Manchester City versus Liverpool - Live

For what it's worth, four of these players are on display today.

Neal Thurman: wow, no DSilva vs. Liv
Neal Thurman: Hart, Richards, K. Toure, Kompany, Lescott, De Jong, Barry, Y. Toure, Milner, A. Johnson, Tevez
Neal Thurman: 5 Ms, no Silva, and still no K2 - not going to go well for them today is it?
Neal Thurman: Liverpool on the other hand going all out in attack and have Ngog, Torres, Kuyt, Jovanovic, and Gerrard all starting
Jeremy Spitzberg: wow
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh at home, right?
Neal Thurman: yup
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner wide right?
Neal Thurman: I know he's Italian and all but isn't this the same Mancini who regularly played Inter to 4-3 matches with all sorts of crazy twists and turns?
Jeremy Spitzberg: he and aj crossing for...
Jeremy Spitzberg: um...
Jeremy Spitzberg: never mind
Jeremy Spitzberg: they'll swap flanks so they can come inside
Jeremy Spitzberg: someone described mancini's inter teams as "let's keep it tight and ibra will do something to win it for us"
Neal Thurman: I remember watching them come back from 3-0 to win 4-3 in the last 20 minutes at least once while he was there (pre-match-fixing scandal) and remember the reverse happening at least once as well
Neal Thurman: maybe he manages differently when he (theoretically) has more talent but when Inter was 3rd best behind Milan and Juve he seemed to let fly a bit more
Jeremy Spitzberg: it's crazy
Jeremy Spitzberg: three holding players to protect 4 center backs
Neal Thurman: and they STILL aren't going to stop anyone
Jeremy Spitzberg: guess toure gets forward, but all i've ever seen him do is play balls over the top
Jeremy Spitzberg: sometimes it works out...
Jeremy Spitzberg: often times not
Jeremy Spitzberg: especially if your fwd players are silva and swp
Jeremy Spitzberg: or aj and milner as the case may be
Neal Thurman: I mean, Spurs went through them like they weren't there in the first half
Jeremy Spitzberg: with tevez dropping deeper and deeper
Neal Thurman: 4-6-0
Jeremy Spitzberg: balotelli saved for Europe?
Jeremy Spitzberg: Jo to Fulham! ;-)
Neal Thurman: lol
Jeremy Spitzberg: will be interesting to see if liv are in 4-4-2
Jeremy Spitzberg: jova and kuyt wide?
Jeremy Spitzberg: without jcole he's changing formations?
Neal Thurman: seems likely
Jeremy Spitzberg: or torres being back the bigger factor?
Neal Thurman: most likely JCole replaces N'gog
Jeremy Spitzberg: but cole plays deeper than ngog
Jeremy Spitzberg: though we'll see
Neal Thurman: perhaps but no real like-for-like alternative available
Neal Thurman: unless you want to move Maxi centrally (blech)
Jeremy Spitzberg: no, but kuyt could move infield
Neal Thurman: true but I like him more as the right side of a 4-3-3 much more than as the 2nd striker in a 4-4-2
Jeremy Spitzberg: leaves LIV with no strikers on the bench
Jeremy Spitzberg: for what it's worth
Jeremy Spitzberg: while not even enough room for all of citeh's
Jeremy Spitzberg: jo to liv!
Neal Thurman: lol
Neal Thurman: heck, he's over 6' tall - Jo to the Citeh starting line-up
Jeremy Spitzberg: lol
Neal Thurman: Balotelli is apparently out with a knee
Jeremy Spitzberg: thank you, neal simmons
Neal Thurman: :-)
Jeremy Spitzberg: alright...
Jeremy Spitzberg: time to fire up espn3
Neal Thurman: nice - any reports are welcome
Jeremy Spitzberg: will do
Jeremy Spitzberg: after these important messages
Neal Thurman: lol

Neal Thurman: go on Joe Hart
Jeremy Spitzberg: that's right...
Jeremy Spitzberg: this means something
Jeremy Spitzberg: c'mon torres
Jeremy Spitzberg: c'mon liv
Neal Thurman: assuming, you know, Yahoo ever updates scoring
Jeremy Spitzberg: right...
