Okay.
Firstly, please be thinking of Brad Jones and Dani Lawrence on the
death of their son, Luca, who suffered from leukemia for most of his
short life. Brad is a goalkeeper with LFC and Dani is his long-time
partner, and I cannot imagine what their struggle.
Secondly, Gary Speed, the Wales national team manager, committed
suicide and was found in his home early this morning. He was a great
player with Leeds and Everton, among other clubs, and though I certainly
didn’t follow his playing or managerial careers, the outpouring of
grief from the football community has been incredible. He was only 42,
and Wales have been much improved since he took over. It’s come as a
real shock-and it should be a reminder that depression is a serious
matter, just as Robert Enke’s death was two years ago. Please talk to
someone if you ever feel like it’s too much, and please reach out to
friends and family if you notice anything wrong with them. The fact that
this tragedy was such a surprise shows the power of depression to
absolutely consume someone’s life if they don’t get help. RIP, Gary, and
my thoughts are with your family and friends.
Thirdly. Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool.
- I was so beyond thrilled with the win over Chelsea last weekend,
and I’m fairly pleased with today’s draw with City. Dalglish showed a
willingness to experiment a little with his starting XI, and though I
think many of us would’ve liked to see the same XI from last weekend
start today, understandably it didn’t work out that way. (For one, Craig
Bellamy, who plays for Wales, was withdrawn by the LFC staff because of
Gary Speed’s death. Quite rightfully, too. Football wasn’t what
mattered today.) - I think this recent run of success is especially significant because
neither Gerrard nor Carragher have been in the side. Frankly, with the
way the Skrtel-Agger (Skagger?) partnership has developed in the back,
I’m not sure when Carra will see the pitch again. He’s a Liverpool
legend, but he’s aging and those two have been so good as of late that
it’s only right that they remain in the first XI for now. Gerrard, he of
the Groin of Glass, has now apparently injured his ankle, and it’s
serious enough that there’s no word on his projected return. Certainly
these two are iconic, stalwart leaders of the side, but they’re both
near the end of their careers and-as much as it pains me to say it-may
never enjoy an extended spell of playing time and success with Liverpool
again. Carra’s stated publicly that he is going to move into a coaching
capacity over time, and if Skrtel and Agger can continue their form
(with Coates and possibly Martin Kelly waiting in the wings), that move
may begin this season. It’s a shame, but it’s part of football and
always has been. Gerrard’s situation is a little different, but if his
fitness problems continue, there’s no telling when or if he’ll be back
to top form. - LUCAS. I honestly-I don’t even know what to say. He has been so, so
massive for the last two seasons, and I think he may have played his
best game ever with Liverpool today. He was everywhere. Silva
and Aguero went missing for certain stretches, and that’s down to Lucas
generally working his ass off to track their runs and tackle back. As
for the people saying that he’s not as good going forward, that he can’t
fill the Alonso role because he doesn’t have the same eye for
distribution: get fucked. For me, he’s the first name on the teamsheet
(after Reina). Yeah, yeah, some say that Suarez/Enrique/Maxi are
crucial to our success. Fuck that noise. Lucas has been to LFC
this season what a garbageman (or woman) is to your city: a person just
performing his or her job, day after day, doing the dirty work no one
else wants to take on, and doing it so well that you don’t even realize
his or her importance until he or she is suddenly not there anymore.
Lucas picks up the trash. (And, as someone pointed out on the Liverpool
Offside, he calls out his haters on Twitter like he plays. Clean. No frills. Just a simple, solid smackdown.) - I still think Jose Enrique is our best summer signing, full-stop.
(And I am a total Downing fangirl.) But he’s been kind of shit the past
two games, and Glen Johnson, offensive superstar (who knew? No, this
does not mean he should play on the wing), has been kind of awesome.
Interesting. - Balotelli continues to be one weird motherfucker. Not that I’m
complaining. But apparently he damaged the door to the visitors’
dressing room at Anfield after being sent off for acquiring two yellows
in his eighteen minutes on the pitch. (Hee.) - I’d get into some tactics here, but I’m tired, and let’s be real-Zonal Marking does it way better than I ever would.