Wigan vs Liverpool Preview

As we move on to yet another round of English Premiership fixture, it is yet another...

Away game for Liverpool.

I hear you trembling in fear again. But fear not, because this is yet another opportunity for Liverpool to break the curse, the hoodoo, the away day blues.

The game will certainly not be easy, as Wigan, the fairy tale of last season, is a very difficult team to beat especially at home. They are a hardworking team with some technically brilliant players and some tough ones.

Last season when we're going through a rough patch, we managed a slender win over Wigan with Hyypia scoring. That win broke a run of 2 consecutive losses and put us back on track.

It was also against Wigan that Peter Crouch finally found his scoring touch by hitting two past them.

Will we be able to break the hoodoo against Wigan again this season? It was somewhere around this time last year that we finally found the momentum and changed gear and ended up 3rd in the league with only a point difference with ManYoo.

But injuries hasn't been kind to us, with around half a dozen of players still in the treatment room. The good news will definitely be the return of Xabi Alonso, as he will automatically takes over deput, Jamie Carragher's position and play alongside skipper, Steven Gerrard.

There might also be changes upfront for the Reds as Benitez looks to rotate the strikers once again. This time round, Dirk Kuyt might be relegated to the bench for the arrival of Craig Bellamy, who was cleared off charges and returned to training without further problems. He will have a possibility of partnering Crouch.

As I've mentioned, Wigan will be a tough nut to crack and their confidence will be built on the fact that Liverpool have struggled to get goals especially against Pompey at Anfield on Thursday. They will look to shut out Liverpool once again but I personally think they will have a go at Liverpool, seeing our away form being disastrous and several players lacking in confidence.

They're a team who can play nice football and Liverpool should be aware of that. Long ball to Heskey aside, they could utilise the pace of Henri Camara to trouble the Liverpool defence, which must be at their guard.

Drogballs' Prediction: Wigan 0-1 Liverpool. A very tight game decided by a moment of brilliance perhaps. And a day which we will break our away day hoodoo.

Something To Cheer About....

It may have been a frustrating night at Anfield but Pepe Reina had good reason to celebrate after Liverpool's goalless draw with Portsmouth on Wednesday.

The clean-sheet Reina kept against Pompey was his 26th in 48 League games for the Reds, meaning he has set a new club goalkeeping record.

No previous Liverpool keeper has registered more shut-outs in their first 50 full matches.

Last season the Spanish stopper kept a club record 11 successive clean sheets between October 29 and December 15.

Clean Sheets and goals conceded by Liverpool goalkeepers in their first 50 (full) League games

Jose Reina* - Clean Sheets: 26, Goals Conceded: 36
Ray Clemence - Clean Sheets: 25, Goals Conceded: 33
Bruce Grobbelaar - Clean Sheets: 25, Goals Conceded: 39
Jerzy Dudek - Clean Sheets: 25, Goals Conceded: 41
Harry Storer - Clean Sheets: 18, Goals Conceded: 57
Ted Doig - Clean Sheets: 18, Goals Conceded: 62
Sander Westerveld - Clean Sheets: 17, Goals Conceded: 50
Mike Hooper - Clean Sheets: 17, Goals Conceded: 59
Sam Hardy - Clean Sheets: 15, Goals Conceded: 56
Cyril Sidlow - Clean Sheets: 15, Goals Conceded: 58
David James - Clean Sheets: 14, Goals Conceded: 59
Tommy Lawrence - Clean Sheets: 14, Goals Conceded: 60
Bill Perkins - Clean Sheets: 14, Goals Conceded: 67
Elisha Scott - Clean Sheets: 14, Goals Conceded: 70
Charlie Ashcroft - Clean Sheets: 13, Goals Conceded: 69
Bert Slater - Clean Sheets: 13, Goals Conceded: 71
Tommy Younger - Clean Sheets: 12, Goals Conceded: 67
Doug Rudham - Clean Sheets: 10, Goals Conceded: 88
Kenny Campbell - Clean Sheets: 10, Goals Conceded: 91
Russell Crossley - Clean Sheets: 8, Goals Conceded: 87
Arthur Riley - Clean Sheets: 8, Goals Conceded: 95

(Criteria: 'Keepers have to play the full game for the clean sheet to be awarded. However, if injured, substituted or sent-off having conceded during that game the appearance counts.)

*Reina has played only 48 games

Reds Held To Stalemate

And Failed To Capitalise On Chance To Go Into Top 4

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 0 - 0 Portsmouth

No goals, at least there's highlights:



Same old story, isn't it. Given the chance to advance into the top 4 and now we only have ourselves to blame. It might not be bad as some of you might think, but as we move on through the season, we might look back and regret on all those dropped points such as this.

