Reuters Soccer Blog
World Soccer views and news
Who should Liverpool target to reverse their slump?
Liverpool ’s dismal start to the season is an open wound on Merseyside and events over the last seven days have thrown a handful of salt into the gaping gash.
Michael Owen reminded Reds fans what an able deputy he could have been for Fernando Torres by firing a clinical Champions League hat-trick against Wolfsburg, while their own campaign came to a whimpering end at home to Fiorentina.
And then Andrei Arshavin, who seems to enjoy playing at Anfield more than any Liverpool player does at the moment, hammered what must be the final nail in their Premier League coffin.
The only positive for Reds supporters that may come from the Russian’s moment of brilliance is if Liverpool ’s increasingly unpopular owners realise that players of Arshavin’s ability cannot be acquired in football’s equivalent of the bargain basement.
And if there were ever a man in need of a spot of retail therapy, it’s Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
So assuming there is money to spend, and that is a massive ‘if’, who could Liverpool turn to when the window opens in January to turn their season around?
Should ref have called Van Nistelrooy goal offside?
Some you win and some you lose but it looks like almost every journalist and most TV commentators, as well as the Italian players, were totally wrong in claiming Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s opening goal against Italy in Netherlands’ 3-0 win in Berne on Monday was offside.
UEFA have confirmed that referee Peter Frojdfeldt and his assistant Stefan Wittberg were absolutely correct in awarding the goal. UEFA general secretary David Taylor said the ref interpreted Law 11 relating to offside correctly and the reason why is this:
Even though Italian defender Chrstian Panucci was off the pitch after an accidental collision with his own goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, he was deemed to still be in active play and therefore playing Van Nistelrooy onside.
His position is “assumed” to be on the goal-line and therefore Van Nistelrooy had two opposing players between him and the goal when he scored. The law is vague on the issue and Taylor admits it does not specifically cover incidents such as the one that occurred last night.
It also raises a whole lot of questions. If the law is not specific on the issue and open to interpretation by the referee, then shouldn’t it be more specific? Shouldn’t it be re-written?
The officials might have applied the universally accepted interpretation of the law and been exonerated … but is the universal interpretation really in the spirit of the game? You have to bear in mind of course that a defender should not be allowed to step outside the field of play behind the goal-line to render the opposing attacker offside.
i think according to the law the goal counts and the ref was right. u refferee a match according to the law….thats it!! so, it counts….
in any case, dutch scored 2 more…..so, no issues even if FIFA wants to take that goal out now 
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT BERNITEZ HAS GOT NOTHING TO OFFER ANY MORE. MONEY HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS TACTICS AND LIES. THE GUY IS NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT ANY WRONG OR BAD SELECTIONS HE ALWAYS READY TO BLAME EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN BUT NOT HIMSELF. MANAGERS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PLAYERS INCONSISTENCES NOT OUR MANAGER. HE IS PACK OF EXCUSES. TO BE HONEST HE WOULD DO US A LOT OF FAVOUR BY JUST MOVE ASIDE, HE COULD TAKE HIS FAVOURATE PLAYER LUCAS WITH HIM. ALL THE TEAMS THAT BEAT THE SHIT OUT US HAS NOT GOT HALF OF THE MONEY LIVERPOOL GOT.