (h) 02.01.06
2-2 (a) 09.24.05
4 points; 5 for, 5 against
Burnley:
0-1 Burnley (a; FA Cup) 01.18.05
1-0 Liverpool (h; FA Cup) 01.04.97
1-0 Liverpool (h; League Cup) 02.07.95
0-0 (a; League Cup) 01.28.95
7 points; 2 for, 1 against
Combined Total: 16 points; 10 for, 8 against

Relegated:
Newcastle:
3-0 Liverpool (h) 05.03.09
5-1 Liverpool (a) 12.28.08
3-0 Liverpool (h) 03.08.08
3-0 Liverpool (a) 11.24.07
12 points; 14 for, 1 against
Middlesbrough:
0-2 Boro (a) 02.28.09
2-1 Liverpool (h) 08.23.08
3-2 Liverpool (h) 02.23.08
1-1 (a) 01.12.08
7 points; 6 for, 6 against
West Brom:
2-0 Liverpool (a) 05.17.09
3-0 Liverpool (h) 11.08.08
2-0 Liverpool (a) 04.01.06
1-0 Liverpool (h) 12.31.05
12 points; 8 for, 0 against
Combined Total: 31 points; 28 for, 7 against

So, a 15-point discrepancy. A +21 goal difference versus a +2 one. Super.

Wolves and Burnley make it a tougher comparison, because Liverpool’s never played Wanderers under Benitez and the lone FA Cup tie against Burnley barely counts (Rafa’ll never field a weakened side in the FA Cup again, that’s for sure), but there are still some interesting comparisons.

As said above, I’m not thrilled to see Brum back. Last time Liverpool beat them in the league was May 2004. Benitez has only beaten them in cup competition; his league record is 0-4-2. But at least we’re waving goodbye to Boro, another bogey club. Two wins, a draw, and a loss over the last two seasons, and Boro scored in each of those four games. And it took a late Gerrard winner this year and a Torres hat trick last year to get those two wins.

It’s rude to compound relegation with insults, but it’s sad to see Newcastle and West Brom go down. One goal conceded in eight games against the clubs. Yikes. Why couldn’t Stoke or Hull be relegated instead? At least there’s always next year.

I’m intrigued by and wary of Burnley. Having seen all their playoff matches, I’ve been very impressed. The final was compelling beyond belief. Paterson and Elliot have scored some absolute corkers. The defense was resilient throughout, and the side knows how to counter and how to utilize the flanks. Owen Coyle’s done an amazing job. They’ll either be next season’s Hull (the first half of the season anyway) or next season’s West Brom. I doubt there’ll be any middle ground. And chances are I’ll be rooting for them in 36 of their games.

Liverpool 2-2 Birmingham

Reina
Finnan Skrtel Hyypia Riise
Pennant Lucas Plessis Benayoun
Crouch Voronin

Goals:
Forssell 34’
Larsson 55’
Crouch 63’
Benayoun 76’

After the first half, with Liverpool going 0-2 down, a point will certainly suffice.

Until Birmingham scored their second, from an absolutely stunning free kick, Liverpool were insipid and uninspired, and that’s putting it nicely. The first half was especially dire, with Liverpool labored, lacking in movement, and few in the team looking especially bothered by it.

For the first 30 or so minutes, Birmingham were much the same, which was surprising given their need for points. And it led to a fairly boring back and forth affair, with neither side creating much of note until Forssell broke the deadlock 34 minutes in.

McFadden, who had been Birmingham’s best player so far, found a way to deliver a dangerous cross around Riise to Forssell in acres of space at the far post. The Finnish striker had time to control and fire past the on-rushing Reina before Finnan could get back, having unnecessarily drifted into the center.

And to the chagrin of Liverpool supporters, the goal didn’t prompt much reply from the away side. Liverpool still turned the ball over too cheaply, with both Lucas and Plessis shaky in midfield (I don’t fault Plessis much; it’s still only his second game, and expectations were raised far too high in his first game, when he was surrounded by better players). Meanwhile, Crouch was isolated up front, unable to link up at all with the underperforming Voronin. However, Birmingham couldn’t take further advantage, with no other chances before halftime.

Liverpool started the second half better, after what had to have been a tirade from Benitez, but 10 minutes after the break, Skrtel was forced to bring down McFadden on the break (after Walton failed to call a free kick when Finnan was fouled), and Larsson slammed home a spectacular strike from the resulting dead ball up and over the wall, leaving Reina with no chance.

