Winning Eleven

Metatarsal, England and Rooney.

2006-05-02T23:50:00.000+08:00

The metatarsal curse has struck again. With only 6 weeks away from the opening fixture of the world cup, English boy wonder Wayne Rooney broke a bone in his foot after a hard challenge from Paulo Ferreira in the crunch tie between the Premierships' top 2 sides last weekend. It is looking increasingly improbable that Rooney will be fit enough for the World Cup. David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville and more recently Michael Owen have suffered similar injuries. Beckham almost missed a World Cup, while both Gerrard and Neville missed the trip to WC2002. Jinx? Maybe.

The media reports following Rooney's injury were not surprising. Despair, ill luck, and perhaps England's best chance of success of late gone to smoke.

However, I was actually quite appalled when Steven Gerrard actually grieved on air and went on to announce that without Rooney, England will have no chance of success at the World Cup. Surely, England is not a one man show. There is no question that Rooney is a fantastic talent but to write off their own chance of success even before a ball is kicked is just absolutely shameful and ballistic.

While the vast majority of fans rant about the setback(some to the extent of tearing off their betting slips for England), I beg to differ.
Rooney's absence is a setback but it definitely does not spell the end of the world. There is abundant talent that can be called upon to replace the wonder kid. Not directly( I doubt anyone can), but fit in another custom formation that thrives on the absence of Rooney. Allow me to explain.

Michael Carrick is by far one of the more consistent holding midfielders in the country. Gerrard and Lampard are brilliant going forward. In the past, playing both Stevie G and Frankie Lampard in the same team raised questions of the dynamics and balance of the central midfield. More often than not, both players' natural instinct of moving forward left gaps in midfield. Now, with Rooney out, Carrick could come in and sit in front of the defence, like he has done so well for Spurs this season, and allow either Gerrard or Lampard the license to move upfront, playing off the lone striker(which in this case, Peter Crouch fits the target man bill perfectly.).
Why Crouch? He doesn't score many goals, but as a target man, he keeps the ball well, and allows time for the mid fielders to push forward in support. With Becks on the right, crosses will be in abundance and the near 2m tall Crouch can only benefit.

There is also the added option of playing Joe Cole just behind the lone striker, but that re-creates the left wing problem. Or reverting to a straight swap between strikers. Either Owen, Defoe or Bent could fit alongside beanpole.

So it's far from the end. Just look back in history 1966 and refer to the injury suffered by then prolific striker Jimmy Greaves and how his replacement Geoff Hurst stepped up and played a crucial role in England winning their first ever world cup.

Even without Rooney, England certainly still do have ample players that can come in and do a good job. If ever, there was a reason for England not winning the cup, trust me it's not because of Rooney's absence.(First name Sven).For now, I won't get into that.

Img sources: Google images, soccernet.com

Rafa's weakness

2006-02-02T09:17:00.000+08:00

Aftermath of Liverpool 1 Birmingham 1

On a night when all the top teams dropped points, Liverpool failed to capitalize, when they should. Manchester United were gunned down by a brilliant Bently hat trick, Arsenal were brutally punished by their own lackluster defending. Even the runaway leaders Chelsea dropped points against Aston Villa.

On a night when the anticipated return of Anfield’s prodigal son seemed to garner more attention than the 3 points on the table, Liverpool were left disappointed after an unfortunate Xabi Alonso own goal meant the reds dropped points at home for the first time since Chelsea last visited.

