Premiership Preview–2. Liverpool

For Liverpool FC, it’s all about the Premiership this season. Another deep run in the Champions League would be nice, don’t misunderstand, but the primary focus for Rafa Benitez and his team is the domestic league. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, the two leaders of the club, have said as much since the middle of last year. Liverpool has won the most top flight titles in English history (18) but haven’t added to their total since the 1989-1990 campaign. That’s not good enough, no matter how much success they have in Europe.

The Reds have taken a major step towards their ultimate goal with the signing of Robbie Keane from Tottenham. It’s no coincidence that Keane put up his best numbers in his last two seasons in North London (45 goals combined in all competitions; he benefited from playing alongside Dimitar Berbatov, who took a lot of the defensive pressure and focus off Keane. With that said, though, Keane was a solid striker before Berbatov’s arrival for the 2006-2007 season — the Irish national team captain scored 13, 16, 17, and 16 goals, respectively, in all competitions in the four years prior to linking up with Berbatov. He goes from strength to strength anyway, because his new strike partner, Fernando Torres, is even better than his last one and so is the cast of characters behind him. Keane gives Benitez some versatility up front; he can play in the middle behind Torres in the 4-2-3-1 that worked wonders for Liverpool in the second half of last season, or he can play right next to Torres in a traditional 4-4-2.

Liverpool also added two fullbacks — Andrea Dossena (left) and Philipp Degen (right). If today’s Champions League game is any indication, and I think it is, Dossena will get the lion’s share of playing time at left back, allowing Fábio Aurélio to be used off the bench at either left midfield or in the back. Degen has more of a fight on his hands for minutes, as he has to compete with both Steve Finnan, who has been at Liverpool for a while and is liked by the fans, and Alvaro Arbeloa, a favorite of Benitez.

The departures of Harry Kewell and John Arne Riise are really addition by subtraction. Neither had any future with the club and were only hamstringing the wage budget, in Kewell’s case, and on-field results, in Riise’s case. Peter Crouch is a very good player and will probably be successful for Portsmouth, but he wasn’t given the consistent opportunities he needed to be at his most effective by Benitez. Crouch didn’t fit into the system, though he was a spark off the bench late in games, so he was sold off and Liverpool made a nice profit on the tall, lanky center forward. He was replaced by David N’Gog, a talented 6′3″ striker who has scored at every youth level he’s played at for France. Just 19, N’Gog has a real future at Liverpool and don’t be surprised if he scores some meaningful goals this season as well.

Like many of the other teams in the Premiership, Liverpool is strongest in midfield, though their defense, anchored by Carragher and Pepe Reina in goal, is also very solid. Gerrard is the club captain and heart and soul of the team. He’s a natural box-to-box midfielder and probably his country’s best in that role. He played behind Torres in that 4-2-3-1 I mentioned earlier and really caught fire towards the end of the season, but will likely move to the right side this year if Benitez continues to use that formation. If he reverts to a 4-4-2, Gerrard will play in the center with the tough-tackling, hard-nosed Javier Mascherano behind him. Dirk Kuyt is a workhorse on the right wing and will run and run all day, which makes up for his lack of natural talent. Ryan Babel plays opposite his fellow Dutchman, using his pace and dribbling ability to either beat opposing defenders to the endline or cutting inside and launching an effort with his lethal right foot. Neither Kuyt not Babel are natural wide players, but they get the job done. Xabi Alonso is a great passer and plays in the center, as will Lucas and, to a lesser extent, Damien Plessis. Jermaine Pennant is a decent right winger when his head is screwed on right. Yossi Benayoun is extremely versatile and can be plugged in anywhere across the midfield.

Projected Starting Lineup (4-4-2):
GK: Reina

RB: Arbeloa
CB: Carragher
CB: Daniel Agger
LB: Dossena

RMF: Kuyt
*DMF: Mascherano
CMF: Gerrard (captain)
*LMF: Babel

ST: Torres
ST: Keane

*Mascherano and Babel will miss the start of the season due to their participation in the Olympics, but both are sure starters and will reclaim their places upon their returns. Lucas, too, is at the Olympics, but he’s only one of a group of players that provide suitable cover in the middle. Benayoun should fill in for Babel on the left, and Alonso will do the same for Mascherano.

