Benitez gets his timing wrong

Level on points with United, who have a game in hand -- that's advantage Man United.

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Raffa the Gaffer?

Gaffe - noun - a social blunder, faux pas.

Says it all really.

The only team in history who can celebrate a draw like a win. The strain is telling is it? That's 5 draws out of 11 at home and only 2 wins out of the last 6. Maybe the strain was telling from the start with that record? Or maybe its just sloppy work from the author.

11 years without a win at Anfield and counting! Don't put your mortgage on anything on Sunday, bluenose. Even a changed Liverpool team possesses more quality than a workman-like Everton. The folly of Evertonians knows no limits. Bleating about a draw when their season comes to an end on Sunday.

Great blog as usual Phil. Rafa might not be quite cracking up yet, but he MUST be regretting his little outbursts deep down.

Credit to Everton, much deserved point. Liverpool could do with the likes of Arteta and Cahill and maybe they would have taken their chances to be well in front by now.

As it is, United in the driving seat, bring on March 14th, by which time United will hopefully have found their scoring boots....

Quick shout out to all those Moody Blues this morning.... ;-)

Yes Advantage ManU and as a Liverpool Fan, I thought the overall game was poor, every player played a below average game and plus Mr reliable Gerrard was once again played out of position an didnt see much of the game. Been a fan of this club, you have to have some belief that the other teams around us will have slip ups but the difference between Liverpool and ManU is that we slip up too often, that other team i mention simply 'dont'.
After all its only a game...

You always ask questions, but never give answers!

At least we're above Chelsea with a 2 point advantage, who yet have to visit Anfield.

Do you think ,after the twist in our title hopes, Rafa will field a 'strong' team against Everton in the FA cup?

You know silverware..

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Liverpool's next two matches are Wigan away and Chelsea at home. Hardly two easy fixtures to steady the ship. Of course a moral boosting result against Chelsea followed by Everton getting a result at Old Trafford might well put Liverpool back on track, on the otherhand if they're not careful Liverpool could easily find themselves out of the title race before they face United at Old Trafford.

Their recent sequence of two wins, four draws from their last six games put's them seventh in the form chart. Indeed if you extend that run to Liverpool's last nine games, they have won three, drawn six compared with United's seven wins and two draws.

Have to agree with Mr Mcnulty therfore that it would have been far better for Rafa to stay under the radar in recent weeks and ground out results. While it may not have effected them on the field, post match I'm sure the seeds of doubt will have been sewn in a few of the Liverpool players heads and that can only have been exasberated by Benitez's seemingly inexplicable and self centred behaviour in front of the press.

Yeah Rafa got the timing dead wrong, he shoulda had a poke when Liverfool were well in front and united were in 4th, instead he waited for united to be on the ascendency.... hes had a mare...! I dont see why managers want to pick in SAF, he doesnt care, you can say what you want about united and about him, but the record speaks for itself... Champions of England, Champions of Europe and Champions of the World. UNITED UNITED UNITED

Phil you are sounding like a drama queen. Had the pool kept out Everton in the last three mins and had not ManU nicked a couple of games 1-0 at the very last min I suspect you would be singing a very different tune, sometimes a bit of luck comes in handy. Fair play to Everton last night the fought very hard for everything, lets hope they keep the same spirit when they play Man U or Chelsea.

cant argue that the recent contract dispute comments made public by Benitez have not helped but thats about all i agree with you on this one. His comments to Ferguson were in response to fergusons initial comments and will have opened a few peoples eyes to things that do go on at united every week but no one seems prepared to stand up to Ferguson and his bullying tactics!! its very rare that you see a sports writer write a blunt and damaging article about ferguson if your lucky they may throw in the odd controversial sentence but they will then redeem themselves by crawling so far up his....for 6 paragraphs!!! When Ferguson makes a comment it is deemed genius by the press yet when a spanish manager makes one he is erratic and has lost the plot....hardly!! 2 draws in 2 games against a top six team (everton) and a team that most teams have struggled against this season (stoke) are hardly terrible results. No matter what team or tactics we deployed against stoke we were always going to find it difficult.
As for your comments about the derby it makes me wonder whether you actually watched the game itslef or just listened to the genius inputs of Craig Burley/ Tim Sherwood/Stan collymore (yes those dazzling players of undeniable ability and knowledge) - Sherwood stated before the game that liverpools season was starting to cave in??? WHAT?? the week before against Stoke Burley slated Benitez for starting with Kuyt alone and then last night confessed he was perplexed as to why Benitez would play two strikers tonight - despite the fact everyone was telling us it was a must win!!!
Jagielka the star performer?? the lad got skinned and turned inside out in every one on one with a 80% fit Torres. In fact he got 2 tackles in on Torres - both times it was more a case of torres hitting the ball against Jagielka rather than a well timed tackle!! and he was extremely lucky not to have a penalty against him for ploughing into Torres into the box and also for man handling torres when he hit the post (though admittedly this would have been harsh) - may have been unintentional but contact is contact!! a few headers makes someone a stalwart?? i hope you do get your wish of him playing for england and i think we will see another one of your judgements/analysis shown up!!
The substitution of Lucas for Torres instead of Mascherano bore no real relevance to the result but thanks for some more genius analysis and needless criticism of our manager...shouldnt be to long now before theres a few more spaces on the bandwagon for all you 'sportswriters' and pundits to jump on board the anti - benitez movement. The day you lot actually give Benitez some praise i genuinely think will be the first time he will actually be doin something wrong!!

Good Article Phil, a nice read,

as a neutral, I dont see that Liverpool have the same belief in theirselves as Man Utd do. ManUtd have seasoned performers who always believe that they can win and push for the title until the very end no matter what, where as in Liverpool I see that they dont seem to have that "Mental Strength" that everyone talks about that makes you into champions, they seem to lack some kind of belief in theirselves or their abilites, or their chances to be actual champions, which for me can be the biggest obstacle for a team to overcome mentally, it can become like a mental block that makes them all go to pot when they reach the dizzy heights of the top of the table?! by no means am I writing off their chances as that would be foolish as there is still a long way to go in the title race?! but it does seem very much advantage fergie and his trojan army that keep rolling/marching on?!
On the argument of Benitez that they were only 3mins from victory, to be champions u have to hold out for them 3minsand not drop 2pts and just get a draw!

but for me the most worrying thing if I was a Liverpool fan would be the fact of how Benitez always seems to go defensive rather than kill the game off, its never safe to just sit on a lead and try and close out the game, true great champions take the game by the scruff of the neck and kill off their opponents?!

as they say 2wins and a loss, is better than 1win and 2draws!!!

liked the bit about the pre match song -
"Panic" by The Smiths may not have been the most appropriate choice of pre-match music by Anfield's resident DJ -
how very apt!