And when it looked like the second goal would ice the day’s disappointment, Liverpool finally responded. Less than eight minutes later, a surging Pennant run (with Pennant probably Liverpool’s best, and at times only, performer to that point) on the break, with Pennant cutting inside and fortunate to receive the ball back from Benayoun, led to Crouch firing a low shot past Taylor to give Liverpool a lifeline.

Soon after, Insua replaced Riise, who had a fairly composed if unspectacular game, which much needed after last Tuesday. I realize I have the potential to get carried away when writing about Insua, but the substitution clearly helped Liverpool. The young Argentinean brought fresh legs and some smarter surges forward, with Voronin moving further left and Benayoun taking up a more central role.

And it was Benayoun who scored the equalizer from Lucas’ cross thanks to a slice of luck when his header deflected off of an unaware Jaidi, wrong-footing Maik Taylor. But Liverpool, finally taking the game to the home side, deserved their luck. It’s no coincidence Liverpool finally got “lucky” after going on the front foot.

Liverpool finished the final 15 minutes the better side and still pressing forward, but Birmingham (aided by bringing on Queudrue to solidify the middle) held on to save a point that would have been welcomed at the start of the day, before they took a two-goal lead.

After Larsson’s goal, you could already feel the media lining up to criticize the rotation, as they expected to do after the Fulham match. And while criticizing rotation wouldn’t have been completely deserved, as we’ve seen that these players perform together before, the criticism of the players would have been given their performance today. Pennant looked moderately dangerous in the first half, albeit too wasteful at times, and he was the only one (with his second half performance probably sealing him being man of the match).

And you had to expect Birmingham to play well -- it was the below par first 30 minutes that was surprising. This is a team in need of points to stave off relegation and had been thumped by their city rivals in the last match. If nothing else, McLeish is a master motivator, and you have to think his sides will bounce back.

Which is why I credit Liverpool for getting back into the game, with the players who had gotten themselves into the hole having to dig themselves out (Insua was the only substitute). The substandard first half performance was unacceptable given some of these players are fighting for either a regular starting berth or their place in the team next season, and it was hard to understand how so many looked so indifferent. But in the final 35 minutes, they came back from two goals down to earn a welcome point.

And with that point, Liverpool is now nine ahead of Everton with the 5th placed side, plus 15 on goal difference. Now they can completely focus on the trip to the Bridge Wednesday.

Liverpool at Birmingham 04.26.08

10am EST, live in the US on Setanta

Last 4 head-to-head:
0-0 (h) 09.22.07
1-0 Liverpool (a; Carling Cup) 11.08.06
7-0 Liverpool (a; FA Cup) 03.21.06
1-1 (h) 02.01.06

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 1-1 Chelsea (h); 2-0 Fulham (a); 3-1 Blackburn (h)
Brum: 1-5 Villa (a); 1-1 Everton (h); 0-2 Wigan (a)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 22; Gerrard 11; Babel, Crouch, Voronin 4; Benayoun, Kuyt 3; Alonso, Pennant 2; Aurelio, Hyypia, Mascherano, Sissoko 1
Brum: Forssell 8; Jerome, Kapo, Larsson 5; McFadden, Zarate 4; McSheffrey 3; O’Connor 2; Muamba, Ridgewell 1

Referee: Peter Walton

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Finnan Carragher Skrtel Insua
Plessis Lucas
Pennant Voronin Benayoun
Crouch

Well, at least Steve Bruce doesn’t manage Birmingham anymore. We’ll see if they’re still a bogey team without him (other than the 7-0 FA Cup romp, there have been far too many draws in recent history between the sides).

We will assuredly see a comparable team to the one against Fulham last week; I’d be surprised by more than a couple of changes from the side that won 2-0 last Saturday.

I said similar last week, but the fact that neither Plessis nor Insua played with the reserves last night should mean they’ll feature on Saturday. Nemeth and San Jose, on the other hand, did start in the loss to Marine in the Liverpool Senior Cup.

