Fernando Torres at his best, was an absolute terror. Just ask Nemanja Vidic. Or even the whole Manchester United team for that matter. There is no fluke that El Nino became the fastest Liverpool player to reach the 50-goal mark. His searing speed, excellent touch and great dribbling skills made him a Kop hero as soon as he arrived at Anfield.

The New England Revolution have finally begun the process of solving their issues at forward this week with the acquisition of Colombian target man Jose "Pepe" Moreno. The 30-year old striker joins the Revs on loan after a short stop with Once Caldas, where he scored 7 goals and 4 assists in twenty matches during the second half of 2011.

And so the Carlos Tevez saga continues linked to Inter, AC Milan, PSG, and now Liverpool. The club have apparently had a bid for Tevez rebuffed and hardly surprising given that they are rumoured to have offered Andy Carroll in a straight swap for the player.

I know Tevez is hard work and a bit of a cry baby at times, but I know who I'd rather have in my team, City would've been mad to do a like-for-like swap, although with the money at their disposal I doubt they'd really mind, plus Carroll can be decent when playing as a target man but I can't see that City would really need to resort to that with the quality of players at their disposal.

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Dijon FCO

Match day 21 – Ligue 1.

In an unbelievably quiet transfer zone window, the report card on indecision in the last month will come 21 days later. That is because starting tonight, Lyon plays a match roughly every three days, for the next three weeks!

Ireland striker Robbie Keane has already become Aston Villa's in-game gaffer by shouting out pitch instructions to his short-term colleagues.
Keane has ingratiated himself to team-mates and fans alike with his brilliant double in the 3-2 victory at Wolves last Weekend and it capped an amazing full Villa start for the 31-year-old Irish captain who is currently on loan from LA Galaxy.

Bah. Just as the Odense fiasco represented more than just another defeat, so too did last night's pathetic exit from the FA Cup. Nobody's pretending it's easy to go to Everton and get a result if it was we'd manage to get points there once in a while but there's something horribly wrong about these disjointed farces.

Bah. Just as the Odense fiasco represented more than just another defeat, so too did last night's pathetic exit from the FA Cup. Nobody's pretending it's easy to go to Everton and get a result if it was we'd manage to get points there once in a while but there's something horribly wrong about these disjointed farces.

By Chris Wright

Pies pick of the stills from last night's FA Cup third round replay action...

ITV's punditry panel Matt Smith, Gordon Strachan and Ian Wright watch over QPR's game against the MK Dons from deep within the bowels of their elevated glass fortress at a sparsely populated Loftus Road

New QPR manager Mark Hughes gives the home crowd a wave before taking his place in the Loftus Road dugout for the first time

Obviously not used to moving at these speeds, a terrified Kevin Davies motors past Macclesfield Town's Tony Diagne at the Reebok.

With roster competition and depth chart talk occupying the pre-training camp conversation online, we thought it would be good to give a visual after the most recent additions to the team (Christian Sivebaek, Andrew Duran and Babayele Sodade) being highly unknown we're not going to guess at their flexibility.

I've seen some hand-wringing and questions as to how Liverpool were lined up yesterday, especially in the second half.
I tried to explain the set-up and the reasons for it in yesterday's match review, but pictures always make things easier. Not a 1000 words easier, but easier nonetheless.

Rumors are doing the rounds today both in papers and online that Liverpool are looking to offload striker Andy Carroll, just one year after he was signed for a club record of £35million. Personally I think this is just talk to feed the rumor mill.

Sure he hasn't lived up to his over inflated deadline day transfer just yet, but people need to remember he is still only 23 and if it wasn't for a few great saves or the cross bar being a couple of inches higher he would have an extra 3 or 4 goals this season and things wouldn't look all that bad considering the minutes he has actually played.

Goal: Steve McManaman backs 'king of assists' Steven Gerrard to get Andy Carroll firing for Liverpool like Fernando Torres used to

The Reds' captain has recently returned from injury and showed glimpses of the potential combination he could forge with the troubled target man in their 3-1 win over Newcastle

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-06 10:02:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Goal: Steve McManaman backs 'king of assists' Steven Gerrard to get Andy Carroll firing for Liverpool like Fernando Torres used to

The Reds' captain has recently returned from injury and showed glimpses of the potential combination he could forge with the troubled target man in their 3-1 win over Newcastle

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-06 10:02:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Goal: Steve McManaman backs 'king of assists' Steven Gerrard to get Andy Carroll firing for Liverpool like Fernando Torres used to

The Reds' captain has recently returned from injury and showed glimpses of the potential combination he could forge with the troubled target man in their 3-1 win over Newcastle

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-06 10:02:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Welcome to Offbeat Wednesday, where we bring you the wacky and pinky side of football. Today, read about Irina Shayk turning down 'Playboy', Neymar's Singing Antics, Podolski's Future and Granero's Miami Escapade.

