Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0 (1-1 agg) Win 4-1 on penalties.
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Liverpool Vs Chelsea Preview (2nd Leg)
The day has finally arrived. The match everyone is waiting for. The big clash of Liverpool against Chelsea at Anfield.
It's an important match for us and being 1-0 down after the first leg, I do think that Liverpool have an uphill task. It's going to be very difficult and against the mighty Chelsea, who have revenge back of their mind, they won't be making the same mistakes again.
We need our best performance of the season and every single player must stay focus. We MUST not make any silly mistakes and we have to score 2 goals clear in order to go to Athens. It can turn out to be 2 ways. An historic night or a night which we wants to forget.
Of course, with our 12th man behind us, somehow, I do feel we stands a chance. Even with a slim chance, I will have faith in us.
Come on Reds!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Memories of Istanbul
Got this documentary from drogballs and it just brought back memories of 2005 glory. A nice video to hear the likes of lan Rush and several Liverpool fans who watched the match. Even our boss, Rafael Benitez spoken of his feelings in it.
We truly need this type of determination and grit against Chelsea back home and our special 12th man will never stop supporting us. Walk on..
In Istanbul, we won it 5 times..
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Portsmouth 2 Liverpool 1
Team of the day..
Dudek, Insua, Hyypia (captain), Paletta, Arbeloa, Zenden, Sissoko, Alonso, Gonzalez, Fowler, Bellamy.
Subs - Hobbs, El Zhar, Padelli, Pennant, Kuyt
Match Goal..
Louis' Comments..
A match which we saw many of our Liverpool youngsters and talent in the line-up. Emiliano Insua, Gabriel Paletta, Jack Hobbs, Nabil El Zhar and Daniele Padelli were in the squad last night.
A horrible first half display by the lads caused to be 2 goals down. The goals conceded were clear stupid mistakes which many of the players would have to learn. I'm unsure whether I'm the biased against Dudek or everyone feels the same as me. Every time he plays, I just don't have the confidence in him. Likewise, the first goal of Portsmouth was his blunder. He was slow to clear his lines and was not sure of what to do at the edge of the penalty box.
Xabi Alonso was in the middle and I could see that he has been overworked. The players around him was not supporting him well enough. Bolo Zenden, Momo Sissoko and Mark Gonzalez were so poor.
We saw a better response and performance after the first half and I'm pretty pleased with that change. Rafa must have spoken some sense into these players. Sami got one back for us with a typical header from a corner. However, we were not able to make a comeback as we failed to score the second goal.
Although Liverpool has already assured Champions League football, still, I believe that it's good for the team to keep winning in any league or cup. Sadly, they are not winning and performance was pretty poor. Nevertheless, it's a good experience for the young players and have a feel how it's like to play in the English League.
Now, we have the big second leg coming up..
Come on Reds!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 (1st Leg)
Team of the day..
Reina, Riise, Agger, Carragher, Arbeloa, Zenden, Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard MBE, Bellamy, Kuyt (c).
Subs - Crouch, Dudek, Gonzalez, Hyypia, Paletta, Pennant, Sissoko
Match Highlights..
We will have to hold Our Head Up High and win the tie!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Reina Has The Safest Hands
liverpoolfc.tv reports..
Reina, who played his 100th game for Liverpool against Wigan Athletic on Saturday, has kept 55 clean sheets. Clemence kept 51 clean sheets in his first 100 starts for Liverpool, Grobbelaar has 50 while Istanbul hero Jerzy Dudek had 45 shut outs in his first 100 starts.
With thanks to Liverpool FC's official statistician Ged Rea here is the clean sheets record for goalkeepers in their first 100 starts for the club since the 1960's for Liverpool.
1. Pepe Reina. 55 clean sheets.
2. Ray Clemence. 51 clean sheets.
3. Bruce Grobbelaar. 50 clean sheets.
4. Jerzy Dudek. 45 clean sheets.
5. Sander Westerveld. 42 clean sheets.
6. David James. 36 clean sheets.
7. Tommy Lawrence. 28 clean sheets.
Well done Reina!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Torres? Liverpool Admirer?
Got this from drogballs . I'm pretty surprised by this and one of most wanted players in Europe is actually an admirer of Liverpool. What else can I say?
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Liverpool 2 Wigan 0
Team of the day..
Reina, Riise, Carragher(c), Hyypia, Arbeloa, Gonzalez, Alonso, Zenden, Pennant, Crouch, Kuyt . Subs - Agger, Bellamy, Dudek, Gerrard MBE, Mascherano
Match Highlights..
Kuyt first goal..
Kuyt's second..
Louis' Comments..
