Monday, December 31, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
EVERYONE!!!
Hmm... 2007 past so quickly. Should be a good thing and bad thing for me. So many stuff happened in this year, both good and bad, just hope 2008 is much kinda to me, starting with tomorrow's football match I'm going to participate in, hopefully there won't be any rain and I would be able to play well and stay injury-free. Yeah... And good 'O' Level results too! Improve my football techniques and skills... Being able to concentrate and study hard. Play hard too. Liverpool to do much better and hopefully win something big.
Yeah... Haha...
Bye~!
my thoughts at 11:53 pm
more
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
A very comforting 4-1 win over Portsmouth it was for Liverpool, hopefully one of many Christmas presents in this festive period. However, it was overshadowed by technical problems in the United Kingdom that prevented me from watching the match from the 2nd minute up to the half time interval. Luckily, I managed to watch two Fernando Torres goals, and unfortunately, a Benjani goal that threatened to haul the tide of the game. In the other Top4 results, I just didn't know why Robbie Keane couldn't convert the potential winning penalty against Arsenal, and as the rest goes, Nicklas Bendtner came on and scored within his first touch of the ball. Chelsea got a sneaky 1-0 win over Blackburn, whilst Everton were unlucky to lose to Manchester United 2-1 after a last minute penalty. In truth, all these matches, except for Liverpool's, should have ended up in at least a draw.
Damn!
Now turning to Liverpool's away game to Derby County. Liverpool thrashed the latter 6-0 in the reverse fixture in September, if I'm not wrong, at Anfield. Now, they'll just have to get 3 points away from home. Derby will be looking for revenge, and with a decent 2-2 draw with Newcastle behind them, they won't look as easy to beat this time round, especially with Paul Jewell at the helm.
Pride Park
Wednesday 26 December 2007
10.55pm (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 22 (SuperSports)
Liverpool Line-Up (Probable):
25. Jose Manuel Reina
46. Jack Hobbs
__ 4. Sami Hyypia
17. Alvaro Arbeloa
______________________________________ 12. Fabio Aurelio
8. Steven Gerrard (
C)
____ 14. Xabi Alonso
19. Ryan Babel
______________________________________ 7. Harry Kewell
10. Andriy Voronin
______ 9. Fernando Torres
Substitutes (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje, 6. John Arne Riise, 21. Lucas Leiva, 11. Yossi Benayoun, 18. Dirk Kuyt
So this is a really puzzling line-up to make for Rafa Benitez, against Derby County. He'll want to rest players for the weekend game against Manchester City this Sunday. Firstly, who'll start in defence? Sami Hyypia, Jack Hobbs and Jamie Carragher are in the running, but my opinion is, that Carragher played that extra game against Chelsea in the Carling Cup, so I would think Hyypia and Hobbs in the centre of the defence. Here's what I think, since Hobbs did quite well against Andriy Shevchenko and co., Kenny Miller and Steve Howard should not be much of a problem right? Anyway, Fabio Aurelio should get the nod above John Arne Riise to start at left-back, to continue his comeback from injury. Alvaro Arbeloa, with Steve Finnan still out, will have to continue playing at right-back.
It'll be interesting to see whether skipper Steven Gerrard starts from the beginning, from the bench, or just totally out of the squad of 16. Xabi Alonso should start in this game, to allow Javier Mascherano a rest, and to continue regaining match sharpness. Lucas Leiva or Mohammed Sissoko will start or get a place on the bench, although I would like Leiva to get the nod over Sissoko. It'll be nice to see Leiva start alongside Alonso should Gerrard be out of the first eleven.
Harry Kewell should continue on the left, regaining his fitness as well, and Ryan Babel might get a rare start on the right, with Yossi Benayoun on the bench. Well, maybe even Babel could get a forward role, with Benayoun still playing.
In attack, it'll be intriguing to see who gets the two forward positions. Andriy Voronin should start this match. With Peter Crouch still out with a suspension, it'll be either Fernando Torres or Dirk Kuyt, but I feel Torres will start to ensure a win for the Reds'.
C'mon Reds!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 5:14 pm
= )
Monday, December 24, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS
EVERYONE!!!!
And a happy new year!!!
My new year's resolution?
Being able to concentrate for 'O' Levels
Liverpool winning the UEFA Champions League and/or English Premier Leagueand start well for the next season...
And whatever else~!
So cya!
my thoughts at 10:48 pm
positions
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Every country has like, how should I put it, excelled in one specific position. To make it clearer for you, it's like saying Italy has the best defenders. So you get the point... Now let's look at other countries and their favorable positions.:
The best goalkeepers in the world are mostly arguably Italians. Dino Zoff was the first recognized Italian goalkeeper, and is considered as a legend to many. In recent times there have been Francesco Toldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Marco Amelia and Christian Abiatti. There's no doubt Buffon is one of the best currently, but with Amelia as back-up, Italy will never have the same problem as England did with Scott Carson and Paul Robinson.
England's central defenders position has amassed to so much current Italian coach Fabio Capello could name a team full of
'em. Defenders in the past include Bobby Moore, Tony Adams and Martin Keown. Currently at Capello's disposal are Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Jonathan Woodgate, Jamie Carragher, Sol Campbell, Ledley King, Michael Dawson and Micah Richards. A wealth of defending talent is at England's disposal.
Italy also has the best defenders, as mentioned. They somehow produce world-class defenders for every generation. Italy still has many good defenders, if not world-class. Some examples of some current world-class defenders are Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, Marco Matarazzi and Paolo Maldini. Some older generations that have inspired the current one are Franco Baresi, Guiseppe Bergomi and Alessandro Costacurta. It could be said Italy's defensive style in the past had put its defenders in the spotlight. Other better defenders currently, includes, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgios Chiellini and Cristian Zaccardo.
