So what did we learn about Liverpool FC this season?

In the wake of last week's defeat in the Champions League semi-final, Liverpool-Kop writer Tim Ellis examines where Liverpool have gone wrong this season and considers what needs to be improved for next season.

1. Steven Gerrard consistently goes missing against the big teams.

2. Resting players does NOT accomplish anything, and I can’t think of any greater argument against squad rotation than this season. Out of the League Cup and FA Cup; failing to challenge for the Premier League; knocked out the Champions League in EXTRA TIME, by a team challenging for the Premier League and consistently playing its strongest squad.

In the CL semi, which team looked tired and jaded in extra time - Liverpool or Chelsea? Which team looked like it had been rested for the two weeks preceding the game? Which team looked the more match sharp? Which team has consistently played its best players all through the season?

I’m not saying that we should have played our strongest teams in the recent League games where the result didn’t matter, but I submit that the notion of “saving” players for the end of the season so that they’re match-sharp has proven to be a load of rubbish.

There is no point having fresh and rested players if you have nothing left for which to challenge! And the match against Chelsea proves that our players were no fresher or rested than their unrotated opposition.

3. John Arne Riise has the mental strength of a baby deer. After his calamitous and avoidable own-goal in the first leg, the Chelsea fans cheered and jeered Riise’s name.

If I was Riise, this would inspire me to have the best game of my life and shove the mickey-taking down the throats of the Chelsea fans. Instead, Riise was completely ineffective for most of the night; and when his big chance came to throw himself in front of Didier Drogba’s shot, he trotted lamely over and just about mustered enough interest to attempt a sliding tackle.

Riise has had some great moments for Liverpool, but if he leaves this summer I won’t shed any tears. Compare our left back(s) to those of the big three, and you can see why he needs to go.

4.When taking a direct free kick at goal with a ten yard run-up, DON’T SWITCH THE BALL! This is one of Liverpool’s perennial mistakes. Do our players realise that in the time it takes to run to the switched ball, the defending players can do the same?! If you want to have a shot at goal from a direct free kick, just have a shot! How many free kicks do we waste in this manner?

5. Why do Liverpool play wingers without a target man? For that matter, when we do play a target man we invariably don’t play with proper wingers!

6. When chasing a goal, having two sitting midfielders who offer nothing going forward is a mistake. Xabi Alonso could be more effective if his strengths were played to.

Javier Mascherano is very good at tackling and breaking up play – he offers absolutely nothing creatively or offensively. To still have him on the pitch in the last minute of extra time with Crouch on the bench was ridiculous.

7. Liverpool yet again reaching the semi finals of the Champions League is a great achievement. Clearly this squad saves it best for Europe. What we are yet to understand is why they can’t raise reproduce their European form in the Premier League.

8. Rafa has had four years to assemble a squad capable of challenging for the League. We have over 60 players on our books. SIXTY! And how many of them are anywhere near good enough to play in our first team? An even more worrying thought is how many of our first team would even make the squads of our rivals?!

Compare the money spent to that of Arsene Wenger. Granted, Chelsea and United have spent more than us, but look at their players. Only Fernando Torres can be deemed a resounding success. The rest of Rafa’s big money signings are defensive midfielders or flairless uncreative non-scoring “attackers”, like Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant.

9. Liverpool need even more money to be spent in the summer in order to challenge for the League. However, that’s only because so much of it has already been wasted.

It’s true that Rafa has made a lot of money back, but what realistically do we have to show for it? No Liverpool fan can claim that Rafa has not been backed in the transfer market! David Moores even coughed up £10million of his own money so Rafa could buy...Dirk Kuyt.

Again, look at the flair players of our rivals (especially Arsenal) – you don’t necessarily have to spend fortunes. Even the best player in the world (who we had a chance to sign), Christiano Ronaldo, cost just over £12m - the same as Ryan Babel and far less than Mascherano.

10. Liverpool need creative technically proficient flair players. Lack of skill, guile, and pace permeates our squad like a disease. Fernando Torres is the only consistently world class player we have in this regard.

11. When did it become acceptable for Liverpool to play boring unattractive football? The following teams pride themselves on playing good football, whatever the price: Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal, Manchester United – to name just a few.

