The Reds turned in a decent performance in what turned out to be a tricky fixture to open up our European campaign.  As I predicted, Torres and Gerrard were given a start, despite concerns that they might not be back to full fitness.  Gerrard was a man possesed.  He was like a zombie who had gone months without a full serving of human brain to chomp on; wild-eyed, aggresive, and hungrily roaming the pitch, looking to get himself involved in whatever action there was to be had. He must undoubtedly enjoy playing in the hole behind Torres.  For the spectator, it can be quite thrilling to watch. The only concern, and this has been voiced before, is that Keane disturbs the Torres-Gerrard dynamic, since he likes to operate in the same space as Stevie.  It does appear that Gerrard does lose some of his effectiveness when he is shackled in a midfield pairing within a 4-4-2 (especially when he is paired with a fat fuck from west london).  It's possible that Keane might be best coming off the bench, though surely he would disagree -- I'm curious to see how we line up against Stoke over the weekend. 

Torres played well, keeping the Marseille defence on their toes and opening things up for others.  I think he lacked that extra bit of sharpness -- though you wouldn't tell it by the way he nicked the ball from M'bami in the lead-up to Gerrard's goal -- otherwise he would have ended up on the score-sheet.  Still, he did what he needed to do and, along with Babel, provided a great outlet for Reina on the counter, especially in the second half.

Babel, for his part, had another great game for us.  He was essentially our left AND right winger, popping up on both sides and giving us that much needed width.  His holding play was also very impressive.  On more than one occasion he received the ball up-field and shielded it from two or even three Marseille players until the cavalry arrived.  He probably drew more fouls than anyone, though I don't have that stat in front of me.  He still needs to work on his passing game, though, as his final ball often let him down.  I also think he should finished at least one of his scoring chances.  Nevertheless, his develpment is very encouraging. Riera also had a nice game after coming on, and between the two of them we should be able to stretch defences.  Maybe Riera is the real deal.  He certainly seems willing and able to take on backs one-on-one, something a guy like Gonzales never was able to do.

Our defence was not at their best. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I really think Agger should have started this one.  There was absolutely no aerial threat, and both Carra and Skrtel were made to look slow on several occasions.  We kept a high line, were made to pay for it once, and we're lucky that it wasn't worse.  Arbeloa had the responsibililty of playing as wing-back for a good part of the first half (whenever Babel moved to the left), and left some space behind him. He got better in the second half, and put in some great tackles against the very tricky Valbuena.

So, all in all a good display.  Confidence should be high, and there were some patches of nice, fluid football that were easy on the eye.  Hopefully the pieces are starting to fit; the new-boys bedding in and adjusting to the system.  We've yet to see the best from the likes of Keane and Lucas, who looked a bit out of sorts, which is understandable considering he's been playing for Brazil for months.  We also have to start scoring early goals and putting away teams.  This coming from behind business is exciting, but it can't go on forever. 

I'm much more optimistic than I was a week ago... that's what consecutive wins against the Mancs and in the Champions league can do for you... lets keep it going

Shows how much I know:

Marseille: Mandanda, Bonnart, Zubar, Hilton, Taiwo, Cana, Cheyrou, Kone, M'Bami, Ben Arfa, Niang.
Subs: Riou, Ziani, Zenden, Kabore, Samassa, Erbate, Valbuena.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Dossena, Gerrard, Mascherano, Leiva Lucas, Kuyt, Torres, Babel.
Subs: Cavalieri, Agger, Keane, Riera, Alonso, Benayoun, Degen.

Reports today are that Rick Perry is looking to extend Agger's contract. I certainly hope this comes to pass.  As I pointed out yesterday, I think Agger is an excellent defender, and he offers certain qualities our other centers, great as they are, do not. Namely, skill on the ball and an abilility to bring the ball forward and even score a goal or two from something other than a set piece.  Also, I hate to see a player lose his spot due to injury.  Daniel had bought himself a spot in the first eleven before the metatarsal injury took him out, and I for one hopes he remains a red for a long long time.

