10: Xabi Alonso vs Watford

I think not many of us would've remembered this great goal. Only after I started to go back and look at all the goals scored in the 2006/07 season then I realise what a fantastic goal it was.

It was a move from the back to the front and Xabi Alonso, the technically gifted midfielder side footed it past Ben Foster.

Reaching the top 10 finally, are you excited? :p

Drogballs' Weekly Thoughts

Yoonited Stumbles.....

What an odd weekend it proved to be, with ManYoo faltering at home to a chronically inconsistent Middlesbrough side.

With the Champions League semi final against AC Milan looming, Sir Alex rested Ryan Giggs ahead of the game and low and behold, they turn up with an uninspiring performance against the Midlands team.

Under fire for being utterly useless recently, Kieran Richardson helped United to the lead which was down to some slack defending on Boro's part and also Rooney's composure.

But Sir Alex might have made a monumental mistake after he failed to haul off Rio Ferdinand despite the defender struggling with a thigh injury he picked up previously. The injury caused Ferdinand to struggle and was unable to track Mark Viduka minutes later, who scored from a diving header at van der Saar's near post.

You'd expect United to come back strongly and scoot away with 3 points easily but surprisingly, Middlesbrough held on and got an important point away from home and did Jose Mourinho's Chelsea a big favour.

And now Alex Ferguson will have to contempt with the mounting injury problems that has suddenly hit the United squad over the last couple of weeks. With Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic already out, losing Rio is a huge blow to their Champions League endeavour and might have serious implication on their title aspiration.

Might be so near yet so far for United.....But Jose's men didn't do enough....


Chelsea Blew The Chance To Close The Gap

It has been so predictable over the past few weekends that Chelsea will go away from each game, winning 1-0, doing just enough to get all 3 points.

But it all came to a screeching halt after Newcastle became the first team this season to produce a goal-less draw with Chelsea.

St. James' Park has never really been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea and with United faltering on Saturday, the ball was in Chelsea's court.

But Jose's men crumbled under pressure and turned up with an uninspiring and lacklustre performance against the Magpies.

In all likeness, the two title contenders have an upcoming semi final match to look forward to and both of them looked distracted, more so for Chelsea, who were listless and was also constantly caught out by Newcastle's counter attack.

The wing-back position has been such a headache for Jose this season and this match continued to underline the problem with Chelsea. Paulo Ferreira, Lassana Diara, Geremi and Michael Essien all played at the right back slot and none has made the position his.

Wayne Bridge, who started ahead of Ashley Cole, struggled with the pace of Kieron Dyer while Michael Ballack sustained an injury after clashing with Titus Bramble.

Aside from the performance, it was also not without controversies and Jose Mourinho will most likely be punished for his rantings against the referee, who turned down a couple of penalty claims from his side.

He was not without a point but once again it feels like a pot calling the kettle black because there are so many penalty claims over the past seasons where it was so obvious but were waved away by so many referees.

It all balanced up, Jose. Just shut up.

With Chelsea looking so unlike themselves and so insipid, Rafa Benitez should be quietly confident that his Reds will be able to once again, defeat Chelsea and march into another cup finals.


Watford Relegated While The Rest Continues To Struggle

The Hornets are officially the first team to dropped out of the Premiership this season despite a 1-1 draw with Manchester City this weekend.

Although they're haven't move out of the drop zone since earlier this season, they have showed great character and one couldn't really find much fault of them despite finishing last.


They're unlucky to lose their key man, Marlon King, to a long term injury and that was a huge blow to Aidy Boothroyd and his team. The man who almost singlehandedly brough Watford to the Premiership wasn't able to join up with his team mate up until last week but it was already too late.

With limited resources and players who aren't up to the standards, Watford struggled throughout but what is admirable about them is they never gave up and self destruct. Despite being a certainty for the drop, they didn't let their heads drop and continued to give their best.

Their best performance was perhaps, the one against Portsmouth where they defeated them 3-1. One thing is for certain that is it won't be long before we know who'll be joining them next season.

Drogballs' Weekly Thoughts

Relegation Battle Heats Up!

The battle to avoid the last 3 places of the English Premiership seemed to have reached it's boiling point as teams now scramble for points and getting some surprise results.

It's where the show starts and gets interesting.

