Just How Good Is Lionel Messi ????

 Very, is the simple answer here.
Yet another formidable performance from the Argentinian magician against English Champions Manchester United at Wembley in the Champions League Final saw his club Barcelona cruise to a 3-1 win at the hands of the Manchester club.
The win propelled the Spanish giants to super-stardom, that's if you have been living on Mars for the last few years that is!!!
The victory saw Barca notch up their fourth European Cup victory, this followed them winning their third consecutive domestic title, beating their bitter rivals Real Madrid into second again.
Now I watch a lot of Football and I am now starting to run out of superlatives for this current Barcelona side, just the sheer dominance of the past couple of season speaks volumes but here I am going to spell out just how influential and consistent the jewel in their crown is, the one, the only, Lionel Messi.
I heard some rumours about the chance of Cristiano Ronaldo being touted around for the extraordinary price tag of £150 million!!!!! Yes you did read that right, £1 5 0 M i l l i o n.
Now I'm not his biggest fan but I certainly can appreciate the class of the man, he really is something special, but, he is half the player Messi is, so if Ronaldo is worth £150 million, just how much would Messi be worth???
Obviously he won't be going anywhere, but you must be thinking in the region of £200 million if the tariff has been set with the Ronaldo price. There are so many reasons why he would command more money, here are but a few......

• He IS consistent.
• He scores goals.......consistently.
• He works his socks off for 90mins EVERY game.
• He never sulks. 
• He has bundle's of skill & an end product.

Ronaldo has a couple of these qualities but if you are forking out some serious cash for either one of these players, both of which have been billed as 'The Best Player on Earth', I certainly know which one I'd be contacting and begging them to join my ranks.
So Messi IS the best in the world, I can't find any other reason at all to think otherwise, but how does he compare to the Greats of years gone by????
In my un-professional opinion the Greatest player ever is Pele, run close by Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and George Best.

These four players were once the dominant figure's of the footballing world.
George Best was probably the best example of pure Natural enjoyment of the game, personified. Unbelievable close control, wizardry, and of course could finish the moves or runs off in considerable style. The only disappointment for him was that hailing from Northern Ireland he never got the chance to perform on the World's greatest stage, The World Cup, but he certainly performed everywhere else he could, even off the pitch which was perhaps his own downfall.
Zidane was for the want of a better word 'Mecurial'. He floated around the pitch with such ease it was breathtaking, mixed in was the skill's, trick's and flicks that every supporter wants to see, unless it was against your team and even then you have to applaud. He could also add goals to his armour through either foot and indeed his head, but for Zidane his greatest moment came playing for Real Madrid at Hampden Park in the Champions League Final in 2002 where he performed the most perfect of volley's even then most picky of technique hunters couldn't argue with. Sadly his career ended in controversy as he was sent off for the 'infamous' headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final on Italy's Marco Materazzi, but this was after Zidane became only the fourth player in history to score in two different World Cup Finals.
Maradona needs no introduction, especially if you are English, but the little Argentinian was undoubtedly a Genius when it came to football. For English fan's he will ALWAYS be remembered for the 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final. But if you delve past this controversial moment you will also find the 'Goal of the Century' in the same game by the enigmatic Maradona. It truly was one of the best goals ever and it wasn't the only goal like that he scored I'm sure. Again close control, trickery galore and goals to boot. As with the previous 'Great's' his career veered towards self destruct as in 1994 in U.S.A World Cup he was sent home in disgrace for failing a drugs test.
Last but be no means least, in my opinion, the GREATEST PLAYER of ALL TIME....
Edison "Edson" Arantes do Nascimento.......of better known to the masses as PELE.
The Brazilian wonder was the epitome of everything a footballer should be, power, pace, skill's never seen before, passes from heaven, idea's worthy of coming from Einstein, and all rolled into a 5ft 8" man from Tres Coracoes in Brazil.
He made his mark in his home country before blowing the minds of the footballing world when he was an un-known 17 year old, announcing to the world the next generation of footballer to everyone. Skills that the European game had never thought possible, and all from this youngster from Brazil.
His career was only just beginning, and without writing his entire career out for you guys, because believe me I would be here all day, I'll sum it up......1,281 goals in 1363 games.....
Any player that has a record like this I think it speaks for itself......
So where does Lionel Messi rank in amongst all of these illustrious names?????
Given he is only a mere 23 years of age at present, he has already won five La Liga Title's, three Champions League Winners medals, scoring in two of the three, and he also became the youngest player ever for his National Team in 2006.
Clearly there is plenty more to come from Messi, I already rate him in my personal top three, those being Pele, Maradona and now his compatriot Messi, but I certainly believe that he is more than capable of at least over-taking Maradona in that list.