Yet ever since the days of Houllier, Liverpool fans have become accustomed to seeing defensive negative “compact” reserved football. Can you imagine Arsenal or Manchester United tolerating the style of play that Liverpool consistently produce?

Remember, Liverpool is the club that put the word “total” into “total football” – for the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, we played brilliant beautiful football. When did we start to accept the dross we regularly see now?

In the end, the technical ALWAYS triumphs over the tactical. ALWAYS. Because football is a beautiful game of skill – it is NOT a chess match.

Unfortunately, we will not learn these lessons and I predict next season will be very much like this one.

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Tactical naivete, inexplicable decisions and irrational stubbornness - how Rafa's mistakes cost Liverpool against Chelsea

Lady luck has lavished Liverpool with good fortune throughout this season’s Champions League, but it wasn’t bad luck that struck in the semi-final second leg against Chelsea – it was a series of catastrophic mistakes by Rafael Benitez that ultimately condemned the club to defeat.

Dodgy refereeing decisions have eased Liverpool’s path through the knock out stages of this season’s competition, with the club benefiting from crucial decisions against both Inter Milan and Arsenal.

As such, Chelsea presented the first real test of Liverpool’s European credentials; the players had a chance to prove they could progress without a helping hand from the referee, but sadly, over the two legs, it just didn't happen.

Rafa is often lauded as ‘the most tactically astute manager in Europe’ for his track record of outwitting top clubs in Europe, but last night’s defeat to Chelsea has, in my view, tarnished his reputation as Europe's premiere footballing tactician.

Let’s just take a look at some the decisions Rafa made that directly contributed to Liverpool’s downfall.

Baiting Didier Drogba

In the build up to the game, Rafa decided that he would have a go at Didier Drogba, and basically called the Chelsea striker a cheat in public. Drogba in turn issued a public retort rebuking Benitez for his comments – something he was well within his rights to do in my view.

Many Liverpool fans predictably slated Drogba for stating he’d ‘lost respect for Benitez’, but why should just stand there do nothing whilst he’s publicly ridiculed? Indeed, Rafa never wastes any time threatening people with court action whenever things are said that he deems to be offensive.

Rafa’s attack was totally unprovoked and completely unnecessary. Irrespective of whether he was right, his comments lacked class – a quality Liverpool fans have come to expect of the Spaniard.

It transpired that Rafa’s lame and counter productive attempt at pre-match psychological warfare failed dismally. Drogba was clearly fired-up by the personal affront and put in an excellent performance, which was capped off with two killer goals that basically dumped Liverpool out of the tournament.

Failed Formation

When is Rafa going to learn? The 4-3-3-1 formation DOES NOT WORK AGAINST TOP DEFENCES! The Gerrard/Torres partnership only works against inferior opposition, and this has been proven time and time again this season.

Examples: Inter Milan home and Away; Man U at Old Trafford; both Arsenal games at the Emirates; Both Chelsea games at Stamford Bridge this season. The list goes on.

I argued before the game that Liverpool needed to play 4-4-2 with Peter Crouch up front if they were to have any chance of winning. As per usual, Rafa’s irrational stubbornness led to yet another unacceptable snub for Crouch and persistence with a failing system.

Partly as a result of the formation, Steven Gerrard’s legendary positional indiscipline reared its ugly head again during the game, as he repeatedly deserted his post to go roaming for the ball in midfield, leaving Torres isolated up front.

Not that it mattered, considering Claude Makalele had Gerrard under his thumb for pretty much the entire game.

The system has to take some of the blame for Gerrard’s failure to register an impact in bother Chelsea games, but the fact the always seems to go missing against England’s top clubs should also be considered.

It took almost 4 years for Rafa to finally admit that his rotation policy wasn't working; Is it going to take another 4 years of playing the failing 4-2-3-1 formation before he finally admits it doesn't work?! Let's hope not!

Failure to play Peter Crouch

Given the FACT that the 4-2-3-1 formation has repeatedly failed against top opposition this season, Rafa’s refusal to play Peter Crouch is nothing short of dereliction of duty in my view.

Chelsea hate playing against Crouch! John Terry has admitted this, and whenever because whenever Crouch plays he causes Chelsea problems. Rafa should have capitalized on this, but instead he delivered an ignominious snub to a player who has score or created 41 goals in his last 46 starts.

