'The Reds' go Wolf hunting @ Anfield

Liverpool vs Wolverhampton ( 26 Dec 2009)

Liverpool finished off their last match in 2009 in style when they beat the visitors (Wolves) by two goals to nil at Anfield. Liverpool's squad for the match on boxing day* was an interesting one. Aquillani, the 20 million pound buy started because Mascherano had received a straight red card last week against Portsmouth and will be missing the next three fixtures.

*- In the English Premier League the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day.

Dirk Kuyt was rested because Liverpool has its important fixture on Wednesday against Aston Villa which they cannot afford to lose.

The Wolves kept Liverpool at bay during the first half although Liverpool had more than 50% of the ball possession. Gerrard had a couple of shots on target but some superb goalkeeping by Marcus Hahnemann denied Captain Courageous any chances. Johnson also had his share of shots on target but of no avail. Liverpool though having a strong squad failed to exploit 'The Wolves'. This is because Liverpool were lacking in confidence, their seven defeats so far in the Premier League plus an early exit from Champions League was taking a toll on the player's mental strength as well as their boss Rafa Benitez.

Wolves threatened to score a couple of time but Reina's instincts and goal keeping skills denied them.

Both teams went into the first half with a score line of 0-0.

Liverpool had to find some inspiration from somewhere and who better to look up to other than their Captain Steve Gee. Some deft work by the left fullback Insua provided the perfect cross into the box for Gerrard,who pounced on it and got to it before the Wolf midfielder Milijas and heading the ball past the Wolf goalie. Anfield went beserk and so did the Liverpool players.

Wolves tried hard to salvage something from the game; Jarvis, Milijas and Ward giving their best shot and trying to take the game to Liverpool but Liverpool's defence was stunning and denied Wolves any chances.

Lucas was pulled down by Ward just before the penalty box. This earned him a second yellow card and Ward was sent off. The funny thing that happened here was that the referee by mistake yellow carded another defender instead of Ward, arousing the anger of the Scousers and the players alike. He then corrected his mistake and Ward was sent off the pitch.

Liverpool needed another goal to seal the game and this was provided by the Israeli playmaker Benayoun. Benayoun's shot on target was well crafted and was deflected by the Wolf defender before finding its way to the back of the net. Liverpool led at Anfield by two goals to nil.

Rafa made a couple of substitutions,bringing in Pacheko and Kuyt to replace Benayoun and Aquillani. Pacheko is a tiny, young and promising striker for Liverpool and Rafa wanted to give him some practice before infusing him in the main squad.

With the win over Wolves,Liverpool now sit with 30 points and are 7th in the table,12 points behind league leaders Chelsea. Rafa needs to make some strategic plans to revamp Liverpool and infuse confidence to his brilliant squad so that they come out on top at the end of the season.

Portsmouth stun Liverpool ( 19 Dec 2009)

Portsmouth took on Liverpool in their Premier League fixture this weekend. Liverpool's boss Rafa Benitez had put up a defensive side to take on Pompy. Liverpool's dismal performance this season gave a psychological edge to Portsmouth to go all guns firing against Liverpool and also with Avram Grant taking charge of Pompy,they looked bright with full confidence.

Liverpool had the lions share of the ball possession in the first half and also dominated the game for the first half hour. Torres came close to scoring when he swirled the ball over the goal post. The condition of the pitch was not in its best form, being frosty and many of the players had trouble controlling themselves leave alone controlling the ball. Dirk Kuyt especially had a tough time,slipping time and again and failing to keep the ball in control. Kuyt had to change his boots to cope better with the conditions.

Portsmouth started taking the game to Liverpool after the first 30 minutes. Their first real chance came when Yebda crossed the ball into the box for Piquionne but Agger spotted the danger and flicked the ball with his head for a corner. Just before half time Belhadj scored for Pompy, taking a shot from a close range and from a very tight angle. Reina,the Liverpool goalie was a mere spectator as he watched the ball swoosh past him to the back of the net. With one goal down Liverpool another defeat was looming large at their faces and they had to score to get back into the game.