It was there for the taking and although I admit it wasn't easy against a very good Portsmouth side with discipline and quality, we had chance after chance but just couldn't hit the cow's arse with a banjo.

How toothless. How unimaginative.

Liverpool's away form has been under scrutiny and everyone knows about our weakness. So therefore it is best to take maximum points from home games, where we are more comfortable and confident.

But somehow, the away form seemed to be seeping in an now our home form looked to have taken the hit. We have not been impressive against Manchester City over the weekends and many of you have sounded your concerns.

As optimistic as I always have, I shrugged them off. But have we turned into Arsenal Mark II? Have we encounter the difficulty with teams coming to Anfield an parking the bus, frustrating the players and time wasting?

I think this is an aspect Rafa will need to resolve because we all know teams will now come to Anfield with a little more confident in at least nicking a point or two against us with the all out defence tactics.

But you have to admit the injuries are not helping at the moment and with around 6 to 7 first team players missing, the team is disjointed, lacked the proper coordination and some players like Carragher being shifted to the centre of midfield.

But this season we continue to come up with excuses after excuses, or some say reasons. We can sit here all day long analysing the all the statistics and what not. But at the end of the day, I must once again mention that some players just don't make the cut at Liverpool.

Jermaine Pennant for example, I for one was shocked to see his name above a certain Fernando Morientes in terms of price. Good lord, how much have we wasted. I might be jumping to conclusion here and some of you might say 'give him some time'. But can a human mind EVER imagine 'Jermaine Pennant' mentioned at the same wavelength as 'Champions'?

This is not the personal attack because there are a few other 'deadwoods'. But we've seen his performance thus far and his almighty price tag. If we're richer, we could've had Daniel Alves, who for your information, scored a hat trick from the right-back position.

I seriously hope some of the players wake up and next up, it's an away game at the JJB Stadium against Wigan. Anyone remembered what happened when we played Wigan last season?

Peter Crouch scored his first goal for Liverpool, breaking the hoodoo.

Can we hope for another hoodoo to be broken this time round against Wigan? That is to win away and I have to say, this game is a must win. We cannot afford any more slip up and I don't think I have the energy to carry on saying the same thing over and over again for the next few weeks.

Stories That Makes You Go "WTF?"

Soccer ace Christian Okpala, 30, beat up a team-mate for repeatedly breaking wind and has been sacked by German club Stuttgarter Kickers' - The Sun.

'A South African man has been fined $140 for taking a week off work, telling his employers he was pregnant. Harles Sibindana, 27, stole a certificate from a clinic during his pregnant girlfriend's checkup, a court near Johannesburg heard. He then added his own details to the note and submitted it and took seven days off work, seemingly unaware that only women consult gynaecologists' - The BBC.

'Obesity has become such an issue of political incorrectness that two brothers appeared in court yesterday charged with allowing a dog to get too fat' - The Times.

"You're a f**king coked-out whore; don't ever say you're my friend again!" - Paris Hilton sends her greetings to Lindsay Lohan.

Reds Offer Pepe Deal To Silence Amelia Rumours?

LIVERPOOL will offer Pepe Reina a new contract in a bid to stave off interest from Valencia.

The La Liga outfit were linked with a move for the Spanish goalkeeper earlier in the season, and are continuing to monitor the goalkeeper's progress.

But Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has no intention of allowing Reina to depart and has revealed yesterday that talks are already underway over an extension to the keeper's present deal, which runs until the summer of 2009.

Reina, who moved to Anfield from Villarreal for £6million last year, kept 29 clean sheets during an impressive first season and saved three penalties in the final shoot-out against West Ham United to help Liverpool claim the FA Cup in May.

He came under strong criticism following a poor start to this campaign, but has rediscovered his form with his shut-out in the 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday, his ninth of the season.

And Benitez, whose side entertain Portsmouth in the Premiership this evening, believes Reina is now getting back to his best.

"I'm really pleased with Pepe and we're talking to him about extending his contract here," said the Anfield manager. "When we decided to bring him here, it was because we knew he was a very good goalkeeper, but I also knew the person and his mentality.

"He's a very good professional, always joking in the dressing room. It's all very positive. He's getting back to his best, it's clear.

He's better now, and the team is better now.

"He needed confidence and, after two or three clean sheets, he's back up there.

He's still very young but, for me, he's one of the top three goalkeepers in England. In Spain now, he's No 1.

