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,

Reaction: Liverpool 6 Brighton 1

I Didn't see the game on the weekend, only listened to it on the radio so i can't give an accurate reaction report like i usually do.

However i can tell you how i felt about the game, and FINALLY we trounce some one!. 6-1 although flattered us in the end i thought we played Brighton off the park and duly deserved to progress into the next round. Gerrard, Carroll, Adam, Skrtel, Suarez and Carra were all outstanding and the result couldn't have come at a better time.

YNWA

Prediction: Liverpool v Brighton | The Fa Cup

PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL 4 BRIGHTON 1

Sunday we play host to Brighton in the FA Cup 5th Round tie. The FA Cup is famous for producing giant killers, weaker teams that can produce the goods against more fancied opponents. Sorry Brighton fans but i can't see you beating us this time around. We last played Brighton in the Carling Cup at their ground and won 2-1.

This is a prediction post, not analysis  so i will leave it there,

Come on you reds!

Luis Issues Official Apology

 Luis Suarez: I'm sorry

 

"I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong.

"I've not only let him down, but also the Club and what it stands for and I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened.

"I should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions.

"I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football."

Reaction: Mancester Utd 2 Liverpool 1

MANICS TO GOOD FOR WHIMPERING 'POOL

Sadly this game will be remembered for all the wrong reason. Just to put it aside in my reaction post i don't really blame Suarez for not shaking Evra's hand, and Evra really showed how much of a tosser he can be by celebrating the win in front of Suarez. Really Evra, grow up!

Gerrard battles with Jones

On to the football! Kenny set out a team that was designed to counter attack stacking the midfield and relying on our full backs to provide balls forward. A well and good in theroy and seemed to really frustrate united in the 1st half.

The 1st half was played at a good tempo until Liverpool got the ball. with out much options going forward we would pass the ball sideways a lot of the time giving Man U plenty of time to get men behind the ball nullifying our "counter Attacking"  tactics.

Overall i thought that we performed well in the 1st half, not giving Man U much time or space to play their passing game but at the same time we offered nothing going forward.


Whatever was said by Ferguson at half time worked as Man U came out and totally ripped us to shreds. With only 1 minute on the clock Man U went in front as they upped the tempo, wining a corner. Again our weakness from corners was exposed as Henderson flicked the ball on into the path of Rooney who slammed the ball past Reina  1-0 United.

It wasn't long before United doubled their lead, with some nice passing Rooney found himself 12 yards out near the penalty spot his shot going through the legs of Reina, 2-0 United, we were stunned. To be 2-0 down after only 4 mins of the second half was not what we wanted to see.

Rooney makes it 2-0

Once we went 2 down i thought the Kenny didn't act fast enough to change things. Having 1 striker 5 midfielders was not the way to move forward to try and get a goal back. Eventually Kenny reacted though bringing on Carroll, Bellamy. These subs improved our presences in the final 1/3 but they offered little in threat going forward. Even with all the attacking changes our passing wasn't urgent enough often passing the ball back and sideways while United got men behind the ball, and once they were set up they were hard to break down.

The  team looked beat, from about the hour mark and had no answers to Man U's play. There was one shining piece of play that saw Suarez score from a Craig Bellamy free kick  with about 12 minutes to go but that was it. Even after the goal the lads didn't seem to fire up enough to push on and get an equalizer. This was disappointing to see considering the performances of the last fortnight. The game fizzled out and United take the points.

I was pretty disappointed that Liverpool didn't put out a team to win a game, more to draw. Spearing although tackled well his passing was pretty poor. Having Gerrard, Henderson, Spearing rotating in the middle holding role, giving Suarez absolutely no support.

Let's put this game behind us and focus on our cup match against Brighton, and then the league cup final against Cardiff!

FTK MoM: Glen Johnson

 Glen played well. he was pacy, defended well and showed more passion for the game then any other red. My MoM








YNWA

Prediction: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 0

Saturday lunch time we play Manchester Utd in the league. The last time will we see them this season and with what has happened on and off the pitch this will be a fiery game.

Suarez returns to face Man U and Evra for the 1st time since his 9 match ban for racially abusing the defender expired. This game has enough riding on it without the undertones of all the off the pitch drama. I think we'll go there and try and shut the manic's out, any kind of win will do, my heart see's a Liverpool win, but with a fired up united at home my head says a draw.

COME ON YOU REDS!

Reaction: Liverpool 0 Tottenham 0

HOME IS WHERE THE DRAW IS

Gerrard tussles with Parker

Tonight saw Tottenham come to Anfield in the league. This game was always going to be close even i thought there where goals in it, but it wasn't to be as Tottenham came for a draw, and got one.

