Quite recently Blackburn Rovers player Christopher Samba mildly chastised the media for not adequately highlighting his club’s awesome league form, something he regards as a dereliction of duty on the part of columnists.
Being 6'5" and nicknamed “King Kong” by his team-mates leads one to suggest that not many journalists will want to add their names to the giant defender’s offenders list; however, all politeness aside, the Congolese international does have a point.
For the size and resources of such a club, Rovers are riding an impressive streak of form. Currently lying 5th, one point more it should be mentioned than Saturday’s opponents Liverpool after the same amount of games, Rovers certainly have climbed the league largely unnoticed.
In fact you have to go back more than a month to September 23rd to find Blackburn’s last loss, a 0-1 home reverse against Portsmouth which remains their only defeat in 12 games.
Since then they have embarked on a seven-match winning run in all competitions. Throw in the little detail that they have held Arsenal and Chelsea to draws and you might be forgiven for thinking Blackburn’s run bears hallmarks of title-winning form.
Which is why manager Mark Hughes deserves plaudits for the manner in which he has combined Rover’s past robust nature with a proficiency in the last third, to lead his side to only a margin of goal-difference away from a Champions League spot.
In contrast Liverpool have paraded rather patchy form in all competitions, with routine wins coming after unexpected draws followed by the occasional shock defeat, all of which reveals a telling tale, one the Reds admit to themselves, in that they have yet to find their real rhythm.
Injuries, of course, haven’t helped, resulting in the crucial pairings down the spine of the team becoming unbalanced due to the continued absence of messrs Alonso, Agger, Mascherano and Torres.
Nonetheless, as much as Rafael Benitez concluded another week by dodging yet more arrows of criticism for his selections, rotations and tactics, it has gone rather overlooked in some quarters that the Reds officially have the best away record in the league. The home form may raise some eyebrows on Merseyside, but the travelling contingent can have no complaints from four wins and a draw on the road.
All of which leads quite nicely to suggest that Blackburn Rovers versus Liverpool at Ewood Park might just sneak in under the radar to become the fixture of the week.
Although Liverpool can be proud of their away form this season, they still will not look forward to entering Ewood Park with the home side in such buoyant mood, as Mark Hughes all too clearly outlines:
“We are in great heart at the moment. We’ve good players who believe no matter which team we play we can give teams a game. We play good football”
One crucial piece of the ‘final’ Liverpool jigsaw was believed to be found with the £23m summer purchase of Fernando Torres, who came with the promise of curing the Reds' lack of dexterity in front of goal.
Speak to Scousers and they will tell you a mixture of international call-ups, injuries, form and fitness have all curtailed his settling-in period. Fortunately for the men of Lancashire, goal-scoring worries rarely arise when South African Benni McCarthy is on the scene, and even former expert goal-scorer Alan Shearer has become a fan of last year’s £3m purchase:
“He is great coup for Mark Hughes, I am surprised other teams did not have a pop at McCarthy” – who could you possibly mean Shearer…maybe Chelsea, United or even Liverpool?
It is always entertaining to hear Plymouth’s outspoken manager Ian Holloway deliver his take on life’s proceedings, but this time he has touched on a contentious issue that arose in mid-week and one that shall be closely followed in the Premiership fixtures this weekend. The Bristolian was commenting on PFA chief Gordon Taylor’s warning, echoed by Phil Neville, that top England stars such as Steven Gerrard are already suffering burn-out from playing too much football:
“Personally I think that's absolute codswallop. I used to play Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday from the ages of 10-14.
“My heart bleeds for them - the richest burnt-out people I've ever met in my life. Your career's short - you've got to play as many games as you can.”
FORM GUIDE
Blackburn
31 Oct v Portsmouth (A) WON 1-2 (Carling Cup)
28 Oct v Tottenham (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
20 Oct v Reading (H) WON 4-2 (Prem)
07 Oct v Birmingham (H) WON 2-1 (Prem)
04 Oct v Larissa (H) WON 2-1 (Uefa Cup)
29 Sept v Sunderland (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
Liverpool
31 Oct v Cardiff (H) WON 2-1 (Carling Cup)
28 Oct v Arsenal (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
24 Oct v Besiktas (A) LOST 2-1 (CL)
20 Oct v Everton (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
07 Oct v Tottenham (H) DREW 2-2 (Prem)
03 Oct v Marseille (H) LOST 0-1 (CL)
TEAM NEWS
Blackburn
Hughes lauded his battling midfielder, Aaron Mokoena, who although injured, continues to cover admirably in the absence of regular ‘defensive shield’ Robbie Savage.
Mokoena picked up his leg injury in the midweek Carling Cup victory over Portsmouth, as did David Bentley with his shin bruising. But both are expected to make the starting line-up.