"Whether he plays or not for his country depends on his manager but, while we have some good goalkeepers in Spain, he's No 1 as far as I'm concerned.

"He's got two more years after this year. But we're looking to extend it because we know there were some clubs asking about him and we don't want to sell him. We want to show we have confidence in him."

To me, he's very much of a confidence player, whereby his form is linked closely with his performance. If he has a sh*te game, then he'll go on a poor run. But recently, his form starts to pick up and I still think Pepe is up to the task and will be a good keeper in years to come. He might be a little mistake prone at times, but we have forgotten his age. At only 24, he is considered young especially in the goalkeeping department and hopefully he'll stay on.

This will no doubt put doubt in Scotty Carson's future. I've seen him play a few games for Charlton this season and I must say he's a very good shot stopper, better than Paul Robinson himself. But he needs a few years to mature and we'll see.

So now, let's just stick to Pepe the volleyball player.

Bellamy To Be Swapped With Defoe?

Liverpool could offer Craig Bellamy as part of an exchange deal for Spurs striker Jermain Defoe.

Despite only signing the Welsh striker in the summer, Rafael Benitez is apparently prepared to include Bellamy in a package to beat off competition from Manchester United, who are also interested in Defoe.

According to the Daily Mirror, Spurs have already been sounded out about the prospect of a player exchange, and the deal could appeal to Martin Jol, who seems to favour Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane ahead of the England forward.

Liverpool are keen to not only strenghten to their forward line, but deny United the chance to sign Defoe.

The Red Devils' lack of cover up front was exposed during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea, after they were forced to name a bench with three defenders and a midfielder.

Sir Alex Ferguson is a long-time admirer of Defoe, and was interested in signing the England striker - a West Ham player at the time - when they bought Louis Saha from Fulham.

We know Rafa is a huge Jermaine Defoe fan and we have been linked with Defoe for the past 1 season plus. The move never materialise and instead, Liverpool went with Craig Bellamy, whom everyone thought was the better choice. It's a bit too early to judge, but Bellamy has managed to disappoint a lot of Liverpool fans and has yet to kick start his season.

His on-going trial with the court is not doing any good as well. We're short of men for the match against Portsmouth tonight and again, Bellamy won't be present because of some silly things he had done few months back. At the moment, we need all hands on deck and he's not available. Has he changed his attitude? Can he really behave himself in the future? Will it all happen AGAIN? This are the doubts in many of our supporter's mind, no doubt.

Then on Defoe, I'm definitely not his biggest fan due to the similarity between him and a striker we're looking to sell, Djibril Cisse. They're flamboyant, enigmatic, unpredictable and very much inconsistent. If we're looking to offload one that is of this quality, why buy another one?

Of course we could say this is the press media b*llocks just like every season we're hearing Gerrard joining Real Madrid etc. But what if it's true? Are you ready to accept the little man in for...another little man? Who's better in your opinion? I want to hear from you.


A moment of brilliance from Defoe:

Injury Jinx Hits Liverpool

Zenden Out For Up To 6 Weeks!

Jamie Carragher is set to be used as an emergency central midfielder after Liverpool's stuttering campaign was further undermined by new injuries to Boudewijn Zenden and Xabi Alonso.

Zenden has been ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury suffering during Saturday's victory over Manchester City, while Alonso is not expected to return until mid-December due to a hip complaint. Mohamed Sissoko is still convalescing from a dislocated shoulder and will remain on the sidelines until February.

The triple setback is likely to result in Carragher being used alongside Steven Gerrard, who himself has only recently returned to the centre of midfield, against both Portsmouth and Wigan.

This season is becoming more and more like the 2004/05 season. We're pretty shite in the Premiership, pretty good in the Champions League but with a whole lot of injuries to worry. Firstly it was Momo Sissoko who got injured, then Xabi Alonso. Zenden deputised with Gerrard move back into the middle and now even the deputy got injured.

What will Rafa do? I too, think that Carragher is the best choice we have because if I'm not wrong, he was a defensive midfielder when he started playing for Liverpool. He played in that role few months back for England as well.

If either Warnock or Aurelio hasn't been injured, Rafa might even have a gamble with Riise in the middle. Now it's the time to show that we have enough strength in depth despite all the injuries and hopefully, it doesn't screw up our season again.

Hello, This Is Sami "Hairpia"

I'm not really sure if he's into wearing lip gloss....

Anyway he's the right man for the advertisement. Because..

He's worth it! L'Oreal

GOLAZO! GOLAAAAZO!

