3-match weekend

...and two goals, so I feel pretty good about the weekend, on the whole. Especially since my first goal was a half-volley that went like an arrow right into the lower left hand corner, and I had missed a shot like that earlier in the match.

I'm starting my first of two volunteer positions today. Mondays and Tuesdays I'll be working with Chinese immigrant kids, tutoring English through the Chinese Social Service Center in Richfield. Wednesdays and Thursdays I'll be working as a food shelf translator at the Catholic Charities Branch I food shelf in south Minneapolis. The best part of both of these positions is that I get to use both my Chinese and my Spanish.

A quick word on the Liverpool front: there's a press conference scheduled for later today, and it has my stomach in knots because I'm pretty sure the conference is going to address the ongoing speculation about Xabi Alonso's future. He traveled to Thailand with the squad, so I'm hopeful that means Rafa is still playing hardball with Real Madrid, but anything can happen. I just really don't want to see one of Liverpool's top midfielders go to Real Madrid. He's like the antithesis of their big-money, showman's mentality, and I think he's much more respected and loved at Liverpool than he would be there. I hope he stays, I really do. *Fingers crossed*

Liverpool in Chinese

This is a little something I posted on the Red and White Kop forum for Liverpool a few days ago. I got on Liverpool's Chinese website and decided to see how their webmaster translated some of the players' names. Some of them were actually quite interesting, and even if you have no interest in Liverpool FC whatsoever, it's still kind of interesting to see the characters and the meanings they use to put together Western names. I thought Steven Gerrard's and Jose Reina's were particularly fitting, seeing as Gerrard is considered the heart and soul of Liverpool, and Reina is the keeper.

Liverpool
利物浦
利 Li (advantage, power, rights), 物 wu (things), 浦 pu (water’s edge)

Rafa Benitez
拉法.貝尼特斯
拉 La (pull), 法fa (the law), 貝 Bei (money), 尼 ni (phonetic), 特 te (special), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)

Steven Gerrard
史蒂文.杰拉德
史 Shi (history), 蒂 di (roots), 文 wen (culture, language), 杰 Jie (outstanding), 拉 la (pull), 德 de (moral, virtue)

*When Liverpool went to HK, the name on the jersey:
謝拉特 (http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/02192BDavm42J/340x.jpg)
謝 Xie (thanks, gratitude), 拉 la (pull), 特 te (special)
*I don’t speak Cantonese, but the pronunciation is likely totally different than in Mandarin

Xabi Alonso
哈維.阿隆索
哈 Ha (phonetic, laugh), 維 wei (support), 阿 A (phonetic), 隆 long (prosperous), 索 suo (rope)

*When Liverpool went to HK:
艾朗索 (http://redsports.sg/wp-content/uploads/Image/+challengerRF11.jpg)
艾Ai (to end, protect), 朗lang (bright, brilliant) 索suo (rope)

Jamie Carragher
杰米.卡拉格
杰 Jie (outstanding), 米 mi (rice), 卡 Ka (card) or Qia (choke), 拉 la (pull), 格 ge (standard)

Fernando Torres
費爾南多.托雷斯
費Fei (to spend), 爾 er (phonetic, sometimes means ‘only’ or ‘like this’), 南 nan (south), 多 duo (many, much); 托 Tuo (request), 雷 lei (thunder), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)

Daniel Agger
丹尼爾.阿格
丹 Dan (red), 尼 ni (phonetic), 爾 er (phonetic), 阿 A (phonetic), 格 ge (standard)

Jose Reina
何塞.雷納
何 He (what, which, any), 塞 se (block, impede), 雷 Lei (thunder), 納 na (receive, welcome, control)

Long-overdue update

So I effectively dropped off the face of the blogging planet for the past few weeks or so. Apologies to any of you who have been checking here for updates. I've got a job now, which has been taking up a lot of my time, and add homework to that, and there's not a lot of time left for zoning out and doing other stuff. To be honest, it's good to be busy, it forces me to manage my time better, and I find I'm more productive when I'm on some sort of a schedule.

The holidays went pretty well here. Christmas was a very low-key affair. I did get to go to church with Jessie, and the service was up on Yang Ming Mountain, which was really peaceful and nice and a wonderful way to get out of the city a little and really feel the true sentiments of Christmas. I have to admit I got a little choked up during some of the carols because they reminded me so much of Lynnhurst, my old church back in Minnesota.

New Year's Eve was a pretty big deal here. I went over to Taipei 101 (after much transportation hassle and irritation at the unbelievable number of people out in the streets) and watched the fireworks, which were well worth the hassle and frustration, even though the show only lasted about 4 minutes. They literally shoot fireworks off the building, and it's sort of like a cascade effect, with all these colorful sparks just kind of flowing off the building. I shot a video of the show. It's here if you want to watch.

Chinese New Years is coming up next, in late January. I'm looking forward to it, although I've actually heard that Taipei is kind of quiet, since a lot of people leave to go south and visit relatives. We'll see though. I'm sure a lot of people stay around here too, and I've seen the long strings of firecrackers hanging up in doorways around the city, so I'm sure I'll be in for some noise come the last week of January.

Funny story. Was walking back from work a few nights ago along this side street between the main street in front of campus and the bridge that takes me home. I looked down, and running along the curb next to me is a rat. Good sized one too, just trundling along, minding his own business. No one else seemed to notice him. Frankly, rats don't freak me out that much. The thing is, a few nights before that, I was out with my roommate and some friends visiting from Japan. We were walking along that same road, and all of a sudden we hear a big commotion break out on the other side of the road. We look over and see people jumping off the sidewalk and squealing and carrying on, and then, from behind the row of motorbikes, a big rat comes scampering out. He didn't look too fussed, and I think he was probably enjoying the fact that he was able to clear the whole sidewalk for himself just by showing his face.

