Nice, ive just got home from work time to listen to the second half on the tv. Games delayed on setanta due to cl play,, so in about a half hour will be watching and you know what..... Cant wait! Spank you very much!
looked choppy in the first half - but real turned it on in the second half. after teh 2nd goal it was pedal to the metal. could have had several goals. kind of satisfying after teh BS loss to them a couple of weeks back.
Well, well. I go out briefly with the missus and there's me thinking we're a bit dodgy holding onto the 1-0 lead. What do I find when I get back, a Torres hat-trick and Gerrard screamer. 4 goals, 3 points and a clean sheet. For a 1st season, this is unbelievable from Torres. Last time somebody scored back to back hat-tricks was in 1946. Whoa. Carragher, at the end there, looked as if he was looking for his own hat-trick. Well in, lads.
No kidding. Steven Gerrard is still putting goals in quite frequently, but we would be lost this campaign without a striker of Torres's quality. We may not have many more points at this juncture in the season than we had last season, but can you imagine what a shambles we would be in if Bellamy (and Fowler) were still on the side and Torres (and Voronin)? Fernando Torres can turn draws into wins and wins into routs. He makes it much more difficult for teams to bunker us. He forces fullbacks (as well as centerbacks) to play defense and he creates time and space for all of the other attackers. And he ought to be even better next season, as the rest of the team adapt to the demands of the formation and Rafa refines his approach to rotation. And some might point to Torres as being 'guilty' of beating up on lower tier/bottom of the table clubs, but these two hat-tricks have come against teams with mid-table (Bolton - 39 GA before facing Torres) or better (West Ham - 27 GA before facing Torres and Co) caliber defenses. I am not sure the women and children should be permitted to watch games against upcoming competition such as Newcastle (53 ga) and Reading (55 ga), considering the white-hot form that Torres is in. Perhaps the Royals will have the opportunity to be a double hat-trick victim of Torres. And one point to consider further (just for general edification ... this is not a correction or emundation of 26's post) ... as one of the posters who begged and pleaded most of all for a 20 goal per year scorer ... it was a 20 goal scorer in the league that was operative. Torres has the ability to flirt with 40 - 45 in all competitions, but the important thing is that he can get us 25 - 30 in the league. Some might say that would lead to a one-dimensional team, but Torres is not a selfish player and there is plenty of room in the preferred 4231 scheme for complementary attackers/goalscorers. There are certainly chances for Gerrard and Babel/Benyouen even if Rafa is not demanding goalscoring out of his wing-forwards.
As somebody who was sceptical of the need, I have to agree with this assessment. Imagine, also, if the other players chipped in with the odd goal (at set-pieces, for a start).
Now that Aurelio is going to begin scoring freely, it won't be a problem. And who knows (hoping desperately that he is not injured), Masch might close his eyes before he shoots sometime soon and grab a goal. He is increasingly making his Copa America 07 moment look like Thurem's World Cup 1998 moment.
An excellent performance. I was impressed with our passing game which was very good and our pressing completely destroyed West Ham's attempts to get or keep possession. West Ham were demolished today. It is somewhat ironic that West Ham are the only side to beat us in the League in 2008. They were completely crushed today. Babel caused them loads of problems and they could not handle him. Alonso, Masch completely won the battle in midfield. Noble had to resort to petty fouls to get him name mentioned by the commentator. Gerrard was excellent and caused havoc with great passing and interplay in advanced areas. Torres will get the headlines and he continues to amaze. Kuyt played very well and set up 2 goals - is the understanding beginning to improve? Is Kuyt getting his mojo back? Also a special mention to Skrtel who was excellent tonight. He looked very quick, comfortable on the ball and good in the air. He had an amazing run that almost had him slaloming through the entire West Ham side and almost into their penalty box. I am not sure how exactly but Carragher was in the box constantly tonight. I have not figured out how the team managed this. Did Carragher go up and Arbeloa drop back? Or did they just say to Skrtel you can handle the entire West Ham attack and Carra can attack their goal? The TV did not show how this tactic was achieved. Any answers? The confidence was oozing through the Liverpool team tonight. We are back to fourth and looking very good. The wins are coming and the injuries bar Voronin have cleared up. A great win. Next up Newcastle and former Reds Owen and Keegan return to Anfield. Let's keep the good run going.
