UK Football

What is going on at Liverpool?  Rafa Benitez, the normally brilliant tacticion looked absolutely clueless on Saturday when Liverpool were outclassed by Fulham 3-1.  The match started off well enough for Liverpool, with the Reds dominating their hosts for the first twenty minutes.  That is until their shoddy defending allowed a great Fulham attack in which Zamora was allowed to tap in Damien Duff’s cross on 24 minutes.

Here is my first point about where Benitez just has it wrong these days, Jamie Carragher.  Carragher was a fantastic defender a few years ago.  But now every year that Carragher ages, that’s one more year he just looks more off the pace, trying to compete with younger attackers.  Sure Carragher had a career performance against United last week, but what matters most is how well you play against the clubs Liverpool should easily dominate.  The first goal showed that Carragher just cannot cover the ground the way that your star center back is expected anymore. 

From there Liverpool looked decidedly shaky, and only equalized when a terrible Voronin header ricocheted off a Fulham defender and was met by a typically sublime Fernando Torres volley.  A thing of beauty, and what you would expect from the no. 1 striker in the world.  Torres had Liverpool equal after 42 minutes, against the run of play.  That’s what Torres does, that’s why he’s brilliant.

Then, against the run of play as Liverpool had finally found their flowing passing, Fulham strike once more, taking the lead once more.  And worse, only four minutes later Degen receives a straight red for a terrible challenge on Clint Dempsey.  So how does Rafa respond to try and secure at least a point?  Well, by taking off Liverpool’s most creative and talented midfielder save Gerrard himself, as Yossi Benayoun makes way for the great Nathan Eccleston.  Because Nathan Eccleston is the man to turn around the match for Liverpool right?

Rafa went on to further embarrass himself by taking off Kuyt in the 84th minute, sealing Liverpool’s fate.  Not a decent attacker in sight, and a game strategy that I can’t explain.  Once again Rafa has got it horribly wrong.  Which confuses me.

That revenue is vital to Liverpool’s survival, and Benitez just doesn’t look capable of ensuring the Reds receive the money that they need.  

photo: Aleksandr Mysyakin

What a spectacular match.  It wasn’t the best football we’ve ever seen played, but my god did it have plenty of heart.  I remember before the match thinking there’s no way Liverpool even have a chance, considering they would have to score three goals without allowing any from Chelsea to outright win the match on aggregate.  And then boom, I was completely shocked when Cech’s uncharacteristically horrible keeping allowed Aurelio to score in the 19th minute, and then not ten minutes later Alonso delivers from Liverpool’s penalty award.

For a moment there Chelsea looked set to give up a 4-0 match, as has become a characteristic result for Liverpool this season.  Especially with Chelsea looking shaken and broken in their defending, showing just how much Chelsea captain John Terry means to the squad.  Nobody looked confident in that back four, Cole, Alex, Carvalho and Ivanovic all looked like amateurs from the youth squad that had been forced into the starting eleven.

And I don’t think anybody out there saw a way out for Chelsea until Drogba found the back of the net in the 52nd minute, showing us all that the Ivorian still has plenty of Premiership life left in him.  Quickly followed by a superb strike from Alex in the 57th minute, and Chelsea had all but put away the match when Lampard walked in an easy but well earned close range effort off a Drogba cross in the 76th minute.  Making practically everyone believe that Chelsea had put the match away, until once again Liverpool came back on their counter attack to score two late goals by Lucas and Kuyt in the final ten minutes of full time.  Leaving us with a tense and cagey few minutes until Frank Lampard took it upon himself to save the day with a strike that bounced off both posts before heading into the net in the 89th minute.

And like that a 4-4 thriller was over, and despite a courageous performance, Liverpool were sent tumbling out of the Champions League.

But no doubt the pressure is on United doubly strong now, as in their Champions League campaign United face FC Porto today in Portugal, and no English side have beaten Porto in Portugal, and United have to win to advance after a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.  Now the defending champs will also have to continue fending off a Liverpool side with only one trophy left to play for, the Prem.  

photo: Nigel Wilson

Well, looks as though Rafa Benitez is about to make another mistake when it comes to injured players, just as he played Fernando Torres too early from his hamstring injuries earlier this season, the Spanish manager is going to play Gerrard from the start tonight.  Now that’s a horrible idea because Steven Gerrard sustained a groin injury in Liverpool’s first leg match against Chelsea at Anfield,  last week.  A match that Chelsea dominated, handing the home side a 3-1 loss, a remarkable position when you consider that gives Chelsea three away goals going into Stamford Bridge.

