Finished my second internal exam.7 papers. Straight. I'm knackered. Oh wait. I have one more end posting exam on Saturday. Dammit. Sabar Husna. Final year akan berakhir 4 bulan je lagi.
Well exam didn't stop me from watching the game yesterday. I was planning to peek through my books, checking the score every now and then, but then our El Nino was too good y'all. He scored after just 3 minutes into the game with a superb goal which got me excited so I shoved my books away.
Well I'm sure you guys watched the game. Need not say anything more do I? Gerrard basically mocked those pundits who suggested that he has not been playing at his best all season. Fine display yesterday. Like Shebby Singh rightly pointed out, Liverpool performance yesterday was refreshing. Some good movements, excellent quick and clever passings, a few tricks here and there. It's like watching the mighty Liverpool play. Lotsa positives. Insua certainly has put his Old Trafford nightmare behind him, tightly locked in his closet. Johnson's amazing. Want to say a thing or two about him, but I think I'll wait till the end of the season. Agger could do better with his headers though, he already wasted a few good chances before too. Babel's looking okay, positive attitude, I'm liking him again. Maxi showed good understanding with Torres, Kuyt and Gerrard.
Fernando Torres. Top man, he is. 21 league appearances and he's scored 19. Amazing for someone who's been unfit for a good part of the season. I really, really, really hope he's staying coz without him, we're doomed. Hicks and Gillet you better give Rafa the funding he needs!!
Theme song: American Idiot by Greenday
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Liverpool 3 Lille 0
Might as well write the match review while I'm at it. I haven't been sleeping for 20hours yet I manage to stay awake. My eyes pop open when Lucas makes that magnificent run into the penalty box moments before he's brought down and gifted a penalty. Well of course Gerrard doesn't make mistake with it. 1-0 before you know it.
Liverpool dominate most part of the first half. Lucas picks out some great passes in the midfield, looks like he's employed in a more attacking role. Our fullbacks Insua and Johnson are positioned higher up in the field. Attacking.
There is one nervy moment of defensive lax when Hazard picks Agger's half-cleared ball in Liverpool half, dribbles past our sleeping defense to get one on one with Reina. Fortunately Reina has a thick skull. He saves with his head.
Torres looks super sharp. If you are listening closely, you can just hear Vidic's ass twitching in terror. Perhaps he needs adult's diaper come this Sunday. Wasn't an easy finish for the second goal, but he's Torres, he makes everything looks easy when he's fit. Gerrard is having a good game too, clearly getting back to his best. Timely.
Lille try to get back in the game. There are a few times when they look close to scoring. Nervy, as they only need a draw to progress.
Babel looks a different player lately. He works hard on the field, he even tracks back. He picks the cleared ball from a Lille corner in our half and sends the ball straight to Torres up field. Torres runs with the ball, Lille keeper comes out when Torres takes a shot but its too late, Adil Rami can only watch the ball rolls into the empty net. Kuyt is a little quiet, nevertheless his game isn's as bad as the few recent ones.
So. Quarter final. This is the only cup to play for. Play with your heart (and head) boys. We are counting on you. A trophy would be just nice to clear the dust in our trophy cabinet.
p/s: wrote this in 10 minutes. record ;)
Liverpool dominate most part of the first half. Lucas picks out some great passes in the midfield, looks like he's employed in a more attacking role. Our fullbacks Insua and Johnson are positioned higher up in the field. Attacking.
There is one nervy moment of defensive lax when Hazard picks Agger's half-cleared ball in Liverpool half, dribbles past our sleeping defense to get one on one with Reina. Fortunately Reina has a thick skull. He saves with his head.
Torres looks super sharp. If you are listening closely, you can just hear Vidic's ass twitching in terror. Perhaps he needs adult's diaper come this Sunday. Wasn't an easy finish for the second goal, but he's Torres, he makes everything looks easy when he's fit. Gerrard is having a good game too, clearly getting back to his best. Timely.
Lille try to get back in the game. There are a few times when they look close to scoring. Nervy, as they only need a draw to progress.
Babel looks a different player lately. He works hard on the field, he even tracks back. He picks the cleared ball from a Lille corner in our half and sends the ball straight to Torres up field. Torres runs with the ball, Lille keeper comes out when Torres takes a shot but its too late, Adil Rami can only watch the ball rolls into the empty net. Kuyt is a little quiet, nevertheless his game isn's as bad as the few recent ones.
So. Quarter final. This is the only cup to play for. Play with your heart (and head) boys. We are counting on you. A trophy would be just nice to clear the dust in our trophy cabinet.
p/s: wrote this in 10 minutes. record ;)
There can only be one winner
So there is another outburst from yet another Liverpool player regarding the way Rafael Benitez manages the club and players. This time the player in question is Albert Riera.
Lets look at this from one perspective. Whether his allegations are true or not, that we don't know. We don't know what is actually going on in the dressing room, but what we know is this: Riera is behaving unprofessionally.
He claims that he does not play enough games this season. Does he forget that he's been injured for a good part of the season?
He says Rafa thinks he's in charge. Excuse me Albert, it's bleeding obvious that Rafa Benitez IS in charge.