Otherwise long-term injured Steven Reid and Jason Roberts join Savage as Rovers only absentees..
Squad: Friedel, Brown, Emerton, Nelsen, Samba, Ooijer, Warnock, Berner, Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Derbyshire, Tugay, Mokoena, Rigters, Khizanishvili, Treacy.
Liverpool
Liverpool welcomes Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa and Javier Mascherano back from niggling injuries for the trip to Ewood Park.
The returning trio will provide much-needed steel for a tough away trip, whilst another in a long-line of ‘returns’ for much-maligned winger Harry Kewell is scheduled for tomorrow.
The rarely seen Australian did make an injury reoccurrence-free appearance in the midweek Carling Cup win, and his availability will at least give Benitez a further option in a depleted attack as Torres joins Agger and Alonso in the long-term treatment room.
Squad: Reina, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Aurelio, Benayoun, Babel, Gerrard, Sissoko, Mascherano, Lucas, Crouch, Kuyt, Voronin, Itandje, Kewell, Hobbs.
WATCH OUT FOR
Blackburn
Benni McCarthy. Compared against his blistering debut season for Rovers in which he scored 19 goals, McCarthy made a somewhat slow start second-time round. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the mooted big-money transfer to a ‘big-four’ club didn’t materialise.
Not that Hughes cares, for the player’s all-round ability and predatory instincts were back with a bang in midweek, leading his manager to officially announce the striker’s return to golden form just in time for the Liverpool showdown.
"I thought Benni McCarthy was absolutely magnificent.
"I took a lot of pleasure watching him. His retention of the ball and his work in tight areas was a joy to watch.
"He was always in there looking for scoring chances. He's back where he should be at."
Liverpool
Steven Gerrard. Although the midweek opposition was Championship side Cardiff, Gerrard, much like McCarthy, did display telling signs that he is somewhere near returning to his highest level of performance. Against Arsenal last week he was stood alongside Jamie Carragher as probably Liverpool’s best player. With a goal and an assist from midweek added to the “sweetly struck” blasted goal against the Gunners, perhaps Gerrard really is only a game away from exploding into the world-class star we know he is.
However, with the PFA chief stirring a hornet’s nest with comments about players suffering “burn-out”, and specifically pointing at Gerrard, then maybe a few more eyes may be on the England international looking intently for signs of wear and tear rather than a match-winning spectacle.
Being 6'5" and nicknamed “King Kong” by his team-mates leads one to suggest that not many journalists will want to add their names to the giant defender’s offenders list; however, all politeness aside, the Congolese international does have a point.
For the size and resources of such a club, Rovers are riding an impressive streak of form. Currently lying 5th, one point more it should be mentioned than Saturday’s opponents Liverpool after the same amount of games, Rovers certainly have climbed the league largely unnoticed.
In fact you have to go back more than a month to September 23rd to find Blackburn’s last loss, a 0-1 home reverse against Portsmouth which remains their only defeat in 12 games.
Since then they have embarked on a seven-match winning run in all competitions. Throw in the little detail that they have held Arsenal and Chelsea to draws and you might be forgiven for thinking Blackburn’s run bears hallmarks of title-winning form.
Which is why manager Mark Hughes deserves plaudits for the manner in which he has combined Rover’s past robust nature with a proficiency in the last third, to lead his side to only a margin of goal-difference away from a Champions League spot.
In contrast Liverpool have paraded rather patchy form in all competitions, with routine wins coming after unexpected draws followed by the occasional shock defeat, all of which reveals a telling tale, one the Reds admit to themselves, in that they have yet to find their real rhythm.
Injuries, of course, haven’t helped, resulting in the crucial pairings down the spine of the team becoming unbalanced due to the continued absence of messrs Alonso, Agger, Mascherano and Torres.
Nonetheless, as much as Rafael Benitez concluded another week by dodging yet more arrows of criticism for his selections, rotations and tactics, it has gone rather overlooked in some quarters that the Reds officially have the best away record in the league. The home form may raise some eyebrows on Merseyside, but the travelling contingent can have no complaints from four wins and a draw on the road.
All of which leads quite nicely to suggest that Blackburn Rovers versus Liverpool at Ewood Park might just sneak in under the radar to become the fixture of the week.
Although Liverpool can be proud of their away form this season, they still will not look forward to entering Ewood Park with the home side in such buoyant mood, as Mark Hughes all too clearly outlines:
“We are in great heart at the moment. We’ve good players who believe no matter which team we play we can give teams a game. We play good football”
One crucial piece of the ‘final’ Liverpool jigsaw was believed to be found with the £23m summer purchase of Fernando Torres, who came with the promise of curing the Reds' lack of dexterity in front of goal.
