Home ones are fine, the away ones are bad. Not to many teams can pull of yellow. The Liverpool ones that looked good to me were the white ones from last year. If I were a 'Pool I would have been all over those.Originally Posted by chu gar
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Smith to make return for the reviews
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...376568&cc=5739
Hopefully he's ready soon. With Rooney out for the next 3, striking options are limited. I love Ole, but I don't know how effective he can be anymore on a game to game basis and Rossi is still unproven. Be nice to have a proven EPL striker on the bench or even starting along side Saha for the time being.
Liverpool
In:
Craig Bellamy
Jermaine Pennant
Dirk Kuyt
Mark Gonzalez
Fabio Aurelio
Out:
Djimi Traore
Didi Hamman
Djibril Cisse(on loan)
Strengths
Loads of options. The additions of Bellamy and Kuyt is a big improvement from last year's strike force. Not only can Bellamy score goals, but also intelligent with his movements and running the channels. The run he made that ended up an assist to Crouch during the Community Shield is a good example. Kuyt is a forward version of Jamie Carragher. He won't give Liverpool too many goals from long range, but will hustle, pounce on lose balls, and is a goal poacher Liverpool sorely needed since Michael Owen left the club. Fowler will be fourth choice striker and a pretty good one as he has gotten in great shape during preseason.
The midfield is bunch of Alonso, Sissoko, Gerrard, Zenden, Garcia, Gonzalez, and Pennant, Riise(if Aurelio plays LB) is in my opinion the deepest in the EPL. Gerrard played on the rıght wing and still scored over 20 goals. In my opinıon, Gerrard is the best attacking, the most versatile midfielder, and the most versatile player in the world. Alonso IMO is the best deep lying midfielder and passer in the EPL and will continue to start the attacks for Liverpool. Sissoko has been very consistent since preseason. The guy is a machine...plain and simple. Not only can he out hustle most players, he has gotten more skillful over the summer. Garcia is unpredictable and is more suited to as a sub. Gonzalez has been improving with every game he plays in. Pennant, well, he is doing what he expected of him.
When Riise went coast to coast to score in the Community Shield, one Chelsea player covered Gonzalez during the counter attack, one chased after Pennant, Riise was urged on by his teammates to keep bombing forward and he eventually scored with plenty of space around him.
Goalkeeping. Pepe Reina is as good as any goalkeeper in the world, a sweeperkeeper. He has great command in the area. Is very decisive and very good with his distributions. The difference in Liverpool not dropping as many points last season was Reina making many crucial game saving saves. Before coming to the EPL, he was the best penalty stopper in Spain. He showed us why during last year's FA Cup Finals penalty shoot out.
Rafa Benitez. In two years, he has guided Liverpool to a CL title, an FA Cup, helped Liverpool improve tremendously in the EPL standings. Has been shrewd and overall done a good job in the transfer market. He is the best tactician in the EPL. For the past two years, Real Madrid made no secret as to who they wanted as their manager. Along with Sam Allardyce, Rafa is also one of the best at getting the best out of their players.
Weaknesses
New players need time to settle and gel with the team. I all our new player could adapt just as well as Xabi Alonso did in his first season, but that isn't possible, especially South American players. Pennant and Bellamy are EPL ready. Aurelio, Gonzalez, and Kuyt are going to need the time to adjust. One year is the time frame I give them to sink and swim in the EPL. The new wingers have to gel with the wing backs. Gonzalez and Riise were improving during preseason, but has a long way to go. Gonzalez knows when to use his speed and hustles back to make tackles, but now his teammates are going to learn how to use Gonzalez. Aurelio is a good header of the ball and will provide much help on attack, but that leaves the back line more vulnerable for the counter.
Which takes us to the defense. Liverpool are improving to a more option packed attacking team. However, Agger will began his intergration to the first team to take over for Hyppia. Agger will continue to make mistakes, as will Aurelio. Teams have, and will continue to focus their attacks on Liverpool's left side. Hyppia can read the game just as well as anyone. He can predict where the ball is going to land 10 years ahead of time, but his distributions are terrible, and is slower than ever.
The 4-5-1. The only thing I have against Rafa. I don't think it works as well in the EPL. With that said, Liverpool do have Crouch, Kuyt, and the wingers to make it work, but leaving Bellamy up front on his own during the later stage of the Sheffield match was frustrating.
Going back a year, Wigan gave Chelsea a tough time in their first match. So, the tie against Sheffield is nothing to worry about. As long as health is on their side, once settled, this year's Liverpool will be very dangerous.
As for the new kits, love the home jerseys and have no idea what the designers were thinking when they came up with the yellow ones.
Skysports.com understand that Portsmouth have made a renewed bid to snatch Obafemi Martins from under the noses of Newcastle.
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...snatch+Martins
Arsene Wenger has admitted that he has made an offer for Chelsea defender William Gallas.
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has threatened to report Manchester United to Fifa over their attempts to sign Owen Hargreaves.
Harry is trying really hard. Martins is fast and has a good shot. That's about it, if he goes to Porstmouth I think he'll have a tough time.
Arsenal are keeping Cole out of CL duty so he's not cuptied. The basis of the Gallas move would be a swap. If Chelsea do this they're retarded. Bridge is good enough at LB and I wouldn't want to strengthen Arsenal.
That's odd, because Soccernet has Martins moved to Newcastle for 10M pound.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...376673&cc=5901
In the same article you'll see Boumsong close to signing with Juventus, with the Magpies recouping up to 75% of the 8M they splashed out for JAB.
Even after Martins, we still need one more striker. A backup. With Ameobi out right now (hip, hamstring) Martins would still leave us with only 1 striker. Ameobi & Martins could be a good partnership, but someone is needed to back them up. Someone not named Albert Luque.
Well, you can all relax because Liverpool are in the group stages (thank the maker!)!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...pe/5266050.stm
[QUOTE=Damien C;500229]That's odd, because Soccernet has Martins moved to Newcastle for 10M pound.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...376673&cc=5901
In the same article you'll see Boumsong close to signing with Juventus, with the Magpies recouping up to 75% of the 8M they splashed out for JAB.
QUOTE]
Yeah, on The BBC it shows exactly that. Good moves for tthe barcodes!
Chelsea fall at the Riverside.
2-1
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=199100&cc=5901
United put Charlton away 3-0
Fletcher
Saha
Ole Gunnar
Keano to take over Sunderland
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...for+Sunderland
Interesting because he and Quinn have had differences in the past. I think Keano will prove to be a good manager, he's definitley a leader of men, the question is will the Sunderland board give the neccessary funds. Sunderland always do well in the Championship, then they get promoted and they never buy anyone, so they're relegated by X-mas.
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