Hello guys! Long time since I've updated. I'm sure many of you are here looking and scouring for the 'Kop Comes to Asia' photos and sorry for the delay. It was my honour to attend the game on Sunday and though I wasn't one of those fans that went round Singapore chasing them, many of those photos could be found in their official website and Facebook account.
Anyway here are some of the pictures taken by my friends that were there with me and as well as some shots from the official site. So sit back and enjoy!
I thought this was a nice shot
View from my position...and love the scarves and all
Liverpool 5 (Kuyt 7, Riera 33, Gerrard pen 40, 50, pen 65) Aston Villa 0
What a fantastic 10 days for the Liverpool fans. They must’ve thought they’re in some kind of dreamland. 13 goals scored against Real Madrid, Man Utd and now, Aston Villa with only 1 conceded.
And what a way for the players to show their willingness to play for Rafa Benitez, after finally signing a new 5 year contract, showing his intent to continue on his good works at Liverpool.
Liverpool were irresistible and totally blew Aston Villa away as the visitors stood absolutely no chance to stop this machine with all momentum.
With Man Utd’s reply to last week’s 4-1 drubbing being a weak and laughable 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham, Liverpool smelled blood. Chelsea, their closest competitor to dethrone Man Utd, too, were found wanting at White Hart Lane. Guus Hiddink suffered his first defeat and it was pretty untimely.
Playing with the gift of retrospect, Liverpool were pumped up. They knew they have half the battle won when both teams fumbled. Yet it will come down to nothing if they don’t put Villa to the sword.
Villa’s form went pear-shaped since February and touted to take over Arsenal’s place in the top four, they bottled it and are now losing touch with the Gunners.
The visitors came to Anfield with in dire form. Yet it was fate that brought them right in front of the marauding red machine. By the time the clock reached the half hour mark, the Villains were already being put to the sword and only thing they could do was damage limitation.
Anfield was in buoyant mood, brought about with the hopes and enthusiasm of that minute, just minute, possibility of the Premiership crown finally landing its feet in Merseyside for the first time in 19 years.
As the Rafa Benitez banner says, “Siempre es Possible”. Liverpool fans were hoping and praying for that miracle. Anything IS possible.
Actions speak louder than words and Dirk Kuyt was the first to prove that he is desperate and hungry for Premiership glory. Steven Gerrard’s freekick was headed onto the post by Xabi Alonso and the Dutch striker pounced on the loose ball and blasted it past the stranded Brad Friedel.
He booted the ball with such conviction and passion. It’s as if he knew it will land in the back of the net. Maybe he knew something more. Aston Villa managed to find their feet and played some fantastic football down the flanks, with James Milner a thorn in the side. The physical approach of former Liverpool striker, Emile Heskey, and John Carew gave the home side much problem.
Soon it turned into an open and expansive game, end to end stuff. But the second and crucial goal came from yet another route one approach from the Reds.
Pepe Reina’s long punt was not dealt with by the Villa defenders and surprisingly, Albert Riera was on the end of it. The Spanish winger was in inspired form yesterday and all he needed was a touch and he placed a volley into top left corner.
It was a magnificent goal which involves minimal set-up and straightforward. Let’s not even go into the technique required to score such goal.
Then came Steven Gerrard to put the game to bed with a brilliant hat trick, his first in the Premiership surprisingly. The skipper is in fine form and despite not having the best game, he still managed to bulge the net thrice.
Two of them came from the penalty spot. First, Albert Riera was brought down by makeshift right-back, Nigel Reo-Coker, and he made no mistakes.
Then an unfortunate Brad Friedel was sent off for obstructing Fernand Torres. It was unintentional and he could’ve done nothing to avoid it. The former Liverpool goalkeeper was applauded off the field and hopefully he could get the red card rescinded.
Gerrard placed it at the same spot again and Brad Guzan had no chance. The replacement goalkeeper’s first job was to pick the ball out from the net.
The other goal came from a freekick, sandwiched between the two penalties. Despite a multitude of men forming the wall, there was no stopping the skipper from placing the ball at the right bottom corner.
