“Liverpool escaped with a goalless draw in their Europa League Group K clash in Utrecht after another disjointed and disappointing performance. A point in the Stadion Galgenwaard, where the hosts had won their previous six matches, was no disgrace but it was hardly one of those classic, gritty away performances in Europe.” (ESPN)
FC Utrecht 0-0 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Europa League
(The 90th Minute)
The Clash
“Last week was going so well for Arsenal fans. First, their youthful team thrashed North London neighbours, Spurs, in a glorious performance at White Hart Lane, driven forward by an inspirational display from young tyro Jack Wilshere, the poster boy for Arsenal’s strategy of developing players from their academy. Then, away from the pitch, the board announced a sparkling set of financial results that confirmed their status as the best-run club in the Premier League.” (The Swiss Ramble)
“Gaël Clichy’s aerial struggles, Gareth Barry’s all-round display against Chelsea, Ashley Young’s lateral movement and Michael Essien’s shooting” (Guardian)
“It was a busy day in the EPL with a few surprises including West Brom upsetting Arsenal at the Emirates. Other interesting results were Man City’s win over Chelsea and West Ham’s home victory over Tottenham.” (The 90th Minute)
“Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard once again came to his side’s rescue but it was referee Stuart Attwell at the centre of attention with an erratic display in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw at Anfield. The official, who awarded the infamous ‘ghost goal” in the Championship two years ago, allowed Dirk Kuyt’s opening strike to count after ruling Michael Turner had taken a free-kick when he appeared to roll it back to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.” (ESPN)
“Liverpool needs a morale-boosting home win over Sunderland on Saturday to relieve the pressure on manager Roy Hodgson at the end of a depressing week for the 18-time Premier League champions. After losing to rival Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford last weekend, Liverpool went down to an embarrassing League Cup third-round defeat on Wednesday to Northampton, a team struggling near the bottom of England’s fourth tier.” (Yahoo)
Football transfer rumours: Fernando Torres to Manchester City?
“Over the past few weeks the Mill has been ruminating on the tabloids’ attempts to coin a nickname for Liverpool’s manager Roy Hodgson. ‘Uncle Roy’ has done the rounds as have ‘Hodgy’ and ‘Hodgo’ but none have stuck. But today’s Mirror backpage splash of Steven Gerrard under the headline ‘Don’t panic’ has opened up a whole Dad’s Army world to explore and makes Hodgson perfect casting as ARP Warden Hodges, the officious bane of Captain Mainwaring’s life who has a tendency to undermine his authority by falling into rivers.” (Guardian)
Liverpool’s Gerrard sets target of top four finish
“Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has set a target of a top-four finish at the end of the season, maintaining that the 18-time champions will be happy to settle for fourth place. Liverpool have picked up just five points from as many games in the Premier League so far and suffered the humiliation of being dumped out of the Carling Cup by League Two Northampton Town on Wednesday. But while Gerrard stopped short of writing off their title challenge, he has set some realistic targets for the club this season.” (ESPN)
Reflecting on Northampton: Time is Running out for LFC’s Disappointing Squad Players
“The word will become etched into our collective consciousness in the same way Worcester, and to a certain extent, Burnley, and Wimbledon are. I can almost see the tortured faces of Babel, Lucas, Kyrgiakos et al as they travel past Northampton during future coach journeys to away games in London. (Assuming they remain Liverpool players and that they really care enough to be as humiliated as they should be.)” (Micro LFC)
Pierre Henri Revoil, Jeanne d’Arc in Prison in Rouen
“Real Madrid is broke. It was broke before completing the two most expensive transfers ever in 2009, bringing in Kaka for $86 million and Cristiano Ronaldo for $123 million. And it was broke when setting the previous transfer records, buying Luis Figo for $57 million in 2000 and Zinedine Zidane for $71 million in 2001.” (ESPN)
“Liverpool blew one of their best chances of winning a trophy this season after suffering an embarrassing penalty shoot-out Carling Cup defeat against League Two side Northampton at Anfield. Having taken a ninth-minute lead through Milan Jovanovic, his first goal since joining the club from Standard Liege in the summer, the hosts should have wrapped up the third-round tie.” (ESPN)
Hodgson position not under threat
