LIVERPOOL 1 ROMA 2 | 2012 USA TOUR FRIENDLY

This morning I had the privilege of seeing Liverpool's pre season tour match against Roma at Fenway park in Boston.

Experimental is the best word to explain the Liverpool squad that started this game with Carra, Shelvey, Cole and spearing the only players I would consider to be in our first team. For a friendly the game was quite open. Both teams passed the ball well and both team had a handful of half chances to score with Joe Cole's effort chipping labront hitting the crossbar being the best effort of the first half

Shelvey had a particularly active first half,causing Roma quiet a few problems out side the box without really trouble the Roma keeper. This was also the first time I got to see Cole and Aqualini in a red shirt in over a year. Aqualini looked a little lost to me, but his work rate has improved greatly. Cole hasn't changed, still a little firecracker just with a little less pace nowadays.

It was no secret the Rodgers wanted to look at the whole squad, especially the youth and fringe players. Pacheco, Morgan and sterling where especially bright and it was great seeing them on tour with the whole squad. 

The result aside I can see how Rodgers looking at the bigger picture here, and a tour like this is the perfect way of getting to see his younger players perform. We are very much a work in progress as a squad and learning the Rodgers methodology will take time, but I was encouraged with what I sore from what was virtually the reserves/youth team.

One last thing I would like to add is that although Fenway park is a baseball stadium they did a great job of converting it into a football pitch that allowed for safe and fluid football. The fans were also great, the atmosphere was quiet good for a friendly and I was really pleased to see it be a sell out.

Next we play Tottenham in our next tour match, it will be interesting to see how Rodgers approaches this game. I have a feeling that we will see a lot more of the senior players start the game with the youngsters coming on after halftime and beyond simply as a test to measure us up against one of the teams expect to be there, or there abouts this season. The game is on TV here so I will be posting about that on its conclusion. Until then ywna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pics: liverpoolfc.com

LIVERPOOL SIGN BORINI: REACTION

It was announced a few days ago that AS Roma forward Fabio Borini has signed for Liverpool FC for an undisclosed fee.

This is Rodgers first signing as Liverpool boss and one that shows promise with Borini being 21 years of age he has a lot of time to become a great player.

I'll be honest, i know very little about Borini so i can't comment on what he will bring to the club. i will have to trust Brendan's judgement on that. What i do know is that Rodgers is a Borini fan having worked with him at Swansea 2 seasons ago registering 6 goals from his 12 games at the club. Last season he netted 10 goals from 25 appearances in Italy.

Here's the stats:

thanks to wikipedia

What this table tells me is that the lad is still green, but to be playing consistently in Serie A means he's maturing and has what it takes to grow as a football. This signing is defiantly one for the future but i wouldn't be surprised to see him as a regular stater this coming season, with Dirk gone and now Maxi leaving us we need strengthening in the versatile striker positions, and it looks like Borini fits the mold nicely.

I have no waiving expectations of this signing and only look at it as a positive move from Brendan to bring fluid attacking minded players to our club, more specifically goalscorers! is Borini this? and who knows maybe adding Borini will help Aqualini finally settle in England, only time will tell.

AQUILANI THE UNWANTED

Why is Aquilani unwanted?

With pre season nearly upon us the same old question arises about the future of Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani. Having spent the majority of his Liverpool career on loan he has become the most expensive loanee on record when he was signed by rafa all those years ago for 20million quid. The truth is that he just hasn't adapted to the English game or lifestyle, can he really be blamed for that? I don't think so. So why cant he move on?

From what I understand he is contracted to Liverpool until 2014 which is an age in football. I think it would be a smart business move to sell Alberto for a cut price to save on his wages unless they broker another loan deal where the loaners Pay 100% of his wages for the length of the deal. 

Why doesn't anyone want to buy Aquilani? I think it's a number of factors 

1 price, are Liverpool asking too much? 5mill would be my limit

2 wage demands, although he's not a proven quality player his wages must not reflect his current ability, instead of his massive previous price tag

3 form from what I understand he,s not exactly setting the world on fire with his form. Let's look at his stats

Speaks for its self really.

So what should Rodgers do with him this year? In my opinion we should sell him on cut price as mentioned above. He never settled in England an never will. We already have enough midfielders of similar quality we don,t need another one.

