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Going To Canada

I’m off to Canada until next weekend where hopefully I’ll be able to blog from. Surely they’ll have internet cafés over there!

Here’s to Toronto…

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Injuries Spoil The Victory

While we won comfortably last night at 2-0, the victory was marred by two injuries in the first half and one in the second which all saw Mark Gonzalez, Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant forced to leave.

At present

• Xabi Alonso has a dead leg
• Jermaine Pennant has spasms in his hamstring
• Mark Gonzalez is out altogether with a torn hamstring

Not nice to lose Gonzalez to the injury when Liverpool need every man on board for the league campaign in the run-in to Christmas and while Alonso and Pennant should be fine within a few days, Liverpool are looking at 2-3 weeks out for Gonzalez.

Hopefully there’ll be a bit more news on this during the day.

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Result: Liverpool 2 - 0 PSV Eindhoven

Liverpool came out fighting to get top spot in the group and continued to put in the run of high performances from the group stage, Liverpool gaining top spot in the group for definite with a game to go, beating PSV on home soil 2-0.

Liverpool looked well enough in the first half but it was the second half that mattered, Steven Gerrard opening the scoring for the Reds on the 65th minute, sidefooting past Gomes in the PSV goal before Peter Crouch added Liverpool’s second of the game with a now trademark header in the last minute of normal time to seal the win.

PSV were already assured qualification as well and would have been hopeful of beating Liverpool after our recent run of league form but it wasn’t to be.

Final score from Anfield, 2-0 Liverpool.

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Kluivert May Miss Liverpool Clash

Looks like Patrick Kluivert won’t be playing against Liverpool, something that could work in our favour, Kluivert having fairly good knowledge of the club after his time with Barcelona and in the Premier League with Newcastle.

PSV should also be missing Finnish midfielder Mika Vayrynen but will be full of confidence heading into Wednesday’s game, PSV having beaten Excelsior 4-0 at the weekend.

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Kromkamp Said What Now?

Liverpool are an ugly bunch. Thats according to Jan Krompkamp, shipped off to PSV at the start of the season after only a few months at the club. In fairness, I was sorry to see him go as I thought he had a bit of potential but it wasn’t to be.

Krompkamp accuses Liverpool of often “kicking long ugly balls up to Peter Crouch”. Don’t know if he’s been watching the side lately but those long balls are starting to appear in the last 15 minutes of the game when Crouch might make an appearance.

Speaking on Sky Sports Kromkamp said

They have weaknesses in several places, especially in the gap between defence and midfield, and also at centre back. In one-on-ones, the two in the middle of defence are very good, but they cannot contribute to Liverpool’s build up play. So we will focus on that. If you block them from deep they soon lose their rhythm and start playing those long balls up to Crouch

There’s always one, in the build up to a game like this, Wednesday’s Champions League clash revealing who should finish top of the group and I’m guessing Kromkamp is a little bitter following his departure but he’d want to watch that his words don’t come back to bite him on the night!

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Result: Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Liverpool

Well, at least we didn’t lose - but we’ve still failed to score AGAIN on a trip away from Anfield.

Fair enough, Mark Shwarzer was on form and it wasn’t for lack of trying on Liverpool’s part that gave us the draw. Still, the main thing is that we at least weren’t beaten away from home. Shwarzer made a series of fine saves time after time, denying Mark Gonzalez, Jermaine Pennant, and Peter Crouch on occasion. Crouch himself was unlucky to win the game for Liverpool and Middlesbrough can thank Jon Woodgate in that regard, the ex Madrid man clearing Crouch’s header off the line with Shwarzer well beaten.

Boro’s only decent chance game early on in the second half, Jason Euell forcing Pepe Reina into a fine save but Yakubu scuffed the rebound when he should clearly have scored.

Liverpool looked strong and a point is a point but we still should have done a lot better. Food for thought as we break midweek to tackle PSV in the Champions League, qualification already assured and a win over PSV should make certain of first place in the group.

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Live: Middlesbrough vs Liverpool (Team)

Here’s the squad for the game, kick off in about 15 minutes give or take.

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Pennant, Gerrard, Alonso, Gonzalez, Kuyt, Bellamy.

On the bench are Dudek, Hyypia, Crouch, Paletta, Zenden.

As expected Luis Garcia isn’t playing while Fabio Aurelio also misses out through lack of fitness.

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Live: Garcia Won’t Play Against Middlesbrough

Its been a month since Luis Garcia last played for Liverpool and he’ll have to wait a little longer as Rafa Benitez has announced he won’t be playing in the late game today against Middlesbrough.

Liverpool have an awful lot to prove and my memory of visits to Middlesbrough is just like every time we play Bolton - something goes wrong. Garcia, however, is really the only gameday injury worry seen as Momo Sissoko won’t be back until January and I don’t really care if Harry Kewell ever comes back at this stage. His agent must be the only one who has gotten anything good out of his time at Liverpool.

Anyway, with Garcia out and after last week’s shambles against Arsenal, we’ll likely see Stevie G move back to the centre with Jermaine Pennant heading out to the wing. He’s been on a good run of form of late, at least in terms of setting up others for scoring opportunities so hopefully we’ll see the same up north today.

The other Stevie, Steve Finnan, also has the chance today to make his 100th appearance in a Liverpool shirt and more power to the Irishman for doing so.

As it stands, we’re two wins outside of 4th place and already 14 points behind the league leaders, a gap that is going to be hard to cut down unless we go on a magnificent away streak - starting today against Middlesbrough. Anfield has become the fortress the lads wanted it to be but where we are warriors at home we’re mice on the road and that has to change.

Lets make it happen today against Middlesbrough!

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Going Back To Lunchtime Football

Looks like we’re heading back into lunchtime football again, according to the club’s site.

• Liverpool v Chelsea, Anfield, January 20th now at 12:45pm instead of 3pm.
• Liverpool v Everton, Anfield, February 3rd now at 12:45pm instead of 3pm.

God bless TV eh?

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Reina To Valencia? Give Me A Break.

So he hasn’t had the most fantastic of seasons to date, at least in comparison to last season, but do you really think that shipping Pepe Reina off to Valencia is going to solve anything? Word has been rife of a possible move to Los Ches for Reina as Valencia look for a long term replacement for Canizares, preferably someone of Spanish extraction.

While his priority is Liverpool, he didn’t really say or do anything to disspell a possible move in the future.

The interest of Valencia is flattering to me… at this moment I want to be focused at helping Liverpool return to our best form, which is most important. We’ll see what happens in the future.

True enough he’s only young but I can’t say I’m too pleased that he’s come out publicly conceding the title and now the Valencia talk. The same stuff is happening with Stevie G, again the media creating talk of Gerrard leaving Anfield. Can the media not just get it into their heads that these players aren’t going anywhere and don’t want to go anywhere?

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