[wahh?]

Even though we (liverpool) haven't been playing at our best, we've been grinding out results and are still undefeated in the league. Injuries have hampered us this season, and I really hope Agger comes back soon, because Hyypia is dreadful. I'm realistic and I'll say we won't win the league this year, but I hope we come close and improve next year. Anyway, Bolton next and I think we'll win that match.

[au_revior]

Yeah man, but as a liverpool fan we should be optimistic, we've been scoring goals a lot lately although, well lets just say we created a lot of chances but sometimes failed to score the easy goal. Arsenal might be sitting pretty on the top BUT come the African Cup then they will definitely have a few important players absent ( if they didn't forsake their international duties that is). I expect Wenger to have a splash in the Jan transfer window just to cover any vulnerable areas but as its stand they are a solid team and i admire them. Hyypia well he's still a good defender only that he lacks pace but he's been a good cover so far if you ignore his first 3 matches when he cover for Agger. Anyway Torres has been fantastic and also Crounch harassing the Bolton defense, and Torres goal was a cracker especially the Gerrard's pass, that was a half field pass, anyway an incredible goal and also Babel scores again ...... and we are still unbeaten albeit too many draws. Anyway Dec 11 will be a decisive game for liverpool with Marseille, if we're out then i guess EPL would be our top priority but if we're IN then it's safe to say that we now have a better team and good cover to compare to last season. And also Spurs lost again at HOME what a joke.

[ChairmanLMAO]

What a miss by Anelka, what a shocker! That would have been 1-1 and who knows what might have happened. You guys havent really replaced Owen and Torres is the guy that can get 20+ goals. He single handedly kept Atletico Madrid up with those amazing goals. You've got a gem there! Saying that, Drogba is pretty much unstoppable at the moment.

[aeroshaastranger :)]

haha yeah it's great that we're getting the results! haha i think pool players don't have great finishes!
we alws have loads of chances to score but somehow we alws miss or lose the ball!

don't think we player well against porto but i though the bolton game was not bad esp 2nd half.

yeah i'm hoping that agger is fit cos hypia doesn't have the pace but i'm sure that goal boosted his confidence (:

kewell seems to be playing well too! haha a pity he didn't get onto the scoresheet for the bolton game!

ohh is carra injured? heard sth abt a bloated lung??

i don't think crouch played v well against bolton though.
i hope kuyt starts scoring soon (: a hardworker!

abt our title chances! we still have a chance (:

au revoir- which country are you from? math was easy right- well paper 2. okay not sure if it's the same.

[au_revior]

Yeah man Drogba is the man, Jose was right in keeping faith with him & he's a good player, last time i hated him for faking injuries when he was tackled especially to get a penalty but now i think he's mature and playing great football. And Ronaldo did get a brace against Fulham.
Yeah Anelka missed an OPEN GOAL! Had he scored that, then probably we will not have an easy game. Carrager had a fractured ribs(recurring injuries) for what i know when he collided wit Reina, i hate to lose him now especially Dec is a busy month for the EPL. But i'm not sure how long he will be out, probably Rafa sub him out just not to take risk on him.
Hyypia is ok now, THE REAL DANGER IS when he's one on one with a pacey player and HE WILL COMMIT a foul and get a yellow card for that, that's why Carra covers for him when it's possible.
Kewell back to his best albeit he lose or wrong pass the ball often, still if he plays as he did with Leeds then we don't have to worry about our wing, he's a talented player but injury prone and RAFA have faith with him but that game against Bolton he was decent and creative.
I thought Crounch was great in the game, he hassled the defense like crap giving room to Torres to roam and make his runs.
But Crounch can improve in his game i seriously believe he's a better player than he is, he should make Heading his no.1 priority, i think Rafa should let him go boot camp to Germany ( the germans are known to be great on the air).