It is obvious that to try and compare Messi to Pele, as they are separated by nearly 50 years, the game has changed so much, most of it due to the Brazilian, especially the beautiful football that is now the Holy Grail for so many club's, one that I personally think Messi's current side has now found.
So I now leave the final judgement to you, just how good IS Lionel Messi, my verdict....not bad at all....

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the 2010/2011 season......

Yes the Premier League 2010/2011 season has come to a dramatic end, with both ends of the table sharing happiness and disappointment in maybe not so equal measures.....
The top of the pile saw Manchester United crowned League Champions yet again, taking their league title's tally to a staggering 19, seeing them overtake their fiercest rivals Liverpool who are still languishing on 18, and have been since 1990.
This years honour saw Sir Alex Ferguson's personal haul reach an unbelievable 12 of the 19 on his own!!!
His side may not have been the vintage quality of previous teams constructed by the Scot but they certainly were effective, and deservedly took the title, as the league never lies, they were the best team.
Chelsea ended up second after a storming end to the campaign which looked unlikely at the end of January.
But a flurry of results pulled them close to United only to see their title challenge come to an end at the home of the Champions. Their manager Carlo Ancelotti took the brunt of the 'poor' season by being shown the door immediately after the final game against Everton, leaving Chelsea looking for their eighth, yes eighth manager in just seven years, an astounding statistic for a club that only did the double 365 days previous in the Italians first season at the helm.

United's neighbours City concreted their place in the Champions League proper next season by over-hauling Arsene Wenger's faltering Arsenal side to finish 3rd and the Londoners 4th. The City manager Roberto Mancini fulfilled his target of Top flight European football for the avid followers of The Blues. Also in his first season he managed to mastermind an F.A Cup victory giving the fans their first piece of silverware in 35 years.
Arsenal stuttered into the final Champions League spot with a drab end to their season, leaving Gooners feeling baffled at where it went wrong......again. Also more questions are now hovering around at whether Mr Wenger is still the man for the job due to yet another season with nothing to show for their efforts at playing truly brilliant football to watch.

Spurs and surprise package Liverpool battled to the final day for the Europa League spot with the London club coming out on top. Harry's Lillywhite's must be happy with their season this year, their first year in the Champions League giving them a good showing reaching the Quarter Finals but defeated by Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid over two legs, but Spurs introduced themselves on the European stage in great fashion beating some of the games giants. Their European adventure I feel hindered their domestic form slightly but they held on top pip the Merseysider's to fifth place.
The middle of the table saw the one-time relegation threatened Liverpool and Everton drag themselves out of the mire to finish strongly giving their fans a more optimistic outlook for next season.

The Red half under now confirmed new manager King Kenny, appointed caretaker boss following the sides poor start under Roy Hodgson, the Scot steered his beloved club out of the danger zone and amazingly into contention for the final European place, just falling short after a tiring run-in.
A good finish to the season by Everton saw them follow their neighbours out of the relegation zone and on the tails of the Red's showing their quality for a battle and brilliant guidance of David Moyes.
The drama turned very much to the bottom half of the table in the final few games as six teams battled to stay in the English top division.
The first team to suffer their fate was West Ham, a truly dismal season saw the Hammers drop into the Championship, and as a result Avram Grant lost his job.

This now leaves themselves looking for a new manager to guide them back into the Premier League. Star players such as Scott Parker and Robert Green will surely be sold to the highest bidder, making their return all the more difficult I'm sure. But overall, the Hammers deserved to go down, at times they showed great character, and others they were awful, truly truly awful, possibly the worst West Ham side I have seen for many years.
Their fate was sealed the penultimate weekend of the season, which left the remaining five teams above them to battle it out on the final weekend, a mouth-watering prospect, and it didn't disappoint.
It was simple, if your team started with the letter 'B' or 'W', your team was almost certain to be involved, the list was.....Blackburn, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wigan and Wolves. Goal difference was tight and the possibilities were endless with respect to results and permutations of those results.
As goals went in at the various grounds involving these teams, the picture changed it seemed by the minute, goals scored, goals against, and the point difference all came into action.