While the own goal was unfortunate, some of the other happenings or decisions made in the game were not and rather baffling, IMHO.

image source: liverpoolfc.tv

I could not understand why Rafa did not take Hamann off when clearly, Birmingham was 1 man down, not threatening and that Liverpool needed more creativity in midfield. Subbing Alonso for the more defensive minded Hamann could have generated that level of creativity needed to finish the game off. His concern might have been to rest Gerrard for the upcoming clash against Chelsea, but isn’t it better to go into the Chelsea game having picked up 3 points, rather than just 1? You might argue that when Gerrard was taken off, Liverpool were indeed in the lead. But you don’t need to be Einstein to figure out that a 1 goal lead in football is never enough. You need at least 2, sometimes even 3 goals. Liverpool should know better. I don’t think there would be much difference in resting Gerrard 10 min less, or maybe even 20.

image source: google images

This is perhaps one of Rafa’s weaknesses. He needs to be more ruthless in making decisions to kill teams off. I say take a leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s book, go for the kill and finish teams off. Ever noticed how Jose brings on his strikers and offensive players almost immediately after the opposition takes a shock lead. That’s the kind of reaction that Rafa lacks. He takes too long to make an offensive change.

I was never a big fan of the rotation policy and sometimes when it backfires, I can’t help but get frustrated. The fact was Liverpool was more than capable of beating Birmingham. If Carragher, Gerrard and Alonso were in the same team, it will not have been a problem. It’s always a big gamble and it backfired. You don’t rest key players like that. Lampard, Terry and Makelele starts every week. You rest them only when you know the points are in the bag for sure or when say you’re playing a lower league team.

It’s disappointing that even when Chelsea dropped 4 points in the league from a possible 6, their rivals have failed to catch up. Remarkably, some of them have even fallen further back.

The title race is by means no means over yet. As long as it’s mathematically possible, teams should never give up. And I sincerely hope that they haven’t.

Return of the King

2006-02-01T12:10:00.000+08:00

It seems such a long time ago since Robbie Fowler left his beloved Liverpool for Leeds United. After a much publicized training room bust up with Assistant manager Phil Thompson, Fowler left behind a remarkable career at Anfield that saw him notch over 170 goals in 330 games. Fowler never did leave in the best of manners. On his last game, he was taken off at half time and never did get the chance to have a proper farewell to his ardent supporters. Somehow, it felt like he never did say goodbye to them.

In his recent biography, he mentioned about his unfinished business at Anfield. Who will have expected the sudden turn in events. That Fowler will one day return home, to where his heart truly lay. Signed on a 6month contract, Robbie was signed on a free transfer from Manchester City.

It was a controversial signing, certainly much talked about. Talk of town that “God” is back where he belongs. If you had been a Liverpool supporter since the early 90s, you will have no problems recollecting this amazing talent. How he terrorized defenses, scored goals from all angles and distances, how often he was being compared to the great Jimmy greaves and labeled the country’s most natural finisher. Fowler was no doubt a top class marksman.

I believe most fans who love Liverpool will have rejoiced at the stunning revelation of his return. Like Rafa mentioned, Fowler can take the team up another level.

However, skeptics may suggest that the Robbie Fowler today is no longer the same. It’s true, but it’s also important to take note that Fowler’s record since leaving Anfield isn’t exactly that poor either. At Leeds, he averaged a goal every 2 games. At Manchester, his record was a goal in every 3. So if you think about it, it isn’t really that bad a record. Perhaps it’s a case of setting too high standards early on in his career?

It’s true though that injury have hampered his playing career of late. And it’s indeed some sort of gamble to bring Fowler back. Hopefully, with the proper training and the manager’s Midas touch, Fowler will be able to get back near to his former best self.

It’s clear that Rafa believes in the player’s ability. He only recently allowed his 2 other strikers, Pongolle and Mellor off on loan to Blackburn and Wigan respectively.

With his pure love for his club and unparalleled passion for the club, it is no doubt that Fowler will be putting in 110 percent at every training session, game and moment. Hopefully this remarkable passion can go on to influence the training room, bring the camaraderie up to another level and improve the quality of the vastly improving LFC.

Gunners food for thought.

2005-11-07T23:36:00.000+08:00

I was always a fan of the flowing and offensive style of play Arsene Wenger makes his team play. The short 1-2 passes, spread play to the wings, brilliant teamwork and clinical finishes epitomises the way football should be played.

This season hasn't been the best for Arsenal and I can understand why. Any team, maybe apart from Chelsea, that loses 3 of their best players will struggle to find form.

