20 January 2007

Oh, boys.

Dear Liverpool:

All is forgiven. I realize that was an under-strength Chelsea side, but I don't really care. Y'all did a good job exploiting their defensive weakness early on. The second half was a little more dicey, but for some reason, they never seriously looked like scoring. (I mean, really, did anyone see Sheva after he came on? Anyone?)

Of course, Chelsea trying stuff like this doesn't hurt any, either:


So, that's two solid wins in a row, one against the reigning champions. Get a solid hold on third -- or hell, you're just five points back, challenge for second -- and focus on getting a gameplan together for Barcelona. This is a good turnaround, so build on that and maybe this can be a successful season.

Yours,
YNBA

P.S. Xabi Alonso? Awesome. Don't let anyone ever tell you foreign players aren't committed enough.

6 comments:

Linda said...

Congratulations, and I hope you guys manage to make a good go for second place. A well deserved victory, IMHO, and now my need for on-pitch schadenfraude where Mourinho is concerned has been fulfilled for a little while.

(What? He is the most hated man in Barcelona. Even more than Luis Figo.)

Amanda said...

Hee. Thanks!

Wow -- also, did I miss why Figo's so hated?

Anonymous said...

Figo is hated for leaving Barca for Real Madrid....

Linda said...

Personally speaking, I don't actually mind that Figo left for 2 million euros, a bigger salary and a team that was going places, because let's face it - most players would.

But what I do mind is the fact that he went to all the effort of pretending to be so devoted to the Barca cause in the first place (dyeing his hair blue and red and shouting 'Madrid crybabies, salute the champions' when we won the title - just one example) if he was just going to be one of those players. Adding insult to injury, his leaving was part of a great decline - we won nothing for years after that, until the current side formed.

Michael Owen said after playing in the Camp Nou for the first time alongside Figo that his ears were ringing from 100000 people whistling and booing at them all game - especially if Figo had the ball. (He also had a roasted pig's head thrown at him on his first visit back. Figo, that is, not Owen.)

Mal said...

Great win for the mighty reds. Now Jose knows that Rafa is the real special one.

badgerdaddy said...

Nah, I wouldn't say Rafa is the real Special One.

He is special - they both are, no question. Benitez has done some wonderful stuff, both before and during his stint at liverpool. I do find it baffling that there's not been a serious title assault under him yet, though. This season may see it, but I doubt it. That said, a great run to get within five points of the Mighty Chelsea. But it's 11 points off MUFC, and that's a big gap.

When I saw the line-ups for the Liverpool-Chelsea game, I knew we'd lose as anyone with a brain would; No Gallas any more to counter the likes of Kuyt, and no Terry to win everything in the air. I would rather Jose play Morais or another young 'un in central defence than a pisspoor makeshift pairing (but to be fair to Essien, he's a decent central defender). We missed Makelele incredibly too, but them's the breaks; everyone gets suspensions and injuries, it's about how you deal with them and in Chelsea's 'blip' I think we only lost once and we're still in the same place; six off top and in second.

I'll take that. It's a long season; I think an English team will win the CL, and we can still win the Prem.

God I love football. Enough of my burble. I am drunk, and must sleep.