Match Preview: Liverpool v Blackburn

It’s long long time since I wrote about the Reds. Kinda busy lately, some more too many match to cover due to Boxing Day. Enough of chatting, and now back to business….=)

For this gameweek 18 (Monday, 26^th December 2011), the Reds will host Blackburn Rovers. The game will start after lunch hour at 15:00 local time. Malaysian can watch live at Stadium Astro channel 813 at 22:55

Liverpool had endured a disappointing draw during their last match at DW Stadium. The Reds currently sits 6^th of the table with 30 points from 17 matches. Liverpool’s form stands at DWWLW. It is quite disappointing as the Reds should be able to take maximum points in this month.

Blackburn lost their last match at Ewood Park to fellow relegation battlers, Bolton Wanderers. Their last win was recorded at 3^rd December 2011 when they beat newly promoted Swansea 4 – 2 at Ewood Park. They currently sits bottom at the table with 10 points from 17 matches. Blackburn form stands at LLLWL.

Kenny Daglish will welcome Jay Spearing back after picking up red card during match versus Fulham. Forward Craig Bellamy did not start in the stalemate at DW Stadium because of knee injury will likely to start the game. Andy Carroll will also start the game to provide physicality advantage for Liverpool. Luis Suarez will also start the match despite being handed an eight match ban as he is still have time to appeal the charge. Most probably Kenny Daglish will deploy conventional 4-4-2 formation with Carroll upfront support by Suarez. Downing and Bellamy will add extra width to the attack.

Rovers boss Steve Kean will have Martin Olsson returned at the back. However, they will lose Michel Salgado as the club couldn’t afford to pay his salary if he continues to play. Scott Dann also will not likely to start the match because of ruptured testicle. Steve Kean will probably play 4-5-1 formation and leave Yakubu alone upfront.

Reds possible formation & line up

Possible Line Up

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Downing, Henderson, Adam, Bellamy, Suarez, Carroll

Blackburn: Robinson, Lowe, Samba, Hanley, Olsson, Hoilett, N’zonzi, Dunn, Formica, Pederson, Yakubu

Mr I Prediction

Liverpool 1 – 0 Blackburn; Bellamy on the score sheet.

It is tight game with a lot of competition in midfield area. Liverpool probably creates more chances than Blackburn, however as previous match their finishing is letting them down.

Match Preview: Wigan v Liverpool

Hi guys. I am very sorry because there was no update on match preview & player rating during the Reds last outing at Villa Park. Mr I was at his home town and suddenly the Boxing Day has started. The Reds will start their boxing day at DW Stadium. The match will start at 20:00 local time. Malaysian can watch at Stadium Astro channel 813 from 03:55, Thursday morning.

Wigan was impressive in their 2 last games; won against West Bromwich & steal a point from Chelsea. Wigan currently sits 18^th of the table (in the relegation zone) with 13 points. Wigan last 5 home matches stands at DLDLL.

Liverpool last outing was 2 – 0 win against Aston Villa. Liverpool currently sits at 6^th in the table with 29 points, same as Arsenal. A win against Wigan will put the Reds at 5^th position, depending on Arsenal results, which will kick-off earlier. The Reds last 5 away matches stands at WLWWW.

It is interesting to see how Liverpool will start the match. Is it with or without Luis Suarez who serving 8 matches ban following misconduct towards Patrice Evra. The ban will start to kick in Liverpool v Oldham (FA Cup). Should Kenny Daglish leave him out, the ban will ending against Bolton in January. Mr I think that Liverpool need to play Andy Carroll and start to adjust without Suarez.

Most probably Kenny Daglish will deploy 4-4-2 formation and leaves Shelvey in the benches. The 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa where Shelvey plays in advance midfield role looks good but this is the time to play Andy Carroll.

Possible Line Up

Wigan: Ali Al-Habsi, Stam, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Jones, Diame, Gomez, McCarthy, Mosses, Sammon

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Downing, Henderson, Adam, Bellamy, Suarez, Carroll

Mr I Prediction

Wigan 0 – 2 Liverpool; Suarez & Bellamy on the score sheet.

Player Rating: Liverpool v QPR

For the 1^st time this season, Mr I managed to get his prediction correct (Read here). Liverpool back on winning ways after narrow win against newly promoted QPR. Maxi & Kuyt replacing Bellamy & Carroll in Mr I predicted line up. 3 points from this match help Liverpool to climb into 6^th position after Newcastle lost to Norwich City with goal difference.