I think Rafa will pick him today to reinforce the idea that he's valuable to the team.  Also his pace will help him deal with the likes of Kone.  Mascherano will almost certainly not be risked. We'll see some sort of Lucas-Alonso-Gerrard combination. 

In other news, there is a severe banking crisis here in New York.  "Why should I give a fuck?" you might ask. Normally, you shouldn't, aside from some good yucks at the pink-shirt brigade's expense. I personally would be the first to laugh at those asshole investment bankers leaving their offices with a box of belongings.  Ha ha ha, you stupid chump, I would say.  However, there are Liverpool implications to this fucking mess, and  I haven't seen it reported elsewhere so I thought it worth mentioning.  I'll spare the reader the gory details, but the last few months have seen the collapse of some of the most powerful investment banks in Wall Street.  It began with Bear Stearns, which was absorbed by JP Morgan with the helpful hand of the Federal Reserve and the American taxpayer. It continued this past weekend with the fall of Lehman Brothers, a storied institution dating back to the Civil War.  Next up to the gallows appears to be Merrill Lynch.  This is the same Merrill Lynch that has been at Tom Hicks elbow for over a year and would theoretically help him in his bid to buy out Tweedle-dumber.  Fat chance of that happening now.  Merril is getting bought out by Bank of America, and I'm not sure they have the taste for questionable investments in overseas soccers clubs whose fans hate their guts.  To me, the end-game of a Dubai takeover seems more and more likely, pending developments up in Newcastle. 

Finally... some relief. This win was a long time in coming, and what a satisfying one it was.  The boys played very well and showed great determination, as well as some remarkable concentration. We also got the rub of the green for once.  The Alonso-Mascheano partnership completely dominated the Carrick-Scholes combo.  Javier did have an uncharateristic switching off early on, letting Tevez run blind-side for an easy goal. He pulled himself together, though(you could see how upset he was following the goal), and returned to his tenacious self... without being reckless.  In fact, the most meaningful statistic for me was in the referees book: Liverpool picked up not a single card, but still managed to compete for every ball. United saw Vidic sent off for two vicious challenges, and was whistled for 8 more fouls than the 'Pool (18 to 10).  In the post match press conference, Sir Red-Nose could do nothing but shake his head and admire Liverpool's performance, remarking that his team had been thouroughly out-played and were not able to handle the our constant harrying:

"Overall, they were the better team. Liverpool produced a performance of tackling, hassling and getting about us.

"The source of our defeat was not coping with the hassling and the tackling. You have to give them credit for that..."

For once, Ferguson was spot-on -- no moaning about the referee, just a sad admission that his team was not good enough on the day.

The game also proved a tactical victory for Rafa. While Benitez has outwitted pretty much every top manager in the game, this fixture has been a bit of a white whale for him.  A red-nosed white whale at that.  This time he got the better of Ferguson.  It was two substitutions that played a major part in the winning goal: The United substitute Giggs getting bamboozled by a bit of Argentine flair on the part of Mascherano, before the ball fell to Kuyt, who then teed it up for the Liverpool substitute Babel.

As great as our midfield played -- with a special shout-out to newboy Riera, who turned Brown inside out on more than one occasion -- it was our center of defense that once again provided the foundation to our success.  Skrtel turned in a man of the match performance.  He had Berbatov in his pocket for most of the game, and ate up every single ball in the air that came with that nice slavic head of his.  Bless his heart.  It takes something special to keep a talent like Agger out of the side, but Skrtel has truly made that spot his own.

That said, it's on to Marseille, and  I'd give Agger a start in that one.  He's more suited to the european game than Skrtel -- he's quicker and better on the ball, and won't have to deal with as many crosses as he would in the Prem.  Mascherano is traveling, so the knock he picked up against the Scum is apparently minor.  Still, no sense in risking it... we have depth in that position and Lucas should be sufficiently recovered from internationals.  Gerrard and Torres also should be one step closer to full fitness; it will be interesting to see if the gaffer gives them a start or has them as options off the bench like he did against United.  My guess is that he'll be looking to kill the game off early, like we did last year at the Velodrome where the fantastic due scored two in the first 11 minutes. 

