Loan Sharks Issue 5
It has been a while since I've done a Loan Sharks Issue, yet we still have players on loan and I think it's a decent column to write up all the performances of the loanees.
Roma 2-3 Milan
Alberto Aquilani played the full 90 minutes for AC Milan. In this thrilling game he assisted all three Milan goals as every goal was headed in by each of his crosses. Aquilani continues to shine in Italy and it would no surprise if, come January, Milan look to buy a quality midfielder. On the back of the win, Milan topped Serie A for a few hours, however Juventus won the Derby D'Italia by beating Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro. Juventus now top the table with a 2 point lead.
Valenciennes v Lille
Joe Cole came on in the 77th minute to replace Moussa Sow. He played out a draw which sees Lille stay 3rd on 23 points. Cole has seen some fine form recently and remains something of a success at Lille.
Villareal 2-0 Rayo Vallecano
Dani Pacheco came off the bench in the 67th minute to see out a 2-0 loss to Villareal.
The loss leaves Rayo Vallecano in 9th position on 12 points.
Burnley 3-1 Blackpool
Jonjo Shelvey played the full 90 minutes for Blackpool in their loss to Burnley. The midfielder scored a decent goal deep into stoppage time at the end of the second half. He was also booked for a foul on Ben Mee.
The loss sees Blackpool on 19 points and in 13th place.
Bury 1-2 Stevenage
David Amoo didn't feature for Bury as they sank to a defeat. They are 18th on 16 points.
Rochdale 0-2 Leyton Orient
Stephen Darby and Nathan Ecclestone both played 68 minutes for Rochdale in their 2-0 loss to the O's.
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Hull
Peter Gulacsi sat out the 1-0 win on the bench. Hull continue to dominate their away fixtures, losing only 2 of their last 25 away matches. Hull are now 6th on 24 points and occupy a play off position.
Fortuna Dussledorf
Villyan Bijev hasn't featured for the Bundesliga 2 outfit yet.
Monday 31 October 2011
Sunday 30 October 2011
West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool 29/10/11
The media had been hyping this league encounter all week. It was the visit of the club that had forced Roy Hodgson out. Delicious stuff for the papers, including the last time we came to the Hawthornes we lost, a statistic often thrown around when discussing Roy and West Brom.
Finding decent form is a struggle for Liverpool at the moment, however a 2-1 win over Stoke at the Britannia Stadium in the Carling Cup fourth round, should provide the platform for a good run.
The Liverpool team set out as a 4-2-3-1. At the back there was a new centre back pairing of Skrtel and Agger as Johnson and Enrique took up their flank positions. The midfield boasted Lucas and Adam, behind the three of Downing, Henderson and Suarez. Carroll played up front on his own.
Dalglish was forced to leave the talismanic Gerrard and Carragher out of the side due to injury. Fans went into overdrive on twitter, on one hand salivating at the possibility of a Skrtel and Agger defence and on the other hand fearing the worst for the midfield. No one need have had a concern though.
Yesterdays game was dominated by Liverpool. They had 56% possession and 17 shots, 4on target, with 2 in the back of the net.
There weren't many controversies to speak about in the first half, Olsson clearly had an agenda to stop Suarez and Carroll, as he repeatedly fouled both and brought Carroll down in the box, without a penalty being awarded. Suarez was fouled running the ball out of the 18 yard area, Jay Emmanuel Thomas running a leg across Suarez.
Adam and Carroll argued over who would take the penalty, Adam brushed aside Carroll and placed the ball. He had to wait nearly a minute as two West Brom defenders tried to sandwich Carroll and prevent him running onto any rebound. Eventually Adam took it and slotted home easily enough.
West Brom didn't really mount a serious response to going behind and on the stroke of half time, into one minute of injury time, Lucas played out a killer pass on the outside of his right foot to Suarez. Suarez volleyed a first time pass to Carroll who was unmarked and who ran towards the goal, Foster rushed out to meet Carroll whose first touch was heavy, yet as Foster went to ground, Carroll poked a left footed shot through his legs and into the goal.
After the break it was relentless pressure from Liverpool, but the game was over. West Brom tried to mount attacks yet they had no real steam. Liverpool made one change, that of Suarez and Bellamy in the 81st minute.
All in all, it was a good days work from Liverpool, a clean sheet for Reina as captain and the partnership of Skrtel and Agger. It was always going to be a match of intense scrutiny from the fans as Carragher and Gerrard were both injured. However the class of Lucas and Adam shone through in the midfield with Henderson coming on in leaps and bounds. Skrtel and Agger seemed relaxed and their performance was full of bold moves to break up the play.
