lfctalk
edward224
redroman77
Filed under: Opinion
LFC Talk is looking to find out who the fans favourite ever Liverpool striker is.
We want you to vote for your number one Reds frontman of all time…SO CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!!!
Click here to discuss this in our forum
How far away are we from winning that elusive nineteenth title – and maiden Premiership crown?
Steven Gerrard has stated today that he believes we are very close and just need a couple more players to push us on to it.
I agree.
I believe that we need to pad out the squad with more talent, which would stop us relying too heavily on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
Yossi Benayoun proved a reliable understudy to Gerrard in the latter stages of this past season, but we did not have anyone capable of stepping in for Torres when he was out injured. David N’Gog chipped in with a few goals, but he was never expected to be our number two striker. Robbie Keane’s failure to settle into the side and subsequent departure meant that the young Frenchman was thrust into that role sooner than expected.
If we cannot get Carlos Tevez, which is looking increasinly unlikely, then I would have to push aside the resentment for him and suggest we resign Michael Owen. He’d be ideal as backup to Torres and he plays that role naturally and understands how Gerrard ticks. He’s not reliable enough injury-wise to be a first-choice, but he’d play enough games to be second choice to Torres. And for free, it’d be a low risk move for all concerned. Obviously I’d prefer the Argentine, but he looks likely to go elsewhere – to whoever offers the most cash to his advisors most likely.
Albert Riera had an overall good debut season for us, but he certainly suffered a midseason lull where he looked out of sorts and didn’t make much impact. But nobody can be disappointed with his contribution. We can hope for more from him next season, however.
Dirk Kuyt had his best season yet at the club. He scored plenty of goals from his new position wide on the right and kept up his relentless workrate throughout. He can be frustrating with a lack of intelligence on the ball at times, but his effort and desire are second to none and his new contract is good news for everyone at the club.
Ryan Babel’s failure to turn potential into form has been a particular disappointment. Despite scoring an incredibly satisfying winner against United this past term, he’s just not shown enough to suggest that he is worth retaining for this coming season. There is likely to be a queue of clubs lining up to take a gamble on his potential and Rafa would be wise to cash in before it’s too late. He claims that he is a striker by nature, but when he’s played in that role he’s looked out of his depth and comfort zone. The left-wing position has looked his best position, but Riera and Benayoun have overtaken him in the race for that role.
I would like to see us sign David Silva. The guy is a matchwinner and could be one of the best players in the world with the right guidance and coaching. Valencia need the cash and a swap deal involving Andrei Voronin (plus cash) could be enough to see him arrive. Real Madrid could be a problem for us though, as if they fail to sign Ronaldo or Franck Ribery they are likely to swoop for Silva. The Spanish influence at the club would grow with his arrival and given their national ascendency that would be no bad thing.
The continuing saga of Xabi Alonso’s future needs a quick resolution. Now Gareth Barry has chosen money, sorry City, it means that our number one midfield target is gone – and hopefully that will end talk of Alonso heading out of Anfield. Like Kuyt, he’s had his best season at the club and is integral to our future plans. If he could just add a few more goals to his game he’d be even better. Hopefully Real Madrid and Arsenal will drop their interest and look elsewhere.
Javier Mascherano eventually found his form after a sketchy phase that followed his return from the Olympics. He’s just about the best defensive midfielder in the league, but unlike Michael Essien he doesn’t offer a lot going forward. You can’t take anything away from him for that though, simply because he is such a midfield powerhouse that never gives up. Real Madrid are said to be interested in him as well – which suggests they were very impressed by our midfield when we dispatched them twice in Europe!
Unfortunately for him, I just don’t see Lucas working out as a serious midfield proposition for us. He did feature in two of our biggest wins of the season at St James’s Park and Old Trafford, but he looks weak and is easily knocked off the ball. He seems to lack urgency and craft as well, which are traits we need in our midfield. Credit to him for his role in the win at Old Trafford, but he hasn’t been able to perform at that kind of level 95% of the time and I think a loan move would be his best bet. A club like Wigan or Blackburn may suit as it’s not far from Liverpool and they’d offer him plenty of Premiership experience. I don’t expect him to go anywhere, but I’d like to see that happen to allow Jay Spearing more opportunities in the side.
Our defence still looks strong despite the loss of Sami Hyypia this Summer. His experience and professionalism will be sorely missed, but it’s a fair call by him to go seeking more first-team football at his age. He will need replacing though and I don’t see anyone coming from the reserves to take his role. Names such as David Wheater and Michael Turner have been mentioned and it would be good to see a young English defender come into the club, but they would struggle for first-team opportunities and that may put them off. But the lure of Anfield should be enough and if they have ambition and confidence they should take up the challenge. Raul Albiol could be another potential arrival given Valencia’s financial crisis. Either way, we need the security and competition of a sound fourth choice defender.
The full-back positions could do with pepping-up, despite Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa having solid seasons. I thought Aurelio looked much better this year – and that’s no coincidence given how well he’s avoided injury. Arbeloa can look dodgy when he loses concentration, but he is a dependable option. That said, I would rather we sign Glen Johnson as first-choice right-back because he has finally started to realise his massive potential as a top-class defender.
Andrea Dossena is likely to be sold to bring in funds and with Aurelio supported by Emiliano Insua, I would say we have enough at left-back. Stephen Darby can be deployed on both sides also, which means we have a potentially solid option waiting in the wings.
José Reina has had a typically solid season between the posts as well, and with Diego Cavalieri likely to reject overtures from Benfica I think we should maintain a goalkeeping status quo. Charles Itandje should be sacked for gross misconduct after his Hillsborough disgrace. Dean Bouzanis, David Martin and Martin Hansen have enough between them to provide competition for third choice. Nikolay Mihaylov could always be bought back from Twente if need be, anyway.
Sammy Lee has proved to be an excellent choice as assistant to Benitez. All the players seem to respect and like him and he looks to have perfected the role as the ‘inbetween’ man to act as bridge between the squad and Rafa. I was pleased to see him hired at the time and am doubly pleased with the work he has done.
Most things are in place for another, hopefully successful, assault on the title – I just think we need a couple of ‘finishing touches’ to the squad. Hopefully Rafa can get those.
If I were him, I would be looking at making these deals:
OUT
Ryan Babel – £7m-£9m (Aston Villa, Tottenham, Ajax and Juventus reportedly interested)
Andrei Voronin – £4m-£6m (Valencia reportedly interested)
Lucas – £5m-£6m (Italian and Spanish clubs likely to be interested)
Andrea Dossena – £5m-£6m (Juventus and AC Milan reportedly interested)
IN
David Silva – £15m + Voronin
Raul Albiol – £8m (or Michael Turner or David Wheater – £6m if not)
Glen Johnson – £12m-£15m
Carlos Tevez – £25m-£30m (or Michael Owen £0 if not)
Filed under: Opinion
Click here to discuss this in our forum
Diego Cavalieri
I think the Brazilian has done as well as expected. He came in with the remit to challenge Reina for the number one spot and show what he can do when called upon. Ok, so he hasn’t done the first part (how many would?), but he’s been sturdier than Charles Itandje when used.
Andrea Dossena
The Italian left-back has capped off an indifferent season with some nice goals against two of the biggest clubs in the world (Real Madrid and Manchester United). Looks likely to have failed in the battle for left-back with Fabio Aurelio and also appears to have fallen behind Emiliano Insua too. I think he may be making a quick return to Italy.
Sami Hyypia
The big defender has been as reliable as ever this season, despite constant concerns about his pace. His reading of the game is still excellent and he remains the best defender in the air, for me. I hope he gets a new one year deal.
Daniel Agger
Constantly linked with AC Milan and injured as often. He seems to be getting closer to the exit and I’m not worrying too much about that right now. Instead of fighting for his spot, he seems to be whining in the press
like he has a divine right to play when fit. He doesn’t and needs to learn that – if he is being quoted accurately. I expect that Benitez’s new deal has signalled his exit.
Steven Gerrard
Quite possibly the best player I have ever seen in a Red shirt. He’s a miserable sod, but he is truly a world-class talent in an age of hyperbole. Had he and Torres been available for more of the season, I think we’d be top and heading for number nineteen.
Fernando Torres
As with Gerrard, we have missed him a lot this season – which is an indication of a slight lack of depth in our squad. He is another world-class talent and one we need to keep fit and also some support for.
Albert Riera
I wasn’t expecting much of him, if I’m honest, but he’s turned out to be a genuine asset. I thought his formed dipped with the colder winter weather, but he’s chipping in with more goals than earlier this season and has given us genuine balance. I would swap him for David Silva though as I don’t think he has quite enough, but as a backup for his compatriot he would be be superb – and depth is what we need.
Fabio Aurelio
He must have thought his chances were getting slimmer with the signing of Dossena, but he’s really upped his game this season and also chipped in with some key strikes. I am happy with him as our number one left-back and am keen to see Insua push him harder next season.
