Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Griggs

Babel Wanted Loan Move to Ajax

Chris Griggs — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:53:34 -0500

Ryan Babel has reportedly had an attempted loan move to Ajax rejected by Liverpool. With the Dutchman largely reduced to appearances off the bench this season, it should probably come as no surprise.

Perusing the internet over the past few weeks, a common theme in Liverpool discussions has been the wish of many fans to see Babel given a starting role up front, and the fear that he may elect to leave if he doesn't get more playing time.

With Liverpool's recent lack of a cutting edge in front of goal, its an option I'm surprised Rafa hasn't taken. For me, the decision would have two major benefits.

Firstly, it would give Babel the game time he desperately wants, and enable him to develop. There's no doubt (for me) that he has talent, and if he can refine his game—which is only gong to occur with regular playing time—then I feel he could be an excellent Liverpool player for the future.

Secondly, it can benefit Robbie Keane as well. It's painfully obvious that Keane's Anfield career hasn't gone the way he, and the fans, would have expected when his purchase was announced. But to ask him to lead the line, and then play long balls to him as a lone striker, isn't going to enable him to perform as he did at Tottenham.

Keane was signed to play off Torres, and due to the Spainard's recurrent hamstring problems, we haven't been able to see that particular partnership develop as we wanted. In Babel however, Liverpool have a pacy frontman that is best going to replicate the way Torres would play.

It's not guaranteed to be successful, but having seen the Keane/Gerrard, Keane/Kuyt, formations fail to set the world on fire, surely it can't hurt to try. And with only top spot up for grabs, tonight's game against PSV in Holland would seem to be a good time to experiment.

Is Rafa Benitez Spoilt for Choice?

Chris Griggs — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:37:58 -0500

Torres and Keane? Torres and Gerrard? All three? Just what is Liverpool's most effective front pairing?

Keane's career hasn't got off to the start he might have wanted, but prior to Torres picking up a hamstring injury, there were signs that their pairing was starting to click.

During Torres' absence Keane has played reasonably well, despite not scoring as frequently as could be expected. In fact, Liverpool as a team have been guilty of not taking chances that a club expected to challenge for the title should be putting away.

With Torres named on the bench for the start of the away match to Bolton, Keane was again asked to play up front as a lone striker. Despite creating several chances, Liverpool only managed to score the one goal in a half they completely dominated, with Keane having an early contender for miss of the season.

Liverpool went in at the break still leading, though Gary Cahill's injury time header was controversially ruled out.

The game was starting to resemble the Red's only loss at Tottenham, where a dominant performance would be overshadowed by a failure to capitalise on their chances. Cue the introduction of Fernando Torres, whose song had been sung intermittently throughout the first half by the travelling Kop.

Replacing Keane, Torres immediately struck up a good understanding with Gerrard, who eventually combined for Liverpool's second goal. In what was a productive partnership last year, the Torres/Gerrard understanding didn’t seem to have suffered in the Spaniard's absence.

What remains to be seen is whether Rafa elects to continue with Keane, or revert to the Torres/Gerrard combination. Away, both in the league and in Europe, Rafa's preferred formation seems to be a 4-2-3-1. In my opinion, this is tailor-made for Gerrard to play just off Torres.

----------------------- Reina ------------------------

- Arbeloa ---- Agger -- Carragher ---- Aurelio-

----------- Mascherano ---- Alonso --------------

--- Kuyt ------------ Gerrard ------------ Riera ---

----------------------- Torres ------------------------

With Riera and Kuyt playing on the flanks, providing width and dragging away defenders, this will give Gerrard and Torres space to combine. In the event of Torres being injured or needing rest, this is a role that Keane can play. It may not be his best, but it has enabled him to get the three goals against Atletico and West Brom.

At home, I hope to see Rafa play two up front. Against the so called lesser teams (e.g. Stoke), who come to Anfield and park the proverbial bus, playing two up front is going to provide more options. If Keane comes into the line-up, the question then is who does Rafa drop?