Well the cracks are showing now and it's thanks to Gerrard and Benitez firmly turning the spot light on Anfield. When you have a team that haven't won a title before, the last thing they want is exrteme media attention. They want their opponents to have the full beams of the press and TV on them while they quietly go on doing what they've been doing.
Ferguson is the master of taking advantage of these situations and while United have relied heaveily on their formidable defence you can't help feel the likes of Ronaldo, Berbatov and Rooney are going to have a golden patch before the season concludes. (Oh and Tevez too if Alex remembers he's in the squad)
It's not over by a long way and the likes of Chelsea , Arsenal and Villa ( what an achievement Martin ) will have something to say in the months to come I'm sure.
But as for Liverpool I think they've been hit with a haymaker of their own doing.

The Devil is in the detail and the Red Devils' detail is simply much finer and precise than Liverpool's. Berbatov - Bolton and Boro, Rooney - Wigan, Tevez - Stoke, not to mention Vidic - Sunderland. Significant and crucial differences in quality betwen them and Kuyt, Keane, Riera, Babel, Lucas. It's the fine detail that makes the difference and I can't imagine Kuyt or Riera setting up the goal like that of Tevez for Berbatov against Bolton. Too often opportunities have been missed due to a poor pass or finish - the fine detail, the difference between scoring and not scoring.

For many seasons Liverpool have failed to beat the ordinary teams consistently and this season promised more but ultimately the points lost against ordinary teams will again prove crucial, including the away defeat to a poor Spurs team when Liverpool were leading. Manchester United in comparison have consistently beaten the ordinary teams as in the the statistics above and ultimately that will be the most significant feature, as rarely is it what you do against your closest rivals that really counts.

It is uncomfortable for Liverpool fans that Ferguson has built a dynasty equalling that of the Shankly, Paisley and Fagan eras by his shrewd and clever attention to detail, which has been demonstrated to be superior to all his rivals for a long time. Rafa is a great coach and tactician but sadly his attention to detail in the transfer market, Torres apart, has been seriously inferior and is going to make the difference between the teams again at the end of the season. Liverpool will be close, but not close enough because the Devil is in the detail.

Struggling to break down a resilient Stoke side who were at home and with little time to go, Fergie threw on a third striker.

For the Stoke away game, Gaffe-r Rafa left Torres, Keane and Babel on the bench.

Which tactic deserves to win matches?

On the Everton side of things, can I just say how much of a team spirit they have is fantastic, they are a team that I like to watch as I think David Moyes has assembled a fantastic lil team with a group of very good hungry players, and also much kudos must go to him for they way the team are performing with key players missing(feillani) and also a team playing with no actual strikers really, but still pulling out the results, I mean how much would the top 4 be moaning without any of their strikers??? and im sure they wouldnt be doing/coping as well as Everton are/have?!

I think that Cahill does a wonderful job for thier team and has really stepped up his game whilst playing as their emergancy striker, his value to the team is immense, as is the likes of Arteta, Lescott and Jagielka.

Liverpool got what they deserved last night, and no more... Everton still need a striker, no matter what the result... and good old Sir Alex... I do hope he wasn't drinking any nice wine when Mr Cahill nodded that ball in, because drinking and laughing uncontollably really don't go together, and boy must he have been laughing.

Benitez still mantains he was in control of his rants about SAF, and the news of his troubled contract talks was controlled too, so we are told... well.. I don't see his amazing control having such a wonderful effect on his team, just the opposite... so please Raffa.. carry on being in control... and let my team claim the title for the 3rd yr in a row... and thanks..

Rafa... You made a poo poo last night mate. By bringing in Babel the way you did showed the world you got it terribly wrong. It wouldn't surprise me if Babel took offence to that substitution too as I don't believe he was ever going to come on in that game, you threw him in there in vain hope and what was he suppose to do with a few minutes?

RAFA... FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY TO ALL LIVERPOOL FANS... PLAY LIKE THE HOME SIDE WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME and know that 1-0 is NEVER SAFE.

The media always love the mind games and propaganda, but anybody who's watched a few games of football before really should have seen this coming.

Liverpool haven't really been 'flying' at any point this season. They've consistently ground out results, which was fine when the other big teams were struggling. But now that Utd have started to find their feet, which I'm sure has very little to do with Rafa Benitez, it looks very ominous for the Merseysiders.

Utd have another gear to go to, the question is, do Liverpool?

It would have made more sense for Liverpool to stay under the radar for some more time, but expect the old master to crank up the stakes at the right time. Just when United were about to get back at the leaders with one of their game in hands SAF talks of Liverpool's title winning experience, voila Benitez catches it hook line & sinker. This has now become a tiger tail story for Liverpool, they can't get off without leaving the tiger's tail

As a lifelong Liverpool fan I've seen a lot of good times and a lot of bad times but I have to say that last night's gutless performance has left me sick to my stomach.

At this point I place the blame wholly at Benitez's feet. I'm sick to death of his 'bewildering' team selections for a start. Why, last week did he not play Keane OR Torres when it was a good 8 days until our next match? Surely Torres could have done with getting some match fitness? Surely we need SOMEONE to score goals other than Steve Gerrard?!

Then there's the obscure idea of taking off strikers to hold onto a lead - fair enough if you're a team that can do this - but it's fairly obvious that Liverpool can't. Even when Benitez makes these substitutions he'll put on Lucas instead of Mascherano. Why put a below average headless chicken type of player on when you could have possibly the best holding midfield player in the world on instead when you're trying to hold onto a lead?

There's also Benitez's insistence on playing Kuyt all the time. The man cannot score and quite frankly is taking up space on a team that needs goal scorers. Sure enough he works hard but he's supposed to be a striker. Strikers score goals. He doesn't. YET he seems to play every game! Why?

My personal opinion is that he tries to make 'surprising' tactical selections which either come off as 'brilliant tactically' or 'a complete balls-up' - more often than not he's ending up with 'balls-up' and I'm sick to death of it.

I don't know about anyone else but I'd take Heskey back in a swap deal for Kuyt or Keane or even both - I never thought I'd hear myself say that. The thing is, at least he IS a good foil for your main striker!

So, with the league nicely thrown away again this year (we usually have that job done by the beginning of December) we just have to sit and hope we can fluke our way through another champions' league campaign to give Benitez yet another chance to disappoint us by handing the league to Man Utd - AGAIN.

Well done Benitez. You keep letting us down AND hold out for an improved deal - seems like a good tactic to me.