Jeremy Spitzberg: theoretically, the game means something
Jeremy Spitzberg: espn has kuty left and jova right
Jeremy Spitzberg: that doesn't seem like a very accurate graphic
Neal Thurman: I'm sure they'll be switching sides just like AJ and Milner anyway
Jeremy Spitzberg: and we're underway
Neal Thurman: wingers with fixed positions are so bottom half of the table
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv totally dominating possession ;-)
Neal Thurman: HA
Jeremy Spitzberg: first ball over the top from citeh that tevez can't jump high enough to catch
Jeremy Spitzberg: from richards
Jeremy Spitzberg: just ate a pepper in my kung pao
Jeremy Spitzberg: ugh
Jeremy Spitzberg: not happy
Jeremy Spitzberg: focus, spitzberg
Jeremy Spitzberg: water break
Neal Thurman: that was quick - even Andy Reid doesn't need a water break that quickly
Jeremy Spitzberg: he's not chewing hot peppers on the pitch
Jeremy Spitzberg: i don't think
Jeremy Spitzberg: last ditch tackle as torres tries to shoot
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh break and skrtel destroys AJ
Jeremy Spitzberg: never mind... just a hip check
Jeremy Spitzberg: yc anyway
Jeremy Spitzberg: aj to take (on the right)
Jeremy Spitzberg: cleared and liv break
Jeremy Spitzberg: another fk for aj..
Jeremy Spitzberg: same spot
Jeremy Spitzberg: rolls this one but same result
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv build with gj
Jeremy Spitzberg: ngog sot
Jeremy Spitzberg: slow roller from long range
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart with 2pts
Neal Thurman: woohoo
Jeremy Spitzberg: can tevez be "in the hole" if he's playing beteween mid and D but is still the farthest player fwd?
Neal Thurman: can't imagine how
Jeremy Spitzberg: great tackle from milner denies another shooting chance
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh break but milner again clobbers it off a defender
Jeremy Spitzberg: throw
Jeremy Spitzberg: aj screamer just wide!~
Neal Thurman: sounds like an interesting match at least
Jeremy Spitzberg: agger WAY up the pitch
Jeremy Spitzberg: another slow roller and hart saves
Jeremy Spitzberg: not sure this was on target but hart still went down and got it
Jeremy Spitzberg: AJ still looks lost if you force him wide right
Jeremy Spitzberg: all he can do it turn on his left and play the ball back
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner in a free role
Jeremy Spitzberg: crosses for barry to score!
Neal Thurman: wow
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner on the right (overloading agger) all the space in the world
Neal Thurman: can we just end the match now?
Jeremy Spitzberg: barry coming in late
Jeremy Spitzberg: opens his body and hits it with his left foot
Jeremy Spitzberg: across reina and in
Jeremy Spitzberg: terrible from liv
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner in the box (albeit wide) with no one on him
Jeremy Spitzberg: here they come again
Jeremy Spitzberg: toure to tevez who hits the side netting
Jeremy Spitzberg: caragher "tussling" with him
Neal Thurman: maybe you can play with no strikers
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards cleans out gerrard, who is evidently playing for Liv today though you wouldn't know it
Jeremy Spitzberg: free kick
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart punches clear
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh break again
Jeremy Spitzberg: goal kick
Jeremy Spitzberg: no, citeh throw
Neal Thurman: was Hart's punch from a cross or will it count as a SOT/Save?
Jeremy Spitzberg: no
Jeremy Spitzberg: cross
Jeremy Spitzberg: lescott looks S L O W
Jeremy Spitzberg: ponderous, even
Neal Thurman: that's because he IS slow
Neal Thurman: ponderous even
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv would do well to attack him
Jeremy Spitzberg: here they go...
Jeremy Spitzberg: ngog at the corner flag
Jeremy Spitzberg: lescott did enough
Jeremy Spitzberg: liverpool moving the ball around at lescott pace
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh are at least breaking quickly
Jeremy Spitzberg: lucas fouls milner
Jeremy Spitzberg: aj comes over to take the kick
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner rolls it to him and he loops in a cross that goes out for a citeh throw (thanks to agger)
Jeremy Spitzberg: no posession for liv
Jeremy Spitzberg: all citeh
Neal Thurman: that's what I like to hear
Jeremy Spitzberg: barry tries to double up when he should have passed
Jeremy Spitzberg: aston villa 1 - liverpool 0 ;-)
Neal Thurman: HA
Jeremy Spitzberg: de jong gets his last warning
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh have so many defending and just hitting liv again and again on the counter
Jeremy Spitzberg: no answer
Jeremy Spitzberg: where's masch when you need him?
Neal Thurman: somewhere in Liverpool, Elvis Costello is wondering where Masch is to keep those attacks from his defenders
Neal Thurman: jinx
Jeremy Spitzberg: i don't get the elvis reference
Jeremy Spitzberg: he a big liv fan?