Let’s take a look at the match stats from ESPN soccernet:

Now, it’s time to rate the Reds player.

10: Brilliant – Superlative performance

9: Superb – Great performance

8: Remarkable – Very influential performance

7: Very good – Dazzling performance

6: Average – Good game

5: Below Average – Decent game; with some faults

4: Poor – Didn’t have any positive impact to the game

Reina: Not much action from Reina. However, he was quite brilliant when dealing with the cross. Rating: 7

Johnson: As usual, sloppy at the back but make an extra man going forward. Rating: 7

Skrtel: An outstanding performance from the Slovakia International. Impressive sliding tackle on Bothroyd which can easily been a penalty on the other day. He was also the Reds top tackler of the day alongside Henderson with 100% ratio. Rating: 7.5

Agger: Need to conduct a foul on Bothroyd at the edge of penalty box in the 1^st half. Apart from that, he was pretty solid. Rating: 7

Enrique: Not a poor performance from the Spaniard. He was good at defending, no doubt. He should offer more attacking option. Rating: 7

Downing: Provide extra width to the Reds down the right. He got 1 shot on target just before the end of the 1^st half. Yet to justify his price tag. Replaced by Shelvey in 87’. Rating: 7

Henderson: He was playing at his favorite position for the Reds last 2 matches. He did his defensive duties quite well as he managed to win 2 of his 2 tackles and stand out as the Reds top tackler of the game alongside Skrtel. Rating: 7

Adam: He was the Reds Man of the Match. He attempted the most passes with 71 passes with 57 of them found its target. Apart from that, he was also the Reds player whom attempted and won most ground and aerial 50-50 duels. Got 1 assist under his name. Rating: 8

Maxi: Had 5 shots on goal, which 3 of them on target. On the other day, it could be his hat trick.Replaced by Bellamy in the 79’. Rating: 7

Kuyt: Was hardworking as usual and allow some fluidity to the Reds attacking. However, lack of final ball often let him down. Rating: 7

Suarez: Was his 1^st goal for Liverpool since October 1. Still missing a lot of chances, and Kenny Daglish should take a look at this matter. Rating: 7.5

Bellamy: Did very little apart from his yellow card after pick up a spat with Barton. Rating: 6.5

Match Preview: Liverpool v QPR

For BPL gameweek 15, newly promoted QPR will visited Anfield on this Saturday clash. The match will kickoff at 1500 local time. For Malaysian fans, you can watch this game live at Stadium Astro Channel 812/832 (Saturday, 2255)

Liverpool’s unbeaten run ended at Craven Cottage last week, thanks to the only goal from Clint Dempsey. Liverpool currently sits at 7^th of the table with 23 points from 14 games. The Reds last 5 games stand at DWDWL.

QPR’s last away game was at the Carrow Road, which was ended 2 – 1, favored the home side. QPR currently sits at 12^th place, same points as Aston Villa, Everton & Norwich City. Their last 5 matches stand at LLWLD. QPR’s fan leaved the Loftus Road frustrated as Shane Long late goal stole a draw for WBA.

The home side desperately needs a win. Most probably Daglish will deploy 4-4-2 formation and use Downing & Bellamy to provide extra width; which is crucial to stretch QPR’s defense. Carroll might play his part in this game as he will provide aerial threat to QPR’s center back whose win little of their aerial 50-50 battle. Ferdinand & Young only won 45% & 44% respectively of their aerial 50-50 battle. In midfield battle, the Reds need to watch out for Faurlin as he has attempted ~16% of total QPR’s open play pass with completion ratio of 83%. Skrtel & Agger also need to pay attention on QPR’s striker, Helguson. Currently he has scored 6 goals with conversion ratio stand at 30%. It is quite impressive as Dzeko’s chance conversion stand at 31% and Rooney at 20%. Watch out also for Joey Barton as he set plays currently contributed up to 10 chances so far.

The key battle in this game would be between Helguson & Reds defender. It is interesting to see how the Reds defender deals within form Helguson. Should the Reds defender win the battle tonight, the more chance that the Liverpool can grab all the 3 points.

Possible Line Up

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Downing, Henderson, Adam, Bellamy, Suarez, Carroll

QPR: Cerny, Young, Gabbidon, Ferdinand, Traore, Derry, Faurlin, Barton, Wright-Phillips, Bothroyd, Helguson

The Reds possible formation

Mr I Prediction

Liverpool 1 – 0 QPR; Carroll on the score sheet.

