Why do I love football so much?

After an opening day like my team Liverpool had yesterday, it is an easy question to ask; thankfully when you look at the bigger picture the answers come equally as easy. Nineteen goals across seven games; two teams scoring five; great goals from Demba Ba, Mladen Petric and Zoltan Gera amongst others. If I am struggling to convey my anguish, the next picture of Liverpool centre half Dan Agger just about sums it up. The noise he makes at exactly this point is precisely how I feel.

One picture says it all as Dan Agger leaves the field of play.

The result was not good for Liverpool but there are positives. Just.  Luis Suarez looked like a man that has not really had any rest this summer and was as sharp as a tack, but boy does he need to improve his goals per shot ratio. Liverpool could have had the game by the scruff of the neck if the Uruguayan had taken a couple of his four or five chances.  After going down to ten men at one-nil down it was never really going to be our day, but Liverpool showed signs throughout the game of a team that is trying to implement a new style of play. It didn't help that Fabio Borini and Joe Allen looked a little overawed at times, Stewart Downing was poor for most of the sixty minutes he spent on the pitch, so after we went down to ten men we were effectively playing with half a team. There isn't much more to be said, other than chalk this one up to experience and move on. It's a shame that we have to move on to playing the current champions Manchester City at Anfield next Sunday. At least with Moroccan winger Oussama Assaidi signing for the Reds this week we should be subjected to Stewart Downing on a less regular basis. I do think that we would benefit from one or two more to bolster our strength in depth. There are still rumours about Cristian Tello and Theo Walcott coming from Barcelona and Arsenal respectively. Perhaps the most controversial Reds-related transfer rumour of the moment is that David Moyes is trying to make Charlie Adam the first player to cross Stanley Park since 1992 when Graeme Souness sold Gary Ablett. With Joe Allen coming in, perhaps Adam's chances will be limited so he may be better taking the opportunity to leave while it's there. It is reasonably safe to say that Liverpool's season probably won't get worse, but i hope it gets better sooner rather than later. 

To sum up the rest of the Premier League's games, 0-0 against Sunderland might be a big indication of how Arsenal will get on without Robin van Persie, who signed for Manchester United this for £24m this week. Fulham 5-0 Norwich probably says more about Norwich than Fulham, but the south-west Londoners will be glad of a fantastic start to build on having lost a few players already, as well as having Clint Dempsey on strike trying to get out of Craven Cottage. Swansea's Michu looks an exciting prospect, scoring two as well as Nathan Dyer as they smashed QPR 0-5 at Loftus Road. Reading and Stoke finished 1-1 although it could have been different but for a bit of a howler by Royal's keeper Adam Federici. West Ham beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Upton Park in the battle of the claret and blues, Kevin Nolan scoring the only goal five minutes before half time. Finally, Newcastle beat Tottenham at St James' Park with Hatam Ben Arfa scoring the decisive goal from the spot in the 80th minute. This came just four minutes after Jermain Defoe had equalised Demba Ba's stunning opener. Perhaps the most exceptional (and funniest!) event of the game was Alan Pardew getting sent of for physically abusing the linesman. He has subsequently apologised and labelled his actions as ridiculous, but he will probably still face sanctions from the FA. 

On balance I am much relieved that the football is back, I just hope from a personal point of view that things take a massive upturn sooner rather than later.

 SPORT SHORTS

Huge congratulations to Rory McIlroy who tore the field apart last weekend at Kiawah Island to win his second major, the US PGA Championships, sealing victory by eight shots. Britain continued to stamp it's authority on the sport as four of the top five were from these shores. 

The third Test match at Lord's is very finely poised between the two best sides in the world at the moment, England and South Africa. The Proteas are slightly ahead at the moment, but a few early wickets on day four can change the complexion of the game completely. We'll find out tomorrow who'll be the victor in the battle for number one in the world. 

