We're still in a very good position to win the League!

This is a very good piece of article. The type that is worth reading.

Sad that a lot of the fans have all, but throw in the towel concerning our title bid. While I am tired of the oft used signature comment by our Master tactician, Rafa Benitez, I still think We're still in a very good position to win the league.

Liverpool inquests don't require evidence from Fernando Torres

Many newspapers are reporting that Rafa Benitez is 'downbeat' after defeat to Middlesbrough - a defeat that leaves Manchester United with enough space to canter home unless it evokes memories of Devon Loch in the finishing straight.  But whilst most top managers would be downbeat after losing to a team in the relegation zone - there are plenty of reasons for Liverpool to be upbeat right now.

This remains the best league season that Liverpool has had in recent years; not since Gerard Houllier's 'ten games from greatness' moment in 2002 has Liverpool been this close to the title in March.  Only a once-in-a-generation run from Manchester United has knocked the stuffing out of title race.
And yet if Liverpool wins tonight the gap at the top will be four points; and games in hand can be lost as well as won.

In Europe Liverpool is on the brink of eliminating Real Madrid and must be about due another run to the final.  Liverpool is also provisionally considered the top team in Europe over the last five years according to Uefa's coefficient scoring system, with 114.143 points from 2004-9, ahead of Milan (110.406), Chelsea (110.143) and Barcelona (109.428).  Although the official figures will still show Chelsea as number one because Uefa only currently recognises European results from 2003-8 as counting.

The league and European records are enough justification for Rafa Benitez; so I'm unsure why he has now turned to suggesting that Liverpool's season has been blown off course by injuries to Fernando Torres.  Torres is having something off a difficult second season, missing twelve league games out of twenty-seven.  But he appears to be a sharp player who, unlike Michael Owen say, is quickly back into his stride once he regains fitness.  Given Benitez's mastery of statistics it seems an odd claim.

Statistically Liverpool has won the five league games where Torres has scored, but Liverpool concedes so few goals that it usually wins games it scores in.  Liverpool has scored in 21 league games this season - winning 16 of them.

The simple truth is that Liverpool is lagging in the league because of too many home draws.

Increasing research and planning at the poorer (in cash terms) Premier League clubs means that most of the top teams are struggling to win home games; the only club that has cracked the secret of home success this season is the one leading the division.  Whether Torres is in the team or not, this season, the results that Liverpool achieves are not statistically different.  But why should an inquest be convening now? The league is still there to be fought for and hunting around for reasons to be miserable should not be on the Liverpool manager's agenda; he should be signing his contract, seeing off Sunderland at Anfield and plotting a win at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

Link

Liverpool League Games With Torres

16-08-2008 English Premier Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool - Torres Goals: 1

23-08-2008 English Premier Liverpool 2-1 Middlesbro

31-08-2008 English Premier Aston Villa 0-0 Liverpool

20-09-2008 English Premier Liverpool 0-0 Stoke

27-09-2008 English Premier Everton 0-2 Liverpool - Torres Goals: 2

05-10-2008 English Premier Man City 2-3 Liverpool - Torres Goals: 2

08-11-2008 English Premier Liverpool 3-0 West Brom

15-11-2008 English Premier Bolton 0-2 Liverpool

22-11-2008 English Premier Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

10-01-2009 English Premier Stoke 0-0 Liverpool

19-01-2009 English Premier Liverpool 1-1 Everton

28-01-2009 English Premier Wigan 1-1 Liverpool

01-02-2009 English Premier Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea - Torres Goals: 2

07-02-2009 English Premier Portsmouth 2-3 Liverpool - Torres Goals: 1

22-02-2009 English Premier Liverpool 1-1 Man City

W8 D7 L0 F21 (Torres 8 goal) A8; Points per game: 2.1; Goals scored per game: 1.4


Liverpool League Games Without Torres

English Premier Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd 13-09-2008

English Premier Liverpool 3-2 Wigan 18-10-2008

English Premier Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool 26-10-2008

English Premier Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth 29-10-2008

English Premier Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool 01-11-2008

English Premier Liverpool 0-0 West Ham 01-12-2008

English Premier Blackburn 1-3 Liverpool 06-12-2008

English Premier Liverpool 2-2 Hull 13-12-2008

English Premier Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool 21-12-2008

English Premier Liverpool 3-0 Bolton 26-12-2008

English Premier Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool 28-12-2008

English Premier Middlesbro 2-0 Liverpool 28-02-2009


W7 D3 L2 F22 A12; Points per game: 2.0; Goals scored per game 1.8[/I][/color]
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All is not lost yet. Still 33 point for us to grab. Man U will falter along the way.

Solodee, I hope you're right mate.

All we can do is do everything in our power to make sure we win our remaining fixtures and hope them Manc bas**rds slip up along the way.

I don't care if we beat them by a single point on the last day of the season...just as long as we do it.

I know it's hard but I'm trying to hold my head up high while we walk through this storm.

I don't care if we beat them by a single point on the last day of the season...just as long as we do it.

That would make it that much sweeter!

I haven't thrown in the towel but I wouldn't say we were in a very good position to win the league.

Good article though although to be fair on Torres, on most occassions he has played he has either been returning from injury and not fully fit, which does mask the statistics. 

Good Article.

Torres makes a big difference to our side, that is why were unbeating with him in the team this season and without him we have lost twice.

Think about it, Torres would have easily finished off the Kuyt, El Zhar and Babel chance(s) at Boro but because he was injured, we wasn't clincal enough with our finishing and Boro just caught us out with an OG and a counter attack.