A narrow win for Liverpool as the Reds will find it difficult to break QPR’s defense.

Player Rating: Fulham v Liverpool

Again, Mr I was far away from his prediction (Read here). The only thing he got right was Fulham's goal scorer, Clint Dempsey. I wonder when will he got it correct. After all, he is not witch, isn't he?

As far as I'm concern, Mr I believe that the Reds didn't deserved the result. However, this is football, and sometime you need the Lady Luck by your side. Overall, it was poor performance from the match officials who was dissalowed Suarez's goal due to offside (the reply showed otherwise) and red card for Spearing (who Mr I & commentator believed it was not even a yellow!). And not to mention that Liverpool is currently sit top of the league in terms of hitting the woodwork (12 already).

Let's look at the match stats from ESPN soccernet:

Now, let's take a look at player's rating. A guideline as usual:

10: Brilliant – Superlative performance

9: Superb – Great performance

8: Remarkable – Very influential performance

7: Very good – Dazzling performance

6: Average – Good game

5: Below Average – Decent game; with some faults

4: Poor – Didn’t have any positive impact to the game

Reina: A disappointing night from the Spanish International as he pushed Murphy's shot towards Dempsey's path, and ended the Reds unbeaten run. However, he made a string of saves, mainly from Fulham's long shot in the 1st half. Rating: 6.5

Johnson: As usual, provide an attacking threat when come forward. Was the Reds most accurate passer with 86%. Rating: 7

Skrtel: Was forming good partnership with Agger. Hope both of them are available throughout the rest of the season. Had 1 shot on goal and complete 41/41 passing in his own half with 100% passing accuracy. Rating: 7

Agger: Solid at the back and confident taking the ball out from own area. The only disappointment was our team is not shown threat during set piece. Rating: 7

Enrique: Provided an attacking flair down the left. Confident when defense. Had a 1 shot on goal. Rating: 7

Spearing: He was replacement for Lucas. Didn't do his job really well in the 1st half as he left the spaces for Fulham's long shots. His game was much more improve in the 2nd half. Was Liverpool top tacklers of the game with 3 wons over 3 attempts. Still thinking that the red card was a harsh decision by the referee. Rating: 6

Henderson: Looked lively in this 3 men midfield. Not an outstanding performance from England under 21 skipper, but should been rewarded by the goal. He was the Reds best passer of the game with accuracy up to 95%. Rating: 7.5

Adam: The Scots' game was improving by time. Though we are yet to see the £10 million corner kick from him.He attempts 16 of ground duels. Rating: 7

Bellamy: Start the match as one of the 3 men attack. He had 3 shots which went wide. Had a good game that night. However, the yellow card lowered his rating Rating: 6.5

Carroll: The stats show that this big guy had done his job. Andy Carroll was the Reds player who won most of his ground & aerial duels and he was on par with Suarez in terms of chance created. The only two things he need to do is scoring goal and positioned himself better in opponent's penalty box area. Rating: 7

Suarez: Was hardworking as usual. Suarez had the most shot on goal with 5 attempts but only 1 on target. However, the hand gestures can't be accepted. Rating: 7

Match Preview: Fulham v Liverpool

For this BPL gameweek 14, the Cottagers will host the Reds. This Monday game will start on 8 pm London time. For Malaysian, you can watch through Stadium Astro, Channel 812 from 0355 to 0600. After watching the match, you can prepare to go for work..hehehe.

Last BPL’s meeting at Craven Cottage on 9^th May, the results favored Liverpool with 5-2 win where Maxi scored the hat-trick.

Fulham currently sit at the 15^th position in the league. Although they usually do well in BPL because of their home form, they only managed 1 win from 6 home games so far. The last draw was 1-1 against Arsenal. Just like Stoke City, they proved it is not easy to play European game at midweek and BPL game at weekend.

The Reds currently unbeaten in 9 BPL games so far. However, the absent of Lucas Leiva could prove crucial. Jonjo Shelvy had been recalled from his loan spell at Blackpool to provide cover. Most likely Jay Spearing will start in Lucas’ position.

The key battle in this match would be between Liverpool attacker and Fulham’s defender.

