Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

Great result for West Ham 1 - 0 against Arsenal makes our result yesterday and next weeks game even more important.

[66-1120597113]

Great result for West Ham 1 - 0 against Arsenal makes our result yesterday and next weeks game even more important.

Yeah i watched that! May make Arsenal all the more dangerous next week they looked pretty angry coming off the pitch!

Pardew and Wenger had to be pulled apart as well or it looked as if they may have had a digging match!

[Lando_Griffin]

Kuyt's predatory goal instincts help rescue mediocre Liverpool
By Eddie Johnson at Anfield
Last Updated: 12:10am GMT 05/11/2006

Liverpool (1) 2 Reading (0) 0

Of all Rafael Benitez's summer signings, the only player with the stamp of a champion is Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman's two goals disposed of unambitious Reading here yesterday but could not obscure the fact that this Liverpool side are flabby with mediocrity.

If this team consider themselves credible title challengers – and judging by the optimistic rhetoric inside Anfield this week, they still do – they must shed their excess weight. Inside this loose, baggy monster is a lean, trim title-contender struggling to get out.

Yet how many members of this Liverpool side would get into the Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea teams? Xabi Alonso is talented, Sami Hyypia was outstanding yesterday and Kuyt is evidently emerging as a considerable attacking threat, but really only Steven Gerrard would convincingly win a place in any of those three XIs.

Players such as Jermaine Pennant and Boudewijn Zenden – competitive Premiership types that they are – fall short of the standards required of a team with league title pretensions.

Both goals were borne of Kuyt's finishing instinct, acquired for £9 million. The first, on 14 minutes, came when Gerrard cut back on to his right foot on the left flank and found Peter Crouch at the far post. The England striker nodded across the face of goal. The Dutchman tapped in. Easy as that.

The second – Kuyt's fifth since arriving at Anfield – came after Liverpool's supporters had grown uneasy about their team's failure to extinguish Reading's second-half insurrection. With 17 minutes remaining, Pennant floated in a corner from the left and Crouch headed down, only for Marcus Hahnemann to save. The loose ball was instinctively volleyed in by Kuyt. Game over.

"I've known about Kuyt for years," Benitez said. "He always works really hard and is very consistent, which is not easy for a striker. He creates chances and space for team-mates, and he has a good understanding with Crouch."

Reading, who have now lost four games in a row, were always going to struggle after they went a goal down. Steve Coppell's game plan was to try to bottle-neck Liverpool by corking Kuyt.

The Dutchman has a great gift for finding space with his off-the-ball movement, so the Reading manager opted to play Sam Sodje as a spare man at the back to try to suffocate the former Feyenoord striker's play. The unfortunate trade-off was that Kevin Doyle, playing as a lone striker for Reading, had no support. Indeed, aside from an early shot from James Harper, which came back off Jamie Carragher's heel, the visitors created little in the first half.

"Two years ago they were European champions and we were in a different division," Coppell said. "We're trying to close a huge gap."

Liverpool's answer to Reading's tactical poser was to stretch the game horizontally, trying to get crosses in from the flanks. That was how they managed to open the scoring, yet the trick was not easily repeated. Kuyt did miss two headers, just before half-time, but without any real pace to threaten the space behind the Reading defence, Liverpool struggled to impose themselves.

As the game wore on Liverpool inevitably got the jitters. Reading even got the ball in the net, from a Glen Little corner, but Ibrahima Sonko had accidentally butted Jose Reina – this, the same defender who had knocked out Carlo Cudicini in the infamous game with Chelsea – in the process. The Spaniard was left a little rattled and his handling deteriorated in the closing stages.

If Reina had looked uncomfortable on corners, it was to be one at the other end that proved decisive as Kuyt's predatory awareness spared Liverpool a frustrating end.

If Benitez can find a system that gets the best out of Kuyt – and that may mean ditching the enthusiastic, but impotent Crouch – then Liverpool can start posing truly demanding questions of any defence.

The Kop gave the Dutchman a standing ovation as he was replaced by Robbie Fowler with just minutes left to play. Should Benitez sign more players of Kuyt's calibre for the faithful fans to applaud, then he could bring the title to the thirsty banks of the Mersey.
                 ----------------------------

Were we really as bad as this? I thought we played quite well in a difficult game made all the more difficult by the Reading tactic of crowding the midfield. Yes a couple of our players arnt perhaps EPL title winning standard, but they are at best squad players rather than regular first teamers.

ditching the enthusiastic, but impotent Crouch

Crouch has scored 8 goals and his headers today made both of Kuyts goals and hes impotent?

Now we have started winning games, they change tack and call us mediocre!

He knows nothing about the game mate. Don't let a brainless scutter like him anger you.

If LFC cared what the media had to say, we'd have closed years ago.

Alonso, Carragher, Sami, Finnan, Momo - not good enough to play for the teams mentioned? Give your head a shake, lad.

Bet he's a Sh*tski fan. 

[joko]

confused with judge, he meant important player, not impotent

[Cool Hand Luke]

Arsenal, Chelsea, Bolton, Portsmouth and Everton losing makes this result even sweeter.

[account deleted by request]

Arsenal, Chelsea, Bolton, Portsmouth and Everton losing makes this result even sweeter.

As I said in another thread its been a good week for us this week!

[joko]

going to be a good season too fingers crossed

[Hebz]

Good season indeed we're still in the race for the title, champions league and carling cup, its going to be a brilliant season!