After his letter written to the fans was posted up few days back, I have nothing but more respect for the Atletico man. It's seldom players demonstrating such love for a club and it's fan despite leaving and for that, I'll say good luck and all the best in Spain.
Upon the appointment of Rafa Benitez back in 2004/2005 season, Luis Garcia was one of the first few players brought in to give the squad a little more creativity and flair, something which we've lacked in the Houllier era.
He's able to pry open defences not in the way of Gary McAllister's passing or Danny Murphy's direct approach but he's pretty much a schemer, moving into brilliant positions and his favored position is no doubt the 'hole' position, just behind the striker, where he showed time and again that despite his lack of physical prowess, he's still able to catch defences by surprise with well-timed runs and positioning himself at the right place, right time.
One thing that the Liverpool fans will never forget is his unpredictability and his volatile nature of play. Many put it in simple words, 'brilliant one moment, dreadful the next'. But that makes him a very special player in our view.
Those picture probably brings back good memories of the first victory over Chelsea since the post-Abramovich era, the night when the whole of Anfield erupted and probably the night which sparked off Liverpool's revival, back into the scene.
Till now, fans are still having different viewpoints as to whether the ball had crossed the line but as it stands, he scored the goal which brought us back to football prominence, winning the most prestigious cups of all, the European Cup.
The Road to Istanbul also had Luis Garcia's footprint all over it and he definitely played a major role in that triumphant pilgrim to the holy grail. His goal against Bayer Leverkusen and most notably, Juventus, got Liverpool past each stages of the competition.
Not forgetting as well, he had a hand in the FA Cup with a goal against who else but Chelsea. A beautifully lobbed goal past Carlo Cudicini which gave Liverpool the chance to lift the biggest domestic cup.
Definitely a player for the big occasions, he scored countless others against other Premiership opponents. Injury did somehow hamper him from further glory last season but his contributions to the team was never in doubt.
Garcia does have a hand in Liverpool's rise to glory in the past 3 years and that many Liverpool fans like me will probably look back in 10 years time and thank someone like him for all the wonderful memories and also assisting the team to recover from mediocrity to supremacy.
We love you Luis, we hope you start drinking sangria!
As they say, all good things come to an end. With new owners ready to splash big cash for bigger names, Rafa Benitez finally decides that one of his golden boys, Luis Garcia, is now dispensable and the Spanish forward has finally fulfilled his dreams, moving back to his homeland.
Brought in from Barcelona for around 6million GBP, Garcia is one of the first few players that joined Rafa in his 'Rafalution' at Anfield. A trusted player back in his Tenerife days, the artisan is brought in to add an extra dimension to Liverpool's attack as well as creativity.
But we all know artisans and connoisseurs tends to be unpredictable. Their ingenuity can really be a double edged sword. They never fail to provide us with entertainment and their flair are a pleasure to watch on the pitch. They're unpredictable yet their strength is also their ultimate flaw.
Because it's almost impossible to weave magic all the time, their volatile self means that there'll be times when they begin to blow hot and cold. Their unpredictability on the ball also became capricious in terms of performance on the pitch.
But whatever it is, it's players like Luis Garcia who brings back wonderful memories, the times when his magic 'worked' and that it turned into something spectacular. He's known for his frustratingly poor first touch and inability to hold up the ball but he'll always be remembered for scoring some really important goals.
The past 3 seasons has been very rewarding for Rafa and his men and one could not dissociate the days of glory from Luis Garcia's flamboyant style of play. His goals against Juventus, which looped over Gigi Buffon, the goal against Chelsea which stirred up a whole lot of controversies and talking point and also various other performances during our road to Istanbul and Cardiff last season.
4million GBP to Atletico Madrid might seemed peanuts to many but it is his own desire to return for Spain and to once again, play for his former club. At the age of 29, maybe Garcia felt that it's time to move on and that he has earned himself enough honour and respect playing for Liverpool for the past 3 seasons, winning the FA Cup and the prestigious Champions League.
Also, injury setbacks in the 2006/07 season means that Garcia would be a doubt in terms of long period fitness and that Rafa might not want to bank on him and his reccuring injury.
Despite clearly one of Rafa's favourites, he wasn't given a new contract and that Liverpool decides to cash in on the forward.
His ability to make people go wild yet also makes people pull their hair out is something unique about Lil' Luis and that we'll most definitely miss him after he's gone. His charisma and his thumb-sucking goal celebration will always be remembered while we wish him all the best back in Spain.
His ability is never in doubt, thanks for the memories, Luis.
