Well, I asked to see England give a similar performance to that against Israel on Saturday. The same line-up and same scoreline certainly satisfies that.
As promised, Russia aimed to do far more in the opposition’s half than Israel. They got into England’s box within the first minute and also forced the first corner. And before seven minutes were up, they paid for that directness, with England able to create opportunities of their own with the resulting space.
After Gareth Barry’s corner was cleared back to him on the right flank, he sent in a threatening cross. John Terry’s run and attempt at a header made mountains of space for Michael Owen, who made no mistake in side-footing home off the far post, giving England a dream start.
From the inception, England looked to equal Russia’s attack, and we were treated to an open and entertaining match, at least for the first half. Wright-Phillips and Richards were the focal point of the attack down the right flank for the first part of the game, as they were against Israel, and once again, Heskey looked to set up those around him admirably.
But Russia should have pulled level 19 minutes in. England failed to clear the ball, and it came to Zhyrianov, who chested it down, swiftly turned, and slotted it in. However, it was chalked off for handball, and honestly, it might have come off his arm after the chest. It sure looked to be incidental contact if it happened though, and England could consider themselves lucky.
But just after half an hour, Owen made it 2-0 after a flick-on from the ubiquitous Heskey with a delightful first-time volley. The half finished as it started, with both teams having decent spells of possession and decent chances on goal.
After the break, Russia was the better team for large stretches of the second half but without any stellar chances (although Robinson made a couple of nice saves), and honestly, the final 45 minutes were pretty dross. But credit to England, who held on and sealed the victory in the 84th minute with a stunning goal from Rio Ferdinand, faking out the defender and stepping past him before unleashing a strike from close range.
With Owen getting a brace, he’s got to be man of the match. Both goals showed how classy a poacher Owen can be, and if he can maintain his fitness (which has to be a big if after the last couple of years), he’ll soon be doing similar in the Premiership.
Gareth Barry was also again influential in midfield, this time overshadowing Gerrard’s contributions with his excellent passing. Gerrard did play the full 90 minutes, looked fit, and didn’t appear to take any knocks, which is great news for Liverpool fans. Joe Cole also threatened at times, but by the end of the game, showed his temperament in picking up a silly and unnecessary yellow card in a game that was otherwise without malice.
Heskey’s also going to get a bit of attention, and rightfully so, even if the majority of it is because of surprise at his inclusion in the last two games. I’ll say it straight up; I do not think Heskey is a better footballer than Peter Crouch. But if Michael Owen is going to be the focal point of the attack, which has become obvious, Heskey is the best partner for him. They know each other that well and complement one another excellently. It’ll be interesting to see how McClaren copes once Rooney is fit, as Heskey and Owen have looked a better partnership than any of the strikers paired with Rooney since 2004.
So all that was said after the Israel game has seemingly come to fruition. England could replicate their performance against better opposition. They’ve gotten ahead of Russia on points, and won so convincingly (or at least, the scoreline was convincing) that it has to be a psychological boost going into the game in Russia. And they’ve put themselves in pole position to qualify from this group.
But there’s still work to be done. Despite never wanting to seem confident about any team I root for, England should stroll over Estonia, especially based on the past two games. And they probably could drop points in Russia or against Croatia and be safe. But the key word in that sentence is “or.” England probably needs two wins from the final two games to advance. It’ll help matters that Croatia should have qualification sewn up by the final game, but I won’t put anything past England after how good the Croats have looked and England’s atrocious performance in Zagreb.
Still, as an England fan, you couldn’t have asked for much more from this game.
And even better is the fact that the Premiership resumes in less than three days.
12 September 2007
11 September 2007
Is the international break over yet?
Apologies for the radio silence, but after about a week, I’m always sick of the international break and completely ready for the Premiership to restart. I try to fill my brain with England instead of Liverpool, but I’m not an England blogger by any stretch of the imagination.
However, I may end up paying $20 for the “privilege” of watching England against Russia tomorrow, so fair warning.
To compensate, here’s some links about what’s going on with Liverpool players:
- Carra’s back in training.
- As is Aurelio, who participated in a reserve game against Crewe today (along with Alonso, Pennant, Arbeloa, Benayoun, Sissoko, Lucas and new boys Damien Plessis and Dani Pacheco, among others).
- And maybe even Kewell (what, is there a final coming up soon?), although this article reckoned he’d play against Crewe, which he did not.
- But now Finnan looks likely to miss more than just the internationals.
- In the “things I did not know" category, Gerrard attributes his excellent partnership with Gareth Barry to their close friendship.
- And while I’m quite late posting this, Jonathan sent in a link from the Liverpool Echo about how every single Liverpool player, as well as Rafa Benitez, is for sale.
Where are all the Liverpool players playing this week?
Gerrard, Crouch, Carson – Gerrard is the only one likely to start against Russia (although predicting McClaren has become nigh on impossible), but I assume we’ll see Crouch as a sub.
Alonso, Reina, Torres – Spain hosts Latvia in a must-win game. Alonso is suspended after his red card on Saturday and is back on Merseyside, Torres will probably start despite coming off after 57 minutes on Saturday, and Reina will back up Iker Casillas.
