Jamie Carragher Announces Plan to Retire

Yesterday legendary Liverpool centerback Jamie Carragher announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2012-2013 season. Carragher has spent his entire career playing for the Reds when he first joined their youth squad over 20 years ago in 1990.

Carragher made his first-team debut for Liverpool in 1996 and only one player has played more games for Liverpool than Carragher, who has played 723 total games for the team with 496 of those appearances taking place in the English Premier League. The only player with more appearances for the Reds is Ian Callaghan who played in 856 games for the squad.

Over the last two decades Carragher and teammate Steven Gerrard have been the faces of a team that has gone through it's longest drought of not winning a Premier League title. While Carragher was never able to win the Premier League during his career he has helped bring many trophies to the legendary squad.

Carragher has helped Liverpool win two FA Cups, three League Cups, two FA Community Shields, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup twice, an FA Youth Cup and most importantly the UEFA Champions League during the 2004-2005 season.

It was the 2005 Champions League win that will most be remembered in Carragher's career. His performance in the semifinal against Chelsea helped propel Liverpool to the final where they eventually defeated AC Milan 3-2 in penalties. "I looked at him and saw a man hell-bent on not letting a lead slip. He was prepared to offer the last drop of sweat and blood in his body to get us to Istanbul," said Gerrard on Carragher's performance in the semifinal.

I first became a fan of soccer after playing FIFA World Cup Soccer 2006 and watching UEFA Euro 2008 during the summer of 2008. My favorite player in the tournament was Fernando Torres who at the time played for Liverpool, which originally led me to becoming a Liverpool fan. Carragher and England were not a part of the tournament because they didn't qualify, but I soon became well aware of the greatness of #23.

Since becoming a fan of Liverpool in 2008 not many players remain from that team outside of Carragher so I've grown to really appreciate his loyalty to this club. Carragher has chosen to retire this year partially because he isn't playing as regularly as he would like, and rather than going to another club elsewhere he has decided that he would like to hang up his boots with the one team he has called his own his entire career.

While I haven't been able to see Carragher play in the prime of his career during Liverpool's more successful days of the early 2000's, I will always remember him as a player that always put the team first and was able to solidify a back four that has seen many departures and arrivals in recent years. He was never a flashy player or a real goal threat, but what he added to the defense in communication and ability to help a team play better together is what he will be remembered for in his later years.

Carragher hadn't been featured as much as he had liked this season, but recently has regained his starting spot in the Liverpool XI and has helped Liverpool avoid a loss in the last three games.

This will be the last season with "Carra" playing for the Liverpool squad which is only competing for a shot at one trophy at this point in the season (UEFA Europa League) and the possibility of finishing in the top four. If Carragher were to help turn the season around at this point in the season and achieve either of those things, that would a great sending off for Liverpool's #23.

Saturday Soccer Results & Sunday Preview

English Premier League:

Sunday Preview:

Liverpool (7th - 35 Pts) @ Manchester City (2nd - 52 Pts) - Prediction: Draw 2-2

Both of these teams really need wins at this point in the season. Manchester City are currently 10 points behind league leading Manchester United and a loss or draw will probably kill their chances of repeating as Premier League Champions. Liverpool are coming into this game seven points behind Tottenham who would receive the fourth spot in the Champion's League and also seven points behind Everton who would receive the Europa League spot. A loss here would mean they would probably have to win the Europa League Title this year if they have any hope of playing outside of England next year.

As a Liverpool fan it's hard to see them winning this game, but I do think they will be able to compete the entire game and keep this one even. Without Vincent Kompany in the back four for City I expect Liverpool to be able to score easier than they usually would against this team. The many striking options that City possess including Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero will also score some goals as well. This should be an exciting game from a scoring standpoint.

This game could mark the debut of recent signing Philippe Coutinho for Liverpool. He was Liverpool's second biggest signing of the transfer window after they also brought in Daniel Sturridge who is already leaving his mark for this Liverpool squad. Manchester City stayed surprisingly quiet over the last transfer window and only brought in one rather unknown player in Godsway Donyoh so don't expect to see any new faces for their squad.

Tottenham Hotspur (4th - 42 Pts) @ West Bromwich Albion (9th - 34 Pts) - Prediction: Draw 1-1

In the only other game between English teams tomorrow the Spurs are visiting West Brom. If the Spurs were at home I'd say they would get the win, but on the road I expect this 1 to stay even. 


Saturday's Results:

Manchester United (1st - 62 Pts) @ Fulham (13th - 28 Pts) - Man United won 1-0

Manchester United win again as Wayne Rooney scores the only goal of the game. With the win Man U now takes a 10 point lead over Man City who will be playing Liverpool tomorrow.

Stoke City (10th - 30 Pts) @ Arsenal (6th - 41 Pts) - Arsenal won 1-0

Lukas Podolski scored the game winner off of a deflected free kick in the 78th minute in a game Arsenal really dominated throughout.

Chelsea (3rd - 46 Pts) @ Newcastle United (15th - 27 Pts) - Newcastle won 3-2

Chelsea could have used a win in this game to move closer to 2nd place Manchester City and push them further away from 4th place Tottenham, however they ended the game with a loss. Moussa Sissoko's late brace is what gave the Magpies the win after Chelsea had a 2-1 lead.

Aston Villa (19th - 21 Pts) @ Everton (5th - 42 Pts) - Draw 3-3

Aston Villa had a two-goal lead erased when they were up 3-1 after Marouane Fellaini scored a brace within the last 25 minutes of the game to give Everton a draw and saved them a point in the standings. A draw here is like a loss for Villa who currently sit in the relegation zone.

Swansea City (8th - Pts) @ West Ham United (11 - Pts) - West Ham won 1-0

West Ham wins the game behind a goal from Andy Carroll, who has now scored only his second goal of the season on loan from Liverpool. Reports from ESPN are stating that Carroll will be joining the Hammers for good at the end of the season with them purchasing Carroll from Liverpool.

Sunderland (12th - Pts) @ Reading (17th - Pts) - Reading won 2-1

Reading's Jimmy Kebe led the team to victory by adding a brace to help defeat the Black Cats. The win helps Reading avoid the relegation zone for now.

Norwich City (14th - Pts) @ Queens Park Rangers (20th - Pts) - Draw 0-0

Scoreless game that saw QPR's Adel Taarabt miss a penalty shot that could have won them the game. QPR will likely be relegated at the end of the season.

Southampton (16th - Pts) @ Wigan Athletic (18th - Pts) - Draw 2-2

In a 2-2 draw that saw four different players do the scoring for their teams. Both teams are currently flirting with the possibility of relegation so the one point definitely helps both teams. Both could have used the win but they will take whatever they can get at this point.

Spanish La Liga:

Sunday Preview:

Barcelona (1st - 58 Pts) @ Valencia (7th - 33 Pts) - Prediction: Barca win 3-1

Every time Barcelona suits up most people expect them to win. In La Liga this season they have only drawn once and lost once. With 19 wins so far on the season expect them to make this game number 20.

Real Betis (5th - 35 Pts) @ Atletico Madrid (2nd - 47 Pts) - Prediction: Atletico wins 2-1

Real Betis are currently sitting fifth in La Liga and are certainly overachieving this season. Last year they finished 13th and will more than likely finish several spots ahead of that if they keep up the way that they are playing.  Atletico is currently ahead of Real Madrid which is an achievement in itself. If you can manage to finish in the top two ahead of either Barca or Real in any season, any team in La Liga has to consider that to be a good season.

Rayo Vallecano (6th - 34 Pts) @ Sevilla FC (13th - 26 Pts) - Prediction: Sevilla win 2-1

When I first thought of this match between Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano I thought that Sevilla would be the team favored. I haven't followed La Liga as much this season due to Madrid's poor season so I hadn't noticed how well Rayo was playing and how poor Sevilla was playing. While Sevilla isn't having as good a season as they usually do and are currently lower in the table than Rayo Vallecano I expect them to win at home in this one.


Saturday's Result:

Real Madrid (3rd - 43 Pts) @ Granada (14th - 26 Pts) - Granada won 1-0

90 minutes of soccer and the only goal of the game was by Cristiano Ronaldo. No, not that kind of goal. Ronaldo aided Granada in getting the win when he scored an own goal in the 22nd minute. This is the kind of season Real Madrid has had all year. In a game where they should have won or at worst got the draw they lost to a team in the bottom half of the table once again.

