Diving David and a lack of forward thinking

The dive by David Ngog that led to our penalty on Monday has provoked the usual knee jerk reaction, but is it anything new?

Ngog is not the only culprit. Old debates concerning player behaviour in his area, have been taken out of the cupboard, dusted off and aired to the nation. They will go on for a couple days and then be put away again, until the next player dives! Players have dived for as long as I can remember. I’m showing my age now but my first memory of this was Francis Lee who in his Manchester City days used this technique to regularly win penalties. The difference between Ngog and players such as Lee, Ronaldo and others is that Mondays attempt wasn’t nearly as convincing! No Oscar nominations for David I’m afraid.

It’s interesting that when we were winning the league regularly Anfield was seen as the “home of the home team penalty” seemingly all one of players had to do was venture into the box and the referee would be automatically pointing to the spot. As our league star has faded that tag has moved – 40 miles down the East Lancs Road?

These day when you see penalty incidents on the TV more often than not the player has taken a fall at the merest touch from the defender. Footballers aren’t as tough as rugby players but they are not delicate little flowers whose petals are irrevocably cast to the wind by the faintest contact! Going down is not usually a result of a tough or over zealous challenge it’s the application of gamesmanship, using the rules and the situation to gain an advantage however some players, unlike Ngog, are more “skilled” and convincing at this than others?

The referee’s manager Keith Hackett has called a summit to combat what they now see as a diving epidemic. Again what is new? The old lines about players having a responsibility not to dive and referees being more on their game will be trotted out but will anything be done other than a finger wagging warning of “don’t do it” or “watch out for it?” You’ve more chance of seeing our new stadium erected in time for this Christmas than getting players to comply and if referees, and the game as a whole, are really serious about dealing with this surely they need a more radical approach? However rather than address this and show some much needed tenacity, Hackett prefers to fall back on the same old familiar excuses

“I have said to managers in the past that this is an area of great difficulty for referees and it can come down to the viewing angle of the referee. It’s easy for the media and fans, who have the benefit of replays and different viewing angles to see whether or not it was a dive. Referees don’t have that and have to make a decision on the spot.”

Yes Keith but you can’t use that as a get out clause all the time. Time to step out of your cosy little world and get together with the FA, UEFA, FIFA or whoever, and make sure that referees have such facilities made available to them? A popular excuse for not embracing technology is that it will disrupt the flow of the game but is this such a bad thing if the correct decision is given? Other sports (cricket, rugby) have embraced this without too much disruption indeed it adds to the tension of the occasion as the crowd eagerly await the decision of the “video umpire”?

Perhaps the real reason behind the referee’s Luddite tendency is self interest, a fear that their authority will be undermined and that they will be marginalised? This does not hold sway in today’s modern game where arguably the financial stakes are now higher. Either way something should be done, otherwise we’ll be having the same, tired debates for time and memorial still at least it will give David Ngog time to perfect his diving technique!

Are the Reds on Carlton Cole patrol plus Albert’s “all together now” call?

December is looming so up and down the land kids will be compiling their Christmas lists. If you’ve kids like mine the list has been on the go since summer! Likewise with the January transfer window looming managers will be doing the same with players. As always part of these lists, be they real or the subject of newspaper imagination, have a habit of becoming public.

For us the first rumour to poke it’s head over the parapet concerns Carlton Cole. Of course one should take this with a pinch of salt however I guess there is a strong case for us needing a second top class striker to compliment Torres and/or shoulder the burden if he’s injured? On the West Ham side rumours about their financial situation suggest that they might have to sell? Cole is also English, we have too many foreign nationals in our side which will see us fall foul of UEFA’s barmy home grown quotas rule. Add all this together and you’ve a plausible story? Not really in my opinion, it could apply to a number of players and clubs, but I’ll press on anyway!

When I learnt that we might be interested in signing Cole my heart sank. As mentioned before I think there is a genuine case to be made for another striker at Anfield, however does Cole really fit the bill? More than anything I think we really to be really picky with this one. We need an experienced, recognised top flight, top class striker someone who has been there, done it and got the T shirt in fact a whole “wardrobe” full of them! Someone who can guarantee us at least 15-20 goals a season?

No disrespect to Cole but he simply doesn’t fit these categories, by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, he has broken into the England squad and yes his performances with West Ham have improved. However, there is no demonstrable record of consistent goal scoring going back over the years he has been in the game. He is 26, the goal scoring record should be better? Yes he was, understandably due to his youth and the experience of other players, well down the pecking order at Chelsea and, as a result, was shunted out on loan to Wolves Aston Villa and Charlton but even then the goals didn’t flow. Despite his age and recent form I suspect many would refer to Rafa’s oft used quote to describe Cole “He is still learning”. At 26 years I wouldn’t really expect Cole to be in that category, mind you Rafa still uses this phrase to describe Torres!