Has gotten a bit chilly here in Taipei. The worst part is that it's wet and rainy, which means you get chilled really easily if you sit still for too long. I find I'm comfortable if I'm up and around, but if I sit still for too long, I get really, really cold and uncomfortable.

In football news, I watched Liverpool demolish Newcastle United last weekend, and it was an awesome match to see. I think it was the clinching evidence that everyone's been looking for to show that Liverpool can really put in a title challenge this year. Won't say much more, don't want to jinx it, but Liverpool are playing some brilliant football right now, and I believe they have a great shot to bring home the title this year.

And in completely unrelated events, I just finished reading The Kite Runner. What a fantastic, heartbreaking book. I couldn't stop reading it. Once I started it, I read it straight through in about two and a half days. I was even reading on the metro to and from work. If you haven't read it, read it. It's thoroughly amazing.

Liverpool top of the league...in December

Could not have predicted this. Hoped for it, yes, but never predicted it. Liverpool are top of the Premier League with the Christmas crush just around the corner. A bit fortunate to pick up three goals tonight against Blackburn, but deserved the win, at least in the second half.

Xabi Alonso has just blown me away this season. He's been a bit off form the past couple seasons, and there was a lot of transfer speculation over the summer. Whether that galvanized him into form or he just had a lot of trouble with injuries and such, I don't know if any of us will ever really know, but the fact is, he's shown this season why he really is a class apart. He just takes control of the midfield and forces opponents back on their heels with these amazingly accurate, long searching passes deep into the corners. And he got the first goal tonight, which you could just see meant a lot to him. After all the ups and downs, plus the form he's been in, I think he, more than almost any other player out there, deserved the goal.

Fernando Torres is out until after New Years, which is concerning everyone, including myself. He seems to have a fair amount of trouble with his hamstrings acting up, and the last thing anyone wants is for that to become a chronic problem that will keep him from ever reaching top form. He hasn't been nearly as devastating as he was last season, and surely part of that is that the defenders are on to him now and are thinking about how to deal with him well before gametime. Part of it, too, has to be the Euros over the summer and the fatigue/extra wear and tear that those laid on him and the other Spanish players. The consensus on the message boards at RAWK seems to be, get him completely fit and healthy, and don't risk him until absolutely necessary, like late in the season, when the other teams are worn out.

Sami Hyypia showed again tonight why he should be considered a legend. Class defending all game long, didn't get flustered or anything, kept his cool even when things got a little hairy in the back. Jamie Carragher looked really solid too, and Arbeloa and Insua on the wings kept things mostly under control.

Watching games like this makes me itch to just bite the bullet and make plans to go to France to visit Tom and jump across the channel to see a game at Anfield. I've been obsessively working out budgets this weekend, and on paper I can afford it, but I just don't know how it will all actually work out with the timing of our scholarship payments, tuition payments and so on.

But in any event, well in Liverpool. Haven't been this excited about the domestic campaign in awhile.

Twenty-three in Taiwan

Well, I spent my 21st birthday in mainland China, and now I've spent my 23rd in Taiwan. It could have come at a better time, to be honest, as things have been pretty stressful here lately, with landlord problems and school work and real work.

But it turned out to be a really good birthday. In the morning, Michael and Alex came in and brought me a couple little cakes from the bakery on campus. One was fruit, the other was tiramisu. One of my Japanese classmates also gave me a box of Japanese chocolate snacks. Then my teacher took me out to dinner at a Korean hotpot/barbecue place that Michael recommended. Three of my classmates, including Michael, joined us, and it was really nice to kick back, relax and have some really good food.

Tonight a bunch of us are going out to a night club near Taipei 101, and it's sort of a birthday/end of the semester celebration. The thing that really strikes me about the group going out is just how international it is. There's a couple of us Americans, but the rest of our classmates are Japanese, Korean, German, Australian. We communicate almost exclusively in Chinese, and in some ways, I think we're closer than the kids in Lauren's program, who are mostly Americans. I don't know if we just got lucky with the group of students this term, or if it's the international-ness of the group that makes it so, but we also have had no drama, no infighting or cattiness that I would have expected. Everyone gets along really well and is really friendly, really open and ready and willing to chat.

I also talked to a guy in my program today who's English and who, while he's not into football himself, has a couple of friends who are big Liverpool fans and who are probably going to go down to The Tavern tomorrow to watch the game. I told him I might go down there as well, and this guy immediately asked for my number so he could get me in touch with his friends. I don't know if it'll all go through, and I've actually got to work tomorrow until rather late, but since the game isn't on StarSports, I might wander down to The Tavern anyways, just to see what it's like and whether it's a possibility for future games. If not, it's not that important of a game, just Bolton. I'd be much more concerned if it was Liverpool v. Man U or something like that.

Once things are solved with our landlord I'll try to condense the whole mess into a blog entry, but for now I'm just focusing on getting things worked out.

Jottings

So the weather is doing this crazy thing where it's reverting to summer again. I've taken to walking to school recently, partly for exercise, and partly to save money. I figured since it's been getting cooler recently, it wouldn't be too bad and I wouldn't arrive at school too sweaty. However, the past two days, it has been unbelievably warm and humid in the morning and afternoon, and only cools down after sunset. Everyone's saying this is really weird and that it hasn't been this warm at the end of October in a long time. I don't think it's quite as bad as it was in August, but it's a bit uncomfortable, especially if you do any sort of exercise.

