Posts Tagged ‘Dirk Kuyt’

Outright Odds: 12/1
Group C Winners: 13/8

New coach Marco van Basten has proven to be a revelation off the pitch as much as he was on it since taking over the Dutch national team. Plucked from an obscure youth coaching role at Ajax where he kept his head down and had low responsibilities when Dick Advocaat quit after Euro 2004, van Basten has made this new-look Dutch team his own.

Out with the old and in with the new seems to be van Basten’s philosophy so while former well known favourites such as Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert have been given the chop, some of the best players the Dutch Eredivisie has to offer have come in to replace them.

Players such as AZ Alkmaar’s Denny Landzaat, Feyenoord’s Dirk Kuyt and Ajax’s Ryan Babel may not be household names yet but have all won the backing of the manager. Ajax have a strong representation in the squad, with John Heitinga, Nigel de Jong, Hedwiges Maduro and Wesley Sneijder, all under the age of 23, vying for a place in the starting line-up.

The faith shown in locally-based players along with more recognisable faces such as evergreen trio Edwin van der Sar, Edgar Davids and Philip Cocu and the likes of Arjen Robben and Ruud van Nistelrooy has paid off.

The team are showing true team spirit and togetherness, unlike the inconsistent squads of the past and in qualifying notched up 32 points, the highest of any European side. Holland finished five points clear at the top of their group that also included bogey side Czech Republic and Romania, both of whom they beat twice. Surprisingly, the only country they didn’t beat was Macedonia who they drew with twice.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was in scintillating form during qualifying with seven goals in 10 matches and now back in favour at Manchester United, could be a good investment for the top goalscorer market.

The Dutch are always one of the favourites for the tournament but never quite manage it. They have reached the final twice, the semi finals and quarter final stages but never have enough to win it outright.

The team entering this year have little World Cup experience and it would be a big ask of this team to go all the way in Germany.

BetBonus.co.uk Recommendation:
Holland offer better value to win Group C than Argentina but a lack of experience throughout the squad means they cannot be backed to win the tournament outright. Ruud van Nistelrooy could be a good each-way investment for the top goal scorer berth on his debut at the finals.

Holland to win Group C @ 13/8
E/W Ruud van Nistelrooy as top goalscorer @ 16/1

Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 by forcing the penalty kicks and then won the shootout 4-1 on Tuesday night assuring a spot for the final on the European Champions League that is going to be held on May the 23rd in Athens, Greece.

Daniel Aggert scored at the 23rd minute for the Liverpool, and nothing else happened in the regulation time neither in the 30 minutes of overtime, forcing that to go to the penalty shootouts which the Liverpool won 4-1 with goals of Boudewijn Zenden, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt. The goalkeeper for the Liverpool Jose Reina saved 3 kicks giving the victory to the Liverpool.

Chelsea was eliminated in the semifinals by AS Monaco in 2004 and by Liverpool in 2005. “Everybody has to try to be strong, I think they have a lot of reasons to be proud of themselves,” Mourinho said of his players. “They were the best team today … In extra time we were the only team who tried to win, but football is like that and the penalty shootout is part of the game.”

Liverpool has won the European title five times, including a penalty-kicks victory over AC Milan two years ago after rallying from a three-goal deficit. Manchester United won in 1999 and 1968, while AC Milan has won the championship six times, the last in 2003.

Liverpool is playing the final against either AC Milan or Manchester United. Manchester won the first leg last week.

Liverpool seeks to take advantage of Inter’s weak defense in order to become the fourth English team to obtain a place in the Champions League’s quarterfinals.

Next Tuesday’s game at the San Siro stadium will mean the end of the quarterfinals; Milan also played its game in the same stadium, therefore; this will take place a week later as FIFA does not allow the use of the stadiums in consecutive days.

Liverpool managed to win the game in Anfield with a score of 2-0 due to Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard’s goals. Inter did play for more than half of the game with one less man after the expulsion of defense Marco Materazzi. The player’s removal is not the only concern for the Inter as also the Colombian Ivan Cordoba and the Argentinean Walter Samuel are injured.

Firmly; Gerrard affirms Inter is an experienced talented team and does trust the players will do whatever it takes to overcome the obstacles on the road; everyone is aware of the efforts involved to achieve their goal, which is winning the game, and be able to take part of the great event next May 21st in Moscow.

If Liverpool is able to move forward it will become the first of the four teams from the same country to be included in the quarterfinals stage. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are the other three English teams that already were classified, next to Barcelona (Spain), Rome (Italy), Schalke (Germany) and Fenernahce (Turkey).

The English team of Liverpool arrives to this game after four previous consecutive triumphs in the Premier League. This outstanding performance places the team in the fourth position overall and gives them the opportunity to still dream of becoming the Champions of the next season.

On the other hand; Inter heads the Serie A with a six points advantage and despite the difficulty to defeat Reggina; they managed a 2-0 score and the good performance of their Brazilian goalkeeper Julio César who caught more than one possible goal. It was Inter’s first victory after three games, including a first riot in the Italian tournament against Napoli as well as a pair of ties.