If we are in the market for a striker why go for someone with Coles experience and record? Why not save the ten million plus we would probably have to pay and concentrate on nurturing Ngog? There is little difference – both are“still learning”. On another day at another time perhaps Cole might have been suitable however, we have a specific striking need at the moment and he is wrong striker for us at the wrong time? If Rafa and the club are interested, they should think again.

Back to L4 and I was thinking yesterday when was the last time we had such a crop of injuries? I seem to remember it was during the days of Graeme Souness. Then, low and behold, up pops Ian Rush in The Echo with this

“There was a spell during my playing days when we suffered a spate of Achilles tendon problems but that was down to the training methods employed by Graeme Souness.”

Yes! I’m not going to seed! On paper at least we had, a one stage under Souness, what looked to be decent first team. Sadly we never really found out as most of the time they were on the treatment table!

I can’t believe the current list of casualties is caused by changes to our training methods, and treatment is more scientific and sophisticated now. However, the run of bad luck doesn’t stop. Glen Johnson, who I thought played very well on Monday, and Daniel Agger have withdrawn from their respective international squads. Reading between the lines the injuries do not look too serious and add this to the withdrawals of Torres and Gerrard then hopefully we will see a stronger squad emerge from the other side of the break once some rest and recuperation has been taken?

Less encouraging is the news surrounding Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun who` both went off injured on Monday. Both look like being out for a month. However, this hadn’t stopped Riera issuing what he sees as a rallying call.

As rallying calls go it’s not exactly a hairs on the back of the neck humdinger however, Albert’s heart is in the right place. For example he calls us “untidy” I think that’s more to do with our organisation rather tucking our shirts in shorts and parting hair! He also suggested that the current run could be affecting us mentally. Given the flack that’s been flying our way perhaps there is something in it? No doubt experienced hardened pros such as Gerrard and Carragher will have views on this and I guess it is up to them, Rafa and the other senior players to ensure that confidence remains high. Also, in this respect, no one can complain about the crowd on Monday, they were right behind the players. No slight on Riera but perhaps Glen Johnson’s approach is best?

“If someone had told you at the start of the season that we’d win one in nine you’d have laughed your head off. But things like this happen in football. You stick together and keep fighting.”

And ultimately that is all you can do until things get better, and they will.

Rafa continues to count the cost of points and injuries

Liverpool 2
Ngog (15), Gerrard (71) pen

Birmingham City 2
Benitez (26), Jerome (45)

Who is the most maligned man these days? Rafa Bentiez, or Gordon Brown? What ever they say or write more pressure appears to be heaped on them.

For a period last night Rafa now joined our beleaguered PM by having the name Cameron very much on his mind. However, in his case it was someone with a policy, shoot on sight. Cameron Jerome’s well struck screamer into the top left corner just before the break was certainly not part of his half time team talk manifesto.

Despite that for the briefest of moments last night I thought we were going to see a repeat of last season’s Middlesbrough, Manchester City and Wigan games were we snatched victory for the jaws of defeat with a barnstorming finish. Sadly, last year and this year seem poles and poles apart. All we saw was plenty of industry, but no finale and yet more bad luck.

When I say “bad luck” I refer to the injuries to Benayoun and Riera. The former limped off after 75 minutes whilst the latter’s, if his reaction was anything to go by, looked much more serious. A disappointing and frustrating outcome considering we had just got Johnson and Gerrard back?

In using the phrase “bad luck” I do not refer to the “penalty” awarded to us because of Ngog’s “dive” over Carsley, even Rafa expressed doubt over its validity! It’s tempting to condemn Ngog for what he did as much as it is to say that these things even themselves out over the course of the season. Neither serves any purpose or stops the brickbats. Until players start behaving honestly or referees are given more help to make their decisions nothing will be done, Birmingham have every cause to feel hard by. And us I suspect there was the odd rueful smile mixed with some half hearted attempts to justify it? We need some luck at the moment but did we really want it to come this way?

Before that Ngog had made his mark with a goal in the fifteenth minute. Johnson made an immediate impact on his return thrusting down the right flank and crossing to Ngog who eventually scored after his first shot, along with Kuyt’s follow up, was saved by Hart. Ngog is no Torres but he is slowly but surely strengthening his claim to first team football?