Possible Line Up

Fulham: Schwarzer, Gygera, Baird, Hangeland, Riise, Dempsey, Murphy, Dembele, Sidwell, Zamora, Johnson

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Kuyt, Spearing, Adam, Downing, Bellamy, Suarez

Mr I Prediction

Fulham 1 – 2 Liverpool; Dempsey for Fulham, Adam & Bellamy for Liverpool

Liverpool actually played their best football away from home this season as they managed to grab 4 wins out of 6 outings. This match could prove to be a physical with a lot of tackles and body contacts.

Player Rating: Liverpool v Manchester City

This week Super Sunday match was between Liverpool and Manchester City. The outcome for this game was 1-1 draw, way far from Mr I prediction.

Liverpool started the match with 4-5-1 formation, with Luis Suarez upfront support by Jordan Henderson. City also started the game with caution as they threw two defensive midfielder in 4-2-3-1 formation. Kun Aguero play as single striker supported by David Silva.

It was Manchester City who had an early foothold. The Reds look struggle to contain City’s attacking. However, the game looks balanced as the clock ticking up.

Manchester City got the goal lead from Vincent Kompany’s header near post upon received corner delivery from Silva. It was poor defending from the Reds. When you are defending, you need to be in front of the attacker. What happened was both Kuyt and Johnson were behind Kompany, and the Belgian took full advantage of it.

The Reds drew level upon Charlie Adam’s long shot deflected into own net by Joleon Lescott and send Joe Hart into wrong way.

As the match reached towards the final whistle, it was Liverpool who took the game to Manchester City. The Citizen played with 10 men after Balotelli received second booking after fouled on Skrtel. Mancini withdrew Aguero for Dzeko and Silva for Kolo Toure. Liverpool only change was Carroll on for Kuyt. Carroll almost scored a winning goal after he head the ball from Henderson’s cross. The only thing that denied him was Hart’s reflect.

On the other hand, Mr I still believes that this is the game Liverpool should have won. Credit to Kenny Daglish. He got the tactical right as the Reds nullified Aguero and Silva threat throughout the match.

Match Stats: Courtesy ESPN Soccernet

Here are some guidelines for the rating.

10: Brilliant – Superlative performance

9: Superb – Great performance

8: Remarkable – Very influential performance

7: Very good – Dazzling performance

6: Average – Good game

5: Below Average – Decent game; with some faults

4: Poor – Didn’t have any positive impact to the game

Reina: Very good performance from the Spaniard. He has also good at anticipating the ball as he cleared out two poor back pass from Enrique and Adam which can nearly lead to goal. Rating: 8

Johnson: Same as Kuyt, he was guilty for City’s 1^st goal. However, he did well to shut Nasri down. We even did not notice Nasri did play in the match until he was substituted by Balotelli. Provide the cross that nearly serves as Liverpool’s winning goal. Rating: 7

Skrtel: Solid as well. Hardly put the wrong foot. Rating: 7

Agger: Looks like he is going to form good understanding with Skrtel. Hope he stay fit through the season. Rating: 7

Enrique: His poor back pass almost cost Liverpool. Luckily Aguero failed to capitalize and Reina was quick enough to clear the ball. Despite that incident, he worked hard enough to keep Milner frustrated all the time. Rating: 6.5

Kuyt: Same as Johnson, Kuyt was also guilty for lose his man, resulting City’s 1^st goal. He saw his effort went wide in the second half. Was replaced by Andy Carroll. Rating: 6.5

Lucas: Again, a very good performance from Lucas. He provided cover for the back four and man marked Silva in the second half. He kept the pass simple and hardly lost possession. Rating: 8.5

Adam: Another good performance from Charlie Adam in Reds shirt. He was pulling the string from the middle of the park. Let’s not forget that Liverpool goal came in from his shot. A little bit disappointing as none of his corner produces a goal. However, same as Enrique, his poor back pass cause problem to Reina. Rating: 8

Downing: Linking well with Enrique on the left side of the field and provided some delicious cross too. Rating: 7

Henderson: Played on his natural position. Not involved in many of Liverpool attack in the 1^st half. However, he started to shine in the second half. Rating: 7

Suarez: The hardworking ‘El Pistolero’ once again unsettled the opponent’s defense. However, Suarez needs to improve on his first touch, in my opinion. Rating: 7

Carroll: Should be introduced earlier in the pitch. Despite 7 minutes remaining, Carroll managed to get 1 shot on target. Rating: 7

Match Preview: Liverpool v Man City

The mighty REDS will host the Sky Blue team (Manchester City) in the EPL gameweek 13. Stay tuned at Stadium Astro channel 817 from 2300 to 0230.

