Jones
Kelly Skrtel Wilson Aurelio
Jovanovic Poulsen Shelvey Cole
Babel Eccleston
Just change the players' names and it's the exact same review as when these sides met in Utrecht. At least that match had the built-in excuse of being away from home, even if the side was far stronger.
I can hear Hodgson's justifications now. Liverpool used an inexperienced, young side. They topped the group and are unbeaten through ten games in this competition. They worked hard. There's some truth in all of those statements, but this was still incredibly difficult, and incredibly boring, viewing. Liverpool had the chance to build confidence and momentum, but showed absolutely zero desire to do so.
Utrecht were there for the taking throughout. They've been the weakest side in the group and their star player went off injured just before half-time with a broken collarbone. But even at home, Liverpool were content to sit in their own half, concede possession, and allow the opposition to build from the back. Defenders passed the ball amongst themselves completely uncontested as Liverpool's forwards retreated to midfield instead of pressing.
Neither side registered a shot on target in the first half, although Jovanovic nearly scored against the run of play in the 8th, storming in-field from the right and unleashing a 25-yard bullet off the crossbar. But that was one of few moments of excitement. Both Babel and Cole massively disappointed, each failing to take the opportunity presented to them.
The game's first shot on target came from the opposition five minutes after the interval, a tame effort from Mertens momentarily spilled by Jones. Liverpool soon improved with the entrance of Pacheco for Eccleston – with Cole playing off Babel and the Spaniard manning the left flank – but only slightly, and it couldn't have gotten much worse. Although Liverpool started to push forward, we didn't see the results until the final ten minutes, when Cole spurned two clear-cut chances. In the 83rd, Aurelio's delicious cross was partially cleared straight to Cole, who steadied himself, giving Keller time to dive across to block the close range shot. Six minutes later, a deflected cross found Cole at the near post, only to be clumsily half-volleyed straight at the keeper. Cole may have been the worst offender, but the entire attack was feeble throughout, and it's hard to argue this wasn't a fair result.
The positives were few and far between other than the excuses listed above. Aurelio was the best player on the pitch, and it's a crime that Konchesky continues to be preferred at the position. Shelvey and Wilson both showed signs of their potential, as did Pacheco in his cameo off the bench. Kelly also did well, but defense wasn't the issue today; Liverpool were rarely under threat, which seemed to be the plan. The entire plan, in fact.
It's beyond depressing seeing so little ambition from the team. Cautious in a game with nothing to lose sums up Hodgson perfectly. Even with an unfamiliar squad and the group locked up, Liverpool is better than this. The tactics are not only embarrassing, they're holding players back. It's hard to describe how boring this match was, and I didn't think that possible after some of the snooze-fests we've seen this season.
Showing posts with label Utrecht. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utrecht. Show all posts
15 December 2010
14 December 2010
Liverpool v Utrecht 12.15.10
3:05pm ET, live in the US on DirecTV channel 481
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-3 Newcastle (a); 3-0 Villa (h); 1-1 Steaua (a)
Utrecht: 1-3 NAC Breda (a); 2-1 Heerenveen (h); 3-3 Napoli (h)
Group Stage so far:
Liverpool: 1-1 Steaua (a); 3-1 Napoli (a); 0-0 Napoli (a); 0-0 Utrecht (a); 4-1 Steaua (h)
Utrecht: 3-3 Napoli (h); 1-3 Steaua (a); 1-1 Steaua (h); 0-0 Liverpool (h); 0-0 Napoli (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Ngog 5; Gerrard 4; Babel, Cole, Jovanovic, Kuyt, Lucas 1
Utrecht: van Wolfswinkel 6; Mertens 2; Asare, Demouge, Duplan, Maguire, Silberbauer 1
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)
WorldReferee.com has Jakobsson ranked 8th in its list of Top 10 officials this year. Good sign.