So a good start and seemingly in control, Birmingham had showed nothing to suggest what would happen next? However with our defence at the moment things cannot be taken for granted, there is always the risk of falling for a sucker punch? In this case it came from Christian Benitez who finally, with a close range header, finished off a move that began with McFadden’s free kick. Birmingham were clearly galvanised by their equaliser and even though Lucas and Mascherano went close, looked more confident. Riera went off with his injury and Gerrard came on but we were unable to stop Jerome’s spectacular dipping effort.

In the second half the pressure on the Birmingham goal increased. Gerrard’s influence grew culminating in him heading against the post, after more good work by Johnson, and then despatching the penalty. Aquilani was bought on for his home debut but only for the last ten minutes. The pressure continued to an extent that on another day we’d be well up. Birmingham helped by deciding to sit back and let us come at them but somehow they hung on. Perhaps they sensed that, although we had the run of play right from the start, we were having difficulty in unearthing the nugget of inspiration that would enable us to turn it around? Sadly they were right and not for the first time this season, it remained illusive.

Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Riera, Leiva, Mascherano, Benayoun, Kuyt (c), Ngog. Subs – Aquilani, Babel, Cavalieri, Darby, Gerrard, Kyrgiakos, Spearing

Birmingham City: Hart, Ridgewell, Dann, Johnson, Carr (c), McFadden, Bowyer, Tainio, Larsson, Benitez, Jerome. Subs – Carsley, Espinoza, McSheffrey, Phillips, Queudrue, Taylor, Vignal

Att: 42,560

Birmingham banter and let’s all pick on Rafa!

No game until today so a quiet Liverpool free weekend with no hassle? No such luck!

Once more Rafa’s future has been the subject of speculation. You name him, or her, and they have an opinion. I really wouldn’t blame Rafa if he just threw up his arms and said “f**k the lot of you” and walked such has been out of proportion attention he’s received.

Every little personal trait has been scrutinised right down to the whether or not he should shave off his beard! It’s even been suggested that his team selection is based on what he thinks the press might say because he made some throw away sarcastic comment over playing Torres for longer the other week because they might make comment if he didn’t. Gleefully they seized on this and are suggesting that he is in some way their bitch! All nonsense of course.

Now this weekend we’ve the first article about a possible replacement. A bit of a predictable one this as it’s every big clubs default favoured replacement – Martin O’Neill! Quite what Aston Villa would say about his isn’t really covered, and no doubt Martin O’Neill, who all but suggested that we were the spawn of Satan during the Gareth Barry saga, will have some thoughts on this? As for us seemingly if our bad results continue then, “at some stage”, we might consider replacing Rafa. How very true but if my leg continues to ache then eventually I might “at some stage” contemplate a visit to the doctor however chances are I might give it time to recover before visiting him or contemplating sawing it off!

Other news concerns the naming rights to the new stadium. No doubt much of this was prompted by Mike Ashley’s decision to temporarily rename St James Park. Newcastle fans have taken umbrage about this and no doubt we would too if the Star Spangled Duo decided to rename Anfield? However a new stadium and new era and perhaps it doesn’t seem so bad? The Emirates seems accepted now and no doubt whatever name we come up for the new ground might also, in time, find its niche providing it’s a decent name and not something embarrassing like the Johnson’s Baby Wipe Arena. What our wonderful owners do appear to be missing is that firstly, before you address the issue of naming rights, you need a stadium! A simple detail or promise which so far they have failed to deliver on!

And so to tonight’s game with Birmingham. Naturally thoughts turn to the treatment table and most specifically the health of Gerrard and Torres. Both have trained but neither, if reports are true, are 100% fit. Reading the web today I was surprised that Torres was even a contender as earlier, following a visit to Spain to see a specialist, it was suggested he would be out for three to four weeks. Defensively we’ve bit of nightmare also as Carragher and Degan are suspended and Johnson is still out.

With an international break coming up after his game Rafa must be tempted to play half fit players knowing that we’ve best part of two weeks to recover? However, there is the added risk of rushing players back too soon and the damage that can do. Perhaps we’ll see some of the returnees playing for say the first hour and then taken off?

Above all we need three points not to stay in touch for a Champions League place or, dare I even mention it now, the title. We simply need to arrest the slide. If we can play for the full ninety minutes like we did for 89 minutes in Lyon we’ll be ok. No doubt the crowd will play its part too and I take us to come through narrowly by 2-1. Here’s to a good game and, more importantly, a productive rest period?

Who needs the Champions League anyway!

So, how did you feel on Thursday morning? Probably not as bad as Rafa. Cop or should it be Kop, this lot. Starting with The Telegraph.

