Bleak

Damn it!! It's only October and the title chase is as good as over. 4 losses in the league so far. 3 losses on the trot. Fiorentina, Chelsit and now Sunderland. It's unthinkable how a team tipped to go far stumbled so early.

What went wrong?
Many actually. Florence set the mood really. Outclassed by Mutu and Co, the hangover was prolonged by Chelsea. Injuries deprived the team of SG and FT, the only class act in the team against Sunderland, and true enough it was an accident to happen. It did happen via beachball apparent thrown unto the pitch by one of our own.

Rafa to be blamed for the fiasco? Maybe, but it was the players who failed him and us.
I've never liked Lucas. Save for a few occasions where he did well, generally he failed to inspire us, never mind the team. Paired with another greenhorn, Spearing the other day, the midfield was non existent. That was expected. Lucky, Bent is Bent, if not we could've been 4 at the wrong end.

Lack of depth really. Babel flashes his brilliance once in a blue moon, Benayoun excels when played together with class act, Kuyt shines when others shine, Voronin is at home in Bundesliga not EPL.

Dunno when this calamity will stop. Lyon is 2 days away. Man U at the weekend.
Lose these 2 games and Rafa's detractors will call for his head.

Hopefully, SG and FT will regain their fitness in time for Lyon.
The rest cannot be counted to mount a strong challenge. Yes, it's bleak in October and I don't want to sing 'November Rain' just yet.

Florence Fright

We've never met them, the Viola in CL. Not a fan of Serie A, I could not dwell much on the current team which parades the likes of Milan reject Gilardino and ex-junkie Mutu.
They're not bad it seems, currently occupying 4th spot in their league. Gilardino won't be playing though due to suspension.

The Italians, as always are tough to beat at their homeland. Cautious, slow build up and relying on counter attack are the main characteristics of Serie A teams, so much so we tend to sleep on the couch due to boredom.

What about tonight? Goals galore perhaps? Not a chance.
Think this tie will be evenly contested, being an away team Liverpool which will be without Monster Masch will pack the midfield with 5 with the lone striker in Torres. Interestingly, that's the same game plan going to be deployed by Prandelli, I suppose.
Italians never attack in droves. So it will be counter attack vs counter attack? Interesting !!!

I still fancy Liverpool to edge past Fiorentina by a goal or two, perhaps a brace to be scored by the man on fire, the one and only Torres.

Go Reds!!

Breakable Hull

see ya next week, Chelsit

True enough, right on cue. Hull got 'hell' they deserved. They were pathetic and surely by now Brown must be sweating, earplugs and all, thinking whether he can last another week in the hot seat. Paul Hart and him, I reckon as the candidate for early managerial casualty.

Except for what the pundits described as unexplained defensive frailties in the backline, Liverpool were majestic and in Torres, we have a hungry, brilliant, young and handsome goalpoacher. El Nino was superb to say the least. First hat trick of the season and if he continues like this, the goal tally for him would be intoxicating come end of the season.
Had the supporting acts like Babel, Lucas and Voronin were sharper, we could have run out a dozen or so to the good.

Yes, it's now confirmed, we are back in the groove. No more heartbreaking home draws. No more sickening traffic in the bus parking area.
Elsewhere, Chelsea got trampled by "tenuk" like Titus Bramble and Co. Cech won't face us next week and what chance hilarious Hillario has against a rampant Torres and Stevie G?

Before that, we'll entertain Fiorentina in Italy in CL and what a way to prepare for that Italian job with the demolition of Hull, the breakable hull.
It's been a good week for us all with Aquaman reportedly started running instead of swimming.

Lucas...you've been warned!!!!

Going To Hell

Yes, optimistically, our next opponent is going to bite the dust, They're going to "hell" tomorrow. The 2-2 draw last season was a distant memory. On that fateful day, we were saved by SG's brace and heroics. That was then. This is now.

