Chelsea-Liverpool Preview

Premature previews were being written last week, after Chelsea's shock defeat to Wigan, and Liverpool's mauling of Hull at Anfield. But the midweek Champions League fixtures have completely changed circumstances, particularly for Liverpool.
Liverpool's 1st half display will have Drogba, Lampard, and Cole licking their chops, and while the second half was a big improvement, Liverpool's defence, questionable since the beginning of the season, showed a lack of organization and leadership beyond anything seen since the first half of that famous match against Mr. Ancelotti's excellent AC Milan team in the Champions League Final.  It must noted though, that Chelsea also didn't perform particularly well in their midweek match, but came back with a 1-0 victory over Apoel Nicosia.

Chelsea's supporters will feel confident, as the chances of Chelsea performing poorly for 3 matches in a row is very slim, and the players are expected to bounce back in style against Liverpool. Drogba is in excellent form, and will relish coming up against Carragher, who has a difficult time on the best of days against the Ivorian hitman, and in current form looks like providing little in the way of opposition. Drogba currently has 6 league goals (joint second with Bent and Rooney) and will be looking to knock a couple in, especially given Reina's assertion that Torres, not Drogba, is the best striker in the league.
Lampard on the other hand hasn't been hitting the heights in terms of goals so far, but it's difficult to see that lasting. He will relish the prospect of coming up against the inexperienced Lucas, who despite his strong displays so far this season, will have his hands full. Lampard's ability to be at the right place at the right time will be crucial, and he will be certain to draw some dangerous free kicks from the often-rash Lucas. The deified/vilified figure of John Terry will of course be crucial in Chelsea's defence, and it will be his job to bully Torres in to submission and silly yellow cards. Torres has a good record against Chelsea, averaging around a goal per game against the London club, but most of those goals have come in the home matches. Expect Terry to try to dominate Torres physically, roughing up the striker, preventing him from turning, and as always getting the benefit of a lenient referee.
Essien, Chelsea's most important and dynamic player, might be asked again to man-mark Gerrard, which he did to great effect last season in the 3-1 victory at Anfield. Whether or not Ancelotti asks him to perform the same task is unclear, for while it potentially will remove Gerrard from the game, Essien's attacking drive and and presence, while not as dangerous as Drogba, might be just the thing to keep Mascherano occupied, leaving the Liverpool defence exposed to Drogba, Anelka, and Lampard, a prospect that will leave Liverpool fans expecting the worst.
On the flanks, Cole and Bosingwa will be looking to repay last years defeat by turning the tables on Liverpool's fullbacks, with the inexperienced Insua and the very attacking Johnson both open to exploitation. If they can nullify those two, then Liverpool's attack becomes much more predictable, and it will be easy for Chelsea to isolate Torres, Benayoun, and Kuyt.
Now, not all is rosy with Chelsea, as Cech is suspended, and will be replaced by Hilario in goal. Hilario has performed well in the past, but is definitely not in the same class as even the current Cech, who himself is clearly not what he was 3 years ago. If Liverpool can test him early, and rock his confidence, then Chelsea will be challenged.