In a way I kind of feel sorry for Alberto, he never produced in a pool shirt and has never really settled at any clubs. I hope he finds a home soon but sorry Alberto it,s not Anfield.

sources: wikipedia, liverpoolfc.com

FIXTURES ARE OUT

The 2012/13 league fixtures are out with our mighty Liverpool drawn away to West Brom first up then tricky home ties against Man City,  Arsenal, and Man Utd with Sunderland sandwiched in between. Not an easy first few months by any stretch of the imagination but getting the "bigger" teams early is a good thing for me as they wouldn't have hit their stride yet and are vulnerable to being beaten away from home.

As per usual these fixtures are subject to change, and many will with our Europa League commitments to take into consideration.  YWNA


AUGUST
18 West Brom (A)
25 Manchester City (H)

SEPTEMBER
1 Arsenal (H)
15 Sunderland (A)
22 Manchester United (H)
29 Norwich City (A) 

OCTOBER
6 Stoke City (H)
20 Reading (H)
27 Everton (A) 

NOVEMBER
3 Newcastle United (H)
10 Chelsea (A)
17 Wigan Athletic (H)
24 Swansea City (A)
27 Tottenham (A) 

DECEMBER
1 Southampton (H)
8 West Ham (A)
15 Aston Villa (H)
22 Fulham (H)
26 Stoke City (A)
29 QPR (A)

JANUARY 2013
1 Sunderland (H)
12 Manchester United (A)
19 Norwich City (H)
29 Arsenal (A)

FEBRUARY
2 Manchester City (A)
9 West Brom (H)
23 Swansea City (H)

MARCH
2 Wigan Athletic (A)
9 Tottenham (H)
16 Southampton (A)
30 Aston Villa (A)

APRIL
6 West Ham (H)
13 Reading (A)
20 Chelsea (H)
27 Newcastle United (A)

MAY
4 Everton (H)
12 Fulham (A)
19 QPR (H)

Source: liverpoolfc.com

MY EURO 2012 PICKS: GROUP STAGE

Click on Image for larger version

Here are my picks for euro 2012. At this stage i will only release the group stages.

How do you think it will pan out? and who would you pick?

Walk On,
Stuart

The New Shirt

One happy Kopite

On Friday the 1st of June the new Liverpool kit for 2012/13 arrived at my door step. I would have posted about it on the Friday but there was the small matter of Brendan Rodgers being announced as Liverpool's new manager. This is Liverpool's first non Adidas shirt in over a decade. and prior to them it was Reebok.

Warrior are the clothing brand that make the shirts. A company that resides in the US and i believe already makes kits for popular sporting teams over there wither owned or associated with FSG. This is, however their first football shirt and i must say they have done a cracking job.

The shirt it's self feels great to wear, compared to the previous makers it feels lighter, less clingy and overall well designed.

The color is spot on and i like how they have taken inspiration from our shirts of the 60's and 70's by changing the club logo to the liver bird. The soft collar is also a great addition and doesn't feel like you are wearing a collared shirt at all. The change of the details is great too, going back to the mustard yellow for the sponsors name and logos is a nice touch

A special mention goes to the little detail on the back at the top of the shirt there's two flames encompassing the number 96. A fitting tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives at the 1989 FA Cup Semi Final at Hillsborough

Overall i am very pleased with the look, feel and overall design of this shirt. I will be a proud Kopite when i don this shirt on match days

Walk On,
Stu

RODGERS: "The challenge and the motivation is for me to do the best I possibly can and I will always fight for my life for Liverpool, and that will be on and off the field."

Yesterday morning at 10am British time Liverpool FC announce that Brendan Rodgers would take over as manager with immediate effect. This post is about my first impressions of him, the press conference his stats and my expectations for season 2012/13

Having seen the press conference live i must say that i was very impressed with how Brendan carried himself. He came across as a passionate, articulate, knowledgeable, confident and driven man. He respectfully mentioned Kenny and his previous club Swansea and not once looked like he didn't want to be there.  Brendan answered all questions with aplomb explaining clearly and concisely his plan for the club, the direction he wants to go, the "director of football" idea and what we as fans should expect from him and his players in the coming seasons.