Inter’s coach Roberto Mancini is also thinking of incorporating two other players; the Argentineans Julio Cruz and Hernan Crespo. Cruz is already recovered from an injury while Crespo is in good shape but left lightly hit after Saturday’s game. The team believes in giving their greatest effort as if they get eliminated it will be an impact on the Italian Tifosi.

Inter expects to repeat the same victory during the semifinals in the European Cup of 1965, when in a first round lost 3-1 in Liverpool before winning 3-0 at home then raising the trophy.

Recently in the English Premier League, Arsenal overcame Bolton by 3 goals and this serve to take advantage and surpass Liverpool that had previously played against Stoke City in a game that ended in a tie. This way in a fifth game played Arsenal positioned itself in the first place of the English Premier standings. Chelsea and Manchester United remain the biggest favorite to win this year’s home and away titles especially the UEFA Champions League, which Sir Alex Ferguson and his team achieved last season.

During the match the Spaniard midfielder Cesc Fabregas failed to catch, in the 14th minute, Kevin Davis’ shot and Bolton took the leading but within two minutes Arsenal’s Emmanuele Eboure and Niclas Bendtner scored. Right after that, the Londoner squad took control of the rhythm of the game and managed to win with a final goal by Denilson at the 87th minute. 

On the other hand, we need to say it was not such a good day for Liverpool coached by Spaniard Rafael Benítez who thought that would be an easy game against one of the teams at the bottom of the classification, Stoke City, but the team had a major objective, which was to obtain a local triumph. Right from the start, Liverpool had a major disappointment as their first goal was annulled. Also, Liverpool’s player Fernando Torres was not able to overcome the rival’s resistance laid upon him.

Liverpool’s head coach, Rafael Benítez was very upset that the referee annulled the Gerrard’s free shot goal. The linesman had advised a fault by Dirk Kuyt who headed the shot. The decision to cancel the goal was the referee’s and that was a turning point for the team as they were not able to play a more open game.

The remaining action was shared in the games that brought the West Ham’s triumph over Newcastle by 3 goals to 1. This was Gianfranco Zola’s debut in the Premier League as head coach, a very good experience for the rookie coach. The Italian Zola is the current West Ham’s leading man since Alan Curbishley was removed from his position. The West Ham’s player David Di Michele scored the third goal for the team while Michael Owen scored for Newcastle. Zola was very pleased with the victory and he feels his players have provided all the support he needed to feel in command to make the right choices.

Additionally, Suderland and Blackburn achieved home wins against Middlesbrough (2-0) and Fulham (1-0). These two games were very interested and brought plenty of action especially Michael Chopra Middlesbrough’s player performance. Lastly, Blackburn won over Fulham with a powerful goal by Matt Derbyshire at the 84th minute of the game. Nevertheless, there is a new leader in the standings but the question remains for how long this team will continue in the premium position…we will have our answer in the coming days of football action in the English League.

But an unexpected outburst of words from club manager Rafael Benitez, criticizing the way the FA seemed to turn a blind eye to Manchester United’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s alleged actions of disrespect to the referees seemed  to have rocked Liverpool’s boat and which made them tense the night they played. Which is perhaps a contentious statement. But to fail to come up with a win against a side whom you have met before, wouldn’t Benitez been able to come up with a better strategy against Stoke? For one thing, I cannot understand his decision to play with only one striker, and picked Dirk Kuyt over Robbie Keane, provided that Fernando Torres still isn’t fit to play the whole 90 minutes. And to clog the middle with five midfielders with Steven Gerrard playing support? As if the Stoke half wont get crowded enough when they let everyone stay back and defend it.Stoke has lost 10 games, but has also snatched a win against Arsenal. Meaning does this team play differently against other teams but employ this defensive style of play against the big four clubs? Unfortunately though, I can’t watch all the games and whenever I watch a game of Stoke against the Big 4, I often see this defensive style of play. Is it wrong? No, but the team lost against Chelsea and Manchester United so there must be a way for Liverpool to defeat Stoke. Instead, I witnessed a sequel of the their first meeting.With United perhaps leading the soccer standing after the Saturday night game, Liverpool now have to win not only this Monday’s Merseyside derby but all their remaining games and win so in convincing fashion. To do so means that they have to stay focused and courageous. And it also means that any external factors be shut out, from the mind of manager Rafael Benitez to the minds of the players.Benitez, with his tirade, appears to have been the first manager to succumb to Ferguson’s mind games. Its different to talk the talk but Benitez also has to show that the club can walk the walk. That plus his health matters, soon to undergo another operation to remove more kidney stones and his ongoing negotiations regarding his future with Liverpool Football Club , it seems that the manager has a lot on his plate at the moment. Rumors about Daniel Agger’s agent was allegedly seen talking to AC Milan representatives also provides unwanted distraction.It is up to Liverpool’s home grown heroes of Gerrard and Jaime Carragher to rally the players and instill in them the belief that they can withstand this onslaught of United, break an 18 year title drought and win the English Premier League crown. Lucky for the Reds that Chelsea are sputtering at this time and that loss to Man U really showed that the Blues appear to be not that in to their campaign. And Arsenal? Until they get Cesc Fabregas back from injury, might lose to Stoke once again. Why do I say that? It’s a sequel!Read about the current soccer scores at Scorespro.com/soccer

The current second place of the English Premier League and 18-times Premier League champions, Liverpool, defeated in a whipping victory of 5-0 to Aston Villa. This triumph places Liverpool just one point behind the current English Premier League champion, Manchester United, who lost in week 30 against Fulham 2-0. This defeat of Manchester United is their second consecutive loss as they were beaten by Liverpool 4-1 the week before.