I repeat:

41 goals scored/created from the last 46 starts.

What is wrong with this picture?! Why did Rafa ignore Crouch once again, especially when Liverpool needed goals? There is no logical or acceptable reason.

Coming into the Chelsea game, Crouch had scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in his previous 4 starts. He was on fire and confident, yet once again, Rafa failed to utilize this.

In the quarter final second leg against Arsenal, Rafa played 4-4-2 and paired Crouch with Torres. Liverpool won 4-2, albeit with assistance from the referee.

The point is, the formation worked during the game; Crouch caused problems and even provided his customary assist. The Crouch/Torres partnership WORKED, but this was not good enough for Rafa, who for some maddening and inexplicable reason, does not rate Crouch.

As I said above, this is management negligence of the highest order, but when it comes to Crouch, this kind of behaviour should be expected from Rafa.

And it is not the first time Rafa has scandalously ignored Crouch in a massively important game. Liverpool were crying out for Crouch in the CL final against Milan last year, and Rafa ignored him until the last few minutes.

It could fairly and reasonably be argued that Rafa's problems with Crouch are not related to football, because on a purely footballing level, Crouch ticks all the right boxes.

Perhaps it's personal? Who knows. What is clear however is Rafa's treatment and management of Crouch this season has been a disgrace.

Taking off Fernando Torres

The official explanation is that Torres had some ‘trouble’ with his hamstring. Well, believe that and you’ll believe anything. As a matter of indisputable FACT, Torres did not signal to the bench at any time to inform them that he had a problem.

So how did Benitez know that Torres had an alleged hamstring problem? Telepathy?! One look at Torres’ seething expression as he left the pitch is enough to confirm the truth: Rafa’s decision was tactical. For what tactical end I have no idea, but I firmly disbelieve that Torres was injured.

Even if he *did* have a slight problem, why take him off? Torres proved during the game with his excellent goal that he only needs the slightest chance to deliver the goods. Taking off a Striker who has scored 31 goals in the most important match of the season when the team *needs goals* was a suicidal decision.

I would almost go as far as to say that in the history of catastrophic Champions League decisions, it ranks up there with Gerard Houllier replacing Dietmar Hamann with Vladimir Smicer in the 2002 CL quarter final against Bayer Leverkusen – a decision that cost Liverpool a semi-final berth against...Manchester United.

Taking off Yossi Benayoun

With Gerrard neutered by Makalele and no other player providing any kind of creative threat, the removal of Yossi Benayoun was a major mistake. The Israeli provided a sublime assist for Torres and could have done the same thing again as the game wore on.

Many Liverpool fans have criticized Benayoun’s performance, but I can’t see why. Actually, I can – the fans don’t want to blame golden boy Gerrard for his latest no-show, so someone has to take the blame, and Benayoun (along with Xabi Alonso) is the chosen one.

Benayoun played much better than Gerrard, provided the assist and rarely gave the ball away. Furthermore, he is one of Liverpool’s more technically proficient players; and in the pouring rain, he was surely a much better option that ‘non-deadly’ Dirk Kuyt, who offered absolutely NOTHING for the entire game.

Wingers and no Strikers?

So Rafa took off Torres and Benayoun and brought on Ryan Babel and Jermaine Pennant, who are both (ostensibly) wingers.

WHY PLAY TWO WINGERS WITH NO STRIKERS ON THE PITCH?!

It is beyond ridiculous. Playing Babel and Pennant with no Torres or Crouch defeats the object of having wingers in the first place! To whom was Pennant supposed to cross?! Who was the target man - Dirk Kuyt?! A player who has singularly failed to offer any goalscoring threat for the majority of the season?

This is why Peter Crouch needed to be on the pitch. At least then, the likes of Pennant and Babel have someone to aim for. And after The Pennant/Crouch super-show against Birmingham - which prompted Crouch to publicly sing Pennant’s praises - the partnership was definitely worth a shot for the final phase of the game.

Failure to buy first team wingers

Expanding the point about wingers – Rafa has been at Liverpool for 4 years now and the club still has no first choice wingers, i.e. specialists, not square pegs in round holes. Liverpool lined up with Kuyt on the right and Benayoun on the left, neither of whom were playing in their natural positions.

If Rafa had actually addressed this issue at any point over the last 4 years then the Liverpool team that lined up against Chelsea would have been far more balanced, and would not have been relying on a failed striker to provide a creative threat.

We also had the usual Gerrard no-show and lack of real leadership when it mattered, but I’ve explored those issues at length recently, so I won’t do the same here.

All of this was compounded by the pre-match arrogance of Liverpool’s players, something that has become worryingly epidemic this season.

I am so sick of the boasting and inflated self-importance of Liverpool players. I want a return to the quiet dignity and modesty of the past, but I just can’t see that happening.

There are other things that contributed to the defeat, but Rafa’s mistakes are the main reason Liverpool are out of the Champions League.

If only Rafa had kept his mouth shut before the game, made sure his players did the same and played 4-4-2 with Crouch and Torres up front, then I am sure that today, we would all be looking forward to a once in a lifetime game against Manchester United.

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Nice one, Rafa! Your stupid Drogba mind games have backfired

Half time: Rafa's pointless comments about Didier Drogba's diving have come back to haunt Liverpool, with the Chelsea striker scoring the goal that may knock Liverpool out of the Champions League.

Drogba is obviously fired up by Rafa's comments, as emphasised by the fact he sprinted over to the Liverpool dugout and took great delight in celebrating right in in front of Benitez.

Overall, Chelsea look like they're really up for it, and they've no doubt been motivated by Liverpool's cocky arrogance leading up to the game.

And quelle surprise, Steven Gerrard has been anonymous against Chelsea again, but that's no suprise, is it?

And Rafa has gone with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has never yields results against top defences.

Ridiculous decision all round, Rafa.

having said all that, if Crouch comes on, Liverpool still have a chance. The big man's hold up play alone will be worth his introduction, as so far, Liverpool's hold up play in the final third has been sub-par.

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Peter Crouch must start against Chelsea tonight if Liverpool want to win the game

Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 formation must be dropped if Liverpool are to achieve the impossible and beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It has been proven time and time again this season that Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 formation - with Steven Gerrard playing behind Fernando Torres - does not work against good defences.

Against the likes of Bolton, Newcastle, Wigan and other poor defences, it works like a charm, but against the world’s top defenders, Gerrard and Torres are regularly squeezed out of the game.

Liverpool need to throw a curve ball and play Gerrard on the right and have Crouch partner Torres. In the last round, Liverpool switched to 4-4-2 and ended up beating Arsenal 4-2.

The same thing can happen again against Chelsea. And whenever Crouch has played against Chelsea, he has made an impact.

Gerrard by his own admission had one of his worst games for Liverpool in the 4-2 victory against Arsenal.

The team does not need to rely solely on him to beat Chelsea, and for the sake of the balance of the team, Gerrard should play on the right tonight.

I would choose the following team:

------------------------------ Reina

Finnan -------------- Carra --------- Skrtl---------- Riise

--------------------------- Mascherano

Gerrard -------------------- Alonso ----------------- Babel

--------------------- Crouch ------ Torres

Crouch has been superb for Liverpool this season, and as I’ve been arguing endlessly all year, if you start Crouch, he will invariably score or create a goal.

Just look at his stats - 41 goals scored/created in the last 46 games! In his last 4starts alone, he’s scored 3 goals and created 1 goal!

Rafa made the right decision to start Crouch against Arsenal, and tonight he needs to make the same decision again.

Playing 4-2-3-1 tonight will be madness, and if Liverpool line up that way, the game will be lost.

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Cometh the hour, cometh the predictable cocky overconfidence

The most important game of the season is upon us, and as per usual with this Liverpool team, the days leading up to an important game have been saturated with the usual pre-match routine of endless public pronouncements proclaiming the team’s apparent superiority.

Self-important overconfidence is not the Liverpool way, and never has been, but of course, none of that matters in the egocentric world of modern football.

It is disappointing to see the current Liverpool team increasingly adopting a "we’re the best so bow down at our altar" attitude, but it's been this way all season, and whilst the build up to today's game is not as bad as some examples earlier in the season, it's a growing trend that I feel needs to stop.

Why can’t Liverpool players and management just keep their heads down and let their football do the talking on the pitch? Why must *every* important game be preceded by tiresome boasting in the press about how Liverpool are the best and are certain to win?