 The final standings saw Blackpool and Carling Cup winners Birmingham follow West Ham down into the country's second tier, Blackpool only having a solitary year in the top flight but gave the league a much needed breath of fresh air with regards to passion and hunger, none more so then their manager Ian Holloway who with his amusing press conferences and honest opinions, will be sorely missed next year.

So an overall view of the season passed.......Great for the Manchester clubs, both successful in the League and Cup's, United paving the way for yet another batch of players under Sir Alex and City for rising from the 'also-rans' into legitimate title contenders for next year, and reaching the Champions League.
A good season for Tottenham
Much the same target for the hungry Liverpool supporters who desperately want their club to end their title drought and under the management of Dalglish
The club's that escaped the drop will definitely look forward and look to strengthen their squads to keep them out of the dog-fight next time around, and the clubs that enter the Premier League on the 13th August, Champions Q.P.R, and fellow automatic placed Norwich both return to the top division after lengthy periods away, while the final place will go to either Swansea or Reading via the money-spinning Play-offs this Bank Holiday Monday.
All three teams will try to avoid returning immediately back to the Championship but with every season that passes the fine line between the two leagues getting thinner and thinner their tasks will be as hard as ever...

One last game i need to mention is the Champions League Final between Manchester United and Spanish giants Barcelona, staged at Wembley.

Both sides were crowned Champions of their domestic leagues, and in a fitting end to the season they face off in the European showpiece......Messi will take centre stage once again as he will go up against Wayne Rooney who has returned to form at just the right time for the English side.
Can United stifle the Barca attacking brilliance?? For me, no. They simply have to much of that, but I wouldn't be surprised if United push them to the end, as we all know, they never give up and ALWAYS score.
Personally I don't think they will outscore Barca, and many teams have tried many different styles in order to stem the attacking tide, and failed. I am going to plump for a 2-1 Barcelona win.....
In my opinion, this current Barcelona side is the best club side I have seen, possibly since the United side of Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Cantona, that type of era.
They are not far off the best team EVER, only the Brazil side of 1970 are better and that isn't by much nowadays as the likes of Messi continues to produce unbelievable performances almost every week.....
I hope this covers most of the points needed, you may not agree with me but I hope you can at least realise my points are valid more than not.
I wonder what the illustrious transfer window will bring.......I'll be keeping an eye on that and will be sharing my views on the happenings best I can.......

Time For Wenger To Go ?????

Another fruitless season for the Gunners this year....
At present, they are nine points behind Manchester United in the Premier league, no domestic trophy as far as the F.A Cup and League Cup, having lost to Birmingham in the later of the two.
Knocked out of the Champions League, all be-it by Barcelona, probably the best club side for the last ten years at least, no shame there, but once again Arsene Wenger's team end up empty handed for the sixth season in a row......yes SIX seasons.

Cesc Fabregas was given a bit of a roasting after he suggested that if Wenger was in charge of any other top club in Europe, then he would not still be in charge after so many failed seasons, and I cannot disagree with Fabregas' comments on that.
If Wenger was in charge of Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, A.C Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich......the list could go on, he simply wouldn't have lasted this many years without a single trophy.
Why is it then that the French thinker is still able to plod along with his team, playing wonderful football I agree but if that wins you nothing then is it worth playing that way ???
The main answer to Why ? and How ? is he still there is this, Arsene Wenger has NO-ONE to answer to. Yes he has to answer fans, through the media, and should be answering more on the pitch with victories in my opinion. But as far as owners, and the money men are concerned, there is not a single person he is answerable to, and this pretty much puts Arsene Wenger in charge of the entire club, and that can't be good for the future.


Yes he has single handedly taken Arsenal to the next level.
Yes he produced the first team to go unbeaten throughout a whole season, unbelievable.

Yes he nurtured such talents as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera to name a few.
Yes his side have finished in the top four consistently for a decade.

But if you look at the last six years, Arsenal have been, on average, a staggering 15 POINTS behind the eventual winners. With them being nine behind with four games left, this season isn't going to alter that to much either, so I think Wenger has taken the team as far as he can.
He is stubborn, and blind to the fact that the team HE has built, no-one else, HIS team just simply isn't good enough. Yes they have some outstanding talents but as a whole, they simply don't match up to a title winning side, and results can only prove that, facts do not lie, and the lack of trophies only highlight this further.
Now if Wenger was stubborn, stuck to his idea's and plans, as he has, and the team repaid his faith by winning something, then maybe no one could say anything, but as HIS way clearly hasn't worked, especially of late, I can only suggest he leaves, because no one has the authority to sack him do they???