I played football with the guys again today, and it was really fun and a really good way for me to let off some stress and tire myself out enough that hopefully I'll sleep well tonight. It's interesting, the Taiwanese guys, after some initial uncertainty about me, seem to take to me as well, or even better, than some of the American guys I played with back in LA. There was this one guy today who seemed to make a point of passing the ball to me and to get me involved in the game, and there was another guy who was playing keeper and was giving me instructions just like he would to any other player, which I thought was cool and showed that he respected me at the level of a player. Football isn't that big here, and though there are some pretty skilled players here, I can more than hold my own with most of the guys.

Also on the football front, Liverpool beat Chelsea last weekend, snapping Chelsea's 86-game unbeaten streak at home. It was an amazing game for Liverpool, and I think it really showed that Liverpool are ready for a title challenge this year. They didn't just eke out a win or win ugly, they dominated the second half, made Chelsea look slow and disorganized on defense, and they played some amazing one-touch football in the attacking third that was just superb. And the really awesome thing is, Torres wasn't playing. The fact that Liverpool now have players that can step up and really fill that gap, even when players like Torres and Gerrard are out, is going to be key in making a title run. Right now, Xabi Alonso is really on form, absolutely dominated the midfield against Chelsea, and is really showing why keeping him instead of bringing in Barry was the right choice. I know it's only the first part of the season, but I can't tell you how excited I am that Liverpool are not only winning games, but are playing some real quality football as well.

I literally just stepped away from my computer because the doorbell rang, and guess who was at the door? Two young men from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. They were very polite and a little bit bashful because they were trying out their English on me, and I felt bad for sending them away, but I had no interest.

Things are a bit up and down at the moment, the semester is winding down, and I'm definitely in that end-of-term slump that I remember all too well from college, but I'm just trying to slog through and get to the end of the semester with good grades and good standing with my professor, who I'm planning to continue on with next term. We just found out today that we have a fairly long break in the middle of the winter term for Chinese New Year, so I don't know if I'll travel then, or just hang out here and explore the city. Apparently Christmas isn't really celebrated here, which I'm kind of surprised about since Christianity seems fairly prevalent here. But Chinese New Year should be fun.

So that's that. I played football, got a visit from Mormons, and now I'm off to hopefully get some quality rest before my exam tomorrow.

Liverpool v. Chelsea T -4 hours and counting

Well it's the biggest game of the weekend, and the biggest game of the season so far for both Liverpool and Chelsea. Currently Liverpool and Chelsea are tied at the top of the Premier League table, with Chelsea ahead on goal difference. Liverpool are without Fernando Torres, though Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso are fit. I think most Reds supporters are just hoping to escape from this one with a tie, as Liverpool's record at Stamford Bridge isn't great. Torres finally broke the scoring curse last year during the Champions League, but Liverpool still ended up losing that game.

Chelsea look very, very good at the moment. There's no denying that, at the moment, they're the ones everyone is pinning to win the title. Manchester United are off to a bad start, and Arsenal are looking good, but not great. So basically, regardless of how premature it is, whoever wins the match tonight will probably be considered the favorite to win the title. And if I were a betting person (which I'm not), I'd put money on Chelsea, despite my very real desire to see Liverpool win it all.

Chelsea just have too much depth and too much strength at every position, whereas I feel like Liverpool just aren't quite at the peak that they need to be in order to sustain a title challenge. Torres hasn't looked quite as devastating as last season (which isn't a dig by any means, every player has ups and downs), Agger needs some time to get settled in the back, and Keane needs to start scoring. Gerrard has, at times, looked excellent, and other times just looked really tired or jaded or just plain old apathetic.

Of course it's way too early in the season to be speculating about anything. There's plenty of time for Liverpool to find their form, and tonight is just one measure of whether they have what it takes.

On another note, I watched West Brom v. Hull last night, and was really impressed with what I saw from both times, but especially Hull. Whereas the upper-tier teams tend to play a lot of long ball and like to slow the play down by passing it around the back, both West Brom and Hull played more of a pass and move game, with lots of pressure on both ends and a lot of quick, one and two-touch passing. It was really fun to watch, and a really open game, and though it was clear there was a little bit of a lack of finesse on the final cross/finishing, Hull still managed three goals out of the deal, and well taken ones at that. I also liked that the players weren't going down as often as players in the top 4. Obviously there was some tumbling and playacting, but much less so than when Manchester U played Liverpool, and I wonder if it has anything to do with these teams having just been promoted from the Championship and being more used to rough and tumble play and no protection from the refs.

In any event, credit to Hull, they're currently tied on points with Liverpool and Chelsea, third in goal difference. I think it'd be pretty cool if they manage to make a big splash by finishing in the upper half of the table this season, cooler still if they broke top 4 (only not at the expense of Liverpool please, thank you).

So. Fingers crossed for a good game tonight and a Liverpool win to move to the top of the table.

Why I feel like a hypocrite

So it's no secret I love football. I love to play, and I love to watch. I get up in the middle of the night to watch European matches, I scour the internet on Saturdays for streams of EPL matches, and I could talk for hours on end about the game, the players, the managers and so on.

But sometimes I feel like a hypocrite in loving the game so much. Because like it or not, European football is an inherently sexist institution, a realm exclusively run by and for men, and the only space for women is as objects to be admired and lusted after.

