Torres To The Rescue... Again

Portsmouth 2 (Nugent 61, Hreidarsson 77)
Liverpool 3 (Aurelio 69, Kuyt 84, Torres 90+2)

For the second time in two weeks, Spanish hotshot, Fernando Torres managed to bail Liverpool out and most importantly, mitigated the critics that were heading Rafael Benitez’s way.

After a tormenting midweek game at Goodison Park, the Liverpool manager made 6 changes to the line up, with 6 of his 11 players being defenders. The changes meant that a tweak in the formation was needed.

With the untimely injury of Steven Gerrard coinciding with the departure of Robbie Keane, Benitez was left with little options up front. Torres was deemed as fatigued along with Dirk Kuyt. So David N’Gog made his full debut in their places along with Ryan Babel.

On the hindsight, the two strikers didn’t inspire much confidence and were poor. It proved a point that it’s not really a good time to let go of Keane’s service. N’Gog had a hard time up against the colossus, Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin.

Ryan Babel, meanwhile, managed to miss an open goal in the second half. The Dutch striker have disappointed many this term, with little to deliver and frustrating to watch, constantly running into cul-de-sacs

Mere minutes later, Portsmouth took the lead through David Nugent, who’s a self-proclaimed Evertonian. He gave Martin Skrtel a real hard time the entire evening and managed to squeeze a shot past Pepe Reina.

Liverpool, always with the fighting spirit, got back on level terms through a bizarre chain of events. Eventually, Fabio Aurelio, who was deployed as a central midfielder, smashed home a free kick inside Portsmouth’s penalty box.

The Brazilian, whose natural position being a left-wing back, was seen playing in the Xabi Alonso position. And he never really look out of place throughout with several fine passes.

But he was helpless to see Portsmouth taking the lead again after Hermann Hreidersson headed home from a freekick.

With so much at stake, you just knew that Liverpool wouldn’t go down that easily. With only one loss in the league this season and several key comebacks, it seemed to be turning into a pattern.

The substitution of Dirk Kuyt sparked off a revival. He first created the chance for Babel to score from 4 yards out with an open net but his fellow Dutch totally took his eye off the ball.

Then he had the ball in David James’ net but was erroneously ruled offside.

But like a man for such occasion, it is of no doubt that somehow he’ll find the back of the net and he did when he pounced on a terrible mistake by Distin to smash the ball past James at his near post.

With 15 minutes remaining, Rafa Benitez decided that it is time and with desperate calls from the traveling Liverpool fans getting more audible, Torres was brought on to replace Babel.

With the crowd blaring out the catchy ‘Fernando Torres, Liverpool Number 9’ chant, the Spanish had little time to turn water into wine.

But being one of the most feared and clinical striker in Europe, he never disappoints and after finding his feet last week with two morale-boosting goals against Chelsea, he was hell-bent on rescuing Liverpool from yet another draw.

The brilliant Yossi Benayoun wriggled his way to the left flank before delivering a peach of a cross into the box. And make no guesses; Torres was on the end of it. Sent in at a perfect height, all he did was stood still and directed the ball past the despairing dive of David James.

He made it look really simple.

With Gerrard out for 3 weeks, most of Liverpool’s goals are surely going to come from Torres. It’s a little more comforting to know that at least he is now back on track, scoring goals and putting up decent performances.

Performance wise, again, not the best from the Reds. Although constantly in control, Liverpool looked toothless until the introduction of Kuyt and Torres. The change in formation also probably unsettled some players at first.

But it is encouraging to see Aurelio and Benayoun in such fine form. The duo stood out from the rest and deserves a consistent run of games.

Benitez and many Liverpool supporters, such as I, surely heaped a huge sigh of relief from this game. With Man Utd seemingly on a roll recently, any slip-ups now will surely deal a huge blow to the title bid.

With Chelsea fumbling and Arsenal out of contention, it seemed like Liverpool are the only team that have a minor chance of upsetting the bookies and critics. But Benitez will surely have to deal with the imbalance strike force.

And most importantly, a comeback is needed.

