Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1 (Joe Cole 0!)

Well, I think we can term that an inauspicious league debut for our marquee signing of the season. Although I took part in a spirited discussion (okay, more of a shouting match) with the two Arsenal supporters at the table about Joe Cole’s red card, I have to admit that most referees would probably have done the same thing Martin Atkinson did when Cole lunged two-footed at fellow debutant Laurent Koscielny. The red card came at the end of a poor first half in which Arsenal were definitely the better team, although chances were still hard to come by for either side. I did not know what to expect from us in the second half after that setback but I did expect Arsenal to come out blazing and continue to dominate. That surprisingly did not happen as David Ngog, yes him, scored a quite good goal. The Arsenal fans were barracking Manuel Almunia for that one though, as the ball went in at the near post but it was a well-taken strike from the usually profligate Frenchman. From then on, Liverpool should and could have scored another goal as Arsenal were strangely subdued. They did come back into it later on in the game as the ten men tired and, and the pressure finally paid off as Pepe Reina, having just made a spectacular save from lively sub Tomas Rosicky, got tangled up with Marouane Chamakh and after a shot rebounded off a post, Reina fumbled the ball into his own net. A frantic last few minutes saw Stevie Gerrard have a goal-bound free kick blocked by Almunia and Theo Walcott missing a chance at the other end but honours were even at the finish. A fair result overall, and I think most Liverpool fans would have taken a draw after Cole’s red card.

My impression of Liverpool was of a team still gelling, especially in attack. Cole started in what is supposedly his favoured position behind lone striker Ngog but didn’t manage to link up with him or Gerrard very often. It’s possible that Fernando Torres would be a better partner for Cole; we missed out on seeing that as Torres only came on with 20 or so minutes to go to little impact. Gerrard played deeper alongside Mascherano (he’s still here? Does nobody want him after all?) and was busy in defense, especially in the first half. The wings remain a problem, although both Kuyt, of course, and new signing Milan Jovanovic worked hard. Jovanovic did go on an impressive mazy run in the first half that showed some of his ability. As for Arsenal, they threatened at times in the first half to open us up quite easily. They certainly missed Fabregas and Van Persie, the latter of whom only came on late in the match and hardly touched the ball. Despite the best efforts of the Nigerian to induce some sort of Reds-Gunners rivalry, I would really like to see Arsenal do well this season if it isn’t going to be us. Arsene Wenger’s footballing philosophy is hard to argue with and his teams are always a pleasure to watch. I’d much rather it be the Arse winning anything rather than Chelski or Man Poo. Chamakh up front looks a handful, and Koscielny, despite a late red card of his own, seems a worthy partner for Thomas Vermaelen in defense. A left back has to be a priority for us as Daniel Agger, talented as he is across the defensive line, isn’t the answer.

I’m off to play with my new smartphone (yup, already got three football-related apps installed and a Liverpool wallpaper). I guess I can microblog from anywhere now, but I think I’ll spare the world that dubious pleasure.

Capello’s coterie

The big news today (at least in the English press) is Theo Walcott’s exclusion from Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. I still think he’s probably a better impact substitute than Shaun Wright-Phillips (Aaron Lennon seems to have claimed the starting right midfield berth) but Capello has gone for the experience of Wright-Phillips and probably his habit of scoring goals in an England shirt. Capello also went for experience in picking Joe Cole over Adam Johnson for a possible left-midfield berth or, more likely, coming off the bench. Cole was one of the few players to acquit himself in the friendly against Japan and has played his way into the team. The same cannot be said for Tom Huddlestone, who was part of a horrible first half against Japan and lost his place to Michael Carrick, who isn’t much better in my mind but does have more big-game experience in his time with Man Poo. He isn’t too likely to feature if Gareth Barry recovers from his ankle injury, as is expected. It is a little disappointing that just like in the last two World Cups, there is an injured English player going to the World Cup even if Barry isn’t in the same talismanic league as Beckham in 2002 or Rooney in 2006.

The best names on a final World Cup squad probably belong to the hosts South Africa. It would have been even more awesome if Innocent Mdedle had made the squad. Will South Africa have a tragic first round as indicated by the inclusion of MacBeth [Sibaya]? Or will they spring a Surprise [Moriri] and win their group, caning France and Mexico along the way like they did Guatemala yesterday? More seriously, all-time top scorer Benni McCarthy has been left out of the squad, probably because he’s fat.