Babel, Kuyt – Holland is at Albania in a Group G qualifier. Babel started on Saturday, but Kuyt was dropped in place of van Nistelrooy.
Voronin – Ukraine hosts Italy in a match they’ll need to win to get qualification back on track.
Hyypia – 2nd place Finland hosts 1st place Poland in Group A qualifying.
Riise – Norway hosts Greece in another 2nd v 1st matchup (Greece is two points ahead with a game in hand).
Agger – Denmark should canter over Lichtenstein in Group F qualifying.
Mascherano – Mascherano’s Argentina played a friendly in Australia early this morning and won 1-0. I’m absolutely thrilled he flew halfway around the world for that; I’ll be surprised if he’s involved against Portsmouth.
However, I may end up paying $20 for the “privilege” of watching England against Russia tomorrow, so fair warning.
To compensate, here’s some links about what’s going on with Liverpool players:
- Carra’s back in training.
- As is Aurelio, who participated in a reserve game against Crewe today (along with Alonso, Pennant, Arbeloa, Benayoun, Sissoko, Lucas and new boys Damien Plessis and Dani Pacheco, among others).
- And maybe even Kewell (what, is there a final coming up soon?), although this article reckoned he’d play against Crewe, which he did not.
- But now Finnan looks likely to miss more than just the internationals.
- In the “things I did not know" category, Gerrard attributes his excellent partnership with Gareth Barry to their close friendship.
- And while I’m quite late posting this, Jonathan sent in a link from the Liverpool Echo about how every single Liverpool player, as well as Rafa Benitez, is for sale.
Where are all the Liverpool players playing this week?
Gerrard, Crouch, Carson – Gerrard is the only one likely to start against Russia (although predicting McClaren has become nigh on impossible), but I assume we’ll see Crouch as a sub.
Alonso, Reina, Torres – Spain hosts Latvia in a must-win game. Alonso is suspended after his red card on Saturday and is back on Merseyside, Torres will probably start despite coming off after 57 minutes on Saturday, and Reina will back up Iker Casillas.
Babel, Kuyt – Holland is at Albania in a Group G qualifier. Babel started on Saturday, but Kuyt was dropped in place of van Nistelrooy.
Voronin – Ukraine hosts Italy in a match they’ll need to win to get qualification back on track.
Hyypia – 2nd place Finland hosts 1st place Poland in Group A qualifying.
Riise – Norway hosts Greece in another 2nd v 1st matchup (Greece is two points ahead with a game in hand).
Agger – Denmark should canter over Lichtenstein in Group F qualifying.
Mascherano – Mascherano’s Argentina played a friendly in Australia early this morning and won 1-0. I’m absolutely thrilled he flew halfway around the world for that; I’ll be surprised if he’s involved against Portsmouth.
09 September 2007
England 3-0 Israel
That went about as well as England could have hoped. To be fair, Israel was pretty dire.
Since by now most have probably read a write-up of the game if not saw the match, I’ll limit my thoughts for brevity’s sake.
- It’s hard to tell how much was actual progress and players playing to potential, and how much was down to Israel’s poor performance, which should be kept in mind throughout my comments. Israel defended from the opening whistle and showed little ambition to get forward. Robinson didn’t have a save to make.
- What is this, 2002? The way that Heskey and Owen played, it sure seemed like it. And while surprising, it’s undeniably pleasing to see. There’s certainly some nostalgia value as a Liverpool fan. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the pairing has to start against Russia, even considering Crouch returns from suspension. It was a marvelous goal by Mickey too, even if he was wasteful on other occasions.
- Gerrard played well, but slowed as the game went on and limped off after 70 minutes with Wednesday’s match in mind, although today he's said that the toe's healing and it was down to cramp and a lack of fitness. Pity how important the Russia game is, as McClaren will undoubtedly start him again. Heaven help my reaction should Stevie re-injure his foot.
- I thought Gareth Barry in central midfield and both Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips on the flanks were excellent, which means all the more as Barry rarely plays for England, Cole’s been frequently injured, and Wright-Phillips hasn’t always impressed in an England shirt.
- Funny how Frank Lampard doesn’t play and all of England’s midfielders earn plaudits.
- Micah Richards just took Gary Neville’s England place. I just feel absolutely awful for Citizen Neville.
- The booing of David Bentley after he came on was wholly out of order. So he skipped the Under-21 Euros as to avoid fatigue for the side that pay his wages after a long and grinding season where he saw more time than he ever had in the past, and after he had already featured as a full England international. An understandable decision, and were he a Liverpool player, I would have applauded it. And for fans to boo him incessantly is mind-bogglingly small-minded and juvenile.
- Thanks for stealing “Ring of Fire” from Liverpool, England fans. Now I’m going to feel dirty when (if) it’s heard ringing throughout Anfield.
With Macedonia’s loss to Russia and Israel’s dire performance (and a game less left than their competitors), it’s pretty clear that 2nd place in Group E is between England and Russia.