It has to be mentioned that weeks ago Liverpool seemed almost an impossible contender to battle for the Premier League title, but after they defeated Real Madrid and Manchester United, 4-0 and 4-1 respectively with a complete change of game, the team was revived with confidence.

During the game against Aston Villa, Liverpool was handling the game extremely well and was energetic from the beginning through the end. The players were passing the ball in great way and opening the gaps to encounter great plays. Moreover, Liverpool’s defense was tough and Aston Villa was not able to pass through it.  By playing this great football, Liverpool opened the score in hands of Dirk Kuyt at minute 7 and then Albert Riera scored at minute 32. From then on, Gerrard took over by scoring three more goals; two from penalties at minute 39 and 65 respectively, and then the other one in a free kick at the edge of the area at minute 49. With this amount of goals, Aston Villa seemed defenceless and was unable to play their football.  

With this astonishing win, Liverpool added a total of 64 points at second place ahead of Chelsea by three points and behind Manchester United, who is currently at the top just within one point with 65 points.

Having these last results, Liverpool is well-motivated and completely confident on their football and their players, and with eight games left in the Premier League, they’re willing to give everything they have in order to catch United and they will be playing each game as it was a cup final, as their coach Benitez told advised them. The Reds’ captain Steven Gerrard expressed that his team is just waiting for United to make mistakes and they will take advantage of it to jump the top spot. In the meantime, Liverpool will keep pressuring United and will focus on playing one game at the time. But they are not resting on their laurels for their current results, since they know United are capable of winning the remaining 8 games, so they have to remain very concentrated and hope for the best for the next weeks.

“I think it is important not to get carried away. They are capable of winning all their remaining games. It is important we focus on what we’re doing and keep winning, keep on their shoulders, keep piling that pressure on them and whilst they are going into games knowing we are ready to pounce on any mistakes that they make it will be more difficult for them,” expressed Gerrard.

The next game for Liverpool in the English Premier League will be against Fulham on April 4th after the two-week break for international fixtures. We hope for the battle for the Premier League to continue so we can keep enjoying the excitement of one of the elite football leagues in Europe.

As Manchester United wait for Sunday evening for their match against West Ham UInited to start, Liverpool have a chance to reclaim the lead and be at the top of the English Premier League even if it is only for a night. Liverpool surrendered the first goal of the match when David Nugent scored at the 61st minute to draw first blood for Portsmouth. However, his side failed to check the Reds’ talismanic striker Fernando Torres as he scored the winning goal in Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Fratton Park.Reds manager Rafael Benitez fielded in a radical side. With Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard out with a hamstring injury and Lucas Leiva suspended for one game, Benitez tweaked his side to cope with the challenge. He gave young Frenchman striker David Ngog his first full start, left his starters Albert Riera, Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso on the bench and employed three center backs in Jaime Carragher, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger. Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa were in midfield while Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun played behind Ngog. Torres started on the bench for Liverpool as his recent hamstring injuries has worried Benitez no end.Aurelio scored the equalizer as he scored a wicked free kick that came about when James had to handle ex Liverpool striker Peter Crouch’s suicidal back pass with Kuyt lurking to intercept and score. Hermann Hreidarsson then restored Portsmouth lead with a header at the 77th minute. Benitez then replaced Ngog with Kuyt, Andreas Dossena with Alonso and Babel with Torres. The trio then pushed forward with Torres laying the ball for Kuyt to unleash a shot towards the top of the net at the 88th minute. Torres then produced a glancing header for the winning goal in stoppage time.The win pushed Liverpool at the top of the standings but United still have two games in hand. They are to face the Hammers on Sunday evening. In the other key football game, Chelsea had to bounce back from its loss to Liverpool and revive its title aspirations by seeking a win against a determined Hull side. They did produce a lot of chances but failed to convert any of  them as the Blues were held to a 0-0 draw by the Tigers.The Blues were without goalkeeper Peter Cech who sustained a back injury during Chelsea’s match against the Reds. Defender Ricardo Carvalho did not start as he still has to shake off a hamstring strain. Michael Essien and Joe Cole are both with knee injuries and sidelined for the rest of the season while new loan signing from Inter, Ricardo Quaresma made his debut.The draw together with Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Blackburn relegated the Blues to fourth place with 49 points. Villa jumped to 51 points. Arsenal, whos game is also this Sunday night is on fifth place with 43 points but may close the gap on Chelsea if they win their match against Tottenham Hotspurs. So frustrated with their team’s sinking title hopes were the fans at Stamford Bridge that they booed their side after the game ended with some angry fans hurled abusive comments toward Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari after recent scores.Catch the English livescore at ScoresPro.com/soccer/