Liverpool 4-1 Porto

Reina
Finnan Carragher Hyypia Arbeloa
Babel Gerrard Mascherano Benayoun
Torres Voronin

Goals:
Torres 19’ 78’
Lisandro 33’
Gerrard 84’ (pen)
Crouch 88’

Don’t let the scoreline fool you; this game could have gone a lot differently.

Liverpool began well enough, and looked to have a dream start with Torres’ free header (thanks to a Lucho Gonzalez slip on a wet night) from Gerrard’s corner after 19 minutes. Although Porto looked to slow the tempo and keep possession, Liverpool increasingly gained a foothold, especially after the opener, and truth be told, Porto didn’t look much like getting into the game after the first 30 minutes.

But in the 33rd, after excellent work by Kazmierczak bullying his way past Mascherano down Liverpool’s right, Lisandro got free from Arbeloa and replied with a header of his own, Porto’s first real shot on target.

And for the rest of the half, Liverpool was completely at sea. The team looked shell-shocked, and was lucky not to concede again, with a last ditch tackle by Finnan preventing Quaresma from getting a shot off, and Lisandro spurning an excellent chance after getting behind the defense, amongst other opportunities.

By halftime, Liverpool had started to settle (and looked to counter to finish the half, only for the referee to strangely blow for halftime on exactly 45:00, despite the two goals), and after the break, the game looked like it could go either way. Liverpool still wasn’t clicking, but at least they had collected themselves and Porto threatened far less. After Benitez made a couple of excellent substitutions (Kewell for Voronin, Crouch for Benayoun) while Porto began to wear down, the floodgates finally broke.

First, Kewell put Torres through (although Torres’ strength and turn created the chance) in the 78th. Four minutes later, Stepanov (who had been excellent until this point) handled Gerrard’s free kick in the box under pressure from Hyypia (it was a penalty, and it wasn’t a foul by Sami). Despite Torres on a hat trick, Gerrard stepped up, and scored his 7th goal in the last 8 games.

Out of the game by that point, Porto’s heads dropped, and Crouch got in on the act from another Gerrard corner (3 goals stemming from set plays?). Again the goal was contested, with Porto players pleading for infringement on Kuyt, but it stood, and the scoreline was complete.

The two-goal performance of Torres (his first two goals in the Champions League) will get the headlines, but I thought Finnan was extraordinary today. Nothing spectacular, but a couple of last ditch tackles, excellent positioning, covering, and overlapping with whomever was on the right at the time (usually Babel, but Voronin, Benayoun and Kuyt all occupied the flank at some point). Easily his best game of the season, and making me feel like an idiot for questioning his inclusion.

Gerrard will also get a lot of the plaudits, and deservedly so. He’s returned to form over the past month or so, and continues to be Liverpool’s talisman. Torres again showed why Liverpool shelled out a record fee for him (and what Benitez can do when given significant money). It’s great to see Crouch continue to score. And despite the shakiness following the equalizer, the rest of defense had their moments, and it’s worth noting that Liverpool’s nemesis in the last match, Ricardo Quaresma, was quiet no matter where he popped up on the pitch.

I am a bit afraid that the final score will overshadow some of the problems. It was very worrying to see Liverpool’s collapse following Porto’s equalizer, and I can’t emphasize enough how lucky Liverpool was not to concede a second. Too many passes went astray, Liverpool was unable to get their wits about them and reestablish possession. After they had steadied themselves in the second half, the team tried to be too intricate in unlocking the defense, and frequently broke down in the final third without getting a good chance at goal.

Voronin and Babel, and Mascherano and Arbeloa to a lesser extent, all could have had better nights as well. None were bad, but none were up to their standards either, and I think Voronin’s invisibility (although that’s a bit harsh) hurt Liverpool when they were unable to settle after Lisandro’s goal, while I still believe that Babel is more suited to a substitute role, although Kewell filled that role well tonight.

But more importantly, Liverpool didn’t concede a second. And with past complaints over creating goals in the latter stages, Liverpool scored 3 in the last 15 minutes. There are lessons to be learned from the match, but on the whole, something to be positive about. Porto is a very good team, and it’s a credit to them they kept Liverpool on the ropes for nearly half the game. But bad teams don’t score 4 against Porto either.