Plessis could spell Mascherano, and I’m interested to see him get a second opportunity after doing well against Arsenal in the league, while Insua seems even more likely after Aurelio’s injury. However, Benitez may want to play Arbeloa at left back if that’s where he’ll play against Chelsea, as I believe he’s only featured in that position twice in 2008 (against Arsenal in the league and at Boro in January). Or, Riise could start at left back with Benitez looking to get the player’s mind off the last match. But of course, I’d prefer Insua; having declared something of a man-crush from his appearances last season, I’m getting the shakes not seeing him in the first team yet this year.

Once again, I expect Liverpool to rest both Gerrard and Torres with an eye on Chelsea. But I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Gerrard off the bench in order to keep him fresh for Wednesday, especially if he’s fully recovered from that neck injury. But please, keep Torres covered in bubble wrap, just in case (as he was against Fulham). I cannot emphasize enough just how important El Niño will be on Wednesday, but after his season so far, I reckon I don't need to.

Last time out, Birmingham lost 1-5 to their city rivals Villa, which probably makes them even more dangerous, as McLeish won’t have tolerated that performance and it’s probably been a long week of training. Plus, that loss put them amongst the relegation places, with Bolton and Reading a point ahead of them. Birmingham’s also unbeaten in six at St Andrews since losing 0-1 to Chelsea in January, including games against both Arsenal and Everton.

Damien Johnson’s still serving a three-match suspension, while both Larsson and Kapo look likely to return to the side. Despite Mauro Zarate’s excellent second half of the season since coming to Brum on loan, he’ll still probably feature off the bench as an impact substitute. And having scouted Insua, who played in the same Argentina U-20 team, as well as having an extensive network in Argentina, Benitez will be familiar with the player.

It’d probably be a lie to say all eyes weren’t focused on next Wednesday. But once again, Liverpool still doesn’t have fourth spot fully secured, while a win here would help the side going into the match against Chelsea, even if there are wholesale changes like against Fulham. A win is a win is a win, and Liverpool could certainly do with one after the kick to the groin that was the last match.

Liverpool 0-0 Birmingham

Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Hyypia Riise
Pennant Gerrard Mascherano Babel
Kuyt Voronin

I’m speechless. That was just awful.

Draws away at Portsmouth and Porto are one thing, and the suggestion of problems seemed almost laughable. But this was insipid. Dropping 2 points to Birmingham at Anfield, where the team had scored 10 goals in the past two games, is just inexcusable.

Let me get one thing out of the way. The rotation, other than the questionable decision to leave out Torres (more later, believe me), wasn’t surprising, although it’s assuredly going to be a favored talking point. While Benitez is impossible to predict, the line-up was pretty close to as guessed.

For me, there are two sources of Liverpool’s problems today. One, and most importantly, was the injuries to Alonso and Agger. Throughout the first half, the passing from the back was dreadful. Agger brings the ball out of defense better than both Hyypia and Carragher (Hyypia’s usually better, but his passing was off today). Mascherano hasn’t looked a replacement for Alonso in the passing department in either game he’s started.

It led to either misplaced long balls or too many passes along the backline while waiting for an opening. There was no cutting edge to Liverpool’s passing, and that Birmingham sat back and kept it incredibly tight in their own half didn’t help matters.

Two, that Torres started on the bench. I’m frequently an apologist for nearly everything Benitez does, and even though I understand the reasons for his omission, I’m still angry over it.

Benitez is both pragmatic and obsessive over fitness levels. It’s clear that he’s trying to keep Torres fresh for the long season, knowing his importance to the team, the amount of games Liverpool are going to play, and Torres’ unfamiliarity with Benitez’s training regimen.

And you know what? Liverpool should be able to beat Birmingham at Anfield without Torres. But when they don’t, and Liverpool with Torres is demonstrably better than Liverpool without, it is immensely frustrating. And if you’re dropping points this early in the season, those games that he’s fresh for in April and May mean a lot less.

Credit to Birmingham, angry as I am. They came for a 0-0 draw, packed 10 men in their own half, and defended like their lives depended on it. Only Taylor, Kelly, and Larsson are left from the 7-0 drubbing in 2006, but Birmingham clearly remembered it. There were many opportunities and half-chances for Liverpool snuffed out because of the number of players in the box. Stephen Kelly’s last ditch tackle on Crouch in the 83rd minute was a standout moment, but more often than not, it was a defender shutting down a Liverpool player in the final third, with three of his mates next to him in case he didn’t. And Birmingham have been a bogey team in the league in the past.