Spain has arguably the best midfielders in the world. The likes of Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Albelda, Ruben Baraja, Andrea Iniesta, Luis Garcia and Mikel Arteta. There is also Francesc Fabregas and Raul Garcia, who would definitely be one for Spain's future. David Silva is also looking like a good prospect for both Valencia and Spain. Former midfielders of Spain also include the ever-recognizable Luis Enrique.
England also has probably the best central midfielders in the world. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Gareth Barry, Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Scott Parker are regularly involved with the international squad. Former English midfielders are Bobby Charlton and Paul Scholes. Future talented midfielders who might be included in the future squads are Isiah Osbourne, Craig Gardner, Lee Cattlemole and Danny Guthrie.
The best wingers in the world has to go to Portugal. Luis Figo was one of the best wingers of all-time, now retired from international football. Portugal still churn out many top-class wingers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and Simao Sabrosa. This wing wonders give Portugal and the respective players' clubs much width in their various ways of play.
If you want a playmaker-cum-attacking midfielder, with great amounts of creativity and gile, which country would you scourer? Of course, it's Brazil! Brazilian footballers boast much creativity, agility and pace, past players such as Pele demonstrate all those qualities. The new age generation are in the form of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Juninho, Andersen, Robinho and Elano. The constant flow of talented playmakers extend to youngsters like Renato Augusto, Lenny and Lulinha, all with exceptional talent and versatility across the attacking front.
So there you have it. Respective countries, at their specific positions of speciality. If I do forget any players or countries, tag or something? Nice...
By the way, the holidays are getting a little bit boring. I know its the last week, but nothing productive had been done. I'm
kinda lazy, I must say, but then again, who has done anything? So ain't too excited
'bout school either... Caught in two minds...
my thoughts at 11:53 am
draw
Friday, December 21, 2007
So... The draw for the knockout stages was done just now. I wasn't able to watch it, sadly, but read the news on who's playing who just now. If you hadn't known, here's the list of the UEFA Champions League knockout round of 16.:
Celtic v Barcelona
Lyon v Manchester United
Schalke v Porto
Liverpool v Internazionale
Roma v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Milan
Olympiakos v Chelsea
Fenerbahce v Sevilla
So
yeah... Interesting tie for Liverpool, they drew Internazionale, really wondeer how they would fare against Italy's top team at the moment. The likes of Luis Figo, Esteban Cambiasso, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Walter Samuel will be pitted against the likes of Ryan Babel, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Mouthwatering tie, indeed!
Barcelona looks like having one of the easier ties in Glasgow Celtic, but
hmm... Didn't Kaka and co. had trouble beating them last season and this? So a Barcelona team led by Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Theirry Henry and Carles Puyol will be up against a Celtic team with a backbone of Stephen McManus, Artur Boruc, Scott Brown and Scott McDonald.
A Junino-inspired Olympic Lyonnais, backed-up by Fabio Grosso, Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema, will be up against a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Manchester United, which also boast the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes.
German club Schalke will host Portugese giants FC Porto, led by Ricardo Quaresma.
Err...
Yar... That's it for this tie...
Haha...
Francesco Totti and his Roma side will host Real Madrid's superstars eleven that includes the like of Robinho, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder, Guti Hernandez, Fabio Cannavaro and Iker Casillas.
Francesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Kolo Toure will hope to get their Arsenal side a home win against A.C. Milan in the first leg of the two team's Champions League tie. Remember, Milan has World Player of the Year, European Player of the Year and FIFPro's Player of the Year winner and Brazilian playmaker Kaka in their ranks, along with veterans Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf and Champions League all-time top-scorer Filipo Inzaghi.
Hmm... A little bit contrasting
ah this tie, an 'inexperienced' and young Arsenal team against an A.C. Milan team that has players that has won all types of accolades and awards.
Probably the easiest tie of the round, Greek side Olympiakos, led by former-Real man Raul Bravo and former-Portsmouth striker Lomano Lua Lua, against Roman Abramovich-bankrolled Chelsea, with bought talent like Andriy Shevchenko and Englishmen John Terry and Frank Lampard.
The other weaker teams left are pitted against each other, Sevilla and Fenerbache. Dani Alves and co. will face Roberto Carlos' Fenerbache.
Anyway, back to English football. Liverpool take on Portsmouth in what is a must-win game for the Reds'. And its not going to be easy though, Portsmouth are a good team, high-flying at the moment. However, how good the statistics are for Liverpool, they are still fourth, and 10 points behind, but with a measly game in hand. They have to win.
Anfield
Saturday 22 December 2007
10.55pm (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 27 (Football Channel)
Liverpool Line-Up (Probable):
25. Jose Manuel Reina
23. Jamie Carragher
__ 4. Sami Hyypia
17. Alvaro Arbeloa
______________________________________ 6. John Arne Riise
8. Steven Gerrard (
C)
____ 20. Javier Mascherano
11. Yossi Benayoun
______________________________________ 7. Harry Kewell
18. Dirk Kuyt
______ 9. Fernando Torres
Substitutes (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje, 12. Fabio Aurelio, 14. Xabi Alonso, 19. Ryan Babel, 10. Andriy Voronin
Liverpool are going to face a Portsmouth side full of aggressive players, strong and determine ones too. Jose Reina is almost certain to return to goal, despite Charles Itandje's good performance against Chelsea, despite letting in two goals, one of which was just unable to save. To counter John Utaka's threat, John Arne Riise's pace and strength will need to be fully utilize tomorrow night. Alvaro Arbeloa continues to fill in for the injured Steve Finnan, and will have to beware of Croatian playmaker Niko Kranjcar. Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia will have to deal with one of Benjani or Kanu. Javier Mascherano, who missed out in the Carling Cup defeat to Chelsea, will start in the middle, patrolling the defensive midfield area and will have to shut out Sulley Muntari and Pedro Mendes. Skipper Steven Gerrard, who also missed the cup defeat with a stomach problem, will almost certainly return to trouble Portsmouth's Sean Davis and their defence too. Yossi Benayoun, Harry Kewell or Ryan Babel will fill the two Liverpool wings, with good certainty that Kewell should fill in at the left, to continue regaining his fitness. It would then be seen who would start on the right. That third winger of those three should be benched and brought on as an impact substitute. Dirk Kuyt should also return to the first eleven to partner a returning Fernando Torres, who will look to be amongst the goals against, and win his battle against Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin.