This result, even with Besiktas’ win against Marseille, doesn’t change an awful lot. Thanks to Marseille’s win at Anfield, Liverpool still need to win in France to go through. Porto leads the group on 8, both Liverpool and Marseille follow with 7, and Besiktas still in contention on 6. (Edit: Whoops. If Besiktas beat Porto in Portugal and Liverpool draw, Porto, Liverpool and Marseille will all be on 8 points, and it'll go to goal difference.)

But again, at the end of the day, it’s a very good result. Liverpool’s scored 17 goals in their last 4 games. It was an emphatic reply to the media turmoil of the last week, especially by the fans, who chanted “Rafa, Rafael” all match long. And Liverpool can still qualify for the money-spinning knockout stage with a win in Marseille December 11th.

And if this is the result following a sub-standard performance, I can’t wait until they click more often.

Liverpool v Porto 11.28.07

2:45pm on Setanta

Porto is currently 1st in the Superliga

Group Stage:
Liverpool: 8-0 Besiktas (h); 1-2 Besiktas (a); 0-1 Marseille (h); 1-1 Porto (a)
Porto: 2-1 Marseille (h); 1-1 Marseille (a); 1-0 Besiktas (a); 1-1 Liverpool (h)

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 3-0 Newcastle (a); 2-0 Fulham (h); 8-0 Besiktas (h)
Besiktas: 2-0 Vitoria Setubal; 2-2 Estrela Amadora (a); 2-1 Marseille (h)

Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Benayoun, Crouch, Kuyt 3; Babel, Gerrard 2; Hyypia, Voronin 1
Besiktas: Gonzalez 2; Lopez, Quaresma, Sektioui 1

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

Guess at a squad
Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Hyypia Aurelio
Gerrard Lucas Mascherano Kewell
Kuyt Torres

Outside of the likely return of Mascherano to the starting line-up, I don’t know how different the team will look from that on Saturday.

Another change could be the inclusion of Crouch, as it’s Europe and he might have only played 10 minutes on Saturday with an eye on this game. Guessing Crouchy to start has gone poorly for me recently, and if Liverpool plays in a similar formation to that at Newcastle, I don’t know where Peter will fit in, but it is still European competition, and continental teams don’t come up against a striker like Crouch often. However, Kuyt scored in the away fixture, and has three goals in the CL, and the team played cohesively against Newcastle 3 days ago.

Then again, maybe Rafa will throw us for a complete loop, remembering how Torres marked out of the game in Portugal and is still without a goal in Europe. Also, Voronin played very well against both Besiktas and Fulham before the break. It’s nice having four strikers capable of starting, but it certainly doesn’t help trying to forecast the team.

And I still think Liverpool’s going to look a lot like they did at St James’ Park. I’ve written up the formation as a 4-4-2 for simplicity, but there were similarities to 4-3-3 (4-3-2-1, whatever) with Kuyt and Kewell playing off of Torres, and 3 “central” midfielders.

Gerrard was massively influential in this formation, able to pop up all over the pitch and with the freedom to orchestrate the game as he saw fit. Bringing Mascherano in for Sissoko would allow Liverpool to have someone in there to break up Porto's attacks through the middle, but Mascherano is still more assured and composed on the ball than Sissoko, and Liverpool’s ability to retain possession is going to be extremely important, especially given how Porto controlled the game in Portugal.

Babel’s played well of late, but I still believe he’s more suited to coming off the bench at his age and with his skill set. I admittedly am worried about Kewell starting twice in a week, but he only played 58 minutes against Newcastle. Benayoun may be back on the right, as Benitez only said that Agger, Alonso, and Pennant are assuredly out (relatedly, that Finnan picked up a knock last time out and was tormented by Quaresma in the away leg is why I'm guessing Arbeloa on the right), but after missing the last three weeks, I don’t know if Yossi will go straight back into the line-up.

My biggest fear is Porto’s ability to control tempo and possession, although that should be partly allayed with the game at Anfield. Plus, the form Liverpool’s been in over the past few matches is markedly different from when these two teams last met. But in the last meeting, Liverpool got the fewest shots on goal and had the least amount of possession so far this season. Liverpool started exceptionally poorly, and it set the tone for the rest of the game. The group standings make it imperative for Liverpool to attack, attack, attack, but given how the last match between the two went, it’d probably be a good idea anyway.