Croatia, 2 points ahead of Russia and 3 ahead of England, is going to win the group. And on results, they deserve to. They’ve been the best team so far, and they’ve probably got the easiest run-in of the teams in contention.
England hosts Russia and Estonia before traveling to Russia and finishing against Croatia at Wembley. Croatia is at Andorra, home against Israel, and at Macedonia before traveling to England. Russia has the two games against England before Israel and Andorra away.
Russia was always going to be a harder ask than Israel, and thanks to England’s win yesterday, it’s even more essential that they pick up three more points Wednesday to keep up momentum. As one of the two is going to finish second in the group, the winner of this game will have an enormous advantage over the other.
Should Russia win, they’ll be four points up on England, and England will assuredly need to win their last three. It will also be a big ask for England to pick themselves up from what would be a devastating loss.
And a draw wouldn’t be much better. Russia will still lead on points, they’ll be that much more confident going into the home game, and England will still probably have to win their last three.
But should England play as they did against Israel and win, as they certainly looked capable of, it will put them in an excellent position for the remaining qualifiers.
So is today’s result another false dawn for England, like the early matches of McClaren’s reign, or a true turning point?
We’ll find out on Wednesday.
Since by now most have probably read a write-up of the game if not saw the match, I’ll limit my thoughts for brevity’s sake.
- It’s hard to tell how much was actual progress and players playing to potential, and how much was down to Israel’s poor performance, which should be kept in mind throughout my comments. Israel defended from the opening whistle and showed little ambition to get forward. Robinson didn’t have a save to make.
- What is this, 2002? The way that Heskey and Owen played, it sure seemed like it. And while surprising, it’s undeniably pleasing to see. There’s certainly some nostalgia value as a Liverpool fan. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the pairing has to start against Russia, even considering Crouch returns from suspension. It was a marvelous goal by Mickey too, even if he was wasteful on other occasions.
- Gerrard played well, but slowed as the game went on and limped off after 70 minutes with Wednesday’s match in mind, although today he's said that the toe's healing and it was down to cramp and a lack of fitness. Pity how important the Russia game is, as McClaren will undoubtedly start him again. Heaven help my reaction should Stevie re-injure his foot.
- I thought Gareth Barry in central midfield and both Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips on the flanks were excellent, which means all the more as Barry rarely plays for England, Cole’s been frequently injured, and Wright-Phillips hasn’t always impressed in an England shirt.
- Funny how Frank Lampard doesn’t play and all of England’s midfielders earn plaudits.
- Micah Richards just took Gary Neville’s England place. I just feel absolutely awful for Citizen Neville.
- The booing of David Bentley after he came on was wholly out of order. So he skipped the Under-21 Euros as to avoid fatigue for the side that pay his wages after a long and grinding season where he saw more time than he ever had in the past, and after he had already featured as a full England international. An understandable decision, and were he a Liverpool player, I would have applauded it. And for fans to boo him incessantly is mind-bogglingly small-minded and juvenile.
- Thanks for stealing “Ring of Fire” from Liverpool, England fans. Now I’m going to feel dirty when (if) it’s heard ringing throughout Anfield.
With Macedonia’s loss to Russia and Israel’s dire performance (and a game less left than their competitors), it’s pretty clear that 2nd place in Group E is between England and Russia.
Croatia, 2 points ahead of Russia and 3 ahead of England, is going to win the group. And on results, they deserve to. They’ve been the best team so far, and they’ve probably got the easiest run-in of the teams in contention.
England hosts Russia and Estonia before traveling to Russia and finishing against Croatia at Wembley. Croatia is at Andorra, home against Israel, and at Macedonia before traveling to England. Russia has the two games against England before Israel and Andorra away.
Russia was always going to be a harder ask than Israel, and thanks to England’s win yesterday, it’s even more essential that they pick up three more points Wednesday to keep up momentum. As one of the two is going to finish second in the group, the winner of this game will have an enormous advantage over the other.
Should Russia win, they’ll be four points up on England, and England will assuredly need to win their last three. It will also be a big ask for England to pick themselves up from what would be a devastating loss.
And a draw wouldn’t be much better. Russia will still lead on points, they’ll be that much more confident going into the home game, and England will still probably have to win their last three.
But should England play as they did against Israel and win, as they certainly looked capable of, it will put them in an excellent position for the remaining qualifiers.
So is today’s result another false dawn for England, like the early matches of McClaren’s reign, or a true turning point?
We’ll find out on Wednesday.
07 September 2007
England v Israel 09.07.07
The more I think about it, the less incredulous I am that England must win games against Israel and Russia to even have a chance at qualifying for Euro 2008.
The problems aren’t solely because of injuries to key players, although the absence of Rooney, Lampard, Beckham, Owen (in previous matches), and Hargreaves (possibly), among others, has and will continue to hurt.
It’s not even because of Steve McClaren, although he hasn’t helped matters or himself.
And while the FA has time and time again proved themselves criminally inept, running the gamut of foul-ups, it’s not completely their fault either.
This has been a long time coming.