For Liverpool, the postmortem continues over their defeat to Fiorentina (who played a perfect first half, it must be said,) where the organization, discipline, and desire often characteristic of Liverpool in Europe was instead displayed by their opponents. Liverpool looked lost, unable to maintain possession, and very, very susceptible to the counter-attack. Carragher and Skrtel both looked like novices, and a big improvement is imperative if Liverpool are to stand a chance against Chelsea. However, this is the type of match that Carragher has made his reputation from, with backs-to-the-walls defending and last-ditch tackles required. However, Carra has never had a good time against Drogba, and most pundits are predicting the worst for the Liverpool stalwart. If Drogba gets in his head, then the game will be over, and even a sending off for Carra wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Carra will also have to improve on his leadership and do a better job of organizing the defence, particularly the off-sides trap and marking duties.
On the flanks, Insua (or Aurelio) and Johnson will be expected to improve, and they will be tasked with providing good offensive support to Kuyt, Benayoun, or Riera, but will also have to contribute defensively. We all saw what happens when Carra or Skrtel get caught 1v1 or 2v2, with neither central defender comfortable coming out wide or fast enough to recover if the full-backs get caught out. West Ham's Hines had a field day against the slow Liverpool defence, and it was only once the quick Johnson started to come infield and cover him that Liverpool finally looked secure. Expect Anelka or Malouda to pose the same sort of threat, and with the CB's hands full with Drogba, the fullback's defensive duties will be crucial.
In midfield, Mascherano is expected to return, and provide his usual tough tackling and defensive runs. Hie hasn't been at his best this season, and the fans have been on his back because of his desire to go to Barcelona. If he can return to his best and put in a performance in this match, much will be forgiven. His predicted midfield partner, Lucas, is as always the subject of much debate in Liverpool circles. While some point to his displays as evidence of an excellent all-round player, who's subtle but crucial contribution goes unnoticed by the more "knee jerk" type of fan, other fans decry his unambitious displays, pointing to his defensive passing, occasional mistakes, and formerly-wavy hair as reasons why he's simply nowhere near good enough. I personally think he can do an excellent job in midfield, as his passing and movement are both excellent, and with some more confidence he could become an excellent box-to-box midfielder. That said, I expect him to be thoroughly tested in this match, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was completely overrun by Chelsea's midfield.
Gerrard, another player who's form has been unexceptional, to put it mildly, could do with a performance. Mediocre in his last two matches against Chelsea, he will be looking to prove a point against Essien and Lampard. If he can avoid being shackled by Essien, and if he re-ignites his partnership with Torres, then Liverpool fans will have reason to hope. Benitez is sure to have told him to use his long-range shooting early on to test Hilario, so expect him to be closed down quickly. If he can control the ball better than he did against La Viola, and make those crucial passes to Torres, then expect Terry and the Chelsea defence to have their hands full.
Kuyt is as always expected to start in this crucial match, and will be looking to lock down Ashley Cole and press Chelsea's midfield and defence when they have the ball. If he can do his usual job of neutralizing the opposition full-back while providing opportunities for Torres, Benitez will be thrilled. On the other side, it is unclear whether or not Benayoun or Riera will start, but I expect Riera to start, providing Liverpool with a true winger, and giving Bosingwa something to think about. He will need to provide something of a goal throat as well, for any crosses in to the box are likely to be dealt with by the aerially-excellent Terry. Benayoun will be expected to be on the bench with Babel, as both can proved a spark coming on as subs. Babel is finally starting to show some of the ability that convinced Benitez to gamble on him, and if he can provide some speed (I swear if I hear the word "pace" again, I'm going to kill the commentator or pundit!) and width down the right side, he could be the difference-maker.
Torres has been in pretty good form so far this season, despite early-season criticism, and will be looking to extend his good form against Chelsea. Bot for Torres to perform, he will need to get the ball, and will need support. If he is put in the same position as he was in against La Viola, then he will be very hard pressed to produce anything against Chelsea's excellent defence.
In goal, Pepe Reina will be hoping that he can avoid any sort of mistakes, and will need to be in top form against Drogba and Anelka. No silly penalties like the one conceded against Man United last year, and if he can dominate his box, then Liverpool will feel much more secure in defence.


Key Man/Key Tactical Battle: Michael Essien/Midfield
If Essien can produce one of his box-to-box displays, then Liverpool's midfield will in all probability be overrun. His defensive energy and physicality mean that he will probably be tasked with stopping Gerrard, and if he can do that while going forward as well, then Liverpool will have an extremely tough task. The midfield trio of Lampard, Ballack, and Essien has all the ingredients to overwhelm the the Liverpool trio of Mascherano, Lucas, and Gerrard, and if they can pull it off, then they will win the game.