Liverpool lack English steel, again relying on Gerrard for that spark. Too many foreign players who just weren't up for it.

Where are the local lads coming through at Liverpool? Where is the next Gerrard, Carragher, Fowler, McManaman? Their second string is all foreign and I hear even their academy is full of foreign youngsters, it is a disgrace. Liverpool may win the title soon, but they have sold their soul in my opinion.

Nice to see plenty of English players in the Everton team, with more youngsters on the bench.

Like any current politician who knows his weight in gold, Benitez fails to own up to his mistakes and errors of judgement. He's lucky the other top teams have also had a tepid first-half to the seaon, otherwise perhaps by now his job would be on the line.
Bringing Lucas on instead of Mascherano speaks volumes.

I would like to add at this point that it seems like no-one in the team other than Gerrard, Carragher and Torres actually have a lot of passion for the team at all.

Against Everton they always play like it's a cup final. I've always said it's their 'game of the season' to my Everton supporting friends because they're unlikely to win anything....

It's about time Liverpool adopted the same attitude because at this rate we'll be in exactly the same boat again this year.

:(

Ah Phil, I do love reading your blog and seeing how much it winds up the red noses...keep up the good work!

Boss Donkey: if Everton had been given millions in loaned cash to buy the so called 'world's best striker' and had the so called 'world's best midfielder' and your team was put together for £26m, and you'd drawn at Goodison, you'd be 'celebrating a draw like a win'. Thanks for the advice: I won't put my mortgage on Sunday, but I fancy us to knock you out! COYB!

As for last night, poor game, good point.

United or Chelsea for the title, for me. As it was at the start of the season.

"offered them their current position in August it would have been welcomed with open arms"

Great point well made... Liverpool (and anyother) fans need to remember, at the end of the season, this is the first time Liverpool have looked like challengers in a long time. Most of that is due to Rafa.

No games are easy this season, (except Chelsea at Old Trafford), anything can still happen.

I missed most of the game last night....but why was Mascherano not playing?

Anyhow I think this weekend you saw the difference between champions and early pace setters. True champions were 1 minute away from a draw, but went full throttle and ground out the win. The early pace setters were 3 minutes away from a win, but took there foot off the gas and lost 2 valuable points.

From here on in expect UTD and Chelsea to pull away, and for Villa, Arsenal and Everton to put pressure on Liverpool for 3rd.

Phil, considering how fast the anti- Benitez bandwagon is moving I'm surprised you're in good enough shape to jump aboard!

Mistakes have been made, but it's all too easy for you journo's to get lazy and pull the "Fergie mind games" rubbish... I've always believed it's a pile of tosh ever since I saw Kenny Dalglish masterfully dismissing the ranting fool on telly by insisting the interviewer would get more sense out of his 3 year-old.

Fact is that the games Liverpool were "lucky" (sic) to win late-on during the early part of the season were identical to the 1-0 wins Utd are pulling out presently.... the difference being that Utd are of course brave, aggressive, ambitious, experienced, attacking, yada, yada, yada.....

Should we expect anything more from a media that has been on the Utd gravy train since 1992 and the reformation of a league with Sky's pro-Utd mentality??? Nope, par for the course.

Roll-on the Ferguson's retirement so that football can progress and journalists can bury the "mind-games" rubbish for good.

Hmmm.... what will they write about after Christmas then eh?

oh stop analyzing everything accept the football game so much....conjecture ahoy...'maybe rafa didnt like what his wife made for tea on sunday, this must be affecting the teams performance'

we've turned football journalism into the hollywood gossip machine....

Just stop it...please all of you!!!

Phil.

'Liverpools fans certainly did their bit with ear-splitting backing for their team'

Phil did you go to the game? Stop perpetuating the myth that Liverpool fans create a great atmosphere all the time. They didn't sing all night until they scored and then they brought out their Irish song for a rendition and that was it.

P.S They were so quiet after Everton scored because half of them were outside the ground already. Most knowledgeable fans another myth, Do they not have any faith in their team to score again.

I don't care who you are - playing one up front against Stoke is not the way to win the title. They are so cautious its a joke! Caution has cost them again.

Liverpool simply won't win the league under Benitez.

He is too negative. Why on earth when you are 1 nil up against a good premiership side would you bring off Torress and Keane? If that were Man United, Ferguson would have tried to win by 2 or 3 rather than hanging on for a 1 nil win.

That is the difference between United and Liverpool and why United will win the league.

This isn't the first time he has done it this season either, and I don't think it will be the last because he doesn't have the bottle to try and finish teams off. Everyone(including Liverpool fans) must be able to see this!

Sometimes there can be too much analysis in football, so I'll try to make my point very simple. I've been saying it for years and it still applies: the reason why Liverpool won't win the league is so obvious: their players aren't good enough. Simple. Nothing to do with tactics, nothing to do with motivation, nothing to do with mind games. Over 38 league matches the best team will get the most points and that isn't Liverpool.

As way of proving the point - who in the Liverpool team would get into United's first XI? I would say Reina (maybe), Gerrard (definitely) and F.Torres (definitely). Possibly Alonso in the right formation as well. After that the answer is no one. If any Liverpool fan wants to argue differently, please try. But you can't. Riera, Kuyt, Keane, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger..........these are all quality players. But just not quite good enough. So, it stands to reason that they will suffer more upsets and more dropped points than a team with better players.

When teams are evenly matched (as they are in the middle tier and bottom tier of the Prem) factors like man-management, motivational skills and others come into play a lot more. But over the course of a year the cream will always rise to the top. And that isn't Liverpool.

Is there anyone out there who can genuinely disagree with that comment?

keane just does not fit in our team. he can try and try and try a bit more but when you watch liverpool u just can't see anything that keane brings to the team.

i think the difference between liverpool and spurs is that last season at spurs their strikers were the focal point of the team and everything went through keane and berbatov whereas at liverpool everything goes through the middle in order that gerrard and alonso can stamp their authority on the game.

Torres did not look interested in passing the ball to keane it was rly strange!

The problem for Liverpool isn't where they are in the table - joint top with 1 more game played doesn't make you favourites but still gives you a pretty good chance.

However, the direction they are going is far more worrying - they were several points clear of United in December and have let it slip. When you throw in a Gerrard court case and Rafa's contract issues, things look even worse. With United gathering momentum, Liverpool's title chances are going backwards at the moment.

They don't just have a problem with Man United either - Chelsea and Villa are close to them and Arsenal are also improving and are now within 6 points. If they don't fix things soon, they could become dragged into the race for 4th place rather than for the title.