Athletico Skipper To Move To Anfield For Record Breaking £27m
Smokescreens and speculation fire fanned into flame, Fernando Torres' deal with Liverpool seemed imminent. After months and months of intense speculations and thought-to-be-made-out rumours, the deal now seemed to be struck.
Once the player returns from his holiday at Polynesia, he'll be available to sign on the dotted line and will become Liverpool's most expensive signing in their history.
Previously, £14m was the transfer record, which brought Djibril Cisse from Auxerre to Liverpool. Although throughout his stint at the Anfield club, he didn't manage to justify the high price Gerard Houllier paid for him.
This time round, another big gamble on a Spanish striker. Will it turn out to be Fernando Morientes MKII? Will he be yet another flop? To tell you the truth, all transfers ARE gambles and whether it pays off or not is not really up to us to determine.
Working with Rafa to get the best out of himself is one mentality he must have. He must be teachable and willing to learn. Seeing that he captains the Athletico Madrid side at the tender age of 22 shows perhaps, maturity beyond his age.
Then, he must cope with the physical side of the English game, unseen in his homeland. Adaptability is another we can't do anything about other than just making him feel at home here. There'll be times when he'll face goalscoring drought especially early on when he's settling in and I hope to God that you fans won't make a din out of it and stay behind him IF possible.
Pressure will be on him, for he is going to be the record signing for a club with great history and reputation. But I'm certain he'll excel here at Anfield and has many years ahead of him to offer for the club.
Another key of note, Liverpool will not pay the full price of £27m for him to trigger the release clause but in exchange of Luis Garcia in that direction for a fee around £4m. So it'll be a money + player exchange deal.
Luis Garcia has been a fine servant for the club for the past 3 seasons and we all have seen what he could offer to the club. Goals against Chelsea and Juventus brought back good memories of the days we went from zero to Champions League winner, all the way back in 2005.
But as he's now nearing his 30s and stated his desire to one day, play in his homeland once again, maybe it's the perfect opportunity to send him back to where he always wanted to play, Althetico Madrid.
Also, injuries are getting to him as he missed a large portion of last season. Rafa loves him as a player, we all know, but maybe the manager feels it's time to let him go and bring in fresh blood.
The signing of Torres could be announce next week and it could mean more players are to follow, most importantly, Luis Garcia's replacement. It could very well be Yossi Benayoun of West Ham.
A sweet, sweet volley from a difficult angle and the ball reached Garcia at a rather awkward position but just like any flair players, executed it without fuss.
Simple things like pass and move he might not excel, it's stuff like this that makes people goes jaw-dropped. Looking forward to next season when we'll see Little Luis again!(hopefully)
Dirk Kuyt's goal was set up by Sami Hyypia and this fantastic header goal from Luis Garcia was set up by Daniel Agger, with his right foot. We know he's not the biggest man on the pitch but his heading skill never fails to amaze me. Let's get his head down and put it on Peter Crouch's body.
Here we go again, after the end of my seasonal team review, it's time we look back on some of the great goals from the 2006/07 season. It was a bit of a lacklustre season but still, I managed to dig out 25 top class goals throughout the season.
So do stay tune and follow the countdown to number 1, daily!
Here's a start, the number 25 goal of the season is...
25. LUIS GARCIA vs Aston Villa 28/10/06 (3-0)
A well worked team goal and finished brilliantly from Little Luis. The movement of the forward line in which Crouch and Kuyt pulling defenders off, allowing Gerrard to thread the pass for Luis Garcia to finish calmly under the body of Sorensen.
So, here we are, part deux of the team seasonal review. Note that this isn't a daily thing so no, tomorrow won't be the review for strikers! I need some time to gather thoughts and also busy with school work so do understand! :)
7. Harry Kewell
Missed the whole term through injury, nothing much to comment about except he finally made his appearance in the final two games of the season and made some impact.
Nice to see him back without his ugly ponytail and he looked pretty trim and fit! And if he regains his form back in his Leeds days, he can still be an extremely good player. Here's hoping....
Grade:Ungraded
8. Steven Gerrard
After scoring 20 odd goals last season, he didn't seemed to have the same scoring boots on this season and half of it, which is 11.
But yet, nobody can doubt his ability at the top level and his contributions to the team is more than just goals but also his assist and leadership on the pitch.
He is still capable of match winners and still able to drag Liverpool out if there's a need to. Although Rafa's key here is to make us less reliant on the skipper, he is certainly a special player yet is able to work to Rafa's ideology.
