Liverpool vs Havant and Waterlooville
Friday, January 25, 2008
Hmm... Never heard of such a team before?
Haha... Can't blame you. Havant and Waterlooville are 120 places below Liverpool, and in the Conference National South. Their players are part-timers actually, a couple of them are students and the rest has other jobs other than playing for that club. It's really the epitome of the magic of the FA Cup. Minnows and part-timers versus the almighty Reds at Anfield.
Anfield
Saturday 26 January 2008
10.55pm (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 23 (ESPN)
Liverpool Line-Up (Probable):
30 Charles Itandje
23 Jamie Carragher
__ 37 Martin Skrtel
3 Steve Finnan
______________________________________ 48 Emiliano Insua
8 Steven Gerrard (
C)
____ 14 Xabi Alonso
16 Jermaine Pennant
______________________________________ 33 Sebastian Leto
15 Peter Crouch
______ 19 Ryan Babel
Substitutes (Probable):
40 David Martin _ 4 Sami Hyypia _ 21 Lucas Leiva _ 42 Nabil El Zhar _ 9 Fernando Torres
my thoughts at 10:07 pm
Liverpool vs Aston Villa
Monday, January 21, 2008
Anfield
Tuesday 22 January 2008
3.55am (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 27 (Football Channel)
Liverpool's Line-Up (Probable):
25 Jose Manuel Reina
23 Jamie Carragher __ 37 Martin Skrtel
17 Alvaro Arbeloa ______________________________________ 6 John Arne Riise
8 Steven Gerrard (C)____ 20 Javier Mascherano
16 Jermaine Pennant ______________________________________ 11 Yossi Benayoun
15 Peter Crouch ______ 9 Fernando Torres
Substitutes (Probable):
30 Charles Itandje
_ 4 Sami Hyypia
_ 14 Xabi Alonso
_ 19 Ryan Babel
_ 18 Dirk Kuyt
So it's another home game for Liverpool, good or bad? It's really up to you to decide. For those who said good, probably you just thought playing at home, with the crowd behind you, is
kinda good. I can't blame you, but those who said bad, I see what you are getting at, too many draws has decided the course of Liverpool's campaign so far. Last couple of years, it was the away form, now its at home. And of course, now it's high-flying Aston Villa. Liverpool really need a win to lift the morale and get the three valuable points in their impossible task of getting back into the title race.
Jose Reina will almost definitely start in goal. Alvaro Arbeloa and John Arne Riise should get the starts on at full back, as the pace of the likes of Luke Moore and Gabriel Agbonlahor might be too tough a task for the likes of Fabio Aurelio and Steve Finnan to keep up with. Jamie Carragher and new signing Martin Skrtel, who might get his first start, might start together for the first time, and will have the shared responsibility of marshaling John Carew out of the game, which is quite impossible.
Skipper Steven Gerrard is almost certain to start in the centre of midfield. Javier Mascherano or Xabi Alonso will fight it out for the second midfield spot, with Mascherano likely to come out as Rafa Benitez's choice due to his more defensive nature. Jermaine Pennant should get a start on the right, with Yossi Benayoun on the left, both providing, hopefully, sufficient width for Liverpool.
Fernando Torres is another almost certain starter. But whose up with him? I hope it's Peter Crouch. One reason is because he wins 90% of the high punts from the Liverpool backline, another is because he has great ball control, thirdly he looks more capable of supplying Torres with flick-ons or scoring a header, and lastly, he just looks better than Andriy Voronin. One more thing, with Pennant being Liverpool's best winger at crossing, and should he play, shouldn't Crouch get a chance to benefit from it?
Dirk Kuyt should take his place on the bench ahead of Voronin. Ryan Babel could come on should more attacking flair be necessary. Xabi Alonso's passing ability will come in good if Aston Villa's defence proves to tight to penetrate, or come in as an extra midfielder allowing Gerrard to bomb forward. Sami Hyypia should just be emergency really, so to Charles Itandje.
So
c'mon Liverpool, try to be positive, play some no-fear football, and try to go on a run winning games, for morale, and for the build-up of the much awaited Champions League knockout stage.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 4:59 pm
Thursday, January 17, 2008
So after breezing past Coca-Cola League One strugglers Luton Town in the third round of the FA Cup 5-0...