Liverpool back up to fifth and hoping for Tottenham and Newcastle to lose or draw. The race for fourth place is starting to take shape as Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool seem the likely candidates.
Finding decent form is a struggle for Liverpool at the moment, however a 2-1 win over Stoke at the Britannia Stadium in the Carling Cup fourth round, should provide the platform for a good run.
The Liverpool team set out as a 4-2-3-1. At the back there was a new centre back pairing of Skrtel and Agger as Johnson and Enrique took up their flank positions. The midfield boasted Lucas and Adam, behind the three of Downing, Henderson and Suarez. Carroll played up front on his own.
Dalglish was forced to leave the talismanic Gerrard and Carragher out of the side due to injury. Fans went into overdrive on twitter, on one hand salivating at the possibility of a Skrtel and Agger defence and on the other hand fearing the worst for the midfield. No one need have had a concern though.
Yesterdays game was dominated by Liverpool. They had 56% possession and 17 shots, 4on target, with 2 in the back of the net.
There weren't many controversies to speak about in the first half, Olsson clearly had an agenda to stop Suarez and Carroll, as he repeatedly fouled both and brought Carroll down in the box, without a penalty being awarded. Suarez was fouled running the ball out of the 18 yard area, Jay Emmanuel Thomas running a leg across Suarez.
Adam and Carroll argued over who would take the penalty, Adam brushed aside Carroll and placed the ball. He had to wait nearly a minute as two West Brom defenders tried to sandwich Carroll and prevent him running onto any rebound. Eventually Adam took it and slotted home easily enough.
West Brom didn't really mount a serious response to going behind and on the stroke of half time, into one minute of injury time, Lucas played out a killer pass on the outside of his right foot to Suarez. Suarez volleyed a first time pass to Carroll who was unmarked and who ran towards the goal, Foster rushed out to meet Carroll whose first touch was heavy, yet as Foster went to ground, Carroll poked a left footed shot through his legs and into the goal.
After the break it was relentless pressure from Liverpool, but the game was over. West Brom tried to mount attacks yet they had no real steam. Liverpool made one change, that of Suarez and Bellamy in the 81st minute.
All in all, it was a good days work from Liverpool, a clean sheet for Reina as captain and the partnership of Skrtel and Agger. It was always going to be a match of intense scrutiny from the fans as Carragher and Gerrard were both injured. However the class of Lucas and Adam shone through in the midfield with Henderson coming on in leaps and bounds. Skrtel and Agger seemed relaxed and their performance was full of bold moves to break up the play.
Liverpool back up to fifth and hoping for Tottenham and Newcastle to lose or draw. The race for fourth place is starting to take shape as Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool seem the likely candidates.
Thursday 27 October 2011
Stoke 1-2 Liverpool Carling Cup 4th Round 26/10/2011
Always a tough fixture, Stoke at the Britannia Stadium have almost become the byword for difficult and frustrating football. The long balls, the long thrown ins and the siege mentality that the team has, always makes for a match of intense pressure and attack, usually from the visitors.
Liverpool's last visit to the Britannia in the League Cup resulted in an 8-0 thrashing of Stoke, Jamie Carragher the only player left of that victory eleven years ago. With a record seven competition wins and having featured in the final eleven times, there is always an air of expectation with Liverpool. Last night they needed to deliver.
Liverpool set up with seven changes to the team that drew with Norwich at Anfield. Coates, Maxi, Kelly, Agger, Carroll, Lucas, Henderson and Spearing all came into the side. The formation looked like a loose 4-3-3 moving to a Liverpool usual 4-2-3-1 at times. Stoke also made changes, eight, yet still had a side out who could frustrate and possibly win.
The best of the chances in the first half came to Liverpool, Suarez hit the post, dragged wide and had two shots superbly saved. Carroll had a header wide, shot wide and also had a shot saved. It seemed it was to be one of those games that Liverpool are having recently, all shots and no glory.
However, Stoke had another idea, when gifted long ball fell to Walters, Coates attempted a clearance and got it horrendously wrong, allowing the ball to bounce. Walters wrestled the ball of the Uruguayan and lofted it in only for it to be headed low into the corner by Kenwyne Jones. The Stoke goal was from the only attempt on goal by the home team, yet Liverpool had had the bulk of the chances. Coates had been having a very decent game up until that point, however he needs to learn the English game just a little better.
There was a contentious decision about twenty minuNtes into the match when it seemed that Jamie Carragher handled the ball as he tackled, replays showed he not only handled the ball but also fouled Etherington. Carragher was awarded a yellow card.
