Entertainment Slaves

Chelsea suffered a first leg defeat at San Siro

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:31:00 +0000

Chelsea was defeated by their former manger Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in their Champions league last 16 tie. Match was ended at the score 2-1.

Chelsea was shocked in the early minutes when Milito scored the opening goal in the 3^rd minute. John Terry’s poor defending gave Milito the opportunity to have a go at the goal. Chelsea soon started to dominate the game. But they were unlucky as Drogba’s free kick hit the cross bar in the 15^th minute. Chelsea was denied a penalty claim at the closing minutes of first half when Salomon Kalou was brought down in the penalty box.

In the 53^rd minute Chelsea equalised through Kalou but the party ended when Cambiasso put Milan ahead within 4 minutes. He drilled a volley in to the net as Chelsea goal keeper stood as a spectator. Chelsea was ahead in all departments but could not deliver what was needed. Inter Milan was very determined and organised in their defence. Chelsea’s Anelka was clearly struggling as he could not do anything significant.

Chelsea’s Peter Cech was injured and substituted during the game. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has only the away goal as a relief as the second leg will be at Stamford Bridge.

Sachin led India to victory in style

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:31:00 +0000

It was a day where all other things meant nothing except the record set by Tendulkar, the one record we were all waiting to be broken by our little master. India defeated South Africa by 153 runs in the second ODI, thanks to the record breaking batting of Sachin Tendulkar who became the first batsman in the history to score a double century in ODIs.

Although India lost Virender Sehwag early, Sachin and Karthik took the match away from South Africa with their record 194 run partnership. India maintained a good run rate throughout the innings. Later Yousuf Pathan and Dhoni provided the acceleration to help India reach their total of 401 for 3 wickets. But it was all Sachin throughout the innings. His innings was not about power or aggression it was just elegance. He made 200 not out from 147 balls. Karthik made 79 runs and Dhoni added a whirlwind 68 off just 35 balls. Everyone was on their edge of their seats when Tendulkar was batting on 199 with just 4 balls remaining. But he was destined to write history.

South Africans could not repeat the run chase they made against Australians when they chased down 438. Wickets fell regularly and only de Villiers provided some resistance with 114 runs. Sreesanth took 3 wickets. Eventually they were all out for 238 runs.

With this win India gained an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three match series. The last match has no significance as India’s no.2 ranking will not be affected by its result.

India won a thriller by just 1 run

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:07:00 +0000

South African tail-enders almost pulled a victory out of India’s hands in the first ODI. The ninth wicket partnership of 65 runs between Wayne Parnell (49 runs off 47 balls) and Dale Steyn (35 off 19 balls) nearly did the trick for the proteas. They were all out for 297 in reply for India’s 298.

Jacques Kallis who was captaining their side shone both with bat and ball. He top scored with 89 runs and also claimed 3 wickets for 29 runs from 7 overs. Indian batting was led by Suresh Raina (58), Virender Sehwag (46) and Dinesh Karthik (44). It was Ravindra Jadeja’s spell of 2 for 29 from 10 overs that brought the match in the control of India.

Although India is 1-0 up in the three match series, India will have some concerns about their bowling department. The match could have finished much earlier had it not been Indians wayward bowling at the end. There is also some doubt regarding Sehwag’s fitness.

Wolverhampton 0 - 2 Chelsea

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Chelsea increased their lead into 4 points at the top of Barclay’s Premier League by winning their match against Wolverhampton. Chelsea was without their star midfielder Frank Lampard.

The match was not easy for Chelsea but was important as the defeat of Manchester United paved a way for them to increase their lead. But it was wolves who hit the target first. But two saves by Peter Cech denied them goal. But the 40^th minute saw the beautiful football that Chelsea plays under Carlo Ancelotti. Ballack, Zhirkov and Drogba combined to produce the opening goal. Zhirkov and Ballack did a 1-2 pass and the cross from Zhirkov was finished by Drogba from point blank range.