Initially, you would assume Gerrard would drop back into midfield, taking either Mascherano's or Alonso's place in the starting line up:

------------------------ Reina ------------------------

-- Arbeloa ---- Agger -- Carragher ---- Aurelio-

--------- Masch/Alonso ------- Gerrard -----------

-- Kuyt ------------------------------------- Riera ---

-------------- Torres ----- Keane -------------------

Another option would be to move Gerrard to the right side of midfield, taking Kuyt's place. But with the Dutchman now Liverpool's joint top scorer, how can you leave him out?

----------------------- Reina ------------------------

- Arbeloa ---- Agger -- Carragher ---- Aurelio-

----------- Mascherano ---- Alonso --------------

--- Gerrard -------------------------------- Riera ---

------------ Torres -------- Keane ------------------

With all players available, i think the above three teams are Liverpool's strongest, and we're likely to see all of them fairly regularly. I wont be surprised to see Keane start away either, with Torres on the bench to come on and kill off a game, if required, as at Bolton.

This is where rotation is going to be beneficial. Rafa now has the choices available in order to give his first 11 time to rest, without unduly compromising the quality of the squad.

I haven’t mentioned Babel, Lucas, and Benayoun, amongst others, and whilst the performance in the Carling Cup was poor, there is no doubt the Liverpool squad is stronger than last years.

Former Rangers and Newcastle Player Diagnosed with Cancer

Chris Griggs — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:24:54 -0500

Australian International and Queensland Roar player Craig Moore was diagnosed with testicular cancer on the 12th of November. Having recently had a change of heart concerning his international retirement, Moore remains hopeful of helping the Socceroo's qualify and compete in the 2010 World Cup.

Amazingly, he played in last Saturday's game against Melbourne Victory knowing of the condition, before having a testicle removed on Tuesday. Doubt remains as to whether he will feature again this season, and he has subsequently withdrawn from the Socceroo squad named to play against Bahrain next week.

Moore has long been one of Australia's most consistent players, having made 40 international appearances and scoring three goals, including a spot kick at the 2006 World Cup against Croatia.

With spells at Rangers, Crystal Palace, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Newcastle United, Moore has been a great representative for Australian football—and I am sure I speak for everyone on Bleacher Report when I wish him all the best, and a speedy recovery.

Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov: Who's Been Better Value for Money So Far?

Chris Griggs — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:31:06 -0500

Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov scored 43 goals between them at Tottenham Hotspur last season in one of the league's most potent pairings. The northern summer of 2008 saw the pair both leave White Hart Lane for new, very different surroundings.

Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane signed for Liverpool, the club he supported as a boy, in July 2008, for £19 million. He made his competitive debut against Standard Liege in the Champions League and began to develop what looked to be a good understanding with Fernando Torres, before the Spaniard returned from international duty with a hamstring injury.

It took 11 games in all competitions for Robbie to break his scoring duck, with the goal coming in the Champions League game against PSV, this saw his trademark cartwheel celebration for the first time at Anfield in a red shirt.

League goals proved harder to come by, and it wasn't until his 12th league game appearance that he managed to put two in the West Brom net.

Cost: £19 million

Appearances: 19

Minutes in League: 797

League Goals: 2

League Assists: 3

Minutes in Champions League: 204

Champions League Goals: 2

Champions League Assists: 0

Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov signed for Manchester United at the end of the summer transfer window, despite Manchester City's attempts to hijack the deal. Costing £30.75 million, the Bulgarian joined the champion's already impressive attacking talents of Rooney, Ronaldo, and Tevez.

He made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield in a 2-1 loss, although he did set up Carlos Tevez for the opening goal. He scored his first goals for his new club against Aalborg BK in the Champions League, and his first League goal in a win against West Bromwich Albion.

Cost: £30.75 million

Appearances: 19

Minutes in League: 836

League Goals: 1

League Assists: 6

Minutes in Champions League: 194

Champions League Goals: 4

Champions League Assists: 0

Who Was Better Value?