“Roy Hodgson’s future at Liverpool does not appear to be under any threat following the Carling Cup defeat to Northampton. Hodgson took charge of Liverpool under difficult circumstances this summer, having to work with limited transfer funds after last season’s seventh-place finish.” (ESPN)
“The early rounds of the League Cup have built up something of a reputation for low attendances in recent years. With season ticket prices being the price that they are these days, the majority of people have to pick and choose what games they go to over and above their pre-allocated league fixtures, and the League Cup is usually somewhere near the bottom of the list of priorities, somewhere between the Johnstones Paint Trophy or Europa League Qualifying Round Qualifiers and pre-season friendlies against Greenland or Freddie Starr’s All-Starr XI. The modern football ground isn’t designed for such scenes.” (twohundredpercent)
“I take a month off to deal with some personal business (successfully, thanks for asking) and look what happens in the world of football. When I last looked, Liverpool’s ownership situation was one of utter chaos, with the current owners insisting on handsome reward for their failures – just like any other bankers. Blackburn Rovers were about to be taken over by an Indian businessman about which little was known.” (twohundredpercent)
“Argent a Cormorant in the beak a Branch of Seaweed called Laver all proper.”
“Watching Liverpool thus far this season, it’s apparent that things are not how they are supposed to be. They are not scoring as they should and they are not really that convincing at the back. Roy Hodgson admitted that his transfer activity was a bit limited, but as they say, the show must go on. Until January or even the summer, Hodgson’s managerial credentials and experience would be put to the ultimate test. He is going to have to make the best out of the club’s current plight. His playing staff, although threadbare, is by no means hopeless. How can he get the best out of them and thus stop the club from it’s ignominious free-fall into oblivion?” (Flix and Trix)
“I have a new piece in Slate about the Hicks-Gillett-Glazers tycoon implosion and the fan protests at Liverpool and Manchester United. While I was working on the piece, it occurred to me that in this age of billionaire owners, in which every club, no matter how Portsmouth-y, can be plausibly linked to a gasp-wrenching imaginary stock portfolio, there are really two kinds of billionaires: billionaires and fake billionaires. Billionaires live in space, sleep in chocolate and eat a helicopter as a snack. Fake billionaires drive around looking important on the way to being yelled at by suburban bank managers.” (Run of Play)
“This week we look at Cheick Tioté’s debut performance, Liverpool’s shooting, Ahmed Elmohamady’s tackling and Manchester City’s passing strategy” (Guardian)
“Manchester United threw away another two-goal lead – but a Dimitar Berbatov hattrick saved them. Sir Alex Ferguson went with a 4-4-2 – the first time he has done this in a ‘big’ game since Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over United last season. John O’Shea moved to right-back to replace Gary Neville. Roy Hodgson went for Fernando Torres upfront alone at the top of a compact side. Raul Meireles was the link player, with Steven Gerrard deeper in midfield. Joe Cole made his return on the left side of midfield.” (Zonal Minute)
Berbatov treble inspires United
“Sir Alex Ferguson was indebted to the “genius” of Dimitar Berbatov after the Bulgarian’s brilliant hat-trick floored Liverpool at Old Trafford. Every single member of the United side had need to thank Berbatov at the end after they had tossed away a two-goal advantage against Merseyside opposition for the second weekend running, only for the former Tottenham man to net the winner six minutes from time.” (ESPN)
Match Of The Week: Manchester United 3-2
“Manchester United vs Liverpool. Aon vs Standard Chartered. Nike vs Adidas. The warm, sticky smell of testosterone and hubris hangs large in the air this afternoon for this match, but all is not well at either Old Trafford or Anfield. Manchester United are still unbeaten since the start of the season, but they are a curiously unsatisfactory team this season so far.” (twohundredpercent)
Dimitar Berbatov’s hat-trick halts Liverpool’s spirited recovery
“Dimitar Berbatov has so far been taking personal responsibility for Manchester United’s Premier League campaign. Liverpool had come back to draw level after being 2-0 down but with five minutes left the striker climbed to meet a John O’Shea cross and head the winner. He has now scored in four of his club’s five league matches to date.” (Guardian)
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