But Liverpool still had opportunities, none spectacular, but opportunities nonetheless. Riise carved out the most in the first half from distance, but rarely looked like getting them on target, which isn’t a total surprise given his match fitness. Liverpool was better in the second half, with Kuyt getting a couple of sights at goal, Torres clearly improving the team after he came on (and coming very close with a well-hit overhead kick), and Kelly’s aforementioned tackle on Crouch. But Liverpool never really carved open Birmingham, tested Maik Taylor, or made the most of the chances they got. And at the end of it all, that’s why the game ended in a draw.

If I have to pick a man of the match, it’s probably Mascherano. His passing wasn’t great, but his tackling was superlative, and he put himself about everywhere in mopping up when needed. Pennant tried hard and played smartly, but the end product, which has been discussed in the past, was clearly missing and much needed. Gerrard looked fitter and worked hard to try and forge an opening, but he's still not back to his best. Other than a few missteps by Arbeloa, the defense ate up what little Birmingham offered offensively (although Brum did more in attack as Liverpool was pressing in the final 30 minutes). That’s about all that struck me as positive as player performances go.

Not much more to do but pick yourself up for the next match and use this as motivation. And it is still early in the season, although that’s a crutch that’s been used all too often when the team’s dropping points in the first couple of months. The title race may be closer than in previous years, and winners may need less points, but two points foolishly dropped are two points to be rued.

Many if not all of the players who started today will sit out the Carling Cup match at Reading. But I expect all will have a point to prove at Wigan on Saturday.

Liverpool v Birmingham 09.22.07

10am EST, live in the US on Setanta Sports.

Last 4 head-to-head:
1-0 Liverpool (a; Carling Cup) 11.08.06
7-0 Liverpool (a; FA Cup) 03.21.06
1-1 (h) 02.01.06
2-2 (a) 09.24.05

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 1-1 Porto (a); 0-0 Portsmouth (a); 6-0 Derby (h)
Brum: 1-0 Bolton (h); 0-2 Boro (a); 2-1 Hereford (h)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 3; Alonso, Voronin 2; Babel, Gerrard, Sissoko 1
Brum: Jerome, Kapo 2; Forssell, O’Connor 1

Referee: Lee Mason

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Finnan Carragher Hyypia Riise
Benayoun Gerrard Mascherano Babel
Torres Kuyt

The news that both Alonso and Agger are out for the next six weeks with broken metatarsals is not good. Now we’ll get to see how deep the squad really is.

Thankfully, both Riise and Aurelio are in the process of returning from injury, which will allow Arbeloa to shift over to center-back when needed. We may even see Insua get time at left back as well (here’s hoping!), but I imagine he’ll be mainly limited to games like Tuesday’s Carling Cup match at Reading.

I can’t ever remember seeing Arbeloa play at center-back for Liverpool. He’s always been advertised as able to fill that role, but I am a bit nervous having yet to see him play there consistently. And I think that Hyypia will probably start again on Saturday; Arbeloa’s due for a rest, as he’s started every game so far this season.

Alonso’s injury will affect Liverpool differently. There’s adequate cover in central midfield, with Gerrard, Mascherano and Sissoko available, and Lucas if needed. But we saw against Porto what can happen without Xabi in the side. There’s a correlation between Liverpool’s abhorrent passing and Alonso’s absence.

First and foremost, Mascherano, who will come closest to filling Alonso’s role, will have to play far better than he did mid-week. His passing was absolutely awful against Porto, which came as such a surprise given how composed he’s looked in the past.

I’m guessing Benayoun in over Pennant solely because of my displeasure with Jermaine following Tuesday’s match. Were there a European match next week, he’d obviously play due to the Champions League suspension, but I think that Benitez may use this game to make a point to Pennant. However, Pennant may well have a point of his own to prove going up against his old club.

And all of the above may be irrelevant should Benayoun not be available for selection because of Yom Kippur, but he is in the team.

Babel may not have had the best game against Porto, but as said, no one did, and if he’s going to progress, he needs time in games like this. That and the only other options on the left flank seem to be Riise or Aurelio (Leto, like Insua, will probably see time in the Carling Cup). I hope Riise returns to the squad in defense, although he’s got a good scoring record against Birmingham, and chances are we’ll see Aurelio off the bench, as it’s probably too soon to consider him for a start.