Xabi Alonso
After a Summer of being linked with an exit, he’s returned to form to answer his critics. There’s no way I would swap him with Gareth Barry – he’s a league above the Englishman. His tempo control and passing game have been key this season and without him we look less shaped and short on ideas and space.
Yossi Benayoun
The Israeli overcame a desire to leave in January and has bounced back with some key performances in recent months. His goals against Real Madrid and Fulham are great examples of how important he has become in recent weeks.
Álvaro Arbeloa
Some lapses in concentration earlier this season have been eradicated and he looks a serious contender to be our right-back for years to come. No serious competition for his spot could’ve made him complacent, but he appears eager to improve. Rumoured homesickness appears to have subsided also.
Dirk Kuyt
A clear favourite of Benitez (as demonstrated by him waiting for Rafa to sign a new deal before he would) and rightly so. More adventurous managers may prefer a player like Benayoun, but Kuyt has weighed in with some key strikes and his constant positivity and workrate are blessings to our team spirit and prospects.
Ryan Babel
Tipped by Andy Gray to explode this season, but he’s been hit and miss (mostly miss). After failing to make the breakthrough in the first half of the season, he asked for a loan move back to Ajax – which doesn’t sound confident or determined. Has talent, but appears to lack awareness. Time is running out for him to make his mark.
Javier Mascherano
Missed out earlier on in the season after opting to feature in the Olympics and has failed to truly cement his place back in the side. As dogged and determined as ever, he has been boosted by becoming his nation’s captain. One of the top anchormen in the game.
Lucas
Has been unfairly targetted by the boo-boys – which is a species we have not had much of at Anfield. Appears a very limited player, despite a few encouraging moments against Newcastle. Proved himself a liability against Wigan by giving away a very costly penalty. Benitez seems to favour the Brazilian, so I doubt he’ll leave in the Summer.
Emiliano Insúa
He has made the breakthrough for real this season. After a few sporadic appearances in recent years, he has shown maturity sufficient to be considered a member of the first-team. He will look to push on and really challenge Aurelio next season and will probably be hoping that Dossena does leave.
Jamie Carragher
Still a vital cog in the defensive machine. He organises the backline very well and is one of the greatest defenders the club has had – probably the finest of the Premiership era.
David N’Gog
I was disappointed when we signed him and still can’t see the point after seeing him more. After seeing Nemeth in preseason, I thought the Hungarian would be getting more chances, but this signing stunted his shot at a place in the first-team, along with Keane coming in. A loan out of Anfield may do the French kid a lot of good.
Pepe Reina
Finest keeper in the league for me and he’s continuing to prove that despite van der Sar’s purple patch. Acts like a sweeper, which gives another dimension to our defence and he also has a couple of assists this season to boot.
Jay Spearing
Despite being much shorter than most players, especially in his position, his development at Anfield is continuing and a cameo against Real Madrid won’t have hurt that. One to keep an eye on.
Philipp Degen
I thought he was a pointless signing last Summer and I think so even more now. With Steve Finnan around, we didn’t need to go and waste time on this sicknote. We should see if someone else will make the same mistake come the Summer…somehow I doubt it.
Damien Plessis
Was progressing well in the 2007/8 season, but appears to have hit a wall. Was awful against Spurs in the Carling Cup, despite scoring, and hasn’t appeared since – which is little surprise. One that could be sent out on loan next season.
Krisztián Németh
A natural finisher and a player that looks like a cross between Fowler and Owen in style if not ability. I was hoping to see him make his first-team debut this season after a sound preseason, but injuries and David N’Gog have blocked that. A loan move to Blackpool was unfortunately cut short by injury. One to watch.
Charles Itandje
Wouldn’t leave for first-team football on less wages. Says it all about the guy. Waste of space in the squad.
Nabil El Zhar
At his age, I would’ve expected more from him considering usual development. I am unsure as to why he’s been given opportunities ahead of Babel, Keane and Pennant this season. He should never have been trusted against Villa (along with Babel) and doesn’t look capable of being anything more than he currently is in this squad.
Stephen Darby
Must’ve been disappointed to see Degen arrive. Looks more assured than the Swiss and also far more injury free. Has captained the reserves and youth sides and with the right development, he could be a squad member in the next couple of years.
Martin Škrtel
Appears to have moved quickly ahead of Agger in the pecking order of central defenders. A strong and determined character that has softened the blow of missing out on Nemanja Vidic. Has benefited from playing alongside Carragher.
Robbie Keane
Despite the rubbish the media levelled at Benitez, the guy just didn’t work out and it was the best move to sell him back to Spurs. His finishing was abysmal at times and he wasted some simple chances to win us games. It’s a shame for him on a personal level, but it’s a cut-throat business today.
Filed under: Opinion
Click here to discuss this in our forum
In this age of modern football, it seems harder than ever for young players to make the breakthrough into first-team football.
Manchester City were being commended for their attitude towards youngsters, but now they’ve got megabucks it appears unlikely that many more like Richards, Sturridge, Hart, Onuoha etc will appear at Eastlands while they are the richest club in the game.
Middlesbrough have had a thriving youth conveyor belt for a few years now, which has seen some good youngsters come through – Cattermole, Wheater, Johnson, Downing etc – but they are now in a relegation battle and it indicates that youngsters cannot be too heavily relied upon.
Here at Anfield, we’ve not seen a young player make a proper step up to the first-team since Steven Gerrard, over ten years ago. The likes of Stephen Warnock and Stephen Wright have flirted with being first-team regulars in that time, but we’ve not seen anyone really grab the bull by the horns – but are they actually being given a chance?
Of our current younger players sniffing around the first-team, there are David N’Gog, Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar, Ryan Babel and Damien Plessis. Not one of those is a genuine, bona fide product of our youth system. Each was bought through the ranks at another club and then plucked by our scouts. Of those, I can only see Insua making any lengthy impact at the club anyway.
In our current youth/reserve sides, there are plenty of youngsters that look capable of making an impact on the first-team, one way or another, but the majority of those are foreigners that have spent the majority of their development elsewhere – a la Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Denilson and all the other ‘gems’ Arsene Wenger receives praise for developing…hmm
The local lads of note, are Stephen Darby, Adam Hammill and Jay Spearing. But can anyone honestly imagine that either of those will get much of a chance? Is it because they are not good enough? Is it because the risk cannot be taken at this level?
With seven substitutes now on offer each week, would it not make wonderful sense to put one or two on the bench each week and give them ten or fifteen minutes if the game is in the bag?
Filed under: Opinion
Paul Morgan writing for LFC Talk.
My Top 10.
In light of the recent article printed by the national newspaper The Times entitled, “The 50 Greatest Liverpool Players” there seems to have been a debate sparked amongst Liverpool fans as to who they feel are the best players to have ever pulled on the red jersey. Now unfortunately I am of the age where I never seen the greats such as Billy Liddell, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Ian Rush, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish and all that motley crew. Alas, I was born on 27th August 1989, I am but 19 years of age, born and bred Liverpudlian but I was not here during our great years – although believe you me I am told of them often. Being a season ticket holder of nearly 6 years and a regular match goer before that, having been to places such as Wembley, Cardiff, Dortmund, Istanbul and Athens with Liverpool, I have seen some great matches and some great players. For your enjoyment only reader here is my top 10 list of players that I have seen during my short time as a Liverpool fan.
10. Pepe Reina
190 appearances, 96 clean sheets. 2005-present day.
Pepe signed for Liverpool in July of 2005 and his debut for Liverpool was during the 1st round of Champions League qualifiers against the Welsh outfit, Total Network Solutions which Liverpool won 3-0, a clean sheet for Pepe and it is safe to say that has set something of a precedent. Hailed by Rafa as “the best goalkeeper in Spain” when he was signed, he safely gone a long way to becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world. His first season at Anfield was probably his best, coming here and smashing a club record by keeping an 11th consecutive clean sheet in the 3-0 rout against Deportivo Saprissa in the World Club Championships. Not only did he break a previous club record that season but he also ended the season on a high with an FA Cup Final appearance against West Ham United, although making a series of errors in normal time allowing West Ham to take a lead, Pepe became the hero during the penalty shootout, saving the penalty against Anton Ferdinand allowing Liverpool to lift the FA Cup for a 7th time. Pepe Reina has been the only goalkeeper Liverpool have had while I have been a supporter that I have had any confidence in, and I think that justifies his position in my top 10.
9. Markus Babbel
73 appearances, 6 goals. 2000-2004.