So is he untouchable?? I think so, until the ownership of the club is sorted, with a single person taking the kind of control over the club which it badly needs, and no more so than now.


I have the up most respect for what he has done for the club, they are financially stable, within a couple more years they will be completely self sufficient and in total profit, he pushed through the plans for the stadium, he has introduced more grass route stuff at academy level, nurturing the young talent which has become Arsene Wenger's trademark now, I understand and believe that Arsenal Football Club most definitely wouldn't be the same if Wenger hadn't taken the job. BUT the time has come, he needs to let his good work be taken to the next level by a new manager, someone who will put their own stamp on the side, introducing something else to the Wenger mix, something that will take them to that next level that Arsene has been trying to get to.
Exactly who??? I don't know, really I don't, there are plenty of people out there though, perhaps someone like Martin O'Neill??? I really don't know, but what I do know is, that Arsenal have to move to the next level and I'm afraid that Arsene Wenger cannot take them there anymore......

Title Race to be over tonight???

So after Manchester United's rivals faltered AGAIN at the weekend with Arsenal blowing an 8th minute of added on time lead, due to a crazy challenge in the box which enabled Dirk Kuyt to score from the spot in a thrilling game at the Emirates.
United were involved in a pretty drab, by their standards, F.A cup semi final against their local rivals City at Wembley. They eventually lost and now are only looking to complete the double. Their chances of doing so will grow ten-fold tonight if they can dispatch a resilient Newcastle side at St James' Park.
United go into the game six points clear thanks to Liverpool's late late late equaliser, and if they can notch another win tonight the title is almost certainly theirs, although in my opinion it has been theirs for months now.
With the ever influential Wayne Rooney returning for the league leaders after two games out due to his rant at West Ham, twin that with the fact they lost Saturday to their local rivals, I can't see anything else but a huge backlash for Newcastle to defend against.

Newcastle though have steadied the ship since Alan Pardew was appointed as manager, they have enjoyed some pretty decent form going into this game and won't fear the Red Devils, as they have managed to score a few goals of late despite the departure of Andy Carroll to Liverpool this January.
United have no shortage of goal-scoring outlets as they look to close in on their record breaking 19th title, one that which will see them overtake the Liverpool club in that tally. Although this season's title will maybe give Sir Alex Ferguson his biggest satisfaction, his team is not the type of team he has built over past seasons but they still have the knack of getting results without playing to well, which they haven't done at all this season, by their own high standards.
Saying that Ferguson's team are starting to hit form, eerily at the right time as they do so often late in the season, a reason they have won so many trophies, they simply never give up and always seem to do JUST enough.

Tonight I see the game being fairly tight, until United score, and as famously said, they ALWAYS score. With Rooney returning and no doubt desperate to prove a point, add that to the fact he was missing for the cup exit, I'm sure he'll have a lot to say in the game this evening. The team as a whole will be looking for a win to exert their frustrations of being knocked out the elite domestic competition, and no-one would bet against them getting it tonight to confirm their intentions of breaking Liverpool's record, which of course will bring great joy to anyone connected with Manchester United, none more so than Sir Alex himself.
Once United score, I can see Newcastle struggling to keep it to one, they will have to attack, even if it is just a little bit, this will inevitably play into the hands of United and in turn they will get more chances as the game opens up. So I predict a 1-3, United to ease past Newcastle and if they do win, I think it confirms them as Champions......

Is Ancelotti To Blame???

I ask you, the public, who is to blame for Chelsea's poor season?
I have heard many conversations from many different sources, and the three names that always come up are Carlo Ancelotti, Roman Abramovich and bizarrely Fernando Torres??!!!
Now, as a football fan, and someone who has played the game, I can make a case for each of the first two in that shortlist, but not for the Spanish striker.

Fernando Torres is a world class striker, no discussion, yes he is way out of form, yes he hasn't reached his own high standards for a season or so, but a player of that calibre doesn't become a bad player overnight, the instinct doesn't disappear, the goal scoring knack doesn't dissipate, so why hasn't he got off of the mark for his new club following his £50 million move from Liverpool??

Well, here's what I think. Liverpool had the likes of Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard who when they received the ball, instantly they looked for the run of Torres, trying to put him in behind the defense and release him as early as possible. Whereas at Chelsea, they do not play that way, with the midfield players such as Lampard and Essien the ball gets worked wide, using the two attacking players that play on the wings along side Drogba. This then gives Lampard and Essien the opportunity to make runs into the box and in return they get their goals as we are all aware that Lampard does on a very regular basis.