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Kelly Kyrgiakos Skrtel Aurelio
Cole Shelvey Poulsen Jovanovic
Babel Torres
Surprisingly, with first place in the group locked up, Liverpool look likely to play a stronger line-up than the team which traveled to Romania two weeks ago. We'll see many of the usual Europa League suspects, as Hodgson singled out Babel, Aurelio, Poulsen, Cole, and Jovanovic, but the likes of Torres, Skrtel and Kyrgiakos, and potentially Kuyt have also been mentioned by the manager.
Starting Torres does make some sense. He's fully fit, but has been struggling for form, and like the team, has played better at Anfield. Ngog's out injured, having needed stitches following the knock he took against Newcastle. A good performance, combined with a goal (or more, but let's not get carried away) could do wonders for his confidence. But it's strange to see him risked in an arguably meaningless match. And it also seems to demonstrate the pressure the manager's under.
I'd rather see a front four of Kuyt, Babel, Pacheco, and Jovanovic for a couple of reasons. The biggest is mainly selfish; Kuyt, no matter his form, should have the chance to face his first professional club. His recent matches have arguably been worse than Torres, and he could use the confidence boost just as much. In addition, Pacheco deserves a chance to play in his preferred position off the main striker, while Cole certainly didn't impress in that role against Steaua.
Utrecht are eighth in the Eredivise with eight wins, two draws, and eight losses. They currently sit last in the group and cannot qualify for the next round no matter this week's results. Both Steaua and Napoli have the 'tie-breaker' over the Dutch side – Steaua because of their win in Bucharest and Napoli because of scoring more goals against Utrecht in the Netherlands than Utrecht scored in Italy. This truly is a dead-rubber match for both teams.
Unlike Liverpool, Utrecht have no reported injury concerns. As mentioned prior to the first match, van Wolfswinkel is the main threat, top scorer for the club in all competitions. The Dutch side have the fewest goals in the group, having tallied just five through five matches (with three in the last match), but young striker's been prolific throughout the season, joint-second in the Eredivisie scoring race with 11.
The Europa League, where Liverpool have almost always used an under-strength side, is the only competition where the team hasn't disappointed. Unbeaten through nine matches, they've already secured qualification and first place in the group, which means they'll be seeded for the first knock-out round. But Liverpool still need to approach this match with something to prove. Young players and the 'B-team' will aim to force their way into the manager's plan, and the rest of the players – as well as the team as a whole – need to find some level of consistency, preferably a higher level than what we've seen so far.
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-3 Newcastle (a); 3-0 Villa (h); 1-1 Steaua (a)
Utrecht: 1-3 NAC Breda (a); 2-1 Heerenveen (h); 3-3 Napoli (h)
Group Stage so far:
Liverpool: 1-1 Steaua (a); 3-1 Napoli (a); 0-0 Napoli (a); 0-0 Utrecht (a); 4-1 Steaua (h)
Utrecht: 3-3 Napoli (h); 1-3 Steaua (a); 1-1 Steaua (h); 0-0 Liverpool (h); 0-0 Napoli (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Ngog 5; Gerrard 4; Babel, Cole, Jovanovic, Kuyt, Lucas 1
Utrecht: van Wolfswinkel 6; Mertens 2; Asare, Demouge, Duplan, Maguire, Silberbauer 1
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL)
WorldReferee.com has Jakobsson ranked 8th in its list of Top 10 officials this year. Good sign.
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Kelly Kyrgiakos Skrtel Aurelio
Cole Shelvey Poulsen Jovanovic
Babel Torres
Surprisingly, with first place in the group locked up, Liverpool look likely to play a stronger line-up than the team which traveled to Romania two weeks ago. We'll see many of the usual Europa League suspects, as Hodgson singled out Babel, Aurelio, Poulsen, Cole, and Jovanovic, but the likes of Torres, Skrtel and Kyrgiakos, and potentially Kuyt have also been mentioned by the manager.
Starting Torres does make some sense. He's fully fit, but has been struggling for form, and like the team, has played better at Anfield. Ngog's out injured, having needed stitches following the knock he took against Newcastle. A good performance, combined with a goal (or more, but let's not get carried away) could do wonders for his confidence. But it's strange to see him risked in an arguably meaningless match. And it also seems to demonstrate the pressure the manager's under.
I'd rather see a front four of Kuyt, Babel, Pacheco, and Jovanovic for a couple of reasons. The biggest is mainly selfish; Kuyt, no matter his form, should have the chance to face his first professional club. His recent matches have arguably been worse than Torres, and he could use the confidence boost just as much. In addition, Pacheco deserves a chance to play in his preferred position off the main striker, while Cole certainly didn't impress in that role against Steaua.
Utrecht are eighth in the Eredivise with eight wins, two draws, and eight losses. They currently sit last in the group and cannot qualify for the next round no matter this week's results. Both Steaua and Napoli have the 'tie-breaker' over the Dutch side – Steaua because of their win in Bucharest and Napoli because of scoring more goals against Utrecht in the Netherlands than Utrecht scored in Italy. This truly is a dead-rubber match for both teams.
Unlike Liverpool, Utrecht have no reported injury concerns. As mentioned prior to the first match, van Wolfswinkel is the main threat, top scorer for the club in all competitions. The Dutch side have the fewest goals in the group, having tallied just five through five matches (with three in the last match), but young striker's been prolific throughout the season, joint-second in the Eredivisie scoring race with 11.
The Europa League, where Liverpool have almost always used an under-strength side, is the only competition where the team hasn't disappointed. Unbeaten through nine matches, they've already secured qualification and first place in the group, which means they'll be seeded for the first knock-out round. But Liverpool still need to approach this match with something to prove. Young players and the 'B-team' will aim to force their way into the manager's plan, and the rest of the players – as well as the team as a whole – need to find some level of consistency, preferably a higher level than what we've seen so far.
30 September 2010
Liverpool 0-0 Utrecht
Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Kelly
Meireles Lucas Poulsen Cole
Kuyt
Torres
Trying not to lose and lucky not to lose. Gutless, frustrating tactics, yet again, and if Utrecht showed any pretense of the finishing quality that saw them beat Celtic 4-0, we could have had a similar result here.
Where to start? Persisting with the Lucas/Poulsen midfield again, despite getting nothing from the pairing in each of their previous appearances? Playing Meireles out of position on the right side of a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2? Joe Cole's invisibility on the opposition flank? The disheveled, insanely deep defense? The complete and utter lack of lack of service for Torres? Waiting until the 81st minute to make the lone change, even though Liverpool had created next to nothing? No width, no pressing, none of what's led Liverpool to the few successes seen in recent seasons? It was all there, and it was all infuriating.
There's little point in a blow-by-blow recap like usual. If this wasn't a Liverpool match, I would have fallen asleep or changed the channel. There were that few chances, at least for Liverpool. Duplan shot wide in the 7th, set up by Cole's attempted diving clearance. Utrecht had a goal ruled out from a corner in the 26th because Lucas was "fouled." Reina had to palm away Cornelisse's low cross when Liverpool was again beaten down its left in the 30th. Pepe made a few more saves, Meireles cleared off the line in the 56th when Reina flapped at a corner, Mulenga narrowly shot wide when both Kelly and Carragher dawdled in defense seven minutes from full time. Lucky, lucky Liverpool; they easily could have lost to a Dutch club for the first time in 44 years – since Cruyff's Ajax. They'd won their last five matches against opposition from that country by a 12-2 margin.
The aforementioned Meireles and Reina are the only two to come away with any credit. The decision to play the Portuguese midfielder on the right baffled, and contributed to Liverpool's perpetual lack of width, but he wasn't terrible. In fact, he created two of Liverpool's few shots; unfortunately, both were tamely at the keeper. You just can't help but think he'd be better in his natural position. Otherwise, none of the players performed to their potential, and despite the lack of any attacking impetus, I still can't understand why Hodgson waited until the 81st to replace Cole with Maxi. It wasn't the strongest bench, but it contained both Babel and Ngog. FYI: Ngog is Liverpool's top scorer in this competition, and his introduction in the last two league games has led to goals.
Torres can't escape blame either, but for those claiming he looks disinterested, I'd counter that Liverpool couldn't possibly cater to his talents less. He barely touched the ball in the first half, and when he did, it led to a corner and a shot narrowly wide of the far post. In the second half, he had two chances: once on the counter, set up by Kuyt – a chance he should have converted (and should have won a corner from) – and once on a defensive mistake. He continually got the ball with his back to goal, with no Liverpool attackers going beyond the defenders, which successfully isolated the striker. As much as it pains me to write, I wouldn't blame him for leaving the first chance he gets. That's what we've come to.
But, hey, the point means that Liverpool's currently atop the group, after Steaua drew with Napoli at home (despite going up 3-0 in the first 20 minutes). It's another clean sheet, even if it's a lucky one. I can't see post-match coverage, and I won't look until finishing this write-up, but I'm sure the manager has told us we should be thankful. As if.
Calling for a manager's head during the season goes against everything I believe in, and, as I always feel compelled to write, I'm well-aware of the root cause: the tumorous owners. Liverpool is not a club that sacks managers during the course of a campaign. Unless the team's in the midst of a relegation fight or Hodgson gives an interview to The S*n, we're probably stuck with him until the end of May. But this match has me closer to making that declaration than I ever thought possible. Steady the ship? Ha. To steal a joke from someone on my Twitter timeline, a sunken ship's steady. The "low point" that was last season was miles better than anything we've been served so far this season.
Blackpool on Sunday. Ian Holloway's already announced his desire to test Liverpool's backline at every opportunity. And that actually has me frightened.
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Kelly
Meireles Lucas Poulsen Cole
Kuyt
Torres
Trying not to lose and lucky not to lose. Gutless, frustrating tactics, yet again, and if Utrecht showed any pretense of the finishing quality that saw them beat Celtic 4-0, we could have had a similar result here.
Where to start? Persisting with the Lucas/Poulsen midfield again, despite getting nothing from the pairing in each of their previous appearances? Playing Meireles out of position on the right side of a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2? Joe Cole's invisibility on the opposition flank? The disheveled, insanely deep defense? The complete and utter lack of lack of service for Torres? Waiting until the 81st minute to make the lone change, even though Liverpool had created next to nothing? No width, no pressing, none of what's led Liverpool to the few successes seen in recent seasons? It was all there, and it was all infuriating.
There's little point in a blow-by-blow recap like usual. If this wasn't a Liverpool match, I would have fallen asleep or changed the channel. There were that few chances, at least for Liverpool. Duplan shot wide in the 7th, set up by Cole's attempted diving clearance. Utrecht had a goal ruled out from a corner in the 26th because Lucas was "fouled." Reina had to palm away Cornelisse's low cross when Liverpool was again beaten down its left in the 30th. Pepe made a few more saves, Meireles cleared off the line in the 56th when Reina flapped at a corner, Mulenga narrowly shot wide when both Kelly and Carragher dawdled in defense seven minutes from full time. Lucky, lucky Liverpool; they easily could have lost to a Dutch club for the first time in 44 years – since Cruyff's Ajax. They'd won their last five matches against opposition from that country by a 12-2 margin.
The aforementioned Meireles and Reina are the only two to come away with any credit. The decision to play the Portuguese midfielder on the right baffled, and contributed to Liverpool's perpetual lack of width, but he wasn't terrible. In fact, he created two of Liverpool's few shots; unfortunately, both were tamely at the keeper. You just can't help but think he'd be better in his natural position. Otherwise, none of the players performed to their potential, and despite the lack of any attacking impetus, I still can't understand why Hodgson waited until the 81st to replace Cole with Maxi. It wasn't the strongest bench, but it contained both Babel and Ngog. FYI: Ngog is Liverpool's top scorer in this competition, and his introduction in the last two league games has led to goals.