"An almost perfect day." That's what our boss said after the match. I agreed totally. We won our games at home and ensure our Champions League qualification. This is the best time to meet Chelsea which is the coming hot encounter.
Dirk Kuyt got the 2 goals and it's great to see the Dutchman beginning to get some momentum and started to score goals again. It wasn't the best match to watch, neither it's so exciting that it keep me jumping, however, this was just the match in which we have to put in patience and teamwork to win the 3 points.
Rafa is also pleased that no one went injured in the games and I believe he will have a headache of who to pick for the upcoming game. Still, it's a good headache for him and it keeps all the players on the toe, making sure that they play well in order to be selected at the same time.
I do hope that we can maintain the good form and continue to win all the remaining games. Of course, Rafa will have the room to rotate his players in order to keep them fit for more important games.
It's great to have Champions League football next season. It's even better bringing the cup back. Bring on Chelsea..
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Liverpool 2 Boro 0 Goals
I was pretty busy these few days. I did manage to watch the midweek match, however didn't have the time to put down my thoughts.
Match Highlights.
Gerrard's first goal..
Gerrard's second..
My apologies.
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Friday, April 20, 2007
Liverpool 2 Boro 0
I'm busy these few days.. Will be back really soon..
Sorry guys..
Come on REDS!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Monday, April 16, 2007
Manchester City 0 Liverpool 0
Team of the day..
Reina, Arbeloa, Agger, Carragher (c), Finnan, Riise, Alonso, Mascherano, Pennant, Gerrard MBE, Kuyt.
Subs - Crouch, Dudek, Gonzalez, Hyypia, Zenden
Match Highlights..
Louis' Comments..
As the result shows, it was another boring game for both fans and neutrals watching this game. So far this season, Liverpool have been pretty poor away from home. Apart from those handful games, we haven't produced much results away from home. This maybe one of the main reasons which explains our league form and standings now.
Playing a 4-5-1 formation is a tactic which Rafa loves to employ. It's also a formation which destroyed Arsenal recently with a 4-1 win. However, it didn't work at the Manchester Stadium. Liverpool play was dull and sadly, it's pretty negative. It reminded me of Gerald Houllier's days of only knowing how to defend.
What really disappointing was the way Liverpool played. They were slow in second balls and did not show any sense of urgency throughout the match. Didn't create much chances to trouble the Man City goalkeeper.
Dirk Kuyt is the player whom I was frustrated watching him play. Somehow, his form has dipped greatly and I really thought that his performance over the recent matches were below-par. Against Manchester City, he was the lone striker up front. He simply can't do much alone. He was slow on the ball, easily neutralised by the twin defenders of Dunne and Distin. Yes, you may argue that he's alone upfront, but, his overall play and runs were totally aimless and half of the time, I was just hoping that he can be removed as fast as possible.
Steven Gerrard was not playing to his best. Playing just behind Dirk Kuyt, he wasn't seems very comfortable and he didn't inspire the rest or create anything special out of anything. I was expecting more from him when the rest of the team was just simply helpless. Still, we can't always depend on him to create something special every single game. Football is a game of teamwork and coordination, there's no one man show. We really need to improve as a whole team to be on top.
A disappointing game and result with just Arsenal closing down on us with 2 points. 3rd place is very open and if we drop any more points, our place will be threatened. The season is coming to a close soon, and I do hope that we should at least put some good performances not only in the Champions League but also the league as well.
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Friday, April 13, 2007
In Istanbul, We Won It 5 Times
I love this song and cheer sang by the Liverpool fans.
We won it in Wembley
We won it in Gay Paris
In '77 and '84 it was Rome
We've won it five times, we've won it five times
In Istanbul we'll win it five times
We won it five times, we won it five times
In Istanbul we won it five times
It's only a loan, it's only a loan
In Ancient Greece, we'll bring it back home
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Liverpool Videos..
I was surfing youtube and managed to get these videos. Pretty funny and it just brings back memories of Istanbul.
This is the video of Steven Gerrard showing us Liverpool's training ground, Melwood.
This is the video from LIVE from Istanbul stadium. The goals and fans' reaction.
Lastly, this video is a conversation by a Liverpool fan. It's really hilarous. (ManUtd supporters, I advice you not to watch this)
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Champions League Round Up
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2 (2-3 aggregate)
This shows us from strong Chelsea is going to be in the Champions League. They fought a goal down away from home and managed to score in the 90th minute for the winner. When the game at Stamford Bridge ended at 1-1, many of us started to think that Valencia may have that slight advantage with an important away goal.