Viera's departure was shocking.Wenger's failure to secure a replacement was even more shocking. Flamini and Fabregas are exciting prospects but are not near the finished article. Hleb is good but the holding midfield position is not exactly his best.

Henry's injury woes have hurt the team. Without Henry, Arsenal are like rhinos without their horns.

To top things up, the team has missed the experience, pace and quality of Ashley Cole, probably the best left back in the country at the moment.

However, with Henry returning from injury, recent results have been better. Arsenal fans can expect things to improve.

In January, Wenger needs to fill the void left by Viera and try to keep the Gunners in the black while doing so, attributed very much to the large amount of funds going into their new arena.

What is wrong with Liverpool football club?

2005-11-01T21:51:00.000+08:00

It’s baffling how the Champions league and English premier league fortunes can be so contrasting for Liverpool football club. Here are some opinions which I can offer.

Confidence is a key factor. It can make or break a team. Just take a look at the great Arsenal team 2 seasons ago. Cruising on a record breaking unbeaten run that spanned across the entire duration of a league season, they were halted at Old Trafford and along with it went their confidence. The team crumbled. Playing low in confidence, Arsenal failed to recover, surrendering the league title to current champions Chelsea. The current Liverpool team is running high on confidence at the European front but struggling on the domestic scene, particularly in the away games. The confidence factor definitely affects the players’ psychologically when they take the pitch to face their opponents. Their approach will vary. The team needs to find a string of good performances and results to help turn the corner.

I’ve always believed that the players make the team and the manager picks the players. Therefore, it’s extremely important the gaffer picks the right players for the team. I have a lot of respect for the manager. He is top draw, master tactician and a great student of the game. Furthermore, the man is a winner in his career. He led Tenerife to promotion, won the Spanish Championship, UEFA cup during his short spell in Valencia, and remarkably won the Champions League Cup in his first season with Liverpool. His achievements speak highly for himself.

The quality and depth of the squad are often criticized by the fans or press. For me, most of Rafael Benitez’s signings have been good enough, apart from a selected handful. Josemi has been perhaps the managers’ worst signing thus far. The Spanish right back plays like a schoolboy on a pitch of adults. The number of miss timed tackles he’s guilty of outnumbers the number of accurate ones he’s made. Constantly caught out of position and with his lack of pace exposed on more than one occasion, it is sometimes painful watching the player don the shirt of the Reds. Another poor signing was Antonio Nunez. Fortunately, the manager realized his mistake and offloaded the Spaniard at the start of the season. Apart from Josemi and Nunez, the rest of the new players have done well for me, in particularly, Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia. Alonso is a great passer of the ball, probably one of the best in the English game and his influence across the midfield with his inch perfect passes is second to none.

Luis Garcia has been taking a lot of flak from some of the fans and press but I actually beg to differ. In fact, I think he is a key player in the Liverpool setup. Intelligent and never shy of taking on defenders, he injects natural flair into the team, an ingredient lacking in the current Liverpool team. The tiny Spaniard creates a certain degree of unpredictability in the Liverpool offence whenever he plays, creating those crucial tiny spaces for his team mates, and running into key spaces himself to nick in the goals. On top of that, he is flexible and can play across the midfield from left to right and even behind the front man as a supporting striker. He was the clubs 2nd top scorer in the champion’s league last season, a credible achievement for a midfield player in his first season at the club.

In my opinion, talent is evident. The team has quality players. Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Luis Garcia, all nominated for the European footballer of the year award. Harry Kewell, Bolo Zenden and John Arne Risse are good options on the left. Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso, Stephen Warnock, Momo Sissoko, Sinama Pongolle and Djibril Cisse are promising talents. Fernando Morientes and Didi Hamann offer valuable experience.