I also want to see Torres and Kuyt resume their partnership up top. Kuyt was one of the few positives from Tuesday’s match, while my belief that Torres should be starting every match possible has been reiterated enough. It could be Voronin that starts with Torres, as he didn’t against Porto, but Kuyt can’t be dropped after his last performance, can he?

Birmingham is most likely going to be one of those teams that parks the bus in front of goal at Anfield. Liverpool will need to show that added creativity that’s been much discussed since the summer. And it’s for that reason I think that both Torres and Kuyt will start and that Liverpool will have two tricky players on that flanks. Birmingham can pose a threat on the counter, mainly though Cameron Jerome and Olivier Kapo, but Liverpool should have the lion’s share of both possession and chances.

This game’s been eyed hungrily since the draws against Pompey and Porto, which isn’t a surprise given Birmingham’s pedigree. But it’s worth noting that Brum’s been a bogey team in the league for Liverpool. The season they were relegated Birmingham earned draws in both matches (not counting the FA Cup match), including a gut-wrenching 1-1 draw at Anfield when they were down to 10 men and got an own goal in the dying minutes. I doubt we’ll see another 6-0 (or 7-0) goal-fest, but here’s hoping for a mauling anyway.

Liverpool v Birmingham, the day after

• Official Site: Match Analysis
• Official Site: Rafa Interview
• Official Site: Agger Interview
• BBC write-up, with link to audio from Steve Bruce
• BBC: Sissoko injury report
• Guardian: Match write-up
• The Times: Match write-up
• Daily Telegraph: Match write-up
• The Independent: Match write-up
• Eurosport minute-by-minute (no stats for league cup)
• Sky Sports: Match write-up
• Youtube video of the goal
• RAWK Post-match thread

Liverpool 1-0 Birmingham

No matter the scoreline, the main news of the match is the injury to Momo Sissoko. A tackle by Nafti (who could have been given a straight red for his challenge on Zenden earlier) left Momo lying on the ground for over 5 minutes, and he left strapped to a stretcher with his arm strapped to his chest. According to the team, he has a dislocated shoulder, and it will depend on the extent of the ligament damage as to how long he’ll be out.

Other than the injury, the first half was fairly uneventful until Agger broke the deadlock during the extended injury time at the end of the half, hammering home after a scramble from a corner. Birmingham did have a couple of chances in the earlier on, with a nice save from Dudek keeping the game at 0-0, and Liverpool was fairly lackluster. A 0-0 scoreline at the half would have been fair to either team, but Liverpool was able to take advantage of an opportunity.

While the first half was mostly disappointing, there are three things that were quite encouraging about the late goal. It was Pennant’s corner that led to the goal, which is reassuring because of Jermaine’s iffy form so far this season. It still wasn’t his best game, he still only showed flashes of what’s he’s capable of, but he’s making strides. His delivery on corners has been one of his better attributes, and to contribute to a goal against your old team has to be a lift.

It’s also good to see Liverpool score from a corner, and it seems that the team is making better use of deadball situations, which is necessary to get the needed improvement in the goal totals.

Finally, it was fitting Agger got the goal. He was easily the best player in the first half; along with Paletta and a great save by Dudek, he was a big reason that Birmingham was held scoreless. Again he shows the power he has in his shot. It wasn’t West Ham, but it was a good strike, especially for a defender. If he continues to improve his defending to go along with his passing, ability to bring the ball upfield, and ability to pop up with a goal now and then, he’ll more than justify the £5.8m Rafa paid for him.

The second half started as quietly as the first half, until Gonzalez’s excellent run led to a penalty after being brought down by Jaidi. Surprisingly, Bellamy stepped up to take it. I would have expected that Fowler, who’s been on penalty duty when he’s playing, would’ve taken it, but at this stage of his career, when Craig demands to take it, Robbie will step aside I reckon. Much like Crouch against Portsmouth last year, Bellamy tried too hard to break a goal drought, and had his penalty easily saved. I hope the fans stay behind him, and get him through this stretch as they did with Crouchy last year, but Craig wasn’t good today. Ran smartly and well, and worked hard, but utterly off in front of goal. He’ll find his feet, but he’s not looking likely to break up the Kuyt/Crouch pairing.