Regarding the England Job:
Jose is 'interested' in the job supposedly, i don't know why he's giving us hint instead of a firm interest, words has it that he's pressuring Europe's Big Club ( Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan ... the list goes on) to step up and sign him before England does.
Then i found out last night he had 3 conditions to take the England Job ( unverified source)

1. to have a main training ground for the national team, instead of borrowing Arsenal, Chelski, Man Utd .... training ground .
2. he will have the freedom to select his own scouts, physios and doctors for the team instead of 'loaning them' from other clubs.
3. and he will have full access on the players when they train with their clubs.

Main worries for the FA would be that Mourinho is not gonna stick to the job that long either he wins something or not with England, but for 6 million quids(or more) he think he would take the job.


aeroshaastranger - i think you took Cambridge A Level, i took from Edexcel, Maths was the only real easy subject for me. I live up north from you.

[roneddski]

The Gunners could not capitalise on the poor form of the Magpies to drop 2 precious pts. Actually i was thinking either Villa or Newcastle could win at home turf since Arsenal was missing several key personnels n returning frm tat midwk Sevilla defeat, which might have inflicted some damage on their confidence. anw, now Liverpool do have a match in hand as compared to their major title contenders.. Hopefully tis can turn into a real advantage.

[au_revior]

Liverpool lost, i feel so sucky now, i mean what the heck, sisoko, mascherano, voronin, crounch and torres up front. In that match we didn't have a lot of deliveries from the width. It was Liverpool to win but when i saw the team selection i thought it was anybody's game. Rafa got it wrong again, he's definitely thinking about the Marseille game. If we lose or draw against Man Utd and Arsenal keep on winning then Title should be gone before X'mas or probably b4 New Year. Back to the match, was so pissed coz Voronin was the right midfielder and i don't know who played in the right coz Gerrard was in the middle for sure it seems to me crounch was the right midfielder and apparently Sissoko was more attacking than GERRARD! i mean what the heck Sissoko lost the ball more often then he deserve to be up there, and Sissoko+Mascherano, you got to be kidding me, both players are almost similar, defensive midfield only Mac is better, in short we lack creativity and i was like where the heck was Yoshi and Babel ? And obviously Reading's penalty was a setback lucky Carra didn't get a yellow card if he did he would have been suspended in the Man Utd match. Anyway Rafa got it all wrong and i knew it was all over when gerrard was substituted for Babel. Tough break, i'm taking nothing against Reading but the referee was a bit 'blind' in my opinion we could at least have 3 penalty. But yeah Reading deserve to win they were more up to the challenge than Liverpool.
So Rafa i hope we don't draw or lose in ANFIELD against Man Utd. *seriously*

ChairmanLMAO- you must be very happy, lolz, i thought you would have post 1st here, well i'm pissed now, enjoy your Sunday.

7654321friend- that match in hand is nothing now since we lost against Reading.

[ChairmanLMAO]

lol au_revior i was too busy partying after that result....whoop whoop, the mighty Royals beat the pools and dented their hopes for league title. Give credit to the
pools as they hit the woodwork twice. But it goes to show, coming to the mad stad is not easy, this result is such a confident boost for us. We are a force at home but our away form is not a great sight, which is something hopefully Coppell will solve.

I think Rafa changed the formation to 4-3-3 which didnt work, we contained Torres (and yes that was a dive) and we used our flanks. Au_revior totally agree with you, his Rafa's selection was down to the chapms league, another reason why Gerrard was taken off. Steve Coppell can rightly feel he tactically outclassed Rafa Benitez on the night.

The linesman must have eagle eyes cause he was right, it was a penalty. From a few angles it looked like it was outside the box but replays showed his foot was on the line of the box. But why didnt the ref book carra thats why I dont get, it was at least a yellow card.

**Edit**

Shock result for gooners, boro won 2-1 lol, it just goes to show they dont have a strong squad...a few injuries and they will self-destruct. I will say time and time again, ManYoo will win it due to their squad. Drogba out for a few weeks due to injury and will miss another month due to African cup which means 2 months out in total. Chelski better pray Shev's got his shooting boots on cause pressure is on him to perform as he has yet to prove his price tag: £30 million.