Markus Babbel arrived at Anfield on a Bosman-style free transfer in the summer of 2000 from Bayern Munich, playing an integral role in the German giants completing a domestic League and Cup double in his final season there. Scorer of memorable goals and amazing, bombarding runs during that fantastic 2000-01 campaign which saw us bring 3 trophies back to Anfield, Markus Babbel played a vital part in the successes of that season. Babbel was an outstanding and attacking right back and will be remembered by Liverpool fans for his derby goal against Everton and when he scored in the UEFA Cup Final win over Alaves in Dortmund. Unfortunately for Markus and for Liverpool, after picking up five medals and adding a new dimension to Liverpool’s play the following season he was diagnosed with the potentially deadly virus Guillain-Barre Syndrome which practically ended his Liverpool and footballing career. I was going to include Steve Finnan in this little chart but thinking back to some of Babbel’s performances in a red shirt, I think he shades Finnan in terms of being a better player and the cruel way in which his career was ended and I am choosing that over Steve Finnan’s longevity.
8. Gary McAllister
87 appearances, 9 goals. 2000-2002.
Gary McAllister is a true Kop hero that will never be forgotten. Like Markus Babbel he played an integral part during that famous 2000/01 treble winning campaign, scoring some extremely important goals, none more so than that penalty against Barcelona in the UEFA Cup semi final at Anfield that sent Liverpool through to the final in Dortmund. Also that season Gary McAllister came off the bench to set up Michael Owen’s winner in the FA Cup Final at Cardiff. Whilst these are great achievements, the moment he will always be remembered for by all Liverpool fans was Monday, April 16th at Goodison Park. 94 minutes were on the clock, the score was 2-2, Liverpool had a free-kick and from 44-yards out McAllister struck a superb free-kick into the net to send the Red half of Merseyside into complete delirium, many have said this was the turning point in that great season. Gary McAllister started the 2001/02 season the same way he finished the 2000/01 season, scoring a penalty in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Charity Shield. McAllister ended his Liverpool career with an emotional farewell at Anfield with a substitute appearance in the 5-0 victory over Ipswich with the Kop standing to applaud him and chanting: “What a waste of money!” to a man who in such a short space of time done so much to shape a lot of Liverpool’s recent history.
7. Xabi Alonso
195 appearances, 15 goals. 2004-present day.
One of Rafa’s first signings Xabi Alonso has played a vital role in recent successes of winning the European Cup in 2004/05 and the FA Cup in 2005/06. Known around Anfield for his marvellous range of passing and his famous goals from inside his own half, Xabi Alonso is a cultured player who has brought a lot of class to the current Liverpool team. When Xabi eventually leaves Liverpool he will be remembered for his goals against Luton Town in the FA Cup and Newcastle United in the Premiership, both of which he scored from his own half. Xabi Alonso currently finds himself in the form of his Liverpool career, and he has also some memorable achievements this season scoring the only goal in the 1-0 victory away to Chelsea which ended their 86-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge. According to Opta stats Xabi was also the first player of the 2008/09 season to make 1000 successful passes, a piece of useless trivia but something that certifies most Liverpool fans opinions that Xabi Alonso is one of the best passers of the modern game.
6. Michael Owen
297 appearances, 158 goals. 1997-2004.
Remarkably, Michael Owen is the only player in Liverpool’s history to receive the prestigious Ballon D’Or (European Footballer of the Year) award, which he received in December 2001. The fact that Michael Owen was Liverpool’s top scorer every season between 1998 to his departure in 2004 is testament to his goalscoring ability. He really burst onto the scene in 1998 with his goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and England, and his reputation enhanced season upon season, but it was probably in the 2000/01 season when Owen’s career really took off, his 2 goals against Roma in the UEFA Cup were followed by 2 goals against Arsenal in the FA Cup and that cemented his reputation as one of the best strikers in Europe. He is one of the best goalscorers that Liverpool has ever had and his exploits allowed him to overtake the great Roger Hunt in Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring charts. It is just a shame that Michael left in the way he did so that he could win the European Cup with Real Madrid, he should’ve signed for that Liverpool I heard that they won the European Cup the year he left. Oh well.
5. Dietmar Hamann
283 appearances, 11 goals. 1999-2006.
Affectionately nicknamed “The Kaiser” by those on the Kop, Dietmar Hamann is surely one of the greatest imports ever made by the club. Didi will be remembered by most in the country as the last player to score a goal at the old Wembley with a 30-yard thunderbolt of a free kick against England in a World Cup qualifier in 2002, but that is not so for Liverpool fans. He was an extremely influential figure during his 7 years at Anfield, and played a part in the 2000/01 treble winning season, the 2004/05 European Cup triumph against AC Milan in Istanbul and the FA Cup winning side against West Ham United in 2005/06. Although he was suffering a broken toe during the European Cup final, Didi came on for Steve Finnan started the monumental rally for Liverpool who were 3-0 down against AC Milan. He also showed a great amount of courage as he took and converted the first Liverpool penalty with his broken foot. Hamann again played a vital role from the bench in Cardiff in 2006, coming on as a substitute in the second-half. Again Didi took and converted the first penalty of the shootout which ended in a Liverpool victory and another trophy heading back to Anfield. Didi now plays for Manchester City and on the 2 occasions he’s played against Liverpool at Anfield he has received a hero’s welcome from the Kop, a true great.
4. Sami Hyypia
461 appearances, 35 goals. 1999-present day.
Oh Sami, Sami. Bought by Liverpool for £2.6 million in 1999, Sami very quickly became an Anfield favourite forming a rock-solid partnership with Stephane Henchoz at the heart of the Liverpool defence, something which Liverpool had been lacking for nearly a decade. During the 2000/01 campaign, Sami shared the captaincy with Robbie Fowler during the full-time captain’s (Jamie Redknapp) long injury lay-off. That season saw 5 trophies come to Anfield, and Hyypia was quickly made the full-time captain the following season. Hyypia was succeeded as Liverpool captain by Steven Gerrard in 2003 even though Hyypia was still a regular in the side, the only trophy Liverpool won under Hyypia’s captaincy was a 2-0 Worthington Cup win over Manchester United at Cardiff. In the same year, Hyypia received a red card against Manchester United, the only red of his career. Hyypia was later quoted as to saying, “Van Nistelrooy was going through and maybe I took his shirt a little bit but it was never a sending off. But the referee thought so. I got a straight red card. They got a penalty. It was an agony to watch the game in the dressing room. The only red card of my career. But what more can you expect? It was at Old Trafford and they weren’t going to beat us otherwise, so the referee had to do it. These are the things that you remember.” This endeared him further to the Liverpool fans. Hyypia also played vital roles in the 2005 European Cup and 2006 FA Cup triumphs, this time with a new central defence partner, Jamie Carragher. His exploits hadn’t gone unnoticed back home in Finland where he has been voted Finnish Player of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. The arrival of young centre-halves Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel have provided competition for places as Sami has entered his twilight and this could possibly be his last season in a Liverpool shirt but he has continued to climb the club’s all-time appearance table and now finds himself in the top 20. History will judge Sami to be one of our best and shrewdest buys as his medals collection is now into double figures – Liverpool’s very own BFG.
3. Robbie Fowler
369 appearances, 183 goals. 1993-2001, 2006-2007.
My hero when I was growing up. Now Robbie is the 4th highest Premiership goalscorer of all time, and he is truly one of the great finishers of our time. Mark Bosnich once said of Robbie, “The truly great strikers hit the target 9 times out of 10, the difference between them and Robbie Fowler is that not only does he hit the target 9 times out of 10, he finds the corner 9 times out of 10.” Of Toxteth, Robbie was certainly one of us in the sense that he was a Scouser but growing up he was an Evertonian, yet all that was soon to change once he pulled on the red shirt of Liverpool. His early career at Liverpool was nothing short of phenomenal, he scored his first goal on his debut for Liverpool in a first leg Coca-Cola cup game against Fulham in 1993, yet in the return leg at Anfield he scored 5 goals, he scored his first hat-trick in only his 5th league game against Southampton and his first 13 games for Liverpool yielded 14 goals. In the 1994/95 season, Fowler was an ever-present for Liverpool and this was a season which included the victory in the 1995 League Cup final over Bolton Wanderers, and a match against Arsenal in which he scored a hat-trick in 4 minutes and 33 seconds, still to this day a Premiership record. Throughout the mid and late 1990s, Robbie was now widely considered to be the most natural finisher playing in England, Fowler sealed this reputation as he scored more than 30 goals for three consecutive seasons, 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97. During the 1996/97 season he won a UEFA Fair Play award for admitting that he had not been fouled by, Arsenal goalkeeper, David Seaman at Highbury after a penalty had been given. After unsuccessfully trying to convince the referee to change his decision about the penalty Fowler took it tamely and Seaman saved. Robbie was made joint captain with Sami Hyypia and also scored 17 goals in the famous 2000/01 treble-winning season, scoring a hat-trick en-route in an 8-0 demolition of Stoke City. However, the following season would mark an end to his first spell at Liverpool, much to the dismay of the Liverpool fans who had nicknamed Robbie, “God”, but he still left for Leeds United for £11 million in November 2001. Even though he had left Liverpool, Robbie was still a regular match-goer at Anfield whenever he had the chance, and he was spotted in the crowd in Istanbul. However, Robbie’s Liverpool fairytale was not over, Fowler sensationally returned to Liverpool in 2006 on a free transfer from Manchester City, and on his return against Birmingham City at Anfield he received at standing ovation from all four corners of Anfield, including the Birmingham fans. His year and half second spell at Liverpool saw him overtake the great Kenny Dalglish in Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts and pick up a European Cup runners-up medal, he left Liverpool on 1st July 2007 becoming a free agent and achieving his wish of giving the Liverpool fans a proper goodbye. Just a shame we never got to see him “munching the grass” against Everton again.