When it seemed like some teams were dead and buried before Christmas, it now started to look more open and some teams might find themselves in unfamiliar position if they continue to drop precious points in their upcoming games.

Watford though, looked destined for the drop. They played with pride and even though they're last in the table, they didn't have a particularly bad time in the Premiership like Sunderland last season. They're a decent side which just don't have enough quality to make the cut and scoring goals is always going to be a problem for them.

West Ham now plays with renewed hope as they have chalked up two precious wins back to back after defeating both Blackburn and Middlesbrough. Carlos Tevez could be the key man to rescue the Hammers from relegation mire but with tough fixtures coming up, it's not looking too good for them still.

Under Alan Pardew, it seemed like Charlton have revived their season and are now on a roll. They had good results in recent games and they managed to beat last season's black horse, Wigan, 1-0 at The Valley. The 3 points might prove to be a very precious one indeed.

Further up, you have Sheffield United hovering above the drop zone. It's too close for comfort for the Blades as their hope of survival was severely dented by the injury of their top marksman, Rob Hulse. He'll be sorely missed as now they'll do a battle against relegation.

Wigan, meanwhile, lacked confidence within the squad and Paul Jewell have a difficult task to stop them from the free fall. They've disappointed this season after last season's high but should have enough quality to keep them safe, at least for another season.

Even teams like Aston Villa and Fulham should not take their foot off the pedal as they're not far ahead either. Both teams didn't have a particularly successful campaign and if they aren't careful, they might get dragged into the battle as well.

Drogballs' Prediction on the last 3 placing: Watford, West Ham, Sheffield United


Red Devils Steamroll Past Everyone

Seemed like nobody is going to stop them from winning the title. They've shown everything needed to win the title and I think they deserve it fully.

Comebacks? Check. Playing badly and winning it? Check. Good fixtures run in? Check.

But what impressed me most would be the fact that even though they have some injury problems throughout the season, they showed that they've coped well and the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo is also a positive point to note.

Blackburn scored first through Matt Derbyshire but United came back strongly and just by watching the game, you'll wonder how did Sir Alex coach a group of players that attack with such class, tenacity and precision.

Hand it to them, now.

There Goes Foster

Ben Foster, bright young goalkeeper, touted to take over England's number one jersey in years to come as David James reaches his retirement age and Paul Robinson continues to flap and flop. But it's ironic how things happen so quickly that now, people will start questioning his ability.

And the stumbling block was none other than Paul Robinson, the current number one of England and the goal kick that bounced over his head and went right in.



Curse of the English goalkeepers, strikes back.

Crouchie Double Sting Hornets

English Premiership

Watford 0 - 3 LIVERPOOL

Scorers:
LIV - Bellamy (34min), Crouch (40, 48min);

Match Highlights:

A good way to bounce back from the disappointments following Liverpool's two domestic cup exits within a week. It was a clinical and comfortable win for the visitors as Watford continue to struggle in the mire of relegation.

People might expect Liverpool to come out all guns blazing to show that they've bounced back from the previous two defeats but Liverpool take it really slowly and took their chances very well. Rafa Benitez once again set out a totally different side and this is the first time that he have put the trio of Kuyt, Crouch and Bellamy all on the field in the same eleven. It was a welcoming move as Liverpool showed the adventurous side of them.

But the first twenty minutes was scrappy at best. The pitch wasn't in the best condition and the ball was bobbling around which makes it difficult for teams to play on the ground. Passing was dreadful at times for both sides. But Liverpool managed to settle down quickly enough to snuff out any potential banana skin.

The game then opened up and Liverpool were quick to draw first blood. Steve Finnan's composed square ball for Craig Bellamy was perfect and all the Welshman need to do was to stick his foot in and the ball rolled into an empty net.


To be honest, his contribution to the match was immense. He worked very hard and made a lot of intelligent run behind the Watford defence. This sort of player is a real handful and I think he showed Rafa and the Liverpool fans what he's capable of. In the mold of Michael Owen, perhaps?

Crouch soon added a second with another fluid Liverpool move that involved all the 3 strikers. Kuyt's header fell into the path of the lightning quick Bellamy. His initial shot was brilliantly parried by Ben Foster but Crouch was on hand to head home the rebound.

Liverpool came back from the half time break with another clinical move that saw Crouch scoring his second of the day. The move involved Bellamy again and his cross was met well with Crouch, who hit the ball first time into Foster's right hand corner.