For Chelsea, it wasn't seems to be the case. They were determined to win the tie and with their experience of their players, they managed to nick in on time. Jose Mourinho is one of the best coaches around and I believe the key to Chelsea success is all because of him. Yes, many would have argued that they bought their success. However, they do have a great coach. Without him, I believe Chelsea would be another Real Madrid. A team with many stars players, however, unable to play well together as a team.
The quality of Chelsea is without any doubt one of the best in Europe. With Cech in goal, Terry in defence, Lampard in the middle and of course, Drogba upfront. They have the players to punish you if you just switched off. Although the 4 teams in the semi-final all stands the equal chance of winning the cup, somehow, I felt that Chelsea would be the favourites. Isn't it with the quality of players?
Manchester United 7 Roma 1 (8-3 aggregate)
Manchester United has proven this time they meant business. Like Chelsea, with the first leg score of 2-1, many started to doubt them and believe that they may struggled against the Italians.
However, the 7-1 score win at home just tells us everything. The first leg, Man Utd struggled to handle the Roma's attacks and was left with 10 men majority of the match. Rooney's away goal proved to be vital and Ferguson was quick to point out that. That goal gave them hope. That cool finishing gave the fans hope, gave the players the determination and of course, gave Ferguson the light.
Credit to Manchester United, they played really well. Their attacks were menacing and the Roma players didn't know how to handle the fast and swift attacks from Manchester United. The huge scoreline just tells us how clinical Man Utd was and how bad the Italians defended. I didn't watch the match, however, I believe that practically, every single shot by Man Utd went into the goal.
Will Manchester United able to maintain the good form and move on?
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 2 (2-4 aggregate)
AC Milan, 6 times winner of the Champions League has proven again that they are no pushovers in Europe.
Despite all their match-fixing incidents back in Italy, they have shown that those days are over and they are determined to win the trophy which they recently lost to Liverpool back in 2005. They have the most experienced team in this high level. Many of their players have played in big occasions before, win trophies over the years of their career. Players like Clarence Seedorf, who won 3 Champions League with 3 different clubs, has so much experience at this stage.
They conceded 2 away goals to Bayern and they had to travel to Germany with a thought of needing to score goals. And they did. They scored 2 awesome goals and keeping a clean sheet away from home. What a great performance by the Italians!
Will Milan overcome the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney?
Liverpool 1 PSV 0 (4-0 aggregate)
Finally, it's my beloved Liverpool. They have played well over the past 2 legs and were the better team. Having the job done at the Philips Stadium, Liverpool just needed to make sure that they don't concede at home, they will be through. Reina kept a clean sheet and the we managed to win the game as well.
With just 4 teams left, any team is capable of winning the cup. Liverpool, who had won the cup in 2005, has been performing consistently in the Champions League. They played pretty well in the group stages, knocked the defending champions Barcelona out and now the Champions of the Dutch, PSV.
With the current players, I believe that Liverpool has the quality of winning it again. However, they have to be on top of the game and can't afford to make any mistakes. Defensively as well as offensively. They can't miss chances, and of course, Rafa Benitez will be very important for them. To me, Rafa Benitez is the key of Liverpool path over these years in the Champions League. Tactically, I've never doubt him. His knowledge of European football is one of the best and it's been proven over the years that he's on top.
The next stop will be Chelsea. Will history repeat itself like 2 years ago? Will Liverpool have the quality to stop the mighty Chelsea?
Champions League Fixtures
1st Leg
24 April 2007 Tuesday
Manchester United Vs AC Milan - Old Trafford
Chelsea Vs Liverpool - Stamford Bridge
2nd Leg
1 May 2007 Tuesday
AC Milan Vs Manchester United - San Siro
Liverpool Vs Chelsea - Anfield
1st Leg
24 April 2007 Tuesday
Manchester United Vs AC Milan - Old Trafford
Chelsea Vs Liverpool - Stamford Bridge
2nd Leg
1 May 2007 Tuesday
AC Milan Vs Manchester United - San Siro
Liverpool Vs Chelsea - Anfield
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Liverpool 1 PSV 0
Team of the day..
Reina, Riise, Hyypia (captain), Agger, Arbeloa, Zenden, Sissoko, Alonso, Pennant, Crouch, Bellamy.
Subs - Dudek, Gerrard MBE, Paletta, Mascherano, Gonzalez, Fowler, Carragher
Match Highlights..
Louis' Comments..
With a 3-0 lead, Liverpool was as I expected, didn't went out firing, instead, kept possession of the ball and making sure that PSV don't have chance of comebacks. Rafa put up a less-strong team with Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Steve Finnan rested.
When I switch on the TV, I saw Sami Hyypia being the captain. It's been sometime we seen the big Finn wearing the armband for us.
The match wasn't a spectacular as Liverpool was just trying to keep the ball and protect their 3 goals lead. However, PSV had a chance early with Farfan header being tipped over by Reina. If that would have gone in, things might have different.