But I don’t need to say much more about how Liverpool must win, not only to keep progression in the Champions League alive (and all the lovely money that comes with it), but to put this nonsense surrounding Benitez behind us as well.


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Completely unrelated, but I want to get a prediction for Blackburn v Villa (3pm, not on TV in the US) on record in my attempt to forecast every non-Liverpool Premiership game (65-59, with 16 exact so far).

Blackburn 2-1

Has it really come to this?

I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far, where I actually feel the need to write this, but anyone who believes that Rafa Benitez should be sacked needs to have their head sorted out immediately, whatever their nationality.

I don’t know where this “crisis” came from. I don’t know why this is hitting the papers now. I don’t know why it’s taken the hold it has. But the forums have exploded, and all the media is running with it. And it’s infuriating, especially when you get articles like that written by Bascombe at the NOTW yesterday. Maybe it’ll start to blow over, with the Liverpool Echo articles that came out this morning, but I truly don’t know.

It can’t all be because of 3 sub-par Champions League games, and a failure to qualify for the knockout stages (after making the final twice in three years!) would be no excuse for Benitez’ ouster. And while I’ll grudgingly admit that Benitez has been too public with his comments recently, that’s no reason either.

Hicks and Gillett can’t possibly be so shortsighted and dim. More than a few fans have been looking for reasons to condemn the new owners. This would give them all the ammunition needed and more, and rightfully so, if it comes to that.

Which I still can’t believe is possible. The team is built in Benitez’ image, and sad to say, but more players have links to him than to Liverpool.

I don’t know what to believe anymore, but if the new owners really think that Benitez can leave and they’ll hire someone else with no repercussions with the players, and the supporters, they’re sadly (very, very sadly) mistaken.

If Gillett and Hicks truly understand the club and are “custodians,” as they claimed to be when the takeover occurred, they need to get to Liverpool and get this behind the club a lot sooner than mid-December.

Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle

Reina
Finnan Carragher Hyypia Arbeloa
Gerrard Sissoko Lucas Kewell
Kuyt Torres

Goals:
Gerrard 28’
Kuyt 46’
Babel 66’

3-0, and the scoreline flatters Newcastle. Liverpool never really took it out of first gear, and was far too sloppy and wasteful at times, but still dominated both possession and the game. I don’t believe Newcastle had a shot on goal all match long.

In the first half, Liverpool was hindered by sloppiness in the final third, with Sissoko the main culprit. In the second, the profligacy of Fernando Torres meant that Liverpool had to settle for only tallying twice more, and it’s with little exaggeration I say that Torres could have scored 5.

As said, Liverpool should have been up more than 1-0 by the end of the first half. They were utterly dominant in possession and totally in control, but were also far too casual at times.

Consequently, Liverpool only ended up with two good opportunities at goal in the first half: Gerrard’s free kick in the 28th minute (his third free kick goal in 13 league games), and Torres hitting the post in the 45th. In Torres’ defense, Given should have been called for handball outside the box (it hit him on his upper arm, not his shoulder), but Torres’ subsequent attempt ricocheted off the post.

Kuyt’s goal, from a corner (two goals from set plays?) at the start of the second half made the result a foregone conclusion. And after the second goal, Liverpool was far more content to sit back, stifle Newcastle, and hit back on the break, which led to Torres’ multiple chances. Babel, coming on for Kewell in the 58th minute, assured the result after a fantastic 1-2 with Gerrard, but honestly, the result was never in doubt.

Despite frustration at some of Liverpool’s play, and the fact that I’ve complained about both Sissoko and Torres’ performances, Liverpool was the only team at the races, and it was heartening to see the players respond after the international break and the gossip over Benitez’s relationship with the owners.

Although Gerrard rarely stayed on the right, he was influential all game long, and probably the man of the match with the opening goal and an assist on Liverpool’s third (seriously, thanks for booing him Geordies, as if he needed more motivation). It was a belter of a free kick, and he’s added the ability to consistently create efforts from set pieces. And thanks to the scoreline, Benitez was able to rest him for the final 10 minutes with an eye on Wednesday.

