Only Choose One Player From Each Premiership Teams XI

Saw this on Football 365 and thought it'll be interesting to do it myself based on my own preferences. Let's see:

Goalkeeper: Ben Foster (Watford)
Starting off from the goalkeeper position, the young English goalkeeper certainly impressed me enough as well as Steve McClaren, who gave him his first cap for England in the friendly against Spain earlier this month. A fantastic all round goalkeeper who is an excellent shot stopper and seldom flap at important moments. He's at Watford to keep the scores down, that's about it I guess.


Left Back: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
Another of those under-rated players around in the Premiership. Although his performance didn't really set the world alight but he certainly showed that the English players CAN take penalties. A capable and reliable captain for Villa, he gets my pick at left back.


Right Back: Micah Ricards (Man City)
Highly rated by the whole of England and touted to take over Gary Neville's place at the right back slot of England, he's an enthusiastic player who is versatile and never afraid to stick his foot into challenges. He gives Man City the extra physical presence in the team and also a tourniquet for them.


Centre Back: Ivica Ingimarrson (Reading)
Reading have been the surprise package of all surprise packages this season and their excellent run in the Premiership is not only their potency in front of goal but also the fact that they have a proper backbone. Like Wigan last season, who had the experience of Arjen De Zeeuw, Reading had this Icelandic at the heart of defence and he performed reasonably well, putting a few balls into the opponent's net as well.


Centre Back: Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)
You must be wondering why I didn't pick John Terry. To me, I thought the Portugese performed far better than the England captain in recent times and just watch his performance against Arsenal last night. Although he was caught out by Walcott for that goal but he stepped up his performance after Terry went off and made some crucial interceptions and his reading of the game has always been immense.


Left Midfield: Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn)
One of the best free kick takers around, Pedersen has a lethal left foot. But his contributions go beyond just striking powerful free kicks into top corners but also helping his team mates with good passes and he's in charge of the Creative Department of Blackburn.


Right Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
A winger who swapped flanks so often yet it never hamper him from scoring fantastic goals. The number of league goals this season from his winger position just showed us what a quality player this young Portugese can be. If he could do away with his diving antics, he'll be more well respected by the English. This man was transformed into what he is now after the WC '06 controversy and have been at his top of his game.


Centre Midfield: Mikel Arteta (Everton)
Another Spanish centre midfielder that can walk into most national team but can't with Spain purely because of the number of quality midfielders in the same position. The Basque play maker is an integral part of Everton and without him, they looked bit part and an apparent lack of quality. Could argue that Cahill is a better goal scorer, but I pick Arteta for his overall contributions.


Centre Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Not having a stormer of a season like the last but certainly did his job well after being moved back to his favourite centre midfield role. He's the player that will walk into any team in England, or perhaps, even Europe. He's got goals, guts and guile. He'll certainly be the man to conjure up some magical moments and a must have for any sort of XI except for perhaps 'Best Hairstyle'.


Striker: Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham)
The big man from Bulgaria was brought in to be a target man and his performance must have been an enriching lesson for all the target men in the Premiership. Just watch his performance last night against Bolton and you'll get the jeez. He has an excellent touch, big, strong and physical. The type of player that will fit in the Premiership well and also, he's hardworking, he scores the goals and also set up for others. Might turn out to be one of the signings of the season.


Striker: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
The icon of English football is ironically a French. But one could understand why. He have been troubling the Premiership defence since his arrival from Juventus few years back and many Arsenal fans and neutrals didn't look back from it. Setting the world alight consistently throughout his Arsenal career, he scores the goals, leads by example and the symbol of Arsenal's artistic, aesthetically pleasant but often over-elaborating play. The only doubt will be how he'll work together with another striker from their North London rivals.


Sub 1: Brian McBride (Fulham)

Sub 2: Jussi Jaaskalainen (Bolton)

Sub 3: Obafemi Martins (Newcastle)

Sub 4: Phil Jagielka (Sheffield Utd)

Sub 5: Yossi Benayoun (West Ham)

Picture Of The Day

Gerrard: Robbie! You finally found your scoring 'touch' !

Fowler: Well, you can have a 'feel' of it, then.

Probably funny, most definitely wrong! I hope this is not a marriage wrecker though. :p

Chelsea Victors In Carling Cup Final

Carling Cup Final

Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal

In a match which saw the two Premiership giants came to blow, the youthful exuberance of Arsenal was unable to hold out the guile, craftiness and experience of the Chelsea side. A double from Ivorian, Didier Drogba, was enough to settle the game which extended beyond 90 minutes after several stoppages including the sickening John Terry injury which saw him getting a boot to his head and needed to be stretched off.