City will come to Anfield with 100% record without losing. They only dropped points upon give up 2 goals lead at Fulham. City is currently 5 points clear on top of the EPL. However, the recent game at Naples proves that they can be beaten.

Liverpool is currently sit in sixth position, same point as Chelsea and Arsenal. The REDS is unbeaten at home so far this season. Nevertheless, they already had drawn four of their six home games. Recent victory against Chelsea could prove vital.

Key battle in this match would be MIDFIELD. The team which can dominate the midfield area should come out winner.

As Liverpool spirits is extremely high at this moment, can they pull out an upset against the City?

Possible Lineup

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Kuyt, Lucas, Adam, Maxi, Bellamy, Suarez

Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Silva, Barry, Toure, Milner, Aguero, Balotelli

Mr I Prediction

Liverpool 2 – 0 Manchester City; with Suarez and Bellamy on the scoresheet.

Liverpool so far had struggle against the lesser opponents. But Mr I thinks that the REDS will triumph against the team who play open football. Some more, morale inside Liverpool’s dressing room is much higher compare to City.

Player Rating: Chelsea v Liverpool

Right..seperti yang dijanjikan, Mr I will give his player rating on the REDS recent encounter with Chelsea on the last Super Sunday match.

The mighty REDS have won the match where Maxi scored his 1^st goal of the season while Glen Johnson scored against his old club, and it is already 2 months since Fernando Torres score..hahaha.

Here are some guidelines; based on scale 4 to 10 you might want to know. I don’t think there is a player to perform below than 4.

10: Brilliant – Superlative performance

9: Superb – Great performance

8: Remarkable – Very influential performance

7: Very good – Dazzling performance

6: Average – Good game

5: Below Average – Decent game; with some faults

4: Poor – Didn’t have any positive impact to the game

Reina: As usual, commanding at the back and stand out Captain for the team. He brought confidence the team back four. Most notable was his point blank save to deny Ivanovic. Rating: 8

Glen Johnson: Good at going forward but poor at defending. Something that Johnson needs to improve. Couple of times did Johnson was given Malouda times & space. Perhaps Chelsea 1^st goal was from Malouda cross. However, he did finish the game with nice solo effort and important goal for us. Rating: 7

Martin Skrtel: Had a good game by keeping Drogba out of the bay. He won many aerial battles as well. Looks like Carra will be struggling to find his place back. Rating: 7

Daniel Agger: Very intelligent to intercept the pass and position himself. Had a solid game as well. Rating: 7

Enrique: He gave Mata a torrid time. However he failed to track down Sturridge and cost Liverpool the clean sheet. As Johnson is good at going forward, Enrique was largely ineffective when attacking. Rating: 6.5

Kuyt: Had a disappointing game. Apart from his hard work, he was hardly noticeable. He put the ball wide after great play by Henderson. Rating: 6

Lucas: Remarkable performance by the Brazilian in the defensive midfield area. He hardly put the wrong foot, broke the opponents play and track down every Chelsea’s player. Rating: 8

Adam: This is the best performance from Charlie Adam in the REDS so far. His noteworthy contributions were pressurized on Mikel resulting the 1^st goal and diagonal pass to Johnson for the match winning goal. Need to improve on set piece anyway. Rating: 8

Maxi: Daglish hands him 1^st Premier League start and Maxi repays his boss faith by scoring the 1^st goal. His off the ball running always worried the opponent’s defender. Yet he was fading badly in the 2^nd half, suspected due to the lacking match fitness and been replaced by Downing. Rating: 7

Suarez: Constantly worrying Chelsea back line. However he looks like unfocused and seemed unsettled. Been replaced by Caroll. Rating: 7

Bellamy: His intelligent and unselfish played causing havoc in the Chelsea defense. It is from his movement that Maxi scored the 1^st goal. Been replaced by Henderson. Rating: 7.5

Henderson: Another positive impact from Henderson. Most notable was he dribbled pass Cole and Terry to create chance for Kuyt. Rating: 7

Downing & Caroll: Not much impact to the game. Rating: N/A

This is ANFIELD

Hi again…=)

Once again Mr I came to the rescue as Mrs I was so lazy to update this famous blog…kakakaka. Lately Mr I was thinking about writing some of his thought about soccer, mainly about technical analysis and player rating. Since he is Liverpudlian, most of his thought would be based on the The Reds performance. So, stay tuned and stay alive. You’ll Never Walk Alone. This is ANFIELD!