He also claims that Benitez never talks to him. Everybody knows that Benitez does not graduate from the Harry Redknapp's School of Man Management. He is indifferent and dismissive to all the players, it's the way he works. Not saying that his way is correct, but as a professional you have to deal with it. Not everybody likes their bosses, it happens in other professions too.
Who does he think he is? If those allegations were made by, say, Steven Gerrard, or Fernando Torres, or Jamie Carragher, or Pepe Reina, or Javier Mascherano, they would at least have some credibility. Riera has been here for one and half season. While his performance sometimes convincing, he lacks in consistency and certainly not a power figure in the team. It's a shame he has to make his feelings public, I've always thought he's a good option on the left.
So he's saying that the lack of playing time is jeopardizing his chance to be included in Spain's World Cup squad? His solution to this is thrashing his manager on Spain's national radio. What a way to get back in the manager's good books. Here's an idea: why not do the talking on the pitch? I'm sure there are lots of ways to make yourself good in Rafa's eyes again. 1) You can train hard 2) Get fit. You've been injured for long 3) Why not get some games with the reserves like Pennant used to do, it will help with your match fitness.
Take Yossi Benayoun for example. He wasn't a regular before last season, yet he never bad-mouthed his manager in public. He tried hard to earn his place in the starting eleven. Now look where his effort and professional conduct get him. I'm not a fan of Ryan Babel too because of his history of thrash-talking the gaffer on the media and his infamous tweet episodes, but he's been playing well of late, so I'll give him credit where credit is due. Robbie Keane has never been Rafa's best buddy, worse still Rafa ends his time at Liverpool prematurely, yet he never talks bad about Rafa to the press. You're a professional, you've got to behave professionally. If a doctor talks like this about another doctor, lets say his superior/supervisor, he could be sued for this.
Oh, I think I need to mention that his agent has been shamelessly trying to get Barcelona to sign him since last season. I mean, like seriously??
If he thinks his outburst would better the situation, he's wrong. In this Albert Riera vs Rafa Benitez battle, there can only be one winner, and it's certainly not Albert Riera, because you Riera does not matter.
Disclaimer: This is not me showing blind faith to the manager or what, this is just me thinking that Riera's behaviour is unacceptable and, quoting Drogba, "fucking disgrace". So don't bombard me with anti-Rafa sentiments. Peace no war. YNWA.
Lets look at this from one perspective. Whether his allegations are true or not, that we don't know. We don't know what is actually going on in the dressing room, but what we know is this: Riera is behaving unprofessionally.
He claims that he does not play enough games this season. Does he forget that he's been injured for a good part of the season?
He says Rafa thinks he's in charge. Excuse me Albert, it's bleeding obvious that Rafa Benitez IS in charge.
He also claims that Benitez never talks to him. Everybody knows that Benitez does not graduate from the Harry Redknapp's School of Man Management. He is indifferent and dismissive to all the players, it's the way he works. Not saying that his way is correct, but as a professional you have to deal with it. Not everybody likes their bosses, it happens in other professions too.
Who does he think he is? If those allegations were made by, say, Steven Gerrard, or Fernando Torres, or Jamie Carragher, or Pepe Reina, or Javier Mascherano, they would at least have some credibility. Riera has been here for one and half season. While his performance sometimes convincing, he lacks in consistency and certainly not a power figure in the team. It's a shame he has to make his feelings public, I've always thought he's a good option on the left.
So he's saying that the lack of playing time is jeopardizing his chance to be included in Spain's World Cup squad? His solution to this is thrashing his manager on Spain's national radio. What a way to get back in the manager's good books. Here's an idea: why not do the talking on the pitch? I'm sure there are lots of ways to make yourself good in Rafa's eyes again. 1) You can train hard 2) Get fit. You've been injured for long 3) Why not get some games with the reserves like Pennant used to do, it will help with your match fitness.
Take Yossi Benayoun for example. He wasn't a regular before last season, yet he never bad-mouthed his manager in public. He tried hard to earn his place in the starting eleven. Now look where his effort and professional conduct get him. I'm not a fan of Ryan Babel too because of his history of thrash-talking the gaffer on the media and his infamous tweet episodes, but he's been playing well of late, so I'll give him credit where credit is due. Robbie Keane has never been Rafa's best buddy, worse still Rafa ends his time at Liverpool prematurely, yet he never talks bad about Rafa to the press. You're a professional, you've got to behave professionally. If a doctor talks like this about another doctor, lets say his superior/supervisor, he could be sued for this.
Oh, I think I need to mention that his agent has been shamelessly trying to get Barcelona to sign him since last season. I mean, like seriously??
If he thinks his outburst would better the situation, he's wrong. In this Albert Riera vs Rafa Benitez battle, there can only be one winner, and it's certainly not Albert Riera, because you Riera does not matter.
Disclaimer: This is not me showing blind faith to the manager or what, this is just me thinking that Riera's behaviour is unacceptable and, quoting Drogba, "fucking disgrace". So don't bombard me with anti-Rafa sentiments. Peace no war. YNWA.
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