The world's most favourite footballer to hate, Cristiano Ronaldo, recently visited Dubai with his namorada, Irina Shayk.

By Richard Nash

After starting the season with their customary 4-3-3 formation, Wigan have now lined up in a 3-4-3 system ever since their 3-3 draw with Blackburn on November 19th. Roberto Martinez trialled the system in a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on October 1st, but then reverted back to his familiar 4-3-3 for their following game against Bolton.

According to a report from Radio Cooperativa (Chile), Milton Caraglio, the Revolution's first Designated Player, has reached an agreement with Chilean first division side C.S.D. Rangers.

Caraglio, who was signed by New England to a Designated Player deal on Aug. 2, scored three goals in 12 games with the Revolution, including a two-goal effort against New York on Aug.

Liverpool were desperate for a win after drawing 5 of their last 6 home games.

To make matters worse they had to lineup without top goal scorer Luis Suarez, after the striker received a one match ban from his finger gesture to Fulham fans. This could be a sign of things to come in the new year as his 8 match ban for racism is still under appeal.

Liverpool were desperate for a win after drawing 5 of their last 6 home games.

To make matters worse they had to lineup without top goal scorer Luis Suarez, after the striker received a one match ban from his finger gesture to Fulham fans. This could be a sign of things to come in the new year as his 8 match ban for racism is still under appeal.

Maxi Heads Home In Blackburn Draw

Andy Carroll gets a tackle in... It was a score draw at Anfield for Liverpool on Boxing Day after the Reds struggled to find a winner against Blackburn . The away side took the lead at the end of the second half but Liverpool found an equaliser via Maxi Rodriguez.

Andy Carroll gets a tackle in...It was a score draw at Anfield for Liverpool on Boxing Day after the Reds struggled to find a winner against Blackburn. The away side took the lead at the end of the second half but Liverpool found an equaliser via Maxi Rodriguez. Steve Kean must have been over the moon with his sides performance and will be very grateful of the sole point.

By David Chalmers

If you'll excuse the pun and read on...

Over a number of years, football has played with systems and tried to define formations while the brains on the bench tell us that their players aren't confined to a sole set of instructions, but taking a look at the Premier League this season, it's looking increasingly more like target men are the focal point of most sides at this moment in time.

By Chris Wright

Not a bad way to start the morning: Almeria target man Henok Goitom's insane overhead-kick against Sabadell in the Spanish second tier on Sunday evening, a goal which was outstanding for two reasons.

Firstly for the technique, agility, spacial awareness and immaculate execution on show and secondly (and Spanish football fans will back me up on this one) for the fact that Goitom usually doesn't display any of these traits and is generally completely useless in front of goal.

You know what they are going to do. You don't like it and wouldn't play that way if it meant 80 points a season, but that's what they are going to throw at us and if we're not prepared, it's down to us.

I don't like it but I'm not going to go on about it because then I'll end up like Arsene Whinger, always complaining about injustices that his precious little angels have to face when they play those awful big boys from up north.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has played under 5 different managers during his career at Anfield, and although he has great respect for both Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, Carra argues that both managers set their teams up to play long ball football.
Carra, who is currently being kept out of the Liverpool team by Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel, told The Telegraph:
"Don't give me all this 'It's the fancy dan foreign coaches' who play all the great football, either.

Harry Redknapp is the quintessential English manager. Working class roots, played football since he was a kid, steeped in the game, worked his way up in management from the lower leagues. Close to his players, he preaches the virtues of hard work and character. He has prospered in the modern era but his teams would look familiar to fans from any era of English football big men at the back, tough tackling midfielders and wingers with another big bloke up front.

In the emotionally-charged sequel to last weekend's showdown at Red Bull Area, Mike Magee and Landon Donovan each scored as Los Angeles beat New York 2-1 during the second leg of the Western Conference semis and advanced to the Conference Finals 3-1 on aggregate.