Chelsea got their second goal in second half. This time Drogba was in his trademark style. The goal kick by Cech was controlled by Drogba who beat his defender with his strength and got past the goal keeper before finishing into the empty net.

Although Chelsea managed to win they have worries about their defence. Also Anelka and Joe Cole are not yet comfortable with their positions. Anelka is neither getting past his defenders nor passing the ball well.

Blow for Manchester United

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Everton defeated Manchester United in a wonderful match of football. This will be a shock for United fans as they are trailing behind Chelsea in the title race.

Both teams produced attacking football and had shots on goal before Louis Saha produced a save from United goal keeper van Der Sar. But United was first to break the dead lock. Valencia’s cross was finished superbly by Berbatov , the ball hit under the crossbar before crossing the goal line. Everton replied within 3 minutes. Diniyer Bilyalerdinov was the scorer. He drilled the ball with his left foot and van Der Sar could not do anything about it.

Everton substituted the goal scorer and the substitute Gosling scored their second goal. Piennar who was superb in the left wing crossed the ball to the penalty box and Gosling placed it into the far post corner. They increased their lead when Jack Rodwell scored in the 90^th minute.

Celtics defeated the champions

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:58:00 +0000

The game started with news of Celtics acquiring Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry from the New York Knicks in exchange for Eddie House, J R Giddens, Bill Walker and a future conditional second round pick.

Champions were playing their fifth game without Kobe Bryant and they struggled in their perimeter game. On the other hand Boston shot very well. Allen was in rhythm from the start, making all his 4 field goals in the first quarter. He had game high 24 points.

Boston struggled when there was no Allen on court as his replacement Daniels was not a great shooter. They will miss House for this very reason.

Lakers came back to the game with a strong fourth quarter. With a 13-0 run they managed to take the lead. But they were not able to score in the dying seconds as they lost 87-86.

Rondo had 14 points, 11 assists and 5 steals and Perkins added 13 points and 14 rebounds. Pau Gasol led Lakers with 22 points. Odom had 13 points and 14 rebounds from bench. This was Lakers’ first loss without Kobe.

Relief for Liverpool in Europa league

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Liverpool won the home match against Unirea Urziceni in the first leg of round 32. Thanks to David Ngog’s goal with 9 minutes to spare.

Liverpool dominated the match from the first minute which saw Gerrard failing to score. Dirk Kuyt’s effort on goal was saved by Urziceni’s goal keeper 10 minutes later. Later minutes saw Liverpool players competing to shoot the ball wide. Aurelio, Gerrard, Ngog and Skrtel all joined the party.

Gerrard is beginning to find his form but is not yet near his form when it comes to scoring. His 74^th minute shot was saved by goalkeeper.

Liverpool became livelier when Riera was replaced by Ryan Babel. His runs in the left flank always created problems for the Romanian defence. It was him who combined with another substitute Pacheco to create the goal opportunity. The cross from Babel was nodded into the path of Ngog by Pacheco. The French man made no mistake with his head.

Liverpool will be desperately trying to win Europa league as there is nothing for the fans to cheer. They have a disappointing premier league and silverwares have deserted the merseysiders for some time.

Porto defeated Arsenal in a controversial match

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Arsenal started the match as clear favourites as Porto has a poor record against English clubs recently. Arsenal replaced injured Galls with Sol Campbell. Their defence was tested early by Porto. Arsenal goal keeper Fabianski who replaced injured Almunia, pushed the cross from Varela into his own net in the 11^th minute.

Arsenal is finding it difficult to run their offense without Andre Arshavin and Robin van Persie. Bendtner was denied twice. Cesc Fabregas was closely marked to prevent him much time on ball. He was frustrated with so many fouls against him. Rosicky was the man who caused Porto trouble. Arsenal was soon level when Rosicky’s header found Campbell who headed into the net from close range. Rosicky’s shot was brilliantly saved by Porto goal keeper and the Arsenal was not awarded a penalty when he was brought down in the penalty area.