[au_revior]

Thanks ChairmanLMAO for not rubbing the salt in the wound, damn i'm seriously pissed but i found grace when Arsenal lost to boro. That was a close one, Arsenal is in injuries crisis to me, no fabregas and they will suffer away from home especially, anyway tough luck and i guess chelski and Man Utd benefited the most this week, btw so many penalties this week in the EPL, and btw RONALDO is a cheater, anyone who saw that will think that he dived, that is the only reason i don't like him, sure he's a fantastic player and all, but he's no match to kaka, and i thought that fella should let Tevez completed his hattrick ..... instead of him taking the spot kick.


All i want this christmas is for man utd to crash and burn on the top, crap i'm so sadistic but oh well .....
Anyway Carra's foul was OUTSIDE the box BUT the play continued in the box, it's still a grey area in football but yeah it's a penalty for sure imo and Carra knew it, he's lucky he didn't get a yellow.

Drogba well what can i say December is A BAD TIME TO LOSE A PIVOTAL PLAYER! Basically by december we can see the top 3 will pulled out from the rest of the flock so at the end of the day the 4th or 3rd team could be double digit behind the leaders. Anyway Sheva 30 millions quids i thought was ok provided he performs well on the pitch scoring goals and all, but now hmmmm ........ lets see either he can save Chelski.

Oh man can't wait for the Marseille game.

[Jamieâ„¢]

Manchester United vs Liverpool
AND
Chelsea vs Arsenal next week
I'm so excited haha

[roneddski]

i think Rafa n the players are abit distracted by the upcoming Marseille clash... quite surprised he chose to rest Hyypia, even though granted tat Wed cup game is going to b a high-energy physical game. a bold decision to plunge Hobbs in an away game where Reading are desperate for pts after 3 defeats in 4 matches. it'll actually interesting next wk cos both Liverpool n Arsenal, which have dropped pts tis wk, are both at home. Hopefully tis time we can beat the Red Devils after drawing the Blues n the Gunners in our home matches earlier in the season. We should have won those two matches after taking strong first half lead thru Torres n Gerrard.

African Cup of Nations starting on Jan 20th n last abt 3 wks, i think Chelsea might b worst hit since they will lose Drogba, Essien, Obi Mikel and Kalou. Arsenal is quite lucky to retain Adebayor since Togo failed to qualify, but Eboue n Toure will b going. Toure will b an important miss in defence definitely. Does Man Utd have any players involved? looks like they arent really affected much.

[ChairmanLMAO]

well runners up for you guys, not or dom and gloom hey? Now you're going to get either a spanish or italian side..take your pick, I know I would go for Selville or inter but they are tough cookies.

Why didnt the ref send the player off when he gave the pen? Hate the inconsistant reffereeing in footie! Oh yeah and I love how Giggs and all the other Utd cronies backed how Ronaldo cut his diving antics...what do you know, he dives and wins a penalty lol...egg on your face anyone? And what a selfish git for not letting tevez take the pen for a hat-trick...i think ronaldo wants to be the first to score a hat-trick for them this season..but just imagine how pissed tevez would be afterwards.

Another reason why Kaka won the european player of the year, he's a model proffesional, doesnt dive..class act!

[roneddski]

yup finally achieving the objective of making it to the Champ Lge knockout rounds, though we r in the runners-up spot. They were really talking abt the possible gp winners Liverpool may face in the next phase, n there were mentions of the likes of Barcelona, Inter, R.Madrid etc etc... but guess wat, i have a feeling we might get paired up w Milan. Jus like how pple were predicting abt the possibilities of a Chelsea-Barcelona meeting in the gp stages last season, n a Liverpool-Chelsea gp rivalry in the season 2005/06. But not to worry though, cos we always seem to do well against strong teams... jus like how we overcome Barcelona in the first knockout rd last season.

