The Soccer Wall

Liverpool lackluster in Stoke draw

zizouandbecks — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:32:56 +0000

On the positive side, Liverpool can control the ball pretty well. But other than that, it was a pretty poor performance from the home side. In a drab 0-0 draw with Stoke, the Reds dominated possession, but failed to create enough chances.

Liverpool came out in a 5-4-1 formation with Sebastian Coates, Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel anchoring the back line and Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique providing the width up and down the field. Dirk Kuyt was the lone forward. I don’t really understand the reasoning coming out in such a defensive formation, especially against a team like Stoke. This is a game Liverpool could have and should have won, but the players seemed slightly off-put and confused by the formation change.

The Reds were able to dominate midfield play and kept Stoke from getting much of anything going offensively. However, there was a severe lack of connection between the midfield and Kuyt and more often than not, there was no one in box to receive a dangerous cross. Kuyt pulled back to chase the ball and as a result, there was basically no one playing up top, which would be fine if the object of the game was to not score goals.

Liverpool introduced Andy Carroll early in the second half, but like many of his appearances as of late, he had little influence on the proceedings. Craig Bellamy came on shortly afterwards and was unable to provide much of anything as his corners and crosses constantly found the head of a Stoke player.

Liverpool looked much like they did in the loss to Manchester City, although thankfully, Stoke doesn’t have the same kind of offensive threats. The inability to create any good chances today stems partially from the fact that there simply weren’t ever enough people getting forward. Once LFC got to the edge of the box, it was all lateral movement and no one looked to make cuts through the box to create space.

It’s odd how Liverpool went from creating a ton of chances and simply not being able to finish to a complete dearth of decent looks recently. The absence of creative force Luis Suarez obviously hurts, but the rest of the squad has to figure out a way to get good chances without him (at least for four more matches). However, even with Suarez in the lineup, Liverpool has struggled to find the back of the net consistently.

Can you imagine if Liverpool had won even half of the games they’ve drawn? They would be sitting pretty in the top four, that’s for sure. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch them struggle so mightily in front of the net (or the final third in general) when they are playing well defensively and through the midfield. There are still a couple weeks left in the transfer window and I think that buying a proven striker would be a good call at this point. Carroll is still young and inconsistent and Suarez is obviously suspended and can be flaky in his own way in front of goal.

Top Moments of 2011

zizouandbecks — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:26:58 +0000

Happy New Year one and all! 2011 has been quite the year and here are my favorite moments:

1. Abby Wambach’s game-winner against Brazil – This goal was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. Playing a man down and a goal down in stoppage time of extra time, Megan Rapinoe picked out Wambach with a pinpoint cross and Wambach’s header sent the game to penalties, which the U.S. dominated. Not going to lie, definitely made me cry – on par with Landon’s Donovan’s late winner against Algeria in 2010. Amazing moment.

2. Hodgson out, Dalglish in at Liverpool – After reigning over one of the worst starts for the Reds in a long time, Roy Hodgson was finally shown the door in January 2011. His replacement? None other than the legendary Kenny Dalglish. The team was revitalized under Dalglish, showing the passion and desire that was missing the rest of the season and moving up the table to finish seventh. Dalglish was given a three year contract in May. New ownership, combined with the return of Dalglish changed the outlook for fans all over.

3. Japan’s Women’s World Cup victory – Even though it came at the expense of the U.S., it was impossible not to feel good for Japan. Homare Sawa equalized for Japan late in stoppage time and the team went on to win the penalty shootout. It was the first World Cup title for Japan, which was (and still is) battling with the aftermath of the horrific earthquake and tsunami. The victory was about more than just soccer.

4. Barcelona’s triumph – Barcelona showed why it truly is the best team on the planet, winning the Champions League title in convincing fashion over an outclassed Manchester United. Barcelona also claimed the La Liga title and recently the Club World Cup title as well. The team was (and is) mesmerizing to watch, especially player of the year Lionel Messi and midfield maestros Xavi and Iniesta.