Arsene Wenger kept his promises by sending out his young guns as a reward for them getting the Gunners into the final. Although the side consists of mostly under-23 players, there are still many familiar faces in the side and cannot be underestimated.

But in the opening exchanges, it looked like the Chelsea side were complacent and underestimated what the young guns were capable of. The Blues looked disjointed and were unable to string passes together while the longer it took, the more confident Arsenal became.

And to many's surprise, Arsenal took the lead through Theo Walcott. His deft touch took him away from Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry before lifting it over Cech for his first ever goal for Arsenal. What a way to open the record!

It looked like the Chelsea players were disinterested and seemed like going through the motions. There was no spark of brilliance from any of the multi million superstars and they're too predictable when it comes to attacking. Kolo Toure and Philippe Senderos were able to deal with them easily.


But when Plan A doesn't work, Jose Mourinho didn't hesitate to change and send out Arjen Robben to life his side and give them a little more options on the flank as well as some pace to their attacks.

It was a bold move, as Jose had to take off Claude Makelele, the work horse of the team. But we all know the Portugese never take a second look to make an important change that was the turning point of the match.

But ultimately, it was Drogba's clincal finishing that won the game. In the 20th minute, he latched onto Ballack's through ball and although replays showed that he's in an offside position, he was given the benefit of doubt and who could stop an on form striker like him from smashing the ball past the hapless Manuel Almunia.

But Chelsea had to toiled on until the last 10 minutes before finding the winning goal when Robben's intricate cross was well met by Drogba's head and once again, Almunia had totally no chance.

Although there was the incident which promptly made referee Howard Webb hand out 3 red cards and 2 yellow, it should never overshadow the fact that it has been a fantastic match with good football played. The quality of football was brilliant at times and both teams showed their intent on winning the game.

Arsenal looked a little hard done by after all the good work in the game were cancelled out by a brilliant Didier Drogba but they should be proud of themselves. They didn't looked nervy at all or not even out of place at the Millenium Cardiff Stadium, where previously, many mega stars set their foot on it.

Cesc Fabregas looked really class while Theo Walcott silenced his critics with a well taken goal.

Chelsea spent all their millions on the players but at the end of the day, it was their experience and guile that won them the cup and Jose will most definitely be pleased with the 2nd League Cup in 3 years.

Oh Frankie Lampard...Dah Dah Dah Dah!

That's why foreign commentators are always more entertaining than Andy Gray...

'What ar hit son! What ar hit!'

Fowler On The Double

Liverpool Breaks Record With 9th Consecutive Clean Sheet @ Anfield

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 4 - 0 Sheffield United

Scorers:

LIV - Fowler (pen 20min, pen 25min), Hyypia (70min), Gerrard (73min);

Match Highlights:

If Neil Warnock thinks that by putting a 'Fortune Cat' at the sidelines will help his side to come away from Anfield unscathed, then perhaps he should turn away from it and looked upon the countenance of 'God'.

Of course, the pun intended opening line is a little tribute to none other than Anfield's prodigal son and 'God', Robbie Fowler, who stepped up twice to score from the penalty spot. He showed great composure and courage to do it twice but was unfazed with the challenge.

It's a match in which Liverpool didn't really step up a gear from the start and yet comfortably beat a shell shocked Sheffield United side. The opening day fixture in which the Blades held on to a draw must have inspired the players for a revenge.

Looking at the statistics, it shows 4 shots on target and 4 goals. It shows that perhaps Liverpool CAN be clinical if they want to and with all the worries about how the midweek European game will unsettle the side, Rafa made sure that there were no tired legs out there.

He chopped and changed like his usual style and made 7 changes to the squad that came home with a heroic victory at the Nou Camp. Dudek went in goal for Reina while Hyypia took this chance to partner Carragher. But all focus were on the Argentinian holding midfielder, Javier Mascherano as he make his debut at a strangely subdued Anfield.

Liverpool started the game decently but were unable to find any gaps in a disciplined Sheffield United side. Hyypia's constant long ball to the front doesn't help the team and the home team were not able to push the Blades back against the wall. The game was played at a very slow pace from the start to the end.

But the game sparked to life after a penalty was awarded for some handbags in the United penalty box. Incidently, Crouch's head met with Rob Hulse boots and had to be taken off after the blood on his forehead can't be stopped. Kuyt took over his place and up steps Fowler, who placed the ball beyond Paddy Kenny's finger tips.

Then Steve Bennett had his whistle to his mouth again. Kuyt headed the ball into the path of Gerrard, who was once again pulled back by defender, Montgomerie and this penalty incident is the more obvious of the two.

It's Fowler again, who calmly stroked the ball into the Kop End and Liverpool comfortably in front at that stage although not playing at their best.

And to be honest, the rest of the match are like going through motions and nothing eventful really happened until Hyypia scored from a corner in the 70th minute. It was an instinctive finish from the experienced Finnish rearguard. Reminsce of his volleyed goal against Juvetus came to mind.

Then it was all over when Steve Gerrard scores from an acute angle for his first goal since New Years Day. Again, it was down to Fowler's fantastic vision and technique. He lifted the ball over the defence and Gerrard's first touch took him away from the defence before placing it into Paddy Kenny's right bottom corner.

Liverpool can now prepare for the next game against Man United with confidence sky high. They'll go away from this game with a couple of positives. Javier Mascherano had a decent debut in the middle of the park and showed hunger and is not afraid to put his foot into challenges.

It's always nice to see Fowler scoring goals and looking sharp. Two goals and one assist from him actually tells us that he still have something to offer to the team. His experience is invaluable.

Last but not least a good result albeit a unconvincing performance. But when Liverpool stepped up their gear, they threaten and they score the goals. That's the most important thing in a football match.

Analysis On Riise's Goal: Screen By Screen

Well, I seldom do this. But just by watching the replay, you'll figure that Rijkaard gambled big time by taking off Xavi and Motta for the attacking prowess of Iniesta and Giuly but left his defence horribly exposed.

Especially more so when their defence aren't even good enough.

Full Replay:





Screen 1:

The player on the ball is Steve Finnan. There are 2 players closing down on him but like Shankly used to say that when there are more than one player with you, there is another team mate of yours unmarked. Looking right in front of him is of all player, Gerrard unmarked. The player supposed to mark him is Gianluca Zambrotta but he got sucked in to Finnan's run.

The blue arrow indicates Bellamy's run, which is right across Marquez and into the space vacated by Puyol. The white line is where Kuyt will run into. So in short, Bellamy made the space for Kuyt. 4 white shirts right in front of 3 defenders.

Screen 2:

Steve Finnan did the logical thing by passing it to the unmarked Steven Gerrard. Now you could see Zambrotta scrambling back to cover his own arse and Puyol had no choice but to move into his vacated position to try and stop Gerrard. You could see Barca's defence moving downwards, leaving a HUGE gap at the top for Riise, unmarked. Now there are 3 players with Gerrard and Marquez had to track Bellamy's run.

Look at the closest player around Kuyt. All of them off the pace and were not aware of the situation at all. Now Kuyt will move into where the green arrow is and Gerrard, using his awareness and vision, will send the ball to the empty space.

Screen 3:

Gerrard sends the ball forward into the space in which Kuyt will run into and look at the three circled players. All of them in and around Gerrard, leaving a huge gap behind.

Screen 4:

Kuyt got the ball, his first touch let him down. Marquez's header was half cleared and it fell kindly for Bellamy. Composed and with fantastic vision, he spotted the empty space behind yet another THREE Barcelona defenders. That circled area is where Riise will appear and fire home the winner.

Screen 5:

I don't think I need to go in depth with this picture. Pretty self explanatory. But look at how many players in and about Riise. You got it. NONE.

So there are serious deficiencies and inadequacies in Barcelona especially the back line. I touched on it few months back when we're drawn against them that they are vulnerable to aerial threats and also, the players are tactically not aware of things around them. The need to watch their back post is important yet all the players seemed to get drawn to where the ball is.

Next thing is Rijkaard got it absolutely wrong to take off Xavi and Motta. If they're still on the pitch, I do not think that Kuyt, Gerrard or Riise will have that sort of space given to them. So much so that without them, the Barca defence were pulled out of shape by Bellamy's run and were confused. They didn't know their role and lacked the necessary composure.

From Barca To Blades

Liverpool will return to Anfield for their first home game under new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks as they prepare to take on a revitalised Sheffield United.

The Reds started the week on a highest note possible with an excellent 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Nou Camp and now, they have to show their consistency by beating the Blades.