Check out this video. Great footage of skills from the Euro Cup 2008. I love highlight reels like that. But what I despise about this video is that it makes women look like dumb bimbos who are just there to be admired for looking good and dressing in really skimpy clothes. On the one hand, it's just sexist. Men are allowed to be skillful and creative and score wonder goals for their country. But women are simply objects for visual admiration. God forbid a woman should have football skill or creativity, and horror of all horrors should she actually show it off in public.

And on the other hand, it makes it that much harder for women who actually know a little something about the game to be treated with any kind of respect when trying to discuss the game with men. I mean, in some really screwed up way, I kind of understand why a lot of guys think women don't know anything about football, because so many women just like the game for the hot guys and don't know the difference between offsides and a corner flag.

But seriously. At times I seriously question why I should support any football club, let alone a big one like Liverpool, if all it does is lend my tacit consent to an institution that reinforces such degrading stereotypes.

Liverpool = Comeback Kings

So say the pundits. Liverpool had to come from behind twice to beat Wigan 3-2 at Anfield yesterday, and it was more than enough to give me a heart attack. I really didn't know how the match was going to turn out when halftime rolled around and Liverpool were down 2-1. All credit to Amr Zaki, who scored an amazing second goal just before the halftime whistle. I'd put money on the fact that Zaki will not be a Wigan player by next year--if he keeps playing like he did yesterday, all the big clubs will be lining up at his doorstep (and I keep my fingers crossed that Liverpool are one of them).

In all honesty, Liverpool's defense looked pretty shaky. Daniel Agger was clearly at fault for the first goal, though he redeemed himself exceptionally well by setting up the first equalizer. Jamie Carragher was probably the only real solid link at the back, and by the end of the match, Rafa threw on two attacking players in place of both outside backs, leaving only Carragher and Agger in the defense.

Something that has come up recently is the issue of fouls on Xabi Alonso. In the past three league games, he's been the target of tackles that resulted in the opposition player getting sent off (and deservedly so, none of them were soft fouls). In some ways, it's a compliment, the fact that opposing teams feel they have to take him out to stop him and/or they can't quite get the ball off him and so go for his ankles instead. The problem, of course, is that if this keeps up, he's going to end up with a broken ankle or something, and then Liverpool will be in serious trouble, because Steven Gerrard is always an up-and-down player, and Torres is already looking to have some injury problems (hamstrings seem to be a particular problem spot for him).

Someone on RAWK suggested that some of it has to do with how Alonso handles the ball, turning it away from opponents to more effectively shield it, and I definitely saw that in evidence yesterday. It's the mark of a good player to be able to sense pressure and turn away from it, but the problem is that it exposes the back of your knees and ankles to the opponent, and less experienced tacklers can't or won't stop themselves from going in anyways.

In any event, I hope Alonso stays healthy and I hope opponents stop trying to take him out. To be perfectly honest, the best way to slow him down isn't to take him out, but to put consistent and constant pressure on him, not allow him to turn with the ball and have time to pick out a runner downfield. Manchester United made that mistake, and it cost them.

Despite his defensive lapse, Agger showed flashes of brilliance, especially the assist on the first equalizer. Showed how good he is getting forward and looked rather like a winger with his little juke around the sliding defender. It's worrying how nervous he looked, but then again, he's still quite young, and he's been off the pitch since last September. I guess the good thing about this is that Rafa can't just drop him from the lineup, because he doesn't really have a replacement. Sami Hyypia is class, but no one's going to deny that he's not as quick as Agger, nor as good at advancing the ball forward. Other good points from the match:

*El Zhar came on and made an immediate impact. Quick, sharp, a bit like Theo Walcott in the sense that he adds that bit of pace and spark down the touchline.
*Dirk Kuyt seems to have hit his scoring stride, which can only be good for Liverpool. When Torres gets fit again, it would be nice to have two strikers who are in the habit of finding the net.
*Yossi Benayoun looked very good as always coming off the bench. Quick and sharp as well, really good touch and skills on the ball, can get right into the box seems pretty comfortable handling the ball in tight spaces.
*Riera played well again, perhaps not his best game, but I like how he seems to win a lot of 50-50 balls. Where other players have the ball knocked out of bounds or get shouldered off the ball, Riera seems to come out on the other end of the tussle with the ball more often than not. Nice to have a player like that in the squad.

Next up is the Champions League match away to Atletico Madrid. There was a huge fiasco with the stadium arrangements, as UEFA had originally banned Atleti from playing in their home stadium for the next two home games due to fan behavior in their match against Marseille. But they reinstated it over the weekend, and now Liverpool are set to play the rojiblancos at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.

Of course, Torres came back from the international break injured, and I think everyone's pretty disappointed that he won't get the chance to play at his old stadium. I think Liverpool fans wanted him to be able to show his old supporters that he made the right decision and that Liverpool have really accepted him as their own, and I think Atleti fans wanted to see their former captain, who was never really able to rise to that top level of stardom while at Atletico, now considered one of the best players in the world.

Oh well. I'll still be up at 2:45 on Thursday morning, as StarSports is picking up the match from Madrid. Liverpool seems to get a fair amount of coverage here, which rather surprises me. But I'm not complaining.

Liverpool v. Man City - "Shades of Istanbul"

So after trying, and half-way succeeding, in committing all the measure words we've studied so far this term to memory, I decided I should write at least a bit on the match I watched yesterday.

My initial reaction: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH REDS!

Ahem. I usually hate it when people write as if they're talking on their blogs, but I just had to. Because yesterday, Liverpool's comeback from 2-0 to win 3-2 away at Manchester City was absolutely amazing. Not a few people on the RAWK forum were comparing it to the 2005 Champions League comeback from 3-0 in Istanbul. Of course this game wasn't quite as important as that one, but the drive and determination it took for Liverpool to pull off the win was nothing short of inspiring, and massively encouraging, to us fans who thought it was a loss at halftime, and certainly to the players who scrapped the win out of nothing.