Real Madrid is only concerned with finishing in the top three at this point to assure themselves a spot in the Champion's League as well as possibly winning the Copa Del Rey and this year's Champion's League. Barcelona is now 15 points ahead of Real Madrid and has played two games less than them. 

What changes Real Madrid will make come this summer will have to be seen. Whether or not Jose Mourinho will be coaching the team when the season ends is the big story as of right now. Bringing in another striker to replace either Higuain or Benzema is likely as is the arrival of Tottenham star Gareth Bale. This could finally be the time they possibly lure Neymar from Brazil as well. All I know is there will be some kind of change once this season is over.

Serie A:

Sunday Preview:

Udinese (9th - ) @ AC Milan (5th - 37 Pts) - Prediction - AC Milan wins 2-1

This game could mark the debut of Milan's newest signing Mario Balotelli. Balotelli has been a headache for every team that he has played for, but when his head is on straight and he's performing at his best he can be one of the best strikers in the world. I'm guessing he will come on as a substitute in the second half and see him possibly scoring the winning goal late in the game.

Juventus (2nd - 49 Pts) @ Chievo Verona (12th - 28 Pts) - Prediction: Juventus wins 2-0

Juventus has now lost their hold on first place in the table and will be coming into this game trying to regain that lead. They sit three points behind Napoli so a win here will give them the tie. Even a draw here and a win in their next game would give them a 1-point lead over Napoli as they have played two games less than the current 1st place leaders. Expect Gianluigi Buffon to not let anything get by him in this one.

Inter Milan (4th - 40 Pts) @ Siena (20th - 14 Pts) - Prediction: Inter wins 3-0

Inter are currently struggling this season and have actually been sellers instead of buyers during the latest winter transfer window. The team has offloaded two of their key midfielders in Philippe Coutinho to Liverpool and Wesley Sneijder to Galatasary. They aren't as strong as they were when they won the Champion's League a couple of years ago, but they are playing the worst team in Serie A so they should win this game pretty easily.


Saturday's Result:

Catania (7th - 35 Pts) @ Napoli (1st - 52 Pts) - Napoli won 2-0

Coming in to the season most would probably guess that either one of the Milan teams or Juventus would be leading the Serie A table at this point in the season, but after today's win Napoli has taken control of the top spot. While they have played two more games than Juventus they currently lead them by only three points so this could change once Juventus has played the same amount.

German Bundesliga:

Sunday Preview:

Borussia Dortmund (4th - 36 Pts) @ Bayer Leverkusen (3rd - 37 Pts) - Prediction: Draw 2-2

These two teams will likely finish second and third in the table as Eintracht Frankfurt is likely to drop down. The winner of this game will move into second place in the table. Both of these teams don't have much of a chance to catch Bayern at this point so this game will likely help decide who gets to be the runner-up at the end of the season.


Saturday's Result:

Bayern Munich (1st - 51 Pts) @ Mainz (5th - 30 Pts) - Bayern won 3-0

Bayern Munich have been on a roll as of late and are looking to reclaim their Bundesliga title. After today's win they now hold a 12 point lead over any other team in the table and it might get larger before it gets smaller. As good as they are playing currently they will more than likely get better next year due to the team bringing in coach Pep Guardiola who will be allowed to spend plenty of money.

French Ligue 1:

Sunday Preview:

Lyon (2nd - 45 Pts) @ AC Ajaccio (16th - 22 Pts) - Prediction: Lyon wins 2-0

Lyon are currently second in the table and with a win could tie Paris Saint-Germain at the top. They are on the road against an Ajaccio team that is in the bottom half of the table that they should beat. Expect OL to come out victorious.

Marseille (3rd - 42 Pts) @ AS Nancy (20th - 15 Pts) - Prediction: Marseille wins 3-0

Marseille are on the road against Nancy and need to win this game if they want to possibly catch PSG and OL. OM are six points behind PSG and three behind OL so a win here will definitely help them. Nancy are currently sitting at the bottom of the table in 20th so I don't think this will be close.