Liverpool have gone on a 2 game winless streak in the Premiership after being held 0-0 by small club, Everton and then lost 2-1 to Newcastle at St. James' Park.

But they managed a result that deemed impossible in many people's eyes and Rafa will hope that they can build on that win. It's also important to get all 3 points for this game because the upcoming games for Liverpool will certainly be tough.

They will host league leaders, Man United next and then it's the second leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16.

But it's time to focus our eyes on this game rather than looking too far forward. Because although Sheffield United are in no ways a club in the same echelon as Liverpool, but some teams showed that with hard work and resilience, it's possible to frustrate the hell out of the Reds.

The opening day showing at Bremall Lane was abysmal and it sort of sum up the early form of Liverpool. A fortunate tumble by Gerrard and the generosity of the match referee rescued Liverpool from embarrassment but we can be sure that Rafa will not want his team to put up another performance of that calibre.

Javier Mascherano could be in for a home debut as Rafa looked set to chop and change once again after the mid-week heroics and will not hesitate to replace tired legs. Momo Sissoko suffered a knock to his shin at the Nou Camp and could be replaced by the Argentinian that is revered by none other than Benitez himself.

Crouch could make a start as Kuyt's stamina might be drained on Thursday. His preferred partner would be Bellamy, who showed character to defy the odds and put up an amazing performance.

Expected team:

Reina;

Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa;

Pennant, Gerrard, Mascherano, Riise;

Crouch, Bellamy;

Drogballs' Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Sheffield United. I expect a tough game given that the Blades have been pretty good so far and the team that everyone deemed as relegation fodders are doing decently in recent times and they have a tendency to frustrate Liverpool with their physical game and also, discipline in defence.

Neil Warnock's side will surely go on a 'park the bus' tactic to hold out Liverpool like Everton did but I feel that the home team's morale is on a high and will have the necessary quality to break down a resilient Sheffield Utd.

Did Ronnie Bottled It?

Yea, of course. In the back pocket of Momo Sissoko. Nahhh....



Anyway, this is spotted on eBay few days back according to Who Ate All The Pies:

Sauce? Source? HERE.

Carra The Way To Go

They say behind every successful man, there's a supportive woman. Bring this analogy into football and you'll get 'behind every successful teams, there is a player who worked so hard for the team but never gets the credit.'

The name Jamie Carragher is seldom found on newspapers for an obvious reason that he's never controversial and doesn't enjoy being in the limelight. But to me, that's a quality that many of the football players in this age doesn't have.

But his name is always on the lips of Liverpool fans. The song, 'We dream of a team of Carragher' speaks a lot about the adoration of the Liverpool fans of this one club man. Here is a story of a player that went from a mediocre utility player to a world class centre back through hard work and determination.

We often say he's priceless not because nobody wants him but more to the fact that no matter how much money they throw at Liverpool for him, they know it'll end up a vain attempt.

A no-nonsense defender who puts his every single ounce of energy into matches week in week out, who can doubt the commitment of this Liverpudlian, who grew up supporting a club that's on the wrong side of Liverpool. If there is a player that will give his life to the club, it will no doubt be this man.

Reminisce of his performance against AC Milan in the '05 Champions League are still fresh on some people's mind. It might be the other players who got the Reds back into the game but the way Carragher defended Dudek's goal despite the cramps and ailment getting on him, he continued to toil on and became the ultimate unsung hero.

With John Terry looking mysteriously injury-prone in recent times, is it time for Jamie Carragher to step up and given the chance to shine for England just like he did for Liverpool. Like they say through difficult times, hero will rise, I believe it is time the England management team take a serious look on Carragher and give him the chance to be the man to replace Terry in the centre back role.

The Israel trip will call on England to put up a brave act and it will no doubt be a test of character for the Three Lions as their European qualifications hung in the balance. This is where I think Carragher will slot into the England squad perfectly and as a stalwart of the back line, the players will draw inspiration from Carragher, who is never afraid to get stuck in.

He doesn't oozes the class of Beckenbauer of even Rio Ferdinand. Neither does he have the pace of Alessandro Nesta. But when tough times is ahead, this is the type of player everyone will want in their team.

Often overlooked as nothing more than a utility player, he's been called up to the England squad time and again to be played out of position or even to say, treated unfairly. He's a cover for all the 3 positions across the back while also played as the holding midfielder in Sven's reign.

His treatment on the day England got knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal was particularly infuriating for many as he was substituted on just to take penalties. Incidentally, he scored but was asked to be retaken. His misery was compounded when Quim saved it.