Torres can't escape blame either, but for those claiming he looks disinterested, I'd counter that Liverpool couldn't possibly cater to his talents less. He barely touched the ball in the first half, and when he did, it led to a corner and a shot narrowly wide of the far post. In the second half, he had two chances: once on the counter, set up by Kuyt – a chance he should have converted (and should have won a corner from) – and once on a defensive mistake. He continually got the ball with his back to goal, with no Liverpool attackers going beyond the defenders, which successfully isolated the striker. As much as it pains me to write, I wouldn't blame him for leaving the first chance he gets. That's what we've come to.
But, hey, the point means that Liverpool's currently atop the group, after Steaua drew with Napoli at home (despite going up 3-0 in the first 20 minutes). It's another clean sheet, even if it's a lucky one. I can't see post-match coverage, and I won't look until finishing this write-up, but I'm sure the manager has told us we should be thankful. As if.
Calling for a manager's head during the season goes against everything I believe in, and, as I always feel compelled to write, I'm well-aware of the root cause: the tumorous owners. Liverpool is not a club that sacks managers during the course of a campaign. Unless the team's in the midst of a relegation fight or Hodgson gives an interview to The S*n, we're probably stuck with him until the end of May. But this match has me closer to making that declaration than I ever thought possible. Steady the ship? Ha. To steal a joke from someone on my Twitter timeline, a sunken ship's steady. The "low point" that was last season was miles better than anything we've been served so far this season.
Blackpool on Sunday. Ian Holloway's already announced his desire to test Liverpool's backline at every opportunity. And that actually has me frightened.
29 September 2010
Liverpool at Utrecht 09.30.10
1pm ET, live in the US on GolTV
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 2-2 Sunderland (h); 2-2 Northampton [2-4 on penalties] (h); 2-3 United (a)
Utrecht: 0-1 AZ (a); 1-1 De Graafschap [4-3 on penalties] (h); 3-2 VVV-Venlo (h)
Group Stage so far:
Liverpool: 4-1 Steaua (h)
Utrecht: 0-0 Napoli (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Ngog 5; Babel, Cole, Gerrard, Kuyt, Lucas 1
Utrecht: van Wolfswinkel 4; Asare, Maguire, Mertens, Silberbauer 1
Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Kelly
Meireles Lucas
Kuyt Cole Jovanovic
Torres
Hodgson's named a strong squad for tomorrow's match; only Gerrard and Agger are missing from the "first XI" – if we can say that Agger's still a first-team regular. LFC.tv journalist Paul Eaton wrote that the Dane – the de facto left back with both Konchesky and Aurelio injured – is suffering from a groin injury, while Gerrard's simply rested.
In lieu of the line-up revealed by either Hodgson or someone in the know on the internet, the above is the best guess I've got from the 20-man squad. Kelly seemingly has to play on the left. Either Skrtel or Kyrgiakos will partner Carragher, and I'd imagine Hodgson keeps his preferred pairing. I'll be furious if Kuyt doesn't start against his first professional club, even if he's recently back from a shoulder injury. And I'm begging: please no Poulsen. Give Lucas a chance and play Meireles in his favored position.
If Torres is included in the traveling party, it seems certain that he'll start, meaning that Liverpool's top goal-scorer in this competition will probably begin on the bench. Even after recent complaints about the lack of width and impotence in attack, I doubt Hodgson will deploy a 4-4-2 with both Torres and Ngog up top. But it's definitely within the realm of possibility, and if it's the case, I expect Jovanovic will make way for the young Frenchman.
Babel could also start on the left, either at the expense of Jovanovic or Cole, but after his performance against Northampton, a substitute appearance seems the most likely option. That both Babel and Eccleston, able to play as strikers, are in the squad does suggest that Liverpool has enough depth to start both Ngog and Torres. Also, that Eccleston's included but Pacheco isn't comes as a bit of a surprise. These are the games where we expected Dani to get some appearances; I assume his exclusion is fall-out from last Wednesday's calamity.
Utrecht entered this competition at the same stage as Liverpool, beating Luzern and Celtic to qualify for the group stage. Striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, notable for his name, four goals in Europa League qualifying (including a hat-trick against Celtic), and link to Liverpool during the transfer window, is Utrecht's biggest threat. He's currently joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie, along with another supposed target, Ola Toivonen. Van Wolfswinkel was replaced at halftime during Utrecht's weekend game at AZ Alkmaar, despite being a goal down, but I can't find any suggestion that it was because of injury.
