A week ago I said that Rafael Benitez will have been looking for more of his side other that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to join Yossi Benayoun as match-winners but the Liverpool manager will still be delighted with his star striker’s two-goal blast at West Ham.
It’s not like the Spanish international has been struggling in front of goal so far this season – he netted in three consecutive Premier League games against Stoke, Aston Villa and Bolton last month – but his brace at Upton Park signalled a return to the kind of devastating form he is capable of.
Like so many of the great strikers, you can seemingly keep Torres quiet for long periods of the game only for him to hit you with a sucker punch.
I don’t know how anybody else could have scored that first goal like he did on Saturday.
The way he slowed down James Tomkins before finishing was sensational.
His second goal was also a tough one to score but if you give Torres a mere half a yard he will absolutely kill you.
Again it was a topsy-turvy affair away from home before Liverpool again came out on top but Upton Park was always going to be a tough place to go to.
You never get any space down there and the way Gianfranco Zola has got West Ham playing I bet there are a few ‘top sides’ who go there this season and don’t come away with a win.
On a positive note for Ryan Babel, he came off the bench to set up Torres’s winner.
However, if the Dutchman thinks that playing one ball through has saved his Anfield career then he better think again because he must start to do much more.
After being brought on for the last half an hour, Babel spent most of the time giving the ball away and he needs to realise that without hard work he will not be a Liverpool player for much longer.
He’s just not justified his fee or fulfilled his potential since his move from Ajax and instead of moaning and then going on about how he’s been misquoted he needs to put up or shut up and show Benitez that he’s worth his place in the side.
Benayoun has been playing well and Albert Riera has done okay so Babel will remain down the pecking order unless he can improve on his consistency dramatically. Who knows, he may well get another chance on Tuesday night when Liverpool travel to Leeds for their Carling Cup tie.
Not too long ago, this match-up was a top Premier League fixture but even though the Yorkshire side has fallen on hard times in recent years, they’re bound to be backed by a large and passionate home crowd.
It’s not like the Spanish international has been struggling in front of goal so far this season – he netted in three consecutive Premier League games against Stoke, Aston Villa and Bolton last month – but his brace at Upton Park signalled a return to the kind of devastating form he is capable of.
Like so many of the great strikers, you can seemingly keep Torres quiet for long periods of the game only for him to hit you with a sucker punch.
I don’t know how anybody else could have scored that first goal like he did on Saturday.
The way he slowed down James Tomkins before finishing was sensational.
His second goal was also a tough one to score but if you give Torres a mere half a yard he will absolutely kill you.
Again it was a topsy-turvy affair away from home before Liverpool again came out on top but Upton Park was always going to be a tough place to go to.
You never get any space down there and the way Gianfranco Zola has got West Ham playing I bet there are a few ‘top sides’ who go there this season and don’t come away with a win.
On a positive note for Ryan Babel, he came off the bench to set up Torres’s winner.
However, if the Dutchman thinks that playing one ball through has saved his Anfield career then he better think again because he must start to do much more.
After being brought on for the last half an hour, Babel spent most of the time giving the ball away and he needs to realise that without hard work he will not be a Liverpool player for much longer.
He’s just not justified his fee or fulfilled his potential since his move from Ajax and instead of moaning and then going on about how he’s been misquoted he needs to put up or shut up and show Benitez that he’s worth his place in the side.
Benayoun has been playing well and Albert Riera has done okay so Babel will remain down the pecking order unless he can improve on his consistency dramatically. Who knows, he may well get another chance on Tuesday night when Liverpool travel to Leeds for their Carling Cup tie.
Not too long ago, this match-up was a top Premier League fixture but even though the Yorkshire side has fallen on hard times in recent years, they’re bound to be backed by a large and passionate home crowd.
No comments:
Post a Comment