“When you walk through a storm, you can catch a cold. Rafa Benítez had summoned up the spirit of Liverpool’s famous anthem to stir his team before this vital tie but they were blown badly off course within sight of sanctuary. However unfortunate, however cruel, this result is deeply damaging for Benítez”

Then The Guardian….

“Rafael Benítez’s nerve-shredding rollercoaster is hurtling towards oblivion”

The Times offered no solace

“This was almost a great night for Liverpool…. But Lisandro López’s goal changed all that as the light at the end of the tunnel was extinguished. Instead, Benítez’s team were plunged into the darkness that has engulfed them since they fell to defeat away to Fiorentina five weeks ago, the start of a wretched eight-match sequence that has yielded one win”

Add to this Ronnie Whelan’s comments earlier in the week that suggested Rafa was using Liverpool and the Champions League to further his own career and get a job in Europe (yes Ronnie, that’s a job away from the biggest league in the world, and his very lucrative contract) then it all adds up a to rather fraught week for Rafa and the club?

However, should one really be distracted by the flowery words and comments that are designed to make particular reports or pundits stand out from the crowd? Liverpool will not find themselves roller costing, helter-skeltering or even taking a dodgem car to oblivion. All we have done. sorry look like doing, is going out of the Champions League.

The trophy is great to win as we have been fortunate to know that feeling however, it’s a fact that all clubs get knocked out more times they win it. Should we not through the group stage of the Champions League Liverpool football club will not suddenly cease to be. It will still go on.

The talk is as if the Champions League is the be all and end all of all however, the majority of clubs in Europe still function perfectly well without taking part in it, or winning it? If you progress to the final you play fourteen games not enough to define a season as there are plenty of other matches left? Perhaps, by default, too much emphasis is placed on the competition because of its financial rewards and early elimination might turn up the pressure on the star spangled duo in this respect (for ever cloud…..?). However, surely most still look at it from a footballing point of view and does this competition’s format have the same magic and excitement that it use d have when ties, right from the start, were decided on a knock basis?

No doubt I’ll get accusations of sour grapes or “he would say wouldn’t he” now they look like going out and my response to that is “too f**king right” however, a sense of perspective needs to be retained. If we do fall then there is always next year and first and foremost we need to concentrate on making sure we get there, who knows, an early change of focus may do us good?

Red’s French frolic but Lyon strike the vital blow?

Lyon 1
Lisandro 90

Liverpool 1
Babel 83

Undone in the last minute again and maybe for last and decisive time in this seasons Champions League?

After the last two games against Lyon we won’t need lessons on seeing things through to the end. Players of our experience know the score anyway however, although the disappointment is just as deep as it was two weeks ago, at least we can take solace from a much improved performance. Perhaps that makes Lisandro’s 90th minute equaliser even more heartbreaking as we were by far the better side and could, with a keener eye for goal and a small dash of luck, have had the points in the bag by half time?

With our problems one always got the feeling that, sooner or later, our defence would be tested. However Lyon only had two chances, the goal and another which Reina dealt with easily. Both were down to mistakes by one of both of the centre back pairing of Agger and Kyrgiakos however, it was first time out together such is the make do and mend policy at the moment. Considering this it was great team performance, one of tenacity, great spirit and some decent football. It is pity that so much was riding on it and that we couldn’t extend out dominance just a tad longer.

Rafa’s side was another shuffle out of necessity. Carragher was at right back to accommodate Agger and Kyrgiakos. Aqulinai was on the bench, a sign that he is recovering and close or how short we are?

It’s easy to dwell on the Lyon goal due to it’s time however, in a game which we totally bossed I guess one has to look at the four or five decent chances we spurned. The first was Torres’ shot after good linkage between Insua and Benayoun, a foot either side of the keeper and we would have been in front. Later Kuyt, from another Insua cross, produced a great stretch and tip over from Lloris. Voronin had the best chance of the half running onto a long ball, keeping his head but firing onto Lloris legs. Oh I how a felt for him. It was a wonderful opportunity to up his credit rating and the chance seemed to visibly affect him for a while.

Elsewhere we were solid in midfield, Mascherano and Lucas showed increasing signs of settling down together and becoming a stronger collective force. Benayoun was as creative as ever and we were even treated to the rare sight of Jamie Carragher charging down the wing on the overlap, taking on Cissokho and trying to get a cross in! I don’t know what Insua had done before the game but whatever it was he should do it more. He got into some great forward positions, had a hand in two of our three first half chances and defended as if his life depended on it. His best performance in a Liverpool shirt? If not then certainly a testament to his character and bottle after a less than convincing performance at Craven Cottage.