2. Jamie Carragher
560 appearances, 5 goals. 1997-present day.
What hasn’t been written about Jamie Carragher? One of the longest-serving players of our history, Carragher made his 500th appearance for Liverpool in all competitions on 15 January 2008 at Anfield in the FA cup against Luton Town and was given a guard of honour and made captain at the request of Steven Gerrard. Like Robbie Fowler, he is another staunch-Liverpool fan who grew up as an Evertonian. He is a player that was underrated by most during Gerard Houllier’s reign at Anfield, primarily used at right-back his only two stand-out incidents being a converted penalty during the shootout of the Worthington Cup final in 2001 against Birmingham and receiving an fine from the FA after throwing back a coin into the Arsenal crowd at Highbury after it was threw at him. However, when Rafael Benitez took the reins at Liverpool, he moved Jamie into a central role in defence and he has been regarded as one of the clubs greatest ever since. A man who gives everything for the cause, one moment that will live with Liverpool fans will be during extra time in Istanbul and Jamie going down with cramp. AC Milan were on the attack and Carragher flung himself to stop the attack which broke down, Carragher stayed on the floor and looked in agony only to drag himself up and fling himself in front of another attack to brake it down. It is this never-say-die attitude which most people will associate with Jamie Carragher, either that or not being able to understand a word he is saying! He has endeared himself to Liverpool fans during an interview where it was claimed that he could win more trophies elsewhere, to which he just looked totally confused. Another incident which endeared himself further to Liverpool fans was when he retired from England and during the radio show Talksport the presenter claimed him to be “a bottler”, to which Carra phoned up and asked the presenter if he thought he was a bottler he should come down to Melwood and they’d see who the bottler was. There was also a famous banner on the Kop during the 2004/05 European Cup winning season, “He put Nedved to bed, he kept Eidur down, now Shevchenko can’t sleep, cos Carra’s in town”. As if Carra’s illustrious career to date wasn’t enough, he wrote a new page into Kop history by becoming the first player to represent Liverpool 100 times in continental competition. Fittingly, the milestone was reached in one of Europe’s top arenas, the San Siro, as Liverpool dumped Inter Milan, the runaway leaders of Serie A, out of the Champions League.
1. Steven Gerrard
471 appearances, 111 goals. 1998-present day.
I don’t feel I need to write anything about Steven Gerrard as it has all been said. All I will say is he’s just quite simply the best player I have ever seen.
Filed under: Opinion
Paul Morgan writing for LFC Talk.
My Top 10.
In light of the recent article printed by the national newspaper The Times entitled, “The 50 Greatest Liverpool Players” there seems to have been a debate sparked amongst Liverpool fans as to who they feel are the best players to have ever pulled on the red jersey. Now unfortunately I am of the age where I never seen the greats such as Billy Liddell, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Ian Rush, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish and all that motley crew. Alas, I was born on 27th August 1989, I am but 19 years of age, born and bred Liverpudlian but I was not here during our great years – although believe you me I am told of them often. Being a season ticket holder of nearly 6 years and a regular match goer before that, having been to places such as Wembley, Cardiff, Dortmund, Istanbul and Athens with Liverpool, I have seen some great matches and some great players. For your enjoyment only reader here is my top 10 list of players that I have seen during my short time as a Liverpool fan.
10. Pepe Reina
190 appearances, 96 clean sheets. 2005-present day.
Pepe signed for Liverpool in July of 2005 and his debut for Liverpool was during the 1st round of Champions League qualifiers against the Welsh outfit, Total Network Solutions which Liverpool won 3-0, a clean sheet for Pepe and it is safe to say that has set something of a precedent. Hailed by Rafa as “the best goalkeeper in Spain” when he was signed, he safely gone a long way to becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world. His first season at Anfield was probably his best, coming here and smashing a club record by keeping an 11th consecutive clean sheet in the 3-0 rout against Deportivo Saprissa in the World Club Championships. Not only did he break a previous club record that season but he also ended the season on a high with an FA Cup Final appearance against West Ham United, although making a series of errors in normal time allowing West Ham to take a lead, Pepe became the hero during the penalty shootout, saving the penalty against Anton Ferdinand allowing Liverpool to lift the FA Cup for a 7th time. Pepe Reina has been the only goalkeeper Liverpool have had while I have been a supporter that I have had any confidence in, and I think that justifies his position in my top 10.
9. Markus Babbel
73 appearances, 6 goals. 2000-2004.
Markus Babbel arrived at Anfield on a Bosman-style free transfer in the summer of 2000 from Bayern Munich, playing an integral role in the German giants completing a domestic League and Cup double in his final season there. Scorer of memorable goals and amazing, bombarding runs during that fantastic 2000-01 campaign which saw us bring 3 trophies back to Anfield, Markus Babbel played a vital part in the successes of that season. Babbel was an outstanding and attacking right back and will be remembered by Liverpool fans for his derby goal against Everton and when he scored in the UEFA Cup Final win over Alaves in Dortmund. Unfortunately for Markus and for Liverpool, after picking up five medals and adding a new dimension to Liverpool’s play the following season he was diagnosed with the potentially deadly virus Guillain-Barre Syndrome which practically ended his Liverpool and footballing career. I was going to include Steve Finnan in this little chart but thinking back to some of Babbel’s performances in a red shirt, I think he shades Finnan in terms of being a better player and the cruel way in which his career was ended and I am choosing that over Steve Finnan’s longevity.
8. Gary McAllister
87 appearances, 9 goals. 2000-2002.
Gary McAllister is a true Kop hero that will never be forgotten. Like Markus Babbel he played an integral part during that famous 2000/01 treble winning campaign, scoring some extremely important goals, none more so than that penalty against Barcelona in the UEFA Cup semi final at Anfield that sent Liverpool through to the final in Dortmund. Also that season Gary McAllister came off the bench to set up Michael Owen’s winner in the FA Cup Final at Cardiff. Whilst these are great achievements, the moment he will always be remembered for by all Liverpool fans was Monday, April 16th at Goodison Park. 94 minutes were on the clock, the score was 2-2, Liverpool had a free-kick and from 44-yards out McAllister struck a superb free-kick into the net to send the Red half of Merseyside into complete delirium, many have said this was the turning point in that great season. Gary McAllister started the 2001/02 season the same way he finished the 2000/01 season, scoring a penalty in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Charity Shield. McAllister ended his Liverpool career with an emotional farewell at Anfield with a substitute appearance in the 5-0 victory over Ipswich with the Kop standing to applaud him and chanting: “What a waste of money!” to a man who in such a short space of time done so much to shape a lot of Liverpool’s recent history.
7. Xabi Alonso
195 appearances, 15 goals. 2004-present day.
One of Rafa’s first signings Xabi Alonso has played a vital role in recent successes of winning the European Cup in 2004/05 and the FA Cup in 2005/06. Known around Anfield for his marvellous range of passing and his famous goals from inside his own half, Xabi Alonso is a cultured player who has brought a lot of class to the current Liverpool team. When Xabi eventually leaves Liverpool he will be remembered for his goals against Luton Town in the FA Cup and Newcastle United in the Premiership, both of which he scored from his own half. Xabi Alonso currently finds himself in the form of his Liverpool career, and he has also some memorable achievements this season scoring the only goal in the 1-0 victory away to Chelsea which ended their 86-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge. According to Opta stats Xabi was also the first player of the 2008/09 season to make 1000 successful passes, a piece of useless trivia but something that certifies most Liverpool fans opinions that Xabi Alonso is one of the best passers of the modern game.
6. Michael Owen
297 appearances, 158 goals. 1997-2004.
Remarkably, Michael Owen is the only player in Liverpool’s history to receive the prestigious Ballon D’Or (European Footballer of the Year) award, which he received in December 2001. The fact that Michael Owen was Liverpool’s top scorer every season between 1998 to his departure in 2004 is testament to his goalscoring ability. He really burst onto the scene in 1998 with his goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and England, and his reputation enhanced season upon season, but it was probably in the 2000/01 season when Owen’s career really took off, his 2 goals against Roma in the UEFA Cup were followed by 2 goals against Arsenal in the FA Cup and that cemented his reputation as one of the best strikers in Europe. He is one of the best goalscorers that Liverpool has ever had and his exploits allowed him to overtake the great Roger Hunt in Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring charts. It is just a shame that Michael left in the way he did so that he could win the European Cup with Real Madrid, he should’ve signed for that Liverpool I heard that they won the European Cup the year he left. Oh well.