Being stuck out on the right win is something he doesn't like as he's mentioned in his autobiography but he did it for the good cause of the team and he still is formidable whether he's in his favourite central midfield position or even out on the flanks.
Although he didn't perform as well as last term, he still did pretty well and thoroughly deserve the reward of the new contract.
Grade:A-(Nominee for TRC's Player of the Year)
10. Luis Garcia
Only when we lost him to injury then we began to notice how important this little man is to the club.
Always frustrating yet always managed to conjure up magical moments, Little Luis has been missed since his injury, which ruled him out of the second half of the season.
Despite only 11 starts, he managed 3 goals and 4 assists, which are good returns from him. His creativity was sorely missed and his ability to play between the lines means we've lost a very intricate player.
Most notable contributions will have to be the goal he scored at White Hart Lane, which helped us defeated Tottenham while also stringing a few passes and assist for Peter Crouch against West Ham on the Kop End's 100th birthday.
Grade:B-
11. Mark Gonzalez The winger which went through all sorts of problem before finding himself at the John Lennon airport, he certainly hasn't lit up the Premiership like was expected to.
Due to a major injury and some work permit problems, he was left at the Real Sociedad for the 05/06 season before being declared a Liverpool player.
This term, he has been one of the more disappointing component to our season as he huffed and puffed his way through while clearly intimidated by the physical side of English football.
Known as 'Speedy Gonzalez', he wasn't able to show forth his greatest asset while he wasn't able to use his powerful left foot as well as he did back in Spain. Despite all that, he still managed to score a good freekick against Fulham and also ensured Liverpool's entry into the Champions League after he scored a late winner against Maccabi Haifa after replacing Steven Gerrard.
Still needs to work on the physical side of the game while improve on his movement and technique. Afterall, it's still his first season at the club and let's not jump to conclusion and call him a flop.
Grade:C-
14. Xabi Alonso
The Spanish playmaker has had a pretty average season and might have been affected by the World Cup last summer.
We can speculate all we want but he hasn't been at his best for quite a while and him being a playmaker with only one assists to his name is pretty disappointing. In the 05/06 season, he's had 7 assists.
Despite that, his class was never in doubt and he has adapted to the English game well. In his first season, he was being bullied off the ball at times and looked physically not up to it but we're now seeing the tenacious side of Xabi.
Now, with Mascherano and Lucas challenging his central midfield spot, he has to step up and improve and we all know what he's capable of. His passing might not be at it's best at times this season but I'm sure with a good rest this summer, he'll bounce back next season.
Grade:B-
16. Jermaine Pennant When we signed him from Birmingham for 6.7million, many doubted that he's the one we should sign and perhaps, not good enough for a club like Liverpool. But with limited resources, we pay for the quality and Rafa certainly thinks he has something to offer.
Maybe he's right after all. This lad has something to offer and has proved some of us wrong in some ways. Although earlier in his Liverpool career, he looked like a fish out of the water and didn't have the best of times but gradually, he stepped up and finished the season with reasonable results.
The goal he scored against Chelsea speaks volume about Pennant's ability and being the most expensive teenager back then when Arsene Wenger signed him from Notts County, he was meant to be special but perhaps his attitude and focus wasn't there and he went astray.
With 6 assists to his name this term, it has to be said he does offer something to the team. He can be as frustrating as Luis Garcia at times in terms of holding possession and his passing but when he has the belief in him, he is capable of great things.
Whether he'll still play an integral part in Liverpool is still unknown at the moment but he has certainly proved his doubters wrong. His first season here might not be spectacular or eye-catching but he does just enough.
Grade: B-
20. Javier Mascherano
Arrived on the very last day of the winter transfer window, the Argentinian proved to be a shrewd signing from Rafa and whether it's a permanent deal or not, nobody really knows.
But I can't imagine what if we failed to sign Javier back then. He has been terrific for us since he joined and played a major role in Liverpool's push for Europe and also did well in the league.
Being wasted at West Ham earlier this season, he somehow lost his way and was left in the cold by the Hammers. Despite not playing for 2 whole months, Rafa decides to go ahead and gamble. It paid off handsomely indeed.
Not really known for his scoring prowess, the tenacity and the maturity of the Argentinian midfielder is things that he offer, and just to name a few only. As a defensive midfielder, he breaks up numerous plays, tackled hard and is able to read the game very well.
He could probably win the best player award if it all started on January but with so many midfielders vying for a place in the squad, he knows he still has a lot to do and continue to improve as a player. (Another task for him would also be to convince Tevez on joining Liverpool!)
Grade: B+
22. Momo Sissoko
It might be a little harsh but the Malian certainly had a torrid time at Liverpool this season. He hasn't been able to stamp a place in the first eleven and his injury didn't help.
With rumours that his eyes are still not 100% recovered from the horrible injury last year, he has been in and out of the team regularly. And also with the arrival of Mascherano and then Lucas Levia this summer, his place in the team looked more threatened than ever.
As a midfield destroyer like Mascherano himself, his ability to harass attackers and making crucial intervention is still an important asset. But technically he still needs to improve a whole lot. When it comes to passing the ball, he still looked unsure and not composed enough. Often a time, he managed to tackle the ball only for him to surrender it back to the opponents.
But nobody should doubt his potential and the possibilities he bring to the team. His performance against Barcelona was probably one to savor while still in search of his first goal for the club.
Grade: C+
32. Bolo Zenden
The Dutchman arrived at Liverpool on a free transfer and was supposed to be just a squad player but as the season wore on and injury was a bit of a problem down the left, he stepped up and did it pretty well.
Honestly, I'm not a keen admirer of him as I thought he's not good enough in many areas such as technical ability or his lack of pace. But he has fit in well and Rafa has mentioned before that what Zenden offer on the pitch is not only the football but also his ability to encourage team mates, leadership and also some experience.
He too, suffered injury setbacks and just when he was supposed to hit form, he was out again and yet, he returned and repaid Rafa his faith in him. His future at Liverpool is still in doubt as Rafa will undoubtedly splash big money this summer but he has been a good team player for us this term.
Grade: C+
Alright, so here ends part 2 of the review. If there are ratings or things you would like to point out, just drop me a mail or even a comment below. Cheers.
Ah, wait. Not FAGS! It's FWAGS. Since England have their WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends), as resourceful as I always am, I went round doing research on players and their families. Family, wives and girlfriends that is. Got quite a few although some players are really out of the limelight and pretty much impossible to find anything about them.
Here they are!
Starting from the back to front!
Manager Rafa's wife, Montse and one of their daughter
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina and his newly-wed, Yolanda:
Riise and his little daughter
Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Didi Hamann and their spouses
Jamie Carragher and his son...JAMES!
Daniel Agger and his girlfriend, name unknown
Luis Garcia's wife, Raquel
Raquel again, with Alonso's girlfriend on the right?
Skipper Stevie G's wife, Alex Curran
Lily-Ella and Lexie
Xabi Alonso with his girlfriend, name unknown!
Xabi and his brother, Mikel from Real Sociedad
Cisse and his wife
Fowler and his little girl
Well, if you have more or want to add something then do keep in touch with me.
Scorers: LIV - Luis Garcia (23min, 76min), Gerrard (71min)
(Stevie breaking his scoring duck)
1-0 Luis Garcia; 23min:
2-0 Gerrard; 71min:
3-0 Luis Garcia; 76min:
Liverpool became the first British team to advance into the Champions League knock-out round after they cruised past French side Bordeaux at Anfield last night. Following the magnificent 3-1 win over Aston Villa over the weekends, Rafael Benitez surprised everyone including me, by naming a totally unchanged side. It was such a brilliant move that you could point out that this single move could equate to 'one stone killing three birds'.
Firstly, this plan to name a unchanged side must have taken the national printing press and tabloids aback. I'm very sure that even before the game had begun, they have already prepared a '100 GAMES WITHOUT A SETTLED SIDE' headline that is ready to be placed once the game is finished. This move must have made them feel silly and to shut those people up. They have banged on how Rafa constantly changing the squad without looking from another perspective and these lazy journalist have been found out by a wonderfully foiled plan.
Next, a egg on face situation for the just departed Noel White. If you're not aware, this man is the board member who went to the press and spout a whole lot of bollocks. He claimed Rafa 'spent too much money on limited players' and 'doesn't know what his best team is'. So by naming an unchanged side, Rafa is effectively sending a word that 'hey dude, I know what I'm doing and I know what my best team is'. Oh by the way, he had resigned from the Liverpool board and this obnoxious man will no longer be part of the Reds.
Finally, after so much talk of us being a better team than last season, there is no stronger evidence to that statement than last night's performance. It wasn't as pretty as the one we had against Aston Villa, but it was effective and again, we did played some fantastic football at times.
(Gerrard celebrating with Kuyt)
I was most pleased to see Steven Gerrard finally getting on the scoresheet. He has been really unlucky so far this season with a few close shaves and many other which have hit the framework of the goal. The captain of Liverpool, who's last goal was against West Ham in that dramatic FA Cup final was again presented with several chances throughout the matches and when everyone thought that it was just not his day, he ran clear of the Bordeaux defence and place the ball past Ulrich Reme. It wasn't the best of finish, but with a huge sigh of relieve, the ball went in and the Kop roared as the captain punched the air with delight.
And of course his contribution was much more than just a goal. His cross from the right found Luis Garcia at the backpost and the enigmatic Spaniard smashes the ball past Reme for Liverpool's first goal. It was a well worked move with Dirk Kuyt heavily involved.
People have again and again doubted Gerrard's ability to play as a right winger and once again, he and Rafa made those people eat humble pie. His ability to drift inwards and influence the game was for all to see and thoe powerful marauding runs he made terrified the Bordeaux defence. Not only did he excelled there last night, but later he played as a support striker behind Kuyt and also as a central holding midfielder in which he sprays ball around just like what Alonso always did.
Luis Garcia topped the icing on the cake with a brilliant steal and a composed finish. The Spanish striker who has been criticised lately started to find some feet last week, scoring against Aston Villa and last night, he showed us why he's fit to wear the red shirt. His 10th goal in 17 Champions League game tells us how important he is to Liverpool and he will now pose serious threat to Gonzalez/Aurelio/Kewell's place on the left.
(Markus Merk sent Fernando off)
But game was marred with an ugly incident which saw Bordeuax midfielder, Fernando sent off. In a heat of matter, he headbutted John Arne Riise and was spotted by the TV crew. Replay showed he did make some contact with Riise, who was hurt on his forehead.
(Riise's sweat and bleeds for Liverpool)
That sending off completely washed out the Bordeaux team as they faded out and lost the fighting spirit. After being on the back foot for majority of the first half, they came out for the second half stronger and nearly equalised on several occasions. But other than the one on one with Reina, they didn't really threaten much other than trying their luck from long range. The defence consisting of Hyypia and Carragher made some vital blocks and interceptions and their performance seemed to have improved tremendously.
A great win for the Reds as we marched into the last 16 of the Champions League and not only the victory was sweet, revenge and justice for Rafa was done as well, in a single night. The night we shut the critics up. The night we proved them wrong. The night we surprised everyone and got the result in the end. Brilliant move Rafa, I'm looking forward to the next match already.
Scorers: LIV - Kuyt (31min), Crouch (38min), Luis Garcia (44min); ASV - Agbonlahor (56min);
Kuyt's Goal:
Crouch's Goal:
Garcia's Goal:
Rafael Benitez's men responded to the criticisms from fans, media and that 'board member' with a rousing 3-1 win over Aston Villa, who have remained undefeated until the fateful visit to Anfield.After their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Man United last Sunday, pressure mounted on Rafa and his men but they showed the spirit to bounce back with one of the best team performance of the season thus far. Although they once again took the foot off the pedal in the second half, the first half display was a sight to behold, one and two touch passing and the general movement which made the Villa players running around chasing shadows.
Fowler's brilliant goal in the midweek game against Reading couldn't convince Rafa that he should make the start. So Peter Crouch kept his place with Dirk Kuyt partnering him. It was an emotional day for Kuyt as his sick father was at Anfield to watch his beloved son don the famous red shirt. Dirk didn't let his father down as he drew first blood with a wonderful volley. Hyypia found himself in unfamiliar territory but managed to knock down the ball for the anticipating Kuyt, who took it down on his chest and blasting it past Thomas Sorensen.
Liverpool looked a totally different side from the one that showed up last week at Old Trafford. There was passion and there was energy in the players. They showed that they really wanted the ball and not surprising, the ball retention was brilliant and the passing isn't too shabby either. Xabi Alonso looked to be back to his best, spraying passes all around and even Hyypia showed good passing skill with his long passes.
The Anfield crowed was buzzing right after Kuyt scored and it wasn't long before Liverpool found another way past the Villa defence. Steve Finnan sent a cross in for Crouch and in the most awkward way, managed to volley the ball right into the bottom left corner of Villa's goal. Finnan's cross was a poor one, but how Crouch managed to convert it is beyond me. The technique required to be able to volley the ball under pressure is not to be seen in just an average footballer. Peter Crouch is on fire and very hungry for goals. It's easy to see.