Francesco Totti vs Sampdoria:



Christian Vieri vs PAOK:



Thierry Henry vs ManYoo:



Eidur Gudjohnson vs Celta Vigo



Pierre van Hooijdonk vs Freiburg



Albert Riera vs Hearts



Maxi Rodriguez vs Mexico



Some Argentinian (What A Goal!)

'Canna' Wins Ballon d'Or

Italian Captain Wins 'Golden Balls' With Gigi Buffon Second & Thierry Henry Third

Experienced centre half Cannavaro has claimed the coveted Ballon d'Or award after captaining Italy to World Cup success.

He also led Juventus to the Serie A title before the Italian giants were stripped of the honour for their role in the match-fixing scandal.

After the World Cup finals, Cannavaro followed his former Juve coach Fabio Capello to Real Madrid and he had been widely tipped to win the prize.

Cannavaro was delighted to be voted the 2006 winner and he becomes just the third defender to be named European Footballer of the Year after German duo Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

"Of course I will bring this trophy back to Madrid, but I would also love to bring it to Turin," said Cannavaro.

"My season at Juventus was just outstanding. I played 37 matches and scored four goals, all decisive."

He also offered his gratitude to his team-mates, adding: "It is thanks to them that I have been able to show my qualities on the pitch.

"So I want to thank my Juve team-mates and all my colleagues from the Nazionale."

Second spot in the voting went to Buffon, who was Italy's keeper at the World Cup and opted to stay at Juventus after the club's demotion to Serie B.

Arsenal captain Henry took third place after inspiring The Gunners to the UEFA Champions League final, and also helping France reach the World Cup final.


Drogballs: I personally thinks Cannavaro deserves the award fair and square, no qualm from me. The display he put up during the summer's World Cup was enough to earn him the acolade and also by helping his former club, Juventus, to the Italian Scudetto was yet another achievement for the Italian 'giant'. Not the tallest of defender, the man was a colossal figure in the Italian national team as well as his club. Small he might be, but everyone sees a giant in him.

I'm not so sure about Buffon and Henry though. We all know FIFA and UEFA are notorious for naming 'winners' and 'shortlist' with reputation in mind and I'm sure they overlooked some who deserve the award more.

Gigi Buffon, like Cannavaro, had a brilliant World Cup. And the thing that impresses me was his willingness to stay with Juventus although they're shamed and are now demoted to the Serie B. Goalkeepers are a bunch of undervalued, under-rated people who work their socks off without getting recognition. So it's nice to see him getting the second place.

Thierry Henry had sort of an on and off year. He led Arsenal to the Champions League final with some fine display namingly the Arsenal vs Real Madrid one. But then he bottled during the finals, missing several chances and then went on to whine during the post-match interview.

Hurt by the defeat, he spurred France to the World Cup finals and then predictably bottled it yet again. But this time against who else but Cannavaro the giant. Ironic? Perhaps.

Not the nicest person you can think of, but he is without a doubt one of the best striker in the world now. Deserve the award? I'm not so sure about it, though. If the award was base on fame and not form, then he will win it. But looking at form, I'm sure there are several players who got overlooked.

Didier Drogba: I know, I loathe the big man. But seriously, he's on fire at the moment. He is currently one of the most on-form striker and he has improved leaps and bounds after receiving criticisms from Chelsea fans, who jeered him. But he might never win it due to his...notorious reputation.

David Villa: Impressed in the World Cup. Impressed in Champions League. Together with Drogba, another of the on-form strikers at the moment. He scored tons of goals, but with no medals and trophies to show, it's just not gonna work.

Zinedine Zidane: Just because he had the balls to headbutt someone in the World Cup finals. All hail the legend.

A Guy Named Amelia...

Livorno's highly-rated goalkeeper Marco Amelia has claimed Liverpool are among a host of clubs trying to acquire his services.

The Italian international is under contract with the Serie A outfit until the end of the season.

"There are several English clubs interested in me, especially Liverpool," Amelia told the Italian media after Sunday's 2-2 draw at Reggina.

"I have agreed with (club owner Aldo) Spinelli to renew my contract but we have postponed the meeting until the new year."

However, Amelia is unlikely to remain at the Leghorn-based club for a further season having received several tempting offers.

The 24-year-old is also a target of AC Milan, who are looking for a replacement for injured goalkeeper Nelson Dida and are willing to pay a reported £6million for Amelia.

Which Was The Better Goal?

You have two Brazilian masters against a lanky English. Who scored the better goal? You decide!

Rivaldo (Barcelona vs Valencia) La Liga 01/02




Ronaldinho (Barcelona vs Villarreal) La Liga 06/07




Peter Crouch (Liverpool vs Galatasaray) Champions League 06/07

Please Don't Flood Their MySpace Account.....