(The 90th Minute)
Triumph of Death – Pieter Bruegel
“Two historic matches take place in the industrial heartlands of England and Germany this Sunday that throw into focus just how little Premier League fans have been able to influence boardroom change. Thousands of Liverpool supporters will make the trip to watch their team play Manchester United at Old Trafford, with large majorities of both sets of fans unhappy about the way their clubs have been run by their respective American owners. Over in Germany, thousands of Borussia Dortmund fans are similarly unhappy – with the major difference that they will not be travelling to watch their team take on Schalke in the Bundesliga.” (BBC)
“Midfielder Joe Cole scored the quickest European goal in Liverpool’s illustrious history to set his under-strength side up for a 4-1 victory over Steaua Bucharest at Anfield. The England international took just 25 seconds of their opening Europa League Group K match to find the net for his first strike since joining on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 4-1 Steaua Bucharest: A Flattering Scoreline For A Faltering Liverpool B Team
“Perhaps more than most sports, football excels in creating and sustaining clichés. A game of two halves doesn’t tell the whole story of Liverpool’s match against Steaua, but it’s pretty damn accurate. We take a look at the game in more detail and consider why things changed so dramatically after half time. Liverpool began the game in a 4-2-3-1 formation which featured multiple changes from the Birmingham match.” (Micro LFC)
Liverpool 4-1 Steaua Bucharest – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Europa League – 16 September 2010
(The 90th Minute)
Roy Hodgson
“Liverpool secured a draw against a determined and robust Birmingham side, but were once again dominated in midfield. Although Konchesky and Merieles made their debuts, there weren’t many positives from this encounter for Liverpool. We review the game and look at where the Reds need to improve.” (Micro LFC)
“Roy Hodgson launched a robust defence of Fernando Torres last night after the Spanish striker’s ineffective display in Liverpool’s goalless draw at Birmingham City drew stinging criticism. Torres was once again a peripheral figure as Liverpool were fortunate to escape with a point – José Reina produced two outstanding first-half saves, to deny Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner.” (Guardian)
José Reina asks Liverpool fans to be patient and realistic
“José Reina has given a brutally honest assessment of Liverpool’s prospects this season by admitting it could be “a while” before the club are capable of finishing in the top four, never mind challenging for the title. The Liverpool goalkeeper’s comments will do little to improve the mood at Anfield after an uninspiring start to the season but Reina has pleaded for patience and urged the club’s supporters to be ‘realistic’ about their expectations.” (Guardian)
“This week we look at Nani’s preference to play on the right, Arsenal’s short passing, Andy Carroll’s physical dominance, and Milan Jovanovic’s poor crossing.” (Guardian)
“Liverpool were indebted to a superb display from goalkeeper Pepe Reina for earning a point against Birmingham in a goalless Premier League clash at St Andrew’s. Reina produced excellent reflex saves to keep out point-blank headers from Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner in the first-half and the home side were also left to regret spurning a hat-trick of clear-cut chances.” (ESPN)
Pepe Reina denies Birmingham City victory over lacklustre Liverpool
“Goals were lacking, but there was much to consider. Birmingham City ought to have won this game and while that was no shock it pointed once more to the waning of Liverpool. Roy Hodgson’s side did raise their work-rate in the second half, but the quality of their display was still flat.” (Guardian)
Why Paul Konchesky Won’t Flop At Liverpool
“Liverpool’s pursuit for a new left-back is finally over. Ahead of Konchesky’s debut tomorrow, James Owens explains why Konchesky was the best option available and why he’ll be a success at Anfield.” (MicroLFC)
“The transfer window is firmly shut and it’s time for Hodgson’s Liverpool to knuckle down and show us what they’re capable of. Ahead of Sunday’s clash with Birmingham Roy Hodgson sat down for a chat with Liverpoolfc.tv and reflected on the summer’s transfer activity.” (MicroLFC)