Oh sorry, third round replay of the FA Cup, Liverpool have been drawed with Conference South mid-table side Havant and Waterlooville in the FA Cup fourth round.
Hmm... Hopefully the dream of this non-league club will not see them prevail at Anfield or get a replay, unless Rafa plays his under-18s that is. Now it seems that the youngsters that might play in that match are Nabil El Zhar, Jack Hobbs, Lucas Leiva and Sebastian Leto, including new-signing Martin Skrtel, whilst some unlikely ones are Jay Spearing and Craig Linfield. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres should be left on the bench, should they not play.
Anyway, getting back to the EPL. It seems that the league gets tougher and tougher by the year, especially with more and more foreign takeovers of the clubs, which also means an injection of cash into the club. Such clubs that have been constantly improving are the ones like Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Manchester City and Portsmouth.
Aston Villa was taken over by an Icelandic businessman last year, and now is under another Icelandic after the former sold his shares. Villa has improved from their usual mid-table mediocrity, and now is mostly fighting at the top-half of the table. Their strike force are quite decent, having young English forwards Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and Luke Moore on their wings supporting their main man John Carew. Their defence are decent too whilst a midfield pivoted by Gareth Barry isn't bad either. Their manager Martin O'Neill knows how to win games and deal in the transfer market. With the latter and decent enough money from above, this combination would suit Villa well in the future as they strive to get a European place.
Under Mark Hughes, Blackburn Rovers has excelled. Even with little funds, Hughes has been able to spot unknown talents such as defensive duo of Ryan Nelsen and Christoph Samba. He has also been able to lure the likes of Stephen Warnock to shore up his left side of defence, whilst getting former Bayern striker Roque Santa Cruz on a free, and the latter's partnership with one of Hughes' big-name signing in Benni McCarthney has been good. He has also been able to nuture David Bentley well whilst most utilizing Morten Gamst Pedersen's brilliant skill. The squad has decent depth and that Hughes will be able to improve the squad in the future.
Everton has been up there in the top half for several years now. With David Moyes at the helm, they have managed to maintain their top half standings. He hasn't had much money to work with, but his eye for lower league talent has certainly paid off. Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott and now youngster Dan Gosling, Moyes has been able to mix these talent with once-unknowns like Leon Osman, Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan. More established players like Andy Johnson, Thomas Gravesen, Tim Howard and newly-signed Manuel Fernandes add the necessary quality to a side that has much bite and can battle well with the top guns.
Manchester City, under new owner Thaksin Shinawatra and manager Sven Goran-Eriksson, have soared and maintained their challenge for a European place up to the mid season so far. It all boils down to Eriksson's eye for talent that was not much sought after, plus blending some youngsters from the academy well. He has bought the likes of Vedran Corluka, Gelson Fernandes, Javier Garrido, the ever-impressive midfield duo of Martin Petrov and Elano, plus Rolando Bianchi. He has brilliantly blended in impressive youngsters such as goalkeeper Joe Hart, currently first choice, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Michael Johnson, Stephen Ireland and Kelvin Etuhu, all of whom are usually partnered with experienced players such as Dietmar Hamann and Richard Dunne. With a few signings that Eriksson is eyeing this January, Manchester City should maintain their position in the league, but will have to improve their away form to try to challenge the Top4.
The last club is Portsmouth. Harry Redknapp has managed to secure some bright talents to Fratton Park. He has somehow manage to convince these talents to shun other clubs for this 'low fashioned' club, of course with a little help financially. An example of bright Croatian youngster Niko Kranjcar and Englishman Glen Johnson demonstrates his ability to do so. Redknapp has also brought in much tough African players, although going to lose them to the African Nations Cup every other year, the likes of Sulley Muntari, John Utaka, Benjani, Nwankwo Kanu has proved great acquisitions for Portsmouth. There's also something about Arsenal rejects that has brightened Portsmouth's squad, such as players like Lauren, Sol Campbell and as stated above, Kanu. This blend of young and old has served Redknapp well.
