just back from the match

[Gunga Din]

well, back for a while now, but you know the craic by now. anyway, a couple of years ago, even last season, that was one of those games that you thought we could fail in, not win, possibly lose, a tough game. Today, i felt none of that, turning up today, i expected nothing less than a win, against, IMO one of the best Spurs sides in years, certainly one of the best organised. Even at half time i had little doubt, despite the first half being poor. it shows just how much progress we have made under Rafa when teams like Spurs are coming to Anfield and trying to hold out for a point.

 

our workrate as a team today, was phenominal. infact, its been good all season, but were the last few years we have relied heavily on Gerrard, and before that Owen, this season, every single member of the team plays a very important role. we are a TEAM again, not a one man band, mot even a two man band. Arsenal rely so much on Henry, like we used to rely on Gerrard, the Mancs its Rooney and Ruud, but with us, we have moved away from that. yes, we have still our star players, the Gerrard's and Alonso's, but we dont rely on them. we rely on the team, the workrate of the team, the fantastic movement of the ball that allows us to pass the ball through even the most well organised midfield and defence. thats what has allowed us to go on the run we are on. We are only 11 points shy of our entire total for last saeson, and in mid January, in all our premiership games, and our three group games in the European Cup, we have only conceded in one game.

 

rafa is building something very special.

 

today was a tough game, Kewell topped of a fantastic display with a stunning goal, Spurs never got a sniff, i dont even think Defoe got a touch of the ball when he came on, and Mido and Keane certainly seen very little of it. onwards and upwards

YNWA

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

I thought Sissoko was boss today

[McBain]

I thought Sissoko was boss today

 

Rafa wouldn't like that

[£440,000]

top post, wayne.

 

it warms my heart to read stuff like that.

 

today was a hard game and we won. that's definitely a step forward. i love how this change happened almost without the world noticing.

 

suddenly, from looking shaky at the start of the season, we're looking like a true force, but a force without arrogance. the team is there to do a job and it does that job.

 

the current run of form isn't some flash in the pan. it's the result of a lot of hard work.

 

many pundits wrote us off at the start of the season. we weren't given a look in and now we're regarded as chelsea's closest rivals.

 

it's some transformation.

Edited January 14, 2006 by £440,000

[Benitez]

We are only 11 points shy of our entire total for last saeson, and in mid January, in all our premiership games, and our three group games in the European Cup, we have only conceded in one game.

 

 

Superb.

 

Another game today where we improved on last season's result.

 

We only conceded to the fecin Rent Boys at home in the league eh?

 

We where solid today, without actually playing as well as we have. They are a good team, and very organised, but they didn't really have many chances. Pepe had to make one good save. And they had one other excellent chance they couldnt' convert. Whereas Robinson had to make a couple good saves, and we let ourselves down with our finishing at times. But still there was the sense we could do something positive.

 

I think today we looked very Spanish-like in our play (there's fecin stating the obvious right??!). But the whole game - the attitude. The perseverance of playing football, rather than panicing. The ability to summon up something in a game we where not able to dominate. Getting the goal, and being very comfortable with that goal. We seem a panic free side right now.

Edited January 14, 2006 by Benitez

[Gunga Din]

I thought Sissoko was boss today

 

 

he was. he was excellent

[Murphman]

Finan had one of his best games in a red shirt and Kewell was superb, if it wasn't for the net his shot would have drilled a hole in the person sitting in row 1 WHAT a strike, for those who haven't seen it you're in for a treat.

 

Alonso had a poor game by his standards as did Riise but who givves a feck.

 

Bring on the mancs.

 

And on that note for those of you listening to the phone ins he's no longer 'Sir Alex' or 'Fergie' he's now officially FERGUSON.

 

Small time short memoried tossers.

[McBain]

We're on 44 now and i'm pretty sure despite the alcohol in my system that we got 58 last season

[Big G Superhero]

I'd call Keane's miss a pretty feisty sniff!

 

I thought we were a bit below par in a few areas today but still did more than enough to get the 3 points, which is promising, and dare I say, Chelski-esque.

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Alonso had a poor game by his standards

 

SHOOOOOTTTTT

[Gunga Din]

We're on 44 now and i'm pretty sure despite the alcohol in my system that we got 58 last season

 

 

sorry, you are right, it was 58. but on a counter point to that, we lost 14 league games last year. so far this, we have lost 2

[Big G Superhero]

SHOOOOOTTTTT

 

[sean]

Finnan's like a right winger these days, always there on the overlap. Brilliant today.