I understand Steven Gerrard is a remarkable component of the Liverpool squad, and the team plays very differently without him.  In fact Liverpool would be extremely hard pressed  to overcome Chelsea without their captain, especially considering Liverpool need three goals to stand a chance of advancing.  But playing him with a groin injury, especially from the start, just seems stupid in the long run.  As even if Liverpool somehow advance, Gerrard could be injured worse and rendered useless for the remainder of the Champions League campaign, and also unavailable in the Premiership where Liverpool hope to overcome leaders Manchester United.

Rafa is making a very big gamble indeed, and I don’t know that it’s going to pay off.  

photo:  Mr. Phillip Chambers

If Liverpool are to win the League and Europe it looks as though Rafa Benitez’s men will have to do it practically without captain fantastic, as Steven Gerrard has picked up a groin injury that Liverpool will be forced to deal with until the end of the season.  This means that Gerrard is likely to miss out on Saturday’s clash with Blackburn as well as next Tuesday’s second Champions League leg against Chelsea.  A major blow to Liverpool considering at times Gerrard is their whole team, and Liverpool desperately need to keep pace with United in the Premiership, and have a 3-1 aggregate to bounce back from in the Champions League.

Oh how quickly football can turn around on you.

photo:  Jh1442

Speaking of clubs suffering injury blows to major players, Arsenal also suffered a huge blow to their squad in the Champions League, as former captain William Gallas has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury.  A gigantic blow to an Arsenal side that’s going to need to defend stoutly to have any hopes of beating a Villarreal side that’s been excellent in the Champions League this season.  Not to mention the help Wenger’s defense is going to need to fend off a Europe hungry Aston Villa from taking one of the top four spots in the Premier League.

photo: Darz Mol

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez looks to be determined to make his club ever the stronger, now that he’s signed a brand new long term contract.  Benitez has made Liverpool’s top transfer target for the summer, Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o.  A very fine choice to back up Liverpool’s main attacker Fernando Torres, and probably somebody that Benitez should have looked to previously.  Opposed to the mistake made in signing Robbie Keane, or in not ensuring you have enough striker talent to survive Torres injury blows by keeping David N’Gog as the club’s only backup striker.

Samuel Eto’o is the perfect sort of fit for Liverpool, because he’s cocky, talented as hell, and let’s not forget the fact that the Cameroonian has 25 league goals so far this season.  Liverpool need a striker of his sort if they want to remain long term title contenders in the Premiership.  The thing that makes Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United so full of longevity is the depth of the squad.  Practically no matter how many players are injured, Manchester United has worthy replacements always at the ready.  And that has been the main reason for United’s success over the history of the Premiership, and the last two years.

Liverpool have a problem in that area, the same sort of problem Martin O’Neill is finding with Aston Villa.  Take a few players out of the Liverpool line-up, like Gerrard, Kuyt, and Torres, and suddenly you’ve got a completely different club, and one that would be lucky to finish in the top half of the table.

Benitez needs to make squad depth his primary focus, and Samuel Eto’o would be a fantastic start to the spending necessary for Benitez to build Liverpool into the same sort of consistent squad that set England’s record for most League titles in the first place. 

Aston Villa keeper Brad Friedel has had the red card he picked up at Anfield over the weekend overturned, and so will not suffer a one match ban.  While this is good for Aston Villa, as Friedel is a fantastic keeper, the decision by the FA to overturn Friedel’s red card has raised a few questions.  Firstly a question from me, how was Friedel’s takedown on Fernando Torres not a red card, according to the rules set by the FA?

I say Aston Villa got lucky, and will now have their best goalkeeper available for when they face off against Manchester United after the International break.  But something really needs to be clarified between the PGMOB and the FA, because under the current rules that govern the  Premiership, Friedel’s foul was a clear red card.

photo:  stella_gonzales2003

Well the title race absolutely is not over, as Liverpool confirmed through their 5-0 drubbing of Aston Villa at Anfield, which also saw Steven Gerrard score his first Premiership hat-trick.  Liverpool were brought to within one point of league leaders Manchester United, and given Liverpool’s last three results compared to the current champions last three matches, I would have to say Liverpool may yet just come out on top.

But now, everything comes down to the International break.  Sir Alex Ferguson has a good two weeks to get his players back into winning shape, before Manchester United find themselves well and truly out of the title race, and so near the finish line.

photo: Dagur Brynjólfsson

Rafa Benitez has finally signed a new contract with Liverpool, and part of that deal gave Benitez almost absolute power over club transfers.  Which means Aston Villa could lose Gareth Barry this summer, as Liverpool are expected to renew their £18million worth of interest in the former Villa captain.  But realistically, I don’t think that Gareth Barry would be that big of a loss, and Martin O’Neill could desperately use that money to buy a few more players, to really make Villa into a squad that can challenge for the Champions League.

