Well, while there was still the title, a UEFA Cup spot and two relegation places to play for, none of that affected today's game - with nothing left for either team to play it was unlikely to be a classic. Things may have been different if some individuals had futures to play for, but Rafa has already revealed that Harry Kewell's time on Liverpool's books (read: treatment table) is coming ot an end. That none of Riise, Crouch and Alonso made the 16 man squad may also be indicative of their respective futures.
Voronin got a rare start, and scored. Some Liverpool fans have been very critical of him this season. I'd say he's been inconsistent, but shown some promising moments - the problem perhaps being that, like Kuyt, he's not an out-and-out goal scorer. Given that he was brought in on a free to replace Robbie as fourth striker, I'd say it's worth giving him another season - although if anyone was to put in a reasonable offer (and Celtic were rumoured to be interested) I'd be happy to make a profit. Even if Crouch also leaves, we can play Babel as a striker or promote Nemeth from reserves, so I think we have some options, as long as Torres stays fit.
Speaking of 'El Nino' it was our number 9 that not only set up Voronin's opener but scored his 24th league goal of the season, surpassing RvN's record for league goals by a foreign player in his debut season. All the more impressive given that they were all from open play - and this one away from home too! Let's hope he doesn't suffer from 'second season syndrome' now defenders will know about him (to be fair, I'd guess they've known about him for a while - but it doesn't help much).
Good also to see Reina keep a clean sheet and win the golden gloves for the third season running.
No comments:
Post a Comment