Speak to Scousers and they will tell you a mixture of international call-ups, injuries, form and fitness have all curtailed his settling-in period. Fortunately for the men of Lancashire, goal-scoring worries rarely arise when South African Benni McCarthy is on the scene, and even former expert goal-scorer Alan Shearer has become a fan of last year’s £3m purchase:
“He is great coup for Mark Hughes, I am surprised other teams did not have a pop at McCarthy” – who could you possibly mean Shearer…maybe Chelsea, United or even Liverpool?
It is always entertaining to hear Plymouth’s outspoken manager Ian Holloway deliver his take on life’s proceedings, but this time he has touched on a contentious issue that arose in mid-week and one that shall be closely followed in the Premiership fixtures this weekend. The Bristolian was commenting on PFA chief Gordon Taylor’s warning, echoed by Phil Neville, that top England stars such as Steven Gerrard are already suffering burn-out from playing too much football:
“Personally I think that's absolute codswallop. I used to play Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday from the ages of 10-14.
“My heart bleeds for them - the richest burnt-out people I've ever met in my life. Your career's short - you've got to play as many games as you can.”
FORM GUIDE
Blackburn
31 Oct v Portsmouth (A) WON 1-2 (Carling Cup)
28 Oct v Tottenham (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
20 Oct v Reading (H) WON 4-2 (Prem)
07 Oct v Birmingham (H) WON 2-1 (Prem)
04 Oct v Larissa (H) WON 2-1 (Uefa Cup)
29 Sept v Sunderland (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
Liverpool
31 Oct v Cardiff (H) WON 2-1 (Carling Cup)
28 Oct v Arsenal (H) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
24 Oct v Besiktas (A) LOST 2-1 (CL)
20 Oct v Everton (A) WON 1-2 (Prem)
07 Oct v Tottenham (H) DREW 2-2 (Prem)
03 Oct v Marseille (H) LOST 0-1 (CL)
TEAM NEWS
Blackburn
Hughes lauded his battling midfielder, Aaron Mokoena, who although injured, continues to cover admirably in the absence of regular ‘defensive shield’ Robbie Savage.
Mokoena picked up his leg injury in the midweek Carling Cup victory over Portsmouth, as did David Bentley with his shin bruising. But both are expected to make the starting line-up.
Otherwise long-term injured Steven Reid and Jason Roberts join Savage as Rovers only absentees..
Squad: Friedel, Brown, Emerton, Nelsen, Samba, Ooijer, Warnock, Berner, Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Derbyshire, Tugay, Mokoena, Rigters, Khizanishvili, Treacy.
Liverpool
Liverpool welcomes Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa and Javier Mascherano back from niggling injuries for the trip to Ewood Park.
The returning trio will provide much-needed steel for a tough away trip, whilst another in a long-line of ‘returns’ for much-maligned winger Harry Kewell is scheduled for tomorrow.
The rarely seen Australian did make an injury reoccurrence-free appearance in the midweek Carling Cup win, and his availability will at least give Benitez a further option in a depleted attack as Torres joins Agger and Alonso in the long-term treatment room.
Squad: Reina, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Aurelio, Benayoun, Babel, Gerrard, Sissoko, Mascherano, Lucas, Crouch, Kuyt, Voronin, Itandje, Kewell, Hobbs.
WATCH OUT FOR
Blackburn
Benni McCarthy. Compared against his blistering debut season for Rovers in which he scored 19 goals, McCarthy made a somewhat slow start second-time round. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the mooted big-money transfer to a ‘big-four’ club didn’t materialise.
Not that Hughes cares, for the player’s all-round ability and predatory instincts were back with a bang in midweek, leading his manager to officially announce the striker’s return to golden form just in time for the Liverpool showdown.
"I thought Benni McCarthy was absolutely magnificent.
"I took a lot of pleasure watching him. His retention of the ball and his work in tight areas was a joy to watch.
"He was always in there looking for scoring chances. He's back where he should be at."
Liverpool
Steven Gerrard. Although the midweek opposition was Championship side Cardiff, Gerrard, much like McCarthy, did display telling signs that he is somewhere near returning to his highest level of performance. Against Arsenal last week he was stood alongside Jamie Carragher as probably Liverpool’s best player. With a goal and an assist from midweek added to the “sweetly struck” blasted goal against the Gunners, perhaps Gerrard really is only a game away from exploding into the world-class star we know he is.
However, with the PFA chief stirring a hornet’s nest with comments about players suffering “burn-out”, and specifically pointing at Gerrard, then maybe a few more eyes may be on the England international looking intently for signs of wear and tear rather than a match-winning spectacle.
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