That way O’Neill has at least a better pool of players to choose from, and next season Aston Villa won’t run out of steam at the end, the way Villa is set up to do this season. 

photo: James Adams

The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup draw took place today, and finally we know exactly how the quarterfinals are set up to play out.  The next two legs of the Champions League will take place on April 7/8 and April 14/15, and will feature:

• Manchester United v FC Porto
• Liverpool v Chelsea
• Arsenal v Villarreal
• Barcelona v Bayern Munich
  

The UEFA Cup ties will take place April 9th and 16th, and will feature:

• Manchester City v Hamburg
• PSG v Dynamo Kiev
• Shakhtar Donetsk v Marseille
• Werder Bremen v Udinese 

Now that we’ve got that news out of the way, back to the Premiership…

Theo Walcott has found himself injured once again, after the 20 year old England hopeful was finally back in training, after recovering from a shoulder injury sustained while away on international duty back in November.  Walcott injured himself in training with Arsenal, well actually Walcott was injured walking from the training pitch to the dressing room, when the winger took an awkward step and locked his knee, possibly causing cartilage damage. 

photo: Wonker

Walcott will need proper scans before any word on how long Arsenal’s fastest attacker will be out of the squad.  And all I can think is, what horrid luck Walcott is having this season.  The boy starts out as a revelation for England and Arsenal with his attacking fury flying down the right flank, having his best Premiership season yet.   And then the shoulder injury puts him out for five months, and now when Walcott is finally ready to return, he injures himself walking after training.  Unlucky.

Though only time will tell if Redknapp can fix the many mistakes that are still very evident at White Hart Lane.  

There’s no way that Aston Villa are going to make it into the Champions League this season, the way that Martin O’Neill’s men are finishing the season.  Villa have put in a number of uninspired performances of late, but today really showed Aston Villa to be a team that doesn’t quite have that extra kick necessary for success in the Premiership.  That and the fact that Martin O’Neill has only played 19 different players in the Premier League this season, and Villa look all the more tired for it.

Aston Villa as it stands do not have the depth of squad to compete successfully over 38 matches with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.  Although full credit to Martin O’Neill as his side is almost there, just not quite yet.  A few key purchases this summer, and maybe we’ll have a different story this year, but Villa aren’t yet ready until they can make a few changes.

One of those changes being Gabby Agbonlahor, a fantastic forward in his own right, and one of the fastest players in the league, but the England hopeful just isn’t mature enough yet to be entrusted as Villa’s main attacker.  And Agbonlahor has shown without a doubt that he’s just too young yet to carry Villa the way that Martin O’Neill is expecting of him, thorough his spotty performances of late, and the way that Agbonlahor just looks to be completely out of ideas at this stage of the season.

photo: John Dobson

Aston Villa need another capable forward that can act as a worthy replacement for Agbonlahor when the England hopeful is off his game.  Heskey is too old to fill the bill, and John Carew seems bound for a swift exit from the club.  This summer Martin O’Neill needs to look to the striker position once more, and find a capable replacement for when their 22 year old star isn’t playing up to the standards required of a club challenging for the Champions League.

Strikers Villa could buy from the Championship for cheap, and that would benefit the club greatly, is where Martin O’Neill should find players with great potential, like Reading’s Kevin Doyle or Birmingham City’s James McFadden.  Both have proven to be fantastic when they’re on their game, and the excellent Villa midfield would only help Doyle or McFadden excel in the Premiership.  Both of which would be a worthy replacement for three or four matches while Agbonlahor is rested, and given a chance to get his confidence straight.

photo: Robwingfield

A few new strikers, and maybe a midfield addition here and there and Villa are suddenly Champions League contenders, and Martin O’Neill’s men have a great chance of achieving that goal next season, but this year Aston Villa have fallen out of touching distance already.  Yesterday’s match against Tottenham should have been a guaranteed three points, but Villa stumbled and were conquered by the much more determined Spurs.  And Villa needed those three points considering with their next three matches, Villa will be lucky to get anything as they have to face Liverpool at Anfield, Manchester United at Old Trafford, and then come back home to face an Everton side that’s been getting better and better.

Villa’s European hopes for this season are pretty well over, but now that Martin O’Neill has almost done it, the Irishman knows which changes he needs to make, so that Aston Villa won’t make it through 28 matches at the top of the table, only to burn out in the final chunk of the season.