Week of seven draws

What an interesting week comes to close at EPL. 10 matches and 7 draws. Turkey dinner might be taking toll on people. Apparently only Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham approached their task with precision and went out of way to win or win big. It's that or the holiday schedule is putting modern pampered players into holiday fatigue.

I will start with the game between Norwich and Tottenham. That was a good win from Bale and the team. As my sis noticed, Bale is the best winger out there are the moment (coming from Man United fan it's a big praise). For people who have Nani, Young, Valenica and Park last two on the mark this weekend, it's a big praise. I don't necessarily agree he is the best but I do have him in my fantasy soccer and agree that he was amazing. Tottenham looks really strong this season and with one game still left, they definitely not only have advantage over teams like Chelsea and Arsenal but also can catch up with leaders from Manchester, which given their performance this season might be very possible but harder a bit in case of the City. We'll have to see. As LFC fan, I still hope to see Chelsea and Gunners drop some points and us finally to pick up some. Though this weekend we did not take any advantage of both teams drawing as we went on to draw at home- but that was blogged about already.

Nothing more to say about this weekend, except that I feel for Chelsea boss, no matter how good he is- EPL is turning into a real challenge for him, and I am afraid he won't be here long unless he produces some miracle with Chelsea in UCL.

Man United is back and kicking so let's see where it takes them.

And last but not least, I am reading Jamie Carragher's Autobiography and really enjoying it so far. I recommend it to blues and reds alike

Anfield Curse

As I am watching replay of today's home match against Blackburn, I am trying to understand how the team with so much possession, so many shots and playing home with the best supporters ever manages another draw at home? This is 6 for us this year in a row. Our failures are though a mystery for me and many other fans. Let's start with El Pistoleto. He is very good, it was obvious from today's game- he creates a lot of chances and does amazing tricks but he also hits the bar and misses plenty. He has the skills and he has the ability- it's clear from his performances for National Team, Ajax and Liverpool is Cup games. But something isn't right when it comes to weekly games in EPL. Why? I think because he needs someone like Bellamy and Kuyt playing along instead of Carroll. The English International just does not cut it. Also, Suarez has a lot on his mind and takes abuse more than others. I think, if the ban is not lifted then he should just treat it as good break ad opportunity to start over fresh with clean mind and the goals will come.

Next one is Downing. He is clearly good- but can't find the target. Again, not clear why? Can the expectation put pressure on him? But then again, if you are playing for major club like Liverpool, you should know that the expectations never go away. So he needs just to get over it and start getting results.

Henderson- OK but not very impressive, I like the youngster and I think he has it to get better. But we are running out of time so he really needs to step it up.

Adam, I know Daglish loves him but I think he is very average. He has the passes and he can create chances but I think if you compare him with our skipper, Adam has a long way to go and if Gerra is back in form, I would like to see him starting.

I also think that players such as Kuyt, Bellamy and Maxi have proven being very good and I hope we will see more of them in action and they can really deliver in hard situations and create chances for others. I know Kenny wants to show that money we spent were worth it (and in most of cases they were) but I think these players should be given many more chances.

Overall I think though, we have some jinx over- everyone expects Liverpool do better then ever, and I think this puts unnecessary pressure on all players. But if we can get over this, and start really just playing and enjoying football, I think we can come stronger and better than ever. So let's see what the next big game brings.... YNWA

Boxing Monday Football, Racism and other Drama in EPL

Ho ho ho.... It's been a while. Things are going as usual in EPL except that very recently FA decided to make a Crucifixion case just in time for Christmas of Luis Suarez and show the world how tough they are on racism, except and here goes the"best" part of it, they said "Suarez is not a racist- even Evra says it, but we are punishing him for racism and banning for 8 games" - does that even make sense to anyone? I know it doesn't but best pat about FA and the likes that making sense is not important. Just once more they want to show how unlimited their power is and how they do not abide by any rules. As I write this, I feel more disgusted with such a corrupt and senseless organization like FAs. I also think that whoever paid off FA to get LFC Start Striker suspended is about to learn their lesson the hard way. I think we will still make it and no matter what we will be champions soon enough.