However, the current Liverpool squad lacks a centre back and a right winger. Rafael Benitez’s failures to secure new players for these positions are beginning to haunt. The central pairing of Hyypia and Carragher will be overworked as the long season unfolds. No player can put in 100% throughout the entire season, playing every game. Not to mention injuries and suspensions. Mistakes and lapse of concentration in defense have cost Liverpool to concede goals this season. For instance, the 1-4 drubbing against Chelsea, whereby Hyypia was caught wanting in defense. It’s not the first time he has been caught off guard. The once ever reliable Finn needs competition to keep him at the top of his game. In fact, everyone needs competition, irregardless of how good a player he is.

The absence of a natural right winger disrupts the team balance. Balance is ever so important in a team. Over the course of the season, different players have been deployed in the position, notably, Garcia, Cisse, Sinama Pongolle, Zenden, Kewell and most recently Steven Gerrard. I thought the most natural were Garcia and Gerrard. Cisse was and will probably never be a suitable right winger. He is fast, but there’s no use sprinting down to the byline and failing to make any decent cross, likewise, Sinama Pongolle. Both Zenden and Kewell are better suited playing on the left side of midfield. The manager needs to find the right balance in the team and at the moment; he has Garcia and Gerrard to fill the right side of midfield. It may not be their favorite position, but they are the 2 best fitted players in the team that can play there. Until the club strengthens the squad in January, Rafael Benitez should stick with the two players on the right in order to maintain the team balance.

Once you have the right players playing in the right system, the results will come ringing in. So what is the right playing system for Liverpool football club?
The gaffer prefers the 4-5-1 formation and I don’t blame him, considering the amount of success he had with the system in his glory days with Valencia. However, he must realize that it’s not necessary that the system will work with Liverpool. While I agree that the 4-5-1 will help accommodate the strong base of central midfielders in the side, I don’t think it’s a system that is offensive enough, especially in England. It’ll probably be good enough for you to play out draws, but that is not what a club like Liverpool should be looking for. The game play in England is faster paced and there isn’t much time for teams to slowly build up their offensive play. This is exactly why Liverpool always end up pumping the ball up to their forlorn lone striker upfront, be it Cisse, Morientes or Peter Crouch. If your defense stays strong, you end the game with a point. If the defense makes a mistake and concedes, you end up losing 3 points. Judging from Liverpool’s form in the premier league, this sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Moreover, the 4-5-1 is perhaps not the most suitable formula when your strikers are off form and you need the goals. Apart from Cisse, the other strikers have not been scoring regularly. Morientes hasn’t scored since the early rounds of the Champion’s league, while Crouch is yet to find the net since his transfer. Sinama Pongolle can’t buy a game, not to mention score a goal. Neil Mellor has been injured since last season. Of course, I’m not suggesting that the team plays with 3 or 4 strikers up front to get the goals, but at least revert back to the conventional tried and tested 4-4-2. The thing about the 4-4-2 is that when you play with 2 strikers, it gives the opposition defense one more player to worry about. Movement among the 2 strikers will create more problems for the opponent’s defense and create space for the other players.

The rotation policy at the club needs to be revised. While I agree that it is important to rotate the players in the squad, I still feel that there should be a core of players that play the games week in week out. Take a look at Chelsea. However big their squad is, Lampard, Makelele, Essien forms the core in midfield, alongside Terry at the back and Drogba upfront. Together with the keeper, these 6 players form the core of the team and are hardly rotated especially in the premiership. Liverpool on the other hand does not have a main core of players, especially in midfield. One week its Alonso and Gerrard, the next it’s Sissoko and Gerrard, or Alonso and Hamann. Upfront, it is always a rotation between Cisse, Crouch and Morientes. No one striker gets a decent run of games to find form. It is difficult having to play with mostly different players every week and to try forming partnerships and building understandings on the pitch. Some say that Rafael Benitez has no clue as to which is his best team, I can see where they are coming from.

In a nutshell, Rafael Benitez needs to maintain balance in the team. He needs to revert to the tried and tested 4-4-2 and play Gerrard or Garcia on the right. Not Cisse, Sinama Pongolle or anyone else. He needs to keep a core of players playing week in week out in the premiership in order for them to find understanding, teamwork and momentum on the pitch. In addition, he needs to strengthen the squad in January by bringing in a centre back and a right winger.

