About that Liverpool/Aston Villa match
3 Comments Published by Cardillo on August 24, 2009 at 4:58 PM.
It's not going out on a limb to say ESPN2 picked a great match, or more accurately, lucked into a great match Monday afternoon with a 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff between Liverpool taking on Aston Villa at ultra high-definition Anfield.
Obviously up front you got the "big" upset, with Villa snapping Liverpool's lengthy unbeaten run at Anfield via an earned 3-1 result.
This game, especially the final 45 minutes, were constantly full of incident. It must be the night time air on Merseyside. (Maybe Derek Rae was right.)
It didn't hurt that Jon Champion's voice was in the mix either. By the god's honest truth, he used the word "Lilly-livered" to describe Liverpool's effort.
If you were some random American Joe Sports fan, you had to have been somewhat entertained. What are you expecting on a sports network at 3 p.m. on a Monday afternoon? Bass fishing? Nascar Now?
Exactly.
A couple little thoughts, until I run out.
* Brad Friedel is still thoroughly "The Man." There are likely more artful ways to put it, but it's simple fact.
If by some unfortunate tragedy Tim Howard gets hurt for next summer's World Cup, Bob Bradley has to pick up the phone and call Friedel out of retirement if only for the tournament in South Africa. This shouldn't even be an issue. You're telling me Brad Guzen -- Friedel's understundy at Villa -- is ready?
Un-retirements from international duty happen all the time in the world, except seemingly America. Maybe Brett Favre has the trademark on it.
* My reports of Aston Villa's imminent demise, for today at least, we far off target. James Milner and Ashley Young were excellent up each wing today. Yes, they got two semi-gift goals on set pieces, but Villa made those standup.
* If you're a Liverpool fan, there is no way on earth humanely possible not to love Jamie Carragher. The ever-present defender was in a full "Fallout 3" headwrap with a face looking like bruised meat.
Was he auditioning for the sequel to 'Inglorious Basterds'? Rugged.
The old-timey Brit pundits must go to sleep dreaming about Carragher.
* And on that note, Fernando Torres' shiner was one of the most balant I've seen in a soccer match, that is assuming it wasn't purple tinted eye-liner from the A-Rod endorsed "Purple Lips QVC Collection."
* If this match was produced by ESPN in England, which it clearly was, we here in the States seem to be in good hands. The halftime bit with a thoroughly disinterested Kevin Keegan and an insightful Matt Holland was adequate.
Somehow there wasn't an ESPN2 Bottom Line running through Little League World Series results on repeat. I cannot overstate how great this is.
The whole screen to watch a game? Who would have thought!
* Liverpool fans ... Andriy Voronin is on your team, luscious golden ponytail included ... and he's expected to contribute.
Let that sink in for a little bit and stay away from sharp objects.
* Did I mention Brad Friedel is amazing? He has hands of stone, like the Kung Fu variety, you'd hear in a Wu-Tang sample.
* Oh right, Liverpool? Two losses in the first three matches? Nothing beats having a must-win game four games into the season. Those are always fun. Good thing a trip to the Reebok for Bolton is a perfect tonic.
This team looks a little lost. Rafa Benitiz seems to have a system that works, at least in Europe, but when you boil down the games Liverpool needs its players to play great or make things happen to succeed.
* A guy like Nigel Reo-Coker, he's a fifth starter in baseball -- he gives you innings. Monday he even won a late penalty after Liverpool pulled it to 2-1. Hard worker, but limited.
* Biggest turn off from this match? Liverpool really bitched throughout the duration in this game like it was 1997 Serie A.
Obviously up front you got the "big" upset, with Villa snapping Liverpool's lengthy unbeaten run at Anfield via an earned 3-1 result.
This game, especially the final 45 minutes, were constantly full of incident. It must be the night time air on Merseyside. (Maybe Derek Rae was right.)
It didn't hurt that Jon Champion's voice was in the mix either. By the god's honest truth, he used the word "Lilly-livered" to describe Liverpool's effort.