I would've been happy with 2-0. In fact 4-0 is killing me in Iknowthescore........ Oh well- another hattie- imagine how he goes after he's had a year to settle into British football
Hmm why in the world can't we play like this all the time? Skrtel was excellent today, he allowed Carragher to get forward so often. So often in fact that Carra could have had a hattrick himself today, lol, but finishing is obviously not his forte. Midfield was solid all around, everyone contributed. We did today what we have often failed to do this season, move the ball on the ground effectively and maintain possesion. We built plays throug that and created several good chances. We never let West Ham get a grip on the game and controlled the flow for most of the match. Thats what this team is capable of and I want to see more of that. I thought Torres would be triple covered today but his movement is just so damn good Neil and Co. just couldn't deal with him. Credit also to Kuyt for his workrate and assists. Good to see that he has regained some of last season's form. If I had to nitpick and complain even after such a great result, it would be regarding our fullbacks. Arebeloa was ok but going forward his overlapping runs aren't timed as well and taking on players can be a frustrating affair for him. Same goes for Riise who was solid defensively but he is no longer an attacking threat whatsoever. Moving on we simply owe it to ourselves to demolish Newcastle.
Why indeed? Nice to take revenge for the loss earlier this season. Remember that match? We have players that are capable but we don't always see the best of them for some reason. Torres is the world class goal scorer that everyone wanted last season. He makes it look so easy.
El Nino - wow. In addition to what everyone's said already, the guy is surprisingly durable. He shook off what looked like a twisted ankle and goes on to score a hat trick. The first goal was sheer class, his second was a perfectly aimed header, and his third he beat a defender cheekily in the box and finished with aplomb. The guy is pure effin' class. Xabi is rounding back into form. Some passes that remind us of the old Xabi. I'm loving this 4-2-3-1, which not only gets our best players on the field, but puts Stevie in his best position - no position at all. He and Torres link up so well together and will continue to improve as a tandem. Babel's looking like he's settling in. He still has basically one move, cutting it to his right and snapping off a shot, but he got in a decent left-footed cross. I really think that Rafa's playing him on the left just to develop that part of his game and that he'll soon be played off Torres as a SS. He's learning the game and improving seemingly with every performance. I really wanted Masch to get one today against the club that wouldn't even play him. He'll never be a prolific scorer, but I do want him to continue to shoot from distance because he's well capable of scoring from there. He had a really nice run late in the game, showing some good dribbling skill and an incredible speed burst for someone who plays the full 90 every week @ 100mph. He's an absolute workhorse and a world-class player. Skrtel was very impressive. Swagger is gonna have to fight for his spot once he gets back to 100% because the Skirt can play. He and Carra seem to complement each other very well and each were able to get forward and create some chances. Of course, Danny finishes those chances. When the team plays like this you just have to be happy and optimistic for the future.
With Skrtel adapting so well and Sami's contract being extended we'll have 4 reliable and solid CB's next season which is very comforting. Anyone know how serious Mash's injury is? He couldn't continue towards the end of the game and was limping.
Fernando José "El Ninõ" Torres Sanz..what an animal, he's been one of my favorite players since seeing him work his magic in the world cup. He will no doubt be one of the greats.
Id say that we have 2 world class CB's (Agger, Carra), one CB who used to be world class and is still excellent (Sami) and another CB who has all the attributes to be an excellent defender (Skrtel)...we have Carra who can completely shut down an opponent and is great at intercepting attacks, Hyypia is very strong in the air and his positioning, Agger can dribble almost as good as our wingers and shoot almost as good as SG, as well as being strong, quick and consistent (only beaten once, by Drogba in 2 seasons) and Skrtel seems to be a mix between Carra and Agger...he can bring the ball out of defence, he likes to pass the ball along the ground (unlike Carra and Hyypia sometimes) and is quick and strong...WOW..."I'm excited" (Big Kev...R.I.P.)
Carra and Javi were rubbish, couldn't score, no cutting edge in the final third. They should be sat out next match I thought it was a solid game, everyone played well and nice to see Torres get another hattrick. I am really starting to fall for Skrtel, he is much more mobile and allows to play a high line it is great to see. His run at the end of the match through the whole West Ham side was just class, looks likes he is starting to come into his own.