Home Of Tong

It’s August! And many must be wondering why I have not touch on a subject of my passion. Yes, it’s BPL (Barclays Premier League) time!

I have been a Liverpool supporter since I was a young boy, and I have seen their ups and downs over the last 20+ years. From their unbeatable runs in the 80s to their barren run in the 90s, and now a mix of fortunes in the new millennium. The team this year has been one of the best (if not the best) in recent years. Yes, better than when they won the Champions League in 2005, whom I still rate as one of the best Liverpool games ever.

With more than £40mil spent, many said that the pressure is on Rafa (the Liverpool manager) to deliver the league title. But do remember that he did recoup about £20mil for sales of players. Also, this is the first time since been taken over by the Americans that he is able to spend so freely while the other title rivals (namely Chelsea and Man Utd) have spent much (much) more since they were taken over by Russian and American money respectively. I prefer not to talk too much about other teams, so I will want to spend some time talking about my thoughts on some of the new recruits this season and what I have seen so far.

Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid, £21.5million)
First up is definitely the capture of the season, and I believe the the record buy for the season. Someone that comes with such a high price tag will no doubt raise quite a few eyebrows. Is he worth it? Will he crack under pressure? But from what I seen so far, he seems to be a excellent acquisition by Rafa and if he continue the form he is showing, his value will no doubt soar.

One will have to look at his goal against Chelsea during his Anfield debut last Sun to see just how goo he is. Receiving a long ball from Steven Gerrard, he has Ben Haim to beat, and as if racing pass him is not enough, going from the left side of goal, he even have time to use his right leg to place a perfect shot pass Cech. In one goal, he showed pace, confidence, intelligent play and accuracy. Ok, some of you might think I am exaggerating, but he is that kind of player that will excite you, and I am certain he will be a fan favourite.

But he will still need some time to settle into the premiership, even though he seems quite settled. The BPL is unlike any other league in the world. It pace is scary, it is very physical, and opponents do not let you have time to dwell on the ball. Which is why many big name foreigners do not quite make it in the BPL. But from what I see of Torres, I think with time, he will fit nicely into the BPL and become the 1st Spanish striker to make it to the big times in Anfield.

Ryan Babel (Ajax, £11.5million)
A young winger from Holland at a tender age of 20, and have already become the youngest scorer for the Netherlands National Team. He earn his first professional contract with Ajax, renown for their youth academy. He made his 1st team debut with Ajax at just 17 years of age and have never looked back since.

I have seen him in a couple of substitution for Liverpool in the BPL this season and from what I see, he is a very good winger with very nice touch. He can also play as a striker and have pretty good finishes. If there is one complain, its just that with his pace and skill, he should try to take on defenders a bit more that he did. But a great prospect that is expected to make an impact in the first team this season rather than next.

Andriy Voronin (Bayer Leverkusen, free)
Voronin who? Many wondered when Rafa first announce his acquisition for the Ukrainian. But he has turn out to be a bargain buy of the season (coming at absolutely zero dollars). He is confident on the ball, and his shot pack a punch. He also have good movement, and his build make him a suitable BPL type player.

He has already show his worth with a couple of goals, one which is the important away goal against Toulouse in the Champions League qualifier.

Yossi Benayoun (West Ham United, £5million)
This is one purchase I am not too sure about. Have yet to see him play (the Champions League qualifier is not telecast), so I will reserve my comment about him. But seeing him played for West Ham last season, I have to admit that it didn’t leave a deep impression in my mind. Perhaps Rafa saw something that I didn’t, afterall, his extensive network of scouts will certainly bring him detail reports of the player.

With other purchases over the last 2 years gaining valuable BPL experience, it will certainly make this years challenge very interesting. But the surprise pack for the season seems to be Man City, making a perfect start for their 1st 3 matches, and yet to concede a goal (the only team to have done that), Eriksson seems to have displayed his eye for talent (in club football) and his knowledge of the game. It is still early days yet but the signs are looking good for them. Perhaps, a challenge for a European place is not too far fetch.

This is going to be another interesting week, with big games you should not miss includes:

Sunderland v Liverpool (you should never miss a Liverpool match)
‘Live’ on Football Channel Ch27 on 25 Aug 2007 (Sat) @ 7.45pm (SGP Time, GMT+8)

Arsenal v Man City
‘Live’ on SuperSports Ch22 on 25 Aug 2007 (Sat) @10.00pm (SGP Time, GMT+8)

Man Utd v Spurs
‘Live’ on Football Channel Ch27 on 26 Aug 2007 (Sun) @11.00pm (SGP Time, GMT+8)

You’ll Never Walk Alone!

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 at 12:46 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.