England underperformed at the 2006 World Cup, but that in and of itself isn’t all that surprising. There’s definitely a precedent for it.
But since then, they’ve clearly regressed. Which after Sven Goran Eriksson I didn't think possible.
Right now, England sits fourth in Group E on 14 points. Russia has 15, Israel and Croatia 17, although Israel has played one more game than the other three. When the group was drawn up, with England matched up against those three teams as well as Macedonia, Estonia, and Andorra, the majority of pundits were pleased at the outcome. This originally looked like a group that England could qualify from with ease.
But it hasn’t been.
After two wins against Andorra and Macedonia that gave the appearance that McClaren might be a different manager than Eriksson, England drew against Macedonia at home 0-0, lost to Croatia 0-2 in the embarrassing ‘3-5-2’ game, and drew Israel 0-0 in Tel Aviv. The last two games have seen 3-0 away victories over Estonia and Andorra, but had England not won those games, riots may have ensued.
In reaction to these problems, McClaren’s major moves have been to recall Beckham and now Heskey, and play as conservative a style as the one that Eriksson was lambasted for. Mistake-prone Paul Robinson is still the #1 keeper, no headway has been made in Lampard v Gerrard debate (as an aside, Gerrard’s been declared fit and may not even need an injection to play Saturday, and while I’m not happy about it, I’ve no desire to enter the club v country debate), and England is woefully understaffed at forward.
Nowhere near enough progress has been made in blooding youngsters, and that’s been a major fault of the last two England managers (especially in friendlies), but it’s also due to the media culture that demands results every time of asking and cries bloody murder when “star players” are left out.
And yet, England should still be favorites to qualify.
As proven in Tel Aviv last March, Israel will be no walk in the park. Benayoun, Ben Haim, Toto Tamuz, and Sahar are excellent players, three of whom ply their trade in England. Once again, it will come down to whether or not England can breach the opposition’s defense and score goals against decent opposition, which, despite their overall superiority, they were unable to do at Ramat Gan.
But this time should be different just in that it’s the national team’s first qualifier at Wembley. Being back at the national stadium, in the first meaningful game held there, should catalyze the team. That is, if the crowd stays on their side, which will come down to McClaren’s tactics and how England starts the game.
After the next two games, England will host Estonia and travel to Russia in October before finishing qualification at home against Croatia on November 21st. Chances are that England will need to win 4 out of the remaining 5 games to qualify.
And while I’ve spent the whole article trashing the team, manager, and set-up, they should be able to accomplish this.
Maybe it’s my biases or maybe it’s the fact that England’s always been one of football’s pre-eminent nations (not a joke, I swear), despite some of the results in major tournaments. But I can’t fathom England not qualifying for Euro 08, despite not being all that surprised at previous results or the state the England’s currently in. And I refuse to join the camp that secretly (or overtly) hopes against qualification for the sake of shaking the foundations of the international set-up.
I will however admit that should England drop points in either of these matches over the next week, the ‘McClaren out’ campaign will look mighty appetizing.
Roll on England.
Guess at a squad:
Robinson
Richards Ferdinand Terry A. Cole
Wright-Phillips Carrick Gerrard J. Cole
Owen Heskey
The problems aren’t solely because of injuries to key players, although the absence of Rooney, Lampard, Beckham, Owen (in previous matches), and Hargreaves (possibly), among others, has and will continue to hurt.
It’s not even because of Steve McClaren, although he hasn’t helped matters or himself.
And while the FA has time and time again proved themselves criminally inept, running the gamut of foul-ups, it’s not completely their fault either.
This has been a long time coming.
England underperformed at the 2006 World Cup, but that in and of itself isn’t all that surprising. There’s definitely a precedent for it.
But since then, they’ve clearly regressed. Which after Sven Goran Eriksson I didn't think possible.
Right now, England sits fourth in Group E on 14 points. Russia has 15, Israel and Croatia 17, although Israel has played one more game than the other three. When the group was drawn up, with England matched up against those three teams as well as Macedonia, Estonia, and Andorra, the majority of pundits were pleased at the outcome. This originally looked like a group that England could qualify from with ease.
But it hasn’t been.
After two wins against Andorra and Macedonia that gave the appearance that McClaren might be a different manager than Eriksson, England drew against Macedonia at home 0-0, lost to Croatia 0-2 in the embarrassing ‘3-5-2’ game, and drew Israel 0-0 in Tel Aviv. The last two games have seen 3-0 away victories over Estonia and Andorra, but had England not won those games, riots may have ensued.
In reaction to these problems, McClaren’s major moves have been to recall Beckham and now Heskey, and play as conservative a style as the one that Eriksson was lambasted for. Mistake-prone Paul Robinson is still the #1 keeper, no headway has been made in Lampard v Gerrard debate (as an aside, Gerrard’s been declared fit and may not even need an injection to play Saturday, and while I’m not happy about it, I’ve no desire to enter the club v country debate), and England is woefully understaffed at forward.
