Simao Denies Liverpool

UEFA Champions League

Atletico Madrid 1 -1 Liverpool

Marred by some strange refereeing decision and the injury of Fernando Torres, the mouth watering encounter between Atletico and Liverpool was bogged down to a predictable draw at the Vicente Calderon.

It was almost like a high school gathering. There were links and ties to each of their clubs some way or the other. Or perhaps it's just Liverpool fielding a lot of Spanish players than Atletico themselves.

With Torres' eagerly anticipated homecoming thwarted by injury, the game lost further shine when Sergio Aguero was dropped to the bench and the home side fielding two inexperienced teenagers.

For the visitors, it's a surprising sight to see Dirk Kuyt starting on the bench despite his recent goalscoring exploit in the Premiership as well as in Europe. It meant that Robbie Keane was up front on his own, with Gerrard in support. A very cautious formation.

But Liverpool took hold of the game almost immediately and was having a stroll in the park for the first half of the game. Though Atletico threatened on occasions, with Forlan flashing a left foot shot just wide, Liverpool were in total control and every time they attacked, they definitely looked threatening.

The controversial goal came in the 14th minute when Gerrard played a superb through-ball for Robbie Keane, who had an easy task of putting it into the net. Replays show that Keane was a yard offside. Just one of the few major decision which the linesman misjudged.

Then Keane should have doubled the lead, if only he wasn't that over-confident of himself. Gerrard whipped in a perfect cross for the Irish striker but instead of smashing home, he tried to flick it off his boot but missed it totally.

Shame. If only he scored.

Atletico then came out of the second half a totally different team, with Javier Aguire replacing former Liverpool forward, Luis Garcia, with his wonderkid, Kun Aguero. Though he didn't manage to get off the mark in his game, his impact was evident.

With his presence perhaps, Atletico showed more intent and urgency in their play. At times, Liverpool looked outnumbered in defence, with Kun, Forlan, Sinama-Pongolle, Maniche marauding forward looking for the equaliser.


Both Liverpool and Atletico had goals ruled out for offside, erroneously. Just one of those night for the referee.

Then Simao came really close when he was unmarked on the left flank and he rifled it against the post. Pepe Reina did extremely well with a fingertip save. Signs of things to come. Because the Portugese winger, whom was supposed to sign for Liverpool in his Benfica days, sent the home fans into rapture.

A long ball was uncharacteristically misjudged by Jamie Carragher and choas ensued in the Liverpool penalty box. Forlan eventually laid off the ball for Simao to fire home. A costly mistake from the experienced man.

A fair result for both teams, with such affinity and ties between them. Both teams had good spells in the game and the 1-1 draw was a fair reflection of the game, though some of the linesman's decision were questionable.

While Torres Is Doing His Medical....

We know Marca is a very well respected newspaper back in Spain and that they are reliable. I just got the scan for this morning's paper and this is what it says:

In black letters: "Fernando Torres is now in Liverpool and he will pass the medical check."

In big letters: "You'll never walk alone."

In red: "After closing the deal he wants to come back to Madrid to say gooday to Atletico supporters."


Expect to hear something really soon. Cheers

And We Bid Farewell To Garcia

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.



He's Luis Garcia, he drinks Sangria!