So this is the clubs that are making Liverpool's task to regain the Premier League much tougher. Many struggling clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and West Ham United, the former two with new managers, will surely improve and add to the quality of the EPL that will surpass the likes of the Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A in the terms of league quality.
my thoughts at 5:48 pm
%&@!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Andriy VORONIN can't play FOOTBALL.
He can't pass, he can't dribble, he can't shoot!!!!
Why can't PETER CROUCH play more OFTEN?
Didn't he score last week against LUTON?
He had the height to beat HUTH and WHEATER!!
IT'S JUST CRAP! SERIOUSLY...
NEVER PLAY 5 DEFENDERS, WITH JOHN ARNE RIISE
AS A LEFT WINGER.
PLAY NATURAL WINGERS, RYAN BABEL,
YOSSI BENAYOUN, HARRY KEWELL,
and JERMAINE PENNANT...
That's what they were BOUGHT for...
Ship off VORONIN, SISSOKO, RIISE and the other DEAD WOOD,
Get in some REAL QUALITY
More MATCH-WINNERS other than
STEVEN GERRARD and FERNANDO TORRES
For now though, just focus on 3rd/4th place in the EPL,
And try to win the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE or/and FA CUP
my thoughts at 10:02 am
Skrtel
Saturday, January 12, 2008
So the second week of school is over, and I can tell, I, and probably most, is really starting to feel the heat. Three more weeks to the first prelim of this testing year, most of us are rushing to finish up daily work and try to concentrate during the lessons. It's quite obvious there are small little cracks in us already, but I should think that most of us should be doing fine. The stress levels are quite high already, as we try to control our habit of never handing up homework last year, to trying our best to complete it and hand it up on time. That's quite a change, if you ask me. But
hey, we're Sec 4, we have to,
right?
Anyway back to football. Liverpool completed the signing of Zenit St Peterburg's Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel. This 1.91m defender, according to news reports and interview with boss Rafa Benitez, is quick, strong and not afraid to get stuck in. If this is really the case, he should be Liverpool's equivalent of Manchester United's Serbian international Nemanja Vidic, who answered those critics wondering why Sir Alex Ferguson paid so much for him, with some magnificent performances. And I'm confident Skrtel will be as big and as good a hit as Vidic was and is now. He'll be wearing the number 37 jersey this season, with expectations he should change to a much smaller number during the next. This could spell an end to veteran Sami Hyypia's Liverpool career, as he may even lose his back-up place to the new defender.
Now to tonight's match, it's Liverpool away to Middlesbrough, a ground the Reds' do not really like to travel to.
The Riverside Stadium
Saturday 12 January 2008
10.55pm (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 21 (SuperSports Plus)
Liverpool's Line-Up (Probable):
25. Jose Manuel Reina
23. Jamie Carragher
__ 4. Sami Hyypia
3. Steve Finnan
______________________________________ 6. John Arne Riise
8. Steven Gerrard
____ 20. Javier Mascherano
16. Jermaine Pennant
______________________________________ 7. Harry Kewell
15. Peter Crouch
______ 9. Fernando Torres
Substitutes (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje, 5. Daniel Agger, 14. Xabi Alonso, 11. Yossi Benayoun, 18. Dirk Kuyt
Currently, with so many options available following the return from injury of Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Daniel Agger as such, Rafa Benitez will again have many options to choose from. Although that is good, I do hope he picks the correct and ultimately best players he sees fit, and not rotate as much. So the goalkeeper should be Jose Reina, as usual. The new signing Martin Skrtel might be too early to land a place anywhere in the team, unless Daniel Agger is not available and Rafa feels he needs him right away. Other than that, Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia should feature in the center of defence. Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise, after woeful displays at Luton, should feature again, and hopefully with better performances. Jermaine Pennant should get a place on the right, with Harry Kewell, Rafa's apparent favourite, on the left. Skipper and midfielder Steven Gerrard should be the drive from midfield with Javier Mascherano covering his defensive duties.
Leading the attack should definitely be Fernando Torres after a two weeks rest. I hope to see Peter Crouch start upfront. Didn't he score in the last match? So he should be allowed to continue alongside Torres. As for the substitutes, Dirk Kuyt should start from the bench if he does not feature from the start. If Daniel Agger's deemed fit enough, he should be on the bench, if not, Fabio Aurelio, Jack Hobbs, Alvaro Arbeloa all wait in the wings, even for the other four starting defensive positions. Xabi Alonso should have the edge over Lucas Leiva on who starts from the bench, if Alonso does not start. It'll be interesting to see whoever of Yossi Benayoun or Ryan Babel gets the bench place should neither feature from the start. Andriy Voronin should almost definitely be left out of this one.