Reds Held To Goalless Draw

English Premiership

Portsmouth 0 - 0 LIVERPOOL

It's pointless for me to go on blabbering about the match when I didn't even catch it last night. I'm sorry lads, I was in church so I gave it a miss.

Anyway, I'm feeling the same as majority of the Liverpool fans, which is disappointment. We've been knocked off the top of the Premier League table only a week after reaching the peak for the first time in 5 years and yet we struggled to keep pace and stumbled.

But it could've been worst.

Portsmouth could've won the game through penalty but Spanish custodian, Pepe Reina, was once again the penalty hero.

Prior to the game, Rafa was on a full fledged attack on the FA Premier League, alleging them for being biased against Liverpool in terms of fixture scheduling. It's true in a way that it's difficult to prepare a match only a day after the international games.

But if ManYoo and Arsenal could make do with it, I don't think a few hours will make much of a difference anyway. They beat Everton and Spurs, away from home, respectively.

It could probably mean that Liverpool STILL has a lot to do even though this team seemed to be the best we've assembled in years. We all harbour hopes that we'll win it this season but also it's realistic to start thinking that this team might need some time to gel and get going.

Perhaps with a little luck, we could do it. But right now, it's Champions League next and Porto, away from home, won't be easy.

Former Red Steals The Limelight

James The Hero In Penalties

Barclays Asia Trophy

Portsmouth 0 - 0 Liverpool
(Portsmouth win 4-2 on penalties)

Once a custodian for the Liverpool side back in the late 90s, David James faced his former club over at Hong Kong at the Barclays Asia Trophy and pulled off a strings of saves to stop the Reds from claiming the cup, which they probably deserved a little more.

Prior to the game, James spoke about his disappointment as to how he left the club but turned on style to help Portsmouth edge out Liverpool in a thrilling game which was concluded by penalties.

Asian Liverpool fans were given a treat on Tuesday night as the Reds managed to beat the home side, South China FC while Portsmouth defeated Fulham 1-0 to set up a mouth watering encounter.

The Hong Kong Liverpool fans turned up in droves and flooded the Hong Kong National Stadium like a sea of red. Their passion was never in question as they screamed in awe when the tannoy announces the starting line up. Captain, Steven Gerrard, probably got the loudest cheer of the night as he made his way into the field in the closing minutes of the game.

But it was the small portion of fans in blue that gone home a little happier as the Barclays Asia Trophy finally ended with an anti-climatic feel to it.

Despite dominating and carving out a couple of clear cut chances, Liverpool were unable to finish the game off just as how it has been all of last season. Finishing was poor at times and the Reds were punished albeit being only just a friendly cup that matters little.

But one has to wonder what effect it has got on newer players such as Yossi Benayoun and most importantly, Fernando Torres, who will assume the role of a goal getter for Liverpool in the upcoming season.

Both mentioned missed penalties and the effect on their morale could affect their confidence.

Yet if the others managed to bury their chances earlier on, it could've been a totally different outcome. Dirk Kuyt had a hosts of chances to put Liverpool in the driving seat but his finishing was once again a suspect while David James was constantly tested yet stood firm.

Portsmouth did well to neutralise Liverpool's attack while they themselves did carve out one rare chance for themselves which was probably the best chance of the game.

Gary O'Neill's late run from midfield caught the Liverpool defence static and with only Reina to beat, his shot hit the Spanish goalkeeper's leg and missed a wonderful chance to put the team from south coast ahead.

First half was fast and furious as Liverpool pressured Pompey high up the pitch and David James was nearly caught out by the alert Ryan Babel, who pounced on the goalkeeper's poor first touch but was unable to capitalise.

As the match wore on players started to tire out and fatigue seeped in. The game lost its pace and rhythm despite fresh legs brought on from both sides. It was probably due to the marketing campaign in which the players had to embark on as an ambassador from the club.

It's always disappointing to lose a game but it's a friendly cup game after all. Still, there are room for improvement and finishing is one such aspect which Rafa Benitez will have to look into.

Martin Tyler commented about he can't see where the goals are coming from and that's probably one big reason why we're struggling in the league.

