Time's up?

The curtains for Champions League football this year falls early for Liverpool. Winning 1-0 against Hungarian opponents Debrecen was a useless stat as they fail to qualify for the 2nd round.

Its a shame that Liverpool, traditional European powerhouses are knocked out so early in the competition. It wasn't so long ago that Rafa Benitez was deemed the saviour of Liverpool football club having won the Champions League in a dramatic comeback win. Things have obviously moved on, and Liverpool has been on a journey of ups and downs. Last year was more of an up as they challenged for the BPL crown and almost got it had it not been for a dip in form mid-season. This year is a terrible start for the Kop faithful. Unable to win domestically, their poor form had even affected their usual dominance in European football. It is one of the lowest points for all Liverpool fans.

Truth is, is it time for Rafa Benitez to go? Sure, we should not put all the blame on the manager. Afterall, he has had bad luck, losing Torres and Gerrard to injuries this season. But can he blame his luck? We all know the failure to plan is a plan to failure. As a seasoned manager who knows how important it is to have able backups for key positions, he has not done reasonably well enough to cover up the holes upfront. Without Gerrard and Torres, Liverpool is thin and toothless. Whatever happened to Kuyt? He is left on the right these days. Only Rafa knows how to misplace players from their best positions.

Robbie Keane will be so useful backing Gerrard up, but Rafa didn't see it that way. Alonso will not have left if Rafa did not condemn him before he shone in the heart of midfield. 20 million for a right back is debatable by any standard of spending by a manager. The owners meanwhile get lambasted by the Kop faithful for spending little. Well, the stats show that Rafa had been the spendthrift. The reserves are dry because the Spainard had spent on misfits like Babel, Degen, Dossena and now maybe Aquilani. He got rid of a class player like Robbie Keane and God knows why he let go of Bellamy who could have given him great wing play. Mark Hughes demonstrates how to use Bellamy effectively on the wing at Man City, something Rafa never saw.

Rafa has also done little to develop the Liverpool youngsters. How many Liverpool youth academy players can you mouth off now, considering Man Utd has got players like Fletcher, O'Shea, Brown, Evans, Welbeck and Macheda playing regularly for Man Utd, having been groomed at Man Utd's Academy. Disappointing really for a club of Liverpool stature that had produced greats like Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jason McAteer, Jamie Redknapp, Steve McManaman and many others.

Has Rafa lost the plot? He might have won the Champions League and came close to pipping Man Utd, but reputation counts for little at times when a fresh change might ignite new ideas and renewed vigour. Think Guus Hiddink or maybe the Special One Jose Mourinho (boy, will that be an explosive relationship...)

Well, the Liverpool faithful are not complaining, so why should a Man Utd supporter worry?

C'est la Vie

Controversy is never far in soccer matches of extreme importance to a country and so it was... France broke Irish hearts and the chief instigator is their French captain and chief Thierry Henry. Cheeky as it was, Henry controlled the ball with his hand before laying it square for William Gallas to score.

What a nice bloke Henry is, to admit his mistake. But of course, it will be easier to do so after the whistle has been blown and the referee has given the goal that sends the French through to World Cup 2010. Well cna you blame Henry? He could easily push the blame to the ref... the poor ref who obviously will never step onto Irish soil in the next few months, honestly, isn't it about time technology is used to help these referees make better decisions. Ironically French legend Platini who is also the UEFA chief and who has been lobbying for referee assistance could have seen his country knocked out had his cry for more referee aid gone through.

So the Irish could complain all they want... demand for a replay all they want... and the French will reply, well fairly enough... "C'est la vie" The Irish will find it a bitter pill to swallow, but I don't see how things will change.

If it is any consolation at all, the French will not make it far in the finals anyway... for one... they need to get rid of Domenech, the one man who single handedly turned a mighty footballing nation like France into a minnow of sorts at international level... IF the French are serious about winning the World Cup again, they need to rid themselves of the clueless Domenech.