By then it was well and truly over with the Reds home and dry. Who would’ve thought that Liverpool would so comprehensively dispatch Villa with such ease and it was as if everything were going in their favour.
Even when Fernando Torres being a virtual spectator throughout, other players rose up to the challenge and gifted the Anfield faithful some hope.
You’ll have to feel sorry for Villa. They didn’t play particularly badly but were already K.O-ed before they even saw it coming.
Liverpool were not in their profligate self and were clinical. Something you’d see from a team brimming with confidence.
And now, the title race is truly heating up and even IF Liverpool doesn’t win it, I’d know that at least I know that they tried their best. I mean, I don’t remember seeing Liverpool still challenging at this stage in any other seasons.
This season is going to be special. Either we go on and win it or we can take it as a spring board for better things to come next season. Hang on tight, because this is going to be edge-of-your-seats stuff!
As we head into an exciting 2009, it's good to look back at this year and with the help of some numbers and figures, we can see to it ourselves how Rafa Benitez have brought Liverpool from strength to strength.
This figures are compiled by a blogger from Oh You Beauty so do drop by and give him some credit.
Points total after 19 games: 08/09: 42 07/08: 37 06/07: 34
# of games Liverpool failed to score in: 08/09: 4 [Villa (a), Stoke (h), Fulham (h), West Ham (h)] 07/08: 5 [Pompey (a), Birmingham (h), Blackburn (a), United (h), City (a)] 06/07: 7 [Everton (a), Chelsea (a), Bolton (a), United (a), Arsenal (a), Boro (a), Portsmouth (h)]
Away form: 08/09: 6 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss; 20 points out of 27 07/08: 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss; 21 points out of 30 06/07: 2 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses; 8 points out of 27
Home form: 08/09: 6 wins, 4 draws; 22 points out of 30 07/08: 4 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss; 16 points out of 27 06/07: 8 wins, 2 draws; 26 points out of 30
Pretty good showing, isn't it? Well, let's hope that 2009 will be even better, getting our number 19 in the bag and on towards 20th! Happy New Year, guys. And thanks for the support you've given through the years. I'm eternally grateful.
After reviewing the defence and midfield components of the team, it's time to focus on where the goals come from and that's the forward line.
With the inclusion of Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy last summer, Liverpool were looking to include more options upfront to support Peter Crouch and after a season, the views of both the players seems divided.
So here's my take:
9. Robbie Fowler
Signed from Man City last season during the winter transfer break, it was to boost the rank of the Liverpool strike force back then, when hitting the back of the net seemed pretty tough. It was also to give the fans something to cheer about as Fowler never really had a chance to bid his goodbye to the Anfield crowd properly.
Rewind it forward to 2007, he has had a decent season although it appears that his chances are limited due to the arrival of Kuyt and Bellamy.
But when he was called upon, he seldom fails to deliver. Yet the injuries over the years and that pair of old legs seemed to have taken a toil on the man they dubbed the Anfield God.
He made 6 starts and 10 substitute appearances for Liverpool this term and yielded 3 goals which is an impressive statistic. But if you're not aware, the 3 goals all didn't come from open play.
But his real contributions did come in the domestic cup games while off the pitch, he'll always provide the players with his experiences and also his presence in the dressing room helps the team in some extent.
Although his farewell match didn't turn out to be a fairytale story, it just wouldn't change our mindset of one of the club's greatest striker. Thank God for him.
Grade:B-
15. Peter Crouch
Who would've thought that when Liverpool goes through another round of 'Rafalution', the beanpole striker will manage to hold down a spot in the team and becomes an integral part of it?
Not me, and I don't think you do too. But what an amazing turnaround for a so called journeyman football, who has gone through the ups and downs, switching clubs and ended up playing for Liverpool, FA Cup winner and CL finalist.
Ridiculed for his build, he has since silenced many critics including me myself. Looking back, that 7million GBP paid for him seemed justifiable since English player's price always seemed to be inflated.
His stats shows 19 starts and 9 goals. That is an impressive return for the forward and also not discounting his 8 assists.