Liverpool’s season got underway today with a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League Third Qualifying Round tie against Standard Liege. The game was in Belgium, and Reina bailed Liverpool out with a penalty save in the 11th minute. Benitez would’ve loved to have an away goal to take back to Anfield in two weeks, obviously, but his team will still get the job done in that return leg and progress to the Group Stage.

Counting that game, four of Liverpool’s next six fixtures are at home. The most intersting of those six, though, is away on the last day of August, when they’ll pay a visit to Villa Park. The corresponding game last season was very exciting, and Gerrard’s terrific curling free kick won it for Liverpool late, just a few minutes after Gareth Barry had converted a penalty to tie the game. Villa will be a European contender this season, so expect this rematch to be another classic.

Liverpool will play their two biggest rivals, Manchester United and Everton, in September, sandwiched around what should be an easy win at home against Stoke City. The Reds host United the week before and contest the first Merseyside derby of the season at Goodison Park to finish up the month.

A six-day span in late November and goes a day into December will be tricky, as Liverpool plays at Chelsea, hosts Portsmouth, and travels back to London to take on Tottenham. After that, though, Liverpool welcomes West Brom to Anfield (win), oes to Bolton (win), and then play Fulham and West Ham at home (both wins).

Visits from Everton and Chelsea highlight Liverpool’s January slate, which also includes games at Stoke and Wigan, a feisty little team that went to Anfield and came away with a draw last season.

After playing Arsenal on April 18, by which point Arsenal’s title hopes will be no more, Liverpool finishes up their season with five games that should net them 15 points if they bring their best effort — Hull City, Newcastle, @West Ham, @West Brom, and Tottenham. Liverpool will likely need all of those games to make one last push at the title, but again, they should get them.

Bottom Line: The combination of Gerrard, Keane, and Torres is good for 50 goals. Benitez needs someone else to step up, though, and that player could turn out to be Babel. Agger’s return from injury is like another impact signing; he and Carragher are as good as any center back pairing in the Premiership. Reina is great in goal. The midfield is loaded, but could use a true winger. As I said earlier, it’s clear that the Premiership is Liverpool’s first priority, and with a little bit of luck, this is a team that can compete for the title.

Tomorrow, then, is my preview of Manchester United, who I believe will win their third Premiership trophy in a row. I know — surprise, surprise, right? It’s not an original pick, I’m not going out and taking a risk, I understand all of that. You know what, though? Too bad.

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2008 Men’s Olympic Football Quarter-Final Line Up

And just like that, the group stage of the 2008 Men’s Olympic Football tournament is over.

The quarter-finals look like this:

Nigeria vs Cote d’Ivoire
Italy vs Belgium
(winners play each other)

Argentina vs Netherlands
Brazil vs Cameroon
(winners play each other)

All matches on August 16th.

Highlights from the final round of group games below (USA fans look away now.)

Argentina 2-0 Serbia - Group A


The albiceleste bear Siberia 2-0 to top Group A with three wins out of three. Angel Di Maria will be embarrassed with his missed pen, but Diego Buonanotte has a nice free kick to add to his highlight reel.

Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Australia - Group A


Salamon Kalou banged one into the top right corner to give the Ivorians a 1-0 win, and a place in the quarterfinals.

Nigeria 2-1 USA - Group B




The USA paid for their disciplinary problems in this one. Already shorn of the suspended Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu and in need of a result against Nigeria, they lost left back Michael Orozco in the third minute to a foolish elbow. Goals from Isaac Promise and Obinna Nsofor put Nigeria top of Group B, while an 88th minute Sacha Kljestan penalty was all the US had to show for the days work.

Netherlands 1-0 Japan - Group B


Following his dramatic last minute free kick equalizer on Sunday, Gerald Sibon had more bad news for the USA this morning. His penalty giving the Netherlands a 1-0 win over Japan, so one more point than the USA and a place in the last eight.

Belgium 1-0 New Zealand - Group C


This Faris Haroun header was enough to secure second place in Group C for Belgium. Maybe Hamburg will let Vincent Kompany stick around a little longer now?

Brazil 3-0 China - Group C


Ronaldinho put Diego through for the first, and Thiago Neves added two more (a free kick and a blink and you’ll miss it low shot) to make it three-nil and three out of three for Brazil. It still made Bruno sleepy though.