And to my Irish friends... "C'est la vie"... life goes on... you will remember Maradona's "Hand of God" and identify with English hearts... you ain't the first and you won't be the last... the history of football constantly reminds us of that.

Dear Patrick Kinghorn... you've got mail.

Dear Patrick,

I wonder why, but our last post with your name has really been attracting some response from our readers, albeit really angsty ones too. The latest comes from someone we believe you might know. Maybe, you should come out and say something... we will be glad to host your reply.

Meanwhile, thesoccertalk editors will like to reiterate that our blog is truly dedicated to the beautiful game of soccer. Peace out.

Glen Johnson: "We've been awful." KOP: "You'll Never Walk Alone."

I liked what Glen Johnson said, "We've been awful. But things like this happen in football. You stick together and keep fighting.". I cannot guarantee that what he says is what he genuinely feel. However, I share his same sentiments.

In this world, there is bound to be ups and downs. Liverpool fans worldwide would definitely be whining about the team's performance this past few months and in general, feel disappointed. However, this should be THE time to show our support as fans. We are supporting not the results but rather the culture, the history, the club, Liverpool F.C. Let's band together and offer our team the support it deserves. Remember Liverpool's song and let the KOP sing it out loud in their next match after these two weeks of break. It is a great pity that I will not be present at the stadium to offer my support but I would like to garner the support of all fans who will be present at the next match to use their voices, sing out loud, cheer your hearts away and bring the team back to life. Football is not just about winning. Football is a sport and we are here to support a team that has set out to play the sport right. "You'll Never Walk Alone."

When you walk through a storm

hold your head up high

And don't be afraid of the dark.

At the end of a storm is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind,

Walk on through the rain,

Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone,

You'll never, ever walk alone.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone,

You'll never, ever walk alone.

Man Utd vs Chelsea

The big match of the season so far. With Liverpool far from being a title challenger now, the heavy favourites Man Utd and Chelsea, barring the likelihood of a Arsenal revolution will be going head-to-head at the Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Both teams are equally matched to say the very least. Chelsea has maintained it squad depth while Man Utd traditionally stronger, has lost Ronaldo and Tevez which has had an effect on their season thus far. Chelsea and Man Utd this season however will be I reckon more interesting than previous seasons. The main reason is the attacking style of Chelsea brought about by the Italian maestro Carlo Ancelotti. Chelsea has stabilised under his management and has re-found the confidence in their team play and that overwhelming team spirit that has saw them conquer the BPL during the Mourinho heydays.

Man Utd is patchy in recent matches. The loss of a confident goalscorer like Ronaldo definitely hurt the goal ratio but Rooney, Berbatov and Valencia has since stepped up to play major roles in winning games this season. Man Utd will be expecting a colossal fight in defence, a physical one with the mercurial Drogba keen to destroy the makeshift defence pairing of Brown and Evans. Man Utd will also find it hard to break down the defence and midfield of Chelsea, especially at their home ground.

I wonder who Man Utd will play in the match. For one, I am definitely expecting the midfield scrambler Darren Fletcher and the big match experienced Ryan Giggs. I am also expecting Rooney and Berbatov plus the in-form Valencia leading the attack. Right-back will be big John O'Shea and left back definitely Patrice Evra. I think they key is in defence as I have my reservations about Wes Brown's defence capacity at the centre. For Chelsea, I expect Ballack to be placed alongside Lampard, Essien and Joe Cole to try and win the midfield battle. The defensive roles are pretty much self picked: Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa/Ivanovic, with Drogba and Anelka likely to be unleashed together.

The first to win the battle at the top will no doubt have the psychological edge for the rest of this year. Man Utd will hate to lose again to another Top 4 team following Liverpool. Chelsea meanwhile will like to prove that they are worthy title holders.

All these makes for an exciting match and the likelihood of drama in 90 minutes. Don't miss it for the world.