Let’s start with Rafa – surely a humble, low key approach from him? No. After the CL semi at Anfield game, he said:

“It was clear that we had the better chances, had more control and played better than them. You can see we were clearly better than them”.

That may be the case, but why say this in public? Added to this we have Rafa’s blatant antagonism of Chelsea, with his remarks about Drogba diving and obvious Alex Ferguson-like attempts to try and influence the referee.

This is the kind of behaviour I expect from Chelsea (!), not Liverpool; from Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson, not Rafa Benitez. Clearly, it's a case of if you can't beat them, join them - a policy, incidentally, that Steven Gerrard has adopted when it comes to Didier Drogba and diving.

On the subject of Gerrard, he clearly agreed with Rafa's view about the first leg: "We were on top for most of the time [in the first leg] and Chelsea scored their equaliser without really producing anything. We know their weaknesses. We know how to beat them”.

Liverpool know how to beat Chelsea? Well, if that’s true, and as Gerrard says, Liverpool know Chelsea’s weaknesses, how come the club hardly ever beats Chelsea?! It’s a conundrum.

Gerrard went on to slam Stamford Bridge: "Stamford Bridge is a big stadium, but it's got nothing of the aura that Anfield has".

Alvaro Arbeloa chimed in with his belief that Liverpool have a ‘psychological edge’, and like Benitez, he was emphatic about the outcome of the game:

“We have confidence. We beat Inter Milan, we beat Arsenal and we will now beat Chelsea”.

Jamie Carragher and Gerrard have also piled the pressure onto the shoulders of Fernando Torres, suggesting that the reason for Liverpool’s long running failure to score at Stamford Bridge is the club's lack of a player like Torres. Gerrard said:

“We may not have scored or won at Chelsea in four years, but we haven't been there with Fernando in the team before”. Carragher added:

“A lot of people are talking about the fact that we haven't scored at Stamford Bridge for a few years but, as Stevie (Gerrard) said after the first leg, we've never been there with Fernando Torres. He has been the stand out striker in world football this season and he is capable of scoring against anyone at any time."

So what happens if Liverpool lose and Torres doesn't score? One of the reasons Torres left Atletico Madrid was the fact the everybody put pressure on him to make sure the team was successful. Is this pressure from Gerrard and Carragher any different?

It’s probably just me, but I do not see the point of any of the above comments or strategies. Indeed, this kind of posturing is unnecessary and counter-productive.

For example, Didier Drogba has publicly defended himself against Benitez’s diving claims, which means he will probably be even more fired up to score in the game tonight.

And Chelsea’s players will be even more motivated to win after all the comments from Liverpool players about being the best. Chelsea already have the advantage, and given Liverpool’s atrocious record at Stamford Bridge, was there any need to rile Chelsea up even more?!

Contrast Liverpool’s comments with those of Chelsea and there is a big difference. There has been no goading or boasting from Chelsea players or Avram Grant, just typical, nondescript comments that do not attract attention or allow tabloid hacks to create hyperbolic headlines.

Once again, it appears that I am living in the past, clinging onto the Liverpool tradition of humility and respect for opponents. At the height of the club’s powers in the 79s and 80s, there was none of this self-congratulatory garbage.

Players were respectful towards other clubs and did not boast about being the best before anything had actually been won.

And even when trophies were won, the club remained humble in victory. This is no longer the case, and the conduct of the club this season has consistently proved that to be true.

The ultimate irony comes from perennial press-whore Dirk Kuyt, with his contention that it is Chelsea who are afflicted by misplaced overconfidence:

“When the final whistle blew I think some of them were thinking they had already reached the final".

Yes, Dirk. And I suppose if Liverpool had scored an away goal in the 95th minute of Champions League Semi-Final you would have been completely calm...

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Rafa slams Drogba for diving but Steven Gerrard is just as bad. And here is the proof.

Rafael Benitez has slated Didier Drogba’s diving antics ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Chelsea, but perhaps Rafa should have taken a closer look at the behaviour of his own players before launching his hypocritical tirade.

On the subject of Drogba’s predilection for diving, Rafa said:

“With Drogba, it's important to have a good referee.You can't do anything, but I will say it because it was so clear. He is amazing because he is massive.