C'mon Reds!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 9:10 pm
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Stamford Bridge
Thursday 20 December 2007
3.55am (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 22 (SuperSports)
Liverpool Line-Up (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje
23. Jamie Carragher (
C)
__ 46. Jack Hobbs
3. Steve Finnan
______________________________________ 12. Fabio Aurelio
21. Lucas Leiva
____ 14. Xabi Alonso
11. Yossi Benayoun
______________________________________ 7. Harry Kewell
15. Peter Crouch
______ 10. Andriy Voronin
Substitutes (Probable):
25. Jose Manuel Reina, 17. Alvaro Arbeloa, 22. Mohamed Sissoko, 19. Ryan Babel, 18. Dirk Kuyt
Rest of the Squad:
4. Sami Hyypia, 6. John Arne Riise, 8. Steven Gerrard, 20. Javier Mascherano, 9. Fernando Torres
This would be a very interesting match, and I feel it would give Rafa Benitez a little bit of a problem, a dilemma should we say. It's this, Liverpool are potentially 7 points off the leaders, if they win their game in hand, but are a couple of stages away from a potential League Cup triumph, and probably one of the easiest cup to win this year. So Rafa can either choose a strong team for this match to try to ensure victory against Chelsea, and try to win the League Cup. However, if the Reds' lose, important players that might have played such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres might not have enough left in the tank to go through the hectic Christmas period. Rafa can also go with an experimental line-up, filled with fringe players and rest several of his stars, and risk being dumped out, or if fortune sides the Reds' tomorrow morning, get a win and go through. This will ensure Rafa has much of his first-team players fit for the hectic Christmas period, in which 10 points out of the 12 available is a must, to ensure they keep up with the leaders. So which thinking will Rafa go for? It'll be very interesting to see.
Okay... So if I had the chance to pick the team, this would be it. I would not risk everything and throw the best players in what could be seen as the lowest priority on the Reds' calender. Rests for Gerrard and Torres might be on the cards, but if one had to play, I think Rafa would pick Gerrard for this match. You see... Chelsea wouldn't play their full team too, I expect players like Paulo Ferreira, Carlo Cudicini, Wayne Bridge, Jon Obi Mikel, Steve Sidwell, Claudio Pizzaro and Tal Ben-Haim. It would be interesting if Avram Grant would pick the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole or Ashley Cole, and whether Michael Ballack would get his first start.
H'okay... Back to Liverpool yeah... Charles Itandje is sure to start in goal for the Reds', I think or heard from somewhere he has a clause stating he'd be priority or something for Liverpool's cup games, thus benching spine number one in Jose Reina. Another interesting point is the Reds' central defence. With Sami Hyypia's leg soon going to rot with the number of games he had to play, and that Jamie Carragher has been playing for every game, it would be seen if both of them will play, or Jack Hobbs might get a start, but then again, who will Hobbs replace? For me, I think it'd be Hyypia, as Carragher has better, shall we say, stamina? Carragher could get a rest at Derby, probably, from the start or halfway through the second half, when Liverpool should, I say, should be comfortable. Should Steve Finnan be fit, he should fill in at right-back, whilst Fabio Aurelio continues to get back his match fitness and should start at left-back. Yet another debatable part of the team is Liverpool's central midfield. Will Gerrard start? Is Xabi Alonso fit enough to play from the off? Will Momo Sissoko get a run out? For me, I think Rafa will go for Alonso, should he be fit enough, or at most Alonso will be on the bench, and come on at some stage. Lucas Leiva should start in place of Sissoko and Javier Mascherano should Gerrard not be part of the starting XI. So it'd be nice to see which one or maybe even two places in the bench of Sissoko, Mascherano or Gerrard will be occupied. The right wing slot might go to Ryan Babel or Yossi Benayon, that's up to anyone's guess. Harry Kewell will also, like Aurelio, continue his run of games to regain his fitness, and start on the left wing.
The last debatable part of the team will be the forward slots. Peter Crouch should get a start, no doubt about it. Dirk Kuyt should be benched or not in the 16 at all. It'll be interesting whether Andriy Voronin or Fernando Torres gets a start, but I think Voronin will get the forward role, HE HAS TO PLAY AS A STRIKER, NOT A WINGER OF ANY SORTS! Haha, yeah....
C'mon Reds!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 1:44 pm
instability
Monday, December 17, 2007
Hmm... Nothing about soccer in this post, promise you. So please read on...
Haha... So responding to some certain news that my class' Chinese teacher had been transferred by the principal of the school. I was really shocked by that news, although it might not be confirmed, I don't see why he had been transferred. The unofficial explanation I have heard is that he is,
quote unquote, not committed.
Hmm...
