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Darren
17 ~~Cath High, iMedia '08~~ SAJC 09S23, ~~Saints Hockey~~

Monday, April 21, 2008

Every football fan dream of being in the managerial hot seat right? Don't you? Well, like every football fan, I personally do. Being a European master-tactician in Rafa Benitez, or a Arsene Wenger-type of strongly supporting youth development, or just spending loads of money like Alex Ferguson, there's definitely the joy of being a manager, and yet it brings a different sort of pressure, from above. Wenger and Ferguson enjoy much leeway in managing the club as a whole. Wenger has so much cash stashed in the reserves, not wanting to use it, why would he? When you can get the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure and Mathieu Flamini for less than a million each? Wenger is not pressured to bring in superstars or to spend big by his employers. Ferguson too, brings in much youth in the 1990s, and lesser so today, but he definitely spends £30 million or so every summer bringing in big names and very good youth talent to strengthen United's squad. Well on the other hand, we Liverpool fans definitely felt Tom Hicks and George Gillett are Liverpool's saviours. They did look like it at first, bringing in Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel, both a combined worth of around £40 million, and the new stadium looked to be on its way by 2010. Rafa was optimistic, so were the players and fans.

But what about now? There's been reports that the young duo's transfer cash was loaned from the bank, how stupid is that? And that they might have to sell the star duo, although reports have denied them.

I hope this is true, though. There's a boardroom rift, first with each other, now with CEO Rick Parry. But before that, the boardroom had some sorta misunderstanding with Rafa Benitez himself. Rafa accused them of not allowing him to bring him tie up some free transfers for next season. Ex-German national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann was interviewed while Rafa was still manager. I mean, Klinsmann was good with Germany in the World Cup, but its a one-off tournament, what about club football? We'll find out next season at FC Bayern. Now at least there's some good news some non-English footballer have a deal struck to join the club.

pictures from liverpoolfc.tv

I wonder many Liverpool fans are eating their words for saying Malcolm Glazer was a bane for Man Utd. He's not even interfered with Alex anymore! Damn...

I find it funny with all these mind games ahead of a Champions League Semis. So typical that Jose Mourinho would do this, but Avram Grant? The person who did not want to talk in the recent interview? Now he's saying Steven Gerrard is his dream signing, is he just trying to distract Gerrard? I feel Rafa's replies have been quite decent, if its mind games or just really informing us Liverpool fans the truth. Gerrard is doubtful for the game on Wednesday morning, so it might throw Grant's defensive plans astray, and might have to handle two strategies at once, with or without Gerrard. I personally feel Rafa is just trying to play with Grant, and I'm confident Gerrard will play. =)

Jose Reina - Petr Cech

Jamie Carragher vs Joe Cole
tough one to call

Sami Hyypia + Martin Skrtel vs Didier Drogba
depends on who drogba tag to, but I think the duo will come out on top

Fabio Aurelio vs Salomon Kalou?
whoever Chelsea plays, it'll be fairly equal

Xabi Alonso + Javier Mascherano vs Michael Ballack? + Frank Lampard
mascherano needs to neutralise lampard, that's key, and alonso and ballack will cancel each other out

Dirk Kuyt vs Ashley Cole
kuyt's running will neutralise cole's attacking flair, but cole's pace will neutralise kuyt's abilities as well

Ryan Babel vs Belletti?
this is the key area, babel should be able to get the better of a slower paced belletti, this is chelsea's weakest spot

Steven Gerrard vs Claude Makelele
makelele might neutralise gerrard, but like against arsenal in the quarters, one moment of lapse of concentration from makelele is all gerrard need

Fernando Torres vs John Terry + Ricardo Carvalho?
pace vs strength, torres on form is another key for the reds

Possible substitutions for Liverpool are Yossi Benayoun, Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant and, oh please no, Andriy Voronin. Crouch for his height, Benayoun's trickery, Pennant's pace and trouble for A.Cole, and Voronin? Erm... For his chasing and just another body forward? For Chelsea, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nicolas Anelka, Jon Obi Mikel and Florent Malouda. All four could start in place of any of the starting eleven. SWP will give the much needed pace to fly past Carragher or Aurelio, Anelka for his more pacey attacking play to outrun Hyypia, Mikel to shore up the midfield and allow Fat Frank forward, and Malouda for his left peg.

Liverpool need to come out tops, a slight win would be nice. The second leg at Stamford Bridge, if Pool don't concede an away goal and at least get one, they can go get anther away goal there. So being at Stamford Bridge for the second leg might not be such a bad thing.

Bye~!

my thoughts at 5:36 pm