Nowhere near enough progress has been made in blooding youngsters, and that’s been a major fault of the last two England managers (especially in friendlies), but it’s also due to the media culture that demands results every time of asking and cries bloody murder when “star players” are left out.
And yet, England should still be favorites to qualify.
As proven in Tel Aviv last March, Israel will be no walk in the park. Benayoun, Ben Haim, Toto Tamuz, and Sahar are excellent players, three of whom ply their trade in England. Once again, it will come down to whether or not England can breach the opposition’s defense and score goals against decent opposition, which, despite their overall superiority, they were unable to do at Ramat Gan.
But this time should be different just in that it’s the national team’s first qualifier at Wembley. Being back at the national stadium, in the first meaningful game held there, should catalyze the team. That is, if the crowd stays on their side, which will come down to McClaren’s tactics and how England starts the game.
After the next two games, England will host Estonia and travel to Russia in October before finishing qualification at home against Croatia on November 21st. Chances are that England will need to win 4 out of the remaining 5 games to qualify.
And while I’ve spent the whole article trashing the team, manager, and set-up, they should be able to accomplish this.
Maybe it’s my biases or maybe it’s the fact that England’s always been one of football’s pre-eminent nations (not a joke, I swear), despite some of the results in major tournaments. But I can’t fathom England not qualifying for Euro 08, despite not being all that surprised at previous results or the state the England’s currently in. And I refuse to join the camp that secretly (or overtly) hopes against qualification for the sake of shaking the foundations of the international set-up.
I will however admit that should England drop points in either of these matches over the next week, the ‘McClaren out’ campaign will look mighty appetizing.
Roll on England.
Guess at a squad:
Robinson
Richards Ferdinand Terry A. Cole
Wright-Phillips Carrick Gerrard J. Cole
Owen Heskey
05 September 2007
Well, this might explain it…
If you’re at all like me, you've probably wondered why Peter Crouch is whistled for fouls far more often in Europe than in the Premier League.
World Cup refs 'targeted Crouch'
Would this be the same World Cup where the same head of refereeing (Jose-Maria Garcia Aranda) wrote about “proactive refereeing” beforehand and there were a record number of yellow and red cards on display?
I’ve long suspected Crouch was treated differently because of his height, and there have been times where he’s been frustrated straight out of matches.
Maybe this is why he averaged a foul per appearance in the Premier League and nearly double that in the Champions League last season. More tellingly, Crouch committed about twice as many fouls than were committed against him in the Champions League. In the Premiership, more fouls were committed against Crouch than by him. The numbers are even worse in the World Cup, where in 4 games, 13 fouls were committed by Crouch and only 5 fouls were committed on Crouch.
Lies, damned lies, and statistics...
He uses his height as an advantage to be sure, but the amount of fouls he’s called for in European competition has long been disproportionate and in some cases has bordered on the absurd. And now we’ve got an explanation why.
Seeing as how Crouch looks likely to get most of his time this season in the Champions League, I’d hope that Poll’s comments go some way towards rectifying this.
Also, the irony of Graham Poll criticizing referees for their World Cup performance is utterly delightful.
World Cup refs 'targeted Crouch'
Former referee Graham Poll says officials at last summer's World Cup were encouraged by Fifa to "look out for" England striker Peter Crouch.
Crouch, 26, is banned for the Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on Saturday and Poll says that is no surprise.
He told BBC 5live: "Fifa's head of refereeing said, 'look at Crouch, he's a pain and he gets away with a lot. We need to mark him out and look for him'.
"We were shown videos of him. I tried to defend him, being English."
"We had been out there for two or three weeks before, and it was pointed out the way he used his arms.
"Now, Crouch has been picking up cautions in qualifying and is out of Saturday's match."
Would this be the same World Cup where the same head of refereeing (Jose-Maria Garcia Aranda) wrote about “proactive refereeing” beforehand and there were a record number of yellow and red cards on display?
I’ve long suspected Crouch was treated differently because of his height, and there have been times where he’s been frustrated straight out of matches.
Maybe this is why he averaged a foul per appearance in the Premier League and nearly double that in the Champions League last season. More tellingly, Crouch committed about twice as many fouls than were committed against him in the Champions League. In the Premiership, more fouls were committed against Crouch than by him. The numbers are even worse in the World Cup, where in 4 games, 13 fouls were committed by Crouch and only 5 fouls were committed on Crouch.
Lies, damned lies, and statistics...
He uses his height as an advantage to be sure, but the amount of fouls he’s called for in European competition has long been disproportionate and in some cases has bordered on the absurd. And now we’ve got an explanation why.
Seeing as how Crouch looks likely to get most of his time this season in the Champions League, I’d hope that Poll’s comments go some way towards rectifying this.
Also, the irony of Graham Poll criticizing referees for their World Cup performance is utterly delightful.
04 September 2007
Is Pennant an answer for England?
It’s with little exaggeration that I say Jermaine Pennant’s been a revelation so far this season.
We saw glimpses of it as he improved over the second half of last season, and Pennant did have the most appearances of any Liverpool player in '06-07 (which means he was doing something right). But in the four league games so far this year, Pennant’s assured his spot in the squad and become one of Liverpool’s most dangerous players in the process.