[McBain]

sorry, you are right, it was 58. but on a counter point to that, we lost 14 league games last year. so far this, we have lost 2

 

I'll drink to that!

[Big G Superhero]

Finnan's like a right winger these days, always there on the overlap. Brilliant today.

 

Riise worked very hard going forwards today too. Thought he had a good game apart from the mistake leading up to the Keane chance.

[pipnasty]

our workrate as a team today, was phenominal. infact, its been good all season, but were the last few years we have relied heavily on Gerrard, and before that Owen, this season, every single member of the team plays a very important role. we are a TEAM again, not a one man band, mot even a two man band. Arsenal rely so much on Henry, like we used to rely on Gerrard, the Mancs its Rooney and Ruud, but with us, we have moved away from that. yes, we have still our star players, the Gerrard's and Alonso's, but we dont rely on them. we rely on the team, the workrate of the team, the fantastic movement of the ball that allows us to pass the ball through even the most well organised midfield and defence. thats what has allowed us to go on the run we are on. We are only 11 points shy of our entire total for last saeson, and in mid January, in all our premiership games, and our three group games in the European Cup, we have only conceded in one game.

 

 

YNWA

 

 

Good stuff, as always.

 

Like many people, I had a few worries about whether we could cope with our Christmas schedule, especially with the trip to Japan beforehand. And then once that was over, could we then cope with the quite tricky Spurs game followed by 5 other tricky / difficult games, United, Chelsea and Arsenal included in that. But I think it shows how far we have come on mentally that I am confident about the next 5 games, as I was today. I will be disappointed now if we lose any of these games and I wouldn't be surprised if we won them all - cos this is what good sides do. And you can bet that if the fans are thinking this, then the players and staff are too - quietly confident.

And as you said Wayne, we are learning to not rely on one or two players and that is so important. We can now accomadate the loss of players, either down to injury, suspension or lack of form, and the signings of Aggar and Kronkamp have really helped that too. We are not quite 'there' yet, but we are getting there very quickly and it will frightening when we do.

Games like today win championships.

Edited January 14, 2006 by Pipnasty

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

SHOOOOOTTTTT

 

I swear I was the first to crack that joke today

 

the Kop were just copying me

[Scally Bob]

Several players today didn't perform as well as we know they can but because the team works as a unit we can accommodate one or two below-par showings. The workrate was phenomenal. We won as a team today, Rafa must be made up.

 

I think Spurs are the best footballing side to have visited Anfield this season and Jol deserves credit for what he's done there. Tactically they were good and they rarely gave the ball away-I think that's why we seemed to be playing out time towards the end. I was impressed with Mido, Carrick and Dawson.

 

If you go back a year or two the recent run of games would have had us all saying we can win eight out of eleven or something but we'd have W4, D4, L3 or something. I am confident about going to Old Toilet next wek as I genuinely believe we can win there. And the upcoming games will show the real progress we have made and hopefully shut up the blerts who say we had a good run because we were playing poor teams.

 

What a pleasure it is again going the match. If only the Bitters had lost it would have been a perfect set of results.

[Murphman]

That Ledley King is feckin awesome and Davids still knows his way around too.

[sean]

And young Carrick's a tidy user of the ball too. A bit one-paced and doesn't influence the game enough but a sweet player nonetheless.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

Mido could do with washing his hair

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

what was that bandage on Riise's arm all about? Has the div had a tattoo?

[cochyn]

Credit to Spurs, they came here to give us a game. No way did they play for a 0-0, they were up for it. But, we bagged them up and sent them on their way, much like we've done everyone (almost ) so far. Fair result I thought, and it was great to see Kewell lash in a thunderbolt of a goal. Great work all round! And eh? Who says we need a right winger? Momo was a revelation!

 

what was that bandage on Riise's arm all about? Has the div had a tattoo?

 

Tennis elbow?

[Knox_Harrington]

another thing, michael carrick, league 2 footballers haircut. have a word k****ead.

Spot on. He needs to have a good long look at himself.

[Koogan]

Sami was back to his best as well. In fact he looked sharp out there. Some of them interceptions were top class and he'll soon get those 2-3 goals he scores every season.