This is the only competition where Liverpool's gotten the right results, with five wins from five matches, and arguably played to their potential on a few occasions. That the club's now out of the Carling Cup increases the Europa League's importance. Two wins to start the group stage will put Liverpool in the pole position for qualification with games against the toughest opponent, Napoli, to come in the next two matches. But as we've seen so far this season, we can't assume Liverpool will take maximum points off anyone. Despite form, Liverpool are still a marquee name, and Utrecht will do their utmost to take a massive scalp in front of their fans, in what will be one of the biggest European games the club's ever played.
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 2-2 Sunderland (h); 2-2 Northampton [2-4 on penalties] (h); 2-3 United (a)
Utrecht: 0-1 AZ (a); 1-1 De Graafschap [4-3 on penalties] (h); 3-2 VVV-Venlo (h)
Group Stage so far:
Liverpool: 4-1 Steaua (h)
Utrecht: 0-0 Napoli (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Ngog 5; Babel, Cole, Gerrard, Kuyt, Lucas 1
Utrecht: van Wolfswinkel 4; Asare, Maguire, Mertens, Silberbauer 1
Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR)
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Kelly
Meireles Lucas
Kuyt Cole Jovanovic
Torres
Hodgson's named a strong squad for tomorrow's match; only Gerrard and Agger are missing from the "first XI" – if we can say that Agger's still a first-team regular. LFC.tv journalist Paul Eaton wrote that the Dane – the de facto left back with both Konchesky and Aurelio injured – is suffering from a groin injury, while Gerrard's simply rested.
In lieu of the line-up revealed by either Hodgson or someone in the know on the internet, the above is the best guess I've got from the 20-man squad. Kelly seemingly has to play on the left. Either Skrtel or Kyrgiakos will partner Carragher, and I'd imagine Hodgson keeps his preferred pairing. I'll be furious if Kuyt doesn't start against his first professional club, even if he's recently back from a shoulder injury. And I'm begging: please no Poulsen. Give Lucas a chance and play Meireles in his favored position.
If Torres is included in the traveling party, it seems certain that he'll start, meaning that Liverpool's top goal-scorer in this competition will probably begin on the bench. Even after recent complaints about the lack of width and impotence in attack, I doubt Hodgson will deploy a 4-4-2 with both Torres and Ngog up top. But it's definitely within the realm of possibility, and if it's the case, I expect Jovanovic will make way for the young Frenchman.
Babel could also start on the left, either at the expense of Jovanovic or Cole, but after his performance against Northampton, a substitute appearance seems the most likely option. That both Babel and Eccleston, able to play as strikers, are in the squad does suggest that Liverpool has enough depth to start both Ngog and Torres. Also, that Eccleston's included but Pacheco isn't comes as a bit of a surprise. These are the games where we expected Dani to get some appearances; I assume his exclusion is fall-out from last Wednesday's calamity.
Utrecht entered this competition at the same stage as Liverpool, beating Luzern and Celtic to qualify for the group stage. Striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, notable for his name, four goals in Europa League qualifying (including a hat-trick against Celtic), and link to Liverpool during the transfer window, is Utrecht's biggest threat. He's currently joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie, along with another supposed target, Ola Toivonen. Van Wolfswinkel was replaced at halftime during Utrecht's weekend game at AZ Alkmaar, despite being a goal down, but I can't find any suggestion that it was because of injury.
This is the only competition where Liverpool's gotten the right results, with five wins from five matches, and arguably played to their potential on a few occasions. That the club's now out of the Carling Cup increases the Europa League's importance. Two wins to start the group stage will put Liverpool in the pole position for qualification with games against the toughest opponent, Napoli, to come in the next two matches. But as we've seen so far this season, we can't assume Liverpool will take maximum points off anyone. Despite form, Liverpool are still a marquee name, and Utrecht will do their utmost to take a massive scalp in front of their fans, in what will be one of the biggest European games the club's ever played.
