We Must Keep The Faith

Ok, I admit we were terrible in the first half but we came back stronger in the 2nd half and showed them we meant business. Thank God they managed to score only one in the first half. If we do get through to Athens, we will need to thank Reina for at least 2 world class saves.

I do not understand what Mourinho is moaning about the penalty? Nobody realized any incident until I read the reports online saying that they were not given a penalty that they should. He is talking cock and bull stories all the time. Liverpool have class, right from the manager to the players and to the fans. Did you know that our fans actually outsung the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge? That is utterly embarassing. We have only about 1/8 of the capacity there and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was rendering so loudly. I can't imagine how it would be like next Tuesday at Anfield. I am buzzing. Very well, we may not make it to Athens but being a Liverpool fan means much more than that. We have class, we support our team through thick and thin. I have been a Red since 1990. So, I have beem through a lot of terrible years being chastisized by MU fans. But, I stuck through it!

No matter what happens next week, I will be Red through and through but then again, we have an excellent chance of advancing. 2 goals at home may not be that straightforward but we can do it. Let Anfield roar and make them shiver in their pants.

We are Liverpool, If you can't hear us, We'll shout a little louder!

Come on Rafa, Come on Stevie, Come on Carra, Come on, lads!

Let's make May 1st 2007 another legendary Anfield European night!

If Liverpool have 100 million pounds

I managed to catch the first leg of the MU-Milan match early this morning. Although I hated the result, I am sure Milan are in for a shout in the second leg in the San Siro. Back to the topic, I was thinking this morning about what my colleague (fellow Liverpool fan) was saying. If we have 100 million pounds, let's buy Kaka and Eto'o for 50 quid each. That would be great. Kaka was spectacular yesterday. Eto'o is a proven goal scorer. We will win every single damn trophy if we get these 2 gems. Imagine next year's line up which could be like this

Reina

Finnan Carragher Agger Riise


Gerrard Alonso Mascherano Kewell

Kaka

Eto'o

Our starting lineup would probably be the best in the world. Our bench will be no pushover as well. We'll probably put some of this season's starters in the bench.

1. Carson (Back from Charlton)
2. Arbeloa
3. Aurelio
4. Sissoko
5. Hyypia (One more year)
6. Hobbs (Reserve team captain)
7. Gonzalez
8. Pennant
9. Zenden (May stay another year)
10. Bellamy
11. Kuyt
12. Crouch

And I would hope Fowler will stay on as our Striker's Coach! That would be perfect.

We are two signings away from a legendary team. Perhaps, we are 100 million pounds away from being a legendary team. I can onlu keep my fingers crossed.

Let's shock arrogant Chelsea today! We can do it! You'll Never Walk Alone

Benitez-Mourinho XIV

Let me recall our meetings with Chelsea since Benitez and Mourinho took over the two clubs in 2004. All in all, we have met them a remarkable 13 times since the 2004/2005 season.

2004/2005

Premier League (A) - Lost (0-1)
Premier League (H) - Lost (0-1)
Carling Cup Final (N) - Lost (2-3)
Champions Lge Semi (A) - Drew (0-0)
Champions Lge Semi (H) - Won (1-0)

2005/2006

Champions Lge Group (H) - Drew (0-0)
Premier Lge (H) - Lost (1-4)
Champions Lge Group (A) - Drew (0-0)
Premier League (A) - Lost (0-2)
FA Cup Semi (N) - Won (2-1)

2006/2007

Community Shield (N) - Won (2-1)
Premier League (A) - Lost (0-1)
Premier League (H) - Won (2-0)

From the results above, it is obvious that our win-loss record against them has not been good although we have won 2 of the 3 meetings with them this season. Wednesday's semifinal in Stamford Bridge will be a really huge match. I am not too sure about the entertainment factor but it will be tensed from the get go.

Looking at the forums in the Liverpool Official Website, the fans are no longer questioning Gerrard's position on the field. My take on this issue is simple. As long as Stevie G plays, I won't complain where he plays. He could be drilling a 30 yard shot which could lead to our winning goal, crossing from the right for Kuyt to head home the winner or even cutting in from the left to shoot pass Cech. It does not matter. We are a better team with Gerrard and it is immaterial where he plays.

Our back four is as strong as any one's in the world. Reina, Finnan, Agger, Carragher and Riise are our most solid back four. Even Arbeloa can fit into the right or left position with ease and it will not dampen our strength in defence. With Hyypia on the bench, it is a very solid defence.

Our midfield is probably our most exciting department. Our central midfield is laden with world class exponents equipped with their own strenghts. Gerrard with his drive and leadership, he could probably do anything with the ball. Alonso, with his vision and crisp passing to set up defence into attack, Sissoko, whose tireless running and harrying of opponents prove essential during our win in the Nou Camp and of course, our new hero, Mascherano who is so well timed in his tackles, it does not seem that he is putting much effort into them. Our wing play may need improvement in the summer but at the moment, they are probably hitting their best patch of form this season. Pennant is coming to life on the right. Gonzalaz is showing glimpses of his brilliance. Let's hope that our wingers will do something special for this tie.