His biggest improvement has been his crossing at pace. Pennant’s role in the team is to beat his man and whip a cross in from the byline. Too often last season, he’d come to a stop and settle himself before blasting in a cross, or if he was running full speed, the cross wouldn’t be the most accurate or it’d be floated in without enough velocity.
Not this season. Pennant’s crossing while in a full sprint has been nearly perfect. There was a moment against Derby that epitomizes this for me. In the first 15 minutes, before Pennant switched over to the left, he was running with the ball down the right and just before he hit the top of the box, no-looked the defender and chipped a perfect cross with pace into Torres, who was unlucky not to get his header further away from Bywater.
Pennant is one of the few Liverpool players who does this successfully. All the other great crossers on the team, such as Finnan, Gerrard, and even Aurelio, are far better when pinging balls in from a standing position. It is far and away harder to play in crosses while running at pace, and if successful, it challenges the defense so much more.
But he’s also matured as a player and professional. You never hear of personal problems, as you did when he was at Arsenal or Birmingham, and he’s gotten so much better defensively in tracking back and pinning the fullbacks in their own half (against Ashley Cole and Chelsea being a prime example).
I understand the complaints about his lack of a goal threat, but as he progresses as a crosser of the ball and an all-around player, it’s becoming less of a concern, and if he continues to improve as he has done, I imagine goals will come.
The other major improvement in my eyes has been Pennant’s play on the left of midfield, and that’s where the title of this post comes in.
Pennant: I don't mind being left
We know England’s problems on the flanks. Both flanks. Whether Joe Cole’s injured on the left, or Beckham’s recalled (and subsequently injured) on the right, among other issues. The biggest concern is that without Joe Cole, England looks lost down the left.
It’s still very early days of Pennant playing on the left for Liverpool, but the results so far have been excellent. I understand the last game against Derby was always going to be a rout, but after 20 minutes, when Pennant moved over to the left and Babel to the right, the game really opened up. Pennant cutting in on his right foot utterly embarrassed Tyrone Mears time and time again. It was his running with the ball that earned Alonso’s free kick that opened the floodgates.
We’ve seen Cole play on the right flank for Chelsea as well as on the left. And with Pennant demonstrating the potential to do the same, imagine if England could use this to maximum effect. Cole not having any joy on the left? Switch him with Pennant, and let them have a go at the opposite fullbacks. It’s an underappreciated asset, and there’s a reason why Benitez has cultivated it in Liverpool this season.
Also, say the rumors are true, and Joe Cole’s really going to pair Michael Owen up top against Israel because of Rooney’s injury and Crouch’s suspension. I find it hard to believe that Stuart Downing would be a greater threat on the left than Pennant. Downing’s improved, and admittedly is more of a goal threat than Pennant, but he’s still got a tendency to drift in and out of games, doesn’t run at defenders nearly enough, and hasn’t played anywhere near his best in an England shirt.
McClaren is never going to experiment like this in what are essential Euro 08 qualifiers. He’s far too conservative as a manager (he’s recalled Heskey (?!) instead of taking a chance on Ashton for fuck’s sake). But had he the foresight to experiment with it in the worthless friendlies against Brazil or Germany, it might be a different story, and I firmly believe England would be better for it.
I can’t really criticize taking Ashley Young or David Bentley. Both, like Pennant, are young and improving by the game, and should be involved in the England set-up. But Pennant is at least as much of an option as those two, if not playing better than both so far this season. And why he hasn’t been called up at all is beyond me.
But in all honesty, I’m not that bothered if he’s not called up, although I firmly believe he deserves it. His priority, and mine, is his play for Liverpool, which I have very few complaints about. And long may it continue.
We saw glimpses of it as he improved over the second half of last season, and Pennant did have the most appearances of any Liverpool player in '06-07 (which means he was doing something right). But in the four league games so far this year, Pennant’s assured his spot in the squad and become one of Liverpool’s most dangerous players in the process.
His biggest improvement has been his crossing at pace. Pennant’s role in the team is to beat his man and whip a cross in from the byline. Too often last season, he’d come to a stop and settle himself before blasting in a cross, or if he was running full speed, the cross wouldn’t be the most accurate or it’d be floated in without enough velocity.
Not this season. Pennant’s crossing while in a full sprint has been nearly perfect. There was a moment against Derby that epitomizes this for me. In the first 15 minutes, before Pennant switched over to the left, he was running with the ball down the right and just before he hit the top of the box, no-looked the defender and chipped a perfect cross with pace into Torres, who was unlucky not to get his header further away from Bywater.
Pennant is one of the few Liverpool players who does this successfully. All the other great crossers on the team, such as Finnan, Gerrard, and even Aurelio, are far better when pinging balls in from a standing position. It is far and away harder to play in crosses while running at pace, and if successful, it challenges the defense so much more.
But he’s also matured as a player and professional. You never hear of personal problems, as you did when he was at Arsenal or Birmingham, and he’s gotten so much better defensively in tracking back and pinning the fullbacks in their own half (against Ashley Cole and Chelsea being a prime example).