1/30 & 1/31 Soccer Results

Spanish Copa Del Rey Semifinals:

Yesterday's Result:

Barcelona @ Real Madrid (1st Leg) - Draw 1-1

Only two goals scored in a game between the best two teams in the world, who were each playing with their backup goalkeepers. If you thought that was the most shocking part of the game, the fact that neither of those goals scored were by either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the most telling part of the game.

The first half of El Clasico remained scoreless but during the 50th minute Cesc Fabregas gave Barcelona the lead and the game was starting to appear as if the game would end in a 1-0 win for the away side. It wasn't until the 81st minute of the game when Real Madrid's Raphael Varane scored a header to tie the game up. Varane is the teams fourth best center back  and he is the main reason Real Madrid has any chance of possibly continuing on to the championship. If it wasn't for injuries and suspensions to starting center backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos, the young Varane never would have gotten the chance to prove how helpful he could be.

(Original prediction: 2-2 Draw)

Today's Result:

Sevilla FC @ Atletico Madrid (1st Leg) - Atletico Madrid won 2-1
(Original prediction: Atletico win 2-1)

English Premier League:

Yesterday's Results:

Liverpool (7th - 35 Pts) @ Arsenal (6th - 38 Pts) - Draw 2-2

Both teams came into this game really needing a win so that they could move up in the league table. Instead both only left with one point in a game that was really entertaining from the beginning. In a game with very little defense this game could have ended up with 4 goals a piece. Both teams continued to get shots off throughout the game, but neither finished enough of their shots to end the game with a win.

When Luis Suarez got the game started in the fifth minute with a quick goal for Liverpool the game looked like Liverpool would be able to keep it up all game but that was the only goal of the first half. After fifteen minutes went by in the second half the game really picked up for the next 10 minutes.

In the 60th minute of the game Jordan Henderson scored a goal that then gave Liverpool a 2-0 edge over the Gunners and at the time it was looking like Liverpool would walk away with the win. However four minutes later Olivier Giroud scored off of a header and three minutes after that Theo Walcott scored to tie the game up 2-2.

Both teams had opportunities after all four goals had been scored, but neither team was able to finish one home. Was very impressed with the pair of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez as I believe the two of them will form a very good striking pair at the top of the formation for the Reds.

(Original prediction: Liverpool win 2-1)

West Bromwich Albion (9th - 34 Pts) @ Everton (5th - 41 Pts) - Everton won 2-1
(Original prediction: Everton win 3-2)

Tottenham Hotspur (4th - 42 Pts) @ Norwich City (14th - 27 Pts) - Draw 1-1
(Original prediction: 1-1 Draw)

West Ham United (13th - 27 Pts) @ Fulham (12th - 28 Pts) - Fulham won 3-1
(Original prediction: Fulham win 1-0)

Southampton (16th - 23 Pts) @ Manchester United (1st - 59 Pts) - Manchester United won 2-1
(Original prediction: Manchester United win 3-0)

Chelsea (3rd - 46 Pts) @ Reading (17th - 20 Pts) - Draw 2-2
(Original prediction: Chelsea win 2-0)

Wednesday Soccer: El Clasico & More

Today's Games:

Spanish Copa Del Rey:

Barcelona @ Real Madrid (1st Leg)

For those of you that love the big names and love seeing the best teams playing against each other, it doesn't get any bigger than this game. The two best teams in the world and the two best players in the world are featured in this one.

Barcelona are currently having the much better season up to this point and Real Madrid are dealing with a lot of injuries as well as suspensions for this game. Barcelona are coming into this game with a very healthy squad that has been on a tear. Madrid is going to need which ever goalkeeper is starting today to fill the void that will be missing without captain Iker Casillas along with a very depleted back four without Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

What this game will more than likely come down to is the productivity of Cristiano Ronaldo. If Ronaldo can score a goal or two this will likely be the decider in the game. If he is held scoreless I think this game will end poorly for Los Blancos. While Messi has been on a tear as of late and will more than likely break even more goal records, he has had a lot more help this season than Ronaldo has.

Due to all of the guys out for Real Madrid in this game they might just be hoping for a draw at best. Even though they are at home they are going to need a miracle to win this one.

