We’ll be facing Lyon, Fiorentina, and Debreceni in the group stages. Debre-who? They are the league champs from Hungary. Personally, I am not familiar in the least with Hungarian football and have no idea how much of a threat they will be. I’m guessing, not a lot. It’s a breath of fresh air to have some teams that the club has never met in European competition. In theory, Liverpool should have no problem being at the top of this group, with maybe Lyon coming in second. We’ll face Debreceni first on September 16th.

One of our promising youngsters, Krisztián Németh, has been loaned to AEK Athens for a year. This is great news for him as it will give him the opportunity to get some more experience. At the moment, unless someone in our squad gets injured, it is hard to get first team action. I would like to see a few more of these deals signed for some of the others. We have a huge squad that is just kind of sitting around.

It’s off to Reebok Stadium on Saturday to face Bolton. The team should predictably bounce back before the international break. The next league game after that will be against Burnley. Why am I suddenly worried about Burnley?

I know this is kind of a crap post. Sorry =(.

The only change to the lineup was Martin Skrtel back in his place. He and Carragher did much better together this time and made a number of crucial tackles. Glen Johnson was unable to get forward much as he was having to run against Ashley Young. Insua looked a bit shaky and was also not getting forward as much which led to a cluttered midfield.

Why is it that when someone on this team makes a mistake that could be considered where it all went wrong, it’s usually Lucas? The Brazilian international did not do well in hushing his critics today when he gave up a free kick that should have been too far away too worry the Reds. Instead, Ashley Young’s shot was deflected into the net by none other than Lucas for an own goal at 34′, and it pretty much went downhill from there. There was supposed to be only one minute of added time at the end of the first half, but Aston Villa earned a corner just before it was out and ended up scoring at 47″. I thought Benitez was about to strangle the fourth official and wish he had because it would have been far more entertaining than what was happening on the field.

Andriy Voronin was brought on for Lucas at 66′, who seemed to have no problem in running off the pitch to hide, and had seemed to contribute to a better flowing attack. A pass by him setup play that led to Torres getting his head on the ball at 72′. Call me crazy, but at this point I would much rather have Voronin out there than Lucas. If this performance has not shown that the current formation will not work consistently, I don’t know what will.

It seemed that Liverpool was going to launch one of the club’s famous comebacks. The Kop had woken up and the passing was quicker and more fluid. It seemed that the addition of Voronin was just what the team needed until a harsh challenge by Gerrard led to a penalty kick being given to Aston Villa. Ashley Young calmly slotted home the final blow at 75′ with Reina diving the wrong direction. After that, the energy was gone and the players seemed resigned to dropping three points at home.

I would really have liked to seen Riera on at some point; he was named as a substitute. With Fabio Aurelio out, we are really missing a good left foot to take free kicks and corners. Ryan Babel was brought in for Benayoun at 76′ and did absolutely nothing but take wild shots that went wide whenever he got a touch on the ball. I guess he thinks to earn a position in the starting XI, he has to score.

Rafa Benitez had told Torres to stop talking to defenders and just worry about scoring. Apparently, he did not say anything about talking to the officials as #9 whined to the referee pretty much the whole match. It was just a matter of time before he was finally booked after claiming that Young was wasting time after being injured.

I had thought about an alternate title for this post. Such things sprang to mind as “Calls for Benitez’s Head in 3…2…”, or “Now Playing for Fourth.” The truth is, I am too deflated to say anything witty. This club should have won the league that season and the only thing that really changed is the absence of one player. Unfortunately, we cannot keep blaming our short comings on Alonso not being with us and cannot say that we don’t need him when we roll a team like Stoke. We have good players and should be able to cope. If they are not being used properly or are not inspired enough to play for the shirt, then that is down to the manager. I usually try to put my own feelings aside and believe in the words, “In Rafa We Trust.” After all, I’m just a guy in front of a computer. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes or at training. However, there’s a lot going on with the team right now that is leaving me to scratch my head.

Bolton on Saturday.

In all my life I didn’t hide under any circumstances. I always took the risk of my decisions. That’s how I was raised. Last week I made a statement in which I was saying that I will be a player of AEK FC for the next four years. Today, my biggest challenge in life contradicts to what I was saying. That’s life. Many times it plays tricky games.

I would like to inform the fans of AEK FC that on Monday I received an offer from Liverpool. An offer that I accepted. That offer came the time that AEK has very important games for the Europa League but the fact that I will play for Liverpool is the biggest challenge I ever had in my life. I have reached my final decision. Despite the efforts from the President, the coach and the administration, that did anything they could to keep me in the team, staying at AEK was not something I could do.

I would love to thank the fans of AEK that loved me from the first time I went to the club. I would love to thank also the President, the coach and the administration for our cooperation all this time. AEK is a big team. I wish to AEK all the best and I will always have a place in my heart for AEK.

