So Cal Red

MOMO w/ a crunching tackle on Barton... automatic MOM!!

Babel has been awesome since coming on. Lucas has kept things very tidy in the midfield. very Xabi-esque performance! Torres has to score sooner or later... Crouchy getting instructions from Rafa.

"so one sided, its almost embarrassing"

quality/favorite players i've seen play enough from the the late 90s to today... this is going to be difficult but here it goes... ----------Buffon Cafu-Nesta-Cannavaro-Maldini ----Gerrard---Fabregas --Kaka--Zidane--Ronaldinho-- ------------Henry bench: Reina, Terry, Makelele, Messi, Ronaldo

status update or primary pic change?

agreed, even the booing showed a lack of passion! think its safe to conclude that all the foreigners in the domestic league are causing English players to play like sh*t.

i'm betting SCS brings on the FV before any striker

should have scrubbed harder. i think Cole, Lampard, & SWP supporting Crouch is actually pretty good. real question is: when will SCS bring on Beckham to rescue England?!

...which is why he reminds me of Clarence Seedorf. similar style & playing position (attacking left-midfielder). although i'd like to see Babel play on the right some more as well.

we still need ball carriers. Gerrard, Kewell (when fit), Babel, Torres (to an extent), & Pennant (reliable?) are all we have at the moment. a strong 2nd/supporting striker who can run at defenses is what we're really missing... along w/ a quality winger of course.

awesome strike! good control/dribbling & pass by Benayoun... Gerrard's strike through the keeper's legs! Zanzibar?

i think Benayoun (Garcia's replacement) should have figured from the start today. the guy is quality!!

imo, its the conservativeness approach when what we need is better balance to the side. i'd like to see Benayoun, Babel, & Crouch get a solid run of games but i doubt it'll happen.

Finnan's fine... Riise's the one who needs replacing. inept going forward (minus the occasional rocket shot) & a liability in defense. his sense of position is atrocious. really glad to have Arbeloa back!

we defended excellently... organized & as a unit... we are a great defending side. we lack pace & ability to really attack (like Arsenal does) - esp in the final third. too much ball-launching going on at the moment... we need to learn how to control & keep possession of the ball better while our pass & move game can also improve. i didn't like Kuyt & Voronin out wide AT ALL!! why not play Benayoun & Babel from the start? Crouch should have started, not Torres. hope the re-aggrevated injuries to Alonso & Torres aren't too bad.

Mascherano (my hero!) Carragher Gerrard

Babel just needs to hone his talents to be more effective i.e. knowing when to shoot, when to pass, when to take on players, etc... the talent is obviously there though. i think the end product will come if he is guided properly - which i believe he will/is.

a Torres & Kuyt partnership works best b/c they already have a great understanding & compliment each other's games perfectly.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...071028-1027.htm Cesc provides some good insight into Torres (who he describes as a horse ), Reina, Alonso, & Rafa. reckon he wishes he could play alongside them too. lets hope Alonso can back up the smack!

its just the effortless control & boundless vision that Zidane possessed that never failed to inspire me. he made it all look soooooo easy! i really wish he didn't retire. he probably could have still played at the highest level for a few more years.

agreed... w/ Torres & Kuyt up front.

heck, even the song goes well here! i don't know if we'll ever see another quite like Zidane - who has been the best player i have ever seen play the beautiful game... i think Ronaldinho gets close though... watching Zidane tear Brazil apart in that WC semi-final was like watching a maestro orchestrate his greatest symphony.

61 pages?!?!?! sure giving the VdV thread a run for its money!

exactly what i thought. Rafa was thinking ahead for the mid-week Besiktas match & Arsenal next Sunday. Gerrard getting injured or sent off in a heated derby would have been a major blow. i agree - which is why i think Gerrard would be more effective in a roaming/attacking role from the right side once Alonso returns. Alonso can dictate tempo & keep possession better than Gerrard - which helps the team by bringing everyone into the fold. agreed. BOTH players have their strengths & their weaknesses.