Paul Parker Article

Parker: Pressure suits Liverpool

Sat Nov 21 08:33AM

MATCH OF THE WEEKEND: Manchester City v Liverpool

It's another big game for Liverpool and one they should be able to raise their game for. They proved against Manchester United they can perform when the pressure is on, and with the spotlight still firmly on Rafa Benitez, the situation is no different for them this weekend.

It's a good time for Liverpool to face City, who are struggling to meet expectations so far this season. Mark Hughes has spent heavily but it is clear that his team is yet to gel properly.

Sparky needs to start winning games instead of drawing them if City are to be taken seriously - victory at Anfield may well just do that.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Steven Gerrard

The return of Gerrard (pictured) is a huge boost for Liverpool but it will be interesting to see how well he has recovered from his injury.

Benitez has chosen to risk both him and Fernando Torres in previous weeks despite them not being fully fit, so there are still question marks as to whether he will last a full 90 minutes.

Of course, the international break can only have helped his recovery, but if he is not fit enough, playing can only do him more damage in the long term.

Is it worth a good result against City, only to lose him again for the next fixture?

UPSET OF THE WEEKEND: Burnley v Aston Villa

Champions League hopefuls Villa travel to Turf Moor in fifth place hoping to move into the top four this weekend, but such has been Burnley's home form so far this season, victory in Lancashire is anything but assured. Indeed, would a Burnley victory really be classed as an upset?

It would have been at the start of the season but, given other results at Turf Moor this season, their fans will be expecting to take all three points from Villa.

UNDER PRESSURE: Phil Brown

Poor Phil Brown. He seems destined to feature in this column every week, but as long as his team are down in the doldrums, the pressure will still be heaped on Brown's shoulders.

Victory against Stoke last time out gave the Tigers some real hope, but it will mean nothing if they cannot follow it up with another good result.

They are at home again, and considering they play another struggling team, West Ham, their fans will expect victory. But failure to do so will see them drop back into the bottom three, and the pressure will once again increase on Brown.