I’m sure a lot of Athens supporters feel betrayed, but I can understand his point of view. Kyrgiakos is approaching the end of his career and more than likely only has a few really good seasons left in him. To have a club like Liverpool come knocking at the door with the opportunity to play against top clubs and challenge for titles is an amazing chance. He would be silly not to answer the call.

I think Principal Vernon has officially taken over the English Football Association. The FA has charged assistant manager, Sammy Lee, with improper conduct. I know it’s shocking. Who would have thought that the FA would have a problem with someone questioning a decision during a match. Also on the Breakfast Club detention list are Peterborough manager, Darren Ferguson, and Norwich’s manager, Paul Lambert. Simon Jordan, chairman of Crystal Palace, has also been asked to explain his comments following his side’s defeat to Bristol City. Hopefully, all of the individuals involved will escape punishment as well as learn something about themselves in the latest coming of age reprimands.

I never really understood why various individuals belonging to a club’s staff get so much guff from the FA. I guess someone has to be the whipping boy since they can’t very well penalize the fans or journalists. Since that’s the case, I’ll go ahead and throw this out there: officiating in this league sucks. There, now we’ll wait and see who gets beaten for my atrocities.

One final thought. Ryan Babel will be making a cameo on UK hip hop star, Sway’s new album. I think that’s real good Ryan. Something tells me that you are going to have plenty of time to work on your music career.

I think the above highlights pretty much sum it all up. Liverpool totally dominated their first home game, a stark contrast from the performance on Sunday. Glen Johnson has already shown that he is worth every penny that was spent on him. I mean really, did you see that second goal? Holy shit! Daniel Ayala was nervous, but did well in his starting debut. I cannot imagine the pressure an 18 year old would feel stepping out on the pitch at Anfield with 40,000 screaming fans.

I am not going to back off of from my previous post and say that everything is okay now. Stoke City is not a good club and should not be in the Premier League. We should not have been held goalless by them last season and it was unfortunate that it happened that way. Having the team gel together is a step in the right direction. I am going to remain skeptical about the current formation, but things are looking up. Three points is always nice to have and having four goals and a clean sheet is much better than a loss to Burnley.

Video of Rafa’s post match interview HERE at Sky Sports.

Benitez has moved swiftly to add cover to the center backs. In a shock signing, he has secured Sotirios Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. Kyrgiakos is a 30 year old, Greek international who has had successful stints at Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt. He’s big and mean looking and that is enough for me. The first thing that people are going to say is, “oh, but he’s 30!” Who cares? He’s a defender with experience and Agger seems to be made of glass.

One final thought. The FA will apparently be writing to Rafa to ask for an explanation on his comments to journalists in his post match interview last Sunday when he said that he knew he could not get a second penalty from that particular referee and at one point had held up his glasses, humorously, to signify that the official needed them. I have a great idea. How about instead of taking action every time a manager from a club answers a question from a journalist, the FA tells journalists to stop asking stupid questions? I am really getting sick of reporters all but saying, “how was the referee?” and then the manager getting into trouble for giving an honest answer. If the FA wants so bad to keep their officials looking good, they should either A) ban that line of questioning from interviews altogether or maybe B) fix the officiating itself so that it will stop being an issue.

I also did not really understand the strategy of working out the entire club and everyone in the gift shop who happened to buy a red shirt during the preseason. While we were passing the ball around to Phil, from the concession stand, other clubs were playing serious matches with their traditional starting XI, getting ready for the start of the season. That brings us to the present day with already one loss, halfway to tying our record from last season.

The question is now whether or not the team will be able to break down the 10 man defense employed by Stoke City. Tony Pulis tends to enjoy parking the entire squad in front of the goal and praying for luck on a set piece or throw in. Don’t be surprised if we see a goalless draw. If it happens to rain on Wednesday, and I see that towel make another appearance to wipe off the ball, I might actually fly up and choke him with it.

I am going to make a crazy proposal and say that we go back to trying a 4-4-2, at least until Alberto Aquilani is fit. We desperately need Gerrard playing further back because, let’s be honest, we do not have many midfielders to spare. Seriously, what would happen right now if Javier Mascherano picked up an injury? Pull Gerrard back with Mascherano and use one of the many forwards to play–well, forward. If Rafa is hell bent on making the 4-2-3-1 work, then at least stick Benayoun behind Torres where Gerrard would be.

If we learned anything at White Hart Lane, it should be that the current system is not going to work and needs to be adjusted somewhere. You can blame some of the last sub par performance on fitness and injuries, but we should not forget that this system did not work last season either when we were without Alonso due to injuries. Injuries are again going to be an obstacle as Daniel Agger is still suffering from back problems and is at least two weeks away from being fit and Martin Skrtel is a doubt. In fact, pretty much everyone, including Skrtel’s agent, is saying that the Slovakia defender will not be ready. Still, do not be surprised if Rafa has the physio department slap a Hannibal Lecter style mask on him so that he can play.