5. City thrashes United - I don’t think it’s any secret that I am not the biggest fan of Manchester United. Manchester City totally embarrassed the defending champs, 6-1, in mid October, much to the surprise of all but the most delusional of fans. It was quite the win for City, a warning shot that they are to be taken seriously in the league race. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like to see United get knocked off its high horse every once in a while? To top it off, United (along with City) was eliminated from Champions League play in early December.

What are your top moments from this year?

Champions League group stage ends on completely crazy note

zizouandbecks — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:54:26 +0000

Well, who can say they saw today’s results coming? Two results clearly stand out: 1) Manchester United getting knocked out of Champions League with a 2-1 loss to Basel. Really? 2) Lyon somehow turning around a NINE goal difference to edge Ajax for second in group D.

Major props to Basel on the upset of United. A late goal from Alexander Frei sealed second place for Basel and knocked United out in the group stage for the first time since 2005-06. And that, Alex Ferguson, is why you don’t take the group stage for granted.

Meanwhile, in group D, Lyon scored six second half goals to seal an improbable 7-1 win over Zagreb. Meanwhile, Ajax lost a 2-0 decision to Real Madrid, and with those results combined, it meant that Lyon, not Ajax, heads to the round of 16. Holy crap, how mad does Ajax have to be? For Zagreb to ship seven goals at home? Absurb. Props to Lyon for making something out of what seemed to be a near impossible situation, but it does seem a little bit sketchy since I think the futsal team I play on could have played better defense.

Only two English teams advanced to the round of 16. Man City defeated Bayern 2-0, but a Napoli win with the same scoreline sent the Italian through to the next round. Who would’ve thought that Chelsea and Arsenal would be the lone Premier League teams remaining? Ridic.

While I’m on the subject, I don’t really understand why people would root for all the Premier League teams to do well. Ok, sure, the league looks better, but really? Who cares? You’re telling me that as a United fan, you want Arsenal to succeed? I don’t think so. I just can’t get behind the idea of rooting for a team that I would hate in every other circumstance.

Round of 16 teams: Bayern Munich (GER), Napoli (ITA), Inter (ITA), CSKA (RUS), Benfica (POR), Basel (SUI), Real (ESP), Lyon (FRA), Chelsea (ENG), Leverkusen (GER), Arsenal (ENG), Marseille (FRA), APOEL (CYP), Zenit (RUS), Barcelona (ESP) and Milan (ITA).

Really early, completely premature and totally unnecessary final prediction: Barcelona vs. Milan

Wasted chances prove costly in loss to Fulham

zizouandbecks — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:02:44 +0000

Clint Dempsey scored his 37th Premier League goal to lead Fulham to a 1-0 win over 10-man Liverpool on Monday, Dec. 5. LFC’s Jay Spearing was harshly sent off with about 20 minutes remaining. Anyways, onto thoughts and observations from the game…

The Reds are struggling mightily to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis. Granted, the framework isn’t helping the cause, but too many chances are being missed. Liverpool easily could have had the lead before Spearing’s red card, which leads me to…
Ah, yes, the red card. Spearing clearly got the ball first, but caught Dembele on the follow-through. Very harsh for a red card as Spearing was just going hard to get the ball. I thought the ref had done a good job up until this call, which obviously changed the game dramatically.
I am not sold on Andy Carroll at all. I realize that a strike partnership isn’t born overnight, but Carroll looks lost out there. He looks like he doesn’t know what to do or where to go whenever Suarez has the ball. You could see it early on when Suarez played a through ball and Carroll was rooted to the spot. Additionally, he is not finding enough ways to get into dangerous spaces on a regular basis. He had a couple decent looks tonight, but after his shot right at Schwarzer, he disappeared.
The Reds definitely missed Lucas out there today. Dempsey and Dembele had way too much time on the edge of the area to get off good shots. That’s the kind of defensive lapses that will come back to bite you in the ass. As a whole, Fulham had too much time to operate in the midfield. I realize it will take some time to adjust to playing without Lucas, but who will step into that role? They need someone in that defensive mid role to be successful.
I have to give props to Clint Dempsey for his goal today. He’s now the all-time leading American scorer in the Premier League with 37 goals, surpassing Brian McBride.
Inconsistency is killing this team. Coming off very solid performances against Chelsea and Man City, this was Liverpool’s game to lose. The team has struggled to play consistently well all year and needs to learn to keep the pressure up (and for the love of all that holy, score goals) for every single game.