I DON'T BELIEVE IT. In fact, I believe that's all bullshit. How can you claim that my class' Chinese teacher isn't committed? In contrary, I, for one, and many of my other classmates, believe that he is one of the most committed teachers in the whole school, and I'm not even getting to the Chinese Department. In contrary, I believe that none of the other foreign Chinese teachers, with all their efforts combined, are not even at the level of his commitment. It's just ridiculous, if the news is true.
There's something about my school, its that, the top hierachy of the school have constantly been removing ever-committed, passionate and talented teachers, and replaced them with incompetent teachers. I'm not criticizing anyone here, although I think I am, but here's the thing, for those 'high ranking' people up there, stop it, there's no use removing top teachers and constantly delude yourself with public claims of having a great bunch of staff. It's bullshit, wake up, stop deluding yourself. There's this sudden influx of foreign nationality teachers, filling up places of top teachers that once graced the school. If they want us students to get our 10 As, or get into a top Junior College, why don't they ask for our opinion before sacking the teacher? Why can't they ask around the students that that particular targeted teacher had taught, and have the students' personal opinion? That way, they'd have a better knowledge on the teacher's abilities. It's not like the principal of the school sit in class everyday, learning from the teachings the person in front teaches. There are some teachers that deserves to be sacked, but isn't. Some teachers that are not as popular, although popularity is not what counts, are still in the school.
All I'm trying to say is, those people pulling the strings in the school have zero knowledge on the commitment, competence and passion the real teachers have. They do not sit in class, they do not have daily interaction with the teachers, they do nothing, but make stupid decisions time and time again.
Sorry if I am harsh... But, I haven't even got to
those statues and environment of the school, if I had to, when anyone comes to
me blog, it lag his web page with an overload of information. Get your facts right, how can my class' Chinese teacher not be committed.
my thoughts at 9:35 pm
AGAIN
So as usual, like the seasons before, Liverpool have not beaten Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United since Rafa Benitez took over.
When will I ever have that unmistakable feeling of happiness after Liverpool prevail for Manchester United for once? Anyway this game was
so like last year's fixture... Liverpool dominated proceedings, had various chances to go ahead, but didn't, and Manchester United had that huge stroke of luck, and they scored first. The rest of the game, all those Devil losers had to do was just sit back and defend.
Liverpool should have taken the lead, when Steven Gerrard's corner was not dealt with by Edwin van der Sar, Harry Kewell's effort should have gone in, and when Fernando Torres' one could not have missed, unfortunately, it did. Liverpool had another chance after a collision between van der Sar and defender Nemanja Vidic, however Dirk Kuyt wasn't fast enough to reach for the ball as Patrice Evra cleared the danger. After not taking these chances, Liverpool lost an unfortunate goal after Wayne Rooney's scuffed shot landed at Carlos Tevez's feet.
Liverpool totally dominated the second half, with substitute Ryan Babel's chance the highlight for the Reds. Rooney almost made it 2 for United but did not get his shot from Cristiano Ronaldo's cross right. It was almost déjà vu in the Arsenal-Chelsea game. No one was really dominating the match until in the final seconds of the first half, William Gallas capitalized on a Petr Cech mistake to head home from close range. Arsenal defended really well and should have at least scored another 2. First Robin van Persie was found offside, secondly van Persie missed from a little more than 6 yards out, then Emmanuel Adebayor thought he scored but was disallowed for a foul on Tal Ben-Haim, and finally Cesc Fabregas should have at least made it 2-0 to Arsenal, but saw his shot blocked. Four chances and all missed, Chelsea could not punish them, even though they had several chances of their own, after getting their players to surge into Arsenal's box. I've got to say, Emmanuel Eboue's
kinda dirty, going in hard on John Terry like that, but how can I say Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Alex ain't? They were so rough to Fabregas at the end. And ironically, Fabregas celebrated seconds later when the final whistle was blown.
Here's some interesting stats for you.:
Liverpool vs Top Four:
Chelsea (H) 1-1
Arsenal (H) 1-1
Man Utd (H) 0-1
Chelsea vs Top Four:
Liverpool (A) 1-1
Man Utd (A) 0-2
Arsenal (A) 0-1
Arsenal vs Top Four:
Liverpool (A) 1-1
Man Utd (H) 2-2
Chelsea (H) 1-0
Man Utd vs Top Four:
Chelsea (H) 2-0
Arsenal (A) 2-2
Liverpool (A) 1-0
So as you can see, Liverpool only picked up two points off the other top fours this season so far, however, all at home, unfortunately. Manchester United, on the other hand, picked up seven points off the top fours this season so far, one at home and two away. Arsenal picked up five points off the top fours this season up till now, two at home and one away. Chelsea only picked up a point off the top fours this season so far, all away though.
You can see, Liverpool have not done well against the title rivals this season, with only two draws and all at Anfield. Many people may argue the Chelsea one should have ended up in a win, so the Reds should have had a win and a draw. But it didn't materialized and had Liverpool better defended their 1-0 lead against Arsenal, we still might have that four points even after yesterday's night lost to Man Utd.
Sickenin'...
Chelsea's three away games at their rivals all ended up without a victory. Their only excuse could be, its away. But they ain't doing as well, but still are third. Liverpool can look to that stat and build on better results in the future, and not thinking its over. Chelsea should be on zero points against their rivals, as said against Liverpool. The Man Utd game, most might say, was a lost as the Blues were in a turmoil as that was the time Jose Mourinho left. Well, fair enough. But the Arsenal game, they just lost it hands down.
Manchester United picked up the most points with wins over Chelsea and Liverpool, and a draw with Arsenal, divided between away and home games. The Liverpool one should have been a draw, whilst the Arsenal one was just pure unlucky, after Gallas' last ditch goal. Man Utd did not play all those games at home, so will enjoy home comforts when the other Red giants visits Old Trafford.