It was good first half performance that put Lyon on the back foot and instilling a caution into their play that one wouldn’t expect from the home side. This continued in the second with Lucas shot cannoning off Lloris’ hand, Kuyt’s overhead kick from the rebound was cleared off the line by Cissoko. Then enter Ryan Babel.

Much has been written about Babel and his erratic attempts to try and live up to his potential and again he showed why he is such an enigma. Within minutes he instilled hope with a marvellous long range effort lashed into the top corner giving the keeper no chance. A few minutes later he shaped up for a free kick out that needed to be delivered into the area or produce a save from the keeper however it was so off target that it went out for a throw in! However, Babel clicked for one vital moment, a moment that surely would give us the three points we deserved? Sadly, Lisandro had other ideas exploiting hesitancy and poor decision making between Agger and Kyrgiakos to fire home even though Reina managed to get a hand on it.

It’s clearly an uphill battle to qualify. Our chances are even slimmer than they were two years ago. However while there is a chance, hope remains. We need a huge slice of luck. If fate is a fair player then surely, after our two games, Lyon owe us something and they can deliver by collecting points in Florence?

And the longer term? We don’t play until Monday and then there is an international break. Amble opportunity to retire, lick our wounds, regain our strength. Although it’s hard to see past the group implications at present we can at least take some solace from the fact that we were stronger tonight than we have been for some time?

Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Carragher (captain), Benayoun, Mascherano, Leiva, Kuyt, Voronin, Torres. Subs – Cavalieri, Aquilani, Babel, Ngog, Spearing, Darby, Sanchez Ayala

Lyon: Lloris, Cris, Reveillere, Cissokho, Kallstrom, Michel Bastos, Pjanic, Makoun, Toulalan, Lopez, Gomis Subs – Vercoutre, , Govou, Delgado, Tafer, Gassama, Gonalons

Att: 39,180

Trying to find an answer and loosening up for Lyon

The discussions over our plight seem to be relentless and will no doubt be ramped up if we lose tonight against Lyon in what many see as a do or die Champions League match. The comments have ranged from the silly to bizarre? What next, questions in the house, may be an air raid on Anfield? Perhaps Bob Geldof will organise a concert?

The flack has been so profuse and the debate so wide ranging that it’s very difficult to separate the “wheat” from the “chaff” but at the moment, to me, there are two issues that encapsulate our current plight.

The first is short term, injuries. Count them, eleven of them, a whole football team. All clubs have injuries but eleven, and all at once, is just bad luck. No club, regardless of the strength of resources available to them, would be able to cope with this and continue the same vain as a near full strength side would.

The second is more long term. The injury crisis has not exposed the lack of the depth the squad, we have plenty of bodies to pull on the red shirt but it has raised serious questions about the lack of quality. Players can improve but can any Liverpool fan, hand on heart, say that some (not all) of the players we’ve seen lately are able stand ins for their first team equivalents?

Injuries happen and the number has exposed the squad terribly to doubts that many have been holding about it and its manager for some time, even when we did well last season. Questions will always be asked about Rafa and these aren’t much different from those from three years ago but who would have expected him to have his options limited so severely as they are now?

There is also the “support” the owners have given him. For every top quality player there has also been a make do and mend element. A prime example of this is Kyrgiakos who was bought for £2m last summer because basically that was all Rafa could afford. There was also no money for a top quality second striker, and boy are we reaping the ”rewards” of that now with Torres flagging. Surely it is only a matter of time before he has to go under the knife or packs up totally and is out for longer?

However, now is not the time for picking over such issues? And surely they will only get worse if we don’t qualify from The Champions League Group stage? Although there is a small consoling thought deep in the back of my mind that non qualification might in some way force the issue with our American friends, clearly one won’t want to see this at the expense of the team not doing well.

This is a game that everyone seems to think we need to win however a draw might not be a disaster? Granted we might, depending on how other results go, have qualification taken out of our hands but plenty of teams have qualified with ten points before and or course this assumes that we would win our two remaining games in the group at away to Debrecen and at home to Fiorentina.

Lyon have injury problems at the back and are without a recognized centre half. They have also undergone a dodgy spell since they beat us at Anfield for example they recently lost 4-1 to Nice. However, despite that their quality going forward was there for all to see at Anfield. They were particularly potent on the flanks and one wonders what Rafa will do to combat this with defensive quality he has available to him? Perhaps the best form of defence is to attack pushing Lyon back and not allowing them to get forward and dominate like they did at Anfield where at times they looked like the home side? However, Rafa needs to be careful with Lyon knowing that a win would secure them qualification?

