Liverpool

Well, for once I'm going to divert from my carefully thought out posts on life here in Taiwan and do some writing about Liverpool, because I've just seen two matches in less than a week that have me cautiously optimistic about the Reds' chances of bringing home some silverware this season, and football, after all, is still one of my first loves. :)

So. Saturday, Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-1, the first time they've done so in seven years, and they did it at Anfield. What's even more impressive is that they did it without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and even more impressive than that, they went a goal down within the first three minutes, and instead of collapsing like they have so often in the past, they went out and swung right back at United.

Yesterday (or today, because of the time difference), Liverpool beat Marseille 2-1 away at Marseille in the first leg of the Champions League knockout round. The first half was exactly the kind of football that helped them beat United--constant pressure on the ball, crisp pass-and-move, and very strong defense. They also went down a goal there as well, but fought back, and continued to play attacking football up until the end of the first half. Now, the second half was pretty much all Marseille, and Liverpool were lucky not to concede an equalizer, but CL football is so different from league football, and Rafa seems to have more or less had the key to it for a long time, so maybe it was to be expected that the game tightened up after the halftime break.

Player by player:
Albert Riera: the new Spanish signing, this guy has really impressed me. I was skeptical when he came in, didn't know if this was going to be a fluke by Rafa. But he came out and made the United defense scramble on Saturday. He has quick feet, the confidence to take the ball at defenders, and the ability to actually come away with the ball on the other side. He even toyed around with some backheels and fancy passes, and they all came off nicely, as if he'd been working with his teammates for years. Against Marseille he came in as a sub, but immediately started showing the same influence as against United. If he had had more time, or if Rafa had been pushing a more attacking style, I think he could have helped set up a goal.
Ryan Babel: this is the first time I've really seen why people call him the second Henry. He's looking really confident on the ball, trying some moves and also showing his pace when he gets some space. He had a really cheeky nutmeg against Wes Brown on Saturday, and some really nice work in tight spaces last night. The main thing with him I think is experience, and maybe his finishing. He had an amazing chance last night, inside the six yard box, and instead of trying to slot it into the corner, he blasted it straight at the keeper. If he can figure that part of his game out, he'll be right up there with Torres.
Xabi Alonso: though he didn't play last night, he was brilliant on Saturday. United gave him a bit of space, and he took it with a vengeance, pinging balls all over the attacking third. As someone on RAWK said, "Why would United give him that kind of space?" and it's true, Alonso works much better with a bit of space, which is often why he drops back farther into the defensive third, but in the preseason, he was also getting himself involved in the attack and getting shots (and goals). Interestingly, Gerrard singled him out after the United match and praised him for stepping up to the place after the Barry transfer saga, and a lot of people think that may indicate that the whole mess was a lot nastier than it appeared on the surface.
Steven Gerrard: not much time on Saturday as he was coming off an injury. First half last night was absolutely brilliant, the Steven Gerrard I hope to see the rest of this season. He was running hard for every ball, pressuring like he actually wanted to win possession, and when he got his chance, he converted, first a one-time shot, and then a penalty that he had to re-take because someone moved early into the box. Second half he reverted back to his old self, sort of meandering around the center of the pitch but not running hard like he did the first half. Part of that was probably fitness, and part of it was probably Rafa's strategy, as the whole team seemed to collectively take their foot off the gas in the second half. Overall, though, he's showing himself as a captain. After he scored yesterday, he immediately started talking to Lucas, looked like something about marking, and on Saturday, he had a word with Riera as he was coming off.
Martin Skrtel: is going to be immense. He was very, very solid last night and on Saturday, especially in the air. You can still see occasionally he's a little inexperienced, maybe not quite sure, but most of the time he looks very confident, and he's got good vision, can knock the ball up with a lot of accuracy. I think it'd be a great pairing, him and Daniel Agger in the center of the backline.
Alvaro Arbeloa: some people aren't happy that Liverpool sold Steven Finnan and kept Arbeloa, but to be honest, Arbeloa is showing some tremendous potential. He had a lot of work to do last night, with the Marseille front line constantly running at him, and though he got burned a couple times (as did pretty much every Liverpool player at some point last night, Marseille were far and away the quicker team), he also showed he has the strength and stamina to keep up with quick, fast, strong players. I've also been really impressed with how he's been getting forward and getting involved in the attack. His crossing needs a bit of work, perhaps, but if he can get that part down, he'll be as good, or better, than Finnan was.
Javier Mascherano: is showing some great stuff as well. Constantly hounded the ball Saturday and last night, not afraid to go in for tackles. My only gripe with him is, and pretty much always has been, his passing ability. He tends to give the ball away a lot on forward passes. He's definitely more of a defensive player than an attacking one. Though it was his run against Ryan Giggs on Saturday that set up the Ryan Babel winner, I still prefer to see him sitting in front of the backline and picking up the first runner as they come through.
Lucas Leiva: started against Marseille last night. Showed his potential with his passing and movement, but also showed his weaknesses/inexperience with some poor challenges and getting muscled off the ball. I think he will be very good though.
Jamie Carragher: always a legend in my book, but he was the weak link when Marseille scored last night. He tried to catch the forward in the offsides trap and was just a bit too slow. He's still a defensive force to be reckoned with, but I think Rafa should start thinking about giving Agger and Skrtel more time to get used to playing together.
Dirk Kuyt: workhorse, just like always. Only this time, the rest of the team followed suit and pressured the ball at every turn, which made Dirk's job easier and really showed why his work rate is so important. Though he doesn't have a high goal scoring rate, I think if Liverpool keep playing the way they are, Dirk may get some more chances.
Fernando Torres: the first time since he joined Liverpool that I've really seen his first touch fail him. I've seen him have some heavy first touches before, but last night he had a few first touches that were really dismal. Of course he also had some good opportunities going forward, and some of it is probably down to fitness. But the pressure also must be immense, for him to try and recreate, or even outdo, what he did last season. I hope he finds the net against Marseille at home.
Robbie Keane: the one really worrisome point right now. He hasn't found the net yet, and after all the hype surrounding his transfer, I really hoped he could help Torres up front. Neither of them are having a steller opening to the season, so it may just be a matter of time, but there's this little niggling doubt in the back of my mind that worries what's going to happen if Keane turns out to be a total fluke.

Conclusion: If Liverpool continue to play like they did on Saturday and the first half of last night, with constant pressure on the ball and a willingness to go forward with patience and tenacity, I think they will be in the thick of things at the end of the season. I also think they'll have a very good chance at another European final. Ironically I think the real test will be when they play smaller teams, like West Brom and Hull, because that's where they faltered last season--fixtures they should have run away with.