Now to the games this weekend, nothing much stands out tomorrow- I think two teams which have same strength and it can go either way is Ashton Villa vs Stoke City, everything else unless someone has a real unexpected tactical failure should be pretty straight forward. Chelsea's weaker form might turn Fulham's game into interesting result. And now that I am thinking of it Everton might struggle against Sunderland. But overall nothing really big and bad. So let's see how it all turns out. All I care about is Kuyt getting his 50th goal and I hope tomorrow is the day. Also it would be miraculously wonderful is Chelsea, Tottenham dropped some points and my REDs could pick up some, but Tottenham's recent form shows that it will be most unlikely, especially considering their opponents this time around are Norwich City. No power clashes, so we are in for another great surprising EPL football Monday. Let the games begin....

UCL Draw

Arsenal-Milan; Chelsea-Napoli; Lyon-Apoel; Bayern-Basel; Barcelona-Leverkusen; Real Madrid-CSKA; Benfica-Zenit; Inter-Marseille.

Not sure how I feel about it, looks like Barca got lucky out of all and Real Madrid and Benfica might not have it hard either. Arsenal is going to have a game as if they were in finals. Chelsea might get their asses handed to them but maybe it will go other way. Gosh, gotta love football your guess as as good as mine!

Game week 14 or we get tested.

Well, well..... As a RED i have to talk first about the gamed that mattered. Fulham hosted Liverpool and referee we got - Friend, was no friend of ours and after he unfairly dismissed Spearing with the straight red card it looked like 10 people Liverpool playing against 12 men Fulham. Dempsey was crying throughout the game and showing "real sportsmanship" by trying to fight with Bellamy, yelling and falling. As Alla noted in her update, everyone would be ashamed to have him in their team. But his last minute goal - through mistake of Pepe and defenders was hurtful and helped Fulham who were the weaker team who claimed 3 points and dropped LFC to the 7th spot.

Chelsea and Newcastle game was very engaging, Newcastle lost S. Taylor and played with 10 men because they used all their substitutions. At the end of the night, Chelsea won 3 points over and beat them at home. Not sure if this was result we all expected but if the team wins, team wins. The most controversial moment of the game was the moment when David Luiz should have gotten a straight red card for the foul on Ba but he did not. Making an earlier reference to Spearing's card and another red card to Bolton's player for challenge in midfield. The issue at hand is not whether or not these players deserved cards and what color it should have been but the bigger issue here is that fact that FA is not consistent with their calls as well as the fact that when referees make wrong calls, FA does not hold them accountable. It used to be a big deal when referee made a bad call and changed the outcome of the game, and everyone would talk about it. Nowadays fans are surprised when we get a fair referee because mostly they just make calls depending on whom they like more or who is playing a home game, or who they supported when they were kids.

Arsenal and Manchester United both claimed victories, some more impressive than others but Arsenal is now on the fifth spot and it looks they are there to stay or go up. Tottenham is doing their thing and I would not be surprised to see them claim the title.

Now we are looking forward to UCL day 2 and Curling cup..... We face Manchester City twice and wish us good luck! Also I am hoping that the Game week 15 brings more happiness to Anfield.

Thus, let's see what happens next.

Euro Draw and what to expect

Well, well well, what else can I blog about, I guess the biggest news are Euro Draws. Summer is coming and the world is preparing for one of the most exciting events- Euro 2012. Groups are in and everyone in the world is full of predictions. No matter what happens there will be someone at the end saying 'I told you so". I am going to put my predictions in writing and it will be difficult to say I said so, because you can point out what I said. However, I am saying this- by June my predictions might change. But here we go. So first is so called in media group of nothingness. Which consists of Greece, Russia, Poland and Czech Republic. Maybe people think this should be an easy group to qualify out of but please do not forget several important things regarding ach of these teams:

Russia, even though they have failed to qualify for Euro 2004, they actually were in semi-finals of 2008 and lost to Spain 3:0 however, the game earlier they had beaten Netherlands 3:1. So when it comes to Russia it's hard to predict which way it goes. They certainly have advantage and if they play their games in Ukraine it can also feel like playing home, however if their games are in Poland, it's going to be hostile and they will not have an easy crowd- that's for sure. So Russia has a good chance to make out of group.