Normally I'd plump for one up-front in an away match such as this, with Gerrard tucked in just behind. However, if fit, I'd continue with the Torres and Keane partnership, to give them more time to establish an understanding

My lineup against Marseille:

                     Reina

Arbeloa -- Agger --  Carra -- Dossena

Benayoun -- Alonso (Lucas) -- Gerrard -- Riera

             Keane -- Torres

Liverpool-Scum Player ratings:

Reina  7: Not much to do after the first 10 min. Great save on Giggs dipping shot.

Arbeloa 6:  Eager to get forward, a bit of a liability at the back. His crossing is improving

Carra 7: Mr Steady. Always makes up with his lack of pace somehow

Skrtel 9: Dominant in the air.  Kept Berbatov, Rooney, and Tevez under wraps.

Aurelio 5: Inconsistant. We need to see more from him

Riera 6:  Good debut. Made a chump out of Brown on several occasions, but slowly drifted out of the game

Alonso 7: Much better from him.  Very valuable late on in keeping possession

Mascherano 8: One mistake, and it led to a goal. Dominant in midfield thruought. Great persistance for the winner

Benayoun 6:  Some nice tricky runs. 

Keane 7: Great endeavour, but some comical moments in front of goal. Needs to work out the nerves.

Kuyt 7: Good ol Kuyt.  No one tries harder than him. Can't finish

Subs:

Gerrard 6: gave the ball away in Gigg's dipping volley.

Babel 8: Used his pace well to run at defenders. Good finish

Hyppia:  not enough time on the pitch

Pater noster qui es in caelis
sanctificetur Nomen Tuum
adveniat Regnum Tuum
fiat voluntas Tua
sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris
et ne nos inducas in tentationem
sed libera nos a Mancs.

No domestic football this weekend and not much at all to talk about in the 'Pool world.  Things got pretty desperate indeed, and I found myself turning to the club website for any crumb of LFC news I could find.  I might has well have stuck my penis in a hair dryer, for all the fun that was.   The major headline on the website was an article claiming that Mauricio Pellegrino believes the Liverpool-United rivlalry to be the biggest in the world. Wow, that's Breaking News. Now, I didn't actually read the piece, so maybe I'm giving it short shrift. 

More promising was this: A Chat with Pepe and Fernando. Alright.  Here we go. Two of our key players talking nitty gritty. Maybe I'll get some insight into the goings on at the club, the new signings, Rafa's rotation policy....

Here's a sample exchange:

FT: Yes, we both like to spend time at home, watching matches, films and TV in general...
 
PR: We don't like the same genre of films though. If it is not based on real life or if the story line is not very believable, then you are not much of a fan.
 
FT: I only enjoy fact based films, or films that could happen in real life. But you don't like video games, preferring to play golf or tennis. You play the odd car game, but that is about it. Thank God Arteta comes by once in a while to play. 
 
Me: I like to eat the pizza. Of pepperoni I am also a fan. Say, you guys want to do some blow?

Ok. I made that last part up.  But Christ, can these guys be any more boring? I mean seriously. Here we have two football players, in their professional and physical primes, and the best they can do is talk about barbecues getting snowed out and who cheats at board games? 

Like most men, I entertain certain fantasies. And in the fantasy parallel trajectory of my life, the one where I don't choose to study Economics and toil away in front of a computer for ten hours a day, there are two main plot lines.  One involves joining a Clash-inspired punk band, chasing skirt,  and travelling the world; the other is playing football for Liverpool, chasing skirt, and travelling the world.  After reading that crap, I'm considering striking the second one from my list.  Pepe and Nando apparently play video games and watch TV. Shit! I can do that!  How about getting out once in a while and talking to a girl or two, lads? Do it for us!