Fabianski made two saves and two horrendous mistakes in this game. The second mistake was childish as he caught a back pass from Sol Campbell inside the penalty box. It seems that controversies are part of referee Hansson as he allowed Porto players to take a quick free kick from the penalty area. It was him who refereed the controversial world cup qualifying match between France and Republic of Ireland. Arsenal showed school boy stuff defence as no defenders were in front of the ball as the free kick was taken. Fabianski did not even see it being taken and the through ball was connected by Falcao from an offside position to score Porto’s second goal.

Later the game became dull as Arsenal could not find any opening in Porto’s defence and Porto was interested only in counter attacking. Arsene Wenger was furious at referee’s decision to allow the free kick taken quickly and said it was an easier way to score than a penalty. Wenger’s trouble with his goal keepers is continuing and he will have to come up with a solution soon. Wenger will be hoping that some of his injured players will return before the second leg at the Emirates stadium.

India retains their no.1 ranking

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:11:00 +0000

India wins the second test by 57 runs and an innings to level the series. This win helps India retain their no.1 ranking in test cricket. The game finished with only 15 minutes for the end of match. It was a match displaying the beauty of test cricket and credit must be given to the curator for preparing such a wonderful track.

South Africa will be blaming themselves for letting the match slip after dominating the first two sessions. Indians bowled well after the second session and were helped by some loose shots from South African batsmen. Seamers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma bowled their heart out. Amla and Petersen were the pick of their batsmen in the first innings as they both scored hundreds.

India was superb in their batting department. Four batsmen Sehwag, Sachin, Laxman and Dhoni scored centuries. These centuries virtually took the match away from South Africa. India declared with a lead of 353 runs.

South Africa needed to draw the test to become the no.1 test ranked nation. Things went their way as Zaheer Khan got injured and not much play took place in the fourth day due to bad light and rain. But Indians bowled superbly with Harbhajan taking 5 wickets. Indians were under pressure as the last wicket partnership batted over 20 overs and was just 15 minutes away from denying India a victory.

Amla stood unbeaten with yet another century. He stood between India and victory and had almost done it. He was in tremendous form throughout the series. Indians were only able to dismiss him once in the entire series. With extreme application and concentration he scored one double century and two centuries. No one was in doubt that he will be adjudged man of the match and man of the series. Indians will have to find a plan to get rid of him as the ODI series starts on February 21.

NBA Trade deadline closing in

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:33:00 +0000

AS NBA deadline is February 18, title contenders are looking for players to add to their arsenal whereas rest of the teams are trying to save salary cap space.
In one of the trades Washington Wizards traded Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and De Shawn Stevenson to Dallas Mavericks. They got Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross in return.
In the latest trade Marcus Camby moved from LA Clippers to Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake and cash considerations.
In the trade rumours those involving Amare Stoudemire and Tracy McGrady are catching attention.

Manchester United wins the crucial away match

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:13:00 +0000

AC Milan was defeated by Manchester United in their first leg encounter in the Champions league round of 16 at San Siro. Manchester United now has the advantage of 3 away goals. It is their first win at San Siro in the last three years. The match will be remembered by the good attacking play presented by both teams and for poor refereeing.

It only took 3 minutes for AC Milan to score their opening goal. Ronaldinho’s volley with the help of a slight deflection beat van der Sar. Both team’s players shot wide in the subsequent minutes. United’s first goal came in the 36^th minute. Paul Scholes swinged at a cross with his right foot but the ball hit his left leg before going into the net.

In the first half AC Milan was clearly in control. They had 54% possession.

I do not know what Ferguson is doing to players at half time that they always come up with tremendous form. Rooney scored two goals with his head during the second half. Valencia and Fletcher were the providers. Valencia’s first action in the match was the cross that resulted in his team’s second goal. Rooney showed that he is now a complete striker by showing his heading abilities.

