Another season of EPL comes to a close...

The 2008-09 Barclay's English Premier League came to an end last weekend, bringing some shock news to the footballing world. Newcastle United, England's one of the biggest clubs;on par with the 'Big Four' was relegated. They now have to play in division 1 football, recoup their synergies,gather their strengths and come back strong next season. Having lost their last match to Aston Villa Newcastle had their worst nightmare come true. Their fans were shell-shocked and England stunned. Newcastle went into the match with 35 points,all they had to do was draw their last game to stay in the premier league but a shot from Barry took a wicked deflection off Damien duff and went past Harper into the Aston villa goal. Newcastle tried hard to get back into the game but of no avail. Their efforts were lackadaisical, there was no urgency to get forward, the crosses were not dropping into the 30 yard box,as a whole they didn't show the zest to stay afloat.

Newcastle would see different things happening to them because of the relegation. Funds could be problem next season as most sponsors would cut back on spending on a club that plays in division 1 football.Many of their senior players would be leaving the club,looking for greener pastures as a result of which the club's performance could further deteriorate. The other teams to be relegated along with Newcastle are Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion. Hull City managed to stay in the Premier league despite their loss because Newcastle couldn't manage a draw. The teams which have moved into the Premier League include Wolverhampton, Birmingham City and Burnley.

There wasn't much excitement in the top half of the table,the 'Big Four' winning their respective games and securing the UEFA champions league spot.The standings are as follows:
ManU 90 pts
Liverpool 86 pts
Chelsea 83pts
Arsenal 72 pts

The top 3 teams qualify directly for the champions league but Arsenal would have to play the qualifiers to secure their spot in the champions league. The next season could bring a host of surprises for the clubs,players and fans alike. Would some new clubs topple the 'Big Four'? Would Everton's quest for the Champions league spot be fulfilled ? Will Liverpool come out even stronger to emerge as title winners? Will the promoted clubs be a surprise package? Let's wait and watch for the drama to begin this August when the new season kicks-off.

Thrilling 2008-09 Barclays premier league

The Barclays Premier League 2008-09 season is coming to an end but it promises nail biting matches until all teams have played their share of38 games. Liverpool is still in the race for the title,keeping the pressure on defending champions ManU. Liverpool won their weekend game with ease,scoring 3 goals against a lively West Ham side. The way Liverpool played was pathetic,many passes going astray and players showing some lackadaisical attitude. Captain courageous as always was in the lime-light for having scored 2 goals. 'The Reds' regained the top spot but just for 20 hrs. ManU dominated the Manchester Derby game against ManCity,winning by a score line of 2 goals to nil. ManU move right to the top of the table with 83 points and Liverpool still scratching their backs with 80 points. If ManU manage to get 4 more points out of their three games then its season over for Liverpool and all the hard work goes for a toss. Liverpool lost vital points in Jan & Feb, losing crucial points at home against clubs like Fulham,Stoke city,West Ham. ManU have their midweek match against Wigan,weekend match against Arsenal and the final match against Hull City. Liverpool have got play West Brom who are lurking in the relegation zone and Spurs. The title race is well balanced this season,giving a chance for third place Chelsea to creep in if both the top 2 teams falter.

The clubs at the bottom of the table are West Brom, Newcastle United,Middlesbrough, Sunderland& Hull City. The battle to stay in the top flight would continue till the last match is played. Newcastle United going down the wire would be the biggest shock of the season. A club such as Newcastle which has got a rich history and fame would not want to disappoint its fans. The club's performance has been dismal this season. The club's manager was changed thrice, star players were sold without the consent of the manager and the players making individual errors has cost them dearly. Hull City started the season on a fairy tale note, being placed in the top half of the table till about 10 games were played. But now they find themselves lurking in deep waters and hoping to revive themselves to stay afloat.

If Manu win the Premier League and the UEFA champions league they would have 4 silver- wares in their bag this season, having won the Community Shield and Carling cup already. Liverpool would have to recoup again,build on strategies and work harder to win the Title next season if they lose out by a whisker this season. Liverpool have not won the Premier league since 1990, this season being their closest chance to clinch the eluding title.

Lets wait and watch for the drama to unfold. Will it be another dominant performance by ManU or will luck ride Liverpool's way? Will Chelsea creep up to clinch the title if the top 2 teams under perform in their last crucial matches? Will Newcastle United be relegated?
Folks this is the Barclays Premier League and the best league in the world where there is drama until the final whistle is blown.

