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FRIDAY 12 |
Gerrard cheers on rugby heroes
Steven Gerrard believes England's footballers can emulate
the success of the nation's rugby team in their crucial Euro
2008 double header.
Brian Ashton's rugby stars will attempt to reach a second
successive World Cup final when they take on France on
Saturday evening, hours after Gerrard and company have
tackled the Estonians at Wembley.
Gerrard, who will replace the injured John Terry as skipper,
is desperate for similar glory to that enjoyed by the likes
of Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson when they defeated
Australia in the 2003 final.
And the Liverpool captain has faith in the ability of the
current crop of players to scale the same sort of heights.
Gerrard said: "Good luck to the rugby lads on Saturday night
and it will be great if we as a football side can emulate
that sort of thing in the future.
"Winning the World Cup was a massive achievement four years
ago and now they are in the semis again with a chance of
reaching another final.
"What they have achieved is something we feel we can do as
well with the quality of players we've got available.
(TEAMtalk)
Reds clash sold out
Cardiff have sold out of tickets for the clash with
Liverpool in the Carling Cup and have denied failing to take
up their allocation.
It was widely expected that Cardiff would receive 6,000
tickets for the game but they ended up 400 short of that
figure and have explained how that has happened.
On advice from the Safety Advisory Group and the Merseyside
Police Cardiff were given just 5,200 tickets to allow for
segregation and persistent standing. Cardiff then went back
and asked for and got an extra 400 tickets taking the total
to 5,600.
The club have assured fans that they always apply for the
maximum amount of away tickets but point out that in high
profile games demand always outstrips supply.
(Clubcall Sports)
Captain Gerrard hints at Barry start
Steven Gerrard confirmed he will skipper England in John
Terry’s absence against Estonia, and then gave the biggest
hint yet that Gareth Barry will partner him in midfield on
Saturday.
Gerrard leads his country out for the first time in a
competitive match at Wembley, and while he admits it is a
dream come true, he would rather he did not have the armband
at all.
“JT’s got a bit of a knee problem, hopefully he’ll be
available for Russia, but the manager’s told me I’m skipper
for Saturday,” said the Liverpool talisman.
“I’ve been captain in two friendly matches in the past, so
it’s nice to lead the team out in a big qualifier, but if I
could choose I’d rather have John Terry here.
“I won’t try and do anything different to John. I’ll try and
lead by example, try and help my team-mates around me and
get three points.”
(Setanta Sports)
Duo's interest flatters Fernando
Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Amorebieta has admitted he is
flattered to be linked with moves to Liverpool and Chelsea.
Reports emanating from Spain suggest the two English sides
are tracking the versatile defender.
The player is surprised, but would be interested in a move
to England.
"I have not spoken to any English club, but their interest
makes me determined to work to improve in Bilbao.
"England is a competitive league."
Bilbao are aware of the rumours regarding Amorebieta, but
insist they have had no approaches for the 22-year-old.
"We are know the rumours but still nobody has formally
contacted us," said an Bilbao spokesperson.
(Sporting Life)
Kewell ready for Reds return
Harry Kewell is expected to return to full training at
Liverpool next week, with Rafael Benitez insisting he
remains a key member of his squad.
The Australia midfielder has not kicked a ball for the
Anfield club this season after picking up a groin injury
while playing for his country in the Asian Cup in the
summer.
It was the latest in a series of injury setbacks for the
former Leeds player, but manager Benitez is now hoping
Kewell can prove his fitness and press for a place in the
first team squad.
Benitez told Liverpool's website: "Harry has been working
really hard with the physios and next week he could be
training or running with the rest of the first team.
"Harry is very important for us. A player with pace and
ability who can score goals is always going to be
important."
This could well be the last chance Kewell gets to extend his
stay at Liverpool. Several teams were interested in his
services during the summer, but Benitez wanted to give the
former Leeds winger every chance to prove his value to the
club.
(TEAMtalk)
Aurelio fighting to make derby reckoning
Fabio Aurelio is racing to be fit for next weekend’s
Goodison derby – so he can erase the memories of last year’s
chastening experience.
The Brazilian defender made only his third start for the
Reds at Goodison last September following his free transfer
from Valencia, and was on the receiving end of a shock
defeat.
But he’s desperate to declare his availability for next
week’s return, despite limping off against Marseille with a
calf injury.
“It’s not a big problem,” he said. “I just got a small tear
in my calf and hopefully it should be fine for me to train
again next week."
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard to captain England
Steven Gerrard will captain England tomorrow.
The Liverpool skipper will captain England for tomorrow's
Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia as regular captain John
'Mongo' Terry as been ruled out of the game with a knee
injury.
Gerrard may also captain England next Wednesday when they
visit Russia.
(LFC Online)
Finnan defends Rafa
Steve Finnan has again defended Rafael Benitez's rotation
policy.