Next one is Greece- people don't want just to say that this is group of nothingness, because everyone clearly remembers that Greece went on to beat Portugal and actually win the Euro Cup in 2004. And they won against France and Czech Republic to do that. Is it the same type of team? Do they have the edge? In big competitions, even one goal chances the game. So the question is not can they do it based on skills and experience, the real question is if they have enough drive, passion and character to go on and win- and the answer is they did it in 2004 so don't easily dismiss them. Do I think they can possibly win again? No, I don't think so but when it comes to big games, no one really knows.

Czech Republic. No one can say they are not to be taken into account, they can fight. In 2008 they did not make it out of the group but please remember that Spain didn't either in 2004. And in 2004, they went further to loose to Greece.

And last is Poland, they have nothing going for them, except being a home team. But looking at the group we can say that it is its own group of death just because teams playing int his group have equal skills and experience so they have pretty much the same chance of making out of the group- which means they will fight against each other. But as a person born in USSR, I will say this: if Russia does not make it out of this group, they should not play in Euro. End of story. Here are my predictions: Russia wins the group, Czech Republic will be runners up.

Second of the list is group B. Group of Death indeed. Well, if one could hope for the worst and toughest games to play, they would choose this group. It is going to be world class football and each team will have to give their best. The worst part in playing in group of death, like my sister Alla says, is that they get so worn out in group stage that they rarely able to make it out far in knock out rounds. This makes sense. However is playing them gets and advantage card. Who will make it out of this group? As usual Portugal but they will be exhausted enough to loose their next round, and Netherlands has a good chance- being the best in the world as it is. Germany, everyone says they are going to be champions of 2012. Denmark has never being an easy side to play against and I do not think they are ready to be dismissed so fast. But here are my predictions: Germany will go on as winners in their group, followed up by Portugal who will win over Netherlands on goal difference.

Third group is a hard group but only if you are Ireland. Spain will have an easy run in this group- I can hardly imagine who can possibly slow them down? I expect to see the World Cup winning squad back, and they can get only better. Croatia will put a fight and they have equally good chance of making it out as Italy- which younger and fresher squad. Ireland plays well and wants it but they hardly qualified for this, so I think they will have little chances to go on. Good luck to all of them but here are my predictions for this group: Spain wins the group, Italy qualifies as runners up.

And the last and most talked about group will be group D- because England is in that group: Sweden, France, England and Ukraine. Interesting group but really even though Denmark and Ukraine have history going far in competitions of this importance, I think England will have it int them to win the group, France will be runner up- maybe only loosing on goal difference? I am just predicting.

So then Russia will meet Germany, and I think Germany will win that game. Czech Republic will meet Portugal, Portugal will win that fight.

Then Spain will play France, and shocking victory of France will help them advance. Italy will play England. I know, I know we will hope that England will go one and win, but here is my dark predictions: England will loose to Italy on penalty kicks. And Italy will advance.

Germany will play Italy and go on and win. France will kick Portugal out, and in finals we will see Germany take on France. And I think this time they will win Euro Cup 2012. Because just like Spain they have to win it.

Now I am not sure if I kept my groups and teams straight, I will have to review it. But I do think that Germany has a real shot this time around. I also think that if my predictions is wrong and Netherlands makes it out then maybe finally they will go and get it!.

So now, I have to seat back and watch this. But it is important to note that I am really not good at this predictions as my good friend Matt Curry had pointed out. So I will be enjoying a lot watching summer games of Euro 2012- and let's hope that I am wrong and Russia wins the cup! Победа будет наша!

