Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Liverpool drop the ball

Tue Dec 02 08:55AM

Fact one: Liverpool have not won the league for nearly 20 years.

Fact two: Liverpool are top of the Premier League.

Fact three: Liverpool were booed off last night.

Rarely can such depression have engulfed a team that has just gone to the summit of the Premier League table as after last night's goalless draw between Liverpool and West Ham.

Given lack of recent success, you might think they would be thrilled to be top of the pile - instead negativity wafted around Anfield like a stale fart.

Liverpool fans feel that, with their history and resources, they should be contending regularly for the title. But then Preston still feel they 'belong' in the top flight because they were good 120 years ago.

There are probably Corinthian Casuals fans knocking about the place predicting a return to greatness for this sleeping giant.

Over the last 10 seasons, Liverpool have finished an average of 19.4 points behind the eventual champions. Not even once have they been genuine title contenders - not even on the solitary occasion they finished second in 2001/02.

Another stat: Liverpool have averaged 2.27 points per game this season. If they keep up their present pace, they will score 86 - certainly a potential championship-winning total.

Why are the fans so angry when this is their best chance of winning the league for two decades?

Yes, Liverpool were rubbish last night. They were more wasteful than sausage rolls at Paul McCartney's birthday party, more uncomfortable than Laurence Olivier on Celebrity Family Fortunes and about as composed as a Kerry Katona appearance on daytime TV.

But every team has to endure the odd hiccup. Manchester United lost to Bolton, West Ham and Manchester City (twice) on their way to the double last year. Like death, taxes and an Only Fools and Horses Christmas repeat, occasional bad results are inevitable.

It all comes down to expectations. United fans have become bloated on success, making them complacent and arrogant. The thing is - they are almost certainly right.

Who cares if they are six points off the top? The unchallenged assumption is that their fortunes will improve, and they probably will.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are nervous. They have seen their side chuck away promising starts enough times to be looking anxiously over their shoulders.

They know that United or Chelsea or both will come on a late-season charge so they set themselves arbitrary and unrealistic targets.

Liverpool must be nine points clear of United by New Year otherwise everything is lost. The fans are edgy and that is affecting the team.

Benitez admitted as much after the game, saying that his strikers are suffering from a crisis of confidence and had to fend of questions about him re-signing Michael Owen.

If it were Fergie in charge of Liverpool, he would have slammed the ref for some minor error, berated West Ham for parking the team bus in front of the goal and proclaimed Robbie Keane a "f***ing great player".

- - -

Well done to the Ballon d'Or jury, who gave Cristiano Ronaldo a much-needed ego boost after his ignominious red card at the weekend.

The bad news for Ronaldo's team-mates is that he has promised the success won't change him a bit, saying: "This morning, when I arrive at training, I will be the same guy." Great.

The massive margin by which he claimed the prize proves beyond doubt that Ronaldo is the best player in the world. You don't have to like him, but he is the man. People seem keen on adding the word 'period' after sentences like that last one.

It is easy to find fault with the players you see every week, while idealising the exotic, exciting fare on offer abroad. There may be a grass-related proverb that expresses this better.

Kaka is a wonderful talent, but he would not be thought of as such a clean-living golden boy if English fans saw him diving his way round the pitches of Serie A every weekend.

Lionel Messi might be sensational in a 60-second highlights package of Barcelona thrashing Basel 5-0, but even Bosko Balaban looked good on video. Other times Messi disappears from games.

Even Pele's most famous moments involve him vaguely cocking things up - the Gordon Banks save, the shot wide from halfway, dummying the keeper followed by the missed open goal.

The point is, there are rubbish players, good players and just occasionally great players. But there are no perfect players.

So let's just enjoy the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is fun to watch and even more fun to mock. You'll miss him when he's gone.

- - -

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "City have good players but the mentality of a small side. What they lack is the mentality of champions. At Real Madrid, I learned a will to win. Here they have a good team but are content with just finishing fifth or sixth." Robinho does a Gallas on Manchester City.

FOREIGN VIEW: Real Madrid are going to sign of Ajax Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in January to cover for his injured countryman Ruud van Nistelrooy. That was easy.

COMING UP: Two Carling Cup quarter-finals tonight, including a bunch of North London-based teens brutalising Burnley. Follow all the action LIVE from 19:45 UK time!

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