To the causal observer, a list of Liverpool’s troubles right now would probably begin with an unusually cruel injury list. Next would be their manager’s inability to purchase any useful players since Fernando Torres, and then a close third would be Rafa’s failure to produce a single young player of note since he arrived.
So no prizes for guessing what 10,000 Liverpool fans will be taking to the streets to whinge about on Sunday afternoon - the owners of course. “They haven’t built our new stadium” - although most fans want to stay at Anfield. “They don’t give Rafa enough money” - well they gave him £40m for Dossena, Keane, Babel and Riera so would you shell out any more in their position? “They must sell up now” - the Americans are trying their hardest to shift the club.
Still, why let a valid argument get in the way of a good afternoon’s whining up at Anfield? Walk on indeed…
1. England aren’t the only country with a dodgy keeper
Madrid - Milan was a terrific match, end-to-end and iced with a couple of wonderful goals. But there were also some dreadful goalkeeping on display, from two men who are in contention to be the custodians for two of the favourites to win in South Africa.
Iker Casillas had his worst game in a Madrid shirt for many years. Not only was he beaten by Andrea Pirlo’s 87 yard strike for the Milan equaliser, but he then made a terrific hash of a standard long ball, to allow the Duck to put the Rossoneri ahead.
2. Serie A is no longer the home of Catenaccio
Things aren’t what they used to be in Serie A. 17 goals in the four matches in which Italian sides were involved this week, shows that the days of tuning into Ch4, to watch Roma and Sampdoria pass the ball around the back four inside their own half, are well and truly over.
3. Frank Lampard needs a team built around him
Much flapping and excitement in today’s press, as the golden boy Frank Lampard returned to form last night with a goal and two assists against the awful Atletico. Less lauded however, was how Lamps was at his best due to once more having three midfielders screening him, allowing Frank effectively a free role. It’s this sort of indulgence that Lampard has become used to, and that Capello is trying to stamp out with England.
Steven Gerrard to a slightly lesser degree relies on the same indulgence - at his best in a free role with three midfielders in behind him. Many would argue the pair are so good, they are worth spoiling. Thespoiler isn’t so sure - Paul Scholes used to score 15 a season playing with just Roy Keane alongside him, let alone two others.
After a miserable 5-1 victory over the weekend, it was nice to see England produce something close to decent footie. Rooney - now sprouting terrifying neck hair - had a stonker, the England fans were so passionate about the anthems that they insisted on being a verse out of time, and Heskey got a well-deserved 50th cap. Here’s what else we found out:
1. England will always concede a goal at some point - albeit a fantastic one.
2. Heskey and Rooney work together as a front TWO.
3. We need someone like Hargreaves in the middle hurtling around, yapping away. Too much backing off gave Belarus their goal.
The scoreline flattered to deceive, England were horrendous against Kazakhstan. Barely a decent string of passes were strung, and half of the players had the look of men who’d rather be anywhere else other than playing at home for England. On the plus side, lessons are there to be learned for Capello, and here’s what we know:
1. Rooney must play in the centre of the front line, that’s where he scores goals from.
2. Upson looks shaky, so if JT’s going to insist in getting injured we need sufficient back up. Capello, get Carragher on the phone - Woodgate and King are too injury prone.
A city comes together united under one banner… well, two
Oh, everything’s been going wonderfully well at Anfield - The Reds finally beat Manchester United, and got their Champions League and Carling Cup campaigns off to a winning start. Just don’t mention Stoke, nobody needs to mention Stoke. What was that? The Stoke game? Ahh, you just had to say it didn’t you! What is WRONG with you people? Anyway, who gives one, we’ll all have forgotten about the lurching awkwardness of the Stoke game once Everton win the Merseyside derby and claim their throne as the Capital of Culture’s number one team. Here’s why Everton will definitely win:
1. Over the last five years the two teams have taken it in turns to win this fixture. Liverpool won 2-1 last year meaning that now it’s Everton’s turn.
2. Everton have only lost four Premier League home games in each of the last two seasons so having lost two already, their home form surely won’t last much longer.
3. Liverpool have triumphed in just sixteen of their last forty Premier League away games.
We can all deal with cheeky misleading headlines from two-bit football blogs (ahem), but from the BBC? The home of British decency and honesty, the cornerstone of everything that is great and good, the place where the news is delivered through a firmly pinched nose? How could they do this?
Does the armband belong back with Terry, or should it grace another bicep?
Stevie G was handed the captaincy in Capello’s first match in charge, but should he be in command at the France game next week, and indeed in the run up to 2010? Other contenders include John Terry (who is as much of a bully as Capello, but prone to injury, unnecessary aggression and illegal parking), Rio Ferdinand (who’ll probably be too busy and ‘merking’ people), David Bentley (a young player who is likely to feature prominently in the future), Micah Richards (whose favourite film is Home Alone) or Frank Lampard (whose favourite film is a tie between Dirty Dancing and The Notebook).
It seems that in the world of professional football, right backs and left backs are like the hospital porters compared to the glitzy surgeons nodding them in up front. Not one of the tireless wing-backs features in the Top Fifty earners - not even Mrs Gary Neville, who you would think demands money for breakfast.
Hence, the highest earning XI finds itself having to go with a 3-4-3 formation, which in modern footballing terms, is ridiculous. Still, here they are in all their wealthy glory:
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas (£114,750/week)
Defenders: Rio Ferdinand (£96,581), John Terry (£130,050), Sol Campbell (£105,188)
Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo (£122,400), Frank Lampard (£130,050), Steven Gerrard (£122,400), Michael Ballack (£124,313)
Forwards: Kaka (143,438), Ronaldinho (£135,788), Fernando Torres (£126,225)
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