“Twenty years ago, it would have been obvious what Steven Gerrard was. He has boundless energy, a ferocious shot and an extraordinary capacity for bending games to his will. Think of his goals against Germany in the 2001 World Cup qualifier in Munich, against Olympiakos in the 2005 Champions league quarterfinal and against West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup final. On each occasion, as the ball dropped to him, there was a magnificent inevitability about the ball flashing from his boot into the net. There was something of the comic book about him, a hero who always did what was needed just when it was needed.” (SI)
“Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt will be sidelined for four weeks after injuring his shoulder while on international duty with the Netherlands. The 30-year-old suffered the injury while training for Tuesday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Finland and returned to Liverpool for tests.” (BBC)
“With Javier Mascherano refusing to play, a response to the Liverpool board rejecting a derisory bid from Spanish giants FC Barcelona, Roy Hodgson had a tactical headache. He had options to replace El Jefecito with youngster Jay Spearing or risk Christian Poulsen, who was recovering from his debut on Thursday. This would have resulted in Steven Gerrard playing in an advanced midfield role, something of a ‘hot topic’ among football-fans. However, Roy Hodgson opted for a 4-4-2 with Gerrard and Lucas in midfield with N’Gog and the now-fit Fernando Torres up-front.” (Talking about Football)
Michael Owen
“I wasn’t a big fan of posters as a child. It didn’t help that my room was incredibly tiny with wall space was at a premium. Nevertheless, I made an exception for one player. Twice. A picture of a home-grown teenager in Liverpool red sat on my wall next to a horrific hand-drawn image in an England shirt. His eyes were the wrong colour and I had misjudged the lining up of his arms with the bottom half of his body, creating a valley on his shoulder where I had gone down then up to correct my mistake. However limited my artistic skills were, he was instantly recognisable by the number 20 on his chest.” (The Equaliser)
“The variety and skills offered by the new Liverpool player have been overlooked with the England manager instead selecting five wingers, including Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Young. In another surprising move, Capello has picked Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe, despite the Tottenham Hotspur pair being doubtful with injuries. Capello wants them to report to The Grove at 4pm today, when Crouch’s rib problem and Defoe’s hernia complaint will be assessed.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
“In a league of Abramoviches and Glazers, and mid-ranking clubs dreaming of oligarchs and oil barons to bail them out, Arsenal’s owners have always stood out as somewhat of a curiosity. Yes, they may have both a Russian tycoon in Alisher Usmanov and an American billionaire investor in Stan Kroenke, but the club has been run by the Hill-Wood family since 1929 and takes pride in their plurality of ownership. What’s more, unlike several of England’s bigger clubs, the relationship between the board and the fans has always been generally good.” (Pitch Invasion)
“Liverpool hosted West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, August 29, 2010 in the English Premier League looking of their first win of the season. The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.” (The 90th Minute)
Hubert Robert, The Old Bridge
“Striker Fernando Torres may still be some way short of his lethal best but he underlined his quality – and importance to Liverpool – with a brilliant strike to defeat 10-man West Brom at Anfield.” (ESPN)
Liverpool’s Fernando Torres ends goal drought against West Bromwich
“Fernando Torres scored for the first time since April to put a flattering gloss on Liverpool’s performance against West Bromwich Albion this afternoon. Roberto Di Matteo’s side, who had James Morrison sent off late on, were a comfortable match for Liverpool throughout but one touch of class from the Spain international gave Albion another painful lesson away from home.” (Guardian)
Javier Mascherano
“When I previously wrote about how signings will affect Barcelona’s squad, I naively assumed that Guardiola’s summer transfers were over. Then, possibly their two biggest transfers were completed – Javier Mascherano was signed from Liverpool and big money signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent out on loan (with a view to a permanent move) to AC Milan.” (A Tactical View)
“The Premier League season is less than two weeks old, but a look at how the top sides lined up in their opening matches provides an interesting indication of how they plan to approach the season from a tactical perspective. The diagrams below, screenshots from the ESPN Soccernet website, show the average positions adopted by the players from Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool in their teams’ opening home games of the season. (Data is taken only from home games because ESPN’s average position diagrams inexplicably go a bit haywire for away teams.) Average position diagrams do not give a water-tight representation of a team’s formation – which is necessarily in a constant state of flux – but they do offer useful insights into basic shape.” (Football Further)