Neal Thurman: yup - I watched the epic LIV/WHU FA Cup final with him (and many others) at a soccer bar in ATL
Jeremy Spitzberg: wow
Jeremy Spitzberg: very cool
Neal Thurman: definitely
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv can't get the ball in citeh's half
Neal Thurman: just walked in and sat himself down with the crowd about 20 min into the match
Neal Thurman: as that was probably the nadir of my soccer-crush on FFASDA I mostly stayed away but still...
Jeremy Spitzberg: did i mention it was all citeh?
Neal Thurman: you had mentioned that, yes
Jeremy Spitzberg: Roy has some thinkiing to do
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards dealing with jova well enough
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez twists and turns but loses out
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv...
Jeremy Spitzberg: get the ball to the center circle
Jeremy Spitzberg: barry ends that move with a foul
Neal Thurman: sad that that represents forward progress
Jeremy Spitzberg: gj sells torres short, move ends
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez with the ball in the defensive third now
Neal Thurman: whose defensive third?
Jeremy Spitzberg: his own
Jeremy Spitzberg: kuyt VERY frustrated
Neal Thurman: who does he outlet the ball to if he's in his own third?
Jeremy Spitzberg: can't tell how gerrard feels...
Jeremy Spitzberg: haven't seen him yet
Jeremy Spitzberg: doesn't
Jeremy Spitzberg: cross from citeh, tevez gets no where near it
Jeremy Spitzberg: but they get the ball back and build again
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards bumps jova off thte ball and they play again
Jeremy Spitzberg: cross that toure doesn't get to
Jeremy Spitzberg: but agger concedes the corner
Jeremy Spitzberg: all citeh
Jeremy Spitzberg: AC
Jeremy Spitzberg: aj cross/shot that reina claims
Jeremy Spitzberg: torres to ngog but barry cleans out him and then kuyt
Jeremy Spitzberg: agger from way out clears row zed
Jeremy Spitzberg: Roy NOT happy
Jeremy Spitzberg: balotelli with a HOTTIE
Jeremy Spitzberg: in the stands
Jeremy Spitzberg: swp, given and k2 looking bored at best
Neal Thurman: maybe they should hang out with Balotelli ;-)
Jeremy Spitzberg: http://www.boxofficefootball.com/wag-of-the-week-mario-balotellis-girlfreind-melissa-castagnoli/
Jeremy Spitzberg: ngog padding hart's stats again
Jeremy Spitzberg: no threat at all
Jeremy Spitzberg: 5 defenders around AJ and citeh keep the ball
Jeremy Spitzberg: but goal kick as AJ can't get to a ball hit over the top
Neal Thurman: just not going well for LIV, huh?
Jeremy Spitzberg: gj overlap... cross... cleared... citeh break
Jeremy Spitzberg: toure... tevez... milner... aj... shot wide
Jeremy Spitzberg: did reina touch it? either way it was going wide
Jeremy Spitzberg: here they come again
Jeremy Spitzberg: it may be a defensive lineup..
Jeremy Spitzberg: but it's a very direct approach
Jeremy Spitzberg: ngog loses out on 1/2 to 3 citeh players
Jeremy Spitzberg: #outnumbered
Jeremy Spitzberg: nifty footwork from tevez and it's another citeh corner
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner to take
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards... wide
Jeremy Spitzberg: run across beat agger but couldn't direct the header
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh with 63% of posession
Jeremy Spitzberg: feels like more
Jeremy Spitzberg: skrtel flattens yaya
Jeremy Spitzberg: holding his head but likely just got ehe wind knocked out
Jeremy Spitzberg: GJ does a step over outside the center circle and the ball goes out for a throw
Jeremy Spitzberg: classic and Roy is PISSEd
Jeremy Spitzberg: gerrard snap shot balooned over
Jeremy Spitzberg: he had torres to his right
Jeremy Spitzberg: jova finds torres this time
Jeremy Spitzberg: lays it back for gerrard...
Jeremy Spitzberg: same result
Jeremy Spitzberg: roy happier
Jeremy Spitzberg: thumbs up from him
Jeremy Spitzberg: again liv lose posession on halfway
Jeremy Spitzberg: bailed out by a foul call
Jeremy Spitzberg: finally someone - torres - beats lescott for pace
Jeremy Spitzberg: but kompany clears
Jeremy Spitzberg: throw
Jeremy Spitzberg: GJ looking like a lost Milli Vanilli with dreds in a loose pony tail
Jeremy Spitzberg: 1/2 time
Neal Thurman: wow - go rest your fingers or get them massaged or something
Jeremy Spitzberg: i'm typing angry now

Second Half
Jeremy Spitzberg: teams are on the pitch
Jeremy Spitzberg: let's see if anything different happens
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart on what, 14pts?