At the end of the first half, Liverpool were down 2-0, and they really deserved to be. They weren't playing well, about the only player who looked like he even cared about the game was Riera. Passes going astray, defensive disarray, and a massive gap between the defense and the midfield that City really exploited well. Going into the second half, I figured it'd be a miracle if Liverpool could pull a tie out of the deal.

Well, Rafa and/or Steven Gerrard must have said something right in the dressing room at the half, because Liverpool came out with a lot more life. Scrappy game, for sure, City played very physical, but Liverpool kept at it, and Torres, who wasn't having a particularly good game at all, slid one in after a clinical build up from Gerrard to Arbeloa. It was eerily similar to one Liverpool scored last season, I think it was against...Marseille? In any event, it was Gerrard to Finnan, who crossed it into the box for Torres. It was just straight out of the book of How To Score a Goal, and the one last night was very, very similar.

Then a header off a Gerrard corner to make it two for Torres. And then, in stoppage time, Benayoun gets free down the left side, beautiful cut back to Torres, who takes a shot, gets deflected, and falls for Dirk Kuyt, who doesn't miss. Unbelievable come back, and a lot of grit and heart by the Liverpool team as a whole.

Plenty of encouraging things. Obviously the fact that Liverpool came back from a two goal deficit and were able to do it with Torres and Gerrard not having the best of games is huge. But also, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio looked very good at outside back. Xabi Alonso was getting a lot of touches, even though his passes in the first half weren't all that great, he was still doing what he does best, running the game from deep in the midfield. And he had some halfway decent chances on net. Hopefully he'll start converting some of those as the season progresses. And of course, the fact that Torres is still a bit off-form and scored two goals despite that can only be a good thing.

The one unhappy point, as most fans already know, is the injury to Martin Skrtel. Non-contact, looked like a bad knee injury, and they were giving him oxygen on the field, so you know it had to be bad. The "good" thing about it, if there can be anything good out of an injury like that, is that Daniel Agger is the one to fill in the blank, and that's hardly a step down. His fitness is the only question mark, but I think he'll be fine. A bit rusty of course, but he's young and eager to get back in the game, and I think he'll respond well.

Of course it's a little early to be speculating about anything, but this is a superb start by Liverpool in the league, and if they can continue to do this, pull off inspirational wins, as well as killing off the easier games, they will definitely be in the mixer come Christmas and beyond. I don't want to jinx anything and predict about the possibility of a league title.

But I definitely have my fingers crossed.

Jottings

Really, really beat right now, because I got up uber-late two nights in a row to watch Champions League football. And I won't be getting much rest anytime soon either, because next week, I have three exams. Count them, three. One is just a lesson exam, which shouldn't be too bad if the last couple are any indication, but Wednesday and Thursday are the midterm exam, which I'm pretty sure will be intense. I really want to do well too, so I figure I need to start studying now in order to make sure I crack 90 overall.

I did do very well on my most recent exam, a 93.5 average, so that was awesome. I think my speaking has also kicked up a notch, after an initial downturn. My listening comprehension feels like it's still lagging a bit, but then that's always been the hardest part of languages for me, even in Spanish. I know it sounds weird, but I feel like I've always been able to catch on to speaking easier than listening.

There's another typhoon kicking around in the Pacific right now, and the current predictions have it moving across the Philippines, then hitting the mainland before swinging around and hitting us. Of course, no one has any idea what it's really going to do until it does it, but everyone's aware of it, probably because this last one was so destructive outside of Taipei. The weather here is definitely cooling off, and I don't think it's due solely to the typhoons. Before the last typhoon, it was really hot and humid, and now, today, it's cool and windy, on the verge of being chilly (by Taiwan standards, that is).

Football news: I watched Liverpool beat PSV 3-1 at Anfield last night/this morning. To be honest, there were a lot of things that worried me in the match, even though they won easily and could have easily had a couple more goals. There were a couple times that Liverpool seemed really disorganized at the back, with a lot of miscommunication or hesitation between the defense and the midfield. Steven Gerrard, up until his goal, wasn't actually having all that great of a game in my opinion. Some poor passes, some bad touches, and not really the presence that he was against Everton, although perhaps that's to be expected in a European game. I think the thing that frustrated me the most was the poor quality of Liverpool's first touch overall. I think one of Liverpool's biggest weaknesses is their first touch, and it was especially highlighted against a Dutch team, whose style is built around the idea of quick, one and two touch passing. Off the top of my head, I remember Keane and Torres both having some pretty abysmal first touches, and most of the others at one point or another as well.

On the upside, Xabi Alonso overall looked very good, although a few mistouches and poor passes as well. I liked that, even though he was getting a fair amount of pressure throughout the match, he was still able to play some good long passes in to the attacking third, and he even tried a shot from his own half which, considering it was raining, was a halfway decent opportunity. Jamie Carragher also played well, almost 100% passing and just very solid defensive play against forwards who were clearly quicker than all of the Reds defense. Alvaro Arbeloa also looked solid, Fabio Aurelio as well, and Martin Skrtel, minus one slip-up that nearly cost a goal, was a really good aerial presence and also looked very confident bringing the ball out of the back.

Next European match is Atletico Madrid. It will be a big night for Torres, facing his old team, not once, but twice, and once on the pitch where he used to wear the captain's armband. You could see he was getting frustrated last night because he kept losing his footing and not getting the shots he should have. I hope he'll have a better outing against Atleti.