This is silly. Another journalist-on-the-bandwagon article. People have been writing off liverpool since the beginning of the season... regardless of how well Liverpool have performed.

It's been all Chelsea... now it's all Man U!!

There is very little difference in Man United's results and liverpool's, and that is nothing more than fortune.

Man U recently beat Stoke 1-0 scoring very late on. Liverpool draw 0-0. Had Man U not managed to score that late goal, it would have been the same result. Yet - this shows Man U are so much the better side. Rubbish.

Liverpool outplayed Everton last night, and were very unfortunate to concede so late on. That should have been 3 points, and no one would be complaining.

As it happens.. unfortunate they were, and Man U, fortunate again.

It's football after all, and it's not always the best team that wins.

It's not over until it's over. You continue to rule Liverpool out... to your own peril.

Prior to Rafa's comments there was a certain lethargy surrounding United. Us, the fans, and in my opinion the team were suffering a motivational hangover from what, in last year, was a monumentous season in our history.

Rafa's rant represented 'day 1'. It was THE moment when it became clear a very real battle was there to be fought. The hunger and churning was back in the stomach of the fans, the matches began to feel again like there was something heavy riding on them and the proverbial bit is now once again taking an almighty gnawing.

Of course, it is still quite early in the season BUT it's also late enough for a rough patch to be hugely significant. And since Rafa's rant, which was celebrated by many of their loyal supporters, none of Liverpool's games have provided them with three points. Telling?

"One debating point in the press room last night was the team Benitez would field in Sunday's FA Cup tie.

What do Liverpool fans think he will do?"

I would field the best team, and utterly destroy Everton. Show them how lucky they were - and how foolish to 'celebrate' a point. That seems to be the most they look to get out of a game with Liverpool.

That, and tearing down Liverpool players... Torres in the box anybody????

I'm not surpsied by Liverpool's wobble. As somone who has interviewed Benitez and observed him at close quarters there is most definitely a lot to admire about the man. He plays almost everything close to his chest, he is calculated to the extreme, and that's why his "rant" was written out beforehand. It was not a spur of the moment thing.

However, as someone who has observed him as a coach and a tactition at some length, even in the early years in the lower reaches of the Primera Division and in the Segunda Division, he is inherantly conservative.

It has been his downfall so many times. It cost Extemadura their top flight status a few years back, when they should have been safe and then should have won a play-off, but were undone by their own negativity.

Even at Osasuna, he had an extremely good squad, far too good for the Segunda, but attempted to turn them into a stifiling counter attacking unit.

Okay, I know he has a supreme record in knock out competiton (so did George Graham - defensive minded coaches often do) and I know that he led Valencia to the titles that Cuper had only hinted at, but he should have won more. He reigned his side in at times, and was lucky to find a period of uncertainty at the big two.

He has no such luxury in England. The cautious approach, the draws that he wouldn't risk for the win, will be punished by Manchester United in particular.

I like the man in many, many ways - and I have huge respect for him. But I have said from day one that he wasn't the man to win the Premiership. Ultimately he just isn't positive enough in his outlook on the game.

This has United's title written all over it.

Everton may have drawn with Liverpool, ManU and Chelsea, but even Spurs have drawn with Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal and beaten Liverpool- it just highlights the lack of form in any of the top four so far this season. How Liverpool are still in with a shout after some of their performances is amazing.

Ha, ha, I can't believe the waiter said "I think my team was winning with three minutes to go." Facts are facts though.

Just a thought, isn't it the score at the end that matters?

Title's really Uniteds to loose. If rafa thought he could stand toe to toe with ferguson he should have at least got some advice from wenger who manages to come out of his battles with fergie, largely because he ignores him and that's what he would have told rafa to do.

Rafa's recent comments haven't helped the liverpool cause at all, at the end of the day it's the points that do the talking.

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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Liverpool appear to be crumbling and could well finish out the top four but who knows.

Man U are grabbing late wins in the way Liverpool did earlier in the season whilst Liverpool are drawing silly games as Man U did before.

It's too early to give title to Man U. They are not miles ahead in terms of quality, simply on form.

Also what odds Aston Villa? They will have no pressure on them whatsoever!

As a ManU fan i thot i watched a great game and spirited fight by everton and a deserved point despite having most of the decisions go against them. Rafa shot himself in the leg by bringing on Lucas for Torres. Phil was spot on when he said Mascherano would've been more effective. But I think Anichebe was strong upfront as a lone striker and deserved special mention alongside Steve and Cahill and especially for winning the freekick that led to the goal. Man U 4 d quadrupule!

All the United fans kept telling Liverpool fans that we are playing tough fixtures away first and the positions after first 10-15 games were not reflective of the teams ability. Add to that Ronaldo, who is our best player was out for 2 months and we had a trip to Japan as well. Things are now balancing out and over the 38 games, the teams will all finish in their true positions.
The momentum has swung and Liverpool are in a downward spiral and as I predicted in Nov, Liverpool will finish 8 points behind the eventual winners no matter how good they look against the likes of Newcastle.

Too be honest I've had enough of Liverpool this season. Being a neutral i thought it would be a good thing if liverpool did win the league this year, break up the old story etc, but it now appears that they've self imploded with benitez and gerrard sagas.

Also ive also come to the conclusion that for some reason Liverpool dont seem to be playing the quality football they showed when sammy lee was briefly in charge. Coincidence.

Anyway, if they lose or even draw against chelsea then its game over, and personally after that i would like chelsea to win the thing, that will shut up all the Man Utd "fans" here at work

Thanks for the reply Phil you have a fair point there. Gerrard's contributions to Liverpool's points total and to the team in general is immense.
I'm a United Fan and would say Gerrard is by far the best club midfielder in the country if not Europe.
But attracting media attention in any area doesn't help the club as a whole.
Cameras, Microphones and Lights will again be full on Gerrard and Liverpool at the end of this week.
And that in my opinion doesn't help.

I can't remember who it was against off-hand, but about a couple months ago Liverpool had a 0-0 draw at home and the fans were clearly upset about it.

The BBC pundit reporting on the game was bewildered and even critical of the Liverpool fans for moaning. Liverpool were leading the Premiership - why on earth were they unhappy about it?

It's because they knew what everyone with at least a half-functioning brain knows. Man Utd always go on a run in the second half of the season. There is no such thing as too much of a point lead againt them!

Now here we are, two months and too many draws later and it's very much advantage Man Utd. It's not only unsurprising, it's something that the fans saw coming even if the pundit didn't.