Although Red Bulls' target man Luke Rodgers opened the scoring with a 4th minute strike to immediately level the series at 1-1, Magee, the former Red Bull who had pointed words for his former employers prior to the match, replied before halftime when he took hold of a David Beckham cornerand banged it through to relcaim the L.

Quite possibly the worst performance that the Seattle Sounders ever occurred in the chilly, high air of Utah as Real Salt Lake netted three goals. Only Kasey Keller prevented that scoreline from being even greater. To list all of the mistakes that were made will take some time, but sadly it will happen.

(Photo: Nicolae Stoian)

Our break down of the Philadelphia Union/Houston Dynamo playoff matchup continues. PSP's roving correspondent Adam Cann lays out the big questions and Eli Pearlman-Storch answers them. Today's topic, the Dynamo defense versus the Union offense.

Sure, this post could be called "Sebastien Le Toux vs Dynamo D," but Seba himself would be the first to say that his statistical surge has been the direct result of the entire team finally getting on the same page going forward.

Liverpool's style of play has changed under Kenny Dalglish, and the emphasis these days is on quick, free-flowing pass and move football, which is exactly what fans want to see. According to former Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie, Andy Carroll hasn't adapted to this style of play yet, which is why he's spending lots of time on the bench.

(Photo: Nicolae Stoian)

Our break down of the Philadelphia Union/Houston Dynamo playoff matchup continues. PSP's roving correspondent Adam Cann lays out the big questions and Eli Pearlman-Storch answers them. Today's topic, the Dynamo defense versus the Union offense.

Sure, this post could be called "Sebastien Le Toux vs Dynamo D," but Seba himself would be the first to say that his statistical surge has been the direct result of the entire team finally getting on the same page going forward.

Goals:
Jones 43'
Suarez 54' 85'
For 53 minutes, it was last month at Stoke and last weekend at Norwich all over again. The same overriding, unavoidable, all-consuming narrative: Liverpool couldn't take their chances while the opposition managed to tally from far fewer, usually from a defensive mistake.

After Sammy Ochoa's Pemco goal against Chivas USA last week it seems like the Seattle Sounders have a bit of a battle for that second forward role. Just a week ago the case was made that their roles are different enough that the start v sub decision should be more about tactical options than one player being "better.

After two steps forward, the next one should not go backwards. That is the mantra for Arsene and his players this Sunday as they welcome, perhaps reluctantly, Stoke City to the Emirates.

At home the Gunners have generally done well against the Potters. But Arsene probably played his best eleven against Marseille while Stoke were able to rest a number of players for their European adventure.

Archie Thompson has been one of the A-League most effective forwards and goalscorers in the A-League.
He's tricky, crafty, plays with a smile and when fit causes havoc.
So why not play Archie nearer to the goal, rather than out on the wing, and you might find that the Victory goal drought is over.

This game oh man this game. This one beat me. Right now I'm just glad there are only two games left to go over. Join me after the break as we go over this game. Not a whole lot of good things to talk about here so I'm going to make this quick.

After the game there was a lot of talk about how the team wasn't "trying" or lacked effort.

Manchester City's management decision in suspending Carlos Tevez because of his indiscipline attitude could be troubling for them this weekend as two of their main strikers in the first team are struggling with injuries.

Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero are the names that almost certainly wont be available for Roberto Mancini's squad at the moment, leaving Edin Dzeko as the only target man available for selection.

Being played out of position can be a real problem for some players, including Tottenham Hotspurs' Rafael Van Der Vaart, who recently voiced out his disappointment of being continuously placed in a wider positions in recent matches including the London derby against Arsenal.

The Dutchman confessed that he doesn't like being played in a wider position as he felt that his best post is playing from the center.

A Day to Forget | Spurs 4 – 0 Liverpool

AnfieldIndex Liverpool FC Stats | Liverpool FC Blog | Liverpool FC Forum Before the match Kenny claimed he wasn't too unhappy with the start Liverpool had had. A poor second half at Sunderland aside, the Reds had played well against Bolton and Arsenal, and were unlucky not to have won the game against Stoke quite comfortably.

A Day to Forget – Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 0 Liverpool – Match Review

AnfieldIndex Liverpool FC Stats | Liverpool FC Blog | Liverpool FC Forum Before the match Kenny claimed he wasn't too unhappy with the start Liverpool had had. A poor second half at Sunderland aside, the Reds had played well against Bolton and Arsenal, and were unlucky not to have won the game against Stoke quite comfortably.