After the break both teams started up much like they had left. Yet Dalglish had clearly taken Suarez to one side. After only right minutes of the second half Suarez collected a pass on the edge of the eighteen yard box, a superb run by Henderson so him take Huth away from Suarez who played the ball through the legs of Shotton and curl a ball into the far corner past Sorenson. It was a sublime goal and immediately lifted fans and players.
After the first goal it seemed only a matter of time until the winner. A headed clearance fell to Henderson who side volleyed the ball high into the air and Suarez, unmarked at the far post, headed a strong header into the goal.
The match then seemed to filter out until Stoke started to press for the equaliser. Several lofted passes, throws and corners resulted in chaos in the Liverpool box. Coates seemed to be at odds with the Stoke attack and hauled down several Stoke players, fortunately the referee didn't see, yet they were clearly fouls.
Suarez came off in the 86th minute, limping off he was congratulated by fans and players. He had stayed on his feet for most of the match and even had a penalty appeal turned down because he stayed on his feet. However, the brace he scored helped him to overcome the frustration of the matches against Manchester United and Norwich.
The game closed out uneventfully and there was much relief from the Liverpool fans as, at last, we converted some of our chances into goals. Seven shots and two goals. A good days work.
Suarez was easily the best Liverpool player on the night, yet the whole midfield put in avert convincing performance, Henderson and Spearing looked more decisive and creative. Coates needs to learn from his mistake yet I wouldn't judge him too harshly, he had a good game overall.
Liverpool go into the pot for the auarter final draw along with, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Blackburn.
Liverpool's last visit to the Britannia in the League Cup resulted in an 8-0 thrashing of Stoke, Jamie Carragher the only player left of that victory eleven years ago. With a record seven competition wins and having featured in the final eleven times, there is always an air of expectation with Liverpool. Last night they needed to deliver.
Liverpool set up with seven changes to the team that drew with Norwich at Anfield. Coates, Maxi, Kelly, Agger, Carroll, Lucas, Henderson and Spearing all came into the side. The formation looked like a loose 4-3-3 moving to a Liverpool usual 4-2-3-1 at times. Stoke also made changes, eight, yet still had a side out who could frustrate and possibly win.
The best of the chances in the first half came to Liverpool, Suarez hit the post, dragged wide and had two shots superbly saved. Carroll had a header wide, shot wide and also had a shot saved. It seemed it was to be one of those games that Liverpool are having recently, all shots and no glory.
However, Stoke had another idea, when gifted long ball fell to Walters, Coates attempted a clearance and got it horrendously wrong, allowing the ball to bounce. Walters wrestled the ball of the Uruguayan and lofted it in only for it to be headed low into the corner by Kenwyne Jones. The Stoke goal was from the only attempt on goal by the home team, yet Liverpool had had the bulk of the chances. Coates had been having a very decent game up until that point, however he needs to learn the English game just a little better.
There was a contentious decision about twenty minuNtes into the match when it seemed that Jamie Carragher handled the ball as he tackled, replays showed he not only handled the ball but also fouled Etherington. Carragher was awarded a yellow card.
After the break both teams started up much like they had left. Yet Dalglish had clearly taken Suarez to one side. After only right minutes of the second half Suarez collected a pass on the edge of the eighteen yard box, a superb run by Henderson so him take Huth away from Suarez who played the ball through the legs of Shotton and curl a ball into the far corner past Sorenson. It was a sublime goal and immediately lifted fans and players.
After the first goal it seemed only a matter of time until the winner. A headed clearance fell to Henderson who side volleyed the ball high into the air and Suarez, unmarked at the far post, headed a strong header into the goal.
The match then seemed to filter out until Stoke started to press for the equaliser. Several lofted passes, throws and corners resulted in chaos in the Liverpool box. Coates seemed to be at odds with the Stoke attack and hauled down several Stoke players, fortunately the referee didn't see, yet they were clearly fouls.
Suarez came off in the 86th minute, limping off he was congratulated by fans and players. He had stayed on his feet for most of the match and even had a penalty appeal turned down because he stayed on his feet. However, the brace he scored helped him to overcome the frustration of the matches against Manchester United and Norwich.
The game closed out uneventfully and there was much relief from the Liverpool fans as, at last, we converted some of our chances into goals. Seven shots and two goals. A good days work.
Suarez was easily the best Liverpool player on the night, yet the whole midfield put in avert convincing performance, Henderson and Spearing looked more decisive and creative. Coates needs to learn from his mistake yet I wouldn't judge him too harshly, he had a good game overall.
Liverpool go into the pot for the auarter final draw along with, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Blackburn.
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