Compelling Soccer

I planned to Live Blog this one, but work made a surprise appearance and got in the way. Despite the poor result, I would have much rather parlayed my streams of consciousness than deal with work today.

That said, I was able to watch the whole game and pay attention to most of it. Overall, Chelsea was the better side, but Liverpool wasn't awful. Unfortunately, their big guys were unable to cash in on opportunities. Fernando Torres wasn't in top form; he had chances but couldn't drive any power on his shots or headers. Steven Gerrard had few opportunities. That was partially Chelsea's strong midfield but also his positioning. It looked to me like Gerrard was in Dirk Kuyt's normal position as the second forward picking up for Torres. Kuyt was on the wing.

This brings up my big criticism of the game. I haven't really said anything about Rafa in these write ups so far. My general knowledge on soccer is passable, but Benitez has had way to much success for me to nitpick his every move. But today, he opened himself to second guessing. For starters, his "changes" promised seemed reactionary. Yossi Benayoun has been one of the stronger players for Liverpool this year. To bench him in favor of Alberto Riera or Lucas, neither of whom have impressed thus far, was a poor decision. Then the odd choice to switch Kuyt and Gerrard. Kuyt is less affective as a wide player and was a non factor for much of this. Gerrard is a free ranger in the mid field anyway. It seemed like change for change sake.

Anyway, here are the Match Ratings:

Pepe Reina, 6: Nothing he could do on either of the goals. He made a couple of good saves in the first half. There isn't much to say here either.

Glen Johnson, 8: I was really impressed by his effort. He gave Chelsea problems on defense and was one of the better creators on offense. His one major mistake was a great opportunity from straight on just outside of the box. Johnson sent it high. But overall, he was the most impressive player on the Liverpool backline.

Martin Skrtel, 5: The Liverpool center backs are a problem right now. He couldn't stop Drogba from making the cross to Anelka that resulted in the first goal, though it's debatable how much he could do against it in that spot.

Jamie Carragher 4: Ugh. I'm not sure what to say about Carragher anymore. He didn't play badly for most of the game. However he was burned badly on both the goals. He lacked the pace to keep up with Nicholas Anelka on the first goal and then got abused and twisted into a corkscrew by Didier Drogba before the latter served up the pass to Florent Malouda, who put it away. In both cases, other players failed to cover up Carragher's mistake, but it seems like whenever someone scores, Carragher is getting beat. He's the central defender, I know, but geez.

Emiliano Insua, 6: Ranged up into the offense much like Johnson but was less effective doing it. He wasn't a liability on defense though and that deserves some recognition.

Lucas, 4: Non factor. I mean I have no recollection of him doing anything. That's awful. It was like he wasn't even there. It could have been worse; I could have had memories of him sucking terribly. That's reserved for someone else.

Javier Mascherano, 8: His turnover resulted in the first goal for Chelsea, but was the best player in Liverpool's midfield for the rest of it. He was strong in defense and moved the ball well on offense. He got the better of Michael Essien.

Dirk Kuyt, 5: Just wasn't impressed with him. He was playing on the wing for at least the start and just didn't excel in the position. He works much better as Torres' sidekick than as a wing creator. Glen Johnson was more threatening on the wing. When he did track back into the center of the field he found himself dispossessed and fouling.

Steven Gerrard, 6: He hustled back on defense which gives him a slight boost in rating. On offense he had one golden chance, which Terry managed to block. He also unleashed a rock volley that was saved late. Honestly, even had it gone in, by then it was too late. Bottom line, your rating takes a hit when you are a major part of the offense that gets shut out.

Fernando Torres, 5: Just a poor game for Torres. He was frustrated by the Chelsea back line. He tried to get himself into position in spite of the efforts by the likes of John Terry. And he did, which deserves props. But he couldn't finish and that unfortunately warrants ire. A top form Torres buries at least one of those opportunities, but perhaps playing so many games in the past month have him somewhat fatigued. No excuses though; he was one of the reasons the Reds couldn't get a result today.

Subs:

Yossi Benayoun, 9: The best player for Liverpool when he came on. The only blemish was a golden shot that he missed wide in stoppage time. However it was 2-0 and that goal would have done little but make the scoreline look at little better. If nothing else, he should have reminded Rafa why he's so important to Liverpool's offensive attack and should be a starter for any important game.

Ryan Babel, 4: As big a non factor as Lucas, the man he replaced. He seemed far less active in this one, but that's likely the result of Chelsea's defense. There were a few times where it looked like he was in good position to receive the ball but didn't get it. If he was trying to get more playing time, performances like this won't cut it.

Fabio Aurelio, 3: He played for 10 minutes and his only noteworthy thing was not helping Carragher fast enough on the goal that put it away. It's probably unfair to rate him based on that, but TS, I'm doing it anyway.

The Steven Gerrard Stand Up and Be Counted Award:

Yossi Benayoun. If he has started Liverpool might have gotten a better result. He was threatening on the wing and created opportunities. Hopefully Rafa learned his lesson.

The Brian Ching Stand Up and Do Nothing Award:

Alberto Riera: Actually, Lucas did nothing. I wish Riera did nothing; he was a negative. He was poor in midfield again, couldn't pick out Torres well and just was a waste on the left side. I've seen one game where Riera looked competent out there in midfield. He should be on the bench until further notice. Seriously.

Entertainment Rating: 7, Interesting Affair: It was scoreless at half, but there were chances and some nice pass work on display. Credit Deco, who was a great play maker in the first half. The teams were even or separated by a goal for almost the entire game. A good affair; not the near the barnburner that Man U v. Sunderland was, but still a good affair to watch.