Same applies with Spurs, we hit the bar around 3 times and had alot of good chances - Torres would have scored at least one.

If we want to win the League we need a fully-fit Fernando Torres and a fit Daniel Agger imo, Torres scoring the chances which the likes of Kuyt and El Zhar didn't take. While Agger is keeping the Defence tight instead of Skrtel and his forward runs do help us alot.

Aren't we still undefeated with Agger?

Stop kidding around with such articles.If we are in a very good position then Chelsea are in an even better position.Its alright being optimistic but we cant become blind to the facts.

Rather than saying we are still in a very good position I would say we are in a very tight spot as far as winning the title is concerned but we need to roll our sleeves up,take the bull by its horns & come out firing.We win it or not,we need to play at the level we are capable of atleast from now on so that no one can say we didnt give those bas**rds a fight for their life.

I ain't over till it's over.
Good article Solodee.

One of the few positives we can take out of this season is that we know we can challenge the top teams in England and as well in Europe. We know we can challenge for the league title. We haven't been outside 3rd this season, i think.

Look at the League table and you'd be surprised at our position even though we only had our star striker for half of those games. Fernando would certainly have made a difference had he played every single game but this is life and football, and every team has injuries. Least we know we can win games without Fernando. And of course, you don't expect him to score a brace in his first start after a long lay off as he needs to regain his fitness. While doing so, he gets injured again - so that makes it very difficult for him.

We are not in a very good position but we are still in a position to win the league. Hope may be fading but it's not lost(yet!).

Stop kidding around with such articles.If we are in a very good position then Chelsea are in an even better position.Its alright being optimistic but we cant become blind to the facts.

Rather than saying we are still in a very good position I would say we are in a very tight spot as far as winning the title is concerned but we need to roll our sleeves up,take the bull by its horns & come out firing.We win it or not,we need to play at the level we are capable of atleast from now on so that no one can say we didnt give those bas**rds a fight for their life.

Totally agree mate, we need to start putting in performances now, the Boro game was a shambles and unacceptable, we need to start winning again and then the league will sort itself out.

Stop kidding around with such articles.If we are in a very good position then Chelsea are in an even better position.Its alright being optimistic but we cant become blind to the facts.

Rather than saying we are still in a very good position I would say we are in a very tight spot as far as winning the title is concerned but we need to roll our sleeves up,take the bull by its horns & come out firing.We win it or not,we need to play at the level we are capable of atleast from now on so that no one can say we didnt give those bas**rds a fight for their life.

Very well put ^^^.

There's no real harm done by trying to stay up-beat in the face of adversity but sometimes we should be asking ourselves who we're kidding. Ninety nine times out of a hundred we pan the "media" but, when it suits, we grasp at straws by parading articles (like above) to give some of us succor.

The thing is: If we were all (honestly) so confident; then we wouldn't need the fine pillow of comfort such articles and statistics give us. Obviously it's not impossible (mathematically) to win the league at this point but fans just believing that we can do it ain't enough.

Let's start by setting a team out to win every game then...... just hope.

Let's start by setting a team out to win every game then...... just hope.

I did up untill this morning believe we  have no chance of winning the league. But after reading posts from positive and die heart reds like Solodee im feeling its still a possibility. Like you said we should just just hope we win every game. I believe we can and I would put money on it.

I just hope you negative fans are not attending a match at Anfield any time soon. If I get a chance to go again ill give 100% support to the team and scream my f**king head off.

anything is possible

I can forgive them anything other than lethargy. If they get stuck in to the end of the season and win nothing then at least they could be seen to have given it a go.Thats all I have ever asked if we win something thats always a bonus. Performance comes first trophies follow.

Trophies come from the work and effort you've put in.

Like Jamie Carragher said, trophies are won when you've put alot into the season, not just in 90 minutes.

The best if the reds can win all their remaining fixtures n hope tat Mancester United slips up

Well done Soladee a positive Red and your not on your own, what if the players threw in the towel where would we then be, it's not impossible until the maths say different.

Don't let the fuckers grind you down.         

Sorry,people who think we  can still win the premiership are living in dreamland! Our form at home has surely cost the Reds the title after such a great start, We have just got to make sure to finish runners up and qualify for the champions league next season without playing in any qualifying round
Sad

Just win well tonight and start from there, its not over yet no matter how much the media may think it is ,dreams are possible this club was built on peoples dreams and that's why its the most successful club in the land .

Good topic! I still think it's possible for us to win, but im way more realistic about it. Sunday really knocked me because up until then i really really really believed we were going to win, i put my heart and soul into believing it so when the possibility hit that we might not, i was devastated. Now, im still positive but i've accepted that it is is going to be very difficult. Winning tonight will be our first step in putting up a real fight until the end. I know we can do it, hope the fans tonight are vocal, because i'm sure that will help the players a lot!

As we knock off the opposition, one game at a time, We will close that gap.

We have Man U in less than two weeks! We can win that game too.

All we can do is take it one game at a time, and so long as we take each game with the same desire as we did in most of tonights match who knows.  OK we are now relying on Manure to make a few slip ups but one of those WILL be against us, they've also got a few other tough games to get through so who knows.

I'm certainly not giving up hope!!

A lot of people assume that the scum will win the title................... .........but we all know that assumption is the mother of all F**k-ups.........anything can happen.                                        

As we knock off the opposition, one game at a time, We will close that gap.

We have Man U in less than two weeks! We can win that game too.

Well said! Winning the league is not in our hands- but its possible. One game at a time.