Kuyt came on for Fowler in the 72nd minute. He wasn’t able to add much, as Liverpool didn’t offer much. The win was pretty much assured by Dudek, who had a couple of good saves in the last 20 minutes. It was nice to see Jerzy play well in his first start of the season, especially considering his past inconsistency. I don’t enjoy these nail biters, where Liverpool fails to find a second goal and ends up under pressure to finish the game, but for some reason, it never felt as if Liverpool would let one in.

Maybe it’s because Dudek, Agger, and Paletta all had excellent games. But I suspect it might be because I care far less about the win than I do about the loss of Sissoko. I sincerely hope his absence doesn’t affect the progress the team has made over the past couple of weeks. Not only is Momo essential to the team with his energy and knack for breaking up play, the upcoming Arsenal game is crying out for his presence. He will be sincerely missed on Sunday, more so than he would be in most other games. Zenden played better in the center today than he had all season, looking more confident, tackling better, and smarter going forward. Hopefully, he’ll be able to step in and partly fill the void left by the injury, but I’ll be far happier when Momo returns.

5th round draw takes place Saturday before the Premiership games.

Liverpool: Dudek; Peltier, Agger, Paletta, Warnock; Pennant, Sissoko (Alonso 26’), Zenden, Gonzalez; Fowler (Kuyt 72’), Bellamy (Guthrie 88’)

Goals: Agger 45+5’

MOM: Dudek (could have been Agger or Zenden as well)

Liverpool at Birmingham 11.08.06

4th round of the Carling Cup. 3pm Wednesday. Available in the US on Setanta Sports

Birmingham currently sits 4th in the Championship.

Carling Cup results:
Liverpool: 4-3 Reading (h)
Birmingham: 4-2 Sheffield Utd (a); 4-1 Wrexham (h); 1-0 Shrewsbury Town (h)

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 2-0 Reading (h); 3-0 Bordeaux (h); 3-1 Villa (h)
Birmingham: 1-0 Plymouth (a); 1-0 Coventry (a); 2-0 West Brom (h)

Squad list, according to the BBC:
Liverpool (from): Dudek, Finnan, Peltier, Carragher, Agger, Paletta, Aurelio, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Bellamy, Fowler, Kuyt, Crouch, Gonzalez, Warnock, Zenden, Martin, Pennant, Alonso.

Guess of a lineup:
Dudek
Peltier Carragher Agger Warnock
Gerrard Sissoko Alonso Gonzalez
Kuyt Crouch

Once again, I’m clueless as to whether Benitez will give the kids/reserves another Carling Cup opportunity, or if he’ll use this game as a chance to further settle the first team before Sunday’s game at Arsenal. I’d like to think that he’ll stick to his guns and continue to use the earlier rounds of the tournament to give experience to youngsters and to rest star players, but I’m far less sure than in the last round.

After starting to find their feet while on a 4 game home stand, Liverpool travels to St Andrews to start 3 matches away from home. It is absolutely imperative that Liverpool translates their excellent home form to the road. Only after this extended away trip will we know how capable this team really is, as Liverpool under Benitez has consistently been good at Anfield.

I don’t know whether to be pleased that this is the first match of the away games. On the one hand, it should be easier to replicate their form on a lesser stage, in a League Cup match, against a lower division side. However, does it really count if Rafa chops and changes, and the team sent out to face Birmingham is similar to the team that faced Reading in the last round?

No matter whom Rafa rotates in or out, I want to continue to see the pairing of Crouch and Kuyt up top. Fowler does deserve to play, and only Ian Rush has scored more League Cup goals than Robbie. But the pairing of Kuyt and Crouch has almost shown too much promise. No matter the health of Bellamy or Fowler, and no matter whom Liverpool is up against, I want to see Kuyt and Crouch start every game if they’re available. I really do think the pairing has that much promise.

Birmingham is on a run themselves of late. After a tricky start to the season, where manager Steve Bruce was again under fire (as he was at the end of last season), Birmingham has won 5 in a row. They will be looking not only to continue that streak, but to also claim another Premier League scalp (after beating Sheffield United in the last round) and make amends for last season’s FA Cup debacle against Liverpool. The Carling Cup is pretty low on my list of priorities for this season, but Liverpool has an opportunity to continue to cement their good run and to prove to some doubters that they are capable of playing the soccer we expect from Liverpool away from Anfield.