Italy 0-0 Cameroon - Group D


These two shared a goalless draw that put them both through. Italy finished top, Cameroon second.

South Korea 1-0 Honduras - Group D
Kim Dong-Jin scored a great goal with his right foot - apparently - to give Korea a 1-0 win. But Italy and Cameroon’s goalless draw meant Korea never had a shot at making the quarters. Honduras go home three defeats and CONCACAF is left thinking that Mexico would have represented the region a lot better.

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Ronaldinho is Back! Men’s Olympic Football Matchday Two Round-Up

Olympic football videos are getting harder to come by, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to give up. Not when it’s just starting to get interesting.

‘Dinho himself is showing some form (as is Pato, Anderson and the rest of the Brazil team), Argentina are getting it done, and Italy are absolutely on fire (in a good way) in Group D.

Argentina 1-0 Australia - Group A

Argentina left it late-ish again, but a nice move with Riquelme at the heart of it was eventually finished (emphatically) by Ezequiel Lavezzi in the 76th minute. And Argentina say hallo to the quarters.

Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 Serbia - Group A


There’s no video with all six goals, but you can see all six separate vids on one page over at TVGolo. I’ve chosen my favourite (above) as Salomon Kalou’s fpr Cote d’Ivoire. Love the turn and quick one-two with Gervinho.

USA 2-2 Netherlands - Group B


Don’t be fooled by the above video. While the US did indeed come from one Ryan Babel goal down to take a 2-1 lead through Sacha Kljestan (great through ball slash nutmeg from Freddy Adu) and Jozy Altidore (off the bench to poach a goal like a proper striker), Netherlands made it 2-2 with a late Gerald Sibon free kick. USA WCB is not happy, but still a decent result.

Nigeria 2-1 Japan - Group B
No video to show you, sorry kids. But I have it from high authority that Nigeria won 2-1 with goals from Victor Obinna and Victor Anichebe. Which means Nigeria’s game against the USA will be do or die for both teams (both on four points) and that Japan (with zero points) aren’t out yet, but are pretty much f*cked. Asian teams have done surprisingly badly in Beijing so far.

Brazil 5-0 New Zealand - Group C


OK, so it was only against an inexperienced New Zealand side, but Ronaldinho scored twice (one free kick and one from the spot) and apparently pulled the strings as Brazil ran out 5-0 winners. Now if only New Zealand’s U-23 team played in Serie A…

Belgium 2-0 China - Group C


Moussa Dembele and Kevin Mirallas gave Belgium a 2-0 win, while China had two men sent off. The hosts now need a result against Brazil in the final group game to avoid an early exit. Good luck with that.

Italy 3-0 S Korea - Group D


Goals from Tommaso Rocchi, Giuseppe Rossi and Riccardo Montolivo gave Italy another 3-0 win and a place in the quarters. That’s six goals in two games now and the Azzurrini are looking dangerous.

Cameroon 1-0 Honduras - Group D
Apparently it was all Cameroon, but they didn’t get the winner until the 74th when Stephane Mbia blasted one with his right foot. Honduras are down and out, but Cameroon can still go through with a result against Italy, depending on what Korea do against Honduras.

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2008 Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament Matchday One Roundup

The odd thing about the Olympic football tournament is that all the games seem to happen at once, rather than being spread out evenly as in other tournaments.

There are reasons for this, obviously, and for once they’re nothing to do with Sepp Blatter or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I assume it’s basically because there’s much going on - including the parallel women’s soccer tournament - that the hosts need the venues for other events.

Can’t argue with that, but the upshot is nearly a weeks worth of tournament football in one Olympic evening. Which is quite a lot to take in.

I’ve done my best to put together a round up of all the action below, with video where possible (and assuming the ones I’ve posted haven’t been taken down by the overzealous authorities.) So read on for all the results and (hopefully) some video.

Australia 1-1 Serbia - Group A

Ruben Zadkovich and his dodgy faux hawk (are those things still fashionable somewhere?) gave the Olyroos the lead from a narrow angle, but young Chelsea defender Slobodan Rajkovic equalized for Serbia with a 78th minute header. Obviously Australia didn’t read our 20 Players to Watch post yesterday.