“It's very impressive. I have a lot of clips of him from over the years and he surprises me. After four years, I expected it. We've played against Chelsea 19 games and every time I have collected some clips of Drogba”

Whilst Rafa is undoubtedly correct about Drogba's tiresome histrionics, Liverpool have a player who is just as bad when it comes to diving, and that player is club captain Steven Gerrard.

I will inevitably be slated and ridiculed for once again casting Gerrard in a negative light, but it sickens me that Liverpool’s captain is such a blatant diver.

What makes it worse is he has the gall to actually publicly criticize other players for diving, whilst doing exactly the same thing himself!

This season alone has been filled with examples of Gerrard diving. Against Everton at Goodison Park earlier in the season, Gerrard dived in the box after minimal contact with Tony Hibbert and Liverpool got a penalty.

What makes this incident worse is that Gerrard moaned at the referee and ended up getting Hibbert sent off. As the video clip below illustrates, Mark Clattenburg had the yellow card ready; then Gerrard walks past him, says something, and Clattenburg pulls out the red instead. Take a look:



Liverpool's recent victory against Blackburn at Anfield was marred by more examples of Gerrard's diving. On three occasions, Gerrard threw himself to the floor looking for a penalty. I’ve only managed to find clips for two of them, but they’re both laughable attempts at simulation.

This first one is embarrassing – Brad Friedel pulls himself out of the way, and Gerrard deliberately pushes his leg into the Blackburn keeper to create the contact, then goes down like a sack of potoatoes:




This second clip shows Gerrard trying to con the referee by diving after an innocuous challenge from Christopher Samba:





Gerrard doesn’t just dive for Liverpool, he dives for England too. Below is a clip of his blatant dive against Andorra, and you’ll notice the Andorran keeper has a go at him afterwards:





Below is a short compilation of Gerrard dives, including the most infamous dive of all, which came against AC Milan in 2005's Champions league final. How anyone can argue that it is *not* a dive is beyond me. Where exactly is the contact?!





Gerrard is a hypocritical diver, pure and simple. The question is, why do so many fans accept it and even praise him for it? Liverpool fans never pass up the opportunity to ridicule the likes of Ronaldo and Drogba for diving, yet when it comes to Gerrard and Torres, they’re conveniently overcome by selective blindness.

Take the Milan dive for example: If Gerrard had not dived, it's conceivable that Liverpool may not have gone on to win the game. Because Liverpool *did* win the game, fans think it's acceptable to overlook the dive and everything is forgotten.

I don't see it that way. As fantastic as the Milan game was, it was a phyrric victory in many ways. I can never take pleasure from blatant cheating, and that's what Gerrard did when he dived.

Of course, my attitude means I can't be a real fan. If I was a real fan, how could I highlight these things about a Liverpool captain? Well, for me, being a real fan is about acknowledging the truth and not allowing bias to cloud judgement.

And if you want an example of what 'real' fans think about Gerrard's diving, take a look at this video clip, where fans on the Kop actually encourage Gerrard to dive. At one point, you can clearly here someone say 'You should have dived there Stevie and won a penalty':





The fact is, many fans and pundits do not have the balls to tell it like it is, lest they be castigated by Liverpool's rabid 'superfans' for not being 'real supporters'. Winning is clearly more important than playing the game with honesty and integrity.

A prime example of this kind of spinelessness is Jamie Redknapp’s defence of Gerrard after the Blackburn game. Instead of being objective and telling the truth, he displayed breathtaking bias in his lame attempt to justify his mate Stevie’s actions:





There's nothing noble about defending a player when they've done something obviously wrong. Refusing to be objective because of bias and personal preference is just weak, and does not make someone a better fan.

Anyone who dives in football is cheat. End of story. There is never any excuse for it, and the diving epidemic is just indicative of the corrupt, self-serving nature of the modern game.

I don't care what Drogba and Ronaldo do - I don't want to see Liverpool players diving, and I definitely do want to see the captain of the club cheating to gain an advantage.

So Rafa - before having a go at other players for diving, why don't you make sure your own players are conducting themselves in a way the befits the history and traditions of Liverpool FC?

Gerrard may not writhe around on the floor like he's been shot a la Drogba, but his diving is still an embarrassment to the club.