From the above stats, we can determine that Keane has cost Liverpool £18,981 per minute on the pitch compared to Berbatov, who has cost £29,854 per minute.

Keane's goals have come at an average of one every 199 minutes and 15 seconds, costing £3,781,964 per goal. With Dimitar's at a rate of 206 minutes per goal, each costing £6,149,924.

Much was made of Keane's age when Liverpool announced his signing, with many fans and pundits feeling that £19 million was too much for a 28-year-old. Berbatov though, is only just over six months younger, and cost approximately 50 percent more than the Irishman.

Though the Bulgarian has scored more than his former teammate, Keane's goal-per-minute ratio is better than that of his counterpart by seven minutes. Keane has also played as predominantly a lone striker, though Kuyt has partnered him on occasion. This is a role that many feel Keane does not excel at, preferring to see him play off another striker, as he did with Berbatov at White Hart Lane.

Of course, the above stats aren’t conclusive, and they don’t take all factors into consideration. At a quick glance, one would assume that Berbatov had made a more impressive start to his Old Trafford career than Keane has with his Anfield one. As a Liverpool supporter, I am obviously going to favour Keane in this article.

But I honestly think that Keane has been more beneficial to the Liverpool side than Berbatov has to Manchester United. For starters, we're equal top, six points clear of third place, whilst Manchester United are currently sat in fourth, eight points behind with a game in hand.

There has also been less disruption to the team makeup, though Liverpool has been assisted in this regard by the injury of Torres. We don't have a £30 million striker warming our bench, and though I don't doubt Rafa would love someone of Tevez's class to bring off the bench, he also doesn’t have to worry about him leaving in January.

With Keane, according to Rafa, having got the monkey off his back, and also being able to reunite with strike partner Torres, the coming weeks will hopefully see a run of Keane goals. While no one has doubted his work rate or commitment to the Liverpool cause, there has been a lack of cartwheels at Anfield, and I, along with many Liverpool supporters, will be hoping to see more.

Liverpool Lose to Tottenham, Title Dream Over?

Chris Griggs — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:46:55 -0500

After the weeks of building anticipation and confidence, Liverpool fans were brought crashing back to Earth after Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. But despite all the negatives I’ve read since the defeat, I’m of the opinion that there are still positives to be taken from the game.

Despite the loss, Liverpool remain equal top of the league, and while we have lost our three point advantage over Chelsea, a defeat to a resurgent Tottenham is definitely not the end of the world. We are also, crucially, remain five points clear of Manchester United in our attempt to deny them a record equalling 18th title.

There had been talk amongst the media and in internet chat rooms over whether Liverpool would be able to go undefeated this season. Well, they won’t now, and that's something everyone involved at the club no longer has to worry about. We are also not league leaders, and won’t have every other team having that desire to knock the leaders off their perch.

Additionally, we can take comfort in the fact that it was Tottenham we lost too, a defeat to either Manchester United or Chelsea would have been far more detrimental to our chances this season. The fact that it was Tottenham, who despite their claims at the start of the season aren’t going to be challenging Liverpool for a top four spot, let alone the league, means we don’t have a "six" point disadvantage to turn around.

It's also worth noting that we've come through a reasonably difficult period of games, and only drawn and lost one respectively. Whilst these games may have been easy on paper, and been made harder for ourselves, Liverpool have continued to pick up points.

All this has happened at a time when we've had to cope with international breaks, qualification from the Champion’s League group stages to ensure, and the absence of Fernando Torres.

Torres will be back. Despite Rafa's insistence that we could win without him, (which we have largely done) and that we had the quality to replace him in the starting line up, there is no getting over the fact that Liverpool have missed Fernando Torres a great deal. We only lost to Tottenham because we failed to take our chances and lacked that incisive edge.

With Torres back in light training during the week leading up to the game, I personally thought there was a chance that he would be named on the bench. He didn't appear, but it’s reported he will be fit for at least the bench for this week’s Champion’s League game, and I’m expecting him to start next weekend.

Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, some will probably claim I’m clutching at straws, but our challenge is definitely not over. One bad result does not mean the end of a successful season.

Luck has been with us, and may have been against us on Saturday, those are the breaks, and it means virtually nothing. Of far greater concern to me is how we bounce back this weekend against West Bromwich Albion.

We all saw how Chelsea responded to last weekend’s defeat with convincing displays against Hull and Sunderland; we need to do the same this weekend at Anfield. With Torres expected back, and Gerrard starting to find form, there's every chance we can get a convincing result to restore any loss of confidence the players or the fans may have had following Saturday’s game.

Liverpool End Chelsea Home Record To Go Top Of The Premier League

Chris Griggs — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:26:32 -0400

Liverpool strengthened their Premier League credentials on Sunday afternoon, beating a Chelsea side that hadn’t lost at Stamford Bridge in 86 games, a Premier League record. It was the first time since Rafa Benitez took charge that a Liverpool side had taken three points from a fellow big four member away from home.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Reds, the first chance fell to Chelsea, an Alonso slip allowed Nicolas Anelka to push forward, but Jamie Carragher did well to deflect Deco’s shot behind for a corner. However, somewhat out of character for a side that has struggled to score in the first half this season, Liverpool took the lead after just 10 minutes.

A Dirk Kuyt flick on was only half cleared by the Chelsea defence, and the ball fell to Alonso who had a shot with his left foot. The ball took a fortunate deflection that left Peter Cech with no chance. 1-0 to Liverpool, and a dour 0-0 draw was now out of the question.

The Blues were dominating the remainder of the half, save for Gerrard’s dipping shot that Cech did well to tip over. With Deco, Kalou, and Lampard all having chances, Liverpool were perhaps fortunate to go in at halftime maintaining their lead.

Chelsea pushed forward early in the second half, and Florent Malouda had an iron clad penalty on 55 minutes as Reina brought him down in the box, but the assistant had correctly called him for offside. It was to be his last contribution, as Malouda and Kalou were taken off and replaced by Belletti and 19 year old Franco Di Santo. Ryan Babel replaced Robbie Keane just minutes later.

Liverpool almost doubled their advantage shortly after, and it was through goal scorer Alonso again from an excellent freekick. Cech had taken half a step to his right expecting the attempt to come over the wall, and could only watch on as the ball ricocheted off the post before Carvalho cleared.

Liverpool had another chance soon after, as a rare Mascherano foray forward resulted in the Argentinean being unable to find the lurking Babel, when he may have been better off taking the shot himself.

The Reds were almost left to rue their missed chances, as Di Santo cushioned a Frank Lampard cross into the path of Ashley Cole, whose volley was went wide. It was Chelsea’s best chance of the game, and the home fans had waited 72 minutes for it, but it was the closest Chelsea came.

Though Chelsea continued to look for an equaliser, the Red’s defence, led superbly by Jamie Carragher, managed to hold off for the remainder of the game. It was indicative of how well Liverpool defended, that Pepe Reina was required to make no saves of real intent.

Liverpool now move three points clear at the top of the table, and 8 points clear of defending champions Manchester United, who could only manage a draw yesterday afternoon in one of the few occasions in which you’ll find the red half of Merseyside dearly hoping the blue half can get a result.

With six points now taken from their title chasing rivals, Liverpool must now be surely considered contenders for this season’s title. Though their performances have been questionable against so called lesser opposition, they have certainly stepped up a gear against both Manchester United and Chelsea.

Whether they can maintain their recent run of results remains to be seen, but a challenge certainly seems to be on the cards for the Merseyside club at last.

Liverpool FC-Wigan Athletic: Reds Do It Again

Chris Griggs — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:59:22 -0400

Liverpool fans around the world were once again left biting their fingernails, as their team came from behind to beat a spirited Wigan Athletic at Anfield. They needed the win to stay on level points with league leaders Chelsea, who had earlier demolished a hapless Middlesbrough 5-0 during the lunch time encounter at the Riverside Stadium.