In other friendly news (yes, I gave up the friendly puns, aren’t you happy, Pastor?), Australia beat Denmark 1-0 earlier today and in about an hour, Cameroon take on Portugal and the Netherlands play Ghana. Both matches actually look like they could be interesting contests, even if they are warm-up games. I am especially curious to see how the African teams progress. I really want an African team in the semifinals; Cameroon look the strongest at the moment. (I’m unceremoniously abandoning the Algerians, they should have never trusted me.) Also curious to see if the portents of doom regarding Portugal are justified.

I never thought I’d say this, but Pastor I miss you. Come back and make me feel stupid again. It is my lot in life, and I am learning to accept it.

Group C: Capello’s comeuppance

We’ve already talked extensively about England so I only have a bit more to add. The final 23 still hasn’t been announced and Capello has given Gareth Barry even more time to recover, indicative of how important Capello feels Barry is to his plans. A school of thought definitely has been vocally suggesting that Gerrard should play through the middle behind Rooney like he does for Liverpool with Fernando Torres. It certainly is true that during the second half against Mexico when Gerrard moved in from the left, he linked up with Rooney dangerously a few times. Lampard should be used to playing slightly to the left of midfield from his exploits with Chelsea, with Barry or Huddlestone shielding the defense. In the latter stages of a match, impact subs like Defoe/Crouch, Lennon/Walcott (depending on who starts), and A. Johnson/J. Cole (depending on who makes the team) could return the team to a more familiar 4-4-2.

England should win this group but it is rare that England do what they’re supposed to do. Even when they do, they don’t make it easy. The English press doesn’t help either, and players capable of ruling the world with their clubs all of a sudden look like schoolboys playing their first big match as soon as they don an England shirt. This is exactly what teams like Slovenia, USA and Algeria will be seeking. The big European teams don’t fear England any more but they are still a big scalp for smaller teams like the ones England will be facing. They especially have to watch out for Algeria. I’m going to go out on this very rickety looking limb here and say that Algeria will be the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup (of course, if they lose to Ireland in the friendly tomorrow, my rickety limb will come crashing down early). They remind me a bit of Turkey in 2002. Technically proficient and very passionate, they have a lot of players that are based in France (obviously) and some that even played for French national youth and under-21 teams. Their weaknesses will be a lack of discipline and possibly a paucity of goals, although I think their midfield is capable of making up for that. Slovenia beat Guus Hiddink’s Russia to make the World Cup but I don’t think they are capable of coming through the first round. They are organized and they won’t be easy to beat so they should not be underestimated but I don’t see them scoring a lot.

Finally, the Americans will be looking to once again make their mark on world football. They’ve had their flashes of success but their coach has used a lot of players in qualifying and I don’t see the team playing as a solid unit. Still, their inconsistency makes them hard to predict. They are organized, capable of a good possession game and are a danger from set-pieces (something England will definitely have to watch out for in that first game). Landon Donovan had a good cameo at Everton earlier in the season, but I fear that the Americans depend too much on him.

I see England winning the group but suffering a draw against Algeria. USA and Slovenia could be a draw but I think the US might win this game but will still finish third behind Algeria. Like you said, Pastor, England could possibly avoid big names until the semifinals but if Germany have a hiccup in their group, they could face them in the second round. Even then, a Ghana or Serbia won’t be a pushover.

I leave you with this from Wikipedia.

Half-time England vs Mexico quick notes

–Capello surprised me a little bit by going with a pretty straight-forward 4-4-2 formation with Gerrard on the left and Rooney and Crouch up front. Rob Green starts the game; I expect Joe Hart to take over goalkeeping duties in the 2nd half.

–Mexico dominated this half possession-wise, England sat back far too deep despite the exhortations of Green.

–Green made a couple of good saves but higher quality strikers would have scored with the opportunities that Mexico had.

–England’s second goal had three elements of luck: Crouch was offside, Rooney’s header was saved but the save hit the crossbar and looped up, and finally, Crouch hand-balled it in.

–Milner and Carrick are giving away the ball too much in midfield and not doing enough to cut out passing channels.

–Rooney-Gerrard-Cole combination down the left could be quite productive during the Cup. Leighton Baines has not convinced this half.

–Theo Walcott has shown a bit of speed but no product. Crouch looks a better bet than Heskey up front.

–England’s two goals owe more to poor Mexican defending rather than English ability. Mexico deserved their goal, England were sleeping a bit when the corner came in though.