Mascherano was sent off for a rash tackle on Ben Haim.Half time gone Pompy lead at Fratton park and Liverpool's woes doubled.

Liverpool's chances of a comeback were thwarted by a clever strategy adopted by Portsmouth. Pompy made sure that the ball stays away from key players like Gerrard, Torres and Kuyt. Pompy were in fact successful in doing that and kept Liverpool at bay. A momentary lapse in concentration cost Pompy almost a goal. Gerrard broke through the middle and struck the ball hard, the ball taking two deflections along its way almost reached the back of the net but some quick reactions from the young Pompy goalie denied Gerrad and Liverpool the goal. Torres too had his share of chances,dribbling past Pompy defenders to shoot the ball into the net but too many touches of the ball in fact spoiled his chances of taking a kick at the ball.

Pompy made life for Liverpool even more miserable when Piquionne scored the second goal and sealed Liverpool's chances of taking anything from the game. Liverpool's defence looked pretty ordinary and lacked the usual quality.

Liverpool have lost seven of their Premier League game so far and the threat of a top four spot is looming large. With Champions League out of their reach Liverpool's only chances of qualifying for next year's Champions League if they do not finish in the top four is if they win the Europa Cup. The pressure is certainly on the Merseysiders to perform.

As far as Portsmouth is concerned, the win over Liverpool has infused the team with confidence but more importantly it has given them solid three points. This means the other bottom teams have to play catch-catch before it gets decided who will get relegated this season.

Arshavin haunts Liverpool yet again

Liverpool-Arsenal (13 Dec 2009)

Liverpool hosted Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday for the Barclays Premier League fixture,this being one of the fixtures in which the top flight teams clash for glory and dominance. Liverpool's boss Rafa Benitez put out his strongest squad,Fernando Torres making comeback after a gap of six weeks. The midfield line up consisted of Steve Gee,Kuyt,Benayoun,Mascherano and Lucas. Arsenal's squad looked meek with Persie and Bendtnar missing and Asravin trotting as the lone striker upfront.

Liverpool started the match with 24 points in the bag and Arsenal with 28 points. A win would get Liverpool or Arsenal closer to the league leader Chelsea. Both teams had the advantage because both Chelsea and Manchester United dropped points this weekend.

Liverpool started the first half with much agression,attacking right from the first minute. Five minutes under the first half a superb partnership between Torres and Gerrard almost put Liverpool in front but the rustiness of not playing for a long time held Torres from finishing a lollylop chance,giving the ball straight into the hands of the Arsenal goalkeeper. Although Arsenal's midfield was impressive the lack of a talented striker upfront denied them any chances of taking a good shot at the goal. Walcott looked helpless against the solid Liverpool defense and Fabregas and Nasri weren't getting the balls into the right spot for Arshavin to take a clean shot.

Just before half time Liverpool got a freekick about 30 yards from the goal. Fabio Aurelio's freekick was not punched clear by Alumunia and it fell nicely for Kuyt who nudged the ball into the goal post. Lucas sensibly stepped out of the way,allowing the ball to drift into the net. Had he touched the ball Liverpool might have been denied the goal because Lucas was in an off-side position. Liverpool went into the first half with a 1-0 lead.

The second half was a much better one for Arsenal. Liverpool's right fullback Glen Johnson gifted Arsenal with an own goal and one powerful strike by the tiny Russian (Andrey Arshavin) turned the tables in Arsenal's favour. Liverpool fought hard for a comeback,making crucial substitutions like Aquillani and Ngog to increase their attacking force but of no avail. Arsenal had weathered the Liverpool storm at Anfield and emerged victorious. Arsenal now move into the third spot with 31 points,six points behind Chelsea. Arsenal also have the advantage of a game in hand.

Liverpool's run of bad luck in the months of November and December continued for the third season. Statistics show that Liverpool drops most of their points during these two crucial months. Rafa needs to rework his strategy and needs to make sure that Torres and Gerrard are fit for the rest of the games so that Liverpool can clinch the top four spot. Not doing so will eliminate them from next seasons UEFA champions league.