The ultimate European night of football

Chelsea-Liverpool (UEFA 14 Mar 2009)

The clash between the 'Blues' and 'The Reds' has always given spectators full value for their money and Wednesday's match between thee two clubs was no exception. Liverpool were in Red hot form,scoring more than a couple of goals in recent matches with absolute ease. Chelsea with their new manager Guus Hiddink were upbeat, their key players Drogba and Ballack feeling a lot more comfortable under him. Liverpool went into the game with a lot of confidence, they faced an uphill task of scoring 3 or more goals at Stamford Bridge to survive the competition. Chelsea were sitting comfortably having scored 3 crucial away goals at Anfield last week.

The first half started with the usual rituals with both captains exchanging their respective club's flag and posing for the photo-shoot. Liverpool started off in the most aggressive manner, creating space for themselves and putting Chelsea in the backfoot. Rafa picked up a side which everyone thought was not good enough to compete with Chelsea but he (Rafa) once again proved that he was a tactical genius. Liverpool were without their local hero Steven Gerrard. The manner in which Liverpool were taking the game to Chelsea was commendable and it was only a matter of time when Liverpool would find the back of the net. Nineteen minutes had passed when Liverpool got a free-kick about 30-40 yards from goal. Fabio Aurelio stepped up to take the freekick, his teammates anxiously waiting at the far post to receive the ball and head it in. Aurelio has always thought of innovative ways to take a free-kick and this time he found the Chelsea goalie hovering near the far post and cheekily curled the ball into the near post and into the goal. Stamford bridge was stunned,Petr Cech puzzled and Aurelio celebrating. Liverpool were 1-0 up, one third of the task completed. Chelsea could still not find their rhythm and were struggling to get the ball anywhere near their goal. Ten minutes had passed since Aurelio had scored the first goal; Skrtel failing to slot the ball into the net from the six yard box but to everyones astonishment Liverpool were awarded a Spot kick. This time the culprit was Ivanovich, he wrapping his arms completely around Alonso and bringing him down inside the box. Alonso stepped up to take the penalty and sent Petr Cech the wrong way,giving Liverpool 2-0 lead before half time. The Scousers(Liverpool fans) were in cloud nine,celebrating their team's awesome two goals. Chelsea were shell shocked. Both teams went into half time with Liverpool brimming with confidence. Chelsea made a change just before half time,bringing inAnelka (former Liverpool) and taking out Kalou.

The second half began with Liverpool pressing for that vital third away goal, bringing their defenders too in the front. Chelsea must have received a dose of inspiration from their manager during the break,they scored the first goal of the second half within 10 minutes from the start,Anelka passing the ball to Drogba ;who got the faintest of the flicks and took Reina by surprise. Reina ultimately spilled the ball into the Chelsea goal. Chelsea were now revived but this didn't matter for Liverpool as they still had to score the third goal to move to the next stage of the competition. Liverpool pressed harder for the third goal but of no avail. Chelsea received a free kick and it was drilled in with force by the Brazilian Alex, taking Chelsea level with Liverpool on the score line. Things became worse for Liverpool when Lampard scored the third goal for Chelsea,completely turning the game in their favour and making Liverpool's task almost impossible. Stamford Bridge which remained silent in the first half were making one hellva a noise.

Football is a crazy game and things quickly turn either way. It requires just a couple of good passes,smart crossings,tactical switches between the players and some luck to win the game. Just when the fans were writing off Liverpool,they came back from the dead in the most amazing manner. Liverpool have scored late goals umteen number of times this season and this match was no exception. Lucas Lieva struck the ball hard, it scrapping Essien's arm before getting into the back of the net. Cech could do nothing as it was a wicked deflection. Couple of minutes after the goal from Lucas,Kuyt headed the ball in from a superb cross from the Spaniard Reira. Liverpool were now 4-3 up and needed just one goal to win the match. Seven minutes remained for Liverpool to complete the task and move to the next stage of the competition. But it was destined that Chelsea should go through,Lampard slotting the ball in for a fourth goal for Chelsea and the second for him. The score was tied at 4-4 and Chelsea move to the semis based on a 7-5 aggregate. Had Liverpool won the match 5-3 it would have been the most dramatic and enthralling comebacks in UEFA history. Never mind Liverpool did their best and entertained their fans to the fullest. They went down fighting and can be proud of themselves.