My guess at the starting XI is that it will be much the same as we saw on Sunday with maybe Benayoun starting on the left instead of Babel. Out of the subs that were brought on during the previous match, he was the only one that really raised the question, why was he not out there to begin with? If anything this manager has shown, it is that he is stubborn when it comes to making changes. It took several seasons to drop the silly rotation policy and nearly half a season to realize that Robbie Keane was not going to work. If this is still not working by October, Aquilani should be ready to come into the fold and then we will have to wait and see how that works out. Hopefully, we will not be waiting for several months after his debut.

One final thought and I will release you from the longest post that I have written in sometime (I might be turning into Martin, but I haven’t started quoting myself yet.) There was recently an article on Liverpool’s official site about Steven Gerrard’s “photo obsession.” In it, he describes a room in his home where he keeps all of his football accolades and memorabilia. The current prized possession is a photograph that shows the current high point of his career, the 2005 team on the podium at Instanbul after having just won the UEFA Champions League, but that is not the photo he wants.

“I’m desperate to get that photo of me with my teammates holding the Premier League trophy. I don’t want to finish my career and have to go into that room and not have that. It does play on my mind how many years I’ve left to win it. I’ve turned 29 now so I know time isn’t on my side, but it’s important I don’t get obsessed by it.

It’s great to have players in the current squad on long term deals. It’s great that Aquilani is on a 5 year deal and I think he will do well sometime during that spell, but as Gerrard pointed out, time is not on his side. Time is not on anyone’s side. Football is a very dynamic sport where injuries can take the best player in the world into an early retirement and where even in an ideal environment, a player is only at their best for a few years. Is this our year? Or, will we continue to be a club that is looking towards the future while being proud of our past? I hope something changes soon because the past is getting further and further away.

Babel started, which was a shocker. With Benayoun available, he should have definitely been the first choice. There was much more energy when Yossi eventually came on for him, but the Reds still couldn’t put anything together. Nothing seemed to be clicking between the players. Missed passes, center backs running into each other, oh my. As if we did not have enough defenders injured, Carragher head butted Skrtel in the jaw when they went for the same ball. We’ll have to wait and find out how much damage was done to the big man, but he did not look too happy. Daniel Ayala, an 18 year old Spaniard, eventually came on for him and did pretty well.

Insua was decent and Johnson made a few runs forward that looked dangerous, one resulting in drawing a penalty after he was laid out by Spurs’ goalkeeper, Gomes. He also showed that he can put in a good cross, but unfortunately Torres couldn’t direct it in.

I think our biggest fear has come true, because the midfield is really where we were lacking today. No one showed today that they are capable of creating chances and space like Xabi Alonso could. The best of the worst would have to be Reina or Johnson. It’s a sad feeling when you have to say your keeper was one of the best performers, especially after losing.

The gaffer has this eerie zen-like calmness about him. If there is a player out there that he really wants and has not been able to land for whatever reason, it is a well kept secret. The owner situation is stable for another year. The manager, back room staff, and most players are on long term deals. The only thing missing out of this equation is belief, but I’m going to stop with my negativity right now and say that I believe we have what it takes to win trophies this season. I believe that even though we may face adversity, as any club does, it is nothing we can not overcome. We are Liverpool Football Club and we’ve come to take your titles. Please engrave in a timely fashion and pass them up to the front.

A few videos to get you going:

New Torres song with extra verse

Aquilani Promo

Johnson Promo

Last season romp of Man U on Fanzone

Fans singing YNWA

Fields of Anfield Road

“Obviously I am a friend of Riise’s and he’s spoken a lot about Liverpool to me,” Aquilani told reporters at his unveiling on Thursday. “I’ve spoken to him about the Kop and the great fans and I can’t wait to start.

“I have never played at Anfield but I have heard a lot about the unique atmosphere you breathe there.

“Rafa Benitez was very important in me coming here. Riise spoke very well of him and said he could help me grow as a player.”

It’s always nice to see former players speaking highly of the club. If nothing else, players like Riise and Sissoko will be missed for their class. And speaking of class, it looks like Aquilani will don the #4 shirt vacated by Anfield legend, Sami Hyypia.

Maybe it’s not him specifically, maybe it’s the faith that Rafa puts in him after his repeated mediocre or horrible performances. After the draw against Fulham last season when he was practically booed off the pitch, Rafa came to his defense saying what a great footballer Lucas is. All I could think was, “When??? In training?” Now, don’t get me wrong, his resume is impressive for a 22 year old, but this sport is all about what you’re doing now. If you’re not producing now, it doesn’t really matter what you did last season or the season before that.

Now, I read that he’s considering a switch back to Brazil to Corinthians because of his lack of first team action. Personally, I’ve seen him way too much of him on the first team already and would not be hurt at all if Lucas ended up back in Brazil playing alongside Fat Ronaldo.

If you really want to do well at Liverpool, Lucas, here’s my advice: You’re only 22 and your name isn’t Messi. Shut up and work hard.