I have watched Torres for Chelsea and as soon as a midfielder receives the ball he is still looking for the quick release, but it never comes, because the rest of the team are not used to playing that way. The more patient build up is what they are used to and have had alot a success with so why should they change???

I thought the signing of Torres would give Drogba the kick up the ass he needed as I felt he has been coasting this season, rather than feeling his place in the team was threatened in any capacity. But what has materialised is that he clearly feels disgruntled and doesn't want to play with the new £50 million man.

As a result the manager is then put in a predicament, does he stick to his guns and play HIS team, an approach that won them the double just last season?? Stick with Drogba, Malouda and Anelka and leave the new addition on the bench?? Or does he play Torres and risk people slating him for the lack of form and goals of the front man?? Needless to say I think Torres is in no way responsible for the poor finish to the season, of course if he had hit the ground running and got off the mark in his first game the situation may well be different, but Chelsea fans will see the best of Torres next season, when he and the team have a pre-season to build around him, because at £50 million, that's the kind of player you HAVE to build the team around.

Next person into the dock is Abramovich.The enigmatic owner, the billionaire who likes to get involved with the footballing side of things.....straight away this is a lose lose situation. This was one of the big reasons we now no longer have 'the Special One' in the English game.

When you are a business man who has succeeded like the Russian, you do have the right to be involved as much as you want, but only when your opinion is valid, and in the footballing arena it is not.

I believe that Torres was HIS signing, not Ancelotti's, this puts immediate pressure on the manager. If he rolls over and plays Torres, even though he is clearly out of sorts, and Torres doesn't perform/score, and he has to bring him off, he gets daggers from the owner. If he leaves him on and he still doesn't perform, it looks even worse, if he brings him off and Drogba comes on and puts in a performance like he did against Manchester United Tuesday night, it must feel good from a managers point of view, if, Torres wasn't his signing. If Ancelotti did want Torres then why does he look so confused and much like a man banging his head against a brick wall during games??

Ancelotti looks like he'll be given his marching orders at the end of a fruitless campaign, so is the Russian roulette working? Er..no. You can't keep changing managers and expect to stay one of Europe's big teams, there is no sense in it at all. Ancelotti delivered the double last season, so surely he deserves time???

Last but by no means least is Ancelotti himself, the Italian as i said delivered the double to Stamford Bridge last year, his team flew out of the blocks at the beginning of the season winning I think it was eight out of eight in the opening couple of months, and in doing so scoring plenty of goals. With the start they had, many people had already crowned them champions again come the end of September, me for one of those.

Every team has a bad spell and Chelsea's was disastrous, and in that bad spell they lost alot of ground in the title race and even slumped to sixth. Cue the panic buy of Torres, now whoever signed him, he will be a star for them, but for a January but I was never convinced it would change their fortunes in the league, maybe so in the Champions League but not domestically. They managed to pluck David Luiz from abroad and he certainly added something they were missing, but Torres was always going to create more problems than solutions for the rest of the season.

So in my opinion, I blame Abramovich and Ancelotti. The Russian for interfering with football matters no matter how trivial, and Ancelotti for not having the balls to stand up for what he believes in. Ancelotti wasn't happy about the sacking of Ray Wilkins earlier in the season, he should have issued Abramovich an ultimatum over that, and again over NOT playing Torres against Manchester United in the second leg, he should have told Roman that he wanted to play Drogba and leave the mis-firing Torres on the bench, and if he didn't like it then resign. They are massive decisions but one's I think the manager should have made, or at least in some part. Because come the end of May he will not be getting any sympathy or thanks from the Russian owner I can tell you.

Who do you blame?? Tell me if I am wrong.......please do

Harry Houdini????

Is it a possibility?? Can Spurs dream?? Are Real the REAL deal??
All questions will be answered by 9.35ish this evening that's for sure.

Sorry to sound a bit Rafael Benitez here but these are the facts:

• No team has ever overturned a four goal lead in the Champions League.

• Harry Rednapp has NEVER beaten a Jose Mourinho side.

• Tottenham have NEVER scored a single goal against Real Madrid.

So have Spurs got any good news going into this gargantuan fixture with a seemingly impossible task of turning over a four goal deficit against the Spanish giants????
Honestly.......not really.
But as an optimist I will try to give Tottenham fans some hope......