Liverpool, you are great!!!

Liverpool hammers down Villa ( 22 Mar 2009)

Both Manchester United and Chelsea dropped valuable points on Saturday, losing their respective fixtures and there by giving some room for Liverpool to take advantage of their loses and close the gap with ManU. Liverpool took on Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday and winning this match would heat up the race for the Premier League Trophy. Villa who are desperate to secure a Champions League spot this season had to take complete 3 points from the game because only a win would ensure that they close the gap on Arsenal.

Liverpool Manager Rafa Benitez had put out a very strong Liverpool squad,with Torres leading upfront. Rafa Benitez had also signed a new 5 year contract with 'The Reds',saying that his heart was with Liverpool. Both teams emerged from the narrow tunnel at Anfield, the Liverpool players touching the "This is Anfield" logo posted just before the entrance. Gareth Barry led Villa,adorning the captains arm-band and the whole of Villa squad in their blue away kits. The first half was an absolute cracker. Liverpool got their first goal in the first 20 minutes. Steve Gee's free kick was flicked (by head)by Alonso, the ball then struck the woodwork and bounced in front of Kuyt,who smashed the ball right into the bottom corner of the net,giving Liverpool an early lead and affecting Villa psychologically. Villa threatened to equalise when Carew flicked the ball but Reina's reflexes were superb,thereby denying Carew the goal. Liverpool would have gone up 2-0 in the next couple of minutes when Reira's cross was put just wide by Steve Gee. Liverpool were hungry for more goals and after their recent successes with Real Madrid and ManU, scoring 4 goals in each match they were in no mood to settle for just one goal. Reina goal kick which bounced a couple of yards before the Villa goal box was superbly controlled by Reira and smashed into the top corner,giving Brad Friedel no chance to make a save. Kudos to Reira as he took the kick with great control even when he was under tremendous pressure from the Villa defender Luke Young. Liverpool now were 2-0 up, adding more salt to ManU's wounds. Just before half time Liverpool got an opportunity to make it 3-0 when Riera was fouled inside the box by Reo Coker who was playing the right back position for Villa,not the position he normally plays. Captain courageous stepped up to take the spot kick. Steve Gee had previously converted penalties successfully against Manu and Real Madrid. In this match also he made no mistake, putting aside any chances of Villa bouncing back into the game. Both the teams went into half time with Liverpool leading the way with 3 goals.

The second half started with Liverpool doing the kick-off. Liverpool were passing the ball with much ease and confidence and keeping the lion's share of the possession. Villa's Barry and Ashley Young tried hard to salvage something in the first ten minutes of the second half but of no avail. Liverpool got a free kick just outside the box, Captain courageous stepping up to take it. The pace with which the ball was drilled into the bottom corner was so much that Brad Friedel couldn't stop it. Liverpool now were leading Villa by 4 goals to nil. Steve Gee also had a great chance to get his hat-trick if Rafa didn't substitute him. Rafa could ahve easily substituted his top players after the first half and still could have won the match but he thought otherwise. The final nail in the coffin was drilled when Torres was thought to be pulled down by Brad Friedel inside the box but Torres actually tripped over Friedel's shoulder and fell. A penalty kick was awarded but to add to Villa's misery Friedel was shown a straight red card. Villa were shell shocked by this decision. This is an example when things go wrong for you through out the game. Gerrard stepped up to take the penalty and slotted the ball past the goal keeper, the goal keeper falling on the other side. Gerrard thus got his hat-trick this season. he has now scored 30 goals in all competitions this season.

The stadium was chanting the Liverpool Anthem, pumping spirit into the players and giving them confidence that this year they could go all the way to win the Premiere league. Liverpool won comprehensively and closed the gap on ManU to just 1 point but ManU still have a game in hand. The title race this season could go either way. Will Liverpool's wait for 18 years finally pay off? Only time will tell this.

Go Liverpool!!!

Reds crush The Red Devils ( 14 Mar 2009 )

The clash between Liverpool and Manchester United has always been the much awaited game of the season and this season was no different,infact weekend's clash between the giants of English football was a very crucial one because the title race would still be on if Liverpool defeat ManU. The Reds travelled all the way to Old Trafford for the lunch time kick-off. The stadium was packed to its full capacity as always it has been. Liverpool were dressed in their grey away kits. Both the teams were successful during the mid-week, winning their respective Champions League game comfortably. ManU were particularly in top form,not losing or dropping points in the domestic league where as Liverpool ceded their No.1 spot to their bitter rivals after a series of games where they drew and thereby dropping valuable points.



