Simply unacceptable.

Sometimes I would like to crawl into Rafa's head and find out what he is thinking, and last night that urge magnified itself a million fold as our boss made a stream of tactical errors that really confused me, and seemingly every other Liverpool fan.

Forget the fact we could/should have scored at least five goals and concentrate on the fact that the substitutions that were made were both poorly timed and ineffective.

He´s one of Spanish Football´s favourite sons working overseas, exAtletico de Madrid, Spanish International & now Liverpool FC number9. FERNANDO TORRES was fundamental in todays 2-0 victory overarch rivals Mancheter United. Here is the VIDEO of the goal Fernandoscored to "open the can" :Babel scored Liverpool´s second goal in the 96th min.

International strike partner wants deal to be done!

The Rumour

Fernando Torres has urged Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to buy Valencia striker David Villa.

"Rafa Benitez makes the signings and I'm sure those who come will improve us," Torres said in the Daily Star.

Bargain or Big Mistake: It's up to you Rafa!

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Those of you who read my last article will know it was regarding Liverpool's current striker plight.

The season is coming to a close, and although clinching the premiership crown remains a possibility, it seems more likely that we will end the season empty handed once again. Despite this, Eoin Sheridan believes that the club should think twice about splshing the cash and warns against signing a raft of new players.

Holland coach Marco Van Basten recently criticised Rafael Benitez's handling of Ryan Babel, noting that the player had taken a step backward since his arrival at Anfield. A harsh assessment? Not if you look at the facts; and having examined the facts, Benitez's truly appalling treatment of the player is depressingly clear.

So far this summer, much has been made of Alonso's will he/won't he transfer to Real Madrid. It's rather like Dawson's Creek but for people who have already lost their virginity and moved past alcopops. However, I think what is just as important but is being somewhat overlooked is Liverpool's striking options.

In April 2009, Holland coach Marco Van Basten criticised Rafael Benitez's handling of Ryan Babel, noting that the player had taken a step backward since his arrival at Anfield. This week, Babel himself has publicly stated he wants to leave. Has Babel failed or is Rafa Benitez to blame for not giving the player a consistent chance?

Much to the delight of Liverpool fans, Daniel Agger, Alberto Aquilani and Fabio Aurelio will all be ready to start soon, and while we all know what positions Agger and Aquilani will play upon their return, Aurelio's position and influence on the team is more of a mystery. New Liverpool-Kop writer Bikram Rana takes a look at how the infludential Brazilian will fit into the team.

2:45pm on espn2. Chelsea lead 1-3 on aggregate.
Knockout Rounds:
Liverpool: 4-0 Real (h); 1-0 Real (a)
Chelsea: 2-2 Juve (a); 1-0 Juve (h)
Group Stage:
Liverpool: 3-1 PSV (a); 1-0 Marseille (h); 1-1 Atletico (h); 1-1 Atletico (a); 3-1 PSV (h); 2-1 Marseille (a)
Chelsea: 2-1 Cluj (h); 1-1 Bordeaux (a); 1-3 Roma (a); 1-0 Roma (h); 0-0 Cluj (a); 4-0 Bordeaux (h)
Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 4-0 Blackburn (h); 1-3 Chelsea (h); 1-0 Fulham (a)
Chelsea: 4-3 Bolton (h); 3-1 Liverpool (a); 2-0 Newcastle (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Gerrard 7; Kuyt, Torres 2; Dossena, Babel, Benayoun, Ngog, Riera 1
Chelsea: Drogba 4; Anelka, Ivanovic, Terry 2; J Cole, Essien, Kalou, Lampard, Malouda 1
Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (SPA)
Guess at a squad
--------------Reina
----Skrtel Carragher Agger
Arbeloa------------------Aurelio
----Mascherano---Alonso
Kuyt-----------------------Babel
--------------Torres
All the news today, whether it's BBC or the official site, suggests Gerrard will be fit to start.

Liverpool: Cavalieri, Degen, Carragher, Agger, San Jose, Babel, Mascherano, Lucas, Benayoun, Voronin, Ngog.

Substitutes: Johnson, Plessis, Torres, Riera, Pacheco, Dossena, Gulacsi, Insua, Alonso, Kelly, Arbeloa, Kuyt, Reina, Spearing, Nemeth.

Come on Rafa!

David Silva has been linked with us longer than Bill Shankly it feels, but can anyone really see him coming to Anfield? surely by the time we sign him he will be past his prime, Aquilani I personally find a strange fit, I admit that I haven't seen that much of him and when I have seen him he seems ok rather than outstanding, his fitness record isn't great plus the success of the Italians in the EPL isn't fantastic.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that someone had posted a defence of Liverpool, and specifically Benitez's, transfer activity.
At first glance, the conclusion is clear:
Total Players Bought: £228,976,000
Total Players Sold: £145,100,000

Total Net Spend: £83,876,000So, that's a total spend of just over £83m in 5 years at the club.