It certainly makes you wonder what went on at Liverpool earlier in the season when they couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo especially away from home and now suddenly, all the goals come flooding in. It's the second successive 3-0 victory and the Reds now cement their place at third.

It wasn't an all out display of attacking football but Liverpool showed great character to bounce back from disappointments and to finish the game off clinically. It was something we have been lacking in recent times but just perhaps, we've learned our lesson well and go on another roll as we try to displace Chelsea off the second place.

It'll be tough, but we all know what they can be capable of.


Drogballs: A good win and a much needed one. We have bounce back well and strikers learned to take their chances is a good sign. The 3-4-3 formation Rafa set out was a surprising one as he's known to be conservative but it helped and all the strikers were heavily involved with all the goals.

Gutted for Crouch not to stay on to score that hat-trick but in the end, he does his job well while Bellamy, he's such an asset. His pace, anticipation and his runs are vital to our team, who's notorious for being slow. He adds an extra dimension to our attack with Kuyt providing the hard work by dropping deep to make up the numbers in midfield and Crouch's holding up play.

I'm not sure whether Rafa would use this same tactics for the upcoming match against Chelsea but I guess we should revert back to 4-4-2. The formation we played today is prone to attacks down the flanks and if Chelsea decides to play their 4-3-3, we might get eaten alive.

Overall, a good performance all round from the team. Other than Bellamy and Kuyt, no one stood out too much but all did their job alright. Alonso's passing wasn't at his best while Gerrard seemed to left his shooting boots at home.

Now, bring on Chelsea next week. We must not show fear again and we must overcome them.

Hornets vs Reds Preview

Ah, here we go again. After getting spanked for the previous 2 games by Arsenal, how will Liverpool and it's players react? It's a known psychology fact that after a setback, one will either face it head on with courage or give up. So today's result will be pretty dependent on how Liverpool players will react to the defeats. Painful they are, but we all move on and the players need to as well.

With us being out of all domestic cups, it's hard to think we're left with the Champions League and the Premiership, with the latter being totally out of our ways. But now we could really focus on this 2 competitions as the squad starts to thin down to bare bones in the midfield area.

When it's not your day, it definitely isn't. Mark Gonzalez and Luis Garcia both stretchered off and Garcia is out for 6months while Gonzo will be back in time with Momo.

Facing Watford away from home will be a difficult task. There'll be people out there who say 'Watford? Confirm win one, lah!'. But I'll say 'your head!'. It's always difficult playing against newly promoted teams who are full of determination to make their point and with us playing poorly for the last 2 games, surely they'll feel they stand a chance.

Drogballs' Prediction: Watford 1-2 Liverpool. It'll be a tight game and Watford will look to unsettle Liverpool. But I believe the players will bounce back from their disappointments to put up a show just good enough to beat the Hornets.

Reds Sting Hornets

Liverpool Win Despite Poor Performance

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 2 - 0 Watford

Scorers:
LIV - Bellamy (47min), Alonso (88min);

Match Highlights:

A brilliant Xabi Alonso strike and excellent vision from Steven Gerrard were the only factors that separated Liverpool and a hardworking Watford team. During the match preview, I have pointed out that Watford is a hardworking team who are not afraid to get physical. The match proved my point and Liverpool were well stifled by Watford for most part of the match.

The Liverpool squad was almost the same as the one facing Charlton and it seemed that Rafa has already gotten the message that is constant changing and chopping is not going to work in the Premiership.

But Watford came to Anfield with point to prove. They’re a steadily improving team which set out to frustrate Liverpool and bombard the Red’s penalty box with long balls. When desperate times call for desperate measures, they even threw defender, Danny Shittu, up front.

They did cause some problem for the usually rock steady Liverpool defence. The usually reliable Carragher was caught out a few times and Reina nearly did the ‘Paul Robinson air-kick’ when he mis-kicked a Gerrard back-pass. With defence shaky, the attack wasn’t of any better as well.

Dirk Kuyt dropped too far into the midfield and there was a congestion in the midfield area, rendering Gerrard and Alonso with almost no space to weave their magic and thread their passes. Bellamy was left up front all on his own and was caught off-side far too often.