I think it's about time they show respect to the man that gave his all even though he's often jeopardised. Even when he's overlooked, he never once complained like many footballers would and this is why I say that England has the asset that they never knew.

Time to show him the respect.


Just for laugh:

We dream of a team of Carragher. But matches will most likely end up 0-0.

For All The Right Reasons (Afterthoughts)

It's a fairy tale of how two footballers who got the majority of the media attention throughout the week, went from zero to hero. John Arne Riise and Bellamy's name were all over the newspaper world wide after they reportedly did something out of this world during their training camp in Algarve, Portugal. It was reported that 'Bellers' went berserk and used a golf club and attempted to hit Riise's leg after the Norwegian declined to sing in a karaoke session.

Truth or not, we're not sure. But judging by Craig Bellamy's goal celebration last night, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that all is well in the Reds camp and also, he did it sarcastically to have a dig at the press.

I even joked that the golf club hit Riise on the right foot and now, it made it work! I've never seen Riise shooting with his right foot and with that sort of accuracy!


Most importantly, they're the catalyst of a seemingly impossible job over at the Nou Camp. To defeat Barcelona at their own back yard. And I must say, I'm very proud of the players and their efforts despite the fact that we didn't play well at all. It's one of those awkward feeling after you watched a match.

It was quite painful to watch as Liverpool seemed an echelon below Barcelona in terms of technical ability. We're unable to hold on to the ball and the passing was dreadful at times. I even thought we've allowed far too much space for their attacking minded players to exploit. Thankfully, they were not in their best as well.

Fluid, fast paced and precise. Those words are used to describe the way Barcelona plays. With players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Saviola, Messi and Xavi, they're supposed to be the team to beat. But last night, only their physical body turned up. They were complacent, lacklustre and simply, not hungry enough.

They went ahead through Deco's header after they finally settled down at their home ground and only some desperate defending kept them at bay. But gradually, Barcelona became slow and insipid. They're just stroking the ball to and fro without any purpose and directions.

Maybe they thought by keeping the ball, they'll ease through. How wrong were they?

Remember, this is the Liverpool team that have the habit to come back from behind not once but on many occasions. We might not be as clinical as most of the top sides but we can be sure we HAVE the quality to punish people.

We scored a really soft goal that we didn't really deserve to be honest. I was really surprise it went in because we didn't give them any sort of problem except for the opening few minutes. Perhaps, a lack of concentration from the Barca defence gifted it. Valdes continued the trend of dodgy Spanish goalkeepers.

Reina was the other example of how his inexperience could've cost us the game. Twice in the last 10 minutes, he flapped and we're plucky to survive. But don't take the credit away, he made some crucial saves and a brilliant interception after Saviola was put through.

Tactically, I think Rafa got it right but the team didn't really performed up to his desired standards. I'm sure he wants the team to keep it tight and compact at the back and hold them for as long as they could. But once again, we saw how Rafa out-thought his opponent Frank Rijkaard. He was careful with his selection and very detailed.

Placing debutant, Alvaro Arbeloa on the left seemed a little puzzling but we saw why. He was there to nullify Messi's threat as the Argentinian whiz kid loves to cut in with his stronger left foot. That will ensure he gets into Arbeloa's strong side as well. Although he had his thumb print on the first goal with a poor positional play, he regained confidence and saved our arse with that crucial block on Messi's shot.

Another play that deserves the plaudits will have to be none other than the half man-half machine, Momo Sissoko. The criticism of his lack of technically ability especially passing, are well documented and last night, we saw how wasteful he was at times. But it's his defensive quality that we should all be impressed with.

He was all over the pitch. Deco got the ball and you'll see his shadow. Ronaldinho got it and he won't be far behind. He covered almost every blade of grass at Nou Camp and deserves the man of the match award given by UEFA.

It was an unexpected result even for the most optimistic fans. A draw would be a good result but we know, as Liverpool, we should start to remove the tag of the underdog and show everyone who we really are. The standards of that glorious 70s-80s Liverpool team are hard to surpass but I believe that with Rafa, we could go all the way from here.

Of course, this is only half time. We should not get carried away. Players will now need to stay focus for the second leg a fortnight away and get a good result. Knocking Barcelona off the competition will no doubt feel great. Now Rafa will have to mastermind yet another great result at Anfield.

Bad display but excellent result. That's championship form, I tell ya!