Prediction? Everything points to a loss or at best a draw. However, I’m relying on Rafa’s ability to tweak the nose of adversity once more and pull out a result. Finally whatever the result I leave you his words from yesterday

“Our fans are very clever. Sometimes you have bad moments, but they know we are working very hard to try and change things. We will try to win and we know that when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high – and we will try to hold our heads up high”

The day the lights went out?

Fulham 3
Zamora 24, Nevland 73, Dempsey 87

Liverpool 1
Torres 42

After we beat The Mancs last weekend I posed the following question about Rafa…

“What is it about this man that attracts so much criticism and what is it that he has about him that enables him to turn things around and make all the newsprint pulp and the verbal’s diarrhoea?”

For me perhaps this was answered with this game. Rafa is different to other managers. Sometimes it works in our favour and he and the team produces something very, very special and then there was Saturday’s game at Craven Cottage.

What is the cause of this latest demise, our sixth out of seven? The way Rafa played it – substituting Torres and then not making the right tactical decisions? Bad luck re injuries? Bad luck on the pitch with two dubious red cards. Then there is our lack of strength in depth? When you scratch beneath the undoubted quality that is on the surface do we reveal a poor squad? If so who’s is to blame for that? Rafa, because he signed the players? The players themselves or perhaps the owners for not stumping up the cash to enable the quality to be acquired? May be it is a combination of the whole lot? Judging from the post mortems held this weekend it would seem so as all of them were pushed forward as explanations?

The side certainly reflected the injury problems facing Rafa coupled with his need to produce something at the Stade de Gerland on Wednesday. Enter Kyrgiakos and Degen at the back. Voronin kept his place from Wednesday and there was no Gerrard, Riera, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Ngog, Aquilani or Aurelio. Is that it, or is there anyone else I’ve missed out?

When you have so many players out chances are that things won’t go so well however there is damage limitation? No doubt Rafa will attract criticism for hooking Torres when the scores were level. His goal, a superb predatory volley from outside the area, showed how much we value him at present (haven’t we always) however it is clear that he also needs to be rationed until “reinforcements” come along?

It is not the withdrawal of Torres that causes concern but perhaps Rafa’s solution to his departure. Despite the score we dominated this game in terms of possession however, we produced very little in terms of chances – all football and no action. Fulham, when they did get the ball, did just that. When Torres was hooked perhaps the response could have been more positive? No doubt Fulham were perturbed by our dominance so a move such as introducing Babel or pushing Benayoun (who has plenty of success against Fulham and hit the bar in this match) further forward might have worked?

The fact we dominated possession yet still managed to ship three goals is also a major cause for concern, injuries or no injuries. For the first goal Duff was given too much space by the increasingly unimpressive Degen and was able to cross past a seemingly comatose Kyrgiakos for Zamora who managed to easily get in front of Insua to slot home. Against the pattern of play yes but it means nothing and it was just really, really poor defending.

The second was equally as calamitous. Konchesky, again given the freedom of the park by, Degen crossed, Reina touched it but only succeeded in helping it on to Gera who at the far post fired in past two idle defenders and Reina from an acute angle. Nevland got the final touch.

Two very poor goals. Could this be put down to an inexperienced defence unaccustomed to playing with each other? And then there is poor old Jamie Carragher who, like Rio Ferdinand, appears to be wrestling with his form and therefore perhaps his confidence?

Jamie was injured pre season could it be this or are years of battle scared defending finally taking a toll? I hope it’s the former however his dubious and desperate tussle with Zamora, which might have lead to a penalty, wasn’t the first such incident, remember a similar one with Michael Owen the week before? Perhaps the referee’s decision not to send him off last week counted against his eventual dismissal this week? The decisive incident, another one on one skirmish with Zamora, was not as bad as the first and even the Fulham striker conceded Jamie had got the ball. However things, wrongly, have a way of totting themselves up?

Before that Degan who, aside from a few decent forwards runs at The Emirates on Wednesday, has failed to impress got sent off for what was at best a yellow card challenge on Dempsey. With both defenders gone and our need to chase the game it was no surprise that Fulham made it three via Degen’s victim’s easy unmarked tap in as the defence were transfixed by the ball rather than shadowing the men.