There is no doubt that the team has the talent and the right man to lead the glory days back to Anfield. All Rafael Benitez needs is time to learn from his mistakes. He is a good student of the game and I believe he will learn fast. Liverpool fans have been tremendous. They are probably the best fans in the world. They will be patient and they will wait. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that the team does better, for the brilliant fans truly deserve more.

English Pragmatism Required

2005-09-17T15:00:00.000+08:00

It’s an open secret that there is crisis in the English camp. More often than not results tell the truth. In the event that it doesn't, performance on the pitch says it all. The past couple of England performances have been anything but inspiring. From struggling to beat lowly ranked Azerb'jan and Wales to the humiliating 4-1 thumping at the hands of Denmark. England is obviously struggling. If you aren't convinced, their latest result should spell it all out. 1-0 defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland, a country ranked below our national team in the FIFA world rankings. The result was never a shock though; it was all along an accident waiting to happen.

So what is the problem with the English team, widely believed to be the strongest assembled since the historic 1966 squad? Is it a Lack of talent? It can't be. There is Wayne Rooney, a player specially praised by Football legend Pele. There are European footballer of the year nominees, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. There is European defender of the year winner, John Terry. And not to mention the others, highly rated defenders Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and the promising Shaun Wright Phillips, Joe Cole and Jermaine Defoe. Talent is evident.

Power is nothing without control. A team can have the best players in the world but still fail to achieve at the major championships. Just look at the Dutch teams of the 90s, bolstered with one of the finest young talents at that time but struggled to make an impact at the World Cup or European Championships. Or the recent star studded Real Madrid team, talented players but no balance in the team. Football is after all a team sport. Cohesiveness, team work and balance do form a key part of the team tactics. Therefore, the man in charge plays a crucial role in the team's performance. He has to pick the right players irregardless of reputation and the right playing system for his team. Reputation should count for nothing. Form should. In this aspect, England does not seem to have the right man for the job.

Sven Goran Ericsson, currently one of the highest paid managers in the world was never well known for his managerial tactics. His team selections have been eye boggling thus far.
Reputation over form seems to be the guideline. Refusing to drop his off form “star” players has drawn a lot of flak from supporters. Electing to rest the in form Jermaine Defoe for the far from match fit Michael Owen is a question mark. The decision to field Beckham in the midfield holding position in order to fit in form Shaun Wright Phillips into the first team is highly questionable. And to try the new 4-5-1 system in a World Cup Qualifier is a bold but silly move.

All credit to the skipper, David Beckham was never a natural ball winner. To place him in the midfield holding position was always going to be a huge risk. It’s been a long time since the England skipper had a good game for his country. Everyone knows it, so why is he still in the first team? Is it because of his captaincy? Surely, that must not be the reason. If it is, then Sven has got it all wrong. There are more than capable players in the squad good enough for the captaincy. Think Rio, Terry, Lampard or Gerrard.

Playing Rooney as the lone striker was always asking a lot even for a player of his calibre. Rooney is at his best playing just behind the striker and going forward from deep. He was never a natural front figure. In fact, there are not many natural front figures in the England setup, unless you bring into the fray the likes of Emile Heskey or Peter Crouch. But they were not available. Therefore, the 4-5-1 system was never the best option for the England team. They simply don't have the players for the system.

A little bit of pragmatism is needed in the English camp. They need to revert back to the tried and tested 4-4-2 system. Drop the skipper and play two upfront. This will re-create the important right balance in the team. If the manager isn’t capable of ringing in the changes, then he must be changed. For power is nothing without control and if the English FA does not call for a change quick enough, England will never reach its fullest potential. The likes of Rooney, Lampard and company will perhaps only be remembered as nearly beens.

Intrique

2005-09-17T01:36:00.000+08:00

It’s no doubt one of the fiercest rivalries in English football. Fans from all over the world gather in anticipation of this blockbuster fixture. Players are pumped up while managers flex their thinking tactical caps, all gearing up for one of the most highly anticipated fixture on the English football Calendar, Liverpool versus Manchester United.