Ryan Babel a long-time Arsenal fan and who a couple of years ago spent the whole summer pleading form Wenger to sign him has been told by Benitez that he can leave. Liverpool will be looking at a price in the region of £11 million.

Babel has been a peripheral figure at Anfield in the last two seasons making only 42 starts, but still scoring 14 goals.

Well the transfer window is finally open, no doubt the media will treat us to even more rumours which have no basis in reality. But with Rafa now having more control over transfers, hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see who the real transfer targets are.
There's been quite a few departures from LFC already (Hyypia, Pennant, Hobbs, Anderson, Leto), with more to follow (possibly Dossena, Arbeloa, and Babel).

Every Monday the Manager will be looking back over the weekend. Who shined, who stunk and what it all might it portend going forward. If anything.
Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Liverpool
Liverpool just looked flat. I don't know if it's the Alonso sale or Gerrard's injury or Palacios throwing himself about, but Liverpool never really threatened.

Tonights Liverpool team to face Leeds United: Cavalieri, Degen, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Dossena, Aurelio, Spearing, Mascherano, Riera, Babel, Ngog. Subs: Reina, Gerrard, Torres, Skrtel, Voronin, Plessis, Johnson.

1-0 Torres 12'1-1 Geovanni 15'2-1 Torres 18'3-1 Torres 47'4-1 Gerrard 61'5-1 Babel 88'6-1 Babel 90'DISCLAIMER: Calcioplus non hosta alcun video pubblicato su di esso. Tutti i video pubblicati sono caricati da amanti di calcio su siti di video hosting come Youtube e Dailymotion ed ubicati dunque su siti esterni a Calcioplus.

Chelsea v Liverpool Preview: Head To Head Player Stats - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Ahead of this weekend's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool, Castrol EDGE performance data compares some of the teams' key players.

On Saturday, two of the Premier League's top goalkeepers will be going head to head, with very little between them this season in terms of performance.

Liverpool make big changes to their team to face Lyon inthe Champions League tonight at Anfield Liverpool Team: Reina, Kelly, Insua, Agger, Carragher, Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Kuyt, Benayoun, Ngog. Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Aurelio, Babel, Skrtel, Spearing, Plessis.

Todays Liverpool team to face Manchester United at Anfield! Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Insua, Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Lucas, Aurelio, Benayoun, Kuyt, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Babel, Ngog, Spearing, Degen, Skrtel.

What a surprise - The 'Liverpool Echo' has jumped on the anti-Ryan Babel bandwagon, and is increasingly taking delight in belittling the player and doing its best to place him in a bad light.
As we all know, unless your name is Gerrard or Carragher, you're pretty much fair game when it comes to the Liverpool Echo.

No Torres, Xabi, Riera, nor Kuyt to start. Strangeways here we come... again. Torres being worn and Xabi being knocked are understandable... somewhat, but the absences of Kuyt and Riera are a bit baffling. Cahill and Arteta as well as a plethora of others played today for Everton?
Anyways, with that said, I like when Benitez gambles, as long as it works, but today's line-up is severely defensive-minded.

From the comments in the last post:

Marlon said...
I thought it was interesting that while Aurelio might still be a better technical player than Insua, when Insua plays it seems to make Riera play better

Very interesting. The flanks have arguably been Liverpool's longest-standing concern, so the records of each pairing would seem a meaningful stat.

In terms of raw ability, Babel has loads of it. The lad is incredibly skillful, he's faster than Torres, and has excellent shooting ability. However, he's still a work in progress when it comes to his tactical awareness and consistency.
At the start summer it looked like Babel might be leaving LFC, but things have changed since then.

Liverpool Lineup: Cavalieri, Johnson, Dossena, Kelly, San Jose, Babel, Kuyt, Spearing, Lucas, Ngog, Voronin. Subs: Gulacsi, Plessis, Ayala, Degen, Gerrard, Torres, Riera, Benayoun, Mascherano, Insua, Carragher.

One of the defining characteristics of Rafael benitez's reign at Liverpool is the lack of young players making the step up from the reserves and becoming established in the first team. This season, I hope to see major progress made in this area, and progress *can* be made if Benitez changes his approach just a little.