5. Dietmar Hamann
283 appearances, 11 goals. 1999-2006.
Affectionately nicknamed “The Kaiser” by those on the Kop, Dietmar Hamann is surely one of the greatest imports ever made by the club. Didi will be remembered by most in the country as the last player to score a goal at the old Wembley with a 30-yard thunderbolt of a free kick against England in a World Cup qualifier in 2002, but that is not so for Liverpool fans. He was an extremely influential figure during his 7 years at Anfield, and played a part in the 2000/01 treble winning season, the 2004/05 European Cup triumph against AC Milan in Istanbul and the FA Cup winning side against West Ham United in 2005/06. Although he was suffering a broken toe during the European Cup final, Didi came on for Steve Finnan started the monumental rally for Liverpool who were 3-0 down against AC Milan. He also showed a great amount of courage as he took and converted the first Liverpool penalty with his broken foot. Hamann again played a vital role from the bench in Cardiff in 2006, coming on as a substitute in the second-half. Again Didi took and converted the first penalty of the shootout which ended in a Liverpool victory and another trophy heading back to Anfield. Didi now plays for Manchester City and on the 2 occasions he’s played against Liverpool at Anfield he has received a hero’s welcome from the Kop, a true great.
4. Sami Hyypia
461 appearances, 35 goals. 1999-present day.
Oh Sami, Sami. Bought by Liverpool for £2.6 million in 1999, Sami very quickly became an Anfield favourite forming a rock-solid partnership with Stephane Henchoz at the heart of the Liverpool defence, something which Liverpool had been lacking for nearly a decade. During the 2000/01 campaign, Sami shared the captaincy with Robbie Fowler during the full-time captain’s (Jamie Redknapp) long injury lay-off. That season saw 5 trophies come to Anfield, and Hyypia was quickly made the full-time captain the following season. Hyypia was succeeded as Liverpool captain by Steven Gerrard in 2003 even though Hyypia was still a regular in the side, the only trophy Liverpool won under Hyypia’s captaincy was a 2-0 Worthington Cup win over Manchester United at Cardiff. In the same year, Hyypia received a red card against Manchester United, the only red of his career. Hyypia was later quoted as to saying, “Van Nistelrooy was going through and maybe I took his shirt a little bit but it was never a sending off. But the referee thought so. I got a straight red card. They got a penalty. It was an agony to watch the game in the dressing room. The only red card of my career. But what more can you expect? It was at Old Trafford and they weren’t going to beat us otherwise, so the referee had to do it. These are the things that you remember.” This endeared him further to the Liverpool fans. Hyypia also played vital roles in the 2005 European Cup and 2006 FA Cup triumphs, this time with a new central defence partner, Jamie Carragher. His exploits hadn’t gone unnoticed back home in Finland where he has been voted Finnish Player of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. The arrival of young centre-halves Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel have provided competition for places as Sami has entered his twilight and this could possibly be his last season in a Liverpool shirt but he has continued to climb the club’s all-time appearance table and now finds himself in the top 20. History will judge Sami to be one of our best and shrewdest buys as his medals collection is now into double figures – Liverpool’s very own BFG.
3. Robbie Fowler
369 appearances, 183 goals. 1993-2001, 2006-2007.
My hero when I was growing up. Now Robbie is the 4th highest Premiership goalscorer of all time, and he is truly one of the great finishers of our time. Mark Bosnich once said of Robbie, “The truly great strikers hit the target 9 times out of 10, the difference between them and Robbie Fowler is that not only does he hit the target 9 times out of 10, he finds the corner 9 times out of 10.” Of Toxteth, Robbie was certainly one of us in the sense that he was a Scouser but growing up he was an Evertonian, yet all that was soon to change once he pulled on the red shirt of Liverpool. His early career at Liverpool was nothing short of phenomenal, he scored his first goal on his debut for Liverpool in a first leg Coca-Cola cup game against Fulham in 1993, yet in the return leg at Anfield he scored 5 goals, he scored his first hat-trick in only his 5th league game against Southampton and his first 13 games for Liverpool yielded 14 goals. In the 1994/95 season, Fowler was an ever-present for Liverpool and this was a season which included the victory in the 1995 League Cup final over Bolton Wanderers, and a match against Arsenal in which he scored a hat-trick in 4 minutes and 33 seconds, still to this day a Premiership record. Throughout the mid and late 1990s, Robbie was now widely considered to be the most natural finisher playing in England, Fowler sealed this reputation as he scored more than 30 goals for three consecutive seasons, 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1996/97. During the 1996/97 season he won a UEFA Fair Play award for admitting that he had not been fouled by, Arsenal goalkeeper, David Seaman at Highbury after a penalty had been given. After unsuccessfully trying to convince the referee to change his decision about the penalty Fowler took it tamely and Seaman saved. Robbie was made joint captain with Sami Hyypia and also scored 17 goals in the famous 2000/01 treble-winning season, scoring a hat-trick en-route in an 8-0 demolition of Stoke City. However, the following season would mark an end to his first spell at Liverpool, much to the dismay of the Liverpool fans who had nicknamed Robbie, “God”, but he still left for Leeds United for £11 million in November 2001. Even though he had left Liverpool, Robbie was still a regular match-goer at Anfield whenever he had the chance, and he was spotted in the crowd in Istanbul. However, Robbie’s Liverpool fairytale was not over, Fowler sensationally returned to Liverpool in 2006 on a free transfer from Manchester City, and on his return against Birmingham City at Anfield he received at standing ovation from all four corners of Anfield, including the Birmingham fans. His year and half second spell at Liverpool saw him overtake the great Kenny Dalglish in Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts and pick up a European Cup runners-up medal, he left Liverpool on 1st July 2007 becoming a free agent and achieving his wish of giving the Liverpool fans a proper goodbye. Just a shame we never got to see him “munching the grass” against Everton again.
2. Jamie Carragher
560 appearances, 5 goals. 1997-present day.
What hasn’t been written about Jamie Carragher? One of the longest-serving players of our history, Carragher made his 500th appearance for Liverpool in all competitions on 15 January 2008 at Anfield in the FA cup against Luton Town and was given a guard of honour and made captain at the request of Steven Gerrard. Like Robbie Fowler, he is another staunch-Liverpool fan who grew up as an Evertonian. He is a player that was underrated by most during Gerard Houllier’s reign at Anfield, primarily used at right-back his only two stand-out incidents being a converted penalty during the shootout of the Worthington Cup final in 2001 against Birmingham and receiving an fine from the FA after throwing back a coin into the Arsenal crowd at Highbury after it was threw at him. However, when Rafael Benitez took the reins at Liverpool, he moved Jamie into a central role in defence and he has been regarded as one of the clubs greatest ever since. A man who gives everything for the cause, one moment that will live with Liverpool fans will be during extra time in Istanbul and Jamie going down with cramp. AC Milan were on the attack and Carragher flung himself to stop the attack which broke down, Carragher stayed on the floor and looked in agony only to drag himself up and fling himself in front of another attack to brake it down. It is this never-say-die attitude which most people will associate with Jamie Carragher, either that or not being able to understand a word he is saying! He has endeared himself to Liverpool fans during an interview where it was claimed that he could win more trophies elsewhere, to which he just looked totally confused. Another incident which endeared himself further to Liverpool fans was when he retired from England and during the radio show Talksport the presenter claimed him to be “a bottler”, to which Carra phoned up and asked the presenter if he thought he was a bottler he should come down to Melwood and they’d see who the bottler was. There was also a famous banner on the Kop during the 2004/05 European Cup winning season, “He put Nedved to bed, he kept Eidur down, now Shevchenko can’t sleep, cos Carra’s in town”. As if Carra’s illustrious career to date wasn’t enough, he wrote a new page into Kop history by becoming the first player to represent Liverpool 100 times in continental competition. Fittingly, the milestone was reached in one of Europe’s top arenas, the San Siro, as Liverpool dumped Inter Milan, the runaway leaders of Serie A, out of the Champions League.
1. Steven Gerrard
471 appearances, 111 goals. 1998-present day.
I don’t feel I need to write anything about Steven Gerrard as it has all been said. All I will say is he’s just quite simply the best player I have ever seen.
Filed under: Opinion
Just which club is obsessed with the other…is it us or is it United?
Now we’re finally in a title race, unsurprisingly against them, they appear to be doing a hell of a lot more talking about us than in recent years. Is this a sign of concern that we might stop them matching our record? A record that their very own manager appears hellbent on matching, along with our haul of European Cups too. So is that where it all comes from?
Rafa Benitez earlier this season went on record as saying he believed Alex Ferguson and his team had an unfair advantage. This was subsequently labelled a ‘rant’ by United fans along with several sections of the media. I think they should probably have a closer look at the definition of that word:
‘rant’ – to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave: The demagogue ranted for hours.