My prediction: 2-2 Draw

English Premier League:

Liverpool (7th - 34 Pts) @ Arsenal (6th - 37 Pts)

If it wasn't for the Madrid-Barcelona game today, this would easily be the biggest game on tap. Liverpool and Arsenal are both fighting for the possibility of making the Champions League and both are currently sitting outside of the top four. Liverpool are currently 3 points behind Arsenal, so with a win today they would be able to tie them for the sixth spot in the league table.

Both teams have played very similarly up to this point in the season and are both looking for more consistency out of their clubs. They don't have the big names that they might have had five years ago due to some teams spending a lot more money than they have in the past, but both of these teams remain very competitive within the league.

The player to watch in this game is Luis Suarez. If it wasn't for Robin van Persie this year, he would be the best forward in the Premier League. His 16 goals are leading a Liverpool team that has been without any other real striker help for the majority of the season and he will likely have to come up big for a Liverpool win today. Behind recent signings of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, this Liverpool team is looking to improve on it's scoring and whether or not either of these players play today could have an effect on the game.

My prediction: Liverpool win 2-1

West Bromwich Albion (8th - 34 Pts) @ Everton (5th - 38 Pts)

My prediction: Everton win 3-2

Tottenham Hotspur (4th - 41 Pts) @ Norwich City (13th - 26 Pts)

My prediction: 1-1 Draw

West Ham United (12th - 27 Pts) @ Fulham (14th - 25 Pts)

My prediction: Fulham win 1-0

Southampton (15th - 23 Pts) @ Manchester United (1st - 56 Pts)

My prediction: Manchester United win 3-0

Chelsea (3rd - 45 Pts) @ Reading (18th - 19 Pts)

My prediction: Chelsea win 2-0


Yesterday's Results:

Italian Coppa Italia Semifinal:

Juventus @ Lazio (2nd Leg) - Lazio won 2-1 (3-2 Aggregate)
(Originally predicted Juventus would win 2-1 (3:2 on aggregate)

English Premier League:

Newcastle United @ Aston Villa - Newcastle won 2-1
(Originally predicted a 2-2 Draw)

Manchester City @ Queens Park Rangers - Draw 0-0
(Originally predicted Man City would win 3-0)

Wigan Athletic @ Stoke City - Draw 2-2
(Originally predicted Stoke City would win 2-1)

Swansea City @ Sunderland - Draw 0-0
(Originally predicted a 1-1 Draw)

Tuesday Soccer Preview

So far on the year I'm 7-5 with predictions.

Tuesday, January 29th

Italian Coppa Italia Semifinal:

Juventus @ Lazio (2nd Leg, Currently 1:1) "Game of the Day"

Today's "Game of the Day" is the cup semifinal between Juventus and Lazio. This is the second leg between two teams that are currently fighting for a spot in the final of the Coppa Italia in May. Juventus is having an amazing season up to this point and could possibly win the Treble (League, Cup & European Cup). Juventus is a part of the final 16 for the Champions League and are facing a weaker Celtic team so getting to the round of 8 shouldn't be a problem. As for Serie A, Juventus is currently sitting pretty in first place with Lazio two spots behind them in third. Juventus and Lazio should enjoy this season a lot while they can because there won't be many chances like this while the two big clubs from Milan are currently struggling.

Game 1 ended in a tie so a lot is riding on this game for both teams. The winner of this game will play the winner of Inter Milan and Roma in the Final in late May. Game 1 only saw two goals between the two teams with Federico Peluso starting the scoring for Juventus and then Stefano Mauri of Lazio tieing it up late in the game.

My prediction: Juventus win 2-1 (3:2 on aggregate)

English Premier League:

Quick Picks:

Newcastle United (16th - 21 Pts) @ Aston Villa (17th - 20 Pts)

My prediction: 2-2 Draw

Manchester City (2nd - 51 Pts) @ Queens Park Rangers (20th - 15 Pts)

My prediction: Man City win 3-0

Wigan Athletic (19th - 19 Pts) @ Stoke City (10th - 29 Pts)

My prediction: Stoke City win 2-1

Swansea City (9th - 33 Pts) @ Sunderland (11th - 28 Pts)

My prediction: Draw 1-1