“Thanks to growing up with boys – I’ve got five brothers – I started watching football out of boredom as I didn’t want to spend the whole time alone by myself. That was how it all began. I wasn’t even born when he was at his peak with Liverpool but, thanks to the genius invention of video recorders (and my brothers) I was able to relive the unseen action later in life. He is the reason why I became a Liverpool fan, “he” of course being the unstoppable Ian Rush. The legendary Welsh number nine who wrote history at Anfield.” (The Equaliser)
“Roy Hodgson has accused Rafael Benítez of reneging on an agreement not to sign Liverpool players after Dirk Kuyt’s agent claimed the Holland international wants to leave for Internazionale. The Liverpool manager received an assurance last week from Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, that the European champions had ended their interest in Kuyt and Javier Mascherano, who has since become a target for Barcelona.” (Guardian)
Joseph Parrocel, Combat de Leuze, 18 September 1691
“A dominant performance from City, who weren’t flattered by the 3-0 scoreline. Roberto Mancini made changes on his wings, bringing in James Milner and Adam Johnson for Shaun Wright-Phillips and David Silva. Mario Balotelli wasn’t fit, and Emmanuel Adebayor was omitted. Joleon Lescott played at left-back in the absence of Aleksandar Kolarov.” (Zonal Marking)
The Monday Night Match: Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool
“Well, that’s one question answered, at least. Those that had been wondering how long it would take Manchester City’s diamond-encrusted team to gel this season have their answer, and it is quite a specific one – give or take a few seconds, it took one match and twelve minutes before the team clicked into place and from then on the result of this evening’s match was never in a great deal of doubt. While City gelled, Liverpool were oil and water.” (twohundredpercent)
City smash sorry Reds
“Manchester City flexed their enormous muscles at Eastlands tonight to delight the man who made it all possible and deliver their biggest beating of Liverpool since 1937. Sheikh Mansour could not have picked a better night to watch the team he has spent £1 billion on in a league game for the first time.” (ESPN)
City slickers hit their stride
“Once deemed the final piece in the jigsaw, then a cause of controversy, now the architect of their downfall, Gareth Barry has become a byword for bad tidings for Liverpool. This is the player for whom Rafa Benitez was willing to sacrifice Xabi Alonso, the one he really wanted when the club bought Robbie Keane and the man who became the reason for escalating tensions.” (ESPN)
Manchester City roll back the years as Mancini’s mentality takes hold
“The first thing to say about Manchester City is that for a team of fractious individuals, mercenaries and strangers, only there for the money – and, please, can someone explain how they are possibly going to keep them all happy? – and led by an unpopular manager who doesn’t speak to the players (and will probably be gone by Christmas anyway), they didn’t do too badly, did they?” (Guardian)
Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
“Manchester City played their first home match of the 2010-11 EPL season with a match against Liverpool on Monday, August 23, 2010. The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.” (The 90th Minute)
“There is a saying – familiarity breeds contempt. However, for the attacking trident of Chelsea, a keen understanding and movement has led to a whopping 12-0 goal differential and two wins. Granted, neither West Brom nor Wigan will be fighting for titles this season, but…but…but…six goals is six goals is six goals. Malouda was at his thoughtful best, anticipating a Lampard shot and pouncing on the rebound. Anelka followed a classy far-post finish with a right-place-at-the-right-time header (read: offside).” (futfanatico)
“On the eagerly-awaited day in which Sky Sports News leaves freeview and launches in “stunning high definition”, it’s difficult to imagine how anything so mundane as the football equivalent of a mart report could overshadow such a landmark event. Admittedly, the Rumour Mill has no idea what difference the switch to stunning high definition is going to make to a channel we spend so much time gazing at we refer to it, simply, as “the news”. Perhaps the breaking news ticker that rolls across the bottom of the screen informing us that Stilian Petrov has mislaid a pair of shorts will be even more yellow. Perhaps Charlotte Jackson will turn out to be flawed.” (Guardian)