And on Sunday, it's Liverpool v. Man City. Another big match in the Premier League. If the Reds play like they have been, they should walk away with three points.

Typhoon Jangmi

There's another typhoon on our doorstep here in Taipei, and this one really is going to hit Taipei almost head on. Called Jangmi, this storm was considered a super-typhoon earlier in the day, but it's now been downgraded to a Category 4 storm, around a Level 15-16, I think, according to the system used here in Taiwan. In any event, the news stations are all advising us to prepare supplies for the next few days, and though no one's really sure when the storm will hit or where, exactly, it looks like late tomorrow/early Monday is when the full brunt of the typhoon is expected to arrive. If that's the case, I think there's a very good chance we won't have class on Monday, which is kind of a gift for me since I'm supposed to have a speaking exam on Monday, and I don't feel very prepared for it yet. Of course, I'll be stuck inside all of tomorrow, so I'll have plenty of time to practice then, but it's one of those things I'll gladly put off a day, if given the opportunity.

Lauren and I were talking just recently about how typhoons, while still massively destructive and even deadly, don't seem to generate as much of a fuss as hurricanes do in the United States. It's almost like people here are more accepting of what nature is going to throw at them, and the country as a whole seems to take stuff like this a bit more in stride. I know it seems extremely stereotypical, but I have to wonder if it's something to do with the psyche of people here in Asia. History has taken this entire region on a massive rollercoaster ride over the centuries, and it's as if endurance is embedded into the innate consciousness of society. Sometimes I think people here are just tougher, more apt to just get on with their lives in the face of hardship, rather than protest, or complain, or try to change it.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just operating on Western stereotypes of the hard-working, silently-suffering good peasant people of Asia. Obviously I'm making a huge generalization. But I remember my Chinese politics professor back at Oxy, Professor Chi, explaining that, when the United States threatens twenty-year sanctions on the mainland for human rights abuses, the Chinese barely blink an eye, because to them, twenty years is a proverbial drop in the bucket, nothing compared to enduring centuries of dynasties rising and falling. Endurance, he explained, has an entirely different meaning to them than it does to those of us used to a new president every four years.

--

A quick endnote: I watched Liverpool play Everton tonight in the Merseyside derby, and I was really happy with what I saw. A Torres double even though he wasn't really in the game much, some amazing distribution from Steven Gerrard, and a really good partnership between him and Xabi Alonso. Plus some really good defense, Arbeloa and Skrtel both very solid. Arbeloa even showed a bit of temper for getting into it with one of the Everton players. If Liverpool could play like this week in and week out, they would have a real shot at the title. The problem is, they have yet to show that they can kill off games that they should win easily, like last weekend against Stoke. If they only win big games, like Everton and Man U, it won't matter in the end, except maybe for bragging rights.

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.

Typhoon Sinlaku

The typhoon has officially arrived. As I write this, the rain is pounding down on the roof of the balcony and it's so loud I can barely hear my music from my computer. The wind hasn't been too bad yet, but I'll hold off on saying we've escaped the worst of it until tomorrow afternoon.

Lauren arrived here just ahead of the major rain. It was pouring when she arrived, but it let up for awhile around 5 and we ducked out to the convenience store for some food and drinks. I think hers must have been one of the last flights to arrive in Taipei, because when I was watching the news just before she arrived, they were saying (I think) that all international flights had been canceled.

So far, no major mishaps, no power outages or anything. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Liverpool play Manchester United at Anfield in just over half an hour. Torres and Gerrard are supposedly fit. I don't know what to expect. As much as I'd love to see the Redmen come out and demolish United, I just don't think it's going to happen. I would be very happy a) to see Liverpool play some quality football and b) for Liverpool to escape with a tie.

Settling in

I'm getting into the swing of things now, I think. After floundering a bit the first couple days in class, today went really well, and afterwards, I went to dinner with Michael P (the other Michael moved out of our class) and Aki, a Japanese guy in our class who has been in Taiwan for over a year now. Tomorrow Michael and I are going to go over to Zhongxiao Xinsheng to see if we can find me a new cellphone, since the one Jessie gave me died on me rather suddenly last night. When I wrote her to tell her about it, she wrote back, "Hahaha, phone going crazy?" so I think she kind of figured this might happen.

Stormed like crazy today. The thunder and lightning were super intense, and they lasted for nearly an hour, much longer than any storms at home. It didn't rain that much, but even with the small rain, we were told to take umbrellas, because apparently the rain here is really acidic and not something you want soaking through your bare skin.

Took the bus back from Gongguan MRT station, which turned out to be a mistake. First of all, the 311 bus didn't arrive for at least half an hour. I think maybe it missed a cycle or something, because it's supposed to come every 15 minutes. But because it didn't arrive on time, there were a ton of people who got on the bus with me, and it was super crowded and uncomfortable on the bus. Plus it was rush hour so there was lots of stopping and going and jostling and bumping in to people and maybe it was just because I was tired and sweaty, but man, it was really uncomfortable in there.

Liverpool play Manchester United next weekend. Without Fernando Torres and without Steven Gerrard. Shit. If the Reds can escape with a tie, I will consider it a major victory, especially considering the way they've been playing as of late. I'm kind of sad that Steve Finnan left, but I guess that was kind of expected.

Grocery shopping

So I went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time, and I went to this supermarket near the apartment called Wellcome (yes, spelled incorrectly). Did you know that you can buy Skippy Peanut Butter here? And Campbell's soup? And Cocoa Puffs? It's kind of funny, actually, the supermarket is kind of laid out according to "Chinese" stuff, like herbs and seasonings, and then "Western" stuff, like all the brands we're used to, only with Chinese rendering of the Western brand names.