Mascherano wasn't playing as in the last 5 or 6 games he has been rubbish for us giving the ball away a lot and loads of misplaced passes. However Alonso didn't look quite himself last night and perhaps he wasn't quite ready to come back from his injury. He did have about 10 stiches so must have had some kind of painkilling injection to get him on the pitch. We looked unbalanced last night and were addicted to the ball over the top trying to bipass the packed Toffee midfield. With the players we have (Riera, Gerrard, Kuyt) who usually play so well in triangles and move the ball to the wing this was very unlike us. The comment above about Robbie Keane could have been said about Riera a few matches ago. We have become so addicted to playing the ball to Gerrard (and last night Torres) we sometimes forget to play like a team. This is why I think everyone else thinks we are a two man team when we clearly are not.

Also Rafa Jamie Carragher should not be playing right back. Put him back where he should be and put one of the young lads in. Alternatively there is lots of interest in Hyppia so I don't see any reason why we can't let him go and have CArra and Skrtel back in the middle that was so succesful for us last season...at least until Agger is back.

I have read all the above posts....lets keep this simple.
Everton played well they are a very underestimated team.
Liverpools current position is one they would have settled for at the start of the season.

However it could be so much much better.
Rafa has himself to blame.
Fergie spats and Gerrard's problem have nothing to do with the mistakes that are being made constantly with team selection and bizarre substitutions.
Liverpool have blown 10 points because of this utterly stupid and avoidable problem.

Last night was a prime example.60 mins gone and Liverpool had started to get on top after some really good football from Everton.Gerrard scores and Keane and Torres are taken off so that Everton have nothing to worry about up front and are invited to save the game.A poor equaliser but avoidable never the less.
If you look back at all the dropped points at home and a few away games the same pattern emerges.
Rafa is a good tactician....he needs to look at the stats before the bandwagon gets rolling faster.

Pretty easy to get on Benitez's back after last night (who's in the least bit surprised that McNulty is right there with his 'musings' - yet the facts of the matter when it comes to Benitez's so-called conservatism after scoring the goal were that Torres was plainly exhausted and Keane was non-existant for pretty much the entire game so the sensible policy was to take them off and go a little bit more defensive - unfortunately they nicked a point at the end.

Let's be honest, they're just a bunch of scrabblers who spend the game hacking the opposition, packing the defence and praying for a set-piece.

No real gripes though - they deserved their point, even though we had at least one blatant penalty not given (and of course that shocking Torres miss) and obviously they'll be delighted that their second team is now in the driving seat for the title.

So most Liverpool fans are in therapy this morning trying understand how we the small team from across the park strolled away with a point, we've had to work a lot harder to win most games this season, so don't flatter yourselves Liverpool

I say this with a heavy heart but if that had been Man U last night they would have gone for the second and the third and we would have lost easily despite the performance. Basically as only Gerrard can score for the reds, Rafa has no option to be cautious. If Stevie has a poor day then you get results like Stoke, Fulham etc.

As for Sunday Rafa will drop too many and replace with the rubbish, another draw for us and more derby action at Goodison

Just looking at last nights performance and squad, regardless of injuries Carragher should not play at RB, he has no pace and cant offer width. Kuyt doesnt get enough crosses in. however works hard but so does Paula Radclife and she isnt worth £10m. Torres's miss proved my theory that he is not a 'natural' scorer, when he has to think about the finish his technique is found wanting, if City come in for him with an offer in excess of £60m we should snap their arms off. Keane struggled to find space between the two banks of four, he cant be blamed. Looking at the squad, Dossena. Lucas, Benayoun and Kuyt should move on and Pennant and Babel should play more. Furthermore, Rafas rant has put added pressure on us for no reason, we are not redy to win the league yet, top 3 finish would have been sufficent, going on signing a few new players and getting rid of the above players we wud have been nicely set up for next season

Good blog phil as usual.

One quick point i would like to make is that i find it so weird how when one of the top teams has a couple of bad results the press write them off.

Look at chelsea after losing at united the press tore into them and was like they had been relegated. Truth they are two points off the top and with that last minute winner at stoke who knows what they will do now.

Same with Liverpool. Full credit to them for being up there at this stage. No one really thought they would. If this is their bad spell then they wont mind to much. Only 1 defeat all season says something.

As a United fan i cant complain with recent weeks and the thought that we can only get better is definately reassuring however it is going to go all the way to wire.

I do beleive that benitez has let his contract talks and his attack on fergie overshadow a season that so far has been good for liverpool.
I dont think it just is him though even last year the oweners cause all the unrest as well and no one is really sure who likes who at liverpool.

Going on Rosey05 point that keane doesnt fit in. I disagree. the man is quality player and if people used his talent better than you may see more from him. too much is reliant on gerrard and torres.

Yet another Derby where the non-satanic side of the city are bemoaning an awful display by the ref. The only real exception to his apparent one-sidedness, was the torres penalty shout. other than than that, most of the post match talk was about us playing 12 men in the rs match yet again. In 35 years+ I can honestly say I wasn't miffed with the ref's display twice! Liverpool were rubbish last night and it took the Huyton nark to give you any glimmer of hope of a win against a team which cost a few million more than ONE of your players, and who played the better football, showed the most (by far) commitment and who ultimately, as with the fans, were disappointed not to win, having done enough to do so. If the rs don't win the league, it's 'cos they're not good enough and judging by their football through the season so far despite all the money spent, they're in a false position anyway. Well done the Blues for proving what Moysey said about being top of the league for spirit. One day we'll play only 11 rs and see what happens then!

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I disagree, Liverpool were drawing before Raffa opened his mouth and they are still doing it. The difference this season is United are not drawing they are escaping with a victory by the skin of their teeth against everyone except chelsea.
I don't think Ferguson can really take credit for whats happening this time. It looks this season as if liverpool and chelsea and Arsenal threw it all away.

Neutral here,

United will win the title at a canter I believe. Why?

They have easily the best squad with everyone pulling in the right direction.....even berbatov was smiling last week!

I think of the title winning teams over the last 5-8years and they are all superior to L'pool starting XI (in my eyes anyway)

As a lifelong Man United fan, I still say we write off Liverpool at our peril - we are only top by 4 minutes, 1 at Bolton and 3 at Anfield last night, so let's not carried away.

Truth is, neither Liverpool not United (nor Chelsea) are firing on all cylinders at present - if any of these three put together a sustained run of results they could potentially blow the others away on present form.

One other point - why isn't Mascherano in the team? As an opposition fan I would always be delighted to see him left on the bench and / or Lucas in instead!

the fergie mind-games bandwaggon is really getting boring....

So what you say is benitez is mentally weak compared to ferguson??

Have you checked their heads Mr McNulty?

It is very very rude to suggest that Benitez is mentally weak! Because that is what you are telling us indirectly.

