Should Torres consider moving to United?

SIR ALEX Ferguson is planning an audacious bid on Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, reports the Sunday Express (see full story here).

Let’s just take a brief look at the advantages of both options:

STAYING AT LIVERPOOL

– The Reds have become a force to be reckoned with under Rafa Benitez, and have pushed United all the way to the title.

– Torres has struck a great understanding with Steven Gerrard

– The Spanish connection at Anfield

MOVING TO UNITED

– Burden of scoring is more spread out than Liverpool

– Better recent track record at winning titles

Even if it turns out to be mere speculation, it does raise an interesting topic – if given a chance, should the Spanish hitman consider moving south to the red half of Manchester?

Question of the Week (Is Rafa being unsporting?)

Hi all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Is Rafa Benitez being unsporting for refusing to congratulate Sir Alex Ferguson for winning his 11th Premiership title?

If you were Rafa…

SO, MANCHESTER United has successfully defended their Premiership crown on Saturday, with Liverpool mounting the fiercest title challenge in almost 2 decades.

And barring any implosion or financial meltdown, the Reds should be back with an improved team next season, one that is capable of winning its first-ever Premiership title.

The New Paper’s Gary Lim stepped into the shoes of Rafa Benitez today and offered what he feels would be Liverpool’s ‘dream’ XI for next season, one that is capable of ruling them all in England.

If you were Rafa for a day, how would you REALISTICALLY enhance the Liverpool squad for season 09/10?

Was Rafa being arrogant?

A WAR of words have re-emerged again as Sir Alex Ferguson and Sam Allardyce accused Rafa Benitez of being arrogant.

After Fernando Torres scored Liverpool’s second goal against Blackburn last weekend, the Liverpool manager was caught on television making a gesture that may seem to some to mean “We are done, they are finished”.

The YouTube video above shows the gesture in question.

Fergie also added fuel to the fire by recounting Rafa’s “small club mentality” quote on Everton, just before United were scheduled to take on the Merseyside club in the FA Cup semi-final, which they lost.

Here is what Rafa told Sky Sports after the goalless draw against Everton in 2007:

When you play against the smaller teams at Anfield you know the game will be narrow and compact and at times we were a little bit nervous. We are really disappointed. You could see one team that wanted to win. It was difficult because they were defending. They had a chance in the second half after our mistake but Pepe made a good save but apart from that we controlled everything. We had three strikers and Pennant and Riise saw a lot of the ball but they had nine men all the time behind the ball.

He stood by his comments this January, after his side drew 1-1 against Everton in the FA Cup:

I am really pleased with my team. We deserved to win. To play like that against a team with 10 players behind the ball is not easy but we worked hard, created chances and reacted very positively after the disappointment of the other night.

Is there some truth indeed in the accusations hurled at the Spaniard?

Reds vs Blues – the English version

THE question on the lips of most football fans by now is if Liverpool can mount another legendary comeback against Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge tomorrow morning.

Bearing in mind Liverpool’s poor record against Chelsea (they have never scored more than two goals against the Blues in recent seasons), and the fact that Chelsea are playing at home, there is still widespread optimism that Liverpool can overcome these extraordinary circumstances to advance to the semi-finals.

But who can fault the optimism? After all, several factors do work in Liverpool’s favour – the Miracle of Istanbul, the memory of Hillsborough, and – not least – the fact that Chelsea conceded three goals in eight minutes against Bolton over the weekend.

If you were Rafa Benitez, what would be your line-up and strategy to beat Chelsea by three goals?

Or if you prefer to in Guus Hiddink’s shoes: what would be your strategy to shackle Liverpool, bearing in mind that Liverpool will probably find ways to circumvent Michael Essien’s shackling of Steven Gerrard?

What went wrong with Liverpool this morning?

FOR A team that has been riding high since the 4-0 mauling of Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, Liverpool’s stunning run was brought to an end early this morning with a 3-1 defeat by Chelsea at Anfield.

The Reds started brightly enough though, taking the lead in the 4th minute through Fernando Torres, but it soon fell apart soon enough.

What do you think was the main cause of Liverpool’s defeat? Was it the effective shackling of Steven Gerrard by Michael Essien, or was it the ineffective zonal marking when Liverpool defended its corners? Or maybe it was a poor performance for Lucas, who was deputising for the suspended Javier Mascherano?

On a side note, it could just be me, but Liverpool suffered another blip in their form after flying high in the previous games, straight after Rafa Benitez made comments about Sir Alex Ferguson.

In January, it was about Fergie’s influence on referees and the fixtures list, and recently it was about Fergie being scared stiff by a resurgent Liverpool. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?

And the Postman Personality of the Month award goes to…

WELCOME to the first Postman Personality of the Month, where The Postman highlights a sports personality who has consistently hogged the headlines over the past month.

And in the first month of 2009, there have been many – Tevez’s contract wrangle has made him a mainstay in the headlines, while Kaka has kept many Milan and Manchester City fans at the edge of their seats for the better half of the month.

But it is Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez who has been dominating the sports pages this month with his wild comments, leading some fans to wonder if the Spaniard has lost it after a fine start to the season.

Let us recap Rafa’s month of madness:

Question of the Week

Hi all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Did Rafael Benitez make an ill-timed mistake in his verbal attack on Alex Ferguson last Friday?

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman