Liverpool
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Liverpool and Atlético fans showing the world what the game is all about.
Liverpool complete £20.3m deal for Keane
20.3m sounds a bit much. It’s Rafa’s biggest signing of the season by far and Liverpool’s second largest transfer in history. The Tottenham and Ireland captain, and number 10 (!) has after much speculation finally put his signature on a Liverpool contract that stretches over four years. Keane is known to be a highly working forward that always reaches 15 goals or more every season, a much more complement to Torres and Crouch ever was in other words.
Keane has issued a statement, which read: ‘I would like to place on record my thanks to the board, players and fans of Tottenham for the past six years, which were the best and most enjoyable of my career to date.
‘I will never forget them. I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding, that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn’t let pass me by.”
One can only expect that Keane will join the likes of Gerrard, Torres and Carragher as the players who is not likely to rotate as much as other players during a season. Keane is most likely to take on the role that Gerrard has been hosting the past season, as an extra attacker behind Torres. This of course leaves Gerrard in a more central, commanding and playmaking role in midfield, allowing Liverpool to be more offensive than in past seasons. I really hope this is what’s going to happen. I also really hope that this indeed proves to be a solid buy.
No Luka Modric in Liverpool next season
Damnit, it seems Tottenham won the fight for highly rated Luka Modric. According to ESPN he hasagreed with Tottenham already and only needs to pass a medical. Dinamo Zagreb have then agreed the £15.8million deal/bid from Tottenham – too late again from Benitez?
Reports also indicate that the right back Benitez told the press Liverpool had signed is not Rafinha but Swiss international Degen from Dortmund. He’ll be joining as Bosman, I’m not sure I agree with Benitez that Degen would “instantly take a place in the starting eleven” – as he earlier commented on the signing. We can still hope it’s Rafinha, but it seems Degen is a more realistic target.
Liverpool – Arsenal, 2nd leg = game of the season?
It might possibly be that the 2nd leg between Liverpool and Arsenal was the game of the season. The whole pre-game was built up by Wenger telling his players that they “have no fear” of going to Anfield and playing away in front of the kop. It worked pretty well, over the years we’ve seen loads of teams come and be demolished before the game even started – the first 15-25 minutes are ALWAYS critical when playing at Anfield. Arsenal did really well and actually went ahead after only 13 minutes when Diaby slotted the ball in off Reina (what was he doing anyway?). After that, the rest of the first half was pretty even, and eventually Hyypiä got a header in after a corner, and what a goal it was from the former captain – slotted top corner after playing peek-a-bo with Senderos. Or, as John – one of the Arsenal fans I was watching the game with like to call him “the Donkey”.
I didn’t think the game would present more action then that, but it went on and went on in the same “gung-ho” tempo. Liverpool (and Arsenal) fans might have wondered what happened to Torres, we hadn’t seen him or Gerrard (due to the latter playing on the left wing) for the entire game, but in the 69th minute the Spaniard showed his magic, quick turn around from Senderos (this time really living up to the Donkey label) – top corner finish – 2-1! At that stage it pretty much looked like that was going to be the final result, Arsenal didn’t see much of the ball and when they did – Mascherano took it back (and Alonso played it away, but that’s another story) in fashion.
But then in the 84th minute out of the blue, Theo Walcott – age: 18 takes the ball in his own half, beats 4-5 Liverpool players and crosses for Adebayor that makes it 2-2 = Arsenal are through on away goals. That SURELY had to be it was the hunch I got, sure we’ve had much of the ball, but for what use? I could just see the oneliners that Benitez would say after the game “we couldn’t convert even though we were superior” – this time actually being right, compared to the other 200 times he seemed to have watched another game.
I don’t know, it seems like such a cliché, but again “you’re as most vulnerable after scoring” became true, Babel challanged the Arsenal defence and boom – penalty. I might be Liverpool, but surely a penalty. But I can see the headlines coming from Wenger this time “how could this be a penalty, where was the ref. in the 1st leg?” – when Hleb went down = the most obvious penalty I’ve seen in a long time were the ref was actually standing 2 meters from the situation.
Captain Fantastic took the responsibility needed, 3-2 Liverpool. The rest of the game was pretty much a frenzia against the clock, and when Babel was left in a 1on1 sprint against Fabregas to make i 4-2 I was so relieved. But again, thanks for the show! English football is surely the best in the world. Now, most likely we’re going to have three English teams in the semis, what an achievement – only Barca can ruin the dreams, I’m pretty confident Schalke won’t be trouble.
And hey, Liverpool-Chelsea again. God I hate Chelsea.
I just removed the label from my new Gerrard Liverpool shirt, I wonder what I’m going to wear to work tomorrow?
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