But there are some promising performance from Momo Sissoko, Steve Finnan, Jermaine Pennant and Xabi Alonso. Sissoko's energy, passing and movement for this game is excellent and probably silenced those obnoxious 'fans' who booed him on Tuesday.

Xabi Alonso's passing has been up to the mark in recent friendlies and hopefully bringing his form into the upcoming Premiership season. Finnan is solid as ever on the right back position while combining well with the player ahead of him, Jermaine Pennant.

It's probably a disappointing outcome for most Liverpool fans there but probably, success comes off the field with all the media spotlight and attention all on the club. As Liverpool embark on a new journey towards winning the Asian market, the tour could prove to be invaluable in the days ahead.

One small step but it could mean something big regardless of the results on the pitch.

Second Stringers Beaten

Hyypia Unable To Save Reds From Defeat

English Premiership

Portsmouth 2 - 1 LIVERPOOL

Scorers:
POR - Benjani (27min), Kranjcar (32min);
LIV - Hyypia (59min);

Emiliano Insua, Gabriel Paletta, Jack Hobbs, Nabil El Zhar and Daniele Padelli. Ring a bell?

To most neutrals, it won't. Because they're players from the Liverpool reserve team. But Rafa Benitez, with one eye on the Champions League semi final, boldly putting out an experimental squad to face a spirited Portsmouth side and were soundly beaten.

With the upcoming match deemed more important, Rafa ring changes to the side which lost 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. It was expected that Rafa will once again tinker with his squad but it's still surprising to see the likes of Jerzy Dudek, Emiliano Insua and Gabriel Paletta starting.

Belittling Portsmouth? Maybe. But we all know the reason why.

With most of the key members such as Carragher and Gerrard rested, the squad lack experience and some looked rusty. Paletta, who was made to look like an absolute buffoon by Arsenal in January during the League Cup tie, partnered with an experienced Sami Hyypia, who wore the captain's armband for the day.

But the Argentinian looked sluggish at times and was struggling to deal with the physical presence of Benjani. The Zimbabwean striker is not known for scoring but against Liverpool, he found his luck through some awful defending and calamitous goalkeeping from Dudek.

A long hopeful punt from David James dropped just outside the penalty box and as Dudek rushed off his line in bid to clear the ball, he was a step too slow and Benjani headed the ball past Dudek into the unguarded net.

Inexperience on Paletta's part for letting Benjani run free. But Dudek's mistake is pretty unforgivable, making all that he's done at Istanbul just a freak show.

Then Liverpool were caught out once again by yet another long ball. Zenden's poor control was capitalised by Lauren, whose first touch diagonal ball was well met by Croatian, Niko Kranjcar. Alvaro Arbeloa was out of position and the midfielder went on to score only his second goal in the Premiership.

Liverpool struggled to move into gear two as they failed to turn possession into goals. Fowler and Bellamy were left pretty much by themselves upfront with the Welsh striker playing in the right wing role, which baffles me.

Only when he's moved into the centre, he started to look threatening. But he was wasted down the right the whole time and Fowler's aging legs are finding it hard to cope with the pace of the game.

Despite Zenden's 25 yard half volley that rattled the bar, they had nothing to show for and once again, Mark Gonzalez was poor. He made some great runs but looked uncomfortable with the physical challenges of the Premiership and his final ball were often found wanting.

After the half time break though, Liverpool looked more determined and showed more urgency in their play. They were rewarded with a good goal from defender, Sami Hyypia.

Fowler's corner was met with his head and his header went past David James emphatically. Only then Liverpool showed some kind of belief and were cranking up the pace of the game.

But with Xabi Alonso man-marked by Gary O'Neill, Liverpool found it difficult to distribute the ball properly and had to rely on long diagonal balls over and over again. With Fowler and Bellamy, there was no height and were only constantly losing possessions.

But the spirited Portsmouth held on till the end and have a good chance to book a place in next season's UEFA Cup. They were disciplined and worked very hard throughout, making it difficult for Liverpool to play. Linvoy Primus was once again outstanding while Glen Johnson perhaps, deserves the man of the match award with a couple of well timed tackles.

For Liverpool, it's disappointing to lose the game through two terrible mistakes. But it was also a game were it looked more like a formality than anything and also, a match for the reserve players to learn and get the experience.

