Martin Skrtel recently completed a 3 game tour of duty in the right back position for Liverpool,
which came to an abrupt end with a red card against Spurs. Kenny Dalglish has stated that playing
out of position is 'not a problem' for Skrtel, and whilst that's undoubtedly true from a team
standpoint, the Slovakian's personal view on the issue is quite different.
Jose Enrique reveals the difference between training at Liverpool and Newcastle; his personal
goals; the friendliness of the club's dressing room, and which players have been particularly
helpful to him since he arrived at Anfield.Enrique has been a refreshing surprise since arriving at
Liverpool, and one thing he's very happy about is the way Liverpool trains:"I feel it [Training] is
a little
Jordan Henderson has had a difficult start to his Liverpool career, with many fans - myself
included - feeling a little underwhelmed by his performances so far. Obviously, it will take time
for the player to adapt, and as Lucas said yesterday, he will 'probably show his best form if we
don't rush him'.
Jose Enrique has had an excellent start to his Liverpool career, bringing some much-needed solidity
and attacking impetus to the left-hand side of the field. How does he feel about his performances
so far, and what's it like playing alongside Jamie Carragher?In a light-hearted interview earlier
this evening, Enrique revealed what it's like to have Jamie Carragher shouting in your ear for 90
Luis Suarez was visibly upset after being substituted against Wolves yesterday, and as soon as the
final whistle went, he sped off down the tunnel as quickly as possible. Players get subbed off all
the time, and there's absolutely no shame in being replaced by Steven Gerrard, so why was Suarez
particularly upset?
Former Arsenal and Celtic star Charlie Nicholas believes that striker Andy Carroll still has a lot
of work to do before he's in a position to start making a difference for Liverpool. Nicholas'
comments are in stark contrast to the glowing praised heaped on Carroll by Kenny Dalglish after the
match.
One of the management principles in which I strongly believe is the merit system: if someone is
playing well, you continue to play them. It's simple, and seems to make sense, but in recent years,
that policy has been regularly ignored. Hopefully, Kenny Dalglish will employ the merit system with
his team selection today.
Luis Suarez has become a firm fan-favourite since arriving at Anfield in January, and overall, the
Uruguayan's creative impact for the club has been excellent. However, as as Robbie Fowler argued
recently, 'the only thing missing from his game is goals'. Why have the goals dried up for Suarez
recently, and what can he do to get back on track?
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has polarised the club's fans this season, and with Craig Bellamy,
Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez all vying for attacking roles in the team, it seems inevitable that the
big man will miss out occasionally, especially if his form continues to underwhelm. Competition for
places is definitely increasing, but how does Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish see the situation?
In his weekly press conference a few minutes ago, Kenny Dalglish provided an update on the injury
status of Fabio Aurelio and Glen Johnson.We already know that Daniel Agger is out for a month with
two broken ribs, but there's better news when it comes to Johnson and Aurelio""Fabio is back
training.
Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy has given his verdict on last night's Carling Cup victory over
Brighton, sounding a note of caution over the club's inability to kill off the game earlier.
Kennedy, who won 15 trophies with Liverpool between 1978 and 1985, focused his comments on Craig
Bellamy, but also noted how the club almost let the game slip away.
Daniel Agger's agent has revealed the full extent of the defender's latest injury. Agger's agent,
Per Steffenson told Danish newspaper Elkstra Bladet the following:"He [Agger] has been for a scan,
and he has two broken ribs. He must rest for four weeks, and then he can return to training.
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler believes that Luis Suarez is 'perfect' for the number 7 shirt at
Liverpool, but argues that the Uruguayan striker can improve on his current goalscoring average.In
a recent interview, Fowler observed:"Suarez has been superb, and Kenny deserves a lot of credit for
backing his judgement on the player because the Dutch League isn't one of the strongest.
With Daniel Agger's regular injury problems, and concerns over Jamie Carragher's form, Liverpool
fans will be hoping that new defender Sebastien Coates hits the ground running when he eventually
makes it into the team. The question is, what can we expect from the player? What kind of specific,
measurable defensive impact could Coates have on Liverpool?
Every season without fail, fans seem to target one or two players for incessant criticism and
continual scapegoating that defies reality, reason and any sense of fairness. Last season it was
Lucas Leiva; this season it is Christian Poulsen. Baseless, unfounded fan criticism of players is
something that really irritates me, and as I will illustrate, the the constant criticism of Poulsen
once again highlights the depressing ignorance of some fans.
Joe Cole is fit again after being out for a month with (yet another) injury. The press seems to be
spinning it as the return of some kind of saviour (!) but the reality is the opposite is true: Cole
has been a flop since arriving at Liverpool, and with more fouls conceded that creative
contributions made in his first 15 games, I don't see that changing any time soon.