Prediction:
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool

Chelsea's midfield and attack will be too much for Liverpool to handle, and with Torres isolated in attack, Liverpool will be toothless.

Premiership Poaching Players-Guilty or Not?

Headlines were made with the schocking announcement that Chelsea have been banned from registering players for 1 year. FIFA announced the punishment after deciding that Chelsea had induced Gael Kakuta to leave his club, Racing Club de Lens, in breach of contract in 2007.
While this incident was big news, and with Chelsea sure to appeal, we'll be hearing a lot about it for the foreseeable, the underlying issues is actually far more important.
Crucially, clubs in mainland Europe can not offer youth players professional contracts until they are 18. Players often sign pre-contract agreements, which essentially commit them to the club, with the full contract kicking in when the player reaches 18. Another option is paying youth players by the month, but that is more common in lower league teams, and with players that are not considered good enought to be worth a full contract. In England however, the situation is different, with clubs allowed to offer youth players professional contracts from the age of 17, as well as a host of other incentives that can be very enticing for young players and their families.  All of England's top clubs take advantage of this, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United all guilty of taking the pick of a clubs youth system, and paying miniscule compensation, often less than 500,000 Euros.
English clubs have of course consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that because of the English laws limiting their recruiting, they are forced to seek elsewhere for top young talents. Clubs in England are in fact not allowed to incorporate players from further than 70 Kilometers away in to their youth academies. While this seems minor, it can be quite a problem for teams like Liverpool, for whom much of their potential recruiting area is ocean.
That said, it is disingenuous to use that as an excuse for systematically hoovering up all the best talent in the world without paying adequate compensation. In the long term, it is in the best interest of the fans that the young talent is spread around, rather than being developed only from a select group of ultra-clubs. Of course, clubs that have the opportunity to grab all the talent will do just that, unless laws are put in place to make sure that adequate compensation is required. It is in their best interests to do whatever they can to succeed, and rules or fairness be damned. The financial rewards that a talented youngster can bring, as well as the sporting rewards, are well worth any minor tap-on-the-wrist that the clubs may receive, and that needs to change. UEFA needs to act, and act now. Strong action will be better for European football, and strong action might help bring UEFA some genuine respect from fans and clubs.

Transfer Roundup

An inside source at Liverpool says that Ribery and his agent were both served tea today at 4 pm after arriving from Germany. The alleged transfer is set to be announced tomorrow, with the fee being a flat 45 million Euros. Hicks and Gillet's contacts in Germany were supposedly instrumental in enabling this very surprising transfer.

Chelsea are finalizing the 52.3 million Euro transfer of "Kun" Aguero, after Ancelotti's personal visit to Spain to talk to the player and his agent convinced Kun that a transfer to Chelsea would be the right step, instead of waiting another year before leaving Atletico.

Manchester United have turned the tables on Real Madrid, grabbing Casillas for a goalkeeper record sum of 48.7 million Euros, with additional bonuses and incentives potentially taking the total outlay to an incredible 60 million Euros. Alex Ferguson was supposedly so incensed at Real's tortuous pursuit of Ronaldo that he decided to embarrass the club by grabbing one of their biggest and most prized assets. He also had to use one of his famous bottles of red wine in order to soften up Florentino Perez, and even then he had to include the future 120 million Euro transfer of Nani to Real, to go through in 2011, when Nani has replaced Messi as the world's best player!

Arsenal have confirmed signing the rights to the Paris, Lyon, and Marseille sperm banks, in order to tie up the French foetus pool for the next four generations.