C'mon Reds!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 8:07 pm
Sunday, January 06, 2008
To be honest, I really thought Liverpool still had a chance of winning the title even when they dropped behind by around 10 points, albeit with a game in hand. Why? It's because of the African Cup of Nations. Although most might think this cup would make no difference what so ever on the title race, it was a chance no matter what. Let's look at the players that were going to leave, from the Top4 teams only.:
ArsenalEmmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast)
Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast)
Alexandre Song (Cameroon)
ChelseaJohn Obi Mikel (Nigeria)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Saloman Kalou (Ivory Coast)
Michael Essien (Ghana)
LiverpoolMohamed Sissoko (Mali)
Nabil El-Zhar (Morocco)
Manchester UnitedManucho (Angulo)
Most might argue,
err... So? But you see that two out of the four major teams have around 3-4 players going to the African Cup of Nations. Let's look at Arsenal, first of all. They'll not have Emmanuel Eboue, who plays in the right-back or right midfielder positions. Bakary Sagna, a Frenchman by the way, plays at right-back currently, probably first choice there, so it should not be a problem, at right-back. At right midfield, Aliaksandr Hleb was the first choice and probably is still the first choice there. Justin Hoyte can also play at right-back. So unless any of these players are injured, Eboue might not be missed, presence-wise. But his huge amounts of pace and direct running could be missed, as Hleb is a different type of player, who prefers playing around with the ball. Alexander Song is a defensive midfielder, who can also plays at defence, is another one going to Ghana. He is on the fringes of the first team, and only probably plays in the local cups. The main player going to be missed is Kolo Toure. He is a rock in the centre of defence. There is cover though, in the shape of Birmingham loanee Johan Djourou returning and Swiss defender Phillipe Senderos. Both isn't as dependable as Toure, as Senderos is on the slow side and Djourou is still quite young. It'll be up to either to step it up a notch to cover for the departing Toure.
The next team is Chelsea, and they have Didier Drogba, probably the most important player going to the African Cup of Nations. They'll miss his immense strength, power, pace and striking ability. Although Avram Grant still has Claudio Pizzaro and Andriy Shevchenko at his disposal, neither one has proved as effective as Drogba. Pizzaro hasn't really got into the English game yet, whilst Shevchenko has had a decent form so far. The midfield will be heavily dependent on for the goals when Drogba is not around. Another huge miss is Michael Essien, who plays for Ghana. His drive and huge stamina in midfield will be sorely missed. Steve Sidwell could replace him, but he's more of a ball-playing midfielder, with not as much tackling prowess or chasing of the ball. John Obi Mikel is another midfielder that will not be available for selection. He will not be as missed as Essien and Drogba, as there is still Michael Ballack and probably Claude Makelele to replace him. Forward Saloman Kalou will be a player missed, he's trickiness and wing play are vital for Chelsea, however Chelsea still have Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Liverpool and Manchester United are probably the least affected with this January-February cup. The Reds' will only have Mohamed Sissoko and reserve team player Nabil El-Zhar departing for Ghana. Sissoko is on the fringes of Liverpool's first team, and is probably the fifth-choice midfielder now, behind the likes of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva. He lacks the ball-playing skill and creative flair, so should not be missed at all. Reserve team winger Nabil El-Zhar should not be missed from the first-team, probably the reserve?
Haha... Manchester United, on the other hand, only has new signing Manucho from Angola departing for Ghana, so should not be missed as he is one for the future.
So as you can see, Arsenal and Chelsea have the most missed in some vital positions, and could have possibly drop some points in a few games. With Liverpool almost missing virtually no one,
yes, including Sissoko, they could have gotten a run of wins to lift themselves up and possibly close the gap. But after being able to draw with Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, this wouldn't have made a different to Liverpool's title ambitions anymore. Now, probably only Manchester United might benefit from this.