Another day, another negative, presumptuous and destabilising interview from Liverpool goalkeeper
Pepe Reina. At a time when the club is on the up and trying to maintain an excellent run of good
form, Reina deliberately rocks the boat with pointless veiled threats in the press. When Rafa
Benitez left, it seemed that Liverpool had solved the destructive public-politicking problem, but
the spirit of undermining self-interest lives on in Reina.
Despite signing a six year deal only 7 months ago, Pepe Reina's disappointing recent comments
(arguably) show that he is not fully committed to Liverpool FC. Worse than that, it seems clear
that his allegiance has always been to Rafa Benitez and not the club, which is just completely
wrong (IMO). In light of John Henry's recent comments about players leaving if they're not happy,
if Reina wants to go then just let him go.
A mere two months after signing for Liverpool FC, Milan Jovanovic has publicly stated that he'll
leave the club if things ‘do not sort themselves out'. With this kind of attitude (shared by
certain other vacillating players) I would argue it is he who needs to sort *himself* out.
Jovanovic's comments were reported by The Press Association (A hugely reliable source).
When the rumour that Berbatov's departure from Old Trafford was imminent took flight,
we witnessed perhaps the biggest love-in that the striker has had since he joined the club. It was
so great that you wondered whether Berbatov had hauled us to the title single-handedly, and felt a
bit sorry for James Collins.
In the last few days, a spate of injuries two of them involving United stars – have disrupted
the preparations of the some of the World Cup's leading contenders. But how has this affected the
Betfair markets?
The news that Rio Ferdinand will miss the tournament has seen England's odds drift to 8.
From past commentaries most everyone who actually reads what I write knows that I am not a fan
of Wizards coach Curt Onalfo. Adding fuel to the fire was the pathetic display that team showed
last Saturday in a 2-0 loss vs. a 10 man Columbus Crew. After last Saturday's performance, KC has 1
win in their last 7 games (2 of those non wins came against teams with 10 players for almost 1/3 of
the game).
You have to feel for Bruce Arena. He has taken over the mess that is the LA Galaxy, tried to
bring on new blood while mixing in veterans to serve as teacher and it's these veterans that keep
putting LA in a hole they have to dig themselves out of. Last Saturday night was no exception, when
Greg Berhalter, the experienced LA defender let Claudio Lopez passed him and was forced to commit a
foul that denied a goal scoring opportunity and earned him a red card.
Yes, I know I'm late, but it was Mother's Day and I had a higher calling. Add to that the fact
that I watched the game really late on Fox Sports in Spanish so it was done past midnight and I had
l little enthusiasm left to start typing. Still, this is how I see it now that I'm calm, cool and
collected.
So my prediction of a lineup change came true; sort of. Jack Jewsbury and Hercules Gomez were
back in the lineup for KC sending Michael Harrington and Roger Espinoza back to the bench. Still
this made no difference because the Wizards again struggled to score and came from behind to tie
D.C. in a game that was so bad that it can only be topped off by their last weekday game, a poor
display vs.
It's Wednesday night soccer at the CAB when DC United comes to town to take on the Wizards.
Wizards got a week off after a tough (and underserved) loss on the road against Toronto, while DC
has come back to beat the worst teams in the league, NY and Dallas the last 2 weeks.
DC comes in with the MLS player of the week Jaime Moreno who will try to keep their team's
comeback streak alive.
And the streak came to an end. Still, I feel guilty because I'm kind of happy I actually saw
some good soccer and guts coming from the Wizards after an abysmal showing Thursday night vs. NY. A
break here or a bounce there and Hirsig not giving up an easy ball in midfield would have given KC
at least a tie and who knows, maybe a win.
Manchester United have only one more game left with the familiar figure of Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, which is against West Brom in the last fixture of the 2012-13 season. With the Premier League title already sewn up, the Red Devils could usually be tempted to take their foot off the gas, but in this case will want to end the legendary Scottish manager's 26-year tenure with three points.
During Rafa Benitez's reign as Liverpool manager I often wrote about a negative phenomenon known as
the 'Benitez Effect'. One of the regular victims of that very real issue was Ryan Babel, and
judging by his latest comments today, he's still suffering the residual impact of his constant
alienation at the hands of Liverpool's former manager.
Brian McClair wasn't sure what to make of a discovery on a recent visit to the first team dressing
room. Football is not like it was in his day, it appears, with McClair coming across appointment
times for pedicures, massages and yoga classes. Surely it's all gone a bit too far when the players
can't even run [.