It is disappointing to see games turn out this way and it is easy to let the result prompt criticism that, over the cause of the season, might prove to be unfounded. One appreciates the importance of Wednesday and the injury problems facing Rafa and, as a result, it’s easy to ask what could he do? His decisions didn’t come off partly because he simply called it wrong and partly because of bad luck. However can one, when considering the circumstances, really criticise the motives behind them? Many have harked on about our lack of strength in depth and lack of quality and perhaps Saturday’s performance gave some credence to that argument? It is worrying to see it manifest itself in the way this game turned out. However, wouldn’t any team struggle when faced with the resource problems we’ve had recently or is it Rafa’s eye for a talent or something wider – our scouting system?

These are wider questions but the games are coming think and fast. Two years ago I remember a similar disaster at Reading where we caved in and lost 3-1. It was a body blow to our title hopes however four days later we also went to France and invigorated ourselves by thrashing Marseille.

What are the odds and history repeating itself this week? Time will tell if the stakes are higher than they were two years ago?

Fulham: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Hangeland, Hughes (c), Pantsil, Dempsey, Baird, Greening, Duff, Kamara, Zamora. Subs – Etuhu, Gera, Kelly, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Zuberbuhler

Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Carragher (c), Kyrgiakos, Degen, Benayoun, Leiva, Mascherano, Kuyt, Torres, Voronin. Subs – Babel, Dossena, Eccleston, Gulacsi, Plessis, Sanchez Ayala, Spearing

Att: 25,700

In defence of Rafa, learning to live without Stevie, and the spooky Cottage!

I’m just coming down from having sixteen kids round the house for a Halloween party never, never ever again.

I was in charge of the games! Try and organise sixteen kids and get them to do what they are supposed to do without them wondering off to different parts of the garden or the house, it’s like herding cats! I guess the easiest thing to do would be to have an eight a side footy game! Teachers deserve a pay rise, how do they manage to handle twice that number and deal with it, and every day?

As it is Halloween, the 31st October, one wonders how many times the word “nightmare”, or variation of, will be used tomorrow by headline writers or other assorted media glitterati (dam I’ve just done it myself)? If Gary Lineker doesn’t make some sort of “Halloweenesque” (sorry I don’t think that’s actually a word) reference on Match of the Day tomorrow I’ll eat crisps until Christmas, after the party I should have enough! My money is on the tired and distinctly smelly, musty old favourite of likening goalkeepers to Dracula and their collective dislike of crosses!

Anyway I digress. It was nice to see Wigan manager Roberto Martinez spring to Rafa’s defence this week in a Spanish paper. He has suggested that Fergie has a harem of lickspittle acolytes (Bruce and Allardyce for sure but I reckon you can also add in Moyes and Megson) where as Rafa is the poor outsider that everyone picks on, do they steal his lunch at the league manager’s meeting? I suspect Rafa is more than capable of handling himself particularly as he has more support from his club’s fans than whose who seek to laud Fergie have from their own? Equally I suspect that deep down Rafa probably enjoys the craic. Martinez has since sought to deny or clarify his comments however surely there is a degree of truth in what he has supposed to have said?

So to today and for us the visit to Fulham is good and bad. Hopefully the team will be boosted by Sunday’s win. We didn’t have Steven Gerrard fit for that one and, if the headlines are anything are to go by, we will have to cope without him for a bit longer. This is familiar situation almost mirroring last year, the injury is the same (groin) as is, seemingly the solution (an operation).

Gerrard is clearly a key player but we cannot keep relying on him particularly if he keeps getting injured. I guess there is a plus side to his injuries and that is that rest of the squad will be more used to coping without him? If Gerrard is so key then may be it follows that tactics are geared to utilising his strengths and talents. Take away his influence and things will have to change and other players will inevitably come to the fore? No? Ok, but I’m desperately trying to be positive! Remember that in the 180 minutes we’ve played against the Mancs at Anfield we’ve scored four goals and collected six points however Gerrard has only played in ten of those 180 minutes! It can be done.

Elsewhere for today it seems that we will also be without Glen Johnson. Torres is also a doubt. Said Rafa of the Spaniard.

“He is improving. He’s been training and working with the physios. We will see if he is a little bit better this weekend. It’s a difficult situation because if you play games, you often don’t have too much time to get fit again”

Perhaps Rafa will slip back into old ways and give Torres longer to recover with an eye on the vital Lyon game next week? Although the league is still the priority in most people’s book surely only the harshest critic, given the group situation, would chide him for that?

Alberto Aquilani’s debut against Arsenal on Wednesday was seemingly a double edged sword. Although we finally saw him in a red shirt he also picked up a virus! It is early days but Aquilanis injury record is long however reading between the lines of Rafa’s quotes after the game I suspect he wouldn’t play today anyway as match fitness is still an issue?