I'll admit that i was a doubter, i didn't like the prospect of getting a manager with very little premier league experience. After that press conference he turned me into a believer. I hung on his every word, and he proved to me that he is the man to move Liverpool fc forward and for that i support Brendon 100%

"The challenge and the motivation is for me to do the best I possibly can and I will always fight for my life for Liverpool, and that will be on and off the field. "

Everything about Brendan's appointment feels right, something i couldn't really say about Roy, or even Kenny. I look on to this new season with renewed hope and optimism. I am fully aware that Brendan will need time to make the team his and get them playing the way he wants. In the press conference he mentioned this and i was very excited about the plan and the possibilities Brendan brings to the club

"The philosophy is very much based on the attacking side of the game. People ask me that question and I always say it's about being offensive and creative, but also with tactical discipline"


I for one am very pleased with this appointment now that i know all the reasons and theory's behind it. Brendan brings a fresh approach that our club sorely needs and i can't stress enough how much he has one me over and i hope that any Liverpool fans that are sitting on the fence about him right now give him the time and respect he has given us. so far.

"I genuinely think Liverpool Football Club is the heartland of football folklore. If you look back through the years, at the players and managers. You go back to Toshack and Keegan, Rush and Dalglish, Hansen and Lawrenson, Shankly and Paisley. Then you have the modern day in terms of Gerrard and Carragher. It's a club that's so full of history and tradition and passion."

To Brendan i welcome you, you have my unrelenting support and look forward to being your fan for many years to come

You'll Never Walk Alone


THE STATS:
(taken from Wikipedia)
As of 1 June 2012

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Watford		24 November 2008	5 June 2009	32	13	7	12	40.63
Reading		5 June 2009	16 December 2009	23	6	6	11	26.09
Swansea City		16 July 2010	1 June 2012	96	43	20	33	44.79
Liverpool		1 June 2012	Present	0	0	0	0	—
Total				151	62	33	56	41.06

pics: liverpoolfc.com

RODGERS CONFIRMED AS NEW LIVERPOOL MANAGER

source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1083203/liverpool-close-on-rodgers-after-compensation-agreed-with-swansea?cc=3436

Today i read that is all but a done deal to bring Swansea's Brendon Rodgers to Anfield on a 3 year contract.. As it states in that article it is expected that Rodgers will be unveiled as Liverpool manager at 10 on Friday.

I will reserve comment on the appointment until it is absolutely set in stone.

Walk On,
Stu

DECISION BY FRIDAY..... ?

Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1081630/liverpool-to-reveal-new-manager-on-friday?cc=3436

Reports on the web are saying that Liverpool FC will officially announce our new manager on Friday the 1st of June.

Rodgers, Martinez, AVB, or Rafa? who will it be?

Usually i don't pay a lot of notice on what the papers or football sites say but this can not be ignored. If we are to believe the rumors it looks like the powers that be at Liverpool have made up there mind and more importantly have made an offer to the wood-be candidate.

Martinez and Rodgers are heavy favorites to take the job with Martinez being the most likely to be the man come Friday.

I for one don't particularity like either of them as candidates for the most important job in football simply due to their combined lack of experience, although i do like how Rodgers get's his team to play attacking, flowing football the same can't be said for Martinez. From what i have seen of Wigan under his stewardship they play a very rigid counter attacking style of football, something that didn't work under Kenny, so why would it work with Martinez?

My pick for the job, Come back Rafa!

Also, my pick for the job; Rafa Benitez has been strangely quiet on the matter. Hopefully this is a good sign that he is deliberately flying under the radar to avoid any anti Rafa media that might thwart his application.

I like Rafa and i never thought he should of been sacked when he was. I would openly welcome Rafa back to the club to continue from where he left off. He loves Liverpool and we love him, he is a proven winner and knows how to get the best out of his players what ever the price tag.


What happened to AVB? Villas-Boas was one of the main contenders yet we haven't heard a peep out of him, or Liverpool on the matter. Although not my number one choice i think that AVB would be a better fit for us over Martinez or Rodgers. AVB wasn;t given time to grow and make Chelsea his team, this is something he will have the opportunity to do with us.

My heart wants Rafa but my head is telling me that Martinez is the most likely person to take the job.

Who ever takes over i will support them 100% i for one am nervous about the whole thing and can't wait to get the right man in the job so we can start planning for 2012/13.

Walk On,
Stu

pics: soccernet.com, liverpoolfc.tv

WHAT OFF SEASON?

Hi all,

I am pleased to announce that From the Kop is back and ready for season 2012/13. After a short hiatus i have returned to offer my opinion on all things Liverpool.

So... what's changed?

Firstly the look, FTK is now sleeker and more refined than ever before with clear and easy to navigate pages.