Liverpool win, but lose Lucas for the season

zizouandbecks — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:28:04 +0000

Liverpool advanced to the Carling Cup semifinals with a 2-0 win over Chelsea Tuesday, but lost Lucas to injury in the process. It was a good win for the Reds, who looked the dominant side for much of the second half (I didn’t get to see the first). Chelsea’s defense is struggling mightily at the moment and will likely be their downfall (or AVB’s downfall if they don’t get stuff together).

Things finally seemed to be clicking into place for Liverpool – confidence was high after solid results against Chelsea, Man City and Chelsea again and the squad finally looked comfortable with each other out there. Then Lucas got hurt, tearing his ACL and putting him on the sidelines for the rest of the year. It’s a big blow for the Reds since Lucas has been having an excellent season and been a constant among an ever-tweaked midfield lineup.

I will admit that I haven’t always been the biggest Lucas fan. His proclivity for committing stupid fouls in dangerous positions and general clumsiness caused me to exclaim ‘F**kin’ Lucas!’ so often that I still call him that. His game has improved quite dramatically over the last couple seasons and he has turned into one of Liverpool’s most consistent players, the unsung workhorse in the middle, if you will.

While the Reds certainly have no shortage of midfielders on the roster, do they have one that can play that defensive mid role like Lucas did? They’ve already recalled Jonjo Shelvey from his Blackpool loan and Jay Spearing is another young option as well. I think the next couple games could be a bit of a struggle as the team looks to replace a key cog and Dalglish is forced to tinker with the lineup once again.

Euro 2012 Groups Announced

zizouandbecks — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:31:01 +0000

The groups for Euro 2012 were announced by UEFA today in a typically pompous and totally unnecessary ceremony. My main question is why is the draw being held so far in advance? Euro doesn’t kick off until June 8, over six months from now. However, now that I have thought about it for a hot sec, it makes sense logistically as teams (and fans) have to make travel arrangements to the appropriate cities and teams have a chance to scout opponents to the max. If there’s another reason I’m missing, let me know.

As usual, there is one group that seems like it should be way tougher than the rest and for this tournament, it’s group B featuring Germany, Portugal, Holland and Denmark. Yikes, bet those coaches are happy people.

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

Group B: Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands

Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia

Group D: England, Ukraine, France, Sweden

Fantasy sports are evil

zizouandbecks — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:53:05 +0000

So I have played fantasy Premier League for the past four years because as you well know, I’m obsessed with soccer. I’ve also dabbled in fantasy football, basketball and hockey. And you know what? They all suck. No matter who I pick, my team is always terrible.

I just can’t win*. I think out of all the fantasy sports I’ve played, I’ve finished dead last all but once (maybe twice). I go out and pick up the season’s leading goal scorer? Oh, he’s on the bench because his head’s “not right”. (Damn you, Wayne Rooney.) My stud midfielder? Not playing because of an upcoming Champions League clash. My defense? Well, they just have no idea how to stop the opposition from scoring. Close game? No worries, my opponent had a player get bonus points and he’s the captain too!

For the love of all that is holy, why can’t I catch a break? I try to put together a decently strong team, but the cards never fall my way. Meanwhile, the guy leading the one league I’m in has Joe Cole on his team. Joe Cole!! Are you joking me? The guy was loaned out before the season even started! What the hell? How is this guy winning the league since he obviously hasn’t put in one iota of effort since the season started? Meanwhile, I’m keeping an eye on things throughout the season, trying to make my team better and I’m wallowing in last place. Go me.