The Liverpool boss has come in for a lot of undeserved
criticism from the likes of tefal-headed Andy Gray and Sky
werewolf Richard Keyes this season but Finnan was quick to
leap to Rafa's defence.
"You only have to look at the manager's CV. Judge him by the
trophies he has won, and they show he is a top manager. He
knows what he's doing," said the Republic of Ireland
international.
"It [rotation] is obviously a subject that is raised a lot,
and questions are asked, but it freshens up the squad, keeps
players on their toes.
"If a player is unhappy because he is not playing, that's
only natural because you want to play in a lot of games.
"But with so many games at club level, and with
internationals, it could be over 60 games per season.
"The manager calls the shots. You have to get used to it,
and at a club like Liverpool, you are going to have to get
used to it.
"So it's only right to freshen things up, and I'm sure
everyone is behind
the manager."
(LFC Online) |
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THURSDAY 11 |
Reserves held by United
Liverpool Reserves were left to rue a host of missed
opportunities as a late goal gave Manchester United a 1-1
draw in front of a packed crowd at the Victoria Stadium.
Jay Spearing's first-half effort had looked to have given
the Reds a deserved victory but a header seven minutes from
time by Kieran Lee ensured honours ended even in what was an
entertaining Barclays Premier League North fixture.
The Reds dominated throughout the contest and could have
wrapped up all three points before half-time, but a
combination of wasteful finishing and fine goalkeeping from
United stopper Ron-Robert Zieler restricted them to a 1-0
interval lead.
Liverpool Reserves: Itandje, Darby, Insua, San Jose, Hobbs
(captain), Spearing, Lucas, Plessis (Flynn 78), Brouwer
(Lindfield 75), Putterill (Crowther 63), Leto
(LFC Official Website)
Alonso wins appeal
Xabi Alonso will be available for Spain's potentially
decisive Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden next month after
UEFA reduced his three match suspension to two on appeal.
The decision means Alonso will be unavailable for one more
game for his country - against Denmark at the weekend -
before his ban comes to
an end.
The Liverpool midfielder was given a straight red card for a
late challenge against Iceland last month.
(LFC Offical Website)
Reina staying focused
Jose Reina believes all the talk of clubs being compensated
by national teams for the loan of their players is a
distraction for the Spain squad.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has called on the game's
governing bodies to make national teams pay clubs for
allowing players to represent their country.
As Spain prepare to face Denmark in a crunch Euro 2008
qualifier this weekend, Reina says the squad are keeping
clear of becoming involved in the debate.
"When you are with your national team you have to be ready
to play for your country and have to remain above all this
rumour mongering," he told the Spanish media.
Looking ahead to the game in Aarhus on Saturday, the
Liverpool goalkeeper recognises that Denmark pose a real
danger, but is remaining confident.
"The only goal is to come away with a win, or at the very
least, a positive result," Reina said.
"We know that they are a very dangerous side. Many of their
players are in big teams and they have a lot of individual
quality, but we should really only worry about ourselves.
"The boss (Luis Aragones) is calm and has confidence in his
players and in himself."
(Sky Sports)
Torres admits diving is out
Fernando Torres admits he would never dare to dive for a
penalty at Anfield – because of what his skipper Steven
Gerrard might say!
Torres has adapted quickly to life in the Premier League,
with seven goals already in just nine starts – among them a
sparkling Carling Cup hat-trick at Reading.
But he says he would never try to supplement his goals tally
by diving for cheap penalty kicks.
The Spanish star said: “Here, they’re not going to whistle
for anything if you fall over.
“There’s no point feigning anything because referees are
fooled less. Moreover, it’s your own team-mates like Steven
Gerrard who don’t like you using those tricks.”
Torres admits he has already learned invaluable lessons from
Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher.
“Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are the first in everything and
it’s contagious,” he added.
“The fact that the most iconic of players and the captain at
this club are so interested in getting things right says a
lot about the team.
“They’re details which make me realise that I didn’t do
these things as captain of Atletico.”
(Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool eye Bilbao defender Amorebieta
According to reports, Liverpool are keeping an eye on
Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta, with a view to
signing him in the January transfer window.
After a summer of spending it appears that Benitez still
feels he lacks defensive cover, a point highlighted by the
injury to Daniel Agger and Alvaro Arbeloa.
Amorebieta can play across the back line, and being
versatile would appeal to Benitez who was unable to
consolidate not bringing Gabriel Heinze to Anfield.
(Goal.com)
read more
Peter Crouch £8m target of Man City
The Manchester City manager has made the England
international one of his top targets when the transfer
window reopens to bolster City's lightweight attack.
With Valeri Bojinov sidelined with a serious knee injury and
Georgios Samaras out of form, Eriksson has targeted
26-year-old Crouch as the 20-goal per season striker
required by City to maintain their good form in the Premier
League this season.
(The Daily Telegraph)
Aurelio eyes derby return
Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio is aiming to return to
action against Everton next weekend.