The first half began well, 'The Reds' making a last minute change to their squad. Arbeloa being taken off and Hyppia being brought in instead. ManU had the home advantage of winning the game and steering away from Liverpool with a clean 10 point lead. Both teams attacked the opponents territory but none of the attacks were good enough to find the back of the net until the 23rd minute. ManU drew first blood when Ji Sung Park tripped after colliding with Reina and the referee gave ManU a spot kick. Reina didn't pull Park but the momemtum took him all the way down to collide with Park which the referee mistook for puling down the ManU midfielder. Liverpools's hopes plunged after this first goal from The Red Devils but they didn't lose heart. A mistake by Vidic, who instead of heading the ball and clearing it away allowed it to bounce and roll over. Fernando Torred beat him for the ball with his pace and nicely slotting it past Van der Sar into the net, bringing Liverpool back into the game. Cristiano Ronaldo testted Reina with a couple of free kicks but the Liverpool goalie was determined not to allow any more goals. A few minutes before half time captain courageous came into the act, running for the ball passed to him from Torres before being fouled by Patrice Evra inside the box. This earned Liverpool a penalty kick and giving tem a chance to take the lead. Steve Gee made no mistake in converting the spot kick and taking Liverpool into the lead. Thus Liverpool created a psychic feeling into Manu before both teams went into the tunnel after the first half.



The seond half began with much more aggression from ManU,whose pride was at stake,losing to Liverpool in their home soil. They pressed harder for an equaliser but of no avail. Liverpool was still leading till 70 minutes were over when a major incident happened. Vidic pulled down Gerrard before the box,thereby getting himself sent off by the referee. This was a repeat performance of the first leg between the two teams, Vidic being sent off in that match too for a wild header tackle with Alonso. The free kick then awarded to Liverpool was brilliantly converted by Aurelio, leaving Van der Sar stunned as he saw the ball zoom past the goal line and into the net. Liverpool now were 3-1 up and in a very comfortable position. Sir Alex made all three substitutions at the same time,bringing on Scholes, Giggs and Berbatov. ManU tried harder with their experienced players to salvage something from the game but Liverpool's defence was rock solid,denying them any opportunity to score. The icing on the cake was when Dossena, who was much critised for his form slotted in a fouth goal to hurt ManU's feelings and sealed the game completely for the visitors. Liverpool now are just 4 points behind ManU, still alive in the race for the Domestic league trophy.



Go Liverpool!!!

"Women- without whom the world would boring"

Today 8 March is celebrated as International Women's Day through the world. On this special day I thought like writing something about women and their role in society in particular. Women, without whom man's existence is worthless in this planet ( Male Chauvenists please back off ). Women, the fairer sex in the society are considered the weaker sex too, but in today's world the above mentioned phrase holds little water. Today's generation, the GenY ( not sure of the latest term in vogue) is hungry for excitement,adventure and looks to break rules, of course to get things done in a different way and not follow the old fashioned way where things moved at a snail's pace. The present generation girls are much bolder, stronger and have the zest in them to do whatever a boy does. This is in fact true as can be seen in the myriad of roles handled by girls ( Women) in the society. They are fearless, zoom past in automatic scooters ( some bolder ones even in motor-cycles) and are not scared to do things alone. Unlike the girls of the previous generation where going out alone was taboo in most of the homes present generation girls have their own freedom and they really enjoy it.

Today the world is progressing at a very fast pace, the gender divide slowly fading away but still prelavent in many faces and that too some of them are really ugly. There is bias against women at workplace,they being paid less than their male counterparts for the same type of job. Women today are still subjected to domestic violence, rape and female foeticide . All this brings forth the dark side of the human race which just shows our weakness. History had given us powerful women like Jhansi ki Rani ( Lakshmi Bai) who fought with valour against the British during the first outbreak in 1857. We then have Cleopatra, the beautiful Egyptian Queen whose beauty would put the strongest of the men in a deep trance. Then we have Helen, the Princess of Troy because of whom a deadly war was was fought and Troy was brought down to rumbles. In the current generation we have some extremely powerful women to whom we must really look up. First of all Medha Patkar, the spearhead Queen in the Narmada Bachao Andolan without whose determination the dam project would have gone ahead, affecting millions of villages and the environment. Next we have Sonia Gandhi,Chairperson of the UPA. We must really salute this lady as she has taken her husband's vision to new levels and is constantly striving to build a stronger India. Last but not the least we must not forget our Mothers without whom we would not be what we are and we would not be where we are today. It was she who guided us right from the time when we were in her womb to our present state. It was she who gave us the courage during our troubled times, infusing us with new spirit day in and day out. Mom, Amma, Aaai, Mother; we give call her by different names but the meaning is the same- Salute to you Dear Mom.