“After the red card, the red face. Joe Cole, always eager to please, was so keen to make a good impression at Anfield last night, following Sunday’s dismissal against the Arsenal, that he grabbed the ball when Liverpool were awarded a penalty in front of the Kop.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
Babel secures slender lead for Reds
“Ryan Babel handed Liverpool a 1-0 advantage in their Europa League play-off against Trabzonspor at Anfield but Joe Cole’s miserable week continued. Babel, playing as a lone striker for a much-changed Reds side, struck in injury time of an otherwise dismal first half.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 1-0 Trabzsonpor – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Europa League
“Liverpool opened the play-off qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League with a first leg match against Trabzonspor at Anfield. The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.” (The 90th Minute)
“With just one game played in the new Premier League season, the standings are basically meaningless—we’re the equivalent of 50 yards into a marathon, when the guy in the gorilla costume is still in with a chance of the lead. But there’s no escaping the fact that the opening weekend has left English soccer’s top division with a familiar and somewhat ominous look: Chelsea and Manchester United occupy two of the top three spots and are already two points clear of their biggest title rivals.” (WSJ)
“‘I want Rafa to stay,’ screamed the headline in the Daily Mirror on April 24th this year. The thrust of the story was that a potential bidder for Liverpool FC had reached “a crucial stage” in negotiations with Tom Hicks and George Gillett to buy the club. The bidder had ‘been granted access to the club’s accounts’ yet still hadn’t been put off. Indeed, he believed a deal ‘could be finalised’ in June as ‘my audit team is examining the books and my legal team is in close contact with theirs.’ On August 3rd, the UK national media reported that Liverpool had ’11 days to consider’ the bidder’s ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer. A week later, the bidder’s spokesman finally spoke: ‘No decision to submit a bid has been made.’ The bidder’s name? Huang Jin-Hua. ‘Kenny’ to his mates.” (twohundredpercent)
“There was a time when a stalled contract negotiation would be a trauma at Highbury/the Emirates. Is it possible that an uncomplicated extension to Arsène Wenger’s stay at Arsenal, agreed over the weekend, could soon be cause for concern?” (Telegraph)
“A crazy game that neither side truly deserved to win. Arsenal’s side was largely as expected – injuries in the centre of midfield meant Jack Wilshere was deployed alongside Abou Diaby, who played a more conservative role than he likes. Laurent Koscielny made his debut alongside Thomas Vermaelen, whilst Marouane Chamakh also started. Liverpool played a 4-2-3-1 with Steven Gerrard deep alongside Javier Mascherano and Joe Cole as the link player. Milan Jovanovic played an industrious, Kuyt-esque role on the left, ahead of Daniel Agger in an “unfamiliar” left-back role.” (Zonal Marking)
10 Thoughts on Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal
“After the first heavyweight game of the 2010/2011 season (or was it, given it pitted 7th vs 3rd from last year?), here are ten observations and conclusions I came to after an interesting match…” (Just Football)
“The first weekend of the season went into the books with the final whistle at Anfield, Arsenal’s visit to Liverpool the EPL Talk Podcast Match of the Week. To talk about the match and the eight from Saturday, I was joined Sunday night by Kartik Krishnaiyer for the first EPL Talk Weekend Review Show of the season.” (EPL Talk)
Victory of Joshua over the Amalekites, Nicolas Poussin
“Jose Reina’s late howler enabled Arsenal to snatch a draw from a thrilling Premier League opener at 10-man Liverpool. The Liverpool goalkeeper saw the ball rebound off him after Marouane Chamakh had hit the post in the final minute at Anfield to cancel out a David Ngog strike. The goal was reward for a late spell of Arsenal pressure but it was unfortunate for Liverpool, who had survived most of the second half unscathed after the sending off of Joe Cole.” (ESPN)
A few thoughts on Liverpool’s draw with Arsenal