No teams were willing to put up the gear and Liverpool had some chances though. We managed to score a goal through Peter Crouch after we had some space due to the sent off to PSV. Riise put a low cross from the left and was deflected the goal. Gomes made a great save, however, Fowler was there to cross the ball back to Crouch to put in this 18th goal of the season.
Xabi Alonso was playing well in the middle and I believe he's such an important player for us. Whenever he's around, he stabilizes the midfield and give rooms for the rest to roam and attack. Last night, he was just doing his job in front of the back four and I really thought he did it really well. His control and tackling was spot on and Liverpool really need him around to achieve more. Well done Xabi!
Another player who did improve last night is Momo Sissoko. Yes, we just know how bad his passing and control is. However, he played last night's match pretty well. His control was much better and passing was not as bad as before. His runs and tackling made a presence in the middle. You may argue that it's just a match performance, but I guess any improvement is always good and I really hope that Momo can play better from now.
Craig Bellamy was stretchered early in the first half and it didn't look good as he tackled the ball while defending for us. I hope that he's okay and ready to play for us. He can provide Liverpool another type of approach and it's good to have more options up front. I pray hard it's not too serious.
Most importantly, we had done our job and enter the Champions League Semi-final. With a 4-0 aggregate, I believe that our job was already done at The Philips Stadium.
No doubts, we were the better team over the 2 legs and at this moment, we might go all the way.
Chelsea is the next stop and history may repeat itself. You'll just never know..
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Steven Gerrard - Simply Immense
I was watching redhalfofmerseyside videos and I was quite attracted to this video of our skipper, Steven Gerrard. Just unbelievable when you see him coming up with such goals!
That's our Captain of Liverpool Football Club.
Come on Reds!
You'll Never Walk Alone..
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Move Over Blues, The Reds Are The Masters of Efficiency
I got this from uneditedmara's blog and I find it pretty true. What do you guys think?
Being Liverpool fans we are all privileged to be part of a club with such a prestigious history in football, and one that won over the hearts as well as captured the imagination of fans all around the world.
It is unfortunate, then, that only three seasons ago Liverpool’s reputation as a fluid footballing team were destroyed by the man who believed that defence was everything - Gerard Houllier.
The man who had a five-year plan that failed got himself sacked in the sixth, to be replaced by a Spaniard, Rafa Benitez, whose appointment led to both optimism and skepticism - especially in the light of ex-Porto, now-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
The Special One claimed that Liverpool had tried to appoint him, but he had snubbed them - effectively downplaying Rafa’s reputation as a master tactician in Spain.
So the Portugese peacock set out a grand plan to play boring football with geniuses like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard - and got himself two Premiership titles in the process. The team spirit was magnificent, but it didn’t exactly translate to crackling football on the pitch.
Rafa, in the meantime, had himself a mediocre introductory season in the Premiership, while he significantly improved the eye-catchiness of football on Merseyside in the first season. Djibril Cisse, part of the legacy left behind by Houllier, was one of the key players who might have scored more. Steven Gerrard, undoubtedly, was the engine.
In his second season, Liverpool finished strongly and with intent for the Premiership title; however, a slow start means that we are now chasing for third place at best, while our footballing style is evolving.
Against Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven, we managed to eke out seven goals and only conceded one - and only with the smaller share of possession in both games.
Instead of shooting like headless chickens a la the Houllier era, where Heskey and Baros took turns to see who could miss more often, the Rafalutionary boys only take their aim towards goal sparingly and effectively.
The crosses no longer look aimless - Jermaine Pennant and Alvaro Arbeloa’s combined backheel was concluded by a supreme cross which Peter Crouch slid in like a world-class striker.
In the meantime, Chelsea struggled to beat Watford, even though they more than knocked at goal with the number of opportunities as well as the possession they had. In the end, they had to wait for genius to take over, and a cross from Shevchenko was converted by Salomon Kalou to steal a victory.
The new-look Liverpool team is one that knows when to pass, when to cross, and when to shoot. Even Stevie G, the rampaging midfield general commanding the field, knows when to attack and when to track back.
We don’t just play prettier football - I don’t say pretty because the word is used to describe Arsenal’s play - but we play intelligent football, one that talks about timing and efficiency. It is not just about working hard; Benitez believes in smart, strategic football, and has worked so hard to instill these values into his team.
It may well be that Chelsea will finish above Liverpool this season - but judging from how Rafa’s boys are improving in footballing efficiency every season, Mourinho might well be looking behind his shoulder next season to see how far we’ll catch up. Needless to say, he might just need to look in front as well.
You'll Never Walk Alone..
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