In what was an arm wrestle both sides simply cancelled each other out, even with Liverpool's dominance of possession we couldn't make any of it count in the final third as a solid Tottenham defense lead by :Ledley King was to good for our misfiring attack.

The 1st half started off pretty slowly, with Liverpool's short and patient passing game couldn't find a way through Tottenham. There was very little to write about on the first half as it was simply slow, dull and lifeless. Predictable passing game from both teams really insured that there would be no cutting edge in the game. At times i though that we started our attacks from to deep giving Tottenham plenty of time to set up and take care of any possible threat we would cause.

Suarez, back in action!

The second half started with a little more urgency as Tottenham continued to let us boss possession out side their penalty area. We didn't mix it up enough in my opinion and get numbers in the box when the ball was wide, often Kelly and Johnson had no one but Carroll to cross too and it was no fault of Carroll's that any ball he headed on was not picked up by a red shirt. The hour mark saw the introduction of Suarez who almost undone Tottenham with his first touch. Luis added a much needed spark to the game, increasing our tempo as we probed Tottenham for the 1st goal. The best chance of the game came for Andy Carroll who had his shot from 11 yards out fly over the bar.


That being said Tottenham nearly nicked it late on as Bale ran behind our defense and 1 on 1 with Reina place his shot right at Reina who was perfectly positioned to divert it clear.

Overall i was happy with the effort and performance of the players, they all put in and you can't ask much more than that. Our home form is a serious worry now and must improve fast.

FTK MoM:  None, the team played well as a whole tonight but i can't pick out any individual performance that stood out to me. Same applies for Tottenham, they all played well to get the point they came for.

Prediction: Liverpool v Tottenham

LIVERPOOL 2 TOTTENHAM 1

Monday night we welcome Spurs to Anfield in the league. Spurs have been this season quiet achievers coasting to 3rd on the table, 7 points clear of Chelsea in fourth.

With Luis Suarez back in the team and confidence high amongst our beloved Liverpool  i can see a 2-1 win to us. Let's give Spurs a welcome, and a game they will never forget!

YNWA

Reaction: Wolves 0 Liverpool 3

REDS BEAT WHIMPERING WOLVES

Tonight saw our mighty reds take on Wolves in a league game that was must win for both teams but for entirely different reasons. Wolves struggling in the bottom 3 and Liverpool struggling against teams in the bottom 3.

The first half started lively enough with both teams opting for a more direct end to end style of play. Wolves had the first real chance of the game when on 11 minutes a drilled in cross was flicked on only for a well positioned Reina to save comfortably. That was really the only clear cut chance of the half as both teams cancelled each other out.  From a Liverpool side of things we were playing well, Bellamy, Adam, Carroll, Enrique and Spearing all effecting the game positively.

What ever McCarthy said to the wolves team at the break didn't work as they seemed to just roll over and play dead. Perhaps a testament to Kenny's tactics or half time talk. It wasn't long before a much improved Liverpool performance took the lead. A fantastic cross from Adam deep on the left side of the wolves half found Carroll muscling off the wolves defense for a simple tap in, 1-0 pool!. Carroll was good value for his goal that was well over due and credit must go to Adam for the superbly weighted cross.

 Carroll gets reward for hard work of the past 4 matches.1-0!

I was really pleased for Andy, he's been coping a lot of flack lately (even from me!) and all his hard work from the previous fortnight is starting to pay off. It's amazing what a run of games can do for a players sharpness, confidence and concentration. Andy was great tonight on and off the ball.

It wasn't long before we were 2 ahead, a great counter attacking move saw Enrique rifle the ball from his own box to the feet of Bellamy, who then one a throw, took it quickly and when he received the ball back saw his scuffed shot roll around the outstretched wolves keeper and into the corner, 2-0 Pool!

 

A tiring Wolves had no answer as Liverpool went into cruise control, playing well they went in search of a third. The third goal came 12 minutes from time when again another direct piece of play found Kuyt in space on the right hand side, his shot easily beating the wolves keeper at his near post. 3-0 to 'pool at Dirk celebrates his 50th premier league goal.

Dirk makes it 3-0 to Liverpool and achieves 50 premier league goals, Congrats Dirk.

Other than a hit and hope shot from well outside our area late on by Ebanks-Blake that hit the bar the game was won and we easily saw wolves off. 

This is the kind of performance that we need to really be putting in week in week out against the lower positioned teams in the league. I'm really pleased that the team responded to the Bolton defeat as they did and our away form continues to trump our home form 

FTK MoM: Craig Bellamy 

Again for me Bellamy was outstanding. He's really excelled this season. Possessing the touch, craft, pace, awareness and passion of players 10 years his junior Bellamy has been unstoppable and tonight again was top of the pile for me. Well done Craig!

Pics: Liverpoolfc.tv