Lucky, lucky, lucky...
Arsenal have a decent record against their title rivals, not losing at all, a la Man Utd. Arsenal did get a good result against Liverpool, but should have lost it to Man Utd. Their win over Chelsea, well, could not be disputed.
So it seems Arsenal and Manchester United are leading the race for the title, even though its early, look clear favourites, as they are more consistent. As much as I'd like to think Liverpool are still in it, they must be at least within reach of the leaders come end of the Christmas period, where many games will take its toll and Benitez's rotation policy will fully take effect, and hopefully produce results. Let's say, 5 points difference is the maximum Liverpool can be off the pace, but it must be said they must get much, much closer than 5 by the New Year to stand any chance of going through. February onwards, the Champions League knockout stages begin, and the exertions in Europe, with little or no matches for resting players, and most weeks having two games in each, the fatigue will set in and by then, Liverpool might loose a bit of the pace. Having said that, won't the other team lose a bit of pace too? Anyway whichever team is still up there in the running during the Champions League knockout stages will surely be the better team with good depth, and ultimately clinch the title, as they supposedly deserve to. =)
C'mon Reds. Its not over. There's still a good chance, make it within 7 points and hold it, hopefully one will slip up sooner rather than later. =)
Right?
Bye~!
my thoughts at 4:24 pm
Saturday, December 15, 2007
So some random stuff now, leading up to another weekend of English football, most notably highlighted by Grand Slam Sunday, or just... Make-or-break for the Big Four. It's on Sunday,
yeah... Those big matches, so I'm like
kinda bored now, probably going to watch some football later, but now, it's just blogging I guess. This whole day's just been playing Team Fortress 2, very fun game, multi-player class-based. Here's the
wiki of it, if you
wanna find out more.
I also looked at some video from the 1960s predicting the future, more apparently 1999, on the possibilities of technology then, or now, or... Whatever. It accurately predicted online shopping, emailing and online banking, and plasma televisions! The concepts were correct, it was just the applications that was not as accurate. But it all case, if it was an authentic video, its pretty good.
These holidays are real boring, I need something to do, other than being stuck half the time on the
comp... Now lastly, just a little football, about Fabio Capello and England... Here are some stuffs he needs to get right, and a little comparing along the way with his predecessors.:
- Pick The Right Players. Capello needs to be able to know which players are on fire with their respective clubs, in the build up to important games, or tournaments for that matter. Steve McClaren attempted to rectify that problem Sven Goran-Eriksson put in place, but failed, as he constantly played off-form players. Players such as Ashley Young or Gabriel Agbonlahor, both from Aston Villa, had great spells of form last season, but failed to catch the eye of McClaren, so too David James, also overlooked for the ever blunder-prone Paul Robinson. Capello will need to identify players that are on-form when he attends Premier League games, should he, and not just be a hollow presence in the ground.
- Perfect The Right Strategy. Capello needs to find out a formation he and his players are comfortable with and ultimately very familiar with. McClaren did not perfect his 4-4-2 formation at the start of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, and in a desperate attempt to impress, he switched to a 3-5-2, the rest is history. Eriksson too just had a 4-4-2 but did not know how to effectively use his players.
- Utilize Friendly Internationals. Capello needs to utilize friendlies to the maximum, to blood, maybe young talent, say, some players from Stuart Pearce's U-21 squad, like Agbonlahor, James Milner, Steven Taylor, or fringe players like Nolan, Joey Barton, Jermaine Defoe, Theo Walcott. McClaren only used friendlies to field his full-team to try out different strategies, which was not suppose to have happened, as strategies and tactics should have been finalised centuries ago. Eriksson did try to field fringe players, to his credit. Capello can also try to field a team of full internationals and fringe or young players, to give the latter a chance to prove themselves. This in turn, doesn't make friendlies in English football look useless.
- Have A Plan B And C. Capello needs at least two back-up plans, and may I highlight, he should have much more. A defensive plan, strategy, tactic, whatever you call it, must be in hand, say, to change to a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 when defending a lead against Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals in the final few minutes. Or, say, a 4-3-3 or 3-3-4 when trying to get back into the game after going 2-0 down to, say, Germany. McClaren never had a back-up plan, just a stupid looking 3-5-2 that didn't really work. Eriksson only had his 4-4-2, no back-up plan, and when trying to force a match, would just chiong everyone of the 4-man midfield upfield. Capello needs to develop various strategies and formations he and his personnel knows well, and knows how to play it.
- Substitute Right. Capello needs to know who to bring on and when, probably have in mind Barry or Hargreaves to come on to try to defend a lead, or Frank Lampard or Nolan to come on to try to turn the tide of the game and thread that all-important pass. Or, lets say, throw on Dean Ashton or Walcott to try to win a game with little chances. The only time McClaren got his substitutions right was in his last game, against Croatia, where he brought on David Beckham and Defoe, that significantly turned the tide of the game, however, he lost it when he didn't bring on Hargreaves when he was level. Eriksson never used his substitutes right, and should have used Walcott in one of the World Cup matches.
- Have The Right Mentality At Every Game. Capello will have to introduce the right mentality to his players in every game, whether it is a friendly against Singapore, or the World Cup semis against Argentina. He'll have to fuse a winning mentality into his players for every game, and not to take any team, whatever the stature, lightly. That way, he'll get the best out of his players, and get the results that he wants and ultimately deserves, which counts as a win.
So some things that Capello needs to get right, hopefully he'll manage to do it better than his predecessors. Grand Slam Sunday is on soon. Hope I'll be as happy as I am now excited.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 5:26 pm
Grand Slam Sunday
Friday, December 14, 2007
So first things' first, Italian manager Fabio Capello, who once successfully managed the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid to Champions League and their respective countries' league titles more than once, completed a deal that was worth more than what Sven Goran-Eriksson salary and was installed as England's second foreign manager.