Neal Thurman: did he get a 2nd save?
Jeremy Spitzberg: clean sheet, win, 2 saves
Jeremy Spitzberg: both puff jobs from ngog
Jeremy Spitzberg: (and yes, i'm working the jinx now)
Jeremy Spitzberg: (or at least trying)
Neal Thurman: lol
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv passing it across their own box #dangerous
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner is 13
Jeremy Spitzberg: fyi
Jeremy Spitzberg: and fwiw
Jeremy Spitzberg: and they are @sunderland
Neal Thurman: yeah - too expensive
Jeremy Spitzberg: over the top for ngog and hart gathers easily
Jeremy Spitzberg: here come citeh
Neal Thurman: I'm definitely "In" on Citeh next weekend but not Milner
Neal Thurman: hoping for Balotelli
Jeremy Spitzberg: have silva, but he's bored next to k2
Jeremy Spitzberg: lescott beats gj
Neal Thurman: I have Silva too but am likely to be looking for a replacement once prices change (round 2 w/ MPet?)
Jeremy Spitzberg: that shouldn't happen
Neal Thurman: why? GJ can't defend
Jeremy Spitzberg: he was attacking
Neal Thurman: oh, then yeah
Jeremy Spitzberg: good pass from jova just to square for ngog and citeh clear
Jeremy Spitzberg: better
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart smothers an agger cross
Jeremy Spitzberg: no real danger
Jeremy Spitzberg: liv actually holding the ball a bit
Jeremy Spitzberg: lucas touches the ball on goal
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart saves
Neal Thurman: save?
Neal Thurman: woohoo
Jeremy Spitzberg: not entirely sure
Jeremy Spitzberg: but likely
Jeremy Spitzberg: weak tea
Neal Thurman: I'm good with that
Neal Thurman: points with very little risk
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh corner
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez had milner unmarked in the box but didn't look up
Jeremy Spitzberg: eventually came to aj and his shot was blocke
Jeremy Spitzberg: d
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner to take
Jeremy Spitzberg: goal
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards header
Jeremy Spitzberg: did it cross or did tevez finish?
Neal Thurman: wow, all the points going to unlikely sources
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez, standing in front of reina and the ball megs the keeper
Jeremy Spitzberg: not sure if tevez hit it or not
Neal Thurman: early returns make the Milner for Ireland trade look pretty strong for Citeh
Neal Thurman: Villa collapses and Citeh look to be beating a top half team
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner tracking back to help lescott on D
Jeremy Spitzberg: #shift
Jeremy Spitzberg: bbc giving the goal to tevez
Jeremy Spitzberg: and here comes city
Jeremy Spitzberg: bbc dithering
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards likely
Jeremy Spitzberg: free kick for liv; richards on torres. crap call
Jeremy Spitzberg: gerrard over it
Jeremy Spitzberg: low and into the wall
Neal Thurman: wonder if the difference between results with this formation is a) Milner/AJ vs. Silva/SWP; b) speed of opposing defenders; or c) home vs. away
Jeremy Spitzberg: shoots! hart just made 3 awesome saves
Jeremy Spitzberg: pushed gerrards shot on to the post and stones two follow ups
Jeremy Spitzberg: and citeh break from the corner
Neal Thurman: get to know him
Jeremy Spitzberg: fuck me
Jeremy Spitzberg: now richards really does hack torres and he goes in the "naughty" column
Jeremy Spitzberg: can hart keep making six seven saves a match?
Jeremy Spitzberg: damn
Jeremy Spitzberg: that was one hell of a sequence
Jeremy Spitzberg: if tevez hit the ball he did it with his trailing leg
Neal Thurman: Hart seemed to make that many saves for Brum every match last year and seems more likely to get wins/CSs this season
Jeremy Spitzberg: richards huge in D today
Jeremy Spitzberg: (unless that was kolo, my screen is small)
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner taking another corner
Jeremy Spitzberg: nothing
Neal Thurman: can we end this now?