But I saw a few people posting the links for Liverpool player's MySpace account. Some looked genuine while some just looked like they're made up by fanboys/girls. Anyway here are the links provided.

Jermaine Pennant's - Looked genuine.

Mark Gonzalez - Hot stuff. Gonzo > Cronaldo. Looked pretty genuine as well....

Steven Gerrard's - Fan boys stuff. Made up. But I know someone who will surely go and salivate over the pictures.............right, Brudder?

Well, since Gerrard has SO many friends, you can go click around for maybe Luis Garcia or Momo Sissoko's page.

Oh....and....


HAHAHA. Baby G!

Gerrard Inspires Lacklustre Reds

Organised vs Disorganised; 3-5-2 Mess

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 Manchester City

Scorer:
LIV - Gerrard (67min);

1-0 Gerrard:

If you're a Liverpool fan, you must have heaped a sigh of relief.

If you're a neutral, you'll be glad the bore fest was over when Rob Styles blew the whistle.

A beautiful right foot strike from Steven Gerrard ensured Liverpool's victory over a determined and organised Manchester City. Just like the uncountable number of occasions where Gerrard pops up from nowhere to score the winner, he was there to pounce on a mistake from City captain, Sylvain Distin and scores his first Premiership goal for Liverpool this season.

That goal must've made all the critics who says Gerrard should play in the middle real happy. It was a typical Gerrard-esque goal.

A run from deep and then a powerful shot which gave Nicky Weaver absolutely no chance. Like an eagle pouncing on it's prey. Precise and swift. He was also the player who came closest to scoring in the first half.

Manchester City set out a very defensive tactics at Anfield in hope of a change of fortune away from home. They have been just as bad as Liverpool in terms of away form and in order to avoid defeat, they had Chinedum Onuoha, Micah Ricards and Hatem Trabelsi all in the same team. Obviously they are there to shackle Liverpool's left flank as well as exploit it.

Without Stephen Warnock, Fabio Aurelio and Harry Kewell, John Arne Riise was the only outright option for Rafa Benitez.

With injuries abound, Rafa tinkered not only with the players, but now with an experimental 3-5-2 formation which made us looked so disorganised at times and the players were obviously confused and were nearly caught out on a couple of occasions.

The first half was a dull affair with the home team having a lion share of possession. Crouch, Gerrard and Luis Garcia all had chances to put Liverpool ahead and kick start the pace of the game, but the finishing was found wanting.

Second half was no better as Rafa decided to keep the formation as Liverpool continued to toll on as Man City sat deeper and deeper. Distin and Dunne led the defence line very well and they rendered Crouch and Kuyt almost useless. The 2 strikers could not get a sniff at goal throughout although Kuyt looked very energetic as usual and seemed to be running his socks off.

The game finally reached its peak when Gerrard scores and it did have a certain effect on the Liverpool team as well as City's. Inspired by captain, the Reds pushed on for the second but sadly, lost the momentum as time wore on. Introduction of Fowler didn't do much impact while Pennant was active, but final ball still poor.

Man City looked to have a last push with Giorgios Samaras coming really close with a shot towards the top corner, but Pepe Reina was alert enough to stop it and saved Liverpool from embarrassment.

Overall, a below par performance from the Reds. But I was pleased to see us winning despite playing poorly. Credits goes out to Man City who defended superbly until a lapse of concentration cost them a credible draw. They were organised, but were obviously not there to play much football.

By the way, can we just take a corner rather than always keeping it short? Because if I'm a defender and by sprinting 50-60 yards to the opponent's box only to see it goes short and then lose possession, I'll be well pissed.


Liverpool Ratings:

Reina - 8 - Inspired confidence. A couple couple of good catches and vital saves.

Agger - 7 - Did well. But dwells on ball too much to be reliable.
Hyypia 7 - Towering presence. But he seemed to be VERY slow.
Carragher - 7 - Made to play on the right, then left back. Did okay.
Finnan - 7 - Nothing spectacular. Didn't provide width when required.

Gerrard - 9 - Disciplined performance as an anchorman and a goal to his name.
Zenden - 7 - Tried luck with some shots. Overall, his passing is still pretty poor.
Luis Garcia - 5 - Infuriating. Showed poor touches and decision.
Riise - 7 - Worked hard down the left flank.

Crouch - 5 - Did nothing that I can remember of.
Kuyt - 7 - At least he tried and his constant closing down is a problem for opponent defenders.