Hmm... Good choice I must say, given his reputation. He'll also be bringing a technical director, goalkeeping coach, assistant coach and fitness coach, of whom all are Italians as well. Reports claims he won't field superstars but players who are on top of their game and on form, might be good for England. Capello likes a defensive approach, not surprising since he's Italian, and loves to have a defensive midfield cover his back four.
Hmm... The likes of Michael Owen, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole might have to step up their game a notch if they're going to keep their place under Capello, as the likes of Stewart Downing, Darren Bent, Jermaine Defoe, Owen Hargreaves and Gareth Barry, even Kevin Nolan, might push for a place in the squad, and ultimately the starting eleven.
Now on to Grand Slam Sunday, Liverpool vs Manchester United, Arsenal vs Chelsea, Whoever wins will get a much needed confidence booster and three valuable points. Liverpool and Arsenal lost their games last week to Reading and Middlesbrough respectively, thus ending both sides' unbeaten record, but managed to win in their final Champions League group stage match, 4-0 against Marseille and 2-1 against Slavia Prague respectively. Manchester United and Chelsea on the other hand, won 4-0 and 2-0 last week, before being held by Roma and Valencia to stalemates. Only Liverpool out of those foursome was unable to rest their stars, and had to go all out for a win.
picture from Skysports.com
Anfield
Sunday 16 December 2007
9.25pm (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 27 (Football Channel)
Liverpool Line-Up (Probable):
25. Jose Manuel Reina
23. Jamie Carragher
__ 4. Sami Hyypia
17. Alvaro Arbeloa
______________________________________ 12. Fabio Aurelio
21. Lucas Leiva
____ 20. Javier Mascherano
8. Steven Gerrard (
C)
______________________________________ 7. Harry Kewell
18. Dirk Kuyt
______ 9. Fernando Torres
Substitutes (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje, 6. John Arne Riise, 14. Xabi Alonso, 19. Ryan Babel, 15. Peter Crouch
Other Players (Squad):
3. Steve Finnan (doubtful, calf), 46. Jack Hobbs, 22. Mohamed Sissoko, 10. Andriy Voronin
I really hope Steve Finnan does play, at right-back to push Alvaro Arbeloa to the left, to counter Cristiano Ronaldo's threat. But anyway, the back four will be the standard four, whoever is fit. Fabio Aurelio, who played 20-odd minutes at Marseille, should start. Daniel Agger is still not fit, thus Sami Hyypia continues to deputise in defence. I feel Rafa Benitez might stick Steven Gerrard on the right side of midfield, to allow two less offensive-minded players in Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano to sit in front of the back four, with Lucas still being able to add an offensive outlet with Mascherano to really sit in front of the back four. Harry Kewell should continue his run of games with a start on the left wing. Dirk Kuyt should be included as he'll defend from the front and close Manchester United's defenders and midfielder Michael Carrick, whilst Fernando Torres will be the main man to cause United problems. Xabi Alonso might come on if Rafa sees fit to add a different dimension to the Reds' midfield and to give Liverpool more passing ability. Ryan Babel might replace tiring Kewell to add to United's defensive problems. Peter Crouch is a different option in attack should Kuyt or Torres fade off. So c'mon Reds!
Enjoy the football!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 8:41 pm
great
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The great escape is completed. Magnificent win for Liverpool. They're through to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages round of 16. The opposition they'll be able to draw is a little tough, as they finished second to FC Porto in group A, such as Sevilla, Internazionale, A.C. Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid. But I won't go there, and just enjoy the moment.
A lucky draw against FC Porto on Portugese soil was seen as a good result, as it was away from home, but after Marseille gunned down Liverpool at Anfield, things started looking gloomy for Liverpool. It looked further unlikely Liverpool were not going to make it for the first time in four years after they were outplayed against Besiktas JK in Turkey, losing 2-1. They needed to win all three to secure a spot in their final three games. I remember that commentator when the Reds played Besiktas saying at the end of the match.
"And Liverpool are bottom of Group A with 1 point"
That really
sucked. So Liverpool hosted Besiktas in the home leg, and duly avenged their defeat and thrashed the Turkish side 8-0. One-third of the job done. Liverpool had much tougher opposition in the form of Porto at Anfield again. But they prevailed 4-1 after a late charge with the score at 1-1. Everything boiled down to the last game, yesterday's one. Liverpool could draw, but needed Besiktas to win Porto, that didn't happen, but the Reds prevailed 4-0 winners.
Liverpool really dominated the game yesterday, even though the percentage possession were in favour of the French. Superb closing down, slick passing, great movement, good defending, and most of all, great offensive attitude. Rafa Benitez's tactical prowess shown through last night, showing what he can do with the owners onlooking. Magnificent win for Liverpool, confidence is high again as they host arch-rivals Manchester United next.
Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher were just rocks in the defense, throwing their bodies at every shot and every cross. Javier Mascherano was protecting the defence well. Steven Gerrard's passing, movement, defense and offensive bombardments were top class, earning that penalty. Harry Kewell looked back to fitness, great touches, flicks and movement. Dirk Kuyt ran his socks off, defended from the front superbly. And Fernando Torres, played well, ran down the channels superbly, great changes of pace, and superb finishing. Nothing better could have been asked for.
Next up Manchester United, who can rest their first-teamers tomorrow morning,
Damn!
I hate it when people say they were poor opposition in the form of Porto, Besiktas and Marseille. Liverpool played well to make them look poor.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 12:50 pm
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
So Singapore eventually lost to Thailand, I think 3-0, 'cause I left at the 82 minute stage, left disappointed, sad,
yeah... You get the point. So this pretty much sums up what Singapore produced over the 90 minutes, a comment made by the Singapore commentator.