[au_revior]

Wow what a match for Liverpool, they totally out classed and out shined Marseille big time. Torres yet again with a brilliant goal out of no where, an absolute stunning performance & i'm seriously impressed with Kewell he's been in fine form and i hope he improved on his fitness and stay injured-free and Babel scored yet again. So Rafa achieved 3 MUST winning games to progress to the last 16, i would prefer for us to be no. 1 in the group, now the last 16 would absolutely be difficult for us and i doubt any of the winners of the other group would like to take us either. So thx to the no-draw-from-the-same-country for the last 16, we should be fortunate not to take on our EPL rivals, which leave us with Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC and Inter Milan, SEVILLA. Out of this 4 i would preferred SEVILLA or INTER and the least preferred would absolutely be AC for good reasons. The last 16 would be the real test, after the quarter final then all the best 8 teams in Europe will compete, the real sticky point here IMHO would be which team will get to host the last leg of the last 16. As far as i know, the winner of the respective group will have their home game last which IMO would be crucial, since we perform better during the last leg at Anfield.
Anyway i hope Rafa will get it right against Man Utd, and i hate to say this if we draw against Man Utd it would feel like a defeat to me personally .......
Beat Man Utd and we would be better place to challenge for the title come end of December.

Any yeah probably because of Ronaldo ego he could disrupt the 'harmony' in Man Utd, well i'm not suprised since almost all great teams eventually flatter after some spat between key players.

I hoping for this draw actually:

Barcelona vs Arsenal ! Henry vs Fabregas WOH!
Anyway the this Sunday will be a cracker! Liverpool must win because trust me the 2nd half of the season would be DIFFICULT FOR US bcoz all the top 3 teams will play against us at their respective home. sux .......

[roneddski]

ok after yest night champ league action, we have both Liverpool n Arsenal in the runners-up place n Chelsea + Man Utd being gp winners. To b honest, i really hope we dun pick Milan in the last 16... but as the conspiracy theory goes, the draw always like to throw out the most dramatic of ties. so my prediction for England's Big Four will b:

AC Milan vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Lyon
Man Utd vs Olympiacos
Barcelona vs Arsenal

Man Utd often has the best of luck w the last 16 draw. Liverpool to avenge last season's final n Henry against his former club.

[ChairmanLMAO]

The F.A's appointed Fabio Cappello! PHEW it wasnt our manager Coppel then haha.

I reckon Cappello was the second choice, as they wanted Mourhino. Cappello's CV speaks for itself, medals with Juv, Roma, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Some old fashioned retired top players keep banging on about us having to have an English manager, who the contenders? That's where the argument stops as the likes of Allardyce, Curbishley, Redknapp etc would not command the same respect in the dressing room as a man who has conquered leagues in Spain and Italy with an iron fist.

And that's what it's all about in international management - respect. When you're dealing with the cream of a country's talent, it's understandable to see why McClaren failed so badly.

Capello will have no hesitation in dropping/substituting Rooney/Lampard/Gerrard etc if they are not performing - and we already know what formation he'll play, in stark contrast to McClaren's clueless, chop and change approach to tactics.

Capello's winning teams have been built on a defensive rock very normal for Italians! , so expect a 4-2-3-1 formation, with two holding midfielders in front of the back four (2 of Barry/Hargreaves/Carrick), three attacking midfielders (J Cole, Gerrard, Lampard - finally a system that can accomodate them both and let them attack freely) and one up top (Rooney or Owen).

wow cant wait for Sunday.....

[Surreal]

I really hoping for Liverpool to win. *cross fingers* Now that Rafa has a cutting-edge, world-class striker in his hands, Liverpool will finally be able to make full use of their dominance. El Nino is probably the only who can easily outpace Ronaldo.