One thing gets clearer day in & day out that unless women rise in the society, the society as a whole cannot get an uplift. We need to treat our fairer sex without any bias, joining hands with them and not secluding them away to build an Utopian society which we dream of. Women need to be given more power and responsibilities in all departments of the society. Imagine having more women in the combat troops than just posting them as nurses in the armed forces, world peace could then soon beocme a reality. Imagine having more women politicians, communal riots and dirty practices would definitely be on the decline. Imagine having more women handling finances, the current Economic crisis could have been prevented. Imagine having more women drivers on the road, there will definitely be less accidents happening. We hear of girls topping exams every year, securing higher percentages than boys but what happens to these bright flowers after that? they go into oblivion, some due to family pressures, some due to poverty and others suppressed by society. We ( both men and women) need to break these shackles and let the women power unleash so that we can strive for a better tommorow.

SALUTE TO ALL THE WOMEN - GO AND CONQUER THE WORLD

Real Madrid vs Liverpool ( 25 Feb 2009)

Champions League matches always calls for higher quality of football from all clubs to stay alive in the competition. Teams must show absolute resilience and pure character to win or manage a draw in their matches because in football the inevitable is always possible.

Wednesday night's game took us to Santiago Bernabe'u, Real Madrid's home ground where they faced Liverpool. Both the Spanish side and the English side were 7 points behind the league leaders in their respective groups, but Real Madrid were in top form of late which added onto their advantage of playing at home to win the game. But Liverpool have done exceptionally well especially in the Champions League matches. The match started with the usual procedure of the captains exchanging their respective club's flags and the photo session. 'The Reds' were led by their local boy Carragher as captain courageous Steve Gee was not yet 100% fit to start and Rafa did not want to risk playing Steve Gee and getting him injured because Liverpool have to face their bitter rivals ManU on 14 march. Liverpool started with lone striker Torres and five midfielders. Real Madrid's defender, Pepe had vouched before the game to mark Torres continuously and to physically tussle him out. The fun part was the match was played in Spain against a Spanish team , the English team having more Spanish players than Real Madrid ( which had nearly 7 Dutch players in their team). The first half went quite well, both the teams showing the urge to win the ball from one another and keeping possession. Torres had a wonderful opportunity of taking Liverpool in front but was denied by Cassilas. The Liverpool defence was strong enough to prevent Raul from taking any advantage and slotting the ball into the net. Higuine and Robben threatened Liverpool a couple of times, Higuine striking the side netting and Robben hitting the ball just over the cross bar. Both teams went into the half time with the score 0-0.

The second half was getting hotter by each minute, Liverpool showing the urge to get the crucial away goal. Let me explain why the away goal matters so much. if a certain team scores a 2-1 victory over another team on foreign soil but lose with them 0-1 on home soil, the team which scored away goals marches on to the next round because they showed more quality by beating the opponent away from home, with not much of fan support. Now coming back to the match, Real Madrid's Left back Heinze gave a free kick to liverpool about 32 m from goal in the 82nd minute. Fabio Aurelio the left footer curled the ball into the 6 yard box where Israeli midfielder and playmaker Benayoun headed the ball into the net and taking Liverpool ahead. Surprisingly the Spanish team was not marking him, Higuine who was in front of Benayoun did not budge to clear the ball, giving Benayoun a free unmarked header. The whole stadium was stunned when Liverpool scored ( barring the travelling English fans) and a deadly silence fell over for a couple of minutes. Madrid tried hard getting back in the game but with Liverpool's strong defence and sheer determination to win the game they held Madrid from scoring any.

It was a wondeful night for the Scousers and Liverpool go into the second leg with greater confidence,Steve Gee will be joining the side to play Madrid at Anfield. If Liverpool make it to the next round it will be totally 14 times they would have reached this stage in this competition and 4 times out of 5 under Rafa. CHEERS LIVERPOOL!!!