In part four of his season preview, Kais Sabir Jesani looks at Ryan Babel's tactical role in the Liverpool team. Could this be the Dutchman's year or will he flatter to deceive yet again?
In part 3 of this preview, I discussed how Lucas Leiva's career seems to be in the ascendency. In sharp contrast, Ryan Babel is a player whose Liverpool career arc seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

Tonights Liverpool lineup against Aston Villa at Anfield: Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Lucas, Mascherano, Kuyt, Benayoun, Gerrard, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Riera, Ayala, Dossena, Kelly, Babel.

The new season is only ten days old and Rafa Benitez is already up to his old tricks, namely criticising players in public. Is this the right approach to take when dealing with players or is it counter-productive?
My personal view is that criticism of players - however warranted - is never justifiable in public.

Where would Tottenham Hotspur's second XI finish in the Premier League? You be the judge. I've got: Cudicini - Naughton (or Hutton), Dawson, Woodgate, Bale - Bentley, Jenas, Bostock, Kranjcar - Pavlyuchenko, Crouch.

Is that better than Liverpool's second XI: Diego - Degen, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Fabio Aurelio - Lucas, Plessis - Benayoun, Voronin, Babel - N'Gog?

I've been frustrated many times down the years at players not getting what I deem to be a fair crack in the first team. The last one was Yossi last season as shortly after a hat trick he was dumped back down to the bench. I can't say I have the same desire to see [...]
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Its got to be Liverpool's worst run in years.Five defeats in the League already, beaten twice in the Champion's League and we will be going out unless we win our last three group matches, plus out of the Carling Cup alreadyIt is Rafa Benitez's poorest spell in charge of Liverpool since he joined us five years ago.

Liverpool drew 1-1 with Lyon last night, leaving any chance of getting through the group stages of the Champion's League hanging by a thread' but what do you think went wrong last night? There are a number of possible reasons: Rafa's tactics/his woeful decision to play Voronin/the lack of introduction of Aquilani/bringing on Babel too late, [.

Can I get an Amen?
This week's winner is: The Holy Babel.
I don't know if you guys have noticed this yet, but I really REALLY like name puns. And I think there is a serious lack of clever names in the official game. Too many teams are named some form of: FC My Town or Gunners Rule6969.

2:45pm on espn2
Stupid Wednesday games. Another one for the DVR. Will probably have a review up by 8pm or so local time.
Knockout Rounds:
Liverpool: 4-0 Real (h); 1-0 Real (a)
Chelsea: 2-2 Juve (a); 1-0 Juve (h)
Group Stage:
Liverpool: 3-1 PSV (a); 1-0 Marseille (h); 1-1 Atletico (h); 1-1 Atletico (a); 3-1 PSV (h); 2-1 Marseille (a)
Chelsea: 2-1 Cluj (h); 1-1 Bordeaux (a); 1-3 Roma (a); 1-0 Roma (h); 0-0 Cluj (a); 4-0 Bordeaux (h)
Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 1-0 Fulham (a); 5-0 Villa (h); 4-1 United (a)
Chelsea: 2-0 Newcastle (a); 0-1 Spurs (a); 1-0 City (h)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Gerrard 7; Kuyt 2; Dossena, Babel, Benayoun, Ngog, Riera, Torres 1
Chelsea: Drogba 3; Anelka, Terry 2; J Cole, Essien, Kalou, Lampard, Malouda 1
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (DEN)
Guess at a squad
Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Skrtel Aurelio
Lucas Alonso
Kuyt Gerrard Riera
Torres
These two teams met in the semi-final in 2005, 2007, and 2008, as well as in the group stage in 2006.

Hot on the heels of Robbie Keane being dumped on the scrapheap by Rafa Benitez, Ryan Babel is seemingly on the way out of Liverpool after failing to hold down a first team spot. Who is to blame for these two expensive players failing to make the grade at Anfield?
I recently argued that Benitez is to blame for the failure of Keane and Babel to fit in at Anfield; the crux of my argument was based on the following facts:
1.

Back in early March, I took a look at Liverpool's record depending on who started on the left. I reckon it's worth updating that post, given the continuing emergence of Insua, more starts for Benayoun, and much less of Babel and Dossena. Fair warning: this is long, even for me.
The previous post went up to Sunderland on 3/3.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has revealed he had considered the possibility of taking Michael Owen back to Anfield this summer.
Owen, a youth product of the club, joined Real Madrid during Benitez's reign and now arrives at Manchester United via Newcastle United on a free transfer, after his contract at St James' Park expired.

Liverpool Team: Cavalieri, Degen, Insua, Carragher, Ayala, Gerrard, Plessis, Babel, El Zhar, Nemeth, Voronin.

Subs: Martin, Gulacsi, Kelly, San Jose, Pacheco, Benayoun, Kuyt, Mascherano, Lucas, Ngog, Spearing, Skrtel.