I am not sure how much media coverage the murder of South African Goal Keeper Senzo Meyiwa has been getting internationally, but that and in light of our current defensive frailties, got me thinking about my cousin Luke Cafun and what might have been. My cousin and I played for the same teams our entire lives. We received our provincial colours together as well as our national colours at a junior level. We were actually teammates to a former Red, Mark Gonzales. I’m not sure how many of you know this, but Mark Gonzales was born and raised in Durban, South Africa.
But I digress. Luke was a great goalkeeper. I mean, I was good and my prospects were not all that bad, but Luke’s potential was blinding. That was until he was involved in car accident. That day in the hospital is chiselled into my memory. The day when the life support machines hummed and beep in the background, and his mother received a phone call from his agent. A call to say that Liverpool FC wanted to give him a trial (Yes, very similar to events in my book). Luke Cafun was a Manchester United supporter but I forgave him for that. And to be fair, he actually started off as a Norwich supporter before switching allegiance to the Red Devils. Who knows, if he was alive today he would probably support Chelsea J.
How do we beat them?
Against Hull on the weekend, there was an incident in which a long ball was played by the Tigers. I was able to hear Mignolet scream twice, ‘Keepers’ ball’, but Skrtel still headed it away. That for me proves that our defenders do not trust Mignolet. If Luke were to just whisper ‘Keepers’ ball,’ nobody would touch it. Yes, we kept a clean sheet in our last game, but I am still concerned about our defence. I went so far as to tweet a thought that perhaps we should consider a bid for Petr Cech who cannot be too happy sitting on the bench at Chelsea. I did not receive a single negative response to my suggestion. Don’t get me wrong, I doubt if there is a better shot stopper in the premier league than Mignolet, but when he has to be brave, come for crosses or challenge under the high ball, he does not fill me with confidence. Perhaps tonight against the Swans we can give Brad Jones a go?
I would like to see wholesale changes in this match to be fair. Toure, Sakho, Johnson and Enrique to start in the back four. Can, Lucas, Markovic and Suso in the midfield, with Lambert and Borini leading the line. The worst thing that can happen is that we lose and get knocked out of the Carling Cup. This could well be a blessing for us considering our lack of form in the league, and could allow Rodgers more time to work with the team. But more importantly, I think we all agree that our first XI are just not producing the goods. This is a chance for those fringe players to make a claim for a starting position against Newcastle. I would also like to see Rossiter given another run, as well as a few other youngsters.
Swansea won this trophy two years back and will certainly be up to claim a second scalp from Merseyside. They have another trip to Liverpool on the weekend to take on Everton, but I don’t think Monk will be too concerned about resting players. He will come for the win. As to my prediction, I am not too concerned about the result. I just want a performance.
Follow Kurt on Twitter @kurtellis2
Kurt Ellis is a lifelong Liverpool fan living in South Africa. His first novel, By Any Means, was published by Human & Rousseau Publishers in May 2014. It is a gritty, coming of age crime thriller featuring a young Liverpool FC fan. The novel is available on Amazon. To purchase, you can follow the link below. http://amzn.to/Zj532F