Our season so far Part 1

I think it's about time we started discussing more pertinent issues regarding LFC now that the trolls are licking their wounds.

With the honeymoon period of the season over and having seen us play in a number of games I can now make an informed buttessment of our season so far, so here goes:

Reina: He hasn't had much to do so far due to the performance of the defence but what he has done has been done well. It seems like we have found ourselves another world clbutt shot-stopper who has a good command of the area and is decent at crosses as far as I can tell. His weak point is the fact that he prefers to punch rather than catch and this gives the ball back to opposition straight away, thus inviting more pressure on us. However, this is compensated by his astounding ball distribution. He can throw the ball further than most keepers can kick it. The few goals we have conceded so far have not been his fault and he has made some excellent saves so I think Rafa's faith in him as the best keeper in Spain has been justified, so far. It will only take one howler for the (so-called) fans to get on his back and that will be a test of character and I hope he can handle it.

Carragher: Another solid and commanding start to the season and I don't expect anything less from him. He has also improved in his confidence and dribbles the ball out of the defence a lot more, which is a good omen. He knows he has his work cut out to break into the England squad regularly so he has added to his game. He now needs to get on the score sheet a few more times and that would really get Svens attention.

Hyypia: It seems that the partnership with Carra has also improved Hyypia or at least kept him at a consistent standard and he seems to read the play even than before. However the modern CB has to do more than defend these days and that is where Hyypia is left wanting. His lack of pace is not secret but it is his lack of pbutting ability which worries me. Far too many times Hyypia hoofs the ball upfield rather than play the short pbutt to the midfield. More often than not this gives the ball back to the opposition and we are on the back foot again. This is well and good in some situations but he does this almost every time, even when we are winning by a goal in the last 5 minutes and need to keep possession.

Josemi: An early contender for the most improved player of season for us. He was a liability last season but he has worked hard on his game and hasn't let the criticism get him down. His reward has been a promising start to the season. His positional sense is not perfect but I think we may have a ready-made cover at CB in Josemi. I've seen him play there a few times so far and he has done very well. His tackling ability has never been a question and he's not bad in the air either. He doesn't look like a bull in a china shop anymore and this composure will serve him well this season.

Finnan: They say that a referee is at his best when you don't notice him but I'm not sure that ability is best served by a full-back. Finnan is a no nonsense player, he gets on with his job without really drawing attention to it but I would like to see him take the game to the opposition wingers rather than the other way round. Just watch how he handles Giggs on Sunday if you don't know what I mean. His defending is reactive rather than pro-active and this affects the attacking part of his game.

Traore: Last seasons most improved player seems to a have continued where he left off. He hasn't had much of a run in the team so I can't comment too much but he has made some excellent tackles and I'm glad he is still with us. He used to make a blunder for every goal-saving tackle he made but I think that is in the past now and I hope the fans give him a fresh start. For gods sake just forget about Burnley!

Warnock: I'm made up for the lad after everything he has been through. His commitment alone is a shining example and he must be doing something right to keep Riise out of the team. His emergence in the first team and subsequent England call-up should give fresh impetus to the other youngsters on our books. His achilles is his positional sense. Far too many times have I seen him embarbuttingly caught of position causing one of our CB's to be pulled out of position but his willingness to get forward should be applauded. I would like Rafa to test him out at CB as he reminds me of Carra when he used to play at RB and we all know how that turned out.

Riise: Do I clbutt him as a LB still? I think his first position is as left midfield now, at least until Kewell returns. Having said that though, Riise still has the makings to be a world clbutt player. He has all the attributes required but it just doesn't all click together. The glaring problem is consistency this season. Last season I thought he had it sorted but the same problem seems to have resurfaced. The promising thing is that Rafa has realised this and he now has some real competition for both his positions as LB and LM and that will spur him on to improve his game even further. Also, I expect that hammer of a left foot to be more accurate than it is when shooting at goal.

I know that many people on this NG get scared when they see long posts. Whether it is their attention spans or the fact that they can't read for more than a few minutes at a time with getting eye strain, I don't know. Therefore I will split this post into parts. That concludes the first part. Coming up in Part 2: The Midfield.