I understand the complaints about his lack of a goal threat, but as he progresses as a crosser of the ball and an all-around player, it’s becoming less of a concern, and if he continues to improve as he has done, I imagine goals will come.
The other major improvement in my eyes has been Pennant’s play on the left of midfield, and that’s where the title of this post comes in.
Pennant: I don't mind being left
We know England’s problems on the flanks. Both flanks. Whether Joe Cole’s injured on the left, or Beckham’s recalled (and subsequently injured) on the right, among other issues. The biggest concern is that without Joe Cole, England looks lost down the left.
It’s still very early days of Pennant playing on the left for Liverpool, but the results so far have been excellent. I understand the last game against Derby was always going to be a rout, but after 20 minutes, when Pennant moved over to the left and Babel to the right, the game really opened up. Pennant cutting in on his right foot utterly embarrassed Tyrone Mears time and time again. It was his running with the ball that earned Alonso’s free kick that opened the floodgates.
We’ve seen Cole play on the right flank for Chelsea as well as on the left. And with Pennant demonstrating the potential to do the same, imagine if England could use this to maximum effect. Cole not having any joy on the left? Switch him with Pennant, and let them have a go at the opposite fullbacks. It’s an underappreciated asset, and there’s a reason why Benitez has cultivated it in Liverpool this season.
Also, say the rumors are true, and Joe Cole’s really going to pair Michael Owen up top against Israel because of Rooney’s injury and Crouch’s suspension. I find it hard to believe that Stuart Downing would be a greater threat on the left than Pennant. Downing’s improved, and admittedly is more of a goal threat than Pennant, but he’s still got a tendency to drift in and out of games, doesn’t run at defenders nearly enough, and hasn’t played anywhere near his best in an England shirt.
McClaren is never going to experiment like this in what are essential Euro 08 qualifiers. He’s far too conservative as a manager (he’s recalled Heskey (?!) instead of taking a chance on Ashton for fuck’s sake). But had he the foresight to experiment with it in the worthless friendlies against Brazil or Germany, it might be a different story, and I firmly believe England would be better for it.
I can’t really criticize taking Ashley Young or David Bentley. Both, like Pennant, are young and improving by the game, and should be involved in the England set-up. But Pennant is at least as much of an option as those two, if not playing better than both so far this season. And why he hasn’t been called up at all is beyond me.
But in all honesty, I’m not that bothered if he’s not called up, although I firmly believe he deserves it. His priority, and mine, is his play for Liverpool, which I have very few complaints about. And long may it continue.
03 September 2007
Happy Birthday, blog
I’m pleasantly surprised that I’ve managed to keep going for a year.
I’m even more surprised that people keep reading, commenting and emailing.
Thanks to all -- it’s been fun so far, and I can’t imagine it ceasing to be.
ynwa
I’m even more surprised that people keep reading, commenting and emailing.
Thanks to all -- it’s been fun so far, and I can’t imagine it ceasing to be.
ynwa
01 September 2007
Liverpool 6-0 Derby County
Reina
Finnan Hyypia Agger Arbeloa
Pennant Alonso Mascherano Babel
Kuyt Torres
Goals:
Alonso 27’ 69’
Babel 45 + 1’
Torres 56’ 78’
Voronin 76’
Six to nil! If you thought the Toulouse game was a hammering, you hadn’t seen anything yet. This was Liverpool’s biggest home win since 7-1 over Southampton in 1999, and it was mainly done at a canter.
It’s impossible to describe all the goals fully, or I’d be here all day. The first was an Alonso free kick that eluded everyone, including the goalkeeper. The second came on the stroke of halftime, Agger playing a perfect throughball halfway up the pitch to Arbeloa, who cut in an found Babel, whose touch left two defenders for dead and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. 2-0 at halftime didn’t quite do Liverpool justice, but Liverpool hadn’t really taken it out of second gear. However, the final score does do the match justice.
The second half started exactly as the first, with Liverpool the only team at the races. Torres scored in the 56th minute after a lovely Mascherano tackle that put him through on goal. Alonso got a second with a sweet side-footed shot when the ball fell to him just outside the box after Benayoun was tackled. Voronin, who came on for Babel only minutes earlier, scored the rebound after Kuyt’s shot was saved for the fifth. And less than two minutes later, Torres wrapped up the scoring rounding the keeper after Voronin’s ball over the top of the backline. Only then did Liverpool take the foot of the gas, and the last 15 minutes were a complete formality.
Trust me, I know how poor Derby was. Liverpool shredded their backline at will, and Derby got worse after each goal. But with no exaggeration do I say that this looks like the best Liverpool team I’ve seen in ages. Liverpool showed a cutting edge that’s been absent for too long, even if it was against far inferior opposition that will most likely be relegated by Christmas time. This is the first time in a while that Liverpool put the game out of reach, and then kept at it for more goals. “Attack, attack, attack” hasn’t rung out at Anfield like that in far too long. And I can’t say enough about every player on the pitch today, and again, I still don’t believe that Liverpool played to their full potential.