"And Ismael Younis thought he was a Brazilian, it took a goal to remind him that he was a Singaporean."
So in all honesty, Singapore only really played well around the 10 minute mark onwards, right up till the Thai goal, in the middle of their better spell of possession. You could say, right against play, perhaps. So you could say Singapore were a little unfortunate, however, the goal they conceded, even the other two, were really poor, and should not have happened.
The First Goal. It was very simple, actually, this goal. It was just a routine, bread-and-butter decision for Singaporean custodian Hassan Sunny to make, to stay in goal and let his defenders clear it, or for him to rush out, command his area, and catch or punch the ball away to safety. He chose the latter option, but his command of his area wasn't good enough, and his accuracy of his catch wasn't good enough, allowing a very, very soft goal, in all aspects. Routine save turns out to be a disastrous start for the Young Lions.
The Second Goal.
Oh,
oh,
oh... Another routine, bread-and-butter defending that would make any amateur defender look and feel stupid around his friends and mates. Ismael Younis was in command of his defence, got the ball back to himself, and had two options, play it back to the goalkeeper, get it wide, or try to get it square to his full-back.
Err wait, was that three options?
Yeah... So he didn't do any of those three options, and decided to act like a ball-playing defender, and got easily dispossessed. The rest, was history, just that, Lionel Lewis' save was great, just that the rebound didn't do him any justice at all.
The Third Goal. Khairul Amri's mistake at trying to run his way out of his own half. The rest was pure Thai skill.
Thailand was superior at every single department. Few mistakes. Great commitment and tackles. Better dribbles, quality crossing. Overall better offensive play and defensive work. Singapore had much to admire. There were just too much skill and ball control within the Thai players. Khairul Amri, Fazrul Nawaz, Shahril Ishak and Ridhuan Mohammed were all the guilty parties with poor passing and poor decisions, such as those fancy flicks from Amri.
Singapore for Bronze?
------------------------------------------------------
So now for European football. Marseille vs Liverpool. 3 points will secure the Merseyside club a spot in the knockout stages, and of course that lucrative £10million plus that goes with it. Rafa Benitez goes into this game on the back of a 3-1 away defeat to Reading, which was on the back of 5 consecutive wins and 21 goals. So hopefully they go back to their old form. The team to start should be:
Jose Manuel Reina; Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Alvaro Arbeloa; Yossi Benayoun, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Ryan Babel; Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres
The substitutes bench should include Charles Itandje; John Arne Riise, Jack Hobbs; Lucas Leiva, Harry Kewell; Peter Crouch, Andriy Voronin.
one for the start, one for the latter stages
both need a big performance, both in attack and in defence
So good luck Rafa Benitez and company. The owner will be watching. I definitely think one eye will be on the FC Porto-Besiktas JK game. A win for the away side and a draw for the Reds will also see them through, but don't bank on that guys!
Oh yeah... There's this SCAM going on now. People sounding like China nationals, or maybe just China Chinese, are calling home phones around Singapore, possibly elsewhere, CLAIMING that particular person had won something, or could participate to win something. It is obviously untrue, as they would ask for your personal particulars. You could play along with 'em, not encouraged though, or the safe option, just hang up on those SCAMERS.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 10:33 pm
Monday, December 10, 2007
Here are several pointers that Rafa Benitez should have on his "Note-to-Self":
- Only play a 4-3-3 formation when there are two real wingers, in that sense, Harry Kewell, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel or Jermaine Pennant, not Andriy Voronin.
- Mohamed Sissoko needs to work on his passing game and ball control.
- Peter Crouch should never play left in a 4-3-3, only in the centre forward position. Only.
- Never let Javier Mascherano any offensive freedom, he can't shoot. He just can't.
- John Arne Riise cannot produce decent Liverpool-standard crossing.
On another case, I think this is what Rafa Benitez must be thinking, pondering, wondering, or which personnel he needs back:
- Daniel Agger needs to get fit soon. Jack Hobbs is still learning so cannot really provide as best cover when Sami Hyypia or Jamie Carragher is out. But if Hobbs continues improving performances, it might save Rafa some quid for the central of defence.
- John Arne Riise can only be a squad player, 10~15 odd games is his maximum in a season of few injuries.
- Xabi Alonso's playmaking skills are what Liverpool need in games against teams that employ 10 men behind the ball, closing down up to goalkeeper Jose Reina, or just come to try to avoid defeat.
Liverpool need to win at Marseille this week, and must at most - I must emphasis - at most, nick a point of Manchester United, or better gaining all three, or Rafa Benitez is going to be in for a long, or
severely cut short, season, if you get what I meant.
Key players whose performances will be key this week are almost definitely midfield dynamo Steven Gerrard, forward Fernando Torres, defensive rock Jamie Carragher and goalkeeper-cum-playmaker Jose Reina. This does not just refer to those first teamers, the squad players such as Alvaro Arbeloa, Ryan Babel, Harry Kewell, Lucas Leiva, Javier Mascherano and Peter Crouch must be on top of their game.
This difficult week started off with a lost, let's end it on two positive notes, shall we?
Bye~!
my thoughts at 8:23 pm
shit
Sunday, December 09, 2007
So I don't
wanna say much
bout the Reading-Liverpool game. All I want to say is, the referee, Andre Marriner, is screwed up during that game, awarding a non-existent penalty from the outside the box challenge of Jamie Carragher, and not awarding Fernando Torres at least one of his two shouts a penalty, nor of Mohamed Sissoko. The 4-3-3 was all wrong. For all you fans who keep saying your team isn't in luck during a particular game, Liverpool were NEVER, truly never in luck. Everything went in favour to Reading, saved by the woodwork, lucky bounces, etc. Just hoping for better results against Marseille and Manchester United in this week.