27 August 2010
Europa League Draw, Mascherano finally sold
It's been an eventful morning.
We'll get the inevitable Mascherano news out of the way first. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool's statement didn't mention the price tag, but the BBC's reporting that Barcelona will pay £17.25m, which is £750,000 less than Liverpool spent to get him from West Ham's reserves. And almost £7m less than City paid to take Yaya Toure from Barca. There might be the usual add-ons that eventually bump the fee up higher, but still. Fantastic. I hope lube was included in the deal or else that raping will be exceptionally uncomfortable.
Unlike I usually do with departing players, there'll be no eulogy for a mercenary who forced his way out of Liverpool at the worst possible time. I loved the player while he was here, but in contrast to the likes of Alonso, Garcia, and Hyypiä, among others, I couldn't care less how he fares in Spain. He was marvelous on the pitch almost every time out, but the fee and the way he left will ruin my memories forever. Hope your wife's happier in Barcelona. But I also hope Busquets keeps you out of the side except for Spanish Cup games, and you rot in the reserves, just like at West Ham.
I'd also hope that Hodgson gets to spend at least half of that £17m or so, but I'm not holding my breath. Adding that £17.25m to my back-of-the-envelope calculations, Liverpool's made around £23m in transfer fees this summer, and that's not including the supposedly imminent Insua sale. The transfer market closes on Tuesday. It's safe to assume it'll pass without Tom Hicks' so-called "big summer" of spending. But with a current midfield of Gerrard, Lucas, and Poulsen (not counting Spearing, sorry), Liverpool simply has to buy someone. And they'll be linked with every available player in the meantime. "We've got the best midfield in the world..."
Now, more important to the immediate future was this morning's Europa League draw, where we learned Liverpool's group stage opponents.
Group K
Liverpool
Steaua Bucharest
Napoli
Utrecht
There's a bit of history and some tasty ties in that group, even if it's not the easiest. Dossena was sold to Napoli in January. Kuyt's first professional club was Utrecht, where he spent five years. Liverpool's been to Bucharest four times, but only faced Steaua once, in the 03-04 UEFA Cup campaign, drawing 1-1 in Romania before a 1-0 win at Anfield. You'll also remember they faced Romanian opposition last year in the form of Unirea Urziceni.
Napoli's clearly the toughest side. There's the aforementioned Dossena, but more importantly, a fair few names you'll remember from the World Cup: Slovakia's Hamsik, Uruguay's Cavani (on loan from Palermo) and Gargano, and Italy's Quagliarella. They also have Argentinean Ezequiel Lavezzi, who was a rumored transfer target in the summer of 2009. Oh, and Cristiano Lucarelli, on loan from Parma, a striker I've always had a soft spot for. Both legs will be challenging, especially the away leg, as Napoli's always been a difficult destination for English teams.
I know a lot less about both Steaua and Utrecht. I'm unfamiliar with almost all the players in the Bucharest team, and highly recommend the Scouting Romania blog for information about Steaua in the run-up to those matches. Utrecht absolutely wiped the floor with Celtic last night to qualify, winning 4-0 at home to cancel out Celtic's 2-0 result in Glasgow. Supposed Liverpool target (if we're believing Goal.com) Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored three of the goals – two from the spot – while Utrecht's keeper, Michel Vorm, was an understudy for Stekelenburg at this summer's World Cup. Otherwise, I'm fairly in the dark on these sides for now.
The match-ups are as follows:
September 16: Steaua (h)
September 30: Utrecht (a)
October 21: Napoli (a)
November 4: Napoli (h)
December 2: Steaua (a)
December 15: Utrecht (h)
Liverpool opens and closes at home, with the crucial ties against Napoli third and fourth. United away will follow Steaua at home, Blackpool at home will follow Utrecht away, Liverpool will play Blackburn at home after Napoli away and Chelsea at Anfield after Napoli at Anfield, while Villa at home comes after Steaua away, and Fulham at home comes after Utrecht at home. That's about as good a draw as Liverpool could get with the subsequent league fixtures. For once, Platini comes through.