King said they need people with brains to run the cup

First let me share my joy due to our wonderful display at Stanford Bridge- and as usual when called for duty Maxi and Bellamy do not disappoint- which is a pleasure to watch. Lucas has a painful injury but no one can say more on it except that we need to see what happened. This is a blow to us- I hope Lucas is OK, if he is out for a while it's fine as long as he comes back at some point this season and plays well. Chelsea held back again- it's good for us. Arsenal was playing well, looked good but somehow managed to loose the game to Manchester City. Sad but my take is that Arsenal is in Champion's League and they need to put all their focus on that- Arsene has a talent and I think he has a really good shot in bringing Gunners to victory. Blackburn are just week- losing to a team from another division is tough- possible but hard to justify. Their manager should be worried any time now. Kenny points out the scheduling issues with the cup. At least 3 teams will have issues because it will conflict with games in another league- not sure how they are going to fix it- I will be curious to watch as I am sure every other fan. But otherwise, it's good to see Reds marching in and i do hope to see more of it. Looking forward for second part of quarterfinals. Wishing the best to my sister's team.
And on closing, do read Pepe's book- it's pretty good and if you are REDS fan, you will appreciate it a lot.

EPL Week 13. Sad news and lots of draws

The football world mourns Gary Speed who so suddenly is no longer with us. R.I.P. It saddened many especially those who new Gary Speed and played for him. Many like Bellamy and Giggs, and others. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the soccer community. Of course it makes other events secondary but the show must go on.

Liverpool was hosting Manchester City, we all knew that it was possible for us to stop Manchester City's run to the top and even though we did not stop them, hopefully we've slowed them down. The game was good very busy and Liverpool managed to threaten City plenty, but Hart proved once more that he was superb goalkeeper and hold off efforts others would have hard time with. Last 8 minutes Manchester played with one man down but we could not make it 2. I still think Kenny should have gone with Maxi but the Argentine found himself on the bench again. Maybe he is going to play Curling Cup this Tuesday? Not sure, his presence would most likely help to secure 3 points and now we are chasing Chelsea 2 points behind. But we are not yet 1/3 part through in the season so many things might change. And I have to agree with Kenny- at the end we were the better team. However, only 3 points matter. Mario was a little baby, and his confrontation with his manager was priceless. But at the end, Mancini showed himself as a week link- defending Mario and saying that he did not deserve a card and that he did not have any issues with him. Very week and scandals continue around his club. If he cannot get his squad into order, he should not be winning.

The 1:1 draw at home was the fate awaiting other reds as well. Red Devils found themselves leading at 49' but 15 minutes Newcastle scored and evened it out and though United was picking up the pace, there is a reason everyone calls Newcastle's defense the best in the league and Hernandez was great, but he could not capitalize on that.
Gunners suffered the same outcome, also at home, with two goals from Vermalen they found themselves at 1:1 draw and with 1 point now they are fighting for the same spot with LFC. There are just too many at the top and it's getting hot up there. So far the team which amazes me the most is Tottenham because they have one game less but steadily stay in top three - I think this should make Sir Alex and other think- and think hard.

But at this point it would be easier to predict who will be relegated than who will take the cup. The game continues and we will be all watching. In I know the score my tactics of picking the top teams to win did not work. next week, I will be trying pick underdog technique - there is still some time left to experiment.

Now shortly to La Liga, Real Madrid is 6 points clear off Barcelona, and they are doing ay better against stronger teams then Barca is doing against weaker ones. Can this continue? It would be really nice to see Real and Marihno's men to take the league cup. Valencia is just one point behind though the goal difference is gigantic and at no point can they win with the same spots. But that's of course are only speculations. There is too much time and only time can show who will win this time around.

In Champions League so far only Arsenal can show off and others take this as opportunity to gloat about EPL but it's just TOO early to say anything. And I do hope that an English team claims lifts the cup and if not, then I do hope that Uruguayan striker will teach others where the gates are. Does Napoli have a chance? Maybe....

Hm, hm UCL brings some unexpected results...

Manuel Friedrich scores in stoppage time against Chelsea and it's over.... Does that mean Chelsea might not qualify beyond group stage? This is not good for Chelsea but then again this is UCL anything can happen. Valencia is their next opponent and they will need to do everything in the power to win. Not sure what's going on with Chelsea- they have strengths and quality in the squad, they have young but experienced manager but it seems that psychologically they are week. Mostly they remind me now of Torres, who- everyone knows it- can do it but because he thinks he cannot he would not be able to succeed. Not sure if this makes sense but what I am trying to say is that Chelsea needs to have the winning attitude and not look overwhelmed and then maybe they will go back to their winning ways, but since I am an LFC fan I have no issue with them being down and not winning- if they just could stay like that for another week until we are done with FA cup.