Anyway I'll talk
bout the other matches that happened. Just watched the Aston Villa-Portsmouth game, which ended 3-1 in favour of the away side. Craig Gardener's own goal was
kinda unlucky as he was trying his best to clear the danger. However, both of Sulley Ali Muntari's long range efforts that ended up at the back of the net was brilliant. Martin Laursen could have equalised with two chances when it was still 1-0, but he never got it right and at the other end whilst defending, he was never assertive enough to stop Muntari's first rocket of a goal. Very exciting game, indeed!
Chelsea managed to win 2-0 against Sunderland. No surprise there. The surprise is... Andriy Shevchenko, a.k.a. £30million flop, scored, after great work and great cross from Salomon Kalou. Frank Lampard, as usual, scored a penalty, no surprise there either.
Haha... Yakubu grabs a hat-trick as Everton wins 3-0!!!
Lol... I wasn't supposed to be happy, seriously. He got a lucky first goal when Tim Cahill's shot rebounded off his feet and into the net, without him doing much. His second, from Mikel Arteta's corner, was just really at the right place, right time
kinda thing, heading from uber close range.
UNfortunately, his third goal was really about skill, turning the defender and curling past Antti Niemi.
Damn.
Sam Allardyce got further pressure lifted after Habib Beye scored a winner, at the dot of 90th minute to secure a 2-1 win against Birmingham. Newcastle weren't really in the game in the second half, but should have got a penalty when one Birmingham player in the wall blocked Emre's free kick. More wins against Fulham, Wigan and Derby would definitely put Allardyce back as a respected figure, little points, however, he should be out.
Hmm... Manchester United got their usual thrashing of Derby County, 4-1. Nothing much said. Derby's goal was nice. ; )
Oh referee!Bye~!
my thoughts at 2:14 pm
blueprint
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
So Portugese manager Jose Mourinho has came out to the media stating how much he wants the England job, but only if the English FA returns the enthusiasm and invites him. He even claims he has a blueprint for English football if he lands the job. The first of his blueprint is for the National Football Centre in Burton is completed. Yes, completed, not built. That Burton National Football Centre started construction a few years but stalled after a high FA figure, rumoured Howard Wilkinson, left or was sacked. This centre is a central ground for young English players to learn the game and get games under their belt at a young age. France has such a complex, with several fields and facilities, and produced current good players, one such Arsenal's current captain and defensive rock William Gallas. Wish Singapore had one,
hehh. Second of his bluprint is for an independent, unbiased team of physios and doctors by his side. Currently England has Arsenal's Gary Lewin as physio, so there might be some biased opinion, but... Doesn't Arsenal only have Theo Walcott able to play for England currently? He's only in the U-21s anyway.
And lastly Mourinho wants complete, or whatever, access to the clubs' training facilities, probably to look at some players in his mind. Fair enough all these that Mourinho wants. The National Football Centre is a must actually even before the Steve McClaren-era, to produce quality English players. The independent medical team isn't reasonable either. Maybe the total access to the clubs' training facilities, like Liverpool's Melwood, or Manchester United's Carrington, might be a little too unreasonable for the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, but it is beneficial for the English players, who are recovering to match fitness, to be looked at way ahead of squad selection and meeting up for training as an England squad.
Haha looks like Mourinho isn't just looking at the big payday as an England manager. Perfect choice to lead England to World Cup glory at the end of June 2010.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 8:50 pm
euro2008
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The European Football Championships 2008 Austria & Switzerland, or just known as Euro 2008, group stages draw was done like around 15 minutes ago. And there were a few surprises too, its going to be a very interesting Euro 2008 next june! So these are the groups, if you're too lazy to go check out on the football news websites.:
Group A - Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey
Group B - Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland
Group C - Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France
Group D - Greece, Spain, Sweden, Russia
So
yeah... Can you spot the old cliche of the "Group Of Death"? Practically every tournament has a Group of Death... So its Group C that is for Euro 2008. Netherlands, led by Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart, will face Italy, spearheaded by Bayern forward Luca Toni, Romania, including Fiorentina ace Adrian Mutu, and finally, France, led by inspirational Barcelona forward Thierry Henry. Every team has a chance to go through, maybe not Romania, but they'd put up quite a fight. One of France and Italy almost missed out to Scotland, and one or both of them might miss out on the Quarter-Finals should the Netherlands be on top form.
In Group A, co-hosts Switzerland have a tough task to get out of their group. Czech Republic and Portugal are the favourites to get through. Turkey have an outside chance of getting through though, but they would have to scramble some points off the top favourites.
Spain, Sweden, Greece and Russia make up Group D. All have the chance of getting through, though Spain is the favourite. There's really nothing to choose between the three other countries, although I do see Sweden slipping up and Greece not producing the kind of form that led them to the Euro 2004 title. Russia might get through if master tactician Guus Hiddink get it right in the three group stages matches.
Finally, Group B consists of co-hosts Austria, Germany, Croatia and Poland. Germany are the favourites to get into the Quarter-Finals. Poland and Croatia look set to battle it out for second spot, whilst Austria do lack the quality to get through.
Teams' predicted to get through:
Czech Republic
Portugal
Germany
Croatia
Netherlands
Italy
Spain
Russia
Haha... I wasn't really confident on the Group C one, could go either way. So these are my thoughts and predictions for the Quarters-Finals of Euro 2008. Can't wait! Hope it'll be a very good tournament. No diving, please!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 8:14 pm