Prediction? Looks like we are going to be fielding another weakened side? However, we’ve been doing that a lot recently so maybe they are growing and getting stronger together? Fulham are capable of presenting us with a problem however hope springs eternal and a repeat of last seasons last gasp Benayoun winner (see link below) or something similar will be fine. Let’s just get through it? 1-0.

Related post
4th April 2009 Fulham 0 Liverpool 1

Sonic Youth v The New Faces?

Arsenal 2
Merida 19, Bendtner 50

Liverpool 1
Insua 26

An interesting and entertaining night which, despite the defeat, gave us a fair deal to feel positive about?

Arsenal may be further on down the road in terms of youth development and strength in depth however, that said the side fielded tonight showed just how far Rafa has come since the sides last met in the competition three years ago. Plenty of youth, new and not so new but rarely seen, faces in evidence tonight and not least of course the long awaited debut of Alberto Aquilani.

As expected Rafa rang the changes with Cavalieri, Degan, Kyrgiakos, Spearing, Plessis, Babel and Voronin all getting starts. Aquilani was on a young bench. There were plenty of unfamiliar faces in the Arsenal side which suggesting, if nothing else, we had more experience?

The first move of note was in the eighth minute when Degan moving forward collected Ngog’s nifty back heel and was presented with an excellent chance which he drilled wide with the outside of his foot, a poor miss. This was immediately replicated by Arsenal with a tidy, short passing build up involving Gibbs, Eduardo and Bendtner that should have seen the Dane score.

However it didn’t take long for things to come to the boil as both sides exchanged quick goals. Merida blasted in from range via Cavalieri’s near post. The ball was given away to Arsenal from our throw in by Voronin who about ten minutes earlier had signalled to the bench that he was injured and wanted to come off! Why was he still on the pitch if he was injured? Our equaliser bought back memories of Robbie Keane’s goal in last season’s 1-1 league draw. It was a long ball from the back which Insua, in an unusually forward position, despatched after Babel’s knock down with a nasty, dipping volley.

This was developing into a good, open ended, attacking game. The marking for our goal suggested there was space to exploit in the Arsenal defence and further chances to be had. They, despite their young years, showed enough imagination and confidence to suggest that they could also create more as seen when Merida went close again getting on the end of a move that should have been stopped as it began deep in our half.

Because of the good football the ending to the first half was inappropriate with an almighty, en masse goal mouth scramble in our area. Cavalieri might as well have been on the moon such was his positional awareness, at one point the ball was behind him! Thankfully it was hacked away, by someone!

The second half continued where the first had left off. Spearing arrowed one wide however, Bendtner, who had missed a couple in the first half, finally made amends with a straight forward goal that exploited some indecision between Skrtel and Kyrgiakos.

It took Voronin close on an hour to make his mark with a decent effort that just went wide after a good exchange of passes with Degan. However, on the whole the Ukrainian had an indifferent evening at times looking clumsy, slightly off the pace and rather lost. More match practice is needed but one wonders how much he will get with us? For someone who said he had no intention of going back to Berlin it was a rather flaky performance which further enhances Ngog’s already strengthening claim in the striking pecking order.

Around the hour, Babel’s low free kick tested Fabianski. However, although Arsenal grew stranger one always felt we would have more than one chance before the final whistle. Kuyt squared a lip smacking cross across the six yard area which Babel passed on. Voronin also produced a low hard drive which had it been a foot or so the left or right would equalised and was then, wrongly, adjudged to be offside when he was on a one on one situation with the keeper .

Before that Benayoun and then at last Aquilani were introduced to try and give us a boost. The Italian was involved straight away and did okay and nearly provided a sensation with an overhead kick attempt (did Senderos handle it?) however, understandably, it is early days.

A close fought game that both sides had opportunities to win. I guess there was no real pressure for either side and that showed in the openness of the play. Arsenal will feel pleased at their blossoming youth policy and us well, it was OK and although we are out, we have no real reason to feel too downhearted?

Liverpool: Cavalieri, Insua, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Degen, Babel, Plessis, Spearing, Kuyt (captain), Voronin, Ngog. Subs – Reina, Aquilani, Benayoun, Darby, Dossena, Eccleston, Sanchez Ayala

Arsenal: Fabianski, Gibbs, Senderos, Silvestre (captain), Gilbert, Merida, Ramsey, Eastmond, Nasri, Bendtner, . Subs – Bartley, Coquelin, Frimpong, Randall, Sunu, Szczesny, Watt

Att: 60,004