Despite Newcastle’s lack of sustained pressure, both Hyypia and Carragher were outstanding. Carragher made a couple of lovely stops under threat from either Martins or Viduka, while Hyypia’s positioning and cutting out of throughballs was simply immaculate. After that stretch of games with two own goals and some other frights, Hyypia’s been thoroughly dominant.

Kewell was quiet at times, but played some lovely passes to unlock the defense, and was active down both flanks, while Babel was a lightning rod off the bench in his place, especially as the game opened up and Liverpool looked to attack on the counter. Both Finnan and Arbeloa looked to push forward, and I reckon that it was Finnan’s best performance so far, echoing his form last season when I thought he was Liverpool’s player of the year. And despite the criticism and the dry spell suffered since scoring two penalties at Goodison, Kuyt was all-action as usual and got on the scoresheet, his 6th of the season.

While Sissoko gave the ball away far too often, especially in the final third, both he and Lucas were a big reason why Newcastle was unable to establish possession through the middle. I also thought that Lucas, although having some of the problems putting passes together in attack that Sissoko had, was steady and assured in his first league start, and it’s clear why he’s come with so much hype.

Newcastle may not have offered much opposition, and weren’t helped by the fact the crowd was on edge the entire time. They’ve given up 7 goals in their last two games at St James’. But you can only beat what’s in front of you. And Liverpool certainly did that. Plus, it was fun to see Allardyce disconsolate on the sidelines after running his mouth about Benitez and Liverpool all season long.

Despite the international break, despite the rumors surrounding the camp, and despite key players absent, Liverpool ran amok. 3 goals and a clean sheet, on the road (Liverpool still has the best away form in the Premiership) is an excellent result to take into Wednesday’s crucial Champions League game against Porto at Anfield.

Liverpool at Newcastle 11.24.07

7:45am, live in the US on Setanta

Last 4 head-to-head:
1-2 Newcastle (a) 02.10.07
2-0 Liverpool (h) 09.20.06
3-1 Liverpool (a) 03.19.06
2-0 Liverpool (h) 12.26.05

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 2-0 Fulham (h); 8-0 Besiktas (h); 0-0 Blackburn (a)
Newcastle: 1-1 Sunderland (a); 1-4 Pompey (h); 1-2 Reading (a)

Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 5; Gerrard, Voronin 3; Alonso, Kuyt 2; Babel, Benayoun, Sissoko 1
Newcastle: Martins 4; N’Zogbia, Viduka 3; Milner, Owen 2; Butt, Cacapa, Emre 1

Referee: Alan Wiley

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Hyypia Aurelio
Gerrard Sissoko Mascherano Kewell
Crouch Torres

Now then, back to the real football. And of course, it’s an early kick-off away from Anfield following an international break.

On the injury front, Torres should return, and after last Saturday’s performance, should go straight into the starting line-up. It’s still too soon for Alonso or Benayoun, and it will come down to a late fitness check for Agger. I’ll be surprised if he starts, despite the fact that his pace would be useful against the likes of Obafemi Martins.

I have to believe, but maybe it’s just hope, that Crouch will lead the line along with Torres. He’s played well of late, and was probably the only player who could leave with his head held high after England’s performance on Wednesday.

Similarly, I truly hope that Gerrard won’t suffer a let down following England’s failure to qualify for Euro 08. He worked so hard to get himself back into form following the extended toe injury, and he’s a confidence player. I have him on the right partly because of the injuries to Benayoun and Pennant, but partly because putting him on the right can be similar to putting him in a free role behind a lone striker. But with both Crouch and Torres starting, there’s no room for that.

I do believe that Sissoko and Mascherano will start as well. Masch played two qualifiers for Argentina in South America during the break, but without Alonso in addition to the other injuries, he’ll be needed. In addition, we haven’t seen Sissoko and Gerrard together in the center since the abysmal game against Marseille.

I went back and forth over whether I thought Babel or Kewell would start on the left, but since Harry only played one friendly, against Nigeria in London, and made it through the 90 minutes unscathed, I think he might be in for his first start in ages. Which would boost Liverpool – Kewell’s an excellent foil on the left if Stevie’s on the right, and if Geremi starts at right back, Harry has the pace and tricks to run circles around him.