PODCASTS: as the new season rolls around i will be offering podcast as a new and FREE feature. At the moment i am looking at doing monthly Podcasts and I'll see how i go from there.

With Liverpool's increasing fixture list next season with our involvement in the Europa League i will try and get my match reviews up asap, but with real life commitments and Morphy's law this is always subject to change.

FACEBOOK: You will notice that we have a Facebook page now too, it's lonely and needs your likes! So click on the link on the right hand side and like our page! The facebook page will be used as a portal for my posts, and i want to encourage mature Liverpool based discussions. It will take some time to build up an community but all good things come to those who wait!

That's pretty much it for now. I will be posting more regularly than last year and offering more off the pitch opinion posts, as well as my usual predictions and match reviews.

Walk On,
Stu
From The Kop

HIATUS

From the Kop is taking a hiatus until further notice.

PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL V EVERTON | EPL

PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL 1 : 0 EVERTON

On Tuesday night our mighty reds play Everton at Anfield in the 217th Mersey-side derby. With the dust hardly settled on the Sunderland game our boys will have to put it behind them quickly to make sure they give their all in this all important derby game. 

Everton haven't lost in the league since the 11th of January which was away to Tottenham. They recently beat Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham at home so they will be no pushovers on Tuesday night. 

Overall i think we can nick it, 1-0. We'll have to be at our best though, and i have full confidence that our lads can put the woeful performance at Sunderland behind them and get the 3 points. This game is being held on a Tuesday night after we reached the Carling Cup final this game was moved. This is our game in hand. Although history dictates that we aren't great with out games in hand i still think we can win. 

COME ON YOU REDS!

reaction: Sunderland 1 Liverpool 0 | epl

FLAT LIVERPOOL FALL TO BLACK CATS

Saturday saw Liverpool take on Sunderland at the stadium of light in the Barclay's English premier league. If you read my preview you would see that i was looking for a dominant Liverpool performance and sadly it was far from that yesterday.

In a game of few chances a flat and lifeless Liverpool watched the game pass them by in another "Bolton" esq performance. I can not hide my disappointment that our team did not show up at all and fully deserved to lose that game. For once i disagree with Kenny's post match comments stating that we didn't deserve to lose. It was another woe performance in my books and it really showed the lack of depth we have in the squad to be out played by Sunderland with Gerrard, Downing, Agger and Johnson.

Ok, the goal had some element of luck to it and Pepe can't be blamed for it, but i though our defense was ball watching, when i thought that they could of followed the ball in after seeing bounce of the post and then off Pepe. In this game you create your own luck, Sunderland made us play their game as far as tempo goes and dominated the middle of the park giving Suarez Bellamy and Kuyt nothing to feed off.

Everyone should be held accountable for that passionless, tired performance and after what happened at Bolton it really saddens me to see our Liverpool play like that again.

It's lack of depth, and performances like this that is the reason we won't be playing Champions' League football next season. I never thought we were ready for it anyway, and results like this weekends show exactly why.

YNWA

pic: safc.co.uk

prediction: Sunderland v Liverpool | epl

PREDICTION: SUNDERLAND 0 : LIVERPOOL 3

On Saturday we travel to the Stadium of Light to play Sunderland. On paper this game looks like the 3 points should easily go to us, but football isn't played on paper. This game has the potential for Liverpool to let loose and show the rest of the league we a building momentum towards top 4. The Black Cats are coming of a 1-1 draw with local rivals Newcastle, where as we have to bounce back from the 2-1 loss to Arsenal. 

This game has all the makings of a Liverpool cruise, but we said that about the Bolton game and look what happened. I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll do well and score 3 goals without to much trouble 3-0 to 'pool! 

YNWA! 

Reaction: Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2 | EPL

RVP IS DOUBLE TROUBLE AS GUNNERS STEAL 3 POINTS AT ANFIELD

RVP is there any stopping him?

Liverpool came crashing down to earth yesterday as the were shown exactly how to find the net against a lucky, but efficient Arsenal side.

Our lads started brightly enough keeping possession well in the Arsenal half with Downing and Suarez causing the Gunners lots of headaches. It wasn't long before we had some action as Suarez was fouled by the Arsenal keeper and a penalty given. On second viewing i thought it was a pen, but a soft one. Szczęsny redeemed himself magnificently though saving the follow up spot kick from Kuyt and then denying him again as Dirk looked to plant home the rebound. A match winning double save from the Arsenal glove man.