Comments1 - 30 of 30

we will see how well it suits em by 3 oclock
From steveallman69 on Sat Nov 21 08:46AM
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UNDER PRESSURE: Phil Brown
you havin a laff
only 1 man under pressure
and thats the spanish waiter
From steveallman69 on Sat Nov 21 08:47AM
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first
From jakob.sova on Sat Nov 21 08:52AM
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I think liverpool can do it!!
From alexcodenamefluffy on Sat Nov 21 09:00AM
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Parker you talk such @#$%.So we are failing to meet expectations? The only team in the prem to only be beaten once and that needed fergie time! 6th with a game in hand! We will se come the end of the season, you'll probably say you expected or predicted it!
From terrymorgan453 on Sat Nov 21 09:01AM
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PP what are you on about? Liverpool have been under pressure ever since they lost to Sunderland away. How can you say that they are suited to pressure when they've only won once since that first defeat to Chelsea? They didn't live up to the pressure in Lyon and there's absolutely no way of knowing the final score. It could go either way.
From alextheodossiadis on Sat Nov 21 09:15AM
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walk in the park 4 city
From giannatomasso on Sat Nov 21 09:27AM
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liverpoo vc manshit ..... who cares?????
From oluwafemiodusanya on Sat Nov 21 09:41AM
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Paul, You talk SHI'ITE! No team or nobody likes to be under pressure. A team of Liverpool's calibre should'nt be.If they drop points again today we will see if the pressure suits them.If they fail in the CL the Carling Cup and in the Derby versus Everton i can see only one outcome....Taxi for Benitez!
From citydave356 on Sat Nov 21 09:48AM
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The only person under real pressure here though Parker is you, isn't it? You need to fill your column with something and you've fallen into the Murphy habit of randomly writing down phrases and then trying to construct sentences in-between to hold them together... That might be good enough for the Potato Head, but you're better than that. Must try harder.
From lawrence43 on Sat Nov 21 09:52AM
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pressure....gerrard can buy high court judges to keep him out of prison for violence against members of the public thast was vicious and caught on film.....what pressure??...thug should never wear an england shirt again....play up city!
From stuartxland on Sat Nov 21 10:10AM
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What?...You must be talking about another Liverpool, right?
From msv299 on Sat Nov 21 10:14AM
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arsenal 4 life i hope we win i support liverpool against man c because their fans are respectable and honest like arsenal fans .cant wait to see us beating chelsea greetings to all gunners all over the world.
From hisham_inarsenalitrust on Sat Nov 21 10:19AM
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Another load of rubbish from the uncrowned King of Garnage writing Paul Parker! Please, will somebody at Yahoo! put this useless hack out of our misery?
From alan_paperboy on Sat Nov 21 10:43AM
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Well this is one game that will really tell how far City have come with all the money they have spent,if they want to finish in the top four then they have got to get some kind of result against liverpool who they have got a poor record against,even a draw will do me if we lose this then i can see mid table mediocrity for us and i cant see even the Arabs being happy with that.
From chrismurphy22 on Sat Nov 21 10:44AM
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Most of these comments are just about bile and hate, certainly not about serious football debate Liverpool are playing better than their league position suggests,they are not getting many decisions (the Lyon player used his arm to control the ball before he equalised). After the N'gog penalty that wasn't, a birmingham player brought down Agger in the penalty area. Every team has a bad period, if you know anything about football you do not sack the manager because of some small mistakes by players and referees a like.
N. Whitfield
From nickwhit22 on Sat Nov 21 10:50AM
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I think Liverpool can get at citys defence today its the one part of Citys game that can be exploited
From phil.lee32 on Sat Nov 21 10:53AM
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Paul is this the same pressure United put them under when they were 12 points clear last year??? Your talking out of your A hole..
From mrboojangles1968 on Sat Nov 21 11:06AM
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liverpool is a good team and liverpool still can challenge the BPL if the players are not hope at only one player.
From adrianohaze on Sat Nov 21 11:38AM
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not as much pressure as old red nose puts on the refe, cheating old scot
From rawest1 on Sat Nov 21 11:41AM
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parker ? such a tame peice ,had to mention man u ? we all know city are a makeshift team until they begin to learn about eachother ,poor defence as well !i'm afraid the only reason liverpoolcan sometimes rise to the occasion is because they place them selves under so much pressure by having a too high expectation of themselves ! they are yet to sustain a decent run ! or secure a decent manager !
From handyandyisalways on Sat Nov 21 11:42AM
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Liverpool might top last years result against Man Poo and make it 5 - 0 if they stick to the Horse Placenta diet sweeping the EPL
From arttidesco on Sat Nov 21 11:57AM
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liverpool 3-0 easy c'mon.
From ericoconnor8 on Sat Nov 21 12:30PM
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''The return of Gerrard (pictured)''. Yes we know it is Gerrard in the picture. His photo is in every police station..
From jrad878 on Sat Nov 21 12:32PM
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No 30, rofl
From rgmartin91 on Sat Nov 21 02:56PM
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more pooly misery slip sliding away
From lollytom on Sat Nov 21 03:13PM
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Why is everyone just talking about 4th place. Only Man Utd and Chelsea are above the rest Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Spurs and Villa are all capable of taking the last two places. That is why this season is so exciting the old guard are changing Spurs and City with money and Villa with steady building are here to stay. Soon we will see a gap develop with the big 7 never mind 4.
From stuartellison1 on Sat Nov 21 11:41PM
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liverpoll will sell torres at transfer window forcing the waiter to resign getting big money for him and saving on payout for waiter as he has long contract;
From billdrogers on Sun Nov 22 04:47AM
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man to watch? steven gerrard? why? is he going to beat up some unsuspecting member of the public whilst on camera and get away without going to jail again?.....ten games without a win, out of the title race, out of champs league....down and out scuose never won it never will! GGMU!
From stuartxland on Sun Nov 22 02:00PM
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Man City, 6 points from a possible 18. To me, thats not good form. And as for comment 28, what is wrong with you?! Why do people have to put comments on here that are just digs against the writer? Whats the point.
From mangoboy1978 on Mon Nov 23 01:54PM
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