BACK ON TRACK

The win was massive today. Anything less, after those two nil-nils, would have been a disaster.
We started off pretty well and passed it around Blackburn for 20 minutes, but we quickly let them back in the game and we didn't wrestle back total control until Xabi slotted with about 20 minutes to go.
The Spaniard was probably our best player again, along with Hyppia, and hardly gave the ball away.
It's been important for Alonso to realise that he needs to play further up the pitch as a man with such talent is required to create rather than to protect.
Especially in this shot-shy Reds team.
Hey presto! Goal from the edge of the area from Xabi! And other than the goals, he was fired in our only other shot in anger which brought Robinson into action.
It was a strange strike as the midfielder pretty much just passed it into the goal and it wasn't that far away from the keeper.
He seemed to dive over the ball unnecessarily, but who are we to query?
The goal settled us down massively as we were safe in the knowledge that Blackburn had doen nothing to trouble us all game, save for Pederson's piledriver. (what a save Pepe).
The enigma that is Yossi Benayoun sealed the game for us with a piece of play that was classy and clinical.
The Israeil owed us one after squandering a gilt-edged chance in the first half when he took forever to shoot and allowed Warnock to slide in.
The midfielder had another pretty ordinary afternoon, but there was no doubting the quality of his goal.
If only Babel could learn to back his talent and beat a man like that....

Onto the Dutchman, serious questions are now being asked of him.
After the two bore draws, the widespread call was for Babel to be given a start to unleash his pace and directness at defences.
Well, it didn't really come off, and he was pretty much a passnger for most of the game. His substitution was hardly a surprise.
This was his chance to deliver, to put a marker down and demande a place from Rafa in the side. Yet, once again, he didn't really seem to care.
After Warnock thumped him with a late challenge, you could tell he didn't really fancy it anymore.
Not that he had been fancying it all. On once occasion he beat his man and put in a cross.
The rest of the time he cut inside aimlessly, or employed his infuriating backing in/shielding technique where he seems to get pissed off that a defender is deigning to try and barge/jockey him off the ball.
It's the Premier League Ryan. You've got to toughen up.
It's all very well saying 'give the lad five games from the start. ' We can't afford to have a passenger in matches. And that's what, at times, he is.
He may be better up front but with Torres, Keane and Kuyt all going to feature there ahead of him, it's not going to happen any time soon.
And if Rafa bought him as a striker as oppose to a winger, you've got to ask yourself, why?

Onto others, a decent plus was the performance of the Argentine Insua at left back.
He's a player we haven't seen a great deal of, but he could be the best left back we've got at the club.
He had a good solid game, never out of position, comfortable on the ball, and he made the right decisions.
When I saw him in the Carling Cup against Spurs I thought he was very, very one-sided. All left foot andnothign else, like John Arne Riise.
But nobody can be truly judged on that game as to a man we were woeful. In a good side, he didn't look out of place.
If Aurelio remains missing for a few weeks (and I'm not sure the Brazlilan is much better than Inusa to be honest), I'd give the youngster the jersey for a month.
What must Dossena be thinking? £7m buy and he's on the bench watching a kid do far better than him.
Rafa will probably be looking to offload, but we can be pretty sure it won't be January. Imagine it.
Selling a £7m left back after five months at the club is a stark admission you've got it wrong. And that our scouting system is up a very smelly creek.
No, we'll probably hold on to him until the summer and try and recoup at least half the money we paid for him
No wonder we haven't got much cash to spend in January. The losses we make on some players are massive after we ditch them for 50% of their original value.

Sami continued to impress with another dominant display. It was the kind of game where he excels, up against a centre forward like Santa Cruz where aerial power and authority was important.
That's why it's important to pick and choose games for the Finn to play. Against Spurs, with the pace of Frazier Campbell, Lennon, and Pavlyuchenko he was torn apart.
But this streetwise sort of game was his down to a tee.

For me it was the wrong decision to leave Keane out. The three goals and the win aside, we didn't play well.
A large part of this was not having a great deal to aim for up front. We had lots of the ball, but there was no focal point with just a wandering Kuyt to look for.
Gerrard had an off-day, losing the ball regularly, and we found it hard to create chances.
The Irishman's hardly going to rediscover goalscoring form from the touchline. Rafa promises us Keane will come good. Well, give him some games then.
With Torres out for the forseeable future, the striker needs to feel like the main man. Let him do that pistol popping celebration if it makes him feel better. Just get him finding the net again.
The title could depend on it.
As I type, Man Utd have just snatched a win in the 94th minute of stoppage time. Jesus wept.
A lovely Saturday night filip a draw there would have been.
It shows that you just can't slip up. Top of the league. One point clear. We haven't been in this position for years.
It's ours to throw away.