And from the mentality of 'let's not start him upfront' to this season's 'start him, Rafa, he'll deliver', it's amazing how the big man with good touch has managed to change our views of him. Memorable moments including that 'perfect hat trick' against Arsenal and his double scissor kicks in the league against Bolton and in the Champions League against Galatasaray.
Grade:A- (Nominee for TRC's Player of the Year)
17. Craig Bellamy
The Welsh striker is brought in to provide Rafa Benitez an alternative option for his strikeforce. For years, Liverpool have had a dearth of pacy strikers and that has limited us to pretty one dimensional football at times.
With the forward's speed and acceleration, it no doubt struck fear in the opposition defence and with his previous season at Blackburn being rather decent, Liverpool fans expect something from him.
But with only 7 goals in 23 starts, it was rather disappointing from the front man as he squandered bucket-loads of chances earlier in the season before hitting a high just about the right time and then slid downwards again towards the end of season.
If he's the answer to Michael Owen, then we're sadly mistaken and that he doesn't seemed to be featuring in the future plans of Liverpool after Rafa was promised a transfer war chest by the American owners. Expect his departure sooner rather than later.
Grade:C+
18. Dirk Kuyt
A long time transfer target of Rafa Benitez was signed last summer and he impressed the fans with his debut appearance against West Ham in the Kop's 100th birthday.
A 'modern day Mark Hughes' they called him, his work ethic and attitude on and off the pitch is something that many Liverpool fans love about him but that's not all.
He was brought in to be the worker up front for Liverpool while his ability to get goals are never in doubt. His goal record in Holland's Eredivisie speaks for itself.
But this being his first season at Liverpool, scoring 12 goals from 27 starts isn't that bad from the Dutchman although some feel that he could do better. His future at the club seemed certain and that he'll have a part to play in Rafa's Liverpool for the coming seasons.
Grade:B+(Nominee for TRC's Player of the Year)
Alright, that wraps up the team review for the season but look out for more in the future as there'll be a vote for the best Liverpool goal for the 06/07 season. But for now, do vote for who you thinks deserve the TRC Player of the Year award.
I didn't catch the game at all, therefore I will not do the match report for this one. But here to say thanks to StevieGo8 for the live updates. Anyway our revival seemed to gain pace as we defeat a spirited Reading 2-0 at Anfield with our Dutch hero Dirk Kuyt scoring a double. He is soon turning into an Anfield hero and is already justifying the amoung we paid for him in the summer.
As Rafa said on LiverpoolFC.tv, Kuyt is a complete player and I believe it is difficult to find a player with the qualities he posses already. The passion and the drive are hard to come by and already adored by the Kopites with his down to earth character and always the last to leave the field as he embarks on his routine walk round the stadium applauding the fans, showing his appreciation for the support.
He actually didn't take too long to adapt to English football and after so many years, it's as if we've found someone that can score the '20 goals a season' and win us cups and trophies. Gone were the years of Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish but I believe Kuyt has already shown that it won't be long before he joins in the pack of 'Anfield Elite Strikers'.
Away from Kuyt, back to the team. Other than the 2 goals, it's always nice to see a '0' on the side your opponent's name. The record breaking defence last season was found wanting so far as we conceded too many soft goals during the early part of the season. But after the 2-0 spanking by ManYoo, they have conceded only once to Aston Villa. The match yesterday was not easy even on paper. Reading has already impressed me with their fighting spirit and never say die attitude.
(Crouch and Kuyt to tango)
The win is an encouraging one, especially with ManYoo already running away ahead with 11 points more, we have to grab every single chance that is placed ahead of us and we need to start finding consistency while getting something out of the away games. We are pretty much untouchable at Anfield but our away day blues seemed to be the stumbling block to us. Once we regain back the confidence of last season and build on the win for more momentum, the '12 wins in a row' record might be somewhere round the corner.
Arsenal will be our next away game with Birmingham City sandwiched between in a Carling Cup tie. The seemed to have been shaken by the recent visit by our neighbours Everton and then CSKA. So therefore we might be able to nick something out of it hopefully and that will certainly boost the confidence and belief in the players.
Still a long way to go. Who knows what will happen. But always look to the next game only and let's smash another 7 past Birmingham, eh?
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!
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