Two years ago Real Madrid travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool in the last 16 of the competition, the Spanish team did on that occasion trail the English side by an away goal BUT they disintegrated under severe pressure of the sheer speed of the attacking Liverpool side. The speed which is an earmark of the English game which very few foreign teams simply cannot live with, hence the English dominance in European competitions.
Liverpool proceeded to trounce the Madrid side 4-0 in the home leg and running out 5-0 winners on aggregate. On that night Real Madrid literally fell apart and Liverpool took their chances and were deserved winners. Real were simply outclassed in every department, the Spanish side do not normally travel well so why can't Tottenham put in a similar performance tonight? The scoreline would certainly be enough if they could.
The problem Spurs will have is scoring four, or more, without Madrid notching at the other end. Mourinho has already warned Tottenham that will have to get SIX if they want to progress and I for one can't disagree with that. If Madrid score then they will need six, and that is almost un-do-able.

The difference from the Madrid side from two years ago is simple, this is not a Real Madrid side, this is a Jose Mourinho Real Madrid side, and for that reason and that reason only I have to say Spurs have come to the end of their European adventure, an adventure in which they have breathed a huge amount of life and alternative football into this competition and they certainly haven't let anyone down this year.
Harry is a supreme manager and of course they will give it a go, if they can get an early-ish goal, maybe a second before half time then it really could be interesting, but I feel they will either run out of time, or they themselves concede early on.
On the basis of all of the above, I am going to predict a 3-1 scoreline tonight, Spurs will have to give it a go, but Real will score if Tottenham get three, but overall a good effort from the only London side left in the competition........for now.

Carroll notches......at the double...

If the departed El Nino aka Fernando Torres is worth 50 million pounds then the zero's that must be either printed on the fibrous fabric of English pound notes, or the pixelated zero's on a computerised pay cheque with regards to both of Torres' replacements at Anfield.
Both Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez put in performances last night, that EVERY Liverpool supporter would loved to have seen come from the previous number nine. But since 'FT's' departure, ( FT is what many red's fans now call Torres as they can't bring themselves top say his name) the two men that were bought with the proceeds of his sale, have both significantly overshadowed the Spaniard with both quality and more noticeably work rate.

We all know the non-stop ethics of Dirk Kuyt, but in Luis Suarez you get the work that Kuyt puts in, twinned with extreme talent and a directness of movement that Liverpool have missed since the enigmatic Robbie Fowler left Anfield for pastures new.
Carroll, still fighting for match fitness after his long lay off also put in a brilliant 90minute performance, working hard and shutting down defenders, winning headers and giving Liverpool a longer option when needed from the back.
He was rewarded for his work with two sublime finishes from very different aspects of his armoury. The first was a crashing strike from twenty yards out after he himself had won back possession, the ball was picked up by Meireles who lined up a very speculative shot from forty-odd yards which bounced back off of a City defender and in front of Carroll, he proceeded to smash a shot first time with the instep which flew passed Hart in between the sticks.

Man City rallied for a bit but only really threatened through Adam Johnson on the right hand side, he had a couple of runs but none had the finishing touch the endeavour deserved, and this was the entire match as City looked pretty toothless all night and never troubled Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal.
Liverpool doubled their lead through the tireless Kuyt, he dispatched a beautifully placed side foot shot after a pretty scrappy minute or so where the ball bounced and bobbled in the City area before ball finally broke to Kuyt and he finished with a strike right out of the top drawer and Liverpool deserved their two goal lead.
Ninety seconds later and the game was killed off, Meireles picked the ball up out wide on the left, he cut back inside and delivered an inviting ball into the box with only Carroll to aim at, and that was all there needed to be as Carroll outfought Kolarov to flick an inch perfect header just inside Hart's far post and the Red's were giving the Kop something to cheer about.
Maybe it was Mancini's selection? I don't think so, the team spoke for itself, there was plenty in there to get a result they would have been hoping for, City were just so poor, only Johnson showed any kind of quality until David Silva was put on in the second half, but by then the rest of his team mates had already given up.
Suarez continued to find holes left right and centre, pulling the defense around on his own and there were definitely promising signs of the partnership between the two red's front men, exciting times for Liverpool ahead I can say, if last night was anything to go by.

Tonight see's the battle of Britain take centre stage again, Manchester United take their away goal back to Old Trafford and welcome Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League Quarter Final.
I can't see the Blue's doing enough at the Theatre of Dreams but stranger things have happened and Chelsea certainly have the firepower, surely Torres must get on the score sheet sooner rather than later and I wouldn't put it passed him to net here, but I think United will score and I am going to plump for a 1-1 draw........