Newcastle, as usual, has a lengthy injury list with Owen, Taylor, Faye, Carr, Cacapa, Babayaro, and Duff out, but with Barton and Emre in the center along with Martins and Milner in attack, there will be physicality (it is an Allardyce team) and the capacity to get something from nothing on the break. Liverpool’s backline will have to be wary of conceding goals like the two given up to Tottenham last month.

The best way to get past the idiocy I wrote about earlier is to win. I realize that G&H’s statement focused more on the Champions League, but the same goes here. There’s far less conflict, and the media’s far less apt to look for/make up problems when everything’s firing on all cylinders. Plus, if Benitez wasn’t already fired up, we know there’s little love lost between he and Allardyce.

St James’ Park is never the easiest place to play, and Liverpool was turned over there 1-2 last season, but it’s imperative Liverpool continue on unbeaten, especially with the game against Porto coming up on Wednesday.

Roll on.

I heart Transfer Season

I guess I’ll just get the regrettable bit out of the way. Over the last couple of days we’ve had a very strange press conference from Rafa, a heavy-handed ultimatum from Gillett and Hicks, and a mountain of media speculation. I never want to read too much into these things, but every outlet has carried the same narrative, and the original article was by Tony Barrett, who’s easily the best Liverpool writer around.

My 2 cents is this: Rafa is a very political manager compulsively focused on winning at all times. It’s little surprise that he’s already planning transfers for January. Meanwhile, Gillett and Hicks want Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League before transfers and budgets are spoken about. Which again, is no surprise (they are businessmen, nationality doesn’t even come into play) it even if I don’t like it.

And I will side with Benitez 11 times out of 10. He’s that good of a manager. But you have to remember, whether the media/fans have exaggerated what they’ve done or not, Gillett and Hicks have so far done what they’ve promised.

I don’t like that they aren’t currently in Liverpool, or at the very fucking least, having Foster Gillett or someone else in Liverpool able to handle transfers (where has Rick Parry been in the last two days, by the way?). I don’t like that Benitez has to wait until mid-December to tie up any deals, and said deals might be contingent on Champions League money. I really, really don’t like that we’re seeing speculation over Benitez.

But it’s not as if football clubs, both big and small, have inner arguments over fiduciary matters. They usual just, you know, stay in house. Which, and it takes a lot for me to criticize the great man, you can blame Benitez for thanks to yesterday’s theatrical presser.

However, my main thought is that it’s probably a tempest in a teapot, despite the fact that there are real, negative undertones present. The best result would be qualifying for the knockout stages, and having the finances less of a question.

And although it may be misplaced hope given what’s been written, I still think that Benitez will be here for years to come. This is the man who less than a week ago said “But even if I was approached I would tell whichever club it was that I am really happy with my club, my squad, my supporters and my city. There are still many things which I want to do here, so I am planning on being here for a long time.”

Letting him leave would be utter madness. Give him a blank checkbook and go away. But until then, deep breaths coupled with belting renditions of “Rafa, Rafa Benitez.” Oh, and ignore the British press, who’s hunting around for further casualties following Wednesday’s performance.

Back with the Newcastle preview shortly.

Predictions 11/24-11/25

Hope everyone is having/has had a happy Thanksgiving.

I haven’t been able to bring myself to suffering through an elegy of England’s campaign, but the preview of Saturday’s Liverpool at Newcastle game (7:45am, Setanta) will be up sometime tomorrow morning.