I'm staying up late tonight to watch Liverpool play Aston Villa. Should be a pretty heated atmosphere because of the whole Barry transfer mess. I didn't see the match against Standard Liege, but I heard it was pretty bad. Hopefully the redmen are up to the task tonight. And hopefully my satellite feed doesn't crap out on me like it kept doing for the Chelsea-Spurs match.

Classes start tomorrow. Somewhere between nervous and excited on that front. It'll be nice to at least get into a routine though.

The other shoe drops

Well, not really. I mean, I knew when I came over here that there would be extreme highs and extreme lows. That's just the nature of living in a language and culture that's not your own.

Things kind of started to go downhill yesterday when I went to the immigration office in Taipei City to apply for my alien residence card (ARC). I waited for about three hours, give or take, and when I finally got to see a clerk, she rather rudely told me that, since I live in Yonghe City, a suburb of Taipei, I had to go to another office in Banqiao (which is not exactly what you'd call close-by). So first I called Jessie to get her opinion, and she said to go to Banqiao and just ask people there for directions, but I wasn't all that keen on that, so I went to the information desk at the office there in Taipei City. No one there was particularly helpful either, and I got the distinct sense that the friendly people I had encountered in Taipei so far do *not* work in the immigration office.

So I decided to head home after that, and of course, there was an air raid drill scheduled for 2:30, the idea being that if China ever decides to shoot off the myriad missiles it has pointing at this little "renegade province," all the people here will be ready for it. Of course, the actual drill mainly consists of all the cars on the road pulling over, and all the pedestrians basically being stopped in their tracks for half an hour. If you're inside, or not on one of the main roads, you pretty much don't even know the thing is happening. So it's not exactly a big deal, but I didn't really want to be stuck sitting on a bus or standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun for half an hour, so I did a proverbial sprint across the city, from Xiaonanmen Station to Guting Station to the 214 bus stop near Guting to Yonghe City Hall to home. I think I made it back with about two minutes to spare, and I was unbelievably sweaty.

Last night, a mosquito somehow got into my room and chewed the living daylights out of me. I woke up around 1 AM in absolute misery and with welts the size of quarters all over that itched like crazy. I went out into the living room and sprayed this insecticide the landlord left me with a vengeance, then went back to sleep in a really bad mood. Surprisingly, when I woke up this morning, the welts were completely gone, and they didn't itch at all. Two sides of the coin, I guess.

Today, I had to get over to NTU for class assignments and orientation at 11:30. The good news, I tested into the second-highest level in the program, with two German, and four Japanese students. The bad news, they then proceeded to take us halfway across campus to a restaurant, where a bunch of current language division students introduced themselves and talked about their experiences before lunch was served. I was already anxious because I knew how long I had to wait at the Taipei City immigration office to talk to a clerk, and I figured Banqiao would be the same, so I didn't want to waste too much time with lunch/orientation, especially since the nearest MRT station was a good 15 minute walk away. I sat and talked for awhile with a girl from the Philippines, a girl from Germany, and a guy from Britain, and then I reluctantly departed their company (I really wanted to get to know them better) and did another sprint across the city to Banqiao.

Finding the immigration office in Banqiao was another rather unhappy experience, as I walked up and down Minzhu Road for quite awhile before finally asking a store clerk where the office was. She was kind of grumpy with me, but told me it was right across the street. So I get to the door, and it says 'Push,' so of course, I push. No, wrong 'push.' You have to push the button that says 'Push,' and me, silly foreigner that I am, didn't know that, so the guy behind me huffily pushes it for me.

Once I got inside, the wait for service was about ten times shorter than the wait in Taipei City, probably because there's less foreigners in Taipei County than in the actual city itself. I got my application processed with relative ease, and was back on my way in a fairly short amount of time. Of course, by this time I was starving, having skipped lunch to get to the immigration office in anticipation of a long wait, and so I grabbed a thing of cold noodles at the FamilyMart by Yonghe City Hall, then went home and nearly swallowed the tray of noodles in one gulp.

So, it hasn't been a particularly wonderful couple of days, but it's not all that bad either. I'm just really tired from all the running around and trying to figure stuff out and worrying about this and that. It was kind of nice, tonight, when I went to take the garbage out, this old woman who will take your garbage for you if you're in a hurry, and who greeted me the first day in Taiwan-hua, came over and started talking to me. Of course, I couldn't understand her, and so she sort of mimed what she was saying, then said a few things in heavily accented Mandarin. The only thing I really understood was that she said, "A lot of people don't really understand what I say." I was kind of touched that she made the effort to talk to me, knowing I probably wouldn't really get it or know how to respond.

To be honest, I'm kind of homesick at the moment, and it's amazing how suddenly it hit me. One minute, I was fine, the next, I was in that mindset of "9 months is forever." I think it's largely due to the fatigue and stress of the past week, and maybe, just maybe, it means I'm going through the culture shock stages a bit more quickly. I remember I didn't get really, really homesick until near the end of my tenure in China. So maybe this is my little bout with homesickness this time around, and maybe I'll adjust more quickly here. Who knows?

--

On a completely unrelated note, Liverpool drew Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in their CL group. What a match-up. Fernando Torres is going home. He's already said he hopes both Liverpool and Atleti go through to the last 16, and I hope so too. I can imagine it'll be emotional for him, but at the same time, I think it will be a chance for everyone, Atleti and Liverpool supporters alike, to see both what made Torres who he is, and what kind of player he can become. I hope for a Liverpool win, but I also hope for an amazing match with brilliant football.