P.S. Ivory Coast's squad looks great to win the African Cup of Nations, with Drogba and Kalou spearheading the attack and Toure and Eboue marshalling the defence. Not bad at all.
First week of school and there's so much homework already.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 6:56 pm
It's Over!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
So it looks like the Reds' title ambitions for another year, is rather, unofficially over. And the funny thing is, we can't really blame the last two matches for the apparent failure at the halfway mark of the season. It's actually that two matches around the start of the season, where the Reds' drew 0-0 in both games, against Portsmouth away and Birmingham at home. In both those games, Fernando Torres didn't start the match, but from the bench.:
At Portsmouth, where it ended 0-0, it needed a Jose Reina penalty save from Kanu to get a point at Fratton Park, and by the way, Steven Gerrard set out that match.
Playing Birmingham City at home, Rafa Benitez didn't pick Fernando Torres again. But when the Spanish striker came on, and instant impact with a wonderful bicycle kick that just flew over. Birmingham's 10-men defence held out to the end, and Liverpool were frustrated again with a successive draw.
The match against Arsenal at home ended in a 1-1 draw. Too many, it was a fairly decent result against the team at the top. It saw the just-fit Fernando Torres playing at the top of a three-pronged attack, supported on the
flanks but Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt, with another just-fit Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano playing behind Steven Gerrard. But it could have ended up as a vital win until Cesc Fabregas beat the offside trap to score with ten minutes left.
An away game against Blackburn Rovers was always going to be tough, and that, wasn't Peter Crouch bought a few summers ago to aid in Liverpool's away form, according to the gaffer himself? Anyway Crouch came on with 18 minutes remaining, was really a real threat, and made some wonder, why not from the start, Rafa? Only a point was obtained from this when it should have really been three.
The Reds' then lost their unbeaten record in the league after going down 3-1 to Reading at the Madjeski Stadium. Another failed attempts to play with a three-pronged attack, Rafa got it all wrong with Peter Crouch on the left and Andriy Voronin on the right flank again. This was to be the start of a couple of defeats in the space of two weeks.
Manchester United came to town, defended, got a lucky break, and defended till the end. Liverpool had the better chances in the first half with a floppy Edwin van der Sar in United's goal, but could not capitalize. As always, in football, Carlos Tevez got a side footed goal after a well-worked corner. Liverpool continued to dominate but could not get the equaliser, and fell further behind.
With the Red Devils slipping up against West Ham the day before, Liverpool had the perfect opportunity to close the gap with a win at Manchester City. However, resilient defending from Richard Dunne and Micah Richards saw the Reds' frustrated in front of goal. Another performances that saw 80 minutes of warm up before really playing football in the last 10 minutes. They did it at Derby, but it was never going to happen against City.
As the other Top4 teams got wins, Liverpool were under pressure to get a win too, at home, against struggling Wigan Athletic. Fernando Torres got the lead for the Reds', but after a weak clearance by, of all people, Steven Gerrard, and with Javier Mascherano struggling to shrug off Titus Bramble, the latter from Wigan scored the equaliser. Another slip-up, more points dropped, the Reds' are unofficially out of it.
There are definitely some players that cannot make the grade at this high level in the Premiership, let alone help Liverpool to the title.:
John Arne Riise - His defending has been decent, but his offensive play has been disgusting, with most crosses hitting the first man or going out of play. Sell him to Valencia, please.
Mohamed Sissoko - Very contrasting form from his first season, this guy works very hard to hustle and tackle for the ball, but most of the time, he just gives it away with a over or under hit 5 yard pass, or dribbles into trouble.
Jermaine Pennant - He needs to add more goals to his game. To be fair, he has been injured, but since last season, he has only been able to produce a few decent crosses. He needs to work on it, but whether Rafa gives him a chance, only time will tell.
Dirk Kuyt - To be fair to him too, he has been very, very hardworking at closing down and defending from the front, but he needs to score much more goals than he has done recently. One example, look at Wayne Rooney, doesn't he track back all the way to act like a defensive midfielder at times, but still manages to score a fair amount of goals?
Andriy Voronin - Poor player. Could it be that Rafa puts him on the flanks too much? Probably, but as an all-out striker, he has contributed with very little goals and tries to act like a Ronaldinho or creative playmaker most times. Make a million or two off him, he's just not good enough.