Gunners Misfire, Dire Red Devils Escape

Manchester United came from behind to record a thoroughly undeserved 2-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

First Half
Manchester United and Arsenal mirrored each other, both starting lone strikers up top, with Van Persie supported by Arshavin, and Rooney supported by Giggs and Nani. Neither team managed to keep possession past their half-way line from the beginning, with passing in the final third particularly egregious. In the 10th Rooney created a chance for Darren Fletcher in the box, but he ballooned over from 12 yards. This was to be Manchester's only decent chance of the night though, with the visitor's passing becoming better and better, and with Manchester unable to gain control of the midfield, Arsenal started to create chances. Van Persie had a shot blocked by Evra, and Arshavin sent a shot fractionally wide of the top corner, after Foster had flapped at a corner. Minutes later, Arshavin again controlled the ball in the box, but was taken out by Fletcher, in what was a clear penalty. The only contact Fletcher had with the ball was with his arm, and he clearly wiped out Arshavin. The referee however, followed Old Trafford convention and deigned to ignore the clear foul. Arshavin didn't let this stop him however, and minutes later, he strode in to the box and unleashed a wonderful shot into the net, silencing the Old Trafford crowd with his trademark (slightly obnoxious) goal celebration. Perhaps Foster should have done better, but it was a beautifully struck shot, and a deserved lead for Arsenal. Manchester tried to respond, but were unable to create anything, despite concerted pressure in the last couple of minutes in the half
Second Half
Whatever one hears about Fergie's famous half-time talks, Manchester United showed no signs of a spirited comeback, and should have been down 2-0, but Foster pulled off an excellent save on Van Persie after Arshavin had again created space on the left and sent in a wicked cross. Wes Brown should have covered Van Persie's run, but the Dutchman got in behind him and looked to have an easy finish, but Foster saved brilliantly with his foot. Arsenal were playing well, taking the game to a disjointed and disorganized Manchester. Fletcher did his best in midfield, but the mediocre Giggs did little to help, and Manchester looked toothless in attack and soft in the midfield. Arsenal's oft-maligned trio of Song, Diaby, and Denilson were doing a solid job, if unspectacular. As always thogh, the laws of football were not to be denied, and Manchester were given a route back in to the game, courtesy of Almunia's idiotic (surprise surprise) decision. Giggs sent in a through ball for Rooney, and despite Rooney's run leading away from the goal, Almunia rushed out and managed to get just enough contact on Rooney to support his exaggerated fall. Rooney started falling before being touched, but Almunia failed to react to Rooney's first touch, and brought him down despite Rooney having lost control of the ball. Smart play from Rooney, who anticipated and sold the penalty, but Almunia should be replaced as soon as possible for Arsenal's sake. Rooney duly dispatched the penalty, celebrating as if he had scored a Maradona-esque goal. This incident raised temperatures on the pitch several notches, and the tension on the field was palpable. Van Persie's well-struck free kick from outside the box was pushed on to the woodwork by Foster, as Arsenal didn't let up their passing and pressure. Unfortunately for them, in the 65th minute Diaby idiotically headed Gigg's free kick past Almunia! It looked like it would be a routine clearance, but Diaby elected to try and head the ball out for a corner, but instead sent it past the stranded Almunia. The Gunners, for so long the better team, suddenly had the tables turned on them, and were chasing the game. Bentdner and Eduardo duly were brought on, and the inspirational Arshavin taken off for what seemed to be a minor injury, as Arsenal pressed hard for the equalizer. Van Persie got the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for an unclear off-sides call that came a little early on Gallas. Wenger, furious, kicked a water bottle, and the 4th official pedantically had him sent off. It was a bit of a farce though, as Wenger stood up with his hands out, and masses of jeering Manchester United fans behind him hurling insults. In the end though, it was Manchester United who celebrated a crucial, but completely undeserved win, over their bitter rivals.