Feeling so accomplished...

So I spent pretty much the whole day on the internet slogging through various maps of Taipei, Yonghe, and the bus routes that connect the two, trying to figure out the best way to get to NTU with the least amount of hassle. Finally, finally I came to a route that's incredibly simple and should work like a charm, and all I have to do tomorrow is get on the bus and make sure it actually does work. It involves some walking, but I'm up to that, and assuming this does work and I can get myself into Taipei City, from there I can pretty much get myself anywhere I need to with the MRT.

I also had my first full meal on my own. The first few days, when I didn't go somewhere with Jessie, I was pretty much surviving on a few dumplings and/or a bowl of noodles. Tonight, I bit the bullet and went in to a cafeteria-style place that Jessie took me to when we first came to Yonghe, and it's actually really easy because it's basically a buffet and you just tell the servers what you want. I was kind of guiltily going about the point-and-don't-talk routine, and then noticed that the Taiwanese woman next to me was doing the same thing, and so felt slightly less guilty.

Garbage collection happens each day here, at 1 PM and 7 PM for our neighborhood. So I went out at 7 tonight and was waiting around, and this old woman who was there last night, came over and said something to me in Taiwan-hua. I told her in Mandarin that I didn't understand, and I don't think she understood me. Then a younger woman, probably in her 40s, entered the conversation, and started talking to me in Mandarin. When I told her I was an American student, both she and the older woman smiled and said "你好" (Hello) as a kind of welcome. The younger woman then proceeded to talk to me in very good English, and told me she lived on the 3rd floor right above me. She was really friendly, and it was really nice to make that connection with the neighbors. Earlier, Jessie was joking that garbage collection is the social time for neighbors, but I can see how it's true--it's a designated time for everyone to come out and stand around and engage in an activity together.

The weather here is hot and humid, and I don't really mind it except at the end of the day, when I'm all sticky and sweaty and itchy. Like now. I don't really notice it during the day, but once I sit down and rest, I suddenly feel like I have ants all over my skin and it's very unpleasant. I'm trying not to shower more than once a day to save on the water bill (I'm such a cheapskate), but with this weather, I think I might have to give in and do two showers a day.

Tonight my big debate is whether to get up at 4 AM to watch Liverpool play the second leg of their CL qualifier against Standard Liege at Anfield. I don't know where I'll get the feed, but I'm sure it's out there. Unfortunately Star Sports isn't playing it, otherwise I could watch it on the TV here in the apartment. The first leg was a 0-0 tie, so this is a pretty big game (unfortunately). Though, to be honest, I think Rafa's probably putting the emphasis on the domestic league this season--Champions League is less important to the fan base, I think.

It's kind of crazy to think that a year ago, I would be sitting down to watch the match with Tom and Hailu and the other guys in the Cooler. It seems like yesterday, and yet it seems like forever and a day ago. It's just crazy, that I'm actually here, doing this, living in Taiwan.

Football epitomized

Fernando Torres scores the game winner against Sunderland (click on the picture to view it full size). I love photos like this (taken from the picture thread at RAWK), the ones that show the lead-up to a laser-like shot arrowing into the lower corner. Headers and chilenas (bicycle kicks) are spectacular in their own right, but if you say 'the beautiful game,' one of the first things that comes to my mind is a pure striker, like Torres, driving home that perfect shot--no backspin and all swerve.

Butterflies

Well, it's been awhile since I updated. Most of my time since my last post has been spent trying to find an apartment in Taipei which is no small task when you figure in the language barrier and the fact that there's a whole ocean separating me from whoever I'm trying to communicate with. At the moment, things are looking good and Lauren and I just might have a place to live right upon arrival, but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet, as plenty of things can happen between now and Thursday.

Played my last two futbol matches this weekend, scoring one goal and assisting a couple others. It's always sad to leave the chavas at the end of the summer, but this year is particularly hard because I'm not just going back to LA for school, I'm leaving the country for almost a full year, and unlike during my college years, I won't be back for Christmas. Of course with e-mail and the internet, the distance doesn't seem quite so far, but it's sad nonetheless, and I'll really miss football on the weekends, whether with the guys at Oxy or the chavas here.

Also watched Liverpool play at Sunderland this weekend in the opening of the EPL season, and I have to say I was not impressed, especially with the first half. A lot of undisciplined long ball play it seemed, and just a general lack of sharpness on the ball. I suppose some of that's just down to it being early in the season, but if Liverpool want to put in a title challenge this season, they have to hit the ground running. I'm also getting concerned about the Torres-Keane partnership (or lack thereof). They actually got in each other's way in front of the net on Saturday, scratching what would have been almost a sure goal for Torres. If that partnership doesn't materialize soon, Liverpool are done for, and I think Rafa will be gone.

The bright spot of the whole match was Xabi Alonso's Man-of-the-Match performance. Rafa brought him on at halftime to replace Plessis, and Alonso just took control of the match, spraying quality balls around the pitch and even trying a shot from inside his own half that had Craig Gordon scrambling. He set up Torres' winning goal, and really showed his quality and his stature as an integral part of the Liverpool line-up. Some people don't think the Gerrard-Alonso partnership can work, but it seemed to work well on Saturday. I hate to think that Alonso may get benched once Mascherano and Lucas come back from the Olympics, and I'm torn between thinking that he might be better off at a place like Juve or Arsenal where he'll get more playing time, and wanting him to stay at Liverpool with the prospect of only being a squad player.