I had this great post written up but I decided to enter it into a contest instead, so you guys don’t get to read it, not yet anyways. This week, I’d like to focus on England manager, Fabio Capello’s judgement. Even though Steven Gerrard was said to be out for at least 7 [...]

What happened?
Honestly, I did not concentrate much on this game, because I was quite turned off from the beginning after discovering Torres is not on the starting XI. Of course, having Rob Styles refereeing the match was another bummer.
The match was a reminiscence of the previous weeks encounter with the Baggies. Liverpool was strong [...]

ReinaCarragher Hyypia Agger AurelioAlonso MascheranoKuyt Gerrard RieraKeaneGoals:Kuyt 28Gerrard 73That was far, far scarier than it should have been. And itll be remembered for the six arguable sitters missed, four coming from Liverpool.Bolton started out pressing, with Liverpool players slipping all over the pitch, but that lasted less than five minutes, and it soon settled into the home side parking the bus in their own half. Surprise, surprise.Kuyt nearly opened the scoring in the 22nd, crashing a shot off the bar, but got his seventh goal of the season and fifth in the league six minutes later with a brilliant header from Aurelios cross that gave Jaaskelainen no chance.And two minutes after that, Keane should have iced the game then and there. Kuyt centered the ball across the box, but the Irishman somehow failed to make contact from a yard out. It wouldnt be the last jaw-dropping miss.Bolton put up marginally more resistance until halftime, but Liverpool were still on top until another talking point right before the break. Bolton earned their first corner of the half, McCann sent a good ball in, and Cahill put it in the back of the net. The commentators seemed fairly aggrieved when it was chalked off, but last I checked, three players caging Reina, with Nolan getting a substantial push on the keeper, wasnt legal. And the whistle was blown before Cahill headed in.Megson brought on Gardner at halftime and it completely changed proceedings. The left midfielder immediately earned a free kick, and should have scored in the 52nd, rounding Reina after getting behind the defense, but slipping when he tried to shoot from a narrow angle.Bolton continued to threaten, and arguably was the better side, but Gerrard should have gotten the much-needed second in the 62nd when Alonso stole the ball and slid it through to Torres (who came on for Keane on the hour). The striker centered perfectly for the captain, but Gerrard could only direct it wide again, from about a yard out.But in the 73rd minute, the substitute helped seal the game, and this time Stevie buried it. Torres controlled a long ball, stole away from Andy OBrien (who should have cleared, but again, seemed to slip), and crossed for Gerrard, who made no mistake with a header down into the far corner.I still cant figure out how we didnt see a goal in the final ten minutes, but after Liverpool scored a second the three points were never in doubt. In the 80th, Torres couldnt round Jaaskelainen, who did well to push the ball away, and the Bolton keeper made a great save on Alonsos bullet from long range seconds later.Gardner missed again in the 85th after he latched onto a chipped ball over the top, but fired over with Reina making himself big. Torres somehow hit the post with the goal gaping in the 87th after Lucas got to the byline when a Bolton defender slipped. And Lucas finished off the incredible misses in the last minute of injury time when he could only head Gerrards cross wide from close range.I dont usually write this much about missed opportunities, but the amount of chances that should have been goals was utterly egregious. On another day, it easily could have been a 6-2 win.Itll certainly be argued, but I think Boltons goal was rightfully ruled out (I actually thought Styles surprisingly had a good game, although Im admittedly biased). But the first 25 minutes of the second half were far too frightening. It really looked like Liverpools inability to kill the game was going to cost them again.But Reina, whos my man of the match, with close competition from Alonso and Kuyt, did very well, and even though Bolton was finally winning in midfield, the defense held firm.Reina doesnt get enough credit for, and because of, his positioning. Bolton had chances at goals throughout the spell where they were on top, but Reina was usually in the perfect position to collect the flicks, crosses, and shots. Plus, his handling was superb (even if his distribution was questionable) in difficult conditions; I cant emphasize enough that the slickness of the pitch caused a few of those misses.Whenever Liverpool took the game to Bolton, Alonso was in the middle of everything, and was unlucky not to get a goal thanks to Jaaskelainens excellent save. He was awesome today, but he’s been in awesome form for over a month now. Kuyt put in his usual diligent shift, and scored with an absolute peach of a header, one of the best Ive seen since Garcia left the club. Riera was a constant threat in the first half, but faded as the game went on. And the makeshift defense, with Carragher on the right, still kept a clean sheet despite the pressure.I was fairly furious with the performance around the 60-minute mark. After the Spurs games and the Atletico draw at Anfield, the pessimist in me saw it coming again. But at the end of the day, Liverpool got the goal they needed, kept a clean sheet, and earned the three points. Torres looked better in his 30 minutes off the bench than on Wednesday, and aside from Agger losing a tooth, and getting on with it regardless, Liverpool had no injury worries.And the win provides more momentum that Liverpool undeniably needed going into a short international break before playing host to Fulham next Saturday.