Arsenal v Wigan, 10am, FSC: Even if Steve Bruce had been allowed to assume control on Monday, I’d have favored Arsenal here, new manager boost or not. But it looks like Wigan will continue with a caretaker manager and has shipped 6 goals while scoring none in their last two games, while Arsenal is, well, Arsenal. Arse 3-0
Bolton v Manchester Utd, 10am, Setanta: Three good draws for Megson and Bolton last three times out, but it won’t continue here. United might be troubled by injuries, especially that to Rooney, but they’re still on a hot streak and Ronaldo’s scored 4 times in the last 3 games. United 3-1
Everton v Sunderland, 10am, Setanta Xtra: Fantasy team pro-tip: Cahill’s return will assuredly improve Everton, you only saw the first glimpse of that with the late goal at Stamford Bridge last time out. As much as I’d like to see Keano get more points on the board, and expect his team to be full of fight, as usual, Everton should come away with all three points. Everton 2-1
Birmingham v Portsmouth, 10am: I’ve seen the suggestion that Birmingham should replace Bruce with McClaren, who’s in need of a job, but I’ve my doubts. The Yeung takeover talk (or lack thereof recently) must have been unsettling, because Bruce has had time at Brum to assemble a team of his own, and they have looked capable of staying in the Prem. But after losing the manager, and up against an in-form Pompey, I can’t see a home win. Portsmouth 2-0
Manchester City v Reading, 10am: Just when I thought Reading might be close to turning a corner, they’ve lost their last two, although the last 3-1 loss was at the Emirates. And while I still think we’ll see a dip in City’s fortunes compared to a month or two ago, they should still have enough to win here. City 1-0
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa, 10am: Villa may be the better team, but too often they’ve ended up with a draw on the road, Boro’s nowhere near as dreadful at home, and both Carson and Barry could see the effects of Wednesday’s match linger. 1-1
Derby v Chelsea, 12:15pm, FSC: So far, Derby has lost 4-0 (at Spurs), 5-0 (to West Ham last time out and at Arsenal), and 6-0 (at Liverpool). Not a good sign when they’re coming up against a team with the firepower of Chelsea, at Pride Park or not. Chelsea 4-0
West Ham v Tottenham, 8:30am Sunday, Setanta: Juande Ramos has improved and will continue to improve Spurs, but it’s a London derby, and West Ham’s coming off a 5-0 win. Even with the injuries to their front line, the Hammers should be able to tally, and Upton Park should be rollicking. 1-1
Fulham v Blackburn, 11am Sunday, FSC: Fulham’s more apt to get wins at Craven Cottage than they were last season, and Healy’s in fine form and full of confidence following his international performances (Simon Davies has been excellent for Fulham recently as well), but I expect Blackburn to continue pushing on for a European place. Blackburn 2-1

England 2-3 Croatia

No matter what I wrote yesterday, I’m absolutely gutted.

Much of that scribbled yesterday turned out to be wrong; some was right, but all that’s important is England will miss out on the European Championships. Kudos to Crouch and Beckham for that goal (the lesson, once again, I’m an idiot), and the team for trying to haul themselves back into it, but Croatia were too much, and England’s missteps, both earlier in the game and campaign, were too much to overcome.

I don’t really care to single out players. You all know who was gash, either by watching the game or via match reports. You have enough choices to choose from, at the least. England only conceded 4 goals throughout qualifying, and with a makeshift backline, they conceded three today. And while I’d love to excoriate McClaren’s tactics and managerial capabilities, it’d be beating a dead horse into oblivion. He’ll obviously be sacked, and I can’t imagine who’ll be hiring him next.

I truly feel for Scott Carson, who shouldn’t have been put in that position. I’ve been calling for Robbo’s replacement for months now, but this was absolutely the wrong time to make the switch. Carson’s first competitive cap, and it’s in the game that determines whether England will qualify, in front of an expectant Wembley. It’s little surprise he had a stumble within the first ten minutes, and despite that and some other frightening moments, he showed his quality later on with a couple of saves. I truly hope he isn’t pilloried beyond belief for today’s result. He’s still young, and he should still have a tremendous future for both England and club (although it’s clear that club won’t be Liverpool).

And while it’s not a time for laughing, I do find it funny that the NFL game between the Giants and Fins a couple of weeks back did such damage to the Wembley pitch that it impacted this match. Good work FA; I hope the quid were worth it.

That McClaren will certainly lose his job and that English Liverpool players will have the summer off are of little consolation. I care far more about Liverpool’s results than England, and will admit to being exceptionally frustrated with pretty much every facet of the national team, but as a fan, I’m beaten into submission and disappointed.

I’d also love to see Croatia do well at Euro 08; they’re a team that deserves to, who were playing their hearts out on the stage. And I also hope that their manager, Slavan Bilic, starts being considered for Premier League jobs when he’s ready, as he stated earlier in the week. He’s a hell of a manager.

I may have a longer requiem of both the game and England’s future, but now’s not the time.