First off, an apology to everyone here on the site for going MIA for the last month. I’ve been working away and taking a break from the mess going on with the club. You can talk all you want about it, but sometimes it just makes sense to step away, take a breath and then pick yourself up and continue. The break was much needed – although it still looks like there’s plenty to talk about after yesterday’s announcement.
There are very few people I trust when it comes to real, legitimate news on our club. One look at the tripe that’s plastered across every rag in the country is more than enough reason for any sane person to treat every story and rumour surrounding the goings-on at Liverpool as false from the start.
But if there is one person I actually do trust more than most, it’s Tony Barrett. Say what you will about the Times journalist, but he’s usually one with real news and answers when it comes to the pulse of the club. I’d implore all of you with questions to read Barrett’s recent live chat, where he took the time to answer a host of questions.
While I’ll leave the transcript reading up to you, I did want to point out some of the more interesting questions and responses, and also give my take on what I think about his response:
Level on goals with just under 25 minutes to go in the match on Sunday, Rafa Benitez decided to go against the grain and institute a change to his lineup that, truthfully, had to be pre-planned. Why else would he have called time to Fernando Torres’ day with the match hanging in the balance? Even now, I still can’t make sense of the whole situation.
Torres, who looked lifeless as he walked past Benitez after coming off, had a very poor day for the most part. But even if he wasn’t at his best, there’s no reason you take him off when you need another goal. N’gog was subbed on for Torres and the rest, as they say, is history. The Frenchman bundled a couple of chances, and Liverpool left St Andrews with one point — a result that’s surely not enough at this juncture.
The fans at the match weren’t the only group questioning the decision. Steven Gerrard (pictured in the corresponding photo) seemed genuinely confused by the move. If you want further proof, here’s a link to Gerrard’s reaction.
The reason for the substitution? Benitez credited to Torres’ weary legs and the risk of injuring the Spaniard’s knee:
“Torres was taken off to protect his knee and because he was very tired having played on Thursday,” said Benitez.
It was mixed bag for us on Thursday night, that’s for damn sure. Whilst we can all rejoice about the away goal (Agger’s goal was almost a mirror image of the position he score from again Chelsea in the Champions League a couple years back), there were still some things that left me in a fit of rage when it was all said and done.
First, the referee in the match with shit. I’m not big on slagging off the ref in the match, but this lad was horrible. The Estadio de Luz was a bloody cauldron last night, so it’s understandable for any ref to feel nervous with the wrath of the home fans raining down on him with every miss call that’s perceived to be against them. But the way he let the fans get to him and dictate his decisions was downright shameful.
Forget the pundits and talking heads for a second. If you want an idea of what’s really going on at a football club, you ask the fans that live and die with their colours each and every week. Simple as that.
Whilst we’re nearing the end of the season, we figured we’d roll out a new feature on AnfieldRed called, “Who are ya?” We’ll see if we can’t keep this going for more than a couple of weeks.
The article will hopefully allow some of you to get a better idea of the opposition through the eyes someone who follows the club very closely. This weekend’s league match against Birmingham City at St Andrews is a critical one, so to get a better idea of what Birmingham’s all about this season, we’re pleased to have Kevin Ball from Birmingham City blog Joys and Sorrows here to discuss the club.
We asked Kev a host of questions about Birmingham City, and he managed to do his level best to answer them for us. His answers, after the jump!
To say Liverpool needed a spark during the last seven matches of the season would be akin to saying our victory in Istanbul was a ‘good’ night. Both are pretty obvious observations.
Steven Gerrard was the catalyst for most of the Liverpool’s memorable moments over last four or five years, so it only seemed fitting that someone else take up the reigns in Sunday’s match against Sunderland. Whilst Fernando Torres hasn’t been dormant during the recent stretch of games, his last few times out on the pitch appeared to be a preview of what was to come.
We were right about that. Torres’ perfect opener in the first three minutes told the Anfield crowd exactly what they wanted to hear, which was: “Don’t worry, lads. I’ll put this burden on my shoulders.”
Torres’ shoulders, as well as his body in general, appear to be fully fit at just the right time. The Spaniard spoke of his new-found form after yesterday’s victory and promised that there’s more to come from him in the coming games.
Well that was a fun, wasn’t it? All we needed was a mere three minutes to get on the score sheet — and it was done in the most dramatic fashion. Torres managed to split multiple defenders at the edge before unleashing a masterclass effort into the top right corner of the net. The perfectly weighted ball was a sight to see, as was the squad’s ability to create chance after chance against a Sunderland side that once again looked very poor away from home.
It goes without saying that this match was absolutely vital to Liverpool’s Champions League cause. With Tottenham taking maximum points on Saturday against Pompey, that put even more pressure on Torres and Co. to use Anfield to their advantage.
It was fantastic to see Gerrard making some perfectly timed passes (and some wonderful corners to boot), as well as Glen Johnson getting on the score sheet. We can only hope the recent vein of scoring in the league is a sign of things to come. The club remains four points behind Tottenham, who still have a game in hand.
Torres’ first-goal brilliance, as well as full match highlights, after the jump.
Like many of you, I’m growing tired of discussing the roller coaster ride of a season Liverpool’s been on. We know the last seven matches are critical to making it back to the Champions League, as well as possibly holding onto some of the bigger names at this club. Those are known facts most supporters already know about.
So instead of banging on about the problems at this club, why don’t we talk about success that’s taking place on Merseyside. That success is of course coming from the reserve squad, a team built up of players that honestly deserve a shot during next season’s pre-season training to prove their worth in the senior squad.
Why do they deserve a shot? Well, I could tell you about some of the class youngsters we’ve got, but I’ll let numbers do the talking, and that number is 14. As in 14 games unbeaten.
Two down, one to go. When Rafa Benitez took a look at the week of 15-21 March, he knew the season hinged on a mere seven days. A win against Pompey kept Liverpool in the race for fourth, whilst a 3-0 drubbing against Lille allowed Liverpool safe passage to the quarter-final round of the Europa League.
Now it just leaves one more test, and it could be the toughest of all, as Liverpool face Manchester United in a colossal clash at Old Trafford on Sunday. But before we get to that match, let’s take at the body of work that was produced on Thursday night.
Steven Gerrard said after the match that the Rafa’s criticism of the players remotivated the entire lot prior to the match. Well if that’s the case, then I hope he continues to slag off the squad on a daily basis! Lucas and Ryan Babel impressed in the first half, as the Brazilian was constantly found pushing forward in an attempt to push the pace of the match.
Liverpool beat Portsmouth 4-1 at Anfield, with Torres scoring twice and Alberto Aquilani getting his first goal for Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard’s ‘v’-antics appears to be a bigger story than last night’s humbling loss to Wigan. And why not? I mean, it’s not like Liverpool lost a match to a club that defeated a ‘big four’ side for only the second time in their history. Oh, right. That should probably rate as the bigger story…
Whilst Gerrard continues to get heat for his two-fingered salute, Liverpool continue to give the same gesture to the supporters, showing zero urgency in what could be the most embarrassing loss this season next to the 2-0 away defeat to Pompey earlier in the year.
Quite honestly, the thought of this club joining the ranks of the top four once again seemed a bit premature given the up-and-down season they’ve endured. Just when you thought Rafa had things going in the right direction, the club turned a complete 180 and reverted to their old ways, playing with little heart and passion.
First off, an apology to everyone here on the site for going MIA for the last month. I’ve been working away and taking a break from the mess going on with the club. You can talk all you want about it, but sometimes it just makes sense to step away, take a breath and then pick yourself up and continue. The break was much needed – although it still looks like there’s plenty to talk about after yesterday’s announcement.
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