“Roy Hodgson would gain employment as a psychologist … The new Liverpool manager has made a greater impression on the morale of his club than on the shape or make-up of his team. Last season an early dismissal of a key player would have been the signal for moody introspection and finger-pointing, but today they responded superbly to adversity. Not even the timing and manner of Arsenal’s scrappy equaliser should disguise that fact. Liverpool played better with 10 and occasionally nine men on the pitch than they had done before Cole’s red card.” (Guardian)
Pepe Reina howler gives Arsenal a point against 10-man Liverpool
“This was a draw that felt as if it contained a season’s worth of incident. That was encapsulated in the figure of Laurent Koscielny, the centre-half making his competitive debut for Arsenal. He was fouled in the incident that brought a red card for Joe Cole, yet would be dismissed himself in the final moments with a second caution.” (Guardian)
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats “It was a match that wasn’t pretty and ultimately was decided by poor goalkeeping on both sides. The match was about even in the first half with each team getting some chances but no goals. A turning point came just before halftime when Joe Cole was sent off for a late challenge. It was a red card as Cole had gone on with both feet and the referee had little choice (following the rules/guidelines set by the FA).” (The 90th Minute)
“A month and a day after Andres Iniesta slammed the ball low and true past Maarten Stekelenburg to win the World Cup for Spain, the Premier League is back. Richard Keys and the boys have some shiny new suits and ties, the 20 competing teams are ready for a shot at the title (who are we kidding, Blackpool’s title odds of 10,000-1 to win the league says it all), and the phrase ‘best league in the world’ is being dusted down, showered, groomed and dressed ready for an outing roughly every single time any league game has more than 2 goals.” (Just Footballs)
“From Michael Thomas’s title-decider to Robbie Fowler playing Good Samaritan, via a spectacular John Barnes free-kick” (Guardian)
Dani Pacheco
“Well it’s time for that obligatory Premier League Preview. However due to lack of time and the fact that several esteemed journalists (and some not at all esteemed) have previewed the league, I feel it’s best to highlight 6 players who have all the tools needed to be proficient and efficient in the Premier League. It’s been a strange transfer window really. Very quiet bar the big spenders Manchester City and also a case of ‘chase the hottest prospect around Europe’ game (Loic Remy, Mesut Ozil) in which several managers have participated in and ultimately coming up with no signing.” (6 Pointer)
“We’re one day away from the start of the 2010-11 English Premier League season, and in response to your requests, we roll into the weekend with our full EPL preview. This podcast is all four of our preview shows edited into one file for your listening ease.” (EPL Talk)
” The predicted Premier League table in the WSC guide for 2009-10 turned out to be right in only two positions: we had Man City to finish fifth and Hull second from bottom.” (WSC)
Antoine Caron, The Triumph of Mars
“With the Premier League season kicking off Saturday, here’s what the next nine months might have in store …” (SI)
Premiership season predictions
“With a week to go before the season begins, here is my read on how the 20 Premier League clubs will finish, with the caveat that rosters could still change because we’re in the midst of the transfer window.” (SI)
Fergie squanders Ozil money on Oliver Twist
“The new season is nearly upon us and Off The Ball will be scratching around the underbelly of professional football for some bizarre and often inexplicable revelations every step of the way. This week, we have Manchester United spending £7.4 million on some bloke from the Portuguese third division, Steven Gerrard claiming Joe Cole is better than Lionel Messi, Patrice Evra’s attack on Lillian Thuram and a referee running for his life.” (ESPN)
Pretenders eager to kick-off after poor pre-seasons
“It was a stroll in the sunshine, a chance to introduce new players to an appreciative audience. That, historically, was the role of the pre-season friendly. Now its definition has changed. It can become part of a global PR campaign, winning new friends and cementing distant allegiances. For the biggest clubs, it can be a lucrative interlude before the official start of business.” (ESPN)
“In the final part of our preview series, Laurenca McKenna, Kartik Krishnaiyer and myself talk about the three clubs we expect to compete for the 19th Premier League title: Arsenal, Chelsea, and Mancester United. We also talk surprises and disappointments, themes and trends, and our first match of the week: Arsenal’s visit to Liverpoll.” (EPL Talk)
“The die, it seems, is cast. England won, Hungary’s goal never even crossed the line, the first-half performance was actually quite good to watch and the second-half display wasn’t a great deal worse and the captain scored two lovely goals. So everybody’s happy, right?” (Guardian)
