Blast From The Past...

It is time for Mickey Mouse Cup again and this is a big 1. It is against Liverpool. But it has not been football but a certain beach ball which has been talked about as far as recent Liverpool gossip is concerned. But, nonetheless Liverpool is one of THE clubs to beat, especially after their latest triumph against Man Utd, the champions, in the weekend. They ended a 4 match loosing streak in some style. So, we @ 11gunners decided to hear from a Scouser himself. His thoughts on the upcoming match and the current state of premiership race. Over to our Scouser friend..

Bouncebackability, you will not find this word anywhere in the english dictionary. But if there is a Liverpool dictionary this surely will be one of the most highlighted words. Though Sunday’s victory was a great source of pride for many Liverpool fans there was also a hint of frustration with just one question hanging in the air. Why can’t we perform like this every week? Defeating the old foe gave us many answers to that question. Liverpool tends to shift another gear when they play the big teams. And Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in Europe, leave alone England.

Both sides may take this match a little lightly given that it is a Carling cup tie. But these are two teams with a lot to prove, not only to their fans but also themselves. Self confidence is the hallmark of champions. And champions are what these teams want to be. Liverpool’s journey from mere pretenders to real contenders last season was largely built on the backs of the telepathic partnership of El-nino and Stevie-G. I won’t expect the two of them to play tonight and why would Rafa gamble on his most crucial players especially when they are not even fit.

One thing that Liverpool fans will be looking forward to a lot tonight would be an appearance from Alberto Aquilani. A lot has been spoken about this mysterious Italian. I call him mysterious simply because nobody has really seen him play. Especially us, premier league fans who don’t watch a lot of Italian football. He has hardly played around 50-60 games for Roma but Liverpool has paid 18 millions for him. So we are really desperate to see him on the field. Since we lost Xabi Alonso there is an unfilled slot in the midfield which Lucas has tried to fill, but unsuccessfully.

This match may not have too many consequences in terms of the season. But Self confidence and momentum are at stake and as Manchester United has proved so many times in the past those are the most important attributes any champion can have.