With the close of the transfer window, comes the time-honored tradition whereas the manager parades out his latest signing, all decked out in his new kit, scarf aloft.  For the fans watching the proceedings on the telly, or on the club website, it feels a bit like a day at the zoo or, as is my personal preference, the aviary.  We sit at home or at the office, popcorn in hand, and gawk at an uncomfortable creature that's clearly out of its natural habitat.  A football player is in his element when he is playing football, not smiling stupidly at the cameras in an empty stadium.

And so now we have Albert Riera.  Out come the prerequisite YouTube videos, with Albert looking like a world-beater, all full of neat tricks.  He had a great season last year at Espanyol, or so I keep reading, though I can't seem to remember him much, having watched a decent amount of Spanish football (mostly Madrid and Barca, to be fair).  I remember even less about his little stint at Shity a few years ago.  He says he's matured since then.  Let's hope so.

I don't mean to be a downer but.... we've seen some pretty dodgy transfers before, and Riera looks more to me to be more in the mold of Josemi or Morientes than Alonso or Torres.  I must emphasize .... looks like . Since I don't know jack about his footballing abilities, I'm giving a careful asessment of the, shall we say, visuals. His jaw seems to be a bit too square or something... the nose a tad angular....like some sort of short-haired Fabio.  Now, I bet Fabio has a great first touch, just not sure that it's in the footballing sense, if you know what I mean....You do know what I mean don't you?

I wouldnt let my wife or daughter near him is what I'm just sayin'... not that I have one either. 

Again, I'm just sayin'. You can't blame a guy for just sayin', can you?  I just don't want anyone to get their hopes up, that's all. Not jealous or anything -- not in the least bit.

This unconfirmed report crossed my desk yesterday.  It just goes to show the power of money to turn someone into a complete asshole in no time at all.  No sooner did Shity find itself flush in the pocket, than it started behaving badly; waving its petro-dirhams around like a drunken sailor let loose in a Bangkok whorehouse.  With mai-tai goggles firmly in place, they ended up taking home lady-boy Robinho intead of a proper lay. It's going to be a rough morning for them.

Now, I always had a soft spot for Shity.  I found their fans to be generally good-humoured about their perennial crapness, and they've always lacked the red-faced loutishness of their dooshy neighbors.  It was also nice to see some of our thick-around-the-waist legends spend some of their sunset years there.  That was nice of them. They also always knew their place.  They were a club with tradition ... but without the annoying illusions of grandeur of a Newcastle or West Ham.  Now they're a bunch of assholes with a bank account... Great.  Just what we needed.  Another one of those.

Now, let's be clear. Torres is going nowhere.  And it's not just because the transfer deadline closed before Shity could make a right go at him. I truly believe the boy's heart is at Anfield, and that he possesses that rare trait in football these days: loyalty. You could see how hard it was for him to leave his boyhood club, Atletico, and I don't think he would have signed with Real Madrid for all the money in the world.

Still, having another club with gillionaire owners not afraid to splash money around does put Liverpool in a bit of a pickle. The economic reality is that as the teams around us get richer and richer, we will be less able to remain competitive in the transfer market.  Simply put, the supply of world-class talent is fixed, and the silly money being brought to the game by the likes of Abramovich and Abu Dhabi is not just affecting demand, and therefore raising the price, its creating a market distortion because they're operating under different, non-freemarket, principles as anyone else.  At this point I would love to create a nice little graph that illustrates what I'm talking about... you know, like they have in the Economist. Unfortunately I'm new to this and don't know how,  and I'm too arsed to figure it out in any event.  Instead, I'm going to get all old-school and paint a picture for you with words.  Bear with me:

About 10 years ago, people in Argentina thought they were the shit. They had a booming economy, and lots of beautiful women with fake tits. An Argie friend if mine at the time told me "the streets of Buenos Aires are paved with breasts" I booked the first flight to the BA and found to my delight that he wasn't as full of it as usual.  Then the economy went to hell.  Turns out that pegging their currency to the dollar hadn't been such a hot idea after all.  The country was in huge debt and the fixed conversion rate made imports relatively cheap, meaning that all the wealth being created was leaving the country. The bubble burst, there was a run on the banks, and everyone went broke overnight.

