RedNik

The thing is, he doesnt seem to be the kind of right back that chelsea would need. Usually playing a 4-3-3 means that width on the right flank comes from the forwards - previously duff or robben, now swp. Now undoubtedly chelski wants a quick right back to fill in unoccupied space in midfield too, but I dont think he'll get very much license on the ball, with the system Mourinho is running. Anyways, looks like chelsea is having to go through the same crap that we did - top stuff! It would be a gamble for chelsea too Hassony mate, because its clear that Abramovich is now starting to want some ROI. Think about it, you cant endlessly sink your own fortune into a club.

This game could tell us a lot about future squads, especially in big games, and how we will be organized etc. Its at home, and we're likely to go for the win, and play some solid football. It'll be interesting to see what Rafa does with his midfield - will he try to exploit johnson through Babel, or will he go for more experience in Jonny, who has done well against chelsea. You'd have to imagine that if we field Arbeloa at left back, then our first choice back 4 is clear. Riise will have to step up his performances on the wing, and mainly his ball retention skills - even if he doesnt try to take players on, he must retain posession. I imagine Rafa will approach this the way we have European fixtures at home. Look to boss the game through direct football, but at the same time ensure that we aren't vulnerable to conceding - something thats very important against a defensively organied chelski.

Dos Santos in Barcelona.... reckon he'll be in that first list pretty soon.

I dont see Momo leaving in january. Aside from Masher not being tied to us on a long contract, Momo will be off in Africa for a good month or so - making a transfer difficult, and less necessary (from Sissoko's playing time perspective).

Good read... not go the trademark quality of a Babelfish translation, but it'll do.

Surely if any two are similar, its Voronin and Kuyt. What exactly do Voronin and Crouch do similarly?

Memory might be failing me, but I thought Drogba caused us problems at Anfield? Either way, Agger will probably play, because Hyypia probably will have difficulty with the short turnaround between games. Also rafa picked agger and carra when going up against Carew. Intersting that Carra was marking Carew that night, but against chelski atleast, Agger marks Drogba.

Does he not get to use the heat as an excuse?

I'd actually like him to start against Chelsea on sunday. Dont get me wrong, Agger is boss, but I think Sami is way more equipped to handle Drogba. Agger struggled against Drogba the last time out - mind you he also scored and made fun of Drogba being a cry baby.

Kaizers on it. There is though entirely a possible that Rafa will pick certain players for european games - eg. Garcia. Number of factors could be behind this, style of play, opponent, big game appetite/nerves etc.

Drogba has had 1 excellent season. His play was decent in years before, but finishing and goals return were schite.

Is Kewell fit or not? People messing with me mind here.

Its not consistent enough and lets him down in the opposition penalty box some times.

Hammy/ groin or something new? When did he do it - in training?

He didn't have the pace to beat both defenders there, and probably should have shot after his first touch. Either way, he had 2 excellent shots from almost nothing that almost creeped in. He also nearly and probably should have stuck in one from riise's cross. He did a lot of legwork and created the first goal, and nearly tee'd one up for Babel. Its clear that Rafa will deploy him behind Torres, but he spent a lot more time further up the pitch than he did last season, and I think he'll get his fair share in time.

We need to try and exploit that however, by playing either yossi or babel on the left. Whats the news on Kewell anyway?

Either way, I don't think Rafa is under pressure to perform due to fear of losing his job. If we don't compete for the title this year, it will be a failure and that will lie on him - he will have no excuses. That being said, even if we finish outside the top 4, Rafa isn't going anywhere.

There is no evidence to even suggest that we were in for him.

Yeah I agree, he was ok, but at the same time, probably one of the worst performances on the pitch (for Liverpool that is). Pennant wasnt great either, but this is the problem really with Riise. It will only ever be ok, unless overshadowed by a goal or the odd assist.

He still lost the ball too many times, looking for a bail out call from the ref. More so than not being able to beat a man and create often, its his ball retention in midfield which just isnt good enough for me.

Gerrard Kuyt Babel

I think what we as fans also do unfairly is expect the best from him unconditionally. Against Milan, he was playing as a second striker (which may well be his weakest position). Likewise, in the last 2 years, he's been playing at right mid, where it is a) much harder for him to influence the game as much and b) against his natural instincts. Despite these circumstances, he's able to put in quality performances time and time again. Seeing back in the centre, and reproducing that form he had in Ged's last year here has been wonderful.

Probably true to an extent, he does maybe get talked up a bit more than he should, by virtue of being english or for whatever reason. At the same time, I don't think there is a more complete player in the game in Europe. Some of his performances against the big 3 in the league have been a bit disappointing, but he certainly doesnt go missing in big games. We both know this for a fact, and for you to call up a single instance when he wasn't boss (imo he wasnt poor in the final last season either), is unfair.

Its all a bunch of semantics. Clearly what was meant by the comment was that when he is on top of his game - he's virtually peerless. Nobody knows what mood he's really in, and I could easily claim the comment is TRUE, and that he is only stopped when not in the mood.

This is from Rafa's interview on the offal: How happy are you with your summer's work? I am really pleased with the squad now. You need to see the players after three or four months though, to see if they have settled and can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. At this moment, it's clear we have better players, more offensive players and the atmosphere in the squad is good. We have a lot of confidence. Have you enjoyed spending big money this summer? Enjoy is not the word, but I prefer to have some money. It's better to say, 'Okay, I want this player', and then see whether it can be done, rather than having to find a really cheap player. For me, this is why the net spend debate is pointless. It is clear that Rafa has had the funds he wanted to strengthen the squad. We recouped a lot of that from other players - which financially, was a great thing. Pressure is on him to improve us, and I think everyone will consider it a failure if we drop out of the title race before the final month/ month and half of the season. Likewise anything below 4th will be a massive failure, and finishing outside the top 3 will be disappointing. You cant just buy players and propel yourself to the top of the heap, thats why its called a team game, and I'm confident that in time, Rafa will get this set of players to gel. Also re right sided midfielder, we have Pennant, Yossi, and then Gerrard (in whichever order you choose) to play there. We clearly do have options, and I think Rafa will have yossi and pennant pushing one another for that starting spot this season. For me, its the left side that is more worrying, especially with Kewell again injured.