Troubled club Portsmouth fought for a 1-1 draw in League One yesterday having fielded a team of eleven debutantes. Much credit should go to manager Michael Appleton who signed ten players on loan and short term contracts on Thursday in order to make the fixture happen. 

Follow me on Twitter!

FA Cup final preview

The FA Cup

Albeit at a somewhat strange time of year and kicking off at a strange time of day, the FA Cup final is upon us; and even if a little nervous I am quite excited. It has not been a vintage season for Liverpool by any stretch of the imagination, but we are yet to be beaten in a cup game this season so I may as well look on the positive side! I am also happy that ESPN are giving the showpiece game of the English season the coverage it deserves by beginning at around eight o’clock in the morning.

As any football fan will know, there is history between Liverpool and Chelsea. And as the history is relatively recent there are some wounds that have not quite healed yet; and most of the wounds are Chelsea’s.  Even though Liverpool have beaten Chelsea twice this season I think they are definitely favourites in my mind, and they certainly will be with the bookmakers. That said, Liverpool have been Chelsea’s bogey team in recent years and despite having a generally bad season that trend has continued. Could this be where the trend changes….

Who are the game changers for Chelsea?

Fernando Torres will be the name on the lips of most fans discussing the match over a pre-match pint for many reasons; he used to play for Liverpool; his £50million price tag; his distinct lack of goals… until recently! He has looked a lot better on the ball of late, and his hat-trick against QPR will have done his confidence no harm whatsoever.

Didier Drogba may be getting on in footballing terms, but he can still be the attacking battering ram up front that we have seen over the years. With seven goals in seven appearances at Wembley he has the pedigree. If he wants to play he can so let’s see which Didier turns up.

Juan Mata is one player in the Chelsea midfield who is more than capable of finding a killer pass when needed. In their recent games against Barcelona his role was sacrificed for the benefit of the team, but I expect him to be pulling the strings today. Liverpool midfield beware!

And for Liverpool?

Steven Gerrard has done it before, and despite the fact that I don’t think he’ll be back to 100% strength and fitness until he has a pre-season behind him, we have seen the odd sign since he came back that he can still do it. Since returning from long-term injury he’s played a slightly deeper role, but I for one am hoping we can see Super Stevie G a bit more on the front foot today.

Luis Suarez may not have scored thirty goals this season, but some of the goals he has scored have been absolutely sublime. He does things with a football that continue to tie defenders in knots, and I think he would have been a lot more prominent this season if he hadn’t spent a fifth of it sat on the bench suspended.

Pepe Reina is unlikely to get on the score sheet (unless it gets to 10-10 on penalties….oh crikey!) but some of his saves can turn the flow of a game on a sixpence, and he is the best goalkeeping distributor of the ball I have ever seen. He has unerring accuracy when kicking the ball from his hand and can spot a sixty or seventy yard pass in the blink of an eye.

Form

Liverpool had a very good start to the season and have got steadily worse, whereas Chelsea have been exactly the opposite. Since installing Roberto Di Matteo as ‘Interim first team head coach’ (I think this is his title??) Chelsea have gone from strength

to strength. And beating Barcelona to get to the Champions league final will be a massive confidence boost. Conversely, the latter half of this season will be a time to forget for Liverpool. The only real highlights have been beating Everton and winning the Carling Cup. Already having won two games at Wembley this year could be a plus point.  Head to head is a different story though. Liverpool have won the last four games in all competitions, and Dalglish is unbeaten in his last thirteen games against Chelsea. I hope the tide doesn’t turn today! Also, Dalglish is bidding to win his 28^th major honour as a player and manager and Chelsea have only won 21 in their entire history.

As a final point, I hope the referee and his assistants have a good game and there aren’t any contentious issues. There have been a few in LFC v CFC games in the past, and I think Phil Dowd has been involved in a couple when Liverpool beat Manchester City earlier in the competition. Fingers crossed!