Pirlo’s free kick which was heading for the goal was saved brilliantly by van der Sar. AC Milan players kept van der Sar busy. Ronaldinho was the main threat he forced two saves from the United goal keeper. It was from his brilliant pass that Seedorf who came as a substitute for David Beckham scored their second goal with a close range shot. Ronaldinho was in tremendous form as he created two more chances. His passes only required a good finish but that was missing.

Carrick was shown his second yellow card in the final minutes. He will be missing the second leg at Old Trafford. AC Milan players will be kicking themselves for their missed chances as they will be waiting for the second leg.

Dwayne Wade the 2010 All-Star MVP

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:22:00 +0000

The 2010 all-star game was won by Eastern conference 141-139, in what was a thrilling game. Dwight Howard’s 3 point was the highlight of the game. Chris Bosh and the Carmelo Anthony were the effective players at the beginning of the game.
Dwayne Wade won the MVP award with a strong second half in front of a record 108,713 spectators. He finished with 28 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. LeBron James and Chris Bosh were inspirational for Eastern conference. LeBron finished with stats; 25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Bosh scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
At the end of the last quarter 6 free throws were given of which 4 were awarded for Eastern conference. All of these nervous free throws were converted giving 2 point lead for Eastern conference. Eastern all-star, Carmelo Anthony cannot convert his last attempt for 3 points which was the last action of the game. He had a team high 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Most of the trade rumours are concentrated around Amare Stoudemire and Tracy McGrady. Amare is linked with Cleveland Cavaliers. As the trade deadline is nearing up things are sure to heat up.

India, Test Cricket No.1?

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Let me tell you something; team India is sheer talent, nothing more nothing less.

About the coach and supporting staff, Indians always like a coach who likes to be behind the scenes. We all know what happened when Greg Chappell took some initiatives of his own. Indians do not like the idea of coach being the one who call the shots. We all know that coach is the ultimate power in other sports like basketball and football. Imagine the effort put by the supporting staff when we hear something like “Australians are coaching tail-enders to improve their batting skills”.

Indians are proud about our Sachin. What is his secret? As he always tells, it is his passion for the game. Unfortunately his younger generation is lacking passion and hard work. That is why we are not able to find a replacement for Sachin and Dravid.

We have to rethink our selection strategy especially those of youngsters. In the normal case the average age of a player who will be selected into Australian team is 24. By this time he would have played enough first class matches and will be matured. Do not wonder when most of them have a good debut match. But on the other hand Indian players are selected into the team when they are between the age of 20 and 22. Some youngsters are even selected based on their under 19 performances. Our youngsters will find it difficult to manage the fame and lots of money they are getting. This will affect their game. They should be given proper orientation.

Indians are clearly lacking professionalism. Look at what Harbhajan said about Chappell’s coaching methods. He said that they played under the fear of being dropped if they could not perform well. According to him this affected his game. One thing is clear, to him playing in the team is more important than India is playing with best eleven.

Indians always play with one bowler short. This is not a good strategy for a champion side which is expected to win most of the matches. This may work is the subcontinent but not in other places.

Indians always approach a series with a lack of intensity. Look at what happened in Bangladesh. Indians were shocked by them in the first innings. In the current series also things are no different.

Indians do not plan well before a series. They plan if they are constantly troubled by some opposition player. Gone are the days when players come and play. Now a lot of work is to be done at the minute level. Let us hope for that. So I will consider India a champion side based on their performances against South Africa and Australia.