Conclusions?
Despite Manchester's win, the match poses more questions for them than it answered. Why was 30-million-pound Berbatov left on the bench? United were toothless in attack, and one must wonder why Mr. "final-piece-in-the-puzzle" was left on the bench. The inclusion of Giggs was a specious masterstroke, as his pass and cross led to both Manchester goals, but in fact his contribution was pitiful; his passing horrific, running laborious, and overall influence nowhere near what Ferguson would want from such a senior player. Perhaps the most telling criticism is that Giggs made Nani look like Ronaldo. What about Manchester's midfield? Most fans and pundits have come to the conclusion that Manchesters midfield, shown up against Barcelona and Liverpool last year, is not as strong as the best teams in Europe. The constant injuries to Hargreaves gives Ferguson something of an excuse, but surely Ferguson isn't the type to let an excuse like that undermine his quest to truly "knock Liverpool off their f****** perch". At this point though, the lack of top class players in their midfield is the most persuasive argument against their reclaiming the Champions League and winning a fourth consecutive Premiership title. Particularly with their top match winner Ronaldo now scoring penalties (but not much else) for Real Madrid, there is a lot of pressure on Rooney to become that match winner. Unfortunately for Manchester, Rooney is no Ronaldo, despite the adulation of the English press, and Manchester will struggle to play with the best teams without the addition of a top-class midfielder. The fact that Arsenal's young and inexperienced midfield, minus their top player, more than held their own, AT Old Trafford, is another glaring indication of this weakness.

For Arsenal, the match was in many ways encouraging, as they managed to more than match their older and more experienced opponents. Unfortunately for Arsenal though, they shot themselves in the foot with horrific mistakes, the type of which they MUST eradicate. It was good experience for their young team, particularly the midfield, and will help them develop. This won't come as much consolation though, to Arsenal fans demanding a title challenge right now. If the young players can quickly take on-board the lessons learned, and improve the mental side of their game, then they can challenge this year, but that is a lot to ask. The addition of Fabregas will of course improve their midfield, but the need for a truly top-class defensive midfielder might really be apparent in the Champions League, if not against Manchester United.

Liverpool 4-0 Stoke

Liverpool bounced back from their opening day defeat by thrashing Stoke 4-0. The first half was dominated by Liverpool, with Stoke only providing sporadic threats from set-pieces. Daniel Ayala was given his first start for the club in place of Skrtel, and it was Fernando Torres who opened the scoring after good work from Gerrard in the 4th minute. Glen Johnson scored his first for the club with an acrobatic bicycle kick after Sorensen had parried Kuyt's goal-bound header in the 45th minute to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead. Stoke started the second half far better, with Reina forced to save well from a Roy Delap throw, err, shot, but Liverpool quickly regained control of the match, with Johnson dominating the right flank, Benayoun and Gerrard looking dangerous, and Lucas doing very well in the middle of the park. In the 78th minute some beautiful short play on the right side between Gerrard, Mascherano, and Johnson led to Kuyt poking home Gerrard's cross. To finish the scoring, Johnson's excellent play down the right led to a slightly deflected cross that Sorensen could only palm on to N'Gog's head, the ball going in off the bar. It was a confident performance from Liverpool, plenty of chances created, and very good outings from Gerrard, Johnson, Lucas, Benayoun, Kuyt (who could have scored 3) and Insua.

Benitez to resign?!

Rumours are circulating that Benitez will resign from Liverpool following the Stoke match, which Liverpool currently lead 1-0 thanks to Fernando Torres. This shocking news has no official confirmation, but repeated slashing of odds on Benitez leaving by several large betting organizations has given a bit more credence to a story that otherwise would have been quickly dismissed. Stay tuned here for more updates and the latest news.


Update-Benitez has dismissed rumours of a Liverpool exit, saying "I remain 100 per cent committed to the club"

Liverpool Swoop for Greek Center Back?

Reports are that Liverpool will shortly be confirming a surprising move for AEK Athen's Greek international Sotiris Kyrgiakos. Given Liverpool's alleged lack of funds, the deal is unlikely to have cost more than 3 million Pounds. Kyrgiakos has previously played for Rangers, Panathinaikos, and Eintracht Frankfurt.