This season, both clubs have had decent starts to the new campaign. Manchester United has done well; collecting 10 out of a possible 12, with the only minor hiccup coming up against their plucky rivals from across the street, Manchester City. Sir Alex Ferguson will be pleased with the start they’ve had so far having won 3 out of 4 games, 2 of which were tough away matches at Everton and Newcastle. Liverpool has had a slower start but has remained unbeaten after tough trips to Middlesbrough and Tottenham. Rafa Benitez will be pleased with the input so far, 5 points from a possible 9. At this same stage of the season last year, Liverpool had only 4 points.

Many will agree that form will count for little going into matches of this altitude. Both teams will be up for it and both will equally have a good chance of coming up tops. History will be on the side of United, having won the 3 last meetings at Anfield. The corresponding fixture last season saw Wayne Rooney lash home a winner from outside the box, complimented by the howler from Jerzy Dudek. There is no doubt that Rooney can perform the same heroics again come this Sunday.

Injury problems have hit United of late. Gary Neville ruled out for a couple of months, Roy Keane out for a good 6 weeks and Gabriel Heinze the latest casualty hit, out for most of the current campaign. United will once again rely on Rooney and Van Nistelrooy to go for goals. Christiano Ronaldo and Park Ji Sung will provide the supply from midfield.

However, Keane’s absence could be a telling factor in the outcome of the game. The midfield battle is ever so crucial in big games. You can have the best strikers in the world in your team but if you don't have supply from midfield, there is only that much the strikers can do in the game. In Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko and Didi Hamann, Liverpool possesses probably the best central midfield pairings in the premiership. Central pairing of Scholes and Alan Smith could find it hard against the Liverpool midfield.

Defensively, both teams are sound. United have conceded only one goal in the league so far, while Liverpool have yet to concede a single goal. Hyppia and Carragher will have to stand up strong against Rooney and Van Nistelrooy. This is perhaps United’s biggest strength coming into the game. It’s anyone’s guess who will spearhead the Liverpool attack this Sunday, whether or not the manager decides to play 2 up front or a lone figure with support from midfield.
Nevertheless, there is Djbril Cisse, Peter Crouch and Luis Garcia. Fernando Morientes will be missing, having hurt his groin during training.

No one should overlook the fact the Anfield is the venue. We all know what happened at Anfield last season. There were some astonishing matches played on the ground. 3-1 win over Olympiakos, 2-1 against Juventus, the controversial 1-0 win over Chelsea and the Mellor Magic 2-1 win over Arsenal. Buoyed by perhaps one of the best vocal fans in the world to date, Anfield will always be a tough venue for visiting teams. The Kop will be out in voice this Sunday and no one can know for sure the outcome of the game but one thing for sure, it’s going to be a cracker of a game.

Key Battles

Attack against Defense.
Rooney / Van Nistelrooy vs Hyppia / Carragher.

Hyppia’s pace will be exploited. Carragher will have his hands full trying to mark Rooney. This battle will probably swing towards Manchester United.

MUFC 1 LFC 0

Attack against Defense.
Cisse / Crouch vs Rio / Silvestre.

Crouch has been encouraging for Liverpool so far this season. Cisse has yet to find his scoring boots in the premiership this season. It will take more from the duo to trouble the united defense. This will be another edge for Manchester United.

MUFC 2 LFC0

Central midfield battle.
Alonso / Gerrard / Sissoko vs Smith / Scholes.

Liverpool will dominate the midfield. Keane’s absence will be sorely missed. No Butt and Phillip Neville, Manchester United lacks a natural holding midfielder and this could be a major factor in the outcome of Sunday’s game.

MUFC 2 LFC 1

Left against Right
Risse / Warnock vs Ronaldo / O Shea

It will be a close battle. Ronaldo will be active throughout. Risse and Warnock should do enough to nullify the Portuguese winger. Draw at this battle.