Szczęsny the hero after a huge double save

A few minutes later, Henderson (who i thought had a great game) broke down the right wing leaving Gibbs for dead, a low hard cross came in that Arsenals center back Koscielny couldn't deal with slicing the ball back past Szczęsny 1-0! 'pool and good value for the lead.

Hendo Celebrates with his team mates after assisting in the opening goal

After the goal the play went on much the same, Suarez hit the bar 5minutes later and up till the 31st minute i thought that we did any excellent job of disrupting Arsenal's fluid passing game. They were little threat, and only a lack on concentration on our part gave them a way back into the game. Arsenal played an attack down our left side, Sagna took the ball forward and without Enrique clossing him down he whipped a great cross in for Van Persie to head past Reina at his near post. 1-1! Carragher was out muscled by RVP and without really ever breaking a sweat in our defense we found ourselves level. 1-1.

RVP Heads Arsenal level

After the goal we continued to dominate, create chances and make Arsenal look weak in defense.  Just before the half time whistle Kuyt had an excellent chance to send us ahead but his shot could only kiss Szczęsny's right hand post before being cleaned up. half time.


The second half pretty much took on the same pattern as the first. We did well keeping Arsenal quiet yet we couldn't quite find the winning goal ourselves. There was a massive 8 minutes of added time due to Arteta being stretchered of after an accidental collision with Henderson.  We dominated the game without really trouble Szczęsny to much, and i though we deserved to win it. Arsenal had other ideas and deep into stoppage time the sucker punch came when Song lofted a long ball to RVP who on a tight angle slammed the ball pass Reina again at his near post 2-1 Arsenal. The ultimate blow and i was pretty upset at the manner of the goal. To dominate so much and not finish Arsenal off has really been the story of the season for us, particularly at home.

Kenny threw Carroll on in a despite attempted to try and save a point but it wasn't to be and full time came with nothing but a whimper from our Liverpool lads.

Arsenal will take this, 3 points.

These are the days that you think, well it wasn't our night. Hitting the bar twice and missing a penalty should of seen us 4-1 up at half time, instead we walk away from this game with nothing, what can you say?
well i think we need to look at the positives. Hendo and Downing both had strong games, we out played them 95% of the time, and that's something to take from the game.

Reina needs to work on his near post positioning a bit, and our strikers still need to work on finding the net!

Overall i thought it was a game Arsenal stole from us, We didn't deserve lose this one yet here we are.
we now must look onto the away game at Sunderland and right the wrongs of yesterday afternoon.

FTK Mom: Szczęsny

 He had a great game for Arsenal in goal, and that double save sealed the deal. it should of been 4-1 at half time and thanks to his heroics they went on to win the game.








pics: liverpoolfc.tv, aresnal.com

prediction: Liverpool v Arsenal | EPL:

PREDICTION LIVERPOOL 2 : 2 ARSENAL
 
The Gunners visit Anfield on Saturday in the lunchtime kick off game. After our heroics in the Carling Cup Final and Arsenal's wonder performance in the north London derby i think we might be in for a cracking game.

Sadly news has come in that Stevie G is injured for the game, after only playing 32 minutes for England on Wednesday. Agger is also out with s fractured rib so i would probably pick carra as his replacement and we might see Henderson sit in the middle with Adam, Downing and Kuyt on the wings and Bellamy up front with Suarez.

With our tendency to draw games at home this season and nullifying the threat of Van Persie will be important in getting something out of the game  Also we must track the runs from deep by Walcott, give him time and space on the ball and he can tare any team apart.

I think there's goals in this, and with our current form at home a 2-2 result is on the cards.

YNWA

Reacton: Liverpool 2 Cardiff City 2 (3-2pens) | Carling Cup Final

The Boys in full celebration mode

LIVERPOOL BEAT CARDIFF IN SHOOTOUT DRAMA AT WEMBLEY

Another proud day in the history of our beloved Liverpool Football Club as we lift the League Cup Trophy for the 8th time making us the most successful club to win this tournament in it's history.

Stevie G Lifts Liverpool's 1st trophy in 5 years!

First and foremost i must express my deepest respect and admiration for Cardiff City, they gave us one hell of a game, never gave up and in my opinion didn't deserve to lose. Penalty shoot outs to decide games has always been a bit of a thorn in my side, i think it's a terrible way to decide games, but it's the only system we've got right now.