The fact (a word long attached to this situation) of the matter is that Benitez’s press conference that day was a long way from being a ‘rant’. The Spaniard walked into that press conference with a pre-written document that outlined several circumstances whereby Alex Ferguson had walked away punishment free, where others would’ve surely been punished.
Mind-games? No. Definitely not. As our manager said, it was too soon in the season for that and also not strictly our managers style – subsequent outbursts appear to have confirmed that!
But is all this the result of a mutual obsession? Is Benitez becoming obsessed with toppling United? I’d say not. He may not have tasted victory over United until this season, in the league, but he never appeared to become distracted by that stumbling block. He seems to just want to beat everyone, which is certainly in keeping with Bill Shankly’s ethos that this club was built upon.
If you’re looking for obsession from either camp, the top candidate is certainly Alex Ferguson. Throughout his time at the Old Trafford helm he has made it clear that he wishes to overhaul Liverpool’s trophy haul in terms of championships and European Cups. It seems to be all that stands between him and retirement. He also claimed to have “knocked Liverpool off their fucking perch”. Although an inaccurate statement, given that he didn’t actually knock anyone off “their perch”, it goes to show the respect he originally had for our club and also how highly he wishes to place his club above it.
Their fans have also become determined to overhaul our position as the most successful club in England. Thanks to sixteen years of concentrated and concerted success, they feel they have a right to be called that, but history will always dictate and we remain top of the pile thanks to 20 years of winning trophies under Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish. On an aside, it stands as a great testament to the efforts of those managers and their teams of the 60s, 70s and 80s that their achievements still keep us as the most successful club in the land. Despite the mass haul of trophies that Ferguson and his sides have won, they remain behind us. It must really grate on them.
But while it is easy to point at United and say that they are the one’s obsessed, our fans can also be viewed in the same way.
Since 1992-93, Manchester United have won ten titles and have been watched enviously by Liverpool supporters old and new. Fans of many clubs have agreed that the monopoly has become boring and dull, which you would think would lead them to back us in this season’s title race, but it seems the knives are out for us. I can’t answer why that is other than presuming that the majority of people are happy to be herded like sheep.
That dominance of Manchester United has stirred a great amount of envy and resentment in equal measure from Anfield (and also Highbury/The Emirates). An entire generation of Liverpool supporters has no idea what it is like to see their club win the title, which is a tragedy given the history and passion of this great club. Fortunately for me, I caught the tail end of our success in the mid to late 80s, but I didn’t quite catch our last European Cup in 1984 – fortunately Istanbul came along – and how!!
The burning issue with these two clubs is that they have more in common that they’d probably like to admit. Each has a unerring desire and determination to sit at the top of the tree in English and European football. Each comes from an industrial area of northern England and has the extra pressure of city rivalry to add spice (as if it were needed) to the stand-off. Both sides wear the red shirt and claim the colour as their own. The public and private workings of the clubs have often been mirrored by the other, until recent years.
Who is the more obsessed club is hard to gauge, but despite looking at recent comments from the managers, it is abundantly clear that Ferguson is the more interested by the other’s club.
Everton boss David Moyes has had a dig at the local and national press after his side’s last win over Liverpool last night.
“What are you lot going to do now?” he joked.
“All those Liverpool fans, especially in the local press. The way you build that side up. I bet you’re all stunned tonight. We completely controlled the game, although neither side played especially well. After the sending off we had as much control as Liverpool did in the first game at Anfield, but we struggled to find a way through, just like they did.”
“This has been one of the proudest moments for me as a manager, of course. We’ve shown against the top four this season that we can compete with them. We drew with Arsenal, we drew with Manchester United here and we drew with Liverpool twice at Anfield. Now we’ve beaten them.”
“There is more to come, though. We’re learning and getting up to their level. The fans were desperate for a win tonight, but then so were Liverpool’s.”
Just who does he think he’s kidding exactly?
Liverpool were down to ten men, and had been for an hour before their deflected goal, and were also short of their best two attacking players – Gerrard and Torres.
Having played Everton away twice this season, sense should say to any Liverpool supporter that the three points so easily claimed at Goodison Park on September 27th last year are the more valuable when compared to this FA Cup tie.
The reaction of the Everton supporters can only be described as small-time as well – waving Gerrard off as he was substituted and their celebrations at the final whistle. No wonder Benitez called them a “small club” before if he has this kind of evidence to go on.
The defeat could be a blessing in disguise with a tight Premiership and Champions League fixture list to play in the coming months. The FA Cup is a distraction next to these two trophies – which we still have every chance of winning.
Filed under: Opinion
Much has been made of our difficulties in breaking down visitors to Anfield, and rightly so. We have seen 0-0 draws with Stoke, West Ham and Fulham and a 2-2 draw with Hull. That last mentioned draw saw us come back from 2-0 down – which is not something we’re unused to this season. We had to come back from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Wigan at Anfield and 1-0 down against Middlesbrough. Too close for comfort in fairness. We also struggled to a 1-0 win over Portsmouth, in which we needed a penalty to claim the points. In fact, the only comfortable wins we’ve seen at Anfield in the league this season have been the 3-0 dispatchings of West Brom and Bolton. The finest home victory, in terms of what was at stake was the 2-1 comeback win over Manchester United.
Our away form has been a major factor in our place in the table this season, as opposed to some previous years since Benitez took over as manager where we’ve struggled on the road.
Our finest victory away from Anfield is without doubt the 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge that ended their four year unbeaten home run. We never looked in any serious trouble that day and were starting to look the real deal in terms of the title chase. Other standout away victories have been the 5-1 hiding we dished out to Newcastle, the 2-0 win at Goodison Park over Everton (which should have been 3-0) and the 3-2 win over Manchester City, which eventually came our way after going 2-0 down. We scraped a 1-0 win over Sunderland, eventually overcame Blackburn 3-1 and finished off Bolton late on to beat them 2-0. The 0-0 draws with Stoke and Aston Villa were disappointing and we should’ve been more positive at Arsenal once they went down to ten men at 1-1. The most disappointing was the 2-1 defeat at Spurs, because we should’ve been 4-0 up after an hour or so. But that’s football for you.
The undoing of our title challenge appears to be our inability to make chances at Anfield, letalone take them and get the points.
Of the title contenders, we are one of two that haven’t lost at home this season, but that’s where the similarities begin to fade:
Manchester have won nine and drawn one of ten home games, which makes our visit to Old Trafford all the more daunting perhaps.
We have won six and drawn five of our eleven fixtures at Anfield.
Chelsea’s proud home record has been ended this season with two defeats, four draws and five wins from their eleven home ties.
Aston Villa have lost just once at Villa Park and drawn and won in equal measure with five of each.
Arsenal have also lost twice at The Emirates this season, but have only drawn twice and won seven times from eleven.
Daniel Agger has been the subject of much speculation this month, with AC Milan lurking and ready to swoop for his signature.
The Danish defender has failed to recapture the form of his early days in the Red shirt, but he has still performed well at the heart of the Reds defence. His position in the side has come under intense pressure from the emergence of Martin Skrtel and the renaissance of Sami Hyypia’s career.
AC Milan have reportedly failed with an approach already and are still rumoured to be readying a bid in the region of £8m. This has been scoffed at by Liverpool supporters everywhere, but a touch of realism is required here. Milan could easily wait 18 months and snap him up without a transfer fee and he’d still be a young player with more experience and time on his side. If he makes it known that he wishes to leave, our hands could be tied and a bid in that region would realistically be the best we can hope for.
But, on the flipside…the contract situation needs to be resolved. A reported offer of £60,000 a week doesn’t appear to be enough for the Danish international to be convinced to stay – so should we think that money is a higher priority than this club to him? If that were the case, we would probably be wise to sell the defender and bring in a replacement whose priority is the club’s success.
Real Madrid were reported to be interested along with both Juventus and Inter Milan, but none of these clubs have been credited with any serious inquiry or bid…which would leave Milan as the only realistic suitor, thus paving the way for them to steer clear of any bidding war.
It would appear that Benitez has earmarked Agger and Skrtel as the long-term answer to our central defence. Jamie Carragher is past 30 now and Sami Hyypia is 35, so each has his peak years behind him. The pairing of Skrtel and Agger would have a great balance – an elegant ball player and a rugged all-out defender, a right-footer and a left-footer…they would compliment eachother as Hansen & Lawrenson and Hyypia & Henchoz all did as pairings…if Agger stays that is.
Ian Rush has recently stated that he believes that the potential partnership of Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane holds the key for the club’s title challenge. But is he right?
YES
The team have struggled to break down several sides this season and have drawn five games 0-0. Were Keane and Torres paired together more often, these goalless draws would be less frequent. Despite Torres not being available for some of these fixtures, he has been available for most – and Keane for all. Each scored a very healthy amount of goals last season (Keane for Spurs) and has proven himself capable of hitting the net consistently at the top level. Is this not reason enough to play them both?