Suddenly, your average Argentine bloke who once fancied himself a properous member of the middle class, with a German car, regular vacations to Europe and America, and a buxomy mistress with her own flat, now had to make do with taking the bus and making love to his own wife.  It still wasn't a very bad life, but not what he was used to. And now it was the Europeans and Americans turn to descend on Buenos Aires with their cheap money... and for  the expat from Bristol to move into the luxury flat with the buxomy mistress. A sad state of affairs for the Arggie.

That's us now.  Sure, we still have it relatively good.  Top four.  World-class players. But the economics around us are changing, and decidedly not in our favor.  You can bet this is not the last we'll see of Shity approaching our players, or luring other top talent away from poorer clubs in the Premier league.  Relative to the truly mind-blowing amount of oil money entering the English game now, the likes of Hicks of Gillette are skint.  Benitez knows this. And he expressed his concerns today.  Looks like more of the Rieras for us and less of the Silvas.

Dark days indeed.  Enough to make one cry into his Malbec

Well, here we are, 3 games in and 2nd in the league on goal differential.  Not so bad on the face of it.  But most Liverpool supporters would say we've played poorly.  The media, in their shameless idiocy, have deemed us "lucky"  - they're full of shit.  Torres and Gerrard have rescued points very very late against Sunderland and Boro, but that's what players of their quality are paid to do.  You put Torres in for 90 minutes against any team in any league and chaces are pretty good he'll score.... nothing lucky about it.

Here's the problem: what happens when those two are not on the pitch? Nil fucking Nil, that's what.  And if we come away nil nil against the Mancs in less than two weeks time, I for one will take it, thank you very much.  When Torres and Gerrard are injured, I just don't see where the goals are coming from. Shit... I don't even know who'll line up against United.  Seriously.  I have no fucking idea.

Looks like the back four is pretty much settled; and it's solid.  But, will Carragher continue his scoring ways by thumping the ball into Ferdinand's ugly face, deflecting it into the net? That would be nice, wouldn't it - but probably won't happen.  Likewise, I'm not holding my breath to see a winner out of Arbeloa, Skrtl, or Dossena.  Fair enough. They're defenders after all.

Ok. So that leaves one of the following players to put the ball in the net against the Manc cunts: Aurelio, Babel, Benayoun, Lucas, Mascherano, Alonso, Riera, El Zhar, Pennant, Ngog, Keane, and, God helps us, Dirk Kuyt. 

That's grim reading, folks.  Sorry to say it. 

Which brings us to Keane: Time to step it up, son! Yes You Can!  Change I can believe In!  If anyone on that list of can turn the game for us it's got to be him.  Big players rise to the occasion, and what better occasion than scoring a winner, at Anfield, against United.  That said, it's a bit early to put so much pressure on the guy, and I'm still not sure where he fits in the overall squad dynamic, especially with No. 8 an No. 9 out:  I guess we put him upfront with the goal-challenged Dirk Kuyt.  I'm not crazy about it, but maybe it'll work.  I'll be pulling for Keano, and doing my part by eating a large bowl of Lucky Charms from now until matchday, if nothing else the sugar high will get me through the dreary internationals.

So that's where we are. We have the good fortune of having not one but two ridiculously talented, balls-to-the-wall, committed, game-winning badass motherfuckers on our squad.  Other top teams are lucky to have just one (Arsenal, I'm looking at you). 

The good news, such as it is, is that while we may be without them temporarily, soon enough they'll be back, banging in goals and having us singing again.  Whether that will be enough to bring us the title we all so desperately want, well...that's a question for tomorrow.