Most might ask, why not Harry Kewell in this list? Well, I still feel he has something left to offer to the Reds', and a chance is rightly given to him by Rafa. So some players Liverpool are rumored to want to sign, as replacements for the above players or as reinforcements.:
Wayne Bridge (
Chelsea) - A more defensive Ashley Cole. Tells you much isn't it? Personally, I do rate him as a better left back than Riise and could do a much better job defensively. Isn't the main job of a full back is at defending, secondary at attacking?
Nedum Onuoha (
Manchester City) - Did very well recently against the Reds' themselves, he can play right back and centre back, versatility Rafa craves for. If signed, he will definitely be one for the future, and a back-up for Daniel Agger, probably pushing Sami Hyypia lower down the pecking order. Very speedy too.
Michael Johnson (
Manchester City) - Proving to be a very good young talent this season, and also touted as the next Steven Gerrard. A good all-rounded midfielder, he should be a good replacement for Sissoko and Mascherano, should the former be sold and the latter's stay not be made permanent.
David Silva (
Valencia) - Would be an excellent signing, but quite a long shot. The Spanish youngster can play on both wings and in the hole, has a great touch, excellent acceleration and a great eye for goal. Would be a great addition to Liverpool's midfield.
David Villa (
Valencia) - Another long shot, and a great signing to partner his Spain team-mate Fernando Torres at Anfield. Very good positional sense, a very good shot in him too. Would be one signing the Anfield fateful will definitely drool over.
So that's about it for Liverpool in terms of the English Premiership, as far as they are concerned for this year. I'm very optimistic, I still hoped they'd catch up after the defeat to United, and still is now, but its going to be very tough
lah. Anyway, to the FA Cup, and Liverpool travel to Luton Town in the third round.
Kenliworth Road
Sunday 6 January 2008
Midnight (SG, GMT+8)
Channel 23/24 (ESPN/StarSports)
Liverpool's Line-Up (Probable):
30. Charles Itandje
4. Sami Hyypia (C) __ 46. Jack Hobbs
3. Steve Finnan ______________________________________ 12. Fabio Aurelio
21. Lucas Leiva ____ 14. Xabi Alonso
16. Jermaine Pennant ______________________________________ 33. Sebastian Leto
15. Peter Crouch ______ 10. Andriy Voronin
Substitutes (Probable):
40. David Martin, 17. Alvaro Arbeloa, 8. Steven Gerrard, 19. Ryan Babel, 42. Nabil El Zhar
So even though Liverpool are all but out of the title race, they should not play a full team against the Championship strugglers. They should look to the future and blood some youngsters, whilst mixing them with players from the fringes on the first team. Look at Birmingham, they look like they're going to field a 16-year old, whilst Chelsea will definitely field Scott Sinclair and Ben Sahar, and of course, Arsenal's whole team will be a bunch of youngsters. So Charles Itandje will start to give Jose Reina a break. Steve Finnan should not be as tired, after just coming back from injury, to play at right-back, with another just-fit Jermaine Pennant on the right flank, looking to regain his fitness. If Sami Hyypia makes it back in time, he should be skipper if Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard doesn't feature, and partnering the young and bright prospect Jack Hobbs, with Fabio Aurelio completing the defensive quartet. Emiliano Insua might get a surprise start.
Young Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva should get another match, alongside Xabi Alonso, another who is looking to get back to match sharpness. Steven Gerrard should be left out, either on the bench in case of emergency or left out totally. Left winger Sebastian Leto might get a start if Rafa thinks he's finally good enough.
Peter Crouch should start following his three-match ban and after returning for 6 minutes in the last game against Wigan. Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel are in contention for the last forward role, but Voronin should get it. Reserve goalkeeper David Martin should fill the first place of the bench, with either Alvaro Arbeloa or John Arne Riise get a place. Steven Gerrard should be on the bench in case of an emergency, or to try to change the game. Ryan Babel should get a place on the bench too, with a high chance Moroccan Nabil El Zhar completing the five, after playing against Cardiff and as a sub against Chelsea in the Carling Cup games.
C'mon Reds!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 9:27 pm