Arsenal and their dear RVP- Julia knows whom to pick- he has been able to star and they were able to win another game. Wenger is back. Arsenal's defense is still week and they seem not to be able to get a clean sheet yet... But at the end 3 points look like 3 points whether they won 3:0 or 8:2 you know what I am saying... So stay strong Gunners, we are all looking up to you.

Barcelona vs Milan was my game to watch, but I got caught up in the office and it seems like Milan got caught up by Barca. 3:2 and Barca did it again. Lots of cards, surprisingly no red cards (that's weird) it seems that is a team plays against Barca, they are doomed to get one. But oh well, they march on. As i type this, I see that they are showing the replay of the game. I am wondering if they are going to win at replay?

Yesterday's games were interesting as well. Seems as if Manchester City might not make it- they will require something more then skill and a win now.

Manchester United is slowly fighting- failing to beat Benfica, they draw- this means they have to play next game better then ever. But unlike their noise members- they are in charge of their fate. Man City needs the other teams to win in order to qualify- and that's just nothing to do with football but all to do with luck. Let's see if they've got it.

Well it seems for may teams in EPL - all but Arsenal - nothing is decided yet, no easy qualifications and the drama continues.

real Madrid wins with confidence and move on- let's just home that is we are to see another EL Classico we would be spared all the ugliness and Real can kick Barca out, or can they? Only time will have an answer for us.

On unrelated note, juts wanted to say that all fans who dare use hate language should be ashamed! Clubs are so diverse that saying anything like that would automatically offend not only the other team but the teammates as well. So please hold off your bias, unintelligent comments and let us enjoy the game!

Wee bit about week 12, EPL

Another week in EPL and interesting results all around. Of course, i would like to start with Liverpool's win over Chelsea- away. I was glad to see King Kenny put Maxi to start, as I said before many times- Suarez and him just click well, something Carroll was not able yet to deliver. As commentator from LFC said about Maxi "he is a goal scoring machine, that's 8 goals in 4 last appearances" I think that just says how well he plays with Suarez. Another smart choice was Bellamy. He has produced goals in his appearances, he is strong and fast and moves ball forward- that's an attacking option we need. Kuyt did not impress in his this appearance but did not disappoint either. Overall the line up was very good and though in second half everyone seemed pretty worn out and it looked like Chelsea was going to teach LFC a lesson, Johnson came with a wonderful winner and the victory was sealed. Now fans hope that the magic lasts and we can repeat this performance with Mancini's men. Though our record away is surprisingly much more impressive than home count. All talks about Vilas' resignation are unnecessary, Abramovich is impulsive but hopefully he is not stupid and will let the young Portuguese work with the team and try to get their so desired UCL Cup.

Arsenal seems to be back and kicking. Besides that fact that RVP is a scoring machine and in a good form, it also seems that everyone else in the team have stepped up the game. Whatever virus caught them early in the season and gone and cured. I still think that Wenger needs a better defensive coach for his team, because the only defensive quality they have is their young goalkeeper who becomes better and more skillful from game to game.

Tottenham is scaring me and other because they are the team which have played one less game but somehow they find themselves third in the table, and that says something about strengths of their squad. Impressive and I wonder who will stop them from going up, because there are lot of contenders for those 4 spots up top.

Everyone is watching Manchester City and it feels as if they wrote off Manchester United. I would like to say - not so fast. It would be silly to disregard the best team in the league. Sir Ferguson is dealing with the newer squad and a new goalkeeper- plus they were hit with injuries but I think that they can come back better and stronger than ever. It's good to see Chicharito back and in form, things will happen- so stay tuned.

And now, I have to go and work. Looking forward to watching AC Milan vs Barcelona game. A lot is at stake and I think that the only team who has nothing to loose and should go all forward is AC Milan. This is gotta be an interesting battle. All bets are on Barca, can a girl dream?