Hull with only 4 points from their first 6 games in the new season are a shadow of their former self. The Phil Brown's side were so poor thus far and is a favorite to join Newcastle should they remain in the Championship.
The 7 home drawn games which ultimately cost us the title are best forgotten for we are a different side now albeit the unexpected loss to Villa. OK, we lost 2 games so early but we are beating the likes of Burnley and Stoke (bus parking specialist) with such ease clearly demonstrates the different quality we are having now.
Those 7 games cost us 14 points and hey...we only lost 6 points thus far. What matters is the points tally in May next year, not in November, not in January 2010, it's May my friends. Do not forget Manure lost 4 games last season and yet still retain the bragging rights.
We had dispensed off Arbeloa and Alonso notably, in came Johnson and Lucas as their replacement (not permanent though), yet we are clicking well. It must be said that I'm eagerly awaiting for Aquaman to replace Lucas.

Are we on a mean winning streak? Dunno yet but on the balance of probability, Hull will be an addition to the victim's list. Yes, they're going to hell.

Heroes and Villains Part 3

Not throwing the towel just yet. I know, it's catastrophic.

Villa did not deserve to win but hey...we did not either. Playing against a parked bus, why Johnson and Insua were not used extensively. They keep on probing through the middle as if Villa will open the floodgates. Not many days ago, Stoke was thumped right on cue...and the key was the width.
Suddenly they forgot to how to unlock a miserly defense.

And Lucas? Not worth mentioning his name here. Babel and Voronin? They're wasting my typing energy. We're too predictable...it's becoming a cliche now that if Torres and Gerrard fail, the whole team fail too. We're too thin on supporting act and Aquilani is still on treatment table.

Boys, better buck up...if not, please forget about the title. We're losing ground.

No Spur

We ended last season with a bang, matching Manure stride for stride until the very last moment when the lead became unassailable.

Fast forward to this season, and we started with a whimper. A friend confided in me that he was so dejected that he felt like he's going to watch porn movie instead. You know the usual stuff everytime we are winning, going to mamak shop after each game, wearing the jersey. But it wasn't to be and Spurs deserved to win. Not because they're good but we are bad.

Like many of you, I'm not sure why Babel is still wearing the famous red. Voronin too. Not forgetting the Brazilian maestro in Lucas. These trio played like shit and Rafa still believes in them?
For me, it's simple, these 3 are sub standard players and ought to be sold before they create further damage to the title hopes, or whatever is left.

Last season, we only lost 2 and failed to wrest the league. What about this season? Lost another and can we say next year again? Hope not but the team better buck up!!!

Let's wait for Stoke then. I'm still pissed off. There goes my week. Aaarrghhh!!!!

Post Pre Season

Really, nothing to shout about. Pre season games were somewhat very, very low key.
Except for Singapore which was blown apart, Liverpool generally were poor throughout the fixtures arranged to prepare for the long, arduous season ahead.

People come, people go. From the original squad which defeated Milan last 4 years in Istanbul, only SG and Carra are still donning the famous Liverbird sign on their chest. The last to leave was master passer, Alonso. He has become a "white", a Los Blancos.
In come Glen Johnson and Aquilani.

Glen looked solid thus far, comfortable in either flanks. Aquilani, another handsome looking Italian, however is still recuperating. Having not followed Serie A religiously, I'm not well placed to put a comment but on the evidence that I have seen, rather by chance, he is quite handful for opposing defenders. He possesses silky skills and quite masterful at passing the ball. Forward that is, not sideways.

Apart from these 2, Rafa has not enlightened us by some big name signing ala Villa and Silva as initially rumoured. Voronin has returned from his sojourn in Germany, Lucas is still making mockery of himself and Babel remains a poor, weak player.

So what to expect? We finished last season quite strongly and had it not for some drawn home games, we would be still enjoying our bragging rights even until today I presumed. But it was not to be, we are still in the doldrums yet feeling proud of the boys' achievement and looking forward to the new season.

Who cares about pre season anyway? It's artificial. Come Saturday, Spurs will be the 1st kill.
At their home turf.