It’s nigh on impossible to pick a man of the match. Torres scored two great goals, and again showed his strength, creativity, speed, and vision. Alonso notched two as well, was the fulcrum in the middle, and could have had more. Pennant was immense in the first half, and the most impressive thing was that he did his best work down the left, switching flanks with Babel after about 20 minutes. Mascherano covered absolutely every blade of grass on the pitch. Arbeloa and Finnan bombed down the flanks at will. Agger and Hyypia brought the ball out of defense fantastically, albeit with little Derby pressure in Liverpool’s half. Babel’s goal was an absolute thing of beauty. Benayoun, Voronin, and Sissoko all made impacts as subs, especially Voronin, who was in a great place to score the rebound from Kuyt and played a delicious pass for Torres’ second with Derby still reeling from his goal.
And it was all without Gerrard and Carragher, arguably Liverpool’s two most important players.
Again, I know, I’m getting carried away. Derby’s performance was one of the worst I’ve ever seen from an opposition team at Anfield, but you can’t let that detract from Liverpool’s performance. You can only beat the team that’s in front of you, and Liverpool utterly annihilated them.
And now, with Chelsea playing tomorrow, Liverpool tops the table with 10 points from 4 games. That’s a welcome sight, and one that’s been long in coming.
With the way Liverpool’s playing, it’s an absolute shame about the two-week international break. Hopefully, they’ll continue on this pace against Portsmouth on the 15th, and the way they’ve played so far this season, I fully expect it to happen.
Finnan Hyypia Agger Arbeloa
Pennant Alonso Mascherano Babel
Kuyt Torres
Goals:
Alonso 27’ 69’
Babel 45 + 1’
Torres 56’ 78’
Voronin 76’
Six to nil! If you thought the Toulouse game was a hammering, you hadn’t seen anything yet. This was Liverpool’s biggest home win since 7-1 over Southampton in 1999, and it was mainly done at a canter.
It’s impossible to describe all the goals fully, or I’d be here all day. The first was an Alonso free kick that eluded everyone, including the goalkeeper. The second came on the stroke of halftime, Agger playing a perfect throughball halfway up the pitch to Arbeloa, who cut in an found Babel, whose touch left two defenders for dead and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. 2-0 at halftime didn’t quite do Liverpool justice, but Liverpool hadn’t really taken it out of second gear. However, the final score does do the match justice.
The second half started exactly as the first, with Liverpool the only team at the races. Torres scored in the 56th minute after a lovely Mascherano tackle that put him through on goal. Alonso got a second with a sweet side-footed shot when the ball fell to him just outside the box after Benayoun was tackled. Voronin, who came on for Babel only minutes earlier, scored the rebound after Kuyt’s shot was saved for the fifth. And less than two minutes later, Torres wrapped up the scoring rounding the keeper after Voronin’s ball over the top of the backline. Only then did Liverpool take the foot of the gas, and the last 15 minutes were a complete formality.
Trust me, I know how poor Derby was. Liverpool shredded their backline at will, and Derby got worse after each goal. But with no exaggeration do I say that this looks like the best Liverpool team I’ve seen in ages. Liverpool showed a cutting edge that’s been absent for too long, even if it was against far inferior opposition that will most likely be relegated by Christmas time. This is the first time in a while that Liverpool put the game out of reach, and then kept at it for more goals. “Attack, attack, attack” hasn’t rung out at Anfield like that in far too long. And I can’t say enough about every player on the pitch today, and again, I still don’t believe that Liverpool played to their full potential.
It’s nigh on impossible to pick a man of the match. Torres scored two great goals, and again showed his strength, creativity, speed, and vision. Alonso notched two as well, was the fulcrum in the middle, and could have had more. Pennant was immense in the first half, and the most impressive thing was that he did his best work down the left, switching flanks with Babel after about 20 minutes. Mascherano covered absolutely every blade of grass on the pitch. Arbeloa and Finnan bombed down the flanks at will. Agger and Hyypia brought the ball out of defense fantastically, albeit with little Derby pressure in Liverpool’s half. Babel’s goal was an absolute thing of beauty. Benayoun, Voronin, and Sissoko all made impacts as subs, especially Voronin, who was in a great place to score the rebound from Kuyt and played a delicious pass for Torres’ second with Derby still reeling from his goal.
And it was all without Gerrard and Carragher, arguably Liverpool’s two most important players.
Again, I know, I’m getting carried away. Derby’s performance was one of the worst I’ve ever seen from an opposition team at Anfield, but you can’t let that detract from Liverpool’s performance. You can only beat the team that’s in front of you, and Liverpool utterly annihilated them.
And now, with Chelsea playing tomorrow, Liverpool tops the table with 10 points from 4 games. That’s a welcome sight, and one that’s been long in coming.
With the way Liverpool’s playing, it’s an absolute shame about the two-week international break. Hopefully, they’ll continue on this pace against Portsmouth on the 15th, and the way they’ve played so far this season, I fully expect it to happen.
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