Spurs end their losing streak

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:31:00 +0000

George Hill stepped in and helped San Antonio Spurs to defeat Denver Nuggets 111-92 on Thursday night. Spurs were always in the lead from the starting of the game.
George Hill started in the place of Tony Parker who was injured. Hill added 17 points. The penetration of San Antonio guards always caused problems for the Nuggets.
Carmelo Anthony is not in his touch yet. He only made 6 from his 17 attempts. Chauncey Billups could not get his 3 point game going. Nuggets struggled in moving the ball. Nene has game high 20 points and nine rebounds.
On the other hand Spurs will take several positives from this game. Today team’s transition defence was good. Richard Jefferson who was struggling, played a better game here. Ginobili was showing signs of improvements. Seven guys in the Spurs line-up scored in double digits. Dejuan Blair from bench scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
Gregg Popovich will have to think a lot about his team. His trinity are struggling with injuries. These aging stars haven’t played lot of games together. Their numbers are decreasing each year. Let’s hope Popovich will find right solutions after this all-star weekend.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:56:00 +0000

Arsenal edged Liverpool by a single goal in a match held at Emirates stadium, London. This win boosted Arsenal’s chances for title contention. Now Liverpool will have to fight harder for the fourth spot.

At the beginning of the game Arsenal was trying hard to intercept the balls in an effort to end their losing streak. Liverpool came to the match without losing in last 10 matches. Liverpool as usual was playing their pressing game and was able to prevent Arsenal from their passing game.

William Gallas was the first one who came close to scoring the goal. But his header went over the bar. Arshavin found Bendtner in the box with a through pass but he shot over the cross bar. Arshavin shot over the bar in an effort from just outside the penalty box, his second miss in the game.

At 32^nd minute Nasri who got injured was replaced by Tomas Rosicky. At the dying minutes of first half Fabregas’s shot was caught by Pepe Reina.

Things were not different in second half. Arsenal was creating more chances. Both teams were competing in shooting over the bar. Rosicky cannot take a shot from a pass of Arshavin as the Czech Republican’s touch was heavy.

It was from Rosicky’s cross that Diaby scored with his head. Rosicky played better than Nasri. His clever runs, passes and quick turns definitely adds an edge to Arsenal’s offense. Nasri on the other hand could not find do anything in defence or offense. Babel’s drive was tipped by Reina onto crossbar before 4 minutes from the end of play.

There was a controversy at the end of the game as Gerrard’s free kick hit Fabregas’s arm but the referee denied a penalty. Earlier Arsenal was denied a penalty which clearly was a foul on Bendtner. But instead he was booked for diving.

Wenger was happy with his team’s performance and said the title race is now open. Rafa was furious over referee’s decision on Fabregas’s handball. Injuries will be a worry for Gunners as Arshavin and Nasri are added to the injured player’s list.

India Vs South Africa 1st Test

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:43:00 +0000

South Africa thrashed India by an innings defeat. A result any team would have dreamed of playing in India. They were breath-taking in their bowling department.
Let us concentrate on team South Africa; what they did differently. They came here with proper planning. They understood the conditions in India with their previous visits. They converted these data into information. They used the reverse swing into good effect. We will understand the effort they put into it by just looking at the red colour on their pants. Their pants got that colour because they are trying their best in every way to keep one side of the ball shining so that they may get reverse swing later.
The attitude of South Africans especially Dale Steyn was amazing. Their decision to force the follow on India was risky. But they knew what they were doing. They kept their bowling simple; kept the batsmen guessing with varying their length. Graeme Smith was very good in his captaincy. He supported his bowlers with good field positioning.
What’s wrong with team India? Do we deserve test no. 1 ranking? Watch out for my next post on these.

2010 NBA ALL STAR GAME

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:46:00 +0000

Record is waiting for 2010 NBA All-Star game scheduled on February 14 at Dallas. The 59^th All-Star game is expecting a crowd that will break the all-time NBA attendance record.

Eastern Conference All-Stars

Eastern Conference starters are Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard. Eastern Conference head coach is Stan Van Gundy. LeBron James, this year’s leading vote getter will lead them.