Liverpool added a third just before half time with a wonderfully worked goal. Gerrard in his usual 'pace and power' style, took on the Villa defence through the middle. His backheel fooled the Villa players and it found Kuyt and then Crouch. Luis Garcia's run from the left was not left unnoticed by Crouch, who sent a wonderful through pass for him and he made no mistake with a composed finish. 3-0 down at half time, Liverpool cruising.
But complacency plagued Liverpool once again as they allowed Villa back into the game. The trend of conceding goals in the second half has continued as Liverpool probably took their foot off the pedals combining with player's poor form and lapse of concentration which in all, didn't help.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has impressed me very much so far this season managed to sneak past the Hyypia-Carragher partnership and finishing off a well worked move from Villa, who seemed to have shaken up at half time by Martin O'Neill.
Liverpool could've been further ahead if not for some poor finish and luck with Kuyt, Gerrard and Fowler all coming close. Gerrard still hasn't found the net so far this season while Fowler surprised everyone in the ground when he put the ball into the side netting. Good win for the Reds, who will now be let off from further criticism for at least another week.
Drogballs' Thought: A good win despite conceding yet another goal. Was gutted to see Agbonlahor with that amount of space,leaving Carragher chasing shadows. But glad to see the players answering the critics with an energetic performance.
As I've mentioned, the passing, movement and ball retention in the first half was brilliant. Who'd thought Liverpool were capable of playing good football? No, I don't doubt it at all after watching this game and that I have came to a conclusion that this is the best team we can field and we should stick to it. I'm not criticising Rafa's rotation policy now, but I prefer it this way. New comers should fight for their place anyway.
To those people who still think that Gerrard's position is on the right wing, think again. Today he was everywhere on the pitch, playing the free role. Right hand side is where he belongs on paper, but he tends to drift into the middle due to Alonso's deep lying role which liberated some space for him to run into.
The goals were brilliantly worked and clinically finished. But again, we lacked the killer touch when certain opportunity arises and we need to put them away before it comes back and haunt us. Gerrard was again terribly unlucky not to score and will have to wait for another week as he continues trying his luck.
Everyone worked hard and played well at the end. It was frustrating not to add on a fourth or even fifth but at the end, 3 points are all that everyone cares and the goal difference row of the table will have to wait as Liverpool must now worked on to stabilise the ship and build on this good win.
We have said once and again this season that we should 'build on the win' but have failed miserably so far. Our season seemed to be like a car on the verge of a complete standstill and in quicksand. But just like last season, this period of time was when we went on a run with 12 straight defeats (I think!). Come on you Reds! Let the media eat their words and humble pie! Prove them wrong!
Player Ratings:
Reina 7 - Nothing much to do except a few punches a also a wonderful save from Chris Sutton's header.
Finnan 8 - Provided width and worked with Gerrard well. Good assist.
Hyypia 8 - Towering presence. Had a good game.
Carragher 7 - Agbonlahor took advantage of his lack of pace and even beat him to the header. Needs to improve and go back to his old form.
Riise 8 - A real handful for Villa to deal with. He couldn've scored as well, but his tireless run down the left proved to be very useful and had a great game.
Gerrard 8 - The free role meant he was everywhere on the pitch, right, left and centre. Showed passion and energy. Good game for the captain.
Alonso 9 - Get stuck in, does what he does best. Spraying passes and dictating the tempo.
Sissoko 8 - Ran around to close Villa players down. Seemingly narrowed the middle of the pitch for Villa with his coverage runs and tireless track back.
Luis Garcia 8 - Criticised for his poor performance against the Mancs, but stepped up his gear and showed what he was there for. Good movement and composed finished.
Kuyt 9 (MOM) - Scored a great goal and showed good awareness throughout. He held the ball up well and ran his bloody socks off. He's willing to chase for lost cause and a great player and never say die attitude.
Crouch 9 - Another contender for Man of the Match. I was very impressed with his first touch and his general awareness of where his fellow team mates were. His presence caused Liam Ridgewell lots of trouble and continued his good goal scoring form.
Founded on the 25th March 2006, this blog is not only for the Liverpool fans, but for anyone who loves football. Latest stories, banters, personal thoughts, up to date match reports, videos, pictures and a whole lot more!
If you have any stories to share or wishes to contact me, please mail to:skyjames87@gmail.com
After his letter written to the fans was posted up few days back, I have nothing but more respect for the Atletico man. It's seldom players demonstrating such love for a club and it's fan despite leaving and for that, I'll say good luck and all the best in Spain.
Those picture probably brings back good memories of the first victory over Chelsea since the post-Abramovich era, the night when the whole of Anfield erupted and probably the night which sparked off Liverpool's revival, back into the scene.
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