If Robbie Keane was signed without a partnership with Torres in mind – why was he signed at all? Could the £20m not have been better used elsewhere in the side?
Manchester United have got goals coming from Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez. Whereas we can only rely on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres – and heavily at that.
Should we not give a proven goalscorer and provider more opportunities and time?
NO
Last season a shift from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 clearly improved our fortunes, and we’ve played our best football with this system again this season.
Steven Gerrard playing in behind Fernando Torres has produced plenty of goals and opportunities and should be the setup we use to make a title push.
The extra security of having two holding midfielders give us a tighter backline and more chance of keeping a cleansheet. Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso provide a good balance in the depths of midfield with a nice combination of the Argentine’s tackling and breakup play with the Spaniard’s tempo control and classy passing.
Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane have not looked like hitting it off so far, albeit in nine games, and with the title run-in approaching we cannot afford to give them more time when this system clearly works.
Filed under: Opinion
A problem I have with Benitez is that he seems ludicrously stubborn, not as much as Houllier in certain respects but far moreso in others. I have no idea why he didn’t improve the wide areas of our attack this Summer and am amazed that he’s dropped the 4-2-3-1 formation that bought us such an upturn in success last term as well as the best football we’ve played under his leadership.
Another issue that I will raise about him is the lack of creativity in the side. It’s always been there since he took over and he has done absolutely nothing about it. I don’t think he understands the art of attacking at all, which is highlighted by the comments made by Babel about his training ‘methods’. The guy seems obsessed with defending and cautiousness. He has made our defense very good, but it’s not as if it was a problem beforehand. Our backline is very good, but at the moment it’s not as good as either Chelsea’s or United’s. How it matches up to Arsenal’s is debatable, but they (like the top two) possess an attack that looks far more dangerous than ours…which shouldn’t be the case after our outscoring them all last season.
Which leads me to question why he has broken up that excellent understanding that Torres and Gerrard had instantly devloped. Top-class players can strike an instant rapport, it’s one of the things that makes them top-class. Robbie Keane has struggled to build an understanding with Torres. I don’t know how much of a factor our lack of quality in support of the pair is, but I’m sure it contributes enough. Also, I think Torres looks slightly pissed off about being paired with the Irishman. His body language and facial expressions don’t look like a man pleased to be playing with Keane, and I suspect he was happier being the lone striker with support from Gerrard behind. And I don’t blame him – if it ain’t broke…
Having read an article in The Independent, featuring an interview with Wenger, last weekend, I can understand why he doesn’t want to go out and buy megabucks players. He wants to build a side from scratch and make winners out of relative nobodies. It’s an admirable ethos, but it’s unlikely to succeed in this climate of money = success. They play some scintilating football at times, but they do tend to try and walk the ball into the net. They also have a lot of petulance, which I suspect may be a by-product of being told you’re a worldbeater from a young age. They are clearly suffering from Wenger’s desire to not throw money at players and have got members of their squad looking with jealousy at the wages being bandied around at rival clubs. Which, again, is no surprise as desire for success is being replaced by a desire for as much financial gain as possible in players today.
As for whether there are managers out there that could do better in the current climate at our club, I’m not sure…I don’t think we could know until we see. I’m sure there are managers that would be less stroppy than Rafa, but whether that would equal success is certainly debatable. As for names, it would depend on who would be available next Summer. I am moving closer and closer to advocating that Benitez needs to go if he fails for a fifth time to be a genuine title contender. He’s had the money and the time to make this side his – only Gerrard, Carragher and Hyypia remain from his joining the club, and at least two of those have been our most consistent players in his time with us, although Mascherano, Reina and Torres fit into that bracket also. What that represents is the fact that Benitez has installed a world-class spine to our side, which is his best achievement of all in terms of squad development. Unfortunately, he has failed miserably to bring our wide areas to the same standard.
What worries me is that his Champions League success has clouded Premiership judgement. The guy clearly has a knack at succeeding in knockout football – we’re a very hard side to beat. Which is another testament to our defensive quality. But we are also a side that struggles to break sides down. When a team ‘parks the bus’, we lack the creative spark to get in behind them. While Xabi Alonso is capable of world-class assists, he’s sorely lacking in results in that department. His lack of end product, combined with the lack of wingers that provide opportunities for our strikers has seen, firstly, an over-reliance on Gerrard under Benitez. That burden has been stretched to Torres as well, but it shouldn’t be the case in a team with our ambitions and aspirations. Manchester United have Ronaldo, Scholes, Tevez, Rooney and now Berbatov who can all be deemed regular matchwinners. Although we are yet to see the Bulgarian do so in a United shirt. Chelsea are another side that spreads the responsibility and have Lampard, Drogba, Joe Cole, Ballack and Deco chipping in with matchwinning moments and performances. In terms of forwards we only have the aforementioned pair. And that is one of the main factors that sees us behind these sides. Ok, if we had the money maybe we could add top-class players to share this burden, but would Benitez be signing them or would he be obsessing over getting in defensively sound players for every position..?!
I don’t want Benitez to leave now, quite the opposite, I want him to be a success and take us to the title that we desperately crave. But wanting something and believing it is going to happen are two different things. I am proud of the way he has taken to the club’s ethos and traditions and tried to uphold them during his time with us, but I worry that these ideals are becoming dated and are factors that hold us back in this cut-throat business. I also doubt very much whether any manager could take us to the title when our rivals at the top have so much more money than we have and are pulling further and further away with every home game played and every megabucks promotion in the far east. But I also think that we could be closer than we are given that you can only have eleven players on the football pitch at any one time. Benitez has got a spine in our side that matches any team in the game, but the same old problem remains that our full-back and wing options fall a long way short of matching the very best…and that is a major factor in keeping us behind them.
All-in-all, I think that if we fail to get closer to the title this season then Benitez may well have to go. Perhaps that is based on frustration with the poor quality of our football so far this so far, or perhaps it’s a decision based on his inability to bring in the ‘finishing touch’ players that would take us to the next level…I’m not entirely sure. But it is difficult to see who could come in and do a better job with the Americans and Parry hampering us at every junction. The grass isn’t always greener and the only way we’d find out is by hopping the fence and having a stroll in the meadow. But it’d be a big risk finding out.
Filed under: Opinion
Albert Riera is set to complete his long-protracted move to Anfield this weekend from Spanish club Espanyol and many will be hoping that the former Manchester City winger will be the solution to a problem that has dominated our early season form.
After the signing of Irish striker Robbie Keane the Reds have reverted to a 4-4-2 formation for each of the four fixtures so far this season. But the £19m man has failed to make an impact and part of that can be attributed to the woeful lack of quality coming from the flanks.
Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt have started every game on the wings so far this season. The Israel captain has featured on the left with the Dutchman on the right. Neither has provided a single cross of note in any of the four games so far this season and the service into the front pair has been practically non-existent…and it cannot continue. In fairness to both these players, neither is a natural winger but both have an uncanny knack of making runs into the centre of the pitch and causing congestion and a formation so narrow that many attacks are stifled by a total lack of space and service.
And all the while these two are congesting the central areas, neither full-back has taken the opportunity to occupy the space in the wide areas opened up by the central traffic. Personally, I am not encouraged by the start made by Andrea Dossena but am giving him the time you have to with a new signing. But I am not so easy on Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa, who has been here much longer and has failed to match the early form he showed, notably against Barcelona in the Champions League where he kept the best winger around quiet in Lionel Messi. Arbeloa was reported to be homesick earlier this Summer and was rumoured to be hankering after a move back to La Liga with Sevilla lurking with a potential bid. I would have gladly taken that because I don’t feel he is our best option at right-back and still prefer Irishman Steve Finnan despite his age and injury concerns.
At the end of last season the wide areas were identified by many as our problem and a reason we didn’t manage to make a sustainable title challenge last season. Rafael Benitez was quoted as admitting as much before the melee of the transfer window began. John Arne Riise was sold after his worst season at the club, by a distance, and was quickly replaced by unknown Italian Andrea Dossena after Swiss right-back Philipp Degen had been secured on a Bosman free from Borussia Dortmund. Despite Dossena’s £8m pricetag and glowing reference from Fabio Capello, Kopites cannot be blamed for being cautious over the left-back’s signing. He’s come with a reputation for collecting bookings, dismissals and suspensions in Serie A and was reported to be defensively fragile despite his bulky physique. Also having only one national cap, which came in a friendly last season, at the age of 26 wasn’t the most encouraging statistic to arrive with, letalone being an unknown quantity. But after seeing the rest of the top four glean much success from full-backs with an attacking verve (Cole, Clichy and Evra) many were hoping that Benitez had secured a similar figure for the club. The early signs are not encouraging me that we’ve managed to match these quality players, but these are early days for him.