Much of the pre-match talk centred on the impact of the international break, with Liverpool entering the match without top scorer Fernando Torres, as well as the missing Ryan Babel and Javier Mascherano, who only returned to Melwood on Friday afternoon.

Wigan had their own injury worries with former Liverpool player Emile Heskey; a reputed transfer target for Rafael Benitez in the January transfer window, picking up a knock on international duty with England.

Daniel Agger replaced the in-form centre back Martin Skrtel, who suffered knee ligament damage in the stirring win over Manchester City 13 days ago, whilst Dirk Kuyt moved up front to partner Robbie Keane.

Kuyt's replacement on the right of midfield was Jermaine Pennant, who made his first Premier League start this campaign.

The First Half

Wigan adopted an attacking approach from early on, showing they were not content to play a 10-1 formation, which soon paid dividends for the visitors.

A terrible mistake at the back between Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger allowed Egyptian striker Amir Zaki to rob the Dane and finish coolly past the advancing Liverpool keeper.

It was the seventh goal in all competitions for the striker, who looks to have been a good acquisition by the Wigan manager Steve Bruce.

Liverpool went searching for an equaliser, and it soon came for the home side when Dirk Kuyt scored his third goal in as many matches.

Keen to make amends for his earlier mistake, Agger carried the ball a good 50 yards into the Wigan half, exchanged a neat one-two with Riera before he showed great skill in the box to allow him to centre for Kuyt, who's shot came off a diving Kirkland, but still had the pace to find the back of the net.

Liverpool pushed for a second goal with an excellent shot from Kuyt some 20 yards out which was only just tipped onto the bar by Kirkland. This was soon followed up with a great chance for Riera, but he could only direct his header wide of the target.

The home side were dominant in the lead up to halftime, but the Kop was stunned in to silence as the Wigan striker Zaki—the joint top scorer in the league—acrobatically converted an Antonio Valencia cross that gave Reina no chance.

It was an excellent goal, which gave Wigan a lead they had deserved for their persistent attacking play during the game against the joint league leaders.

The Second Half

With Wigan leading away from home, you could have been forgiven for thinking that they would close up shop and get everyone behind the ball, but to their credit, they continued to defend well against the Reds—who came out strong after the interval in search of the equaliser they needed.

After a poor tackle on Robbie Keane just outside the Wigan box on 72 minutes, Steven Gerrard had Kirkland well beaten with the awarded free kick going narrowly wide of the right post.

Antonio Valencia's refusal to keep the mandatory distance from the ball before the Gerrard free kick earned him a yellow card and just three minutes later he was shown another, followed by the red, for a very poor tackle on Xabi Alonso.

Interestingly, it was the third time in three matches that a player has been sent off for a bad tackle on the Spaniard.

Replacing fullbacks Andrea Dossena and Alvaro Arbeloa with Nabil El Zhar and Yossi Benayoun, Rafa was making his intentions clear to his team; he wanted three points from the game.

Liverpool were now playing with just two at the back, a decision that soon paid dividends for the manager. The substitute El Zhar had received praise from the Anfield faithful for his role in their come-from-behind win over Middlesbrough earlier in the season and the young Moroccan had an almost immediate impact after coming on.

He worked his way down the left well, confusing the Wigan defence with some clever stepovers, and following an excellent dummy from Gerrard, the ball found its way to Riera in plenty of space to drill into the bottom right hand corner for his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.

The Winning Goal

With just 10 minutes remaining, the Liverpool supporters where asking if they could pull another result out of the bag. They soon got their answer with Dirk Kuyt, the hero of the Eastland’s come back, popping up for his second consecutive game winner and his fourth goal in three games.

Jermaine Pennant, who looked dangerous on the right, crossed well for Kuyt to score with an acrobatic finish to give Liverpool the lead on 85 minutes. The Reds managed to hold out for the remaining 10 minutes, which included five minutes of added time, to claim all three points.