[au_revior]

i watched the match, the Man Utd vs Liverpool match it was not so good IMO, Man Utd were clearly the better side. Both teams played with cautious and i honestly believe Man Utd were more comfortable with the ball compare to liverpool in the 1st half. And i firmly believe our main weakness against the big guns is that we can't keep possession and when Man Utd gets the ball and break we pay dearly. And with play without width, kewell was not effective in the left, the last 20 mins in the 1st half he played in the centre and was largely effective. And riise had a bad game IMO, Man Utd are really strong at the back especially Evra, he was the main threat for me personally his runs inside the box to cross to tevez and rooney was Man Utd's main target, and Evra+Giggs+Ronaldo - very very potent threat. The Tevez goal was basically a defensive mistake all the liverpool players were inside the penalty box and nobody did guard the edge of the penalty box and i would said Rooney did blast the ball and hope that a Man Utd player will deflect the ball in the net. And 3 Man Utd players were free when Rooney blast that ball, nobody did mark any of them i presume to catch them offside but Benayoun was guarding the far post so no offside. 2nd hald we did very very well, but i thought Heartgreaves and Anderson did well for Man Utd defensively, we lack creativity and i believe we deserved to lose ...... what pains me the most is that Anfield is like a 2nd home to Man Utd ....
Arsenal vs Chelski was a cracking match, Arsenal young guns dominate the 1st 15 mins with their fast paced and 1-2 passing very very impressive against a potent Chelsea side, i believe if Terry was not subs the match could have been a draw, and Eboue challenged against Terry was very cynical IMO he went straight to his(Terry) feet without seeing the ball, now Chelski will have problem at the back if Terry is out especially in December and Bel Haim is not a good defender, thx to him Gallas scored that goal so it goes to show that Chelski can't cope defensively without him, and Faberages challenge against Asheley at the last kick of the game i thought that was stupid both of them could have been sent off especially fabregas with his crude tackle from behind and Ashley with his retaliation but Faberagas maked a meal out of it.

So Liverpool out of the title race i reckon now, but depends how we do end of december, i think 3 - 5 matches in the next couple of days and also depending on other results we could be out by then, i can't see us winning at Emirates, Stamford Bridges, and Old Trafford ....... honestly.

[roneddski]

Disappointing to say the least.. but honestly speaking, we really din play well to deserve any victory. Man Utd got their goal in the first half, n took a tactical risk to defend in numbers in the 2nd. We were forced to attack but Kewell was really ineffective on the left n Benayoun had similar results on the right. Our passing were often hurried and when the ball was lost on occasions, we were nearly caught by the pace of Rooney, Ronaldo n Evra. Man Utd's basic gameplan was to isolate the main supply threat of Gerrard to both Kuyt n Torres, n in addition break up the support of Kuyt to Torres. Most of the time, Kuyt was forced to drift out onto the right, w Evra marking him, n Fergie put the 2 main defenders Ferdinand n Vidic to block out Torres. Anderson n Hargreaves were handed the job of fouling n tackling n breaking up Liverpool's momentum. U can see tat our attack were pretty short of ideas at times n an equalising goal seems like a tough task. The introduction of Ryan Babel did pose some threat down the left n i thought he performed better than Kewell. Perhaps he shld have started instead of Kewell, who tends to falter in bigger games. Similarly, Crouch were winning headers n Rafa shld have brought him on early to take advantage of an unstable Van der Sar who seems really uncomfortable in handling all the high balls. Indeed, we shld have scored when Van der Sar made tat terrible error of judgement in the 1st half.

Its really sad we werent able to change the poor recent H2H record agt Man Utd.. w/o doubt, tis is a big blow to our title hopes..

[fallenbroke]

Eeks ! I was seriously upset by the results last night . Basically because I thought Liverpool had several close chances but the ball didn't seem to find it's way into the net .

And that goal by Manu was kind of a really big mistake . No one was marking Wayne Rooney .