We'll get the inevitable Mascherano news out of the way first. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool's statement didn't mention the price tag, but the BBC's reporting that Barcelona will pay £17.25m, which is £750,000 less than Liverpool spent to get him from West Ham's reserves. And almost £7m less than City paid to take Yaya Toure from Barca. There might be the usual add-ons that eventually bump the fee up higher, but still. Fantastic. I hope lube was included in the deal or else that raping will be exceptionally uncomfortable.
Unlike I usually do with departing players, there'll be no eulogy for a mercenary who forced his way out of Liverpool at the worst possible time. I loved the player while he was here, but in contrast to the likes of Alonso, Garcia, and Hyypiä, among others, I couldn't care less how he fares in Spain. He was marvelous on the pitch almost every time out, but the fee and the way he left will ruin my memories forever. Hope your wife's happier in Barcelona. But I also hope Busquets keeps you out of the side except for Spanish Cup games, and you rot in the reserves, just like at West Ham.
I'd also hope that Hodgson gets to spend at least half of that £17m or so, but I'm not holding my breath. Adding that £17.25m to my back-of-the-envelope calculations, Liverpool's made around £23m in transfer fees this summer, and that's not including the supposedly imminent Insua sale. The transfer market closes on Tuesday. It's safe to assume it'll pass without Tom Hicks' so-called "big summer" of spending. But with a current midfield of Gerrard, Lucas, and Poulsen (not counting Spearing, sorry), Liverpool simply has to buy someone. And they'll be linked with every available player in the meantime. "We've got the best midfield in the world..."
Now, more important to the immediate future was this morning's Europa League draw, where we learned Liverpool's group stage opponents.
Group K
Liverpool
Steaua Bucharest
Napoli
Utrecht
There's a bit of history and some tasty ties in that group, even if it's not the easiest. Dossena was sold to Napoli in January. Kuyt's first professional club was Utrecht, where he spent five years. Liverpool's been to Bucharest four times, but only faced Steaua once, in the 03-04 UEFA Cup campaign, drawing 1-1 in Romania before a 1-0 win at Anfield. You'll also remember they faced Romanian opposition last year in the form of Unirea Urziceni.
Napoli's clearly the toughest side. There's the aforementioned Dossena, but more importantly, a fair few names you'll remember from the World Cup: Slovakia's Hamsik, Uruguay's Cavani (on loan from Palermo) and Gargano, and Italy's Quagliarella. They also have Argentinean Ezequiel Lavezzi, who was a rumored transfer target in the summer of 2009. Oh, and Cristiano Lucarelli, on loan from Parma, a striker I've always had a soft spot for. Both legs will be challenging, especially the away leg, as Napoli's always been a difficult destination for English teams.
I know a lot less about both Steaua and Utrecht. I'm unfamiliar with almost all the players in the Bucharest team, and highly recommend the Scouting Romania blog for information about Steaua in the run-up to those matches. Utrecht absolutely wiped the floor with Celtic last night to qualify, winning 4-0 at home to cancel out Celtic's 2-0 result in Glasgow. Supposed Liverpool target (if we're believing Goal.com) Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored three of the goals – two from the spot – while Utrecht's keeper, Michel Vorm, was an understudy for Stekelenburg at this summer's World Cup. Otherwise, I'm fairly in the dark on these sides for now.
The match-ups are as follows:
September 16: Steaua (h)
September 30: Utrecht (a)
October 21: Napoli (a)
November 4: Napoli (h)
December 2: Steaua (a)
December 15: Utrecht (h)
Liverpool opens and closes at home, with the crucial ties against Napoli third and fourth. United away will follow Steaua at home, Blackpool at home will follow Utrecht away, Liverpool will play Blackburn at home after Napoli away and Chelsea at Anfield after Napoli at Anfield, while Villa at home comes after Steaua away, and Fulham at home comes after Utrecht at home. That's about as good a draw as Liverpool could get with the subsequent league fixtures. For once, Platini comes through.
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