7:45am, live in the US on SetantaLast 4 head-to-head:3-1 Liverpool (a) 03.02.084-0 Liverpool (h) 12.27.073-0 Liverpool (h) 01.01.070-2 Bolton (a) 09.30.06Last 3 matches:Liverpool: 2-4 Spurs (a); 3-0 West Brom (h); 1-1 Atletico (h)Bolton: 1-0 Hull (a); 2-0 City (h); 0-1 Everton (h)Goalscorers (league):Liverpool: Torres 5; Kuyt 4; Gerrard, Keane 2; Alonso, Arbeloa, Babel, Carragher, Riera 1Bolton: Davies 4; Taylor 2; Cahill, Elmander, Gardner, Steinsson 1Referee: Rob StylesGetting all the good refs! At least its not Steve BennettGuess at a squad:ReinaCarragher Hyypia Agger AurelioKuyt Gerrard Alonso RieraTorres KeaneI think there are two options in both attack and defensive that Benitez will choose from, and honestly dont know which is more likely in either case.Torres or Mascherano will probably be left out of the front six. If Liverpool plays 4-4-2, its a choice between Alonso and Masch in the middle. Alonsos on form and Bolton will mainly attack through the air, which eliminates some of the need for Mascheranos defensive capabilities.But Benitez might want to take it slow with Torres. He did look rusty against Spurs, and I wouldnt be opposed to easing him back since this isnt his first hamstring injury. Plus, there’s a midweek international break coming up, and leaving him on the bench here could give reason to keep him out of the Spanish squad. And if thats the case, Liverpool will probably line up in the 4-2-3-1 with Keane as the spearhead, as they did against Atletico and Chelsea, among others.Im hoping there are only two options in defense, but that assumes my rant about Degen after the Carling Cup match comes true, and either Carragher or Darby starts at right back. Itd probably be Carra, since coming on in the 84th minute on Wednesday is Darbys lone appearance. Also, Degen might be ruled out anyway due to the foot injury that forced him to come off in the last match.After struggling for results, Boltons won their last two against Hull and City. Those six points have pushed them up to 11th, even though the teams been goal-shy for the majority of the season. I honestly thought Elmander would have a larger impact and, hands up, so far I’ve been wrong but of course, writing this means hell probably start to make that impact tomorrow. In addition, captain Kevin Nolan will probably return from injury, and hes a player thats haunted Liverpool in the past.After a stellar September and October, results have started to slip in the past couple of weeks: two losses against Spurs (although one barely counts) and a hardly-deserved home draw against Atletico. But the league is what counts, and the Tottenham match was the only Premiership slip-up since the September draw against Stoke. A win tomorrow, in a difficult venue like the Reebok, against a gritty team thats usually tough to keep down, would keep momentum going and restore any confidence that’s been lost in the last couple of matches.

Liverpool have the chance to put an exclamation mark on their superb start to the season this weekend, with Rafa Benitez knowing victory at Bolton will give The Reds 32 points - their best ever Premier League tally a third of the way into season.

Not much to say about the Spurs clash on Wednesday, if you want to call it a clash. I think it was more of a thud; the thud being any hope we had of our reserves being able to accomplish something. Oh well, at least it wasn’t Burnley.
So-yeah. I was really hoping [...]