I think that last nights result was the best Everton could have hoped for. If the boys had lost to Liverpool last night I wouldn't have thought Everton would have got anything out of either game - At least now we have some hope.
I must commend the lads on how they played both last night and over the last number of weeks
However the very worrying thing for me last night was without another striker - Everton had no way of changing things around - Gosling, Rodwell and Baxter are good young players and Andy Van der Meyde could do with getting a chance. I just feel that if Everton are to really catch Liverpool on the hop next Sunday then David Moyes will need to bring in a striker this week - either someone really quick or someone who's good at holding up the ball.

I was amused by the bitter comments from Boss Donkey. I don't think we're the only team in history to seem content with a draw with the league leaders (oops, not league leaders anymore). Liverpool, apart from Gerrard, do seem content to draw at times, in both the Champions League and the Premiership. I certainly haven't seen them go into all out attack for a whole game recently, barring the decimation of Newcastle. Last night's derby was actually very even and considering our lack of strikers Liverpool should be ashamed of themselves especially considering Torres nearly cost as much as our whole team! Pienaar and Arteta played some nice stuff and our all English defence were as solid as you'd wish for any team to be visiting Anfield. Just once Gerrard was allowed far too much space and Everton paid the price but this was straight after we'd been on the attack, i.e. trying to win the game. Which, actually we continued to do after we equalised. So I think Everton were glad to salvage a point after going 1-0 down but also fancied their chances of nicking a win. Deal with it. Liverpool would benefit from clever players like Cahill and Arteta but they'd also benefit from a decent manager like Moyes.

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If Rafa says he wants total control of signings, that implies that there are certain players in the squad which he didnt want and that Rick Parry made him buy them. So how can that have a positive effect on the squad? Liverpool depend too much on Steven Gerrard. United don't rely as much as Liverpool on one player. I think the difference between Rafa and SAF is that SAF is forced to rotate his squad by injuries and suspensions whereas Rafa just rotates his squad. Which harder to explain to the players. For instance if you told Wes Brown at the start of the season that Rafael would take his place, he would be upset, but because he is injured its easier to explain. I think Rafa is just too cautious and relies on Steven Gerrard to win the game. if he is out for only 3 games, Liverpool will be out of the race.

brooksy ur wrong! i watch liverpool every week and there is a big difference in the way teams set up against spurs than they do against liverpool. Keane is not afforded the time and space he was at spurs and rightly so liverpool play through gerrard because he is probably the best midfielder in the world. he shows that week in week out. it almost looks as though no on trusts keane's ability. he is short on confidence as it is. 4-4-2 did not suit us at all it meant gerrard and alonso had to sit deep which meant when we attacked we did it slowly. the only quick break out we had was a long ball from hyypia to set up torres!

in addition to other points, benitez was right to take torres off the guy was shattered! i personally woulsd have just swapped him like for like with babel because we simply invited pressure on ourselves bringing lucas on. another player who no one has confidence in.

Phil you are sounding like a drama queen. Had the pool kept out Everton in the last three mins and had not ManU nicked a couple of games 1-0 at the very last min I suspect you would be singing a very different tune, sometimes a bit of luck comes in handy. Fair play to Everton last night the fought very hard for everything, lets hope they keep the same spirit when they play Man U or Chelsea.

---------------------------------------


the reason liverpool haven't won the PL in the last few years is cause they dont nick victories like man u and chelsea do.

Rafael Benitez quotes:

"We will improve as we get more of our injured players back. We're still level with United and we can play better."
----
"You are not suffering from pressure after leading until three minutes from time. It is not pressure to be level on points with Manchester United in January,"
----
He forgets to mention of course that until a week ago, Liverpool were 5 points clear of United.

Come Sunday night, Liverpool will be joint top of the PL, in the knock-out stages of the CL with a game against Real Madrid to look forward to and in the 5th round of the FA Cup.

Everton's season will be over and they'll be thinking of their summer holidays. However, they will have a league draw at Anfield to make their season a success so everyone will be happy.

"It's too early to give title to Man U. They are not miles ahead in terms of quality, simply on form."

--------------------------------------------------------

Sorry, but i hav to disagree with this one. I would argue tht Man Utd r totally off form (u can see from the way they play; the team's not gelling), but they hav so much quality tht they r still able to eke out the wins.

In contrast to liverpool.

I also feel its worth mentioning that pool got many lucky winners at the start of the season so u cant say united r fortunate to be at the top right now

A few people have pointed out the reliance on Gerrard and Torres. I think think its a good point and often makes them one-dimensional. If all the passes are going to 2 players (while ignoring people like Keane), its relatively easy for a quality defence to snuff them out or at least limit them to a few chances.

Thinking back to when Liverpool beat United earlier in the season, they didn't have either Torres or Gerrard available so were without their easy options and had to play as a team. Compare this to last season when United snuffed both players out and took 2 fairly easy victories.

Gerrard and Torres are undoubtably top quality players, but they tend to overshadow the rest of the squad. Rafa needs to recognise this and get the team to use its full range of attcking options. Otherwise they will continue to drop points...

44. At 10:04am on 20 Jan 2009, Aah, tea wrote:
Ha, ha, I can't believe the waiter said "I think my team was winning with three minutes to go." Facts are facts though.

Just a thought, isn't it the score at the end that matters?
= = = = = = = = =

Quite right, and it's the table at the end of May that counts, not the end of January.

I did not believe that LFC would win the title this year, just hoped to be much closer than previously, which was exactly what Rafa was saying in August.

The sad fact is, however, that we are closer because United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been as inconsistent as we have.

Mind you, the PL table at the moment resembles an SPL table of any recent year ..... a few (6 currently) at the top, the rest (other 14) in a huddle at the bottom!!

love how all the liverpool fans are frantically making up excuses and trying to defend their manager and their team, in the face of clear facts. The results are slipping as they have been for some time, the manager is launching tirade after tirade that his players are not backing up with results, and making issues in public about the contract, United do not look like slipping up, and look like champions, Liverpool couldn't look further away from champions. Yet the fans come out with, ' If we'd held on for the win'...'if we'd got a penalty....'If Man United didn't score to beat Bolton' etc etc..............face facts, United did score to win at the weekend as they have continued to do recently, and Liverpool did not win, just as they didn't against stoke(twice),fulham,hull,west ham etc in games that should clearly have been 3 points for title chasing teams. On to the toffees, good performance, particularly from Pienaar, Jags and I was quite impressed with Anichebe as well. Jags reminded me of Alan Stubbs a few years back in the 0-0 at Anfield, with such a committed performance............although on that occasion we were under the cosh, last night we were the better team

Nice blog phil....