The game itself was tightly contested. Johnson had a chance to get Liverpool 1 up after just 3 minutes when his curling shot from outside the area hit the post. Apart from that early chance that's all we really offered going forward. Suarez looked a little over whelmed by the occasion, and Carroll wasn't getting any supply from out midfielders despite Downing perhaps having his best game in a red shirt. 20 minutes had passed when Cardiff took a surprise lead. A great counter attacking move saw Liverpool's defense at odds and Cardiff's Mason found enough space in the box to rifle a shot past Reina to make it 1-0 to Cardiff.  After the goal the pattern of the game remained the same. Liverpool possession countered by heroic Cardiff defending.

The second half was much the same, and getting frustrating predictable for my tastes, the slow build up play that ended up with Downing making forward runs with the ball to cross it into the box was easy for the Cardiff Defense to deal with. The equalizer eventually came after a penalty box melee saw the loose ball pounced on by Martin Skrtel who made no mistake from about 8 yards out 1-1 and game on! But it wasn't the cutting edge final stages of a game i was expecting. Bellamy was subbed on and had very little impact, but at no fault of his as 90% of our attacks game from the right hand side where Downing bossed it. It wasn't long before Liverpool looked out of ideas and full time came. 1-1

Extra time would really sort the men from the boys, as the two tiring teams looked to push on and win the game. It wasn't long before Liverpool took the lead when Kuyt burst into the box smashing his shot through the legs of the Cardiff keeper 2-1 pool! That looked to be it, as both teams tired. Cardiff were dropping like flies with cramp, but some how, and from some where they found that extra something to force penalties. Cardiff won a corner that wasn't cleared properly by Liverpool and it some how the ball was bundled over the line and in dramatic fashion Cardiff were level!! 2-2

There was little to no time left to get a winner and the game finished 2-2. My hat goes off to Cardiff, a heroic performance, especially in extra time when they all were dead on their feet to come back like that and force penalties really displayed how much character and determination that club has for success and i know they are welcome in the Premier :League any day!.

Stevie Consoles cousin Anthony

We all know how the penalties panned out with Stevie's cousin Anthony missing the crucial last kick to hand Liverpool the trophy

The Mighty Reds Dart of in celebration as Anthony Gerrard send his penalty wide

Overall i am really pleased that we won the Carling Cup, but in true Liverpool fashion we did it the hard way. Cardiff were worthy opponents and truly deserve all the plaudits for giving us a cracking game. This trophy can only catapult Liverpool on to further success, with Stoke in the FA Cup coming a 2nd Wembley final isn't so far fetched!

I'm so proud of the team for putting in 150% and bringing home the Cup!

YNWA

Special: Carling Cup Final Preview

This Sunday Liverpool face championship promotion contenders Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final. This is Liverpool's first major final since out 2006 FA Cup win of West Ham. In this post i will go through each teams road to Wembley, key players and where i think the game will be won or lost

LIVERPOOL FC

THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY 

Round 2: Exeter City 3:1(a)

Round 3: Brighton 2:1 (a)

Round 4: Stoke City 2:1 (a)

Round 5: Chelsea 2:0 (a)

Semi Final: Manchester City 1:0 (a)

Semi Final: Manchester City 2:2 (h) 3:2 on agg. 

As you can see from our road to the final we beat some pretty good teams to get there.The 2-1 win at Stoke, the 2-0 win at Chelsea and of course the 3-2 aggregate win over Manchester City. These games we a great example of our teams ability to perform under pressure, with the 1-0 win over Man City on their own turf being a particular highlight.

KEY PLAYERS:

8. Steven Gerrard

Undoubtedly the most important and influential player at the club, Captain Fantastic is Liverpool Football Club, his passion, class and attitude flow through the team like a shot of adrenaline. A key performer in most of our big games Stevie has proven time and time again that he is one of worlds best midfielders Stevie's vision for success is what this club is built on and he is constantly our go to man if we need that little extra to win the game.  Given that free attacking role he will prove to be a handful for Cardiff and i wouldn't be surprised if he scores on Sunday. Fighting fit and in form Cardiff will need tp be at their best to stop Stevie G from lifting the League Cup.



7. Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez has been great for Liverpool on the pitch since King Kenny signed him 2 January's ago. Suarez's pace, creativity, aggression and winning mentality is exactly what we need up front. With off the field dramas now behind him Luis can focus on his football. This will be his first English final and a perfect chance to prove himself on the big stage. Cardiff will need some kind of game plan to keep Luis quiet, even then i can't see how he won't be involved in some aspect and he could provide that spark upfront that's needed in final games.



39. Craig Bellamy

Craig has undoubtedly been the signing of the season coming for free from money bags Man City. Craig has been outstanding in his second spell at our club, and without his knee problems he would of been an unstoppable force for us. Reading the news today (4 days before the game) it looks as if Craig is fit and ready for the final and i would like to see him start in stead of Downing. Bellamy's pace, range of passing, aggression, tackling and crossing have all be a sight to see. With an eye for goal and a relentless amount of energy i think Craig will be a key player for us come sunday. He also is playing agains one of his former teams and players ussually step up for games like that add that there's a major trophy to win to can only inspire Craig to produce the form that has him touted as Liverpool's player of the season so far.

5. Daniel Agger/37. Martin Skrtel

Agger and Skrtel are like peas and carrots now. After a shaky start as the go to center back pairing Agger and Skrtel have matured into their partnership and are both better defenders because of it. Their recent form has been the key to many of Liverpools wins in recent times. With Skrtel's aerial threat from set pieces, his hard tackling and concentration levels i can't see why he can't have a positive influence on Sundays game. Partnered with Agger who is in the form of his life at the moment  they will need to be at the top of their game too keep the likes of Kenny Miller and Peter Whittingham at bay. If Skrtel and Agger play well we will cruise through this game. LINE UP: Here is how i think we will line up on Sunday.   My Prediction for how we'll start on Sunday; Graphic courtesy of Football Manager 2012  TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Liverpool must keep Kenny Miller and Peter Whitingham quiet through out the entire game. These two players are their biggest threat to us bringing home the cup. I think we should play our natural game, use Bellamy's pace on the left wing to get behind the Cardiff defense. Use Gerrard to link up with Carroll and Suarez as a "front 3" when in possession. Defend tightly and press them as much as we can, with out quality all over the park i am confident we can beat them! CARDIFF CITY  The Road to Wembley: Round 1: 1-3 (a)Cardiff (AET) Round 2: 5-3 (h)Huddersfield Round 3: 2p-2 (h)Leicester Round 4:  1-0 (h)Burnley Round 5: 2-0 (h)Blackburn Semi final (Leg 1):  1-0 (a)Crystal Palace Semi final (Leg 2):  1p-0 (h)Crystal Palace Cardiff run to the cup final hasn't been easy, beating teams like Palace, Blackburn and Leicester with the Leicester and Palace games going to penalties. In the league they are sitting in a playoff spot after a poor month of form only winning 1 from 4.     Will their poor away form translate to a cup final? i doubt it. Cast as underdogs Cardiff will have nothing to lose and Liverpool should be ready for them to throw everything at us. KEY PLAYERS: 9. Kenny Miller Kenny Miller has had a good season for Cardiff. scoring 10 goals in 29 appearances, 1 of those in the League Cup. Kenny is one of those players that on his day can be a real handful. He can create chances out of nothing, and feeding his team mates. He can draw defenders out and provide space for midfielders to exploit. For me if we keep Kenny quiet we are 50% of the way to wining the final.
7. Peter Whittingham  Peter has had an outstanding time at Cardiff leading all the key stats this season with 10 goals and 10 assists Peter will be key to shutting down Cardiff on Sunday. I don't know much about the player to be honest, but if you lead the club stats in the attacking areas you are going to be a threat.  Depending on who Dalglish picks on sunday either Henderson or Adam will need to watch Peter closely and make sure that he is not allow any time on the ball. He looks like Cardiff's string puller, and we cant' let that happen CONCLUSION: In football there's no guarantee's. Our beloved Liverpool might be favorites going into this game but we need to play well in every aspect of the game to lift the trophy on Sunday. Cardiff have nothing to lose, and will go all out to best us. If we play our game with a high tempo and lethal finishing we can win. We have to watch our defending from set pieces, corners specifically as i think that's Cardiff's best chance of scoring against us.  I predict a 2-1 Liverpool win, with Suarez and Gerrard the scorers. I will be cheering my guts out for the lads on sunday, and i hope that you do to!  Thank you for reading my Preview!  You'll Never Walk Alone pics: liverpoolfc.tv, cardifafc.co.uk. wikipedia,