Let's face it, it was Crewe Alexandra, a lower League One side. Some of the kids they put out there, well, were kids. We should have dominated and we did, very lackadaisically I might add. Some players put in solid performances, Dirk Kuyt and Ray Putterill come to mind, while others seemed 'out of it', are you listening Jermaine Pennant?
I have already written about the first half, so I see no point in being redundant.
The second half was even more of a yawner. I was slightly amused at seeing Carra on the right and Momo playing up, the former played pretty well at his non-normal spot while the latter had his moments but seemed to make the normal bonehead mistakes he tends to make. Xabi didn't play that well either, but you could sort of tell he was taking the game in stride.
Jermaine Pennant was probably the biggest disappointment. After last week's game, he looked completely spaced out. His crosses were way off and I'm not sure who he was targeting on them.
You could put Ray Putterill on the list of kids with bright futures and he'll probably get loaned out after this performance. His goal was a thing of beauty as he weaved through the defense and punched home a left-footed shot from near the top of the box. He definitely gave an 'A' effort and looked dangerous the few times he got the ball. There's no doubt he's good enough for League One and possibly the Championship, but it'll be a couple of years before he'll break into the first team.
Overall, it was just a local friendly. It was nice to see Peltier and Putterill do so well. No one in particular had a horrible day and even Paletta looked competent at times. Next up is Werder Bremen on Tuesday in Switzerland. I fully expect Werder to bring their best, but I'm sure they'll be without Diego, who is still playing for Brazil at Copa. We should also get to see the debut of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, and Yossi Benayoun in either that match or the one on Friday against Auxerre.