Argentina 2-1 Cote d’Ivoire - Group A

Leo Messi struck first for Argentina, running on to a beauty of a through ball from Juan Roman Riquelme. Sekou Cisse equalized with an impressively powerful early second half header, but Lautaro Acosta by getting to the rebound of a Leo Messi shot.

Japan 0-1 USA - Group B

Looks like Japan had a couple of chances to take the lead, and maybe a shout at a late penalty. But Stuart Holden’s goal after a good run down the right from Marvel Wynne was enough for a US win.
Not a great performance, but our USA bloggers will take it.

Netherlands 0-0 Nigeria - Group B
The two potential medalists failed to produce any goals, which is lucky because I failed to find any video of the game. The Dutch apparently had Roysten Drenthe, Ryan Babel, Jonathan de Guzman and Roy Makaay all on the field at once but failed to score.

Brazil 1-0 Belgium - Group C

Brazil left it late, but in the 79th minute São Paulo midfielder Hernanes scored this fantastic goal for a 1-0 win. Ronaldinho wore the captain’s armband but didn’t make a huge impact, though he made a threatening dribble down the left and had a free kick on target.

Belgian captain Vincent Kompany was apparently having a great game before being sent off for a second booking. And three minutes after Kompany got his marching orders, Hernenaes scored. Belgium also had Merouane Fellaini sent off towards the end to finish with nine men.

As Bruno says on Brazil Offside “Dunga’s ass was saved for the day, thanks to Hernanes and the ref.”

China 1-1 New Zealand - Group C

Jeremy Brockie broke the hosts offside trap for this great near post strike…

… but Man Utd benchwarmer Dong Fangzhuo came off the Chinese pine to equalize with a great header.

Honours even then, but these two could easily be the Group C whipping boys.

Honduras 0-3 Italy - Group D

Someone in Italy must be keen to keep 21 year old Sebastian Giovonco under wraps, because this video was a bitch to find. The tiny (seriously) Juventus pulled all the strings for Italy, including scoring an absolute beauty with his left foot to make it 1-0 Penalties from Giuseppe Rossi and Acquafresca made the final score 3-0.

Reaction from the Italy blog here.

South Korea 1-1 Cameroon - Group D

Park Chu Young put Korea ahead with this free kick, that seemed to evade everyone and everything but the bottom right corner of the goal.

But Georges Mandjeck equalize for Cameroon in the 81st minute with this strike.

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Dunga far from happy despite Brazil win

If there was an Olympic gold medal for whingeing then Dunga, coach of the Brazilian soccer team, would be among the early contenders.

The 1994 World Cup winning captain, who as a player was an example of resilience and dedication to the cause, is not a happy camper.

First, he was complaining about the food — “When you try to talk to the chef to change the menu, he has to talk to his boss, who has to talk to his boss, who has to talk to his boss and by that time the Olympics are over” — and lack of training time in Shenyang, where Brazil have started their campaign to win a first gold in Olympic soccer.

After his team struggled to beat nine-man Belgium in their opening match on Thursday, he blamed  the pitch and his opponents for making life difficult (isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?).

“The ball bounces around all over the place and you need two or three touches to bring it under control,” he snarled. “The opposition just kept putting all their players behind the ball and used the high ball into the area. They’ve been together for four months and we got together 15 days ago.”

But the unhappy truth is that Brazil should have swept their opponent aside and might have done so if Dunga had been just a little more adventurous. A team boasting players such as Werder Bremen midfielder Diego, Premier League players Lucas and Anderson in midfield, AC Milan prodigy Alexandre Pato in attack, plus Ronaldinho, should not play in fits and starts as Brazil did on Thursday.

Unfortunately, Dunga did what he has done in recent matches with the senior side, which he also coaches, and went for the cautious approach.

He stuck three midfielders in front of his defence and left Pato to fight two or three Belgian defenders on his own. Ronaldinho was stuck out on the left flank with nobody to exchange passes with except left back Marcelo on his occasional forays upfield.

Despite winning the Copa America in his two years at the helm, Dunga does not look comfortable as Brazil’s national team coach. Will he still be around for the 2010 World Cup?

PHOTO: Ronaldinho takes a free kick during Brazil’s Group C soccer match against Belgium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Shenyang August 7, 2008. REUTERS/Alvin Chan

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