“When reports began circulating last week that a Chinese investor was bidding to take over the Liverpool soccer club in the English Premier League, British tabloids quickly called him King Kenny. That little-known investor is Kenny Huang, 46, a globe-trotting sports enthusiast who has made marketing deals in China with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Yankees, and has entered into a business partnership with Leslie Alexander, the owner of the Houston Rockets.” (NYT)
Rafael Benitez, Inter
“It’s been a summer of few big-name signings, but plenty of interesting managerial moves across Europe. Here’s the most exciting 15…” (Zonal Marking)
“Wednesday is here, and time for the EPL Talk team to tackle the strength of the league. No league in the world has the kind of depth the Premier League has four through eight. Today, Laurence McKenna, Kartik Krishnaiyer and myself talk about Aston Villa, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham and pick which teams will miss-out on Europe and which team will go to Champions League.” (EPL Talk)
Philips Wouwerman
“Back without much of a bang and certainly with a whimper from those suffering from World Cup burn-out, the Premier League’s return would seem low-key compared to its previous big build-ups. When Johnny Heitinga is among your list of top performers in South Africa, it’s perhaps best to draw a Barclays-sponsored veil over the summer’s events, and especially when your prime stars flopped to a man, give or take Cesc Fabregas’ late cameos for Spain.” (ESPN)
“In the first of four parts, the EPL Talk team returns from their post-World Cup hiatus just in time for the 2010-11 English Premier League Season. Richard Farley, Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer, in the first quarter-hour of a recording from Sunday night, talk about some of the summer’s overriding issues – the sale of Liverpool, 25/7 – as well as the direction the show will take in the next week and over the next season.” (EPL Talk)
“This has been a decade of broadly attacking football, at least at the highest level, but at the start of 2010-11 the game stands at a crossroads. Internazionale’s triumph in the Champions League, the predominance of reactive football at the World Cup and the growing realisation that nobody can match Spain/Barcelona at their brand of possession football, though, might mean a turn into defensiveness.” (Guardian – Jonathan Wilson)
Steven Gerrard
“Benitez out, Hodgson in, then. If we take it as read that Rafael Benitez had outlived his usefulness at Anfield (and, whilst there are plenty of supporters that remain unhappy at his departure at the start of the summer, Liverpool last season were a team – and club – in decline, rather than a team – and club – in transition), then he probably had to go at the end of the season. There are two conflicting views on the appointment of Roy Hodgson, and both of them have merit. One the one hand, it could be argued that Hodgson is a steadying hand on the tiller – a managerial journeyman with a reputation for treating his players well but drilling some discipline into them both on and off the pitch. Perhaps he is the perfect choice to arrest Liverpool’s recent and sudden decline.” (twohundredpercent)
Premier League preview No10: Liverpool
“Certainties are fewer than Gary Neville worshippers in Liverpool right now. But one thing that is clear amid all the transfer and takeover talk is that it is a good thing Rafael Benítez has gone. Decent chap and all that, but would you have trusted the Spaniard to make optimal use of any transfer bounty that eventual new owners may brandish? No, his strike-rate in the transfer market is too haphazard for that.” (Guardian)
“Here is my read on how the 20 Premier League clubs will finish this season, although rosters could still change since we’re in the midst of the transfer window and with a week to go before the season begins.” (SI)
“As most economists will tell you, the more times are uncertain, the more folks hunker down and count every penny. Judging by transfer activity (or lack thereof) this summer, most clubs feel the same way. As of Thursday, the Premier League’s traditional ‘big four’ of Arsenal, Cheslea, Manchester United and Liverpool had signed just two players for more than 10 million euros ($13 million): Laurent Koscielny, who joined the Gunners, and Ramires, whose move from Benfica to Chelsea is all but wrapped up. Last summer, those same clubs made five signings north of the 10 million range. Serie A’s big three of Juventus, Milan and Inter broke the 10 million mark six times a year ago.” (SI)
Scissors Kick 