If you were some random American Joe Sports fan, you had to have been somewhat entertained. What are you expecting on a sports network at 3 p.m. on a Monday afternoon? Bass fishing? Nascar Now?
Exactly.
A couple little thoughts, until I run out.
* Brad Friedel is still thoroughly "The Man." There are likely more artful ways to put it, but it's simple fact.
If by some unfortunate tragedy Tim Howard gets hurt for next summer's World Cup, Bob Bradley has to pick up the phone and call Friedel out of retirement if only for the tournament in South Africa. This shouldn't even be an issue. You're telling me Brad Guzen -- Friedel's understundy at Villa -- is ready?
Un-retirements from international duty happen all the time in the world, except seemingly America. Maybe Brett Favre has the trademark on it.
* My reports of Aston Villa's imminent demise, for today at least, we far off target. James Milner and Ashley Young were excellent up each wing today. Yes, they got two semi-gift goals on set pieces, but Villa made those standup.
* If you're a Liverpool fan, there is no way on earth humanely possible not to love Jamie Carragher. The ever-present defender was in a full "Fallout 3" headwrap with a face looking like bruised meat.
Was he auditioning for the sequel to 'Inglorious Basterds'? Rugged.
The old-timey Brit pundits must go to sleep dreaming about Carragher.
* And on that note, Fernando Torres' shiner was one of the most balant I've seen in a soccer match, that is assuming it wasn't purple tinted eye-liner from the A-Rod endorsed "Purple Lips QVC Collection."
* If this match was produced by ESPN in England, which it clearly was, we here in the States seem to be in good hands. The halftime bit with a thoroughly disinterested Kevin Keegan and an insightful Matt Holland was adequate.
Somehow there wasn't an ESPN2 Bottom Line running through Little League World Series results on repeat. I cannot overstate how great this is.
The whole screen to watch a game? Who would have thought!
* Liverpool fans ... Andriy Voronin is on your team, luscious golden ponytail included ... and he's expected to contribute.
Let that sink in for a little bit and stay away from sharp objects.
* Did I mention Brad Friedel is amazing? He has hands of stone, like the Kung Fu variety, you'd hear in a Wu-Tang sample.
* Oh right, Liverpool? Two losses in the first three matches? Nothing beats having a must-win game four games into the season. Those are always fun. Good thing a trip to the Reebok for Bolton is a perfect tonic.
This team looks a little lost. Rafa Benitiz seems to have a system that works, at least in Europe, but when you boil down the games Liverpool needs its players to play great or make things happen to succeed.
* A guy like Nigel Reo-Coker, he's a fifth starter in baseball -- he gives you innings. Monday he even won a late penalty after Liverpool pulled it to 2-1. Hard worker, but limited.
* Biggest turn off from this match? Liverpool really bitched throughout the duration in this game like it was 1997 Serie A.
Labels: aston villa, Liverpool, Premier League, Premier League on ESPN, Soccer
Got to agree. A really thrilling game to watch and damn do I enjoy the English broadcasters. One thing that annoys me about GolTV coverage is that their guys for the Bundesliga and La Liga are awful. You can't understate how important quality announcers are.
Injuries are a problem for any team (see Arteta on the other side of Liverpool) but LFC seems especially thin.
United minus their two best players (Rooney and Vidic?) is still in the Champions League spots next May. Same for Chelsea minus Lampard and Drogba (Essien?). Who are Arsenal's two best players - Cesc and ??? Arshavin? Vermaelen, already? (BTW - Love how every Brit announcer seems to be saying 'Thomas From-Ireland' when they call out the Belgian defender).
Losing top players helps no team , but if Liverpool lose Gerard and Torres, they become Middlesborough.
That injury double-whammy is unlikely to happen, but it does illustrate how thin that LFC bench is. Who was Rafa supposed to bring on when they needed a goal? And that was with Lucas Leiva starting!
Liverpool will figure it out, at least somewhat, but they look brittle.
BTW - poor quality but here they are, the brief Hull-Southend Carling Cup highlights from Tuesday - including Jozy's first goal in England.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wRUdFBUtc