CBC Sports Online's soccer expert, John Molinaro, takes you inside the world of soccer and offers his insights about the action on the pitch and in the front office.
Liverpool's make-or-break weekend
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Saturday, November 11, 2006 | 08:20 AM ET
Liverpool has been a tale of two teams this season in the English Premiership.
The Reds are unbeaten at home – five wins and a draw – but have yet to win in five games on the road.
Of the four defeats, the 3-0 loss in the Merseyside Derby to Everton and a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford sting the most. Liverpool looked dreadful in both of those contests and were completely played off the park by their opponents.
In total, Liverpool earned just a single point on their travels – a 1-1 draw on the opening weekend of the season to newly-promoted Sheffield United.
But while Liverpool have been dreadful on the road, they've been unbeatable at Anfield where they looked like legitimate title contenders in convincing wins against Tottenham and Aston Villa.
So what's the reason for Liverpool's Jekyll & Hyde act?
Dutch midfielder Bolo Zenden seems to think the Reds have been guilty of trying to play attractive soccer on the road instead of staying focused on earning three points.
"We have to do better in away games but sometimes it can't always be pretty. I am sure the away results will come. It's nice to play well but if you lose at the end it is not very enjoyable," Zenden told the Liverpool Daily Post this past week.
Liverpool need to get their act together on Sunday when they travel to London to take on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. The Reds sit eighth in the standings, 11 points off the pace of front-runners Manchester United and they need a win on the road against Arsenal – something they haven't achieved in six years.
A loss or draw would put Liverpool back even further and make it next to impossible for them to mount a serious title challenge.
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About the Author
John F. Molinaro is a reporter for CBC Sport Online whose chief love is international soccer. John served as senior editor of Sports Online's Euro 2004 website, which helped him win a CBC.ca Award of Excellence, and was the driving force behind our coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He holds an honours BA in sociology from York University and a print journalism diploma from Sheridan College, and is also the author of The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time (Stewart House, 2002).
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