SPORT SHORTS

• Ronnie O'Sullivan is looking like an unstoppable cue-wielding juggernaut at the snooker World Championships, and although he has still to beat Matthew Stevens in the semi-final, six frames in a row yesterday should have sealed the deal. This should have been the final really, and Lord knows Matthew deserves it. He's done well to get back to playing at this level after some time in the wilderness following a tough time in his personal life. Good Luck to all players left in. 
• West Ham and Blackpool have the upper hand in the Football League Championship play offs, but neither game is beyond doubt. I feel sorry for Cardiff fans as they seem to be the perennial play-off losers. Maybe next year? 
• This week has seen the first 'in-season' testing session for some time which is good news as it gives teams a chance to make their cars go faster. F1 should be the pinnacle of horse-power, design and aerodynamics and the FIA and their regulations have spent a few years slowing the cars down! 

Follow me on Twitter!

Where is it going wrong at Liverpool?

Kenny Dalglish in despair

After only taking eight points from eleven games in the Premier League since the turn of the year, where is it all going wrong? If you you purely look at the statistics, it is difficult to tell. First things first, we haven't scored anywhere near enough goals. Luis Suarez has consistently played well, exceptionally so at times, but has not scored enough goals; a conversion rate of 7.7% is well below par for a player of Suarez's calibre. Carroll is starting to play better and better all the time, but needs to start hitting the back of the net on a regular basis. And our most consistent striker Craig Bellamy is at the wrong end of his career to be playing twice a week. In minutes per goal, Bellamy is nearly twice as effective as Suarez.

All round, scoring less than one in ten shots at goal is not even close to being anywhere near acceptable enough for Liverpool Football Club. 1.2 goals per game is never going to win too many games in the Premier League, particularly when your defence starts to falter. Until the last few weeks we have had one of the best defensive records in the Premier League, but with mistakes creeping in at the back, our frailties around the rest of the pitch have been highlighted. I was also surprised to read that Liverpool have only scored two goals from set pieces all season. Set piece goals are your bread and butter, so if you factor that in with poor stats from open play. Dalglish suggested fatigue was a factor in yesterdays defeat to Wigan, but if that is the case then the squad is not big enough. 


Aside of the lack of goals, individual mistakes have started to happen at the back. Against Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel and Jose Enrique were at fault for the goals in my opinion. Henderson and Skrtel should have done more to stop QPR winning the ball in the air in our penalty area, and the last goal with Enrique was just one of those mistakes that happens every now and again. Skrtel is not normally one for giving less than 100% (to our cost on the odd occasion) so that was out of character. And Henderson has never really settled. For me, he is not and never will be a right midfielder so some below par performances can be forgiven. I think he may have been bought as a long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard, but these are incredibly big boots to fill and he will need to step his all-round game up if he is to get anywhere close. 

Albeit there are things that are not quite right at the moment, there are many positives for Liverpool. We have got one trophy in the cabinet already, and we are in the semi-final of the greatest domestic cup competition in the world. We have some fantastic young players that have forced their way in to the team this season, and a few more that are waiting in the wings. Jay Spearing continues to prove that you don't have to be six foot tall to be a success in the Premier League, and Martin Kelly has performed exceptionally at right full-back when called upon. As good as he has been at full-back, I think Kelly is an ideal long term successor to Jamie Carragher. He has all the attributes as far as I can see. We also have Jon Flanagan, Raheem Sterling, Jonjo Shelvey, Sebastien Coates and Jack Robinson who have made positive cameos here and there. 

We might not be where all Reds fans want us to be, but is it all that bad? No. Is Kenny Dalglish the right man for the job? Yes. People forget that before Mr Henry and his Fenway Group took charge of the club we were hours away from RBS calling in a rather large debt that would have sent us in to administration. We also had a squad that was thin on the ground to say the least, so without doubt things are heading in the right direction. Despite early season optimism we were never really going to win the Premier League this year with bringing in so many new players, but at least we have won a trophy with the potential of another, and hopefully this will create the hunger in the squad to make bigger strides in the league next year. 

Time will tell......

Follow me on Twitter!