MUFC 3 LFC 2

Right against Left
Luis Garcia / Finnan vs Park Ji Sung / Giggs

Heinze’s absence will be a massive blow. There is thin cover at left back for United. Liverpool should have this edge in this area of battle.

MUFC 3 LFC 3

It’s going to be a close fight. Both teams are pretty evenly matched. In my opinion, the midfield battle will be key. Keane’s absence will hurt United. The Kop will be an added bonus. The home fans will most definitely prove to be the useful 12th player on the pitch. Despite losing the last 3 meetings with their rivals, Liverpool still have every chance to beat United.

It’s an intriguing encounter. May the best team win on Sunday.

Oh Ohwen

2005-09-16T11:26:00.000+08:00

What began with a move away from his beloved hometown team in search of silverware ended in a move to a club clearly at crisis, enduring their worst start to a season and struggling to challenge for honors in the last 3 years. How strange.

It all started at the start of the 2004/2005 season. Liverpool FC was beginning a new era. Rafa Benitez had just joined the club after winning the UEFA Cup with Valencia. There was a sense of optimism around the ground with the new gaffer in charge. Unfortunately, not everyone shared the same view.

Michael Owen for one, had doubts. He wasn’t certain if the squad was good enough to challenge for major honors. He was hungry for instant success, yearning for finals and trophies. He wasn’t eager to wait another 2-3 years of rebuilding. He craved a move away from his boyhood team in search of glory.

There was much controversy over the way Owen switched clubs. He was in the last year of his contract, unwilling to sign an extension, creating the possibility of him walking away at the end of the season for free. A few seasons ago, Steve Mcmanaman had moved to Real Madrid for free on the bosman ruling. Once bitten twice shy, Liverpool were not going to repeat the same mistake. The club was aware that if Owen did not sign quickly, he had to be offloaded. It was disadvantage Liverpool from the start.

Refusing to sign a contract extension, Owen was holding his boyhood club at ransom. Sell me or risk me walking for free seemed to be the message being sent. Real Madrid was watching, smiling and waiting. They knew of the player’s desire to join them. More importantly, they understood the situation Liverpool was in. The English club had to sell Owen if he did not sign the extension. The bargaining chip was on Madrid’s table. From the beginning, the Spanish giants had the upper hand in the transfer negotiations. Eventually, Owen moved to Madrid in search for his glory and silverware on a cheap - 8 million pounds.

We all know what happened during that fateful season. “Owen less” Liverpool went on to achieve the impossible. Triumphant European cup win in Istanbul, marked by one of the most incredible come back victory in finals history. Michael Owen struggled to establish a first team place despite scoring regularly when called upon. Real Madrid ended the season empty handed. The glory and silverware Owen so badly sought after was no where in sight.

The season left Owen frustrated. No trophies and unlikely first team football to come. Outshone in the Primera Liga by Barcelona and knocked out in the Champions League knock out stages. The selection process at the Bernabeu was always questionable. Despite finishing the season as the club 2nd highest goal scorer, Owen was never regarded as a first team player. In fact, he was never near it. The purchase of Brazilian duo Baptista and Robinho pushed Owen further down the pecking order. He was now 5th choice, further behind Raul and Ronaldo.

Michael Owen wanted a move. He called upon his old cup to rescue him, publicly describing his desire to return and continue his career at Anfield. Liverpool was forgiving enough to even consider moving for the player that only months ago held the club at ransom. But Madrid had other ideas. There was no urgent need to offload Owen. Newcastle entered the fray, tabling a club record 16 million pounds for Owen. Bargaining chip was again on the Madrid table. Liverpool was never willing to match the 16 million for a player they reluctantly sold for half the amount only 12 months ago. Besides, there was already a decent stable of strikers at Anfield, spear headed by Fernando Morientes, Djibril Cisse, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Neil Mellor and the only recently purchased Peter Crouch.

Nevertheless, Owen held talks with both Liverpool and Newcastle officials. The truth was that if Owen truly wanted to move back to Liverpool, he could have publicly rejected any possible move to any other club. That could have forced Madrid to accept a bid from Liverpool. Owen did just that, stating publicly that he was not interested in a permanent move to Tyneside. However, on the last day of the transfer window, with no moves yet to materialize, he panicked.