But Liverpool hit back instantly after the break. Gerrard found acres of space in between Watford’s midfield and attack, he took the ball calmly and as everyone held their breathe in anticipation of a Gerrard’s long range rocket, he instead, place a wonderful ball for the unmarked Bellamy, who had the composure to wait for Ben Foster to be on the floor before slotting it home.

Then Liverpool struggled to gain any momentum and then the match went monotonous. Couple of bad decisions from players caused Liverpool the chance to go ahead while we must applaud Watford for their never-say-die spirit. They kept trying and bombarding the penalty area with long balls. It was frustrating but it did cause some problem for the Liverpool defence.

The game was all but over when the subdued Xabi Alonso fired in a sublime shot into the top corner. One must appreciate the technique needed to fire that and the beauty of it when it went past the brilliant Ben Foster, who has denied Liverpool on couple of occasions.

So Liverpool started the festive season program with a not so well deserved win. But the only disappointment for us Liverpool fans would be Jamie Carragher’s effort saved by the ManYoo loanee, Ben Foster. It would’ve be an icing on the cake. Watford, meanwhile, should take heart from this defeat as they’ve tried their best and worked extremely hard.


Drogballs' Thoughts: Terrible match to watch as a Liverpool fan. It was frustrating and infuriating at times particularly by Luis Garcia. As consistent as he is at screwing up the easy stuff, now he can't do anything right at all. I can't really recall him passing the ball to someone in the red shirt and the chance he miss at the end of the match was not very easy but for a player of his calibre you'll expect him to at least work Ben Foster.

But of course luckily, Liverpool won and I must say it wasn't a very well-deserved victory. Players looked sloppy and were caught out a few times especially the defenders. Reina being his very rash self, rushing out mindlessly and lacked composure. I can understand that the weather is cold and chilly over there while the ground is pretty hard.

But the praise would have to go out to Rafa and his team for moulding and making Anfield a fortress once again. Remember the last defeat at Anfield? It's beyond painful, but that was 14 months ago. Goals has been coming in as well although it seemed that we lacked the cutting edge today, 2 goals were added into our tally which is 13 goals in 4 matches and 0 conceded.

Bellamy seemed to be on fire right now but Kuyt's form seemed to have dipped a little. But he still continually works his socks off (I have been saying this since he made his debut for Liverpool) and never gave up. His attitude and passion is commendable. I'm sure he'll move on quickly from the low point and then continue to bring in the goods.

Our curse of hitting the post once ever game is still on with Crouch coming on as substitute and his brilliant shot was hit against the post with Foster stranded. It's perhaps the 14 or 15th this season and it's time lady luck begin to bless us with that little bit of luck.

Anyway, it's a good start to the festive season period where we'll be playing 4 games in 10 days. Packed schedules and bad weather are going to be something to be overcome by the Reds if they're to continue their good form. It's Blackburn next and hopefully, no one break their leg at Ewood Park again this time round.

Reds vs Hornets Preview

I'm doing this fast before rushing down to town for last minute Christmas shopping again. Haha I've been busy and I think most readers are as well.

Anyway it's easy to forget that during this festive period, the Premiership is still buzzing with life. In fact, it's the most busy period in the fixtures list with Liverpool having to play 4 games in 10 days. Now you know why they're paid the big bucks.

In the last 3 games, Liverpool have scored a total of 11 goals and conceded zilch. It's a wonderful record for a team that has started the season so terribly and when the season looked so bleak at first, things have started to open up and the form and morale of the team has been tremendous recently.

With Rafa tinkering less, the team looked more stable and consistent. They seemed more gelled and the understanding was there. Kuyt and Bellamy's partnership up front has been immense just like Kuyt-Crouch or Crouch-Bellamy. It's a problem for Rafa, but a good one.

Two left sided players are back in contention for this match. Liverpool-born Stevie Warnock has completed his comeback in the Liverpool reserves defeat by Bolton. Fabio Aurelio had a nice run out last week at the Valley and might slot in the left midfield position if required.

Watford, meanwhile, has been improving in terms of defence lately. They have not been conceding goals as much as they did earlier in the season. This would mean that they might come to Anfield with a 'parking the double-deck bus in front of goal' tactics and plans to frustrate the hell out of the Reds.

Drogballs' Prediction: Liverpool 1-0 Watford. In a cold, winter afternoon, playing against a pretty physical side is not the best choice. But Liverpool have the edge in terms of quality and home support. A narrow win for Liverpool.