The whole fantasy sports machine is just ridiculously absurd. You can put in all the time, effort and analyze all 343** players in the league, but that doesn’t mean you are going to win. It’s not like you have any influence over how a player does on the field. Fantasy sports are all about luck and some people just hog it all. And honestly, should it really matter how your completely made-up team does in some internet-based fake sports league? No, it really shouldn’t, but for some reason, it does. For me, I simply hate losing, regardless of the forum. (Don’t even get me started on FIFA.) Should I waste my time getting irritated when my team sucks? Probably not, just as it’s not really worth gloating if my team wins. It’s all about luck.

Even though I am endlessly frustrated with my teams and my perceived lack of luck and I threaten to quit constantly, I just can’t. Some unknown factor always sucks me back into the vortex of made-up frustration and glory. And to that I say, damn it, who’s going to be my captain this week?

*In case you are wondering, my lineup is currently:
GK: Michel Vorm (Swansea)
D: Jose Enrique (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Ryan Taylor (Newcastle)
M: Martin Petrov (Bolton), Ahmed Elmohamady (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), David Silva (Manchester City)
F: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Leon Best (Newcastle)
Bench: Carlo Cudicini, GK (Tottenham); Charles N’Zogbia, M (Aston Villa); Phil Jagielka, D (Everton); Phillip Bardsley, D (Sunderland)

**this number is totally made-up

Liverpool takes out Stoke in Carling Cup

zizouandbecks — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:37:07 +0000

Luis Suarez was en fuego for Liverpool today, netting two second half goals in a 2-1 win over Stoke in the Carling Cup to send LFC to the quarterfinals. The Reds were clearly the more threatening team in the first half, but could not hit the broad side of a barn, much like Saturday’s contest against Norwich. Of course, Stoke took the lead just before half on an Kenwyne Jones header on pretty much their only chance of the half. The Stoke goal was largely set up by Sebastian Coates’ failure to clear the ball out of a dangerous area, so yeah, might want to work on that.

Suarez finally got tired of seeing his shots get saved/go wide in the second half, scoring his first after juking a defender at the edge of the box and unleashing a gorgeous shot into the far side. He scored the game winner on a header (take notes, Andy Carroll) off a pinpoint cross from Jordan Henderson in the 84th minute. Well done by all parties on that one.

The Reds have been playing decent football in their last few games, but have been struggling to put the ball in the back of the net. Today’s match was the first time since the derby win on Oct. 1 the team has netted twice. Hope this means the floodgates have opened for Suarez, who has been playing well but struggling recently to hit the net.

LFC has a good chance to go into the international break with a couple Ws, taking on West Brom this weekend and Swansea next week, however, they have got to learn to put teams away. LFC has struggled against teams lower in the table and stepped up against the big guys and that has to change, they need to play with the same kind of intensity and desire in every game. Dropping points against a team like Norwich or in upcoming games against West Brom and Swansea could really come back to bite them in the ass.

Punching people in the face

zizouandbecks — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:09:18 +0000

If I could punch people who say stupid things for a living, that would be awesome. I think I would start with Cristiano Ronaldo for saying this “”I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me.” Douchebag.

Manchester teams looks to continue strong start

zizouandbecks — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:18:20 +0000

Both Manchester United and Manchester City have started the season in dominating fashion and will look to continue that form Sunday against Arsenal and Tottenham, respectively, teams both fighting for their first wins of the season. Meanwhile, Liverpool aims to improve on last season as they take on Bolton, where they only won once in the first eight games of the year (yikes). Definitely a solid slate of games this weekend, especially considering the top four clash between Aston Villa and Wolves kicks off action for game week three.

TV SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 27
Aston Villa vs. Wolves – 7 a.m. ET/ESPN2 (Live)
Wigan vs. QPR – 7:23 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer Plus (Live)
Swansea vs. Sunderland – 9:53 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer Plus (Live)
Chelsea vs. Norwich – 10 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
Blackburn vs. Everton – 10 a.m. ET
Liverpool vs. Bolton – 12:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Sunday, August 28
Newcastle vs. Fulham – 7:53 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer Plus (Live)
Tottenham vs. Manchester City – 8:30 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
West Brom vs. Stoke – 9:53 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer Plus (Live)
Manchester United vs. Arsenal – 11 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)