There was little doubt about who will be the leading vote getter. Such is the intensity with which King James is playing at the moment. Cavaliers are at the top of Eastern Conference and King is looking for his second straight MVP. Let’s hope that LeBron will do some of his spectacular dunks as he did not keep his promise of participating in Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

James will be leading the attack with Miami’s Dwayne Wade. Oh my God... what a pair. D Wade is carrying his team on his shoulders. This is his sixth All-Star selection.

Allen Iverson is the surprise package in this team. Back from his retirement he has shocked everyone by his fan votes. I must admit that he has got some loyal fan base. AI is determined not to disappoint them.

It’s not finished here comes Garnett and Howard. KG who will be trying to lead his team to championship this year will be as influential as ever. Howard will be tough to miss with his towering presence and his thunderous blocks.

The reserve bench will consist of Joe Johnson, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Gerald Wallace and Al Horford. It is tough on the guards on bench as they were denied a start by the surprised inclusion of Answer. And it will not take so much comparison to recognise that Chris Bosh played better than Garnett this season.

Western Conference All-Stars

Western conference starters are Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan and Amar’e Stoudemire. George Karl is Western Conference head coach. Kobe Bryant who finished runner up to James in fan voting will be leading Western All-Stars.

Kobe who was the co MVP last time will be looking nothing less than the same, may be not a co MVP. He has been consistently an offensive machine for Lakers. Let us hope that his injury will not ruin the party.

Carmelo Anthony, the league’s leader in scoring will be Kobe’s partner in crime. I think these two will be competing in scoring. Others in the line-up will not be able to catch with them in that department. Carmelo has certainly improved in his offensive play and that is showing in his stats.

We can be sure of some unbelievable assists from Steve Nash. No matter what his age is Nash is doing what he does best. He will be joined by his team mate Amar’e Stoudemire. This center will come up with some strong finishes. And who else can read Nash better than him. Duncan will be the anchor for this team. This double-double machine has been selected to all West team since coming to the league.

Western Conference Reserves are Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph and Pau Gasol. Chris Paul is one of the league’s best point guards. CP3 is the one on which his team relies heavily. Dirk Nowitzki is expected to come off the bench first.

Anyway I would like to look at this match as the battle between the leaders, Kobe and James; the one battle that was missed in the last championship final.

Drogba’s twin strikes helped Chelsea win battle of London

noreply@blogger.com (Joffin) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:04:00 +0000

Drogba once again proved that he is one of the finest strikers in the world as his two goals helped Chelsea to win the match against Arsenal. With this win Chelsea regained the top spot in Barclays Premier League. Chelsea now has a lead of two points over Manchester United.

Arsenal made two tactical changes to their starting line-up. Walcott was given a chance in starting line-up and Diaby was played to provide some physical strength. For Chelsea Obi Mikel and Ashley Cole returned to starting line-up.

Chelsea was ahead just after 8 minutes from the start of play. Terry headed the ball from a corner to Drogba who finished it from right side of post. Arshavin failed to equalise for Gunners as his volley was saved by the foot of Peter Cech. Soon Chelsea increased the lead to 2 goals as Arsenal’s woes in defending counter attacks were clearly visible. Drogba got the ball from Lampard, he cut from the left side of the pitch and drilled a left footed shot into the net.

In the second half Arsenal was slightly on top of Chelsea as they concentrated on defending. Fabregas came close to scoring a goal but his free kick was saved brilliantly by Cech. Drogba was denied a hat trick as his free kick hit the cross bar. In the 84^th minute Fabregas saw his header going wide.

Although Arsenal enjoyed 55% possession it was Blues who made their chances count. Chelsea defended well as they prevented Arsenal’s passing game going. Chelsea men, especially Michael Ballack intercepted several passes in the midfield. The German captain was certainly a defensive force.

Chelsea Manager Carlo Ancelotti praised Chelsea captain John Terry who remained inspirational for Chelsea despite being stripped of England’s captaincy. Arsene Wenger praised Chelsea for their defending against Gunners.Arsenal is now third in premier league table with 49 points. Their problems continue as they will be facing Liverpool in their next match.