CavalieriDegen Hyypia Agger DossenaEl Zhar Lucas Plessis BabelTorres NgogGoals:Pavlyuchenko 38 52Campbell 42 45Plessis 49Hyypia 64Worst Liverpool defending I have ever seen. You can look at the changes in the back five and draw your own conclusions. That scorelines probably closer than it should have been, even considering yet another Mike Riley special in the 82nd minute, ignoring a fairly clear penalty.Itd be duplicitous for me to complain about the result after writing that this competition’s essentially meaningless. But Ill still complain about the performance; the first 60 minutes were simply god-awful and the rest was barely mediocre.Spurs dominated the first half. They out-worked Liverpool, had scads of possession, and used the entire field to keep the away side on the back foot. Only a last-ditch block by Agger prevented the opener in the 19th minute, while Liverpool didnt have one shot, let alone a shot on target, for the first 45.For the first third of the game, it looked like Spurs wouldnt reap a reward for their dominance. And then, seven absolutely awful minutes saw Tottenham put three past Liverpool.First, Frazier Campbell shrugged off Hyypia, who looked like he thought itd go out for a goal kick, to cut back for an unmarked Pavlyuchenko parked on the penalty spot.Then the provider turned scorer twice in three minutes after more abysmal defending. Cavalieri should have never come for the first a long ball towards Campbell and collided with Degen, leaving an empty net. Then, Lennon got yet another dangerous cross in (seriously, the fullbacks were both atrocious), and Dossena wandered away from Campbell, leaving the striker wide open for an easy header.Liverpool got a lifeline in the 49th when Gomes made a mess of a corner, gifting Plessis his first goal for the club, but Spurs restored the three-goal advantage immediately as Zokora ran away from Hyypia and again found an open Pavlyuchenko two yards from goal. Liverpool couldnt mark a statue tonight.Gomes blundered another corner in the 64th, with Hyypia heading in after the keeper missed his punch. Two shots, both on target, two goals. And both from corners. After Spurs had already put four past Liverpool. Somehow, Ive ended up in a parallel universe.The second goal actually prompted better play, and Insua coming on for Torres and Alonso for Plessis certainly helped. But when Gomes injury in the 69th led to an extended stoppage (and there wouldn’t have been an injury if Degen actually run onto Lucass lovely pass), Liverpool lost all momentum.The only other opportunity, despite nine minutes of added time, was the penalty that wasnt. Degen (to give a little credit, he actually tried to get forward in the second half) was brought down by Bale, but Riley waved play on and gave that shit-eating smile and I had to stop myself from punching my monitor.I dont care how meaningless the competition is or who’s lined up for Liverpool. That first half was unforgivable; I feel bad for the fans who paid money to travel to London for this.Im glad that Benitez left everyone on the pitch for the second half to fix their own mistakes, and the team was marginally better after the break, but its still hard to find positives. I guess Torres getting 56 minutes and coming through unscathed was good, Insua and Alonso played well off the bench, and Babel took two nice corners that led to goals, but thats about it.Tottenham passed around Liverpool throughout the first half and had excellent width where Liverpool had none. And when Liverpool had the ball, lazy play led to giveaways, which put more pressure on an already shaky defense. Poor passes, little movement, isolated strikers all the things you hate to see.Yes, its like his second game for the club, and I try never to single out players. But I do not want to see Degen anywhere near the pitch on Saturday even though Arbeloas suspended. Play Carra at right back, or even Darby. But not Degen.Everyones going to credit Redknapp for this ‘miraculous turnaround,’ and another four-goal performance is certainly an improvement over Ramos. Coming in and telling the players how wonderful they are definitely helps when the last manager barely spoke the language after a year in the job. But Liverpools backline was simply awful, and Tottenham could have had more.Its still the Carling Cup, and its not the loss that bugs me. Its the performance, and more importantly, the attitude thats so infuriating. And if the team doesnt learn a lesson or two, and lets this result affect their confidence in the league, it’ll be far worse than getting dumped from the fourth-choice cup.

I’m excited about anytime that Liverpool play during the week on a day that I’m off, especially against a side such as Spurs who are emerging as a force to be reckoned with. After our humble effort previously at White Hart Lane, Rafa’s squad of reserves will have an opportunity to showcase their abilities [...]

2:45pm, live in the US on Setanta (at the least, on Setanta Broadband)Last three matches:Liverpool: 3-0 West Brom (h); 1-1 Atletico (h); 1-2 Spurs (a)Spurs: 2-1 City (a); 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb (h); 2-1 Liverpool (h)Carling Cup goalscorers:Liverpool: Agger, Lucas 1Spurs: OHara, Pavlyuchenko 1Referee: Mike Riley!Guess at a squad:CavalieriDegen Hyypia San Jose DossenaPennant Lucas Plessis El ZharNgog BabelSo, from the official site today, theres word that Gerrard and Keane definitely wont play, and it looks like Kuyt, Alonso, and Carragher are in the same boat.But the fact that Torres is in the squad arouses an irrational fear that he might start tomorrow, as he did at Reading in last years tournament. He does need playing time after missing six matches in a row, but Im also afraid (and Im knocking furiously on wood as I write this) that something bad could happen in whats essentially a meaningless game. Hopefully hell come off the bench as he did on Saturday, and will return to the starting line-up in four days against Bolton.Aside from San Jose for Agger (whos started the last three matches, and San Joses my best guess out of the reserve team defenders) and Dossena for Insua (as Dossena hasnt featured much of late, even though this would mean Insua will miss out, which irks me), this would be the same side that faced Crewe in the last round.I want to see Liverpool win every match they play thats pretty much the definition of a fan. But in a season where there will probably be 60-plus games, you have to prioritize. And this games not a priority.That doesnt mean it wont be significant for players like Lucas, Ngog, Pennant, and the rest. All these players will have roles to play this season, and the Carling Cup is important to both their development and fitness. These are the games where they get the necessary experience before being fully plunged into the first team.Id rather see Darby in place of Degen, as the youngsters gotten good reviews in the reserves and looks like one for the future, but Degen seemingly has to play here having not gotten much time since signing over the summer. And with Arbeloas suspension looming thanks to a fifth yellow card over the weekend, Degen needs playing time for when he has to step into the first team.As Tottenham are the defending champions in the competition and on a roll, I wouldnt be surprised to see them deploy a strong team. Redknapps continued to work his magic, with Spurs unbeaten in the five games since he was named manager. But that shouldnt affect how Benitez sets up his side.While revenge for the loss a week and a half ago would surely be sweet, its less important than resting key players for the league campaign and getting the reserves/youngsters time in the first team.

The Telegraph has revealed that an elderly Liverpool fan’s likely cause of death stemmed from celebrating a sensational Steven Gerrard goal in the Champions League against Marseille. According to the report, when the Liverpool captain scored unexpectedly, Jim Carver, 77, leaped out of his chair with joy. Apparently, at some point he bumped [...]