And it needs to STOP.

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Video: Phil Thompson's priceless reaction to John Arne Riise's own goal against Chelsea

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson was not impressed by John Arne Riise's own goal against Chelsea last night, as the following video clip shows!

Thommo's reaction

It was obviously a nightmare goal for Liverpool to concede, but from an objective standpoint, it was one hell of a finish! I mean, he gave the keeper no chance ;-)

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Steven Gerrard goes missing against Chelsea once again...

After the recent victory against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter final at Anfield, Steven Gerrard labeled his performance as one of the worst he’d ever put produced in a Liverpool shirt. Two weeks later, Gerrard should hold his hands up again and admit that his non-performance against Chelsea last night was arguably even worse.

What is it about Gerrard and England’s top teams? Whether it is Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United, he never seems to perform. When was the last time Gerrard actually inspired Liverpool against any of the aforementioned teams? A cursory examination of Liverpool’s dire record against the top three during Raga’s reign reveals the disappointing answer.

Against Chelsea, Liverpool’s supposed ‘Captain Fantastic’ was typically anonymous and operated on the periphery of the action – misplacing passes, running around like a headless chicken and generally avoiding responsibility.

His only contribution to the game was a great volley near the end of the game, which was saved by Petr Cech. Liverpool fans may be satisfied with one positive contribution in 95 minutes of football, but I feel someone who is supposedly ‘world class' should be offering more in such an important game.

So why did Gerrard play so badly? The main reason has to be 4-2-3-1 formation – it works against rubbish defences, and Gerrard has prospered in the hole against inferior defences this season.

However, whenever Liverpool have played that formation against a top class defence, it has come up short. Examples of this include the two recent games at the Emirates against Arsenal, the defeat to Man United at Old Trafford and both games against Inter Milan.

It’s not only Gerrard who suffers against top defences in that formation – Fernando Torres also struggles to make an impact, which was definitely the case last night.

The fact is, against good defences, 4-3-2-1 does not work. Gerrard does not have the footballing intelligence required of a world class link man, and he often seems unsure of his position.

Furthermore, in a 4-3-2-1, Gerrard is crowded out by defenders and defensive midfielders, and does not have the guile and genuine craft to prosper in such a crowded environment.

Liverpool should have played 4-4-2 at Anfield last night, with Crouch and Torres up front and Gerrard on the right. Against Chelsea, this is what is best for the TEAM.

And Rafa should have seen that the Gerrard/Torres partnership has been ineffective against top opposition this year and made the relevant tactical changes.

What makes it even more galling is the fact that Chelsea were there for the taking! I can’t remember seeing a worse Chelsea performance against Liverpool in the last 4-5years.

Nothing was coming off for them and their big players looked jaded. Liverpool needed to capitalize, and the likes of Gerrard needed to turn up and do the business.

That Liverpool played well at times is a testament to excellent performances of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, the opportunism of Dirk Kuyt and the defensive solidity of Sktl and Carra.

They all did their jobs on the night, but Gerrard was a no-show.

Every player is entitled to a bad game now and then, and Gerrard has been superb for Liverpool at times this season, but when is he going to start doing the business against England’s top teams? When is he going to stop hiding and step up and put in a performance worthy of his inflated reputation?

It’s all well and good doing the business against the poorer teams, but I would trade in his goals and assists against Cardiff, Bolton, Luton and Sunderland for a bigger contribution against Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea.

Gerrard has a chance to redeem himself against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next week, and he will have to be at his best if Liverpool are to progress.

Another non-performance will surely not be acceptable...?

Having said that, I'm sure there are many fans who gave Gerrard man of the match against Arsenal and again last night. As they say, love is blind.

My team to beat Chelsea would be:

------------------------------ Reina

Finnan -------------- Carra --------- Hyypia ---------- Aurelio

--------------------------- Mascherano

Gerrard -------------------- Alonso ----------------- Babel

--------------------- Crouch ------ Torres

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Neil Warnock can keep his sacrificial mentality - Liverpool were right to be selfish against Fulham

New Liverpool-Kop writer Tim Ellis examines Neil Warnock’s recent outburst against the club, describing the perrenial whinger's comments as ‘a load of abhorrent nonsense’. Tim examines the ‘sacrificial mentality’ pervading the modern game, and argues that clubs like Liverpool are right to look after their own interests.