The Brazilian missed last weekend's 2-2 draw with Tottenham
after picking up a calf injury in the disappointing UEFA
Champions League defeat to Marseille.
Aurelio insists the injury is not serious and he hopes to
return to training next week ahead of the Merseyside derby
on 20th October.
"It's not a big problem," Aurelio told the club's official
website. "I just got a small tear in my calf and hopefully
it should be fine for me to train again next week.
"When you have a big injury like I had and then play some
games, it's normal to get small problems. I'm just glad this
happened when there was an international break coming up so
I didn't miss too many matches.
"I've had a bad time with injuries since I came to Liverpool
but I prefer not to look back. I want to look to the future
and hope I can show the fans what I'm capable of."
(Sky Sports)
Crouch happy at Liverpool
Peter Crouch has insisted he is ready to fight for his place
at Liverpool.
The striker was included in the starting line-up for
Liverpool's clash with Portsmouth on Saturday, but had few
chances to make an impact and was withdrawn with 30 minutes
to go.
"It has been frustrating," he said in The Sun. "Every
footballer wants to play and the manager has told me it's
not possible to be involved in every game.
"We have four strikers and the manager says if he feels one
player will cause more problems than another in a specific
game, he will pick him.
"But obviously Fernando Torres is more likely to play than
the rest of us after the club paid so much money for him.
Crouch admits he has found Benitez's rotation policy
difficult to adjust to, but maintains that he has no plans
to leave Liverpool.
"I have had to change my way of thinking since I joined
Liverpool," he explained.
"You have to expect rotation. It can be frustrating at times
but I fully understand the manager's thinking and, if called
upon, I must make sure I'm ready.
"I might not be playing every week but I'll still get a good
amount of games, so I'm happy at Liverpool.
(Sky Sports)
Masch wants to stay
Javier Mascherano wants to stay with Liverpool.
The Argentinian midfielder's loan move expires at the end of
the season but he says as long as Rafael Benitez wants him
he will gladly sign a permanent contract.
"I'm very happy here. I feel settled and would like to play
at the new stadium," said Mascherano.
"I love playing for Liverpool and if the manager wants to
keep me then I'd definitely stay for a long time.
"Liverpool are one of the world's biggest teams. They've got
history, tradition, success and great fans."
(LFC Online)
Swansea want to keep Liverpool winger
Today's Evening Post is claiming that Swansea manager
Roberto Martinez wants to keep Liverpool winger Paul
Anderson on a permanent basis.
Anderson joined Swansea City at the start of the 07-08
season on a one year loan deal and has made an instant
impact at the club and now firmly a fan favourite.
Since joining, the 19 year-old has enjoyed first team action
on frequent occasions and has constantly terrorised the
opposition with his amazing pace.
Whilst at Swansea Anderson has amazingly managed to net
three league and three cup goals placing him as joint
leading scorer with Jason Scotland.
The whizz Wirral winger original joined Liverpool from Hull
city back in 2006 on a four year deal believed to be around
1.5 million.
Anderson featured regularly in the Liverpool U-18 team which
won the 2006 FA Youth Cup.
(Swansea Online) |
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WEDNESDAY 10 |
Break comes at a bad time
Rafael Benitez believes that this latest international break
isn't good for the club.
Recent poor performances have seen the Reds slip back in he
Premiership and the manager would have preferred to work on
problems on the training field rather than allow his
international stars to spend time with their countries.
"Maybe the break is good for us," he admitted. "We cannot
train with the players, we cannot control what they are
doing, we just have to cross our fingers and wait.
"It's difficult when you have a lot of players away. You
cannot control them, then you have important games and maybe
you will have problems.
"We cannot do much. The players left behind trained with the
reserves today and they played head-tennis."
(LFC Online)
English giants track Menez
Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly scouting
Monaco star Jeremy Menez.
The 20-year-old signed for Monaco from Sochaux in June 2006
and is rated as one of France's most gifted young talents.
(Sky Sports)
Reds duo up for prestigious award
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres
have been included on FIFA's shortlist for their World
Player of the Year award.
Gerrard's fellow England internationals Wayne Rooney, John
Terry and Frank Lampard are also on the list of 30 players
drawn up by FIFA's technical committee.
The list will now be sent to national team coaches and
captains for their votes and the top three players will be
revealed at FIFA's world player gala in Zurich on December
17.
Chelsea have five nominees - behind Barcelona who have seven
- while five Italians including current world player of the
year Fabio Cannavaro also make it into the final 30.
AC Milan's Brazilian star Kaka is the favourite to win the
award for the first time with Barcelona's Argentinian
forward Lionel Messi a strong rival.
(TEAMtalk)
Reds linked with Brazilian
Liverpool have been linked with Brazilian striker Alfonso
Alves.
Alves scored 34 times in 31 games in the Dutch top flight
last season and was named Holland's player of the year.
(LFC Online)
Thor Zakariassen
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