Perhaps his biggest desire was regular football to secure his world cup place, rather than simply resume his Liverpool career for the next four to five years at least. Owen’s resolve cracked under pressure. He signed for Newcastle.

What a brilliant week for Madrid, great one for Newcastle, bad one for Liverpool and a disastrous one for Michael Owen.

For Owen, it has gone full circle. Not complete but sort of. He’s back in his home country, but not at his hometown club. For how long will he be at his new club, it’s anybody’s guess.

Training day

2005-09-08T15:41:00.000+08:00

Road to Paris

2005-08-28T14:16:00.000+08:00

One look and Group G stands out. This will be no doubt be the closest group in the group stages.

Few surprises can be expected from the other groups. The usual suspects should have little problem progessing to the next stage.

A wicked twist by nature I must say, putting defending champions Liverpool and Chelsea together in the same group. With all the much talked about drama that has happened between the 2 sides last season starting with the Carling Cup final in Cardiff, controversial Champions League Semi finals to the Steven Gerrard Pre season fiasco, there just seems to be much more to come. Football fans can wait and drool at the sides with the imminent blockbuster clashes.

Steven Gerrard says he will show who he's loyal to, Rafa Benitez says he does'nt fear the English champions, but surely they would have prefered avoiding Chelsea so early in the group stages. Afterall, we are talking about a Chelsea team like never before. The amount of quality at the disposal of Mourinho is riduculous. Their defence is sound, midfield compact, wings are at full speed and the strikers are bagging in the goals one way or another. And to top it all, they've got an arrogant but brilliant brat at helm. Not to mention the unlimited cheque book thats available 24/7.

If you think its going to be a straightforward 2 way horse race between the 2 English clubs, think again. There's Belgian resistance in the form of their champions Anderlecht, a club with a big history in Europe. Spanish debutants Betis are no push overs either.

The European Champions will have to fight hard in their defence of the title they remarkably won in Istanbul last season.

Bizarre coincidences

2005-04-15T15:30:00.000+08:00

Flashback to 1981, Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the final. In that same year, Prince Charles got married. Characters of the popular television hit series Coronation Street, Ken and Deirdre tied the knot.

Today, Liverpool are in the semis, drawn against Chelsea. We all know that Prince Charles got married to Camilla Parker Bowles and amazingly, Ken and Deirdre remarried on Coronation street.

Furthermore, Liverpool finished 5th in the league that year. Today, the reds are lying in that exact same position.Gawks.

This year also has parallels with 1978, when Liverpool also lifted the European Cup. That was the same year Pope John Paul I died and Wales won the rugby grand slam. Today, we all know that Pope John Paul II's funeral was held last friday and Wales are winners of the grand slam tournament.

Adding more bizarreness to this coincidence, in 1978, Liverpool also lost the League Cup final to the then eventual League winners. We all know Chelsea are running away with the league this season and Liverpool lost in the Carling Cup final to Chelsea.

Its bizarre how coincidental such things are. Who can say for sure that the Reds won't be victorious come May in Istanbul? Oh and the Singapore pools odds for Liverpool lifting the cup stands at 5.8. I'll say why not and good luck.

Against all odds

2005-04-14T23:00:00.000+08:00

PSV ousting Lyon. Liverpool edging Juventus. The classic examples of the underdogs coming up strong against their more fancied opponents.

PSV showed plenty of spirit, coming from a goal down at half time to equalise and force the game to penalty kicks, in which the French champions were out done.

Liverpool stuck up to the task. Defending stoutly for the full 90 mins, never really threatened by the Old Lady except for an early Zlatan Ibrahimovic strke and the header that amazingly struck off the post midway in the seconc half.

Every year, every competition, there're bound to be the surprise packages. This season's champions league unveils two. Remember last year when we had a Porto Monaco final.Who's to say for sure that we won't be having a Liverpool PSV final in Istanbul?