The Robbie Keane signing has excited and confused in equal measure. After seeming desperate to sign Gareth Barry, so much so that Rafa was happy to try and sell Xabi Alonso, the Spanish manager went out and spent nearly £20m on a striker that many will feel we did not need. A 4-2-3-1 formation was a revelation last season and went a long way to salvaging a dire first-half to the season for the Reds. Gerrard and Torres had struck an understanding that only world-class talents can, and the Dutch pair of Babel and Kuyt were operating well from the flanks, chipping in with some key goals. And despite combining to see off the threat of Liege this week, neither has flourished in a 4-4-2 formation. Babel, away at the Olympics until recently, is not a defensively strong player and benefitted from the addition of an extra defensive midfielder in last season’s formation. While Kuyt, who can defend all day long, benefitted from being in a more advanced attacking position which saw him maintain a wider position than the current 4-4-2 has seen. All this confusion over positions and roles in the side has seen Keane look woeful in his opening appearances at the club. The frontman hasn’t come close to scoring, and I cannot even remember a single decent chance for him so far, despite looking absolutely desperate to open his account for his boyhood club. I would say that is a major problem for him – he looks like he is trying far too hard to impress. Once he gets his first I am sure he will settle, but it’s not likely to come any time soon with the confusion in the side. Were he getting any kind of decent service or support from the ‘wingers’ then perhaps he would have had more luck in terms of chances and goals, but both Benayoun and Kuyt have looked desperate themselves – desperate to get as central as possible and nullify any space in the wide areas.
Personally, I would have spent the £20m odd that Keane cost on a quality winger or two. Another Spanish winger that we’ve previously been linked with is Valencia’s Joaquin, who has been linked with Blackburn this Summer. I would have thought that the right-winger would be available at around the £10m and would represent a much better proposition than Riera. He has plenty of international and European experience and showed so much potential as a young player that I think he is well worth a punt this Summer and has been for years now.
But most of all…I would have done nothing to jeopardise the 4-2-3-1 formation that bought us so much improvement last season.
Filed under: Opinion
Looking ahead to a new season can be a mixed bag for a Liverpool supporter. On one hand we have the potential, and hope, to be a genuine title challenger, but on the other we are on the verge of being a laughing stock to other clubs fans. The reasoning for these two opposing factors are that in the first instance, we have a team spined with some truly world-class players: Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano, Carragher and Reina. But, on the flipside, we have just had our annual title pep-talk from Steven Gerrard on how it’s “been too long” since we last challenged for the title. Many Reds grimace when the club captain comes out with one of these rallying cries, because they’ve tended to make little difference, in all fairness. We do have plenty of players that are worthy of being Premiership champions (if Darren Fletcher can win it..!), but we also have a quotient of players that many feel are clearly not good enough to be part of a side with title aspirations. It’s difficult striking a balance in this age of squad football, especially when the transfer budget available to Benitez is so much less than that his rivals have at their disposal.
Personally, I feel that the exclusive club at the top of the Premiership is in slight danger of factioning into two pairs – United/Chelsea and Arsenal/Liverpool, due to the spending power of the respective clubs. Arsenal have a manager like our own that can squeeze quality out of players, especially youngsters. But it’s not been enough for a few season’s now and the Gunners have failed to take any silverware in recent times. Also, the title race and Champions League coming down to those two sides is another possible indicator that money is talking louder than ever in this business, sorry game, that we all know and love. Chelsea and United have also started to occupy the top two positions in recent seasons, with ourselves and Arsenal left to fight out the remaining two positions. But, in fairness, Arsenal did manage to sustain a title challenge well into the new year last season and could have taken a first title since 2004.
Rafael Benitez is in a difficult position as Liverpool manager. The expectations of many fans and onlookers alike is that we should be challenging for the title. I am assuming that many base that belief on the traditions and history, more than the current on and off field capabilities of the club. In the age of squad football, Chelsea (especially) and United can afford to stockpile quality playing talent and call on them when required. We have found it a lot more difficult to attract enough quality players due to restraints on transfer fees and wages. Another factor, a major one in my book, is the constant game of catch-up being played by Rafa Benitez. Alex Ferguson has been manager of Manchester United for 22 years now, whereas Benitez has been here for a mere four. The Old Trafford boss has been planning ahead for years and is always considering his moves well in advance. He’s been able to incorporate many key aspects of development at United in his time there, whereas our manager’s plans are still in relative infancy. The continuity of having the same boss for over two decades has helped United to get into the dominant position they are with regards to Premiership football. Every Summer that arrives sees the United manager sign ‘finishing touch’ players to an already top quality squad. Benitez, on the other hand, may have spent almost as much money in his time here, but he has had to give Houllier’s squad an almost total overhaul whilst trying to keep sufficient depth to allow for injuries, suspension and the much-vaunted rotation.
This Summer Benitez has stated that he has his best squad yet at the club. And I agree. The Spaniard has made progress with each passing Summer, bar perhaps 2006, in terms of improving his team. But the one glaring omission each time, for me, is the failure to secure a top-class wide attacker. Since the defection of Steve McManaman to Real Madrid in 1999 and the failure of Harry Kewell from 2003 onwards we have sorely lacked a genuine top-quality winger. Ryan Babel certainly looks to have the potential to be a force from the flank, but hopes cannot be pinned to such a young and inexperienced player. I had hoped that a quality, not big name, wide attacker would be signed this Summer, but it looks as though another transfer window is to pass by without this remedied. My case for this new player was heightened, in my view, by the lack of quality coming from the flanks in both the Standard Liege and Sunderland fixtures in the past week. No disrespect to Yossi Benayoun or Dirk Kuyt, but neither is good enough on the wing to be a long-term option there – and by ‘long-term’ I mean this new season. The lack of width and also quality from those wide areas was alarming, even at this early stage of the season. Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane were left feeding on scraps or hopeful long-balls for far too much of those games and I don’t personally think it’s good enough. I think we need someone more dynamic for the right-wing than Kuyt, who for all his hard work is sorely lacking in cutting edge quality. Don’t get me wrong, I have so much time for the Dutchman, but I think there comes a time when pure hard work isn’t enough to keep a player in the side when his final product is below par. Benayoun is a frustrating player for much of the time, however. He is clearly capable of performing at the top level, as proved by his goals and interplay last season, but he can look painfully ordinary too often to be anything more than a highly useful squad player, in my view. After Rafa’s recent comments regarding Gareth Barry, I am concerned that if we do sign him we will be seeing him utilised on the left-wing, which would make him far too highly priced at £18m. If we did manage to sell Xabi Alonso this Summer, then I would be happy with the Villa captain coming in and partnering Javier Mascherano in the deeper midfield two, but as a left-winger he doesn’t cut it for me – least of all at nearly £20m. I recently read a comment by a Liverpool supporter in response to the idea of Barry being used on the left of midfield should he be signed. The fan in question stated that perhaps Rafa wanted to bring him in for that role to act as insurance should Andrea Dossena get caught out of position on one of his forwards runs. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions..!
In terms of how close I think we are to a genuine title challenge, I think it’s a difficult question to answer. Benitez is quite clearly a manager capable of winning titles, as demonstrated by his time at the Mestalla in Valencia, but whether he has the financial power to do so here is the major stumbling block. I think he is easily tactically astute enough, no two ways about that, but whether he can do it when signing so many second (or even third) choice transfer targets remains to be seen. I would consider it one of the most triumphant title victories in Premiership history should he achieve it. The man is doing an excellent job of keeping in touch with sides that have excessively more spending power, it’s a credit to the man that he can juggle consistent runs in the Champions League with Premiership solidarity. Of course he had the indignity of finishing fifth behind Everton in 2005, but we all know the circumstances and results of that and will not complain at how events transpired. And last season we were certainly run close by Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa throughout stages of the season. But, as usual, Rafa ensured a top four finish and a run to the Champions League semis…where only a dire own goal by John Arne Riise saw us eliminated.
I’m not convinced, and nor should I be in fairness, that our full-back options are sorted out for the new campaign. Andrea Dossena has looked neat and adventurous going forward, but aside from a superb goalline block against Rangers, he has looked quite poor defensively. Hopefully it’s early nerves and he will improve sooner rather than later. Philipp Degen does not inspire much confidence either, despite not making an appearance in a Red shirt as yet. Alvaro Arbeloa is a worrying case also. The Spaniard has done fairly well in his time at Anfield, but rumours of homesickness and a hankering for a move to Sevilla is a concern. Steve Finnan looks to be on the downward slope, but is still our best full-back in my opinion. Fabio Aurelio appears to be made from glass and when he starts to get into form, he always seems to get injured. Hopefully time will prove our full-back options to be sufficient, but my gut feeling is not optimistic.
My expectations for the season are another credible showing in Europe and the standard top four finish. I would also like to see a domestic trophy in the cabinet if we fail to secure one of the ‘big two’ cups.
My top six prediction:
1 – Chelsea
2 – Man Utd
3 – Liverpool
4 – Arsenal
5 – Aston Villa
6 – Spurs
