So thanks to Robin Van Persie Liverpool find themselves presented with the chance to claim outright first place in the EPL. We all know that by rights we should be there and you cannot hide the fact that we have dropped silly points against inferior sides this season which has prevented us from opening up a gap at the top. However we can’t cry over spilt milk and to be honest if somebody had told me at the start of the EPL we would be in this position, a chance to go 3 ahead of Chelsea and 8 ahead of ManU, at the start of December I would have grabbed it. Rafa has thrown the gauntlet down to his team and has asked them to show him what they are made of and this is what the team needs to do to fill him and us with the belief that has slighty wavoured the last few weeks. We cannot afford to have another re-run of the home matches against Stoke and Fulham. West Ham need put to the sword from the first whistle. Liverpool let Fulham settle on their recent visit, we need to get in the face of the Londoners right from the start and let Zola and his boys know that their journey up North is going to be a waste of time and money.
Robbie Keane gets another chance to impress with Torres being injured and he really needs to step up to the plate. Unfortunately we have to deal with the worry of Dossena being in the first 11. A player who really should be sold in January – too slow and simply not good enough to wear the shirt. Once again the stats are good for us but how many times have I said that and ended up on the end of a draw. Liverpool are defending an unbeaten home record against West Ham in the Premier League, and are vying for an eighth successive victory over the Hammers at Anfield. West Ham travel in search of their first league win in 37 attempts at Anfield. The Hammers last returned with maximum points on 14 September 1963, following a 1-2 win. We have Kept clean sheets in four of the last five home league games, including the last three, which means we have not conceded in 315 minutes (five hours 15 minutes) of Premier League football at Anfield since Amr Zaki scored Wigan’s second in October.
Looking at the possible squads for tonights matches we see that Mr Reliable, Jamie Carragher is the only remaining outfield player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Liverpool’s Premier League matches this season and Jose REINA, also an ever-present, leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove having kept nine clean sheets.
West Ham’s Robert Green holds the same honour as Carragher and if selected England International (ha ha) Lee Bowyer is 2 goals short of 50 and hopefully will still be 2 short of 5O after 90mins. Of course we cannot help to mention the return of Craig “the Cryer” Bellamy to Anfield. The 29 year old Wales international forward made 42 appearances (27 in the league) and scored nine goals (seven league) for Liverpool between June 2006 and his £7.5m move to West Ham in July 2007.
Well what does all this mean? To me, due to the fact that West Ham have dropped more away points in the Premier League to Liverpool than to any other club (36) and Liverpool have won the last seven home league games against West Ham with an aggregate of 16-2 and the Hammers have failed to score in 31 of their 51 league matches on Liverpool turf, a sure-fire home win 3-0 to fire us to the number 1 spot.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league”.
Yea – good one Mr Mark Viduka – so maybe Newcastle still have a chance !!
I never know if anything is sure fire with this team. I say we would win 3-0 if we put one in by the 45 mark but if we don’t the score will be 1-0.