But i don't know the purpose of keane in the match. I hardly saw him touching the ball and keeping it with him. It looks like he is frustrated as he couldn't lead a attack nor to support. I don't know y benitez keeping him in right n y not just behind torress. He is good at being behind and coming from left to support. while gerrad cover up the centr forward position lik 1-3-2-4-1. The game against everton was totally suffocating for me. There was no clear build up in any part. It was xabi and riera i saw all over the pitch. Skertel I dnt knw where he got those tribbling skills. Y just he don't clear the ball instead of showing off. Agger fits tat bettr

Speaking as a bluenose, (I honestly feel no malice toward the red half of the city) Liverpool have to realise that they're just not good enough yet.
Half the reason they've been top is that Chelsea and Arsenal have been poor and Man U have been away. Man U are on a role and if Chelsea start to pick up, Liverpool could find themselves fighting for third place with Villa.
Rafa seems to take every opportunity to blame someone else - if it's not the ref or SAF then the opposition are just not letting them play. Could the protracted contract negotiations be a way of Rafa blaming Parry now?

Just loving all the bitter RS...........
COYB!

The problem with liverpool is that they are like the tory party in that they get into a good position with a chance of winning the main prize and then go and blow it with internal problems. Gerrard's ill timed night out and also the problems with Benitez contract, all have to be a distraction before you even get onto the field. As for some of the tactics that benitez employs, they are just ridiculous. To be playing 4-5-1 at stoke (when they are a team that should be beaten) just sums up how negative he is. Lat nights draw shouldn't have mattered because the number of drawn homw games, we should be out of sight now anyway. Instead of worrying about opponents, he should worry about getting the best from the players he has. Perhaps if he doesn't sign a new deal and goes in the summer it mightn't be too bad a thing?

A few United supporters have added a note of caution on this blog and I am inclined to agree.

Liverpool are currently undergoing a period of inconsistency, and if they regather their form of a few months ago they will be making a charge from a very high base. United have probably expended quite a lot of energy in playing "catch up" and notwithstanding that we have all been here before - that sort of sustained performance can often cause slight hiccups.

It is very far from sorted!

Even if Liverpool do not win the League this season ( and United win it - Please God ), Benitez seems to be pushing them in the right direction.

United fans only have to cast our minds back to season 1991/1992 - when the first League in 25 years slipped through our fingers through a series of reverses towards the end of the season.

At that time people questioned Fergie's mentality and whether his obsession/nerves had adversely affected the players. Similar in a way to what they are saying about Benitez. I'm not sure I buy the mind games stuff as far as Benitez is concerned.

If Benitez stays, I can see the forward movement continuing.

This is all very frightening with Fergie's retirement looming.

I think 'Panic' is very apt for Liverpool's performances at the moment, and ironic coming from a Mancunian voice

"Because the football that they constantly play
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE"

Bossdonkey (donkey seems appropriate); it is Liverpool's season which is in jeopardy. Everton have no aspirations as to the title, they can't afford it. The purchases made by Benitez are not proving their worth, Torres excepted. Lucas is poor, and Keane runs around like a headless chicken, no wonder nobody wants to give him the ball. With Hyypia short of pace, and Skyrtel clumsy and easily beaten the decision to go defensive was indefensible. Without Gerrard Liverpool do not have a clue, and one man cannot perform miracles every game.
Liverpool are a top 4 team and should on paper beat Everton on Sunday. With a lack of cohesion on the field, reliance on one man, and the faith in players who are just not on their game the outcome is just not that cut and dried.

Forget the 'mind games' and forget the contract issue made public and forget the snipe at Parry over the Agger contract.

Just read #36! I, and many others, said it at the start of the season, said it after 13 games and...still say it. Liverpool aren't good enough to win the title. They lack quality in key positions and strength in depth. It was so last season and the season before and it is still so.

People (including Phil) refer to the momentum shifting recently but that's an illusion. The momentum shifted a long time ago. Around the 13 game mark some observers claimed that Liverpool had accumulated more points than their performances merited. (Boro, City, Wigan).

Rubbish! claimed the Liverpool fans but since then Liverpool have taken 15 points from 27 (3 wins and 6 draws) while United (having played an extra game in hand) have taken 26 points fropm 30. The momentum changed 2 months ago and it supports the early season opinions that Liverpool got lucky a number of times.

In that 2 months when Utd have bridged the gap, they have also played 2 games in the Club World Cup, 2 extra League cup games and 1 additional league game, while enduring a much more extensive injury list than Liverpool.

To the poster who suggests that claiming Liverpool were lucky with late goals early in the season while Utd are deemed to be workmanlike when they got late goals...you miss the point!

Against Stoke, Boro, Bolton, Utd dominated and stuck to the task, getting their reward.

Against Boro and City, Liverpool were poor and scarcely deserved the result.

There's a mixture of realistic Liverpool fans on here and those wearing rose- tinted glasses but what I'd suggest is that Liverpool start looking behind them rather than in front.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they finish 4th or 5th. And with that it will be Adios Amigo!

To LFCLEE5

Only a biased Liverpool fan would have such a blinkered view of A). The football match and B). Phils comments.

Liverpool were not good last night, and haven't really been outstanding all season, certainly not top of the league standard.

Now I am not saying United, Arsenal or Chelsea have either but to have such a one sided view, without being objective at all, is quite a naive perspective on the situation you find yourselves in.

Remember that United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all had their obligatory 'blip' this season. Liverpool, somehow, haven't.

I think it is just beginning.

After reading many of your comments, i feel quite let down.
I am a huge liverpool fan, but will admit, last night was not our best performance. I do feel that Benitez has a tendency to choose 'odd' teams but overall he has done great job, especially considering everything he has been through (Operations). I feel that the 'anti-Benitez-bandwaggen' is going to make things worst. There is so much bad press about Benitez and how his team performs, that it can't be boosting team moral. It is a vicious circle - Liverpool play one half-decent game and suddenly they are playing rubbish and never going to win the title. It is a proven fact that labelling a team and constant put-downs affects teams ability, therefore causing their next game to be played under high pressure.
I also want to agree with Benitez on the Fergie comments. Admittedly, his timing is not great but he has said what most are thinking. SAF does get away with most offences, and his team are worst. They seem to get away with so many fowls on the pitch. I feel they play dirty, and shouldn't be allowed to compete if it continues. Take Ronaldo for instance, if he is tackled (the aim of the game), and ends up on the ground (not the opponents fault), how many times have you seen him kick the shins of another player??
I think this explains my feelings clearly...