Our forward line may not be the most prolific but it could provide us a hero for this tie. With Kuyt, Crouch, Bellamy and Fowler, I am confident the all important goal will come. I will be waiting for the lineup on Wednesday but I am all for whoever Senor Benitez puts out. He knows what to do with his tactics.

My prediction would be 1-0 to the red of Merseyside with Terry and Lampard unavailable for the return leg due to stomach complications (too much of Scouse Beer). That would be ideal! But, then again with or without JT and Lamps, we will be in Athens.

There is no two ways about it. Come on you Redmen! You can do it! You'll Never Walk Alone!

Bring It On, Mourinho!!!

We officially reached the semi-finals of the Champions League early this morning. Although the result was never quite in doubt, miracles do tend to happen when you see MU getting lucky with a 7-1 win over Roma. I overslept and did not manage to catch the match this morning. Perhaps, I will catch some of the highlights after work. From the reports that I read, we were professional and rested most of our key players. Would Chelsea be dreading of another repeat in 2005? Fact of the matter, we are going to play the Abramovich boy toys for the third major semifinal in three years. We are leading the count by 2-0 by the way. It could prove to be another nail biter and if we do progress through, it is going to be another classic which ever team we face in Athens. Our eternal rivals, SCUM United or our historical rivals, cocky Milan. I am drooling on the thought of our 6th European Cup already.

Back to the football, last weekend we had a pretty good win over Reading with Kuyt finally rediscovering his goal scoring touch. Seeing Pennant crossing the ball for the winning goal was brilliant. It was one of the most accurate crosses I have seen this season. Timed to perfection and finding the man to nod the ball home. In the league, 3rd place should be sealed if we do not make another major slip ups. We are garnerring enough momentum to carry us through the Champions League campaign and towards the start of next season. Let's see whether Mr. Hicks and Mr. Gillet is generous enough to buy us a Villa or an Eto'o since both of them stated their preference for Liverpool.

The funny thing about this season's European campaign is I feel that our team has not been really tested yet. Even the Barcelona game was more comfortable than anyone could have expected. We are progressing smoothly without any hoo-ha or much expectations. Let the expectations be on the two English 'giants'. Two semifinals in 3 years is fantastic. It is the elite tournament in Europe, mind you! Let's see whether we can make it 2 Cups in 3 years. That would be fantastic!

Come On, Rafa! Come On, Boys!! Let's give Mourinho a farewell gift before he gets sacked by Abramovich. :P

Ruthlessly Efficient

It was quarter-final time of the Champions League. It was a cagey affair for the first 20 minutes or so, with Jamie Carragher's header our best chance from Gerrard's corner. In my mind, I thought that coming through 1-0 would have been a fantastic result but the moment Stevie G screamed at Kuyt to move out of the way to head the ball to the bottom corner, I felt there were more goals into the game.





At the start of the 2nd half, PSV chose to go missing with sloppy defending one time after another and Riise punished them with a trademark drive outside the box. It was ours for the taking from then on. We stamped our authority and showed our class. We never really moved up gears but when Crouchy headed in Finnan's cross, I knew that the job was more than half done. We should be in the semifinals of the Champions League by now but let's not be overconfident and be professional. Destiny in Athens awaits us!

A special mention to our new midfield superstar, Javier Mascherano. He was immense. His positional sense was brilliant. He may not be the most skillful or flair type of players but I am sure his teammates know what he is all about. He is simple, accurate and bullish. He protects everyone around him, be it the frontline or the backline. We have Sissoko who does the dirty work by harrying around other players and rushing them into making a mistake but Masch is slightly different. He times his tackles and interventions perfectly. He is not as physical as Momo but equally important. Imagine Momo and Masch together in midfield? We may lack flair if they play together but I am sure not many teams would wanna play them. It is awesome to have 4 superb central midfielders. Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko and now Mascherano.

No wonder Maradona called him the 'monster'! Welcome to the Kop, Javier! I am a fan already!

Misfiring Gunners and Fiery Crouch

I did not put too much hope on the match with Arsenal last Saturday. We lost three times to them and conceded 12 goals to them in only three matches. Another heavy defeat was hard to swallow especially then they had already knocked us out from the two domestic cups. The performance the boys put in on Saturday was absolutely fantastic. Crouchy was immense, Gonzalez and Aurelio on the left looked dangerous every time they went down the flanks, Arbeloa and Pennant did a combination of backheels to set up the first goal and Mascherano's positional sense was fantastic.

A right foot, header and left foot hattrick is not only hard to come by for Crouchy but for any striker in the world. He was immense in his comeback, tormenting Toure and Gallas throughout the evening. Even Wenger came out and said Crouch was 'unplayable' that day. If only our strikers do this on a consistent basis, we could probably be up there with Man Utd and Chelsea. In all competitions this season, our strikers tally stand like this :-

Crouch - 16
Kuyt - 9
Bellamy - 9
Fowler - 7

I think it's fairly straightforward to know that we need a 20+ goals striker. If we have that, I guess we will be nearer to the top than we are now. Arsenal's season was defined on Saturday. They have probably destroyed their season by using too many youngsters and too much fancy footwork.

Now, we have a small matter of PSV Eindhoven to deal with tonight. Let's hope we get a good away result to ease our progression to the Mestalla or Stamford Bridge. You'll Never Walk Alone!

Towards May 23rd 2007 in Athens!