All Liverpool fans will be aware of the scenario but here it is anyway: Due to Liverpool’s Champions League success over the last two seasons, Rafa has decided to rest key players in Premiership games immediately preceding important CL games.

Like last year, Rafa chose to rest players against Fulham, in anticipation of last night’s semi-final first leg against Chelsea. Fulham are of course battling relegation, which meant that the outcome of the game was not only important to them, but other teams trying to avoid relegation too.

Last season, Fulham beat Liverpool and eventually avoided the drop, whilst Neil Warnock's Sheffield United team got relegated.

Here’s what Warnock had to say just before last weekend’s game:

"My advice to Reading, Bolton and the rest would be, if you're expecting any favours, don't hold your breath. They will have to do it themselves. The fact of the matter is that if Liverpool were already out of the Champions League and needed to win to get fourth spot, they would play their strongest side.”

The fact is, Liverpool are NOT out of the Champions League and did not need to win to get fourth spot. Consequently, it wasn't necessary to play the strongest team against Fulham. So far, so obvious. Warnock added:

“It's part of a big club's mentality. They look after themselves and they don't bother about anyone else.”

Isn’t this mentality of every sports team in the land? If you’re a professional sportsman and you have guilt about the knock-on effect of a game YOU WIN, you’re in the wrong business! Warnock continued his tirade:

“The whole story that Sheffield United were going down and me having a pop at them afterwards was just treated like fish and chip paper by them. Liverpool didn't care because they weren't the ones getting hurt by it all.”

Warnock focused on Rafa Benitez next:

“Integrity, doing what is right for the game, comes way down Rafa's list of priorities.”

Notice the false dichotomy: doing what is right for the game (whatever that means!) versus doing what is best for Liverpool.

What Warnock doesn’t realise is that doing what is ‘right for the game’ is precisely doing whatever is right for Liverpool! The only thing Liverpool should be concerned about is doing what is best for themselves.

What is good for the game is open competition where clubs are free to play whatever team they want against any opposition they want. What kind of a warped mentality would suggest that a sports team (or any business for that matter) should be interested in the wellbeing of its rivals?!

All that aside, Warnock’s Sheffield United team had 38 games to amass enough points to avoid relegation. They didn’t, and that’s football. Warnock also forgets the last game of the last season against Wigan Athletic; A win would have kept them up, but they lost.

What exactly does Warnock expect anyway - that a more successful club somehow has a responsibility to not act in its best interest in case another club could possibly incur an advantage/disadvantage as a result?

What if all clubs did this? The bigger clubs would go into games actively looking to not win where possible, after all, who wants to “hurt” another club by beating them?!

As always with this kind of sacrificial mentality, it’s the successful clubs that are to be penalised precisely because they are successful.

Clearly, in Warnock's world, the clubs with the biggest squads should be forced to play their best teams in EVERY game. Why? Because they have the biggest and best squads. In other words, the better you are, the more you should be penalised and held accountable for taking advantage of your superiority!

But what about Sheffield United and other small clubs? Why doesn’t anyone talk about them pulling their finger out and wining more games?!

Liverpool went on to lose in the Champions League final last year, but imagine if a full strength had turned out against Fulham - Rafa probably would have been arguing that if he had rested his key players at Fulham to avoid tiredness/injury, the final could have been won.

People would probably have laughed at him, and Warnock wouldn’t have had anything to say. But when Warnock complains because Liverpool acted in their best interest, it’s all over the TV and the papers.

What is wrong with this mentality? In a word: altruism. Basically, the notion that acting in someone else’s interest OVER your own is somehow virtuous, more moral, nobler and for the “greater good”.

Well, in my view, that’s nonsense.

Every club must act in its own self-interest, regardless of the effect on other clubs. Play whatever team you want; play however you want, and at the end of the day, you will stand or fall based on how successful YOU are – not on how other clubs are!

Those who don’t want to operate within this fair and competitive framework are those who are afraid of losing in a fair fight; those who can’t actually achieve success themselves but have to rely on others to do the work for them; those who aren’t actually good enough to succeed on their own merit.

In other words, people like Neil Warnock.

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