Emiliano Insua is perhaps, the most promising one out of the lot and performed up to standards. He was composed and comfortable on the ball, looked mature and older than he really is.

But the rest still have to buck up and improve if they ever want to don the red jersey again. Paletta needs more experience as he looked shaky and unsure at times while El Zhar had little time to make any impact.

Credit goes out to Sissoko who in my opinion, had a good game for his standards. We all know he loves to misplace passes but this game, he showed great composure and was able to do the simple things well. Please with him.

All in all, it was a forgettable match for the Liverpool faithfuls but one not to be forgotten by the Pompey fans.

Fighting In Europe And Fighting For Europe

Pompey vs Reds Preview

One's fighting for a place in Europe next season. While another team is fighting for survival in Europe's elite football competition currently.

It's certainly an intriguing fixture as both teams are looking to consolidate their places in the league. Although Liverpool has theoretically booked a place in the competition next year, coming third always sounds better than fourth.

But with the impending second leg of the Champions League semi finals, expect changes.

I won't be surprise to see the likes of Sissoko, Hyypia and even Paletta starting as Rafa Benitez will tinker once again and rest players for a more important second leg next week. With that under par performance, perhaps it could also serve as a warning to the players to stop being complacent and maybe give them some time to reflect on their woeful performance.

Both teams are in great league form with the Reds unbeaten in 6 while opponents are finding it hard to break down Portsmouth due to David James' recent heroics. The former Liverpool goalkeeper, who's often touted as 'Calamity James' and 'vampire' (because he's scared of crosses), broke the league record of clean sheets last week against Aston Villa.

With Newcastle and ManYoo defeated at Fratton Park, it's certainly not the best place to get all three points for the Reds. With an eye on the second leg, will Liverpool be distracted? Or will their class prevail and dent Portsmouth hope of Europe?

Drogballs' Prediction: Portsmouth 1-2 Liverpool. More like an optimistic guess than a realistic one. Portsmouth will be a tough opposition and David James could prove to be the difference. (Actually, I predict a 1-1 draw :p )

A Player Who Earns 30k Per Week...

Caught Stealing Toilet Fittings

An England footballer has been given an on-the-spot fine for stealing bathroom fittings.

England defender Glen Johnson, who plays for Portsmouth on loan from Chelsea, and Millwall striker Ben May were caught at B&Q in Dartford, Kent, on Wednesday.

The pair were spotted by a security guard putting a toilet seat into a box with a cheaper price tag before they reached the checkout, The Sun reported.

They also avoided paying for a set of taps by concealing them underneath a sink at the checkout, the newspaper said.

A worker at the store told The S*n: "We all recognised Johnson. No one could quite believe a bloke like him, with all that money, would be moronic enough to nick a toilet seat. But that's what him and May were doing.

"They were spotted by one of our security guards, a chap of 74, and cops arrived as they were trying to leave.

"They seemed to find the whole thing funny and couldn't stop smirking even after they had been arrested."

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Kent Police arrested two 22-year-old men on Wednesday on suspicion of theft in Dartford.

"Both men have been issued with £80 fixed penalty notices."

Gary Double, Portsmouth FC's director of communications, said: "We won't be making a statement."

A Millwall spokeswoman also refused to comment.

Drogballs: I don't know whether to cry or laugh at him. Somebody spare him a toilet seat or something?

Not So Happy New Year, Boys....

Hossam Ghaly got smacked in the face by former Spurs defender, Noe Pamarot, who in turned got the karma and limped off with a thigh injury. Well, that smack in the face cost Ghaly to lose a grand total of...4 teeth.

All you want for Christmas is your two front teeth x2. You'll get what you want, then. Just that you'll have to wait for almost another 11 months.

And thoughts going out to Antti Niemi of Fulham. He sustained a horrific neck injury playing against Watford but thankfully the injury was not as serious as him on his way of becoming a vegetable. Good 'keeper, I reckon. Get well soon.

MATTHEW TAYLOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

England's left side problem? Seriously the answers are everywhere. Just that McClaren don't know where to find them. Gareth Barry and of course, Matty Taylor!

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.