Attention now turns to Liverpool's meeting with Atletico Madrid this coming Wednesday, which is followed by a top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

With any luck, we Liverpool fans won’t be faced with the roller-coaster excitement of the past few games. I don't think my heart, or my girlfriend, can deal with the stress and the screaming.

Manchester City-Liverpool FC: Match Report

Chris Griggs — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:15:15 -0400

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a come from behind win at the City of Manchester stadium on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool headed into the match as the team having conceded the least goals, but were facing a Man City attack that had scored more than any other club. There were fears that this game could have degenerated into a dour 0-0, like last terms corresponding fixture, as both teams strengths cancelled each other out.

Raf Benitez made a surprising change, dropping Robbie Keane, who scored his first for the club in the midweek Champions League game, and who has scored against Manchester City for each of his previous clubs excepting Inter, for Javier Mascherano. Mascherano lined up alongside Xabi Alonso in central midfield, with Gerrard pushing up to play just behind Fernando Torres.

Pepe Reina lined up in goal, with Alvaro Arbeloa playing at right back, whilst Fabio Aurelio continued to keep Andrea Dossena out of the left back position. Rafa continued to pick Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel as his first choice defensive pairing with Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera, playing against his old club, started on the wings.

Liverpool started the brighter of the two teams, Riera in particular causing problems down the left, before he had a shot from a tight angle saved by Hart. The first chance of real note however, fell to Dirk Kuyt in the seventeenth minute. It was good work from Riera again, as he weaved his way into the box, before directing a low cross to Kuyt, who blasted his left foot shot well over from all of six yards.

Liverpool were starting too look a bit shaky defensively, and Manchester City took full advantage in just two minutes later. Shaun Wright Phillips stole the ball from Aurelio, before centering for both Jo and Robinho, before the ball eventually fell to Arbeloa, who failed to clear, and Stephen Ireland took full advantage, smashing the ball into the roof of the net, giving Pepe Reina no chance.

Xabi Alonso had a long range shot, before Riera played in an inviting cross that was just out of the reach of the stretching Kuyt. However Riera then fouled Wright Phillips, and from the resulting free kick, Garrido curled in a beautiful left footed shot to make it 2-0 at halftime.

Liverpool started the second half well, Kuyt going down in the box, but no penalty was given. Mascherano then had a long range shot on 50 minutes that flashed well wide. Liverpool's persistence soon paid off, however.

Robinho failed to follow Abeloa's 55th minute run into the box, giving him plenty of time and space to cross low for Fernando Torres to slide in and score Liverpool's No. 1,000 Premier League goal. Manchester City should have sealed the game ten minutes later, as an excellent run by Wright-Phillips resulted in a great ball for Robinho, who failed to convert a gilt edged chance from two yards.

Perhaps the most controversial moment soon followed, as Pablo Zabaletta was shown a straight red for a studs up challenge on Xabi Alonso. Fernandes came on for Jo, as City attempted to hold onto their lead, whilst Rafa brought on both Keane and Dossena for Mascherano and Aurelio.

Inspired management it may have been, as Dossena's first touch resulted in a corner that Gerrard swung in from the left. Torres managed to lose his marker and head home his second for the game, and his No. 29 in the Premier League, breaking Patrik Berger's record as the top scoring foreign player.

The game was now there to be won for Liverpool, and it should have been in the eighty-second minute, but Torres uncharacteristically blasted over from Robbie Keane's cross, a miss on par with Robinho's earlier chance. Benayoun replaced Riera, before Skrtel's knee appeared to buckle beneath him and he had to be stretchered off.

Both teams would now finish with 10 men, and due to the delay caused by Skrtel's injury, six minutes of extra time were given. Liverpool only needed two though, as Benayoun centred for Torres, who's shot was deflected, and fell nicely for Kuyt to smash home his first Premier League goal in almost a year.