I am not sure why the fans continue to support Benitez in the way they are. I think Liverpool's problem at the moment is Benitez. I never seem to understand the changes he makes. He was leading by a goal againt an Everton team that ws playing well and piling pressure and all he could do was to take out all the attacking threats of Torres and Kean and replace them with an ineffective Lucas. He therefore invited Everton to his own half and the pressure rightly so paid off. Keep Torres in there and peg Everton and hopefully get the second goal to kill the game off. But time and again we see his inconsitency in team selection, substituitions etc. He is the problem and is damaging team spirit. Then he brought on Babel in the last couple of minutes to what? Perform miracles?He talks toomuch and is always talking about contractual issues. Get on with playing and contractual issues will be sorted out easily.

Phil, any chance you want to look at the results Liverpool had prior to Rafas "cranked up the pressure with his own behaviour"?

I know you're quite a lazy journalist but surely you aren't also attributing the succession of draws at Arsenal, Hull, West Ham, Fulham, etc prior to Rafas "decision to wage public war" on the same incident?

Difficult to argue against the general argument of the article. The truth is simple: if you want to win a league you have to win games and get 3 points. Draws get you nowhere. It's better to win one and lose one than to get 2 draws. So, attack always has to be the first option. That's ManU's key to success.
You can't take off both your strikers when you're 1 up like Benitez did last night and expect your luck to hold. Fortune favours the brave and Benitez is anything but brave.

Maybe his rejection of an offer will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It's beginning to look as if he's taken Liverpool as far as they can go.

grumpyoldman170

-------------------------

I'm saving that quote... be sure to come back and read it again Sunday evening when you're out the cup.

YNWA

Whatbill, comment 76. Good point. Everton many seasons ago relied on Ferguson so much that without him we were lost for ideas. When he left we were forced to rethink our approach and results improved.
Should have sold Gerrard to Chelsea ;)

keane. what a career move. here was a striker who was respected and feared. a player where he was appreciated and loved and scared defences week in, week out.
now defences look forward and hope he's in the opposing starting line-up.

when keane left spurs, he left behind a club that played right to his strengths, where attack and flair were valued over defence and solidity. now it appears his dream move is a catastrophic one and in hindsight, its as bad a career move for a player as I've seen in recent years.

what a plum move. in his last 3 seasons at spurs, they won a cup, finished 5th twice, 4 semi-finals, 2 quarters, european football and an extremely healthy financial situation and backing.
at liverpool, nothing is certain from the manager's position to the board's to the players at the heart of the club. yes not too different to spurs, but there at spurs is a board with joe lewis, four times as rich as any one member at liverpools.

keane, what a career move, we're all laughing at you mate.

As a neutral, i'd like to know what Liverpool fans think about Rafa Benitez. Not as an exponent of mindgames (which has been well documented on recent blogs) but as a manager.

Because looking from the outside, i'm don't know why Liverpool fans seem to have so much faith in him. His transfer record is sketchy to say the least, his tactics and substitutions are often baffling (and conservative too), as is his loyalty to players like Lucas (but not Babel). I think his cup-runs in Europe are a red herring - he relied on the fact his team weren't challenging domestically - and there's only so long he can rely on his one-man rescue package, Steven Gerrard.

Nice Smiths reference by the way... let's just hope for Liverpool's fans sake that bigmouth doesn't strike again.

Totally agree with whatbill at 76. And this is what I also put in my earlier post at 55. We need to get back to playing as a team and stop putting everythign through Gerrard and Torres. The first 10 minutes last night Robbie looked very good creating a couple of crosses and getting posession in the final third. After this the tactics didn't really work out and we had misplaced or overcomplicated passes from deep from Alonso or Gerrard. This is a coaching issue and it needs to be sorted out quickly. Until whatbill posted about us playing more as a team without Gerrard or Torres (btw when they were both injured benayoun played out of his skin and then look at last night when he gave away the free kick they scored from) it didn't really click in my brain although I knew the team was unbalanced. Come on Rafa, Sammy and Pellegrino. We know you know what you are doing so get the message across to the players.

I think Benitez disclosed the fact that he is unwilling to sign a new contract in order to provide a ready-made excuse should Liverpool fail to win the Premier League, as they surely will (ie. it won't be his fault, it will be the fault of "the Americans" or Rick Parry, who Benitez is clearly attempting to have removed). The tactic is unprofessional and disloyal, and shows poor leadership at the worst possible time.

Phil your right in what your saying that any defender will struggle agianst Torres but still totally disagree that Jagielka was MOM.
His tackles were born out of luck. Torres would hit the ball against his leg as opposed to jagileka reading were the ball was going. the few times he caught Torres up was because Torres had turned back in on himself and not due to any great jockeying skills form Jagielka. If i had to give the man of the match to anyone it would be Pienaar - ran his socks off for everton and genuinely outwitted carragher on several occasions. Anichebe was a thorn in the side of our back four all night and his persistence forced many misplaced passes from our centre halves and also Alonso. C'mon Phil who cares what your what your media friends thought was man of the match - your a big lad now - formulate your own opinion!! thats what being a decent sportswriter is all about isn't it?? get off the bandwagon!!
As for you saying you were merely 'expressing your surprise' at his decision to birng on Lucas as opposed to Mascherano - c'mon Phil it was more sinister than that - blatantly questioning/undermining Benitez' tactics/ability!! if you were aware in the first place that mascherano has been poor of late, why raise the point at all???
Finally, i question any liverpool fan on this forum who slates our team! we have no god given right to success merely due to the achievements of previous decades! We have spent big money and our position in the league reflects this - United have spent bigger money and their position in the league reflects this - the difference being that Ferguson has had a massive head start over Benitez in terms of time and also money!!Benitez at this very time is battling to gain the type of control that Ferguson holds at united and yet we are moaning that he has lost his head!!! Dyou honestly think he hasn't faced these kind of situations before?? this is the first time some ones had a dig at him?? are you joking?? he has spent his whole life achieving and analysing things in football - as opposed to procrasting, slating, insinuating, manipulating and attending the school of 'what if' and 'should have' that our most prized sports writers have graduated from with flying colours....a fine thing hindsight!!!!
C'MON RAFA LAD...WE LOVE YE!!!

The thing that comes to mind is that liverpool are scared to lose games and don't go for the kill the Queen & David Bowie song Under Pressure does come to mind though

At 08:55am on 20 Jan 2009, BossDonkey wrote:

"The folly of Evertonians knows no limits. Bleating about a draw when their season comes to an end on Sunday."

I think they were happier about handing the advantage of the title race to Man United rather than the point benefitting Everton.

Interesting; a good article.