Jeremy Spitzberg: only 2 saves as he missed the first one that hit the post
Jeremy Spitzberg: but still
Jeremy Spitzberg: damn
Jeremy Spitzberg: and grrr
Jeremy Spitzberg: i might have to suck it up and get hart
Jeremy Spitzberg: keeper roulette just not a good idea
Jeremy Spitzberg: even for $3 less
Jeremy Spitzberg: PK
Jeremy Spitzberg: sktrl trips AJ, i t hink
Jeremy Spitzberg: late
Jeremy Spitzberg: easy call
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez to take
Jeremy Spitzberg: reina goes the wrong way
Jeremy Spitzberg: he's going to be cheap ;-)
Neal Thurman: yeah and with a nice match-up
Jeremy Spitzberg: also BBBF
Jeremy Spitzberg: though not as nice a matchup
Neal Thurman: exactly, thought about that but then, no
Jeremy Spitzberg: seba taking kicks for BRM this year?
Jeremy Spitzberg: hmm...
Jeremy Spitzberg: @bol
Jeremy Spitzberg: or mpet home to brm
Jeremy Spitzberg: hmm ;-)
Neal Thurman: lots of options
Jeremy Spitzberg: just need to save enough to get rid of faubert
Jeremy Spitzberg: walcott?
Jeremy Spitzberg: torres shoots wide
Neal Thurman: lol
Jeremy Spitzberg: wavering on barton
Jeremy Spitzberg: god I hate myself
Neal Thurman: lol
Neal Thurman: for picking him up or ditching him?
Jeremy Spitzberg: picking
Neal Thurman: even more so with the 'stache presumably gone
Jeremy Spitzberg: milner wins another corner b/c gj sucks and carra is slow
Neal Thurman: back line is going to be LIV's downfall all year - esp if Masch indeed does one to Barca/Inter
Jeremy Spitzberg: babel on for torres
Neal Thurman: could we have another 6-0 on our hands? I think CHE were only up 3-0 at this point in the match yesterday
Jeremy Spitzberg: capitulation
Neal Thurman: seems to be the score of the season
Jeremy Spitzberg: babel..
Jeremy Spitzberg: deflected shot..
Jeremy Spitzberg: saved
Jeremy Spitzberg: should have played a ball across much earlier
Jeremy Spitzberg: had support
Jeremy Spitzberg: stockdale/faubert/lennon to hart/kos/walcott
Jeremy Spitzberg: for now
Jeremy Spitzberg: kolarov in a nice cast
Jeremy Spitzberg: no hurry to pick him back kup
Neal Thurman: line-ups must be looking pretty similar as I think I have all of Hart/Kos/Walcott (for now)
Jeremy Spitzberg: hart bale oshea kos floma silva scholes walcott drogs chamwow carroll
Jeremy Spitzberg: silva to barton
Jeremy Spitzberg: i hate myself
Neal Thurman: and that makes it an exact match
Neal Thurman: (Silva to Barton that is)
Jeremy Spitzberg: lol
Jeremy Spitzberg: subject to change
Neal Thurman: of course
Jeremy Spitzberg: theo, chamwow, barton on the bubble
Jeremy Spitzberg: scholes too
Jeremy Spitzberg: zab and jo on
Jeremy Spitzberg: for yaya
Jeremy Spitzberg: and...
Jeremy Spitzberg: tevez
Neal Thurman: Jo to...
Jeremy Spitzberg: pacheco on for jova
Jeremy Spitzberg: 5 mins left
Jeremy Spitzberg: K2 2?
Jeremy Spitzberg: this game has been crying out for Fabio Aurelio
Neal Thurman: really?
Jeremy Spitzberg: wonder what ever happened to him
Jeremy Spitzberg: what, he's on the bench?
Jeremy Spitzberg: width
Jeremy Spitzberg: half decent crosser of the ball
Jeremy Spitzberg: citeh with too much in the middle of the park
Neal Thurman: what can it hurt? LIV not playing any D with Agger back there so why not I guess
Neal Thurman: or would you have subbed him for an attacker?
Jeremy Spitzberg: lucas/gerrard non-existent
Jeremy Spitzberg: no, agger out
Jeremy Spitzberg: if i had my druthers
Jeremy Spitzberg: or brought in a third central middie
Jeremy Spitzberg: poulsen on the bench too
Jeremy Spitzberg: seconds left
Jeremy Spitzberg: and that's it
Neal Thurman: woohoo!
Jeremy Spitzberg: damn you
Jeremy Spitzberg: there goes any chip i got out of theo
Neal Thurman: I don't know about all that but certainly helps minimize the damage
Jeremy Spitzberg: we'll see if y! ever updates
Jeremy Spitzberg: but i'm out
Jeremy Spitzberg: yay meetings!
Neal Thurman: enjoy
Neal Thurman: thx for the updates