MONDAY 3
	Soto heading back to Greece Sotirios Kyrgiakos has been called into Greece's pre-World Cup training camp. Coach Otto Rehhagel has named an initial 30-man group but must whittle it down to 23 by June 1 before travelling to South Africa. Greece are in Group B along with Argentina, South Korea and Nigeria. (LFC Official Website) Rafael Benítez demands answers amid uncertainty over Liverpool's future Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, has called on officials at the club to "answer a lot of questions" about the future direction things will take. The Spaniard has a meeting scheduled this week with the chairman, Martin Broughton, in which he expects to be given detailed information about what plans are being put in place for next season and beyond. Broughton, also the chairman of British Airways, has been brought in by the co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to oversee the sale of Liverpool but it has taken him nearly three weeks to schedule a meeting with Benítez. That has not pleased the manager, who would like to stay at Anfield despite strong interest from Juventus. (guardian.co.uk)  Ajax coach Jol flattered by Liverpool link Ajax coach Martin Jol has welcomed interest from Liverpool. The former Tottenham boss is being linked with Rafa Benitez's job at Anfield as the Spaniard edges closer to a move to Juventus. "Liverpool are one of the best clubs in Europe and it is flattering to be linked with them," said Jol. The People says senior Reds officials have acknowledged that Benietz's time is up and they have taken the first steps for life after Rafa by drawing up a short-list of contenders to replace him. Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho is top of that list, with Fulham's Roy Hodgson, Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, Turkey boss Guus Hiddink and Bayern Munich's Dutchman Louis van Gaal possible choices. (tribalfootball.com) Hodgson sticking with Cottagers Roy Hodgson dismissed speculation linking him with Liverpool after watching his side beat London rivals West Ham 3-2 at Craven Cottage. Hodgson's achievement in taking Fulham to the final of the Europa League, where they will face Atletico Madrid later this month, has been the catalyst for speculation that he could replace Rafael Benitez on Merseyside. But the Fulham boss insists, that while it is flattering to be linked with such clubs, he is happy at Craven Cottage. "I am happy here at Fulham," he declared. "I have got a contract here at Fulham. I am happy with the job I am doing. "My name is sufficiently strong at the moment to be linked with other jobs and, of course, that is flattering and it is nice to hear. "But as far as I am concerned it is speculation because I am at Fulham. (TEAMtalk) Liverpool are facing an uncertain future and need an overhaul A title race may never be over until it is mathematically decided, but Chelsea can certainly head into the final game of the season knowing they have done all of the hard work. Carlo Ancelotti's side have faced the toughest test of their run-in and emerged as convincing winners. The question, in reality, was never likely to be whether Liverpool had the right attitude to beat Chelsea, but whether they had the right attributes. In the end, they offered as bad a performance as they have produced this season. At least Ancelotti and Ferguson will only have to look to buy a handful of players this summer. Liverpool, on the other hand, may need to go into double figures before they have a squad worthy of returning them to where everyone at the club feels they deserve to be. The worry now that their exclusion from next season's Champions League has been confirmed is whether they will be able to attract the right players to help rebuild the club. (Alan Hansen - Telegraph.co.uk)   Benayoun: Liverpool FC board must get big decisions right Yossi Benayoun today urged Liverpool’s board to “make the right decisions” as he lifted the lid on the uncertainty in the dressing room surrounding the club’s future. The Reds were beaten for the 19th time this season yesterday when they lost their final home game 2-0 to Chelsea, a result that finally ended their hopes of a top four finish. “It is difficult to speak about next season, as we don’t know what changes there will be with the players and the staff – it is too early,” said Benayoun. “Personally I don’t know whether I will be here or if I won’t. A lot of things can happen. We will have to wait and see." (Liverpool Echo)   Surrender proves Rafa is hindrance to Reds' recovery The urgent changes required at Liverpool might start with the message over the tunnel steps: this is not Anfield. Championships have been decided in favour of Liverpool and others in front of the Kop but never like this. Anfield was on its back having its tummy tickled by a Chelsea team playing the game at exhibition pace. The damning verdict on Liverpool's season was given by the steward at the gate. And that was on the way in. Well, what do you reckon today? "I don't care," he said. "There is nothing doing for this team any more." The indifference of those with Liverpool in their hearts condemns Benitez to his bootstraps. He walked into the post-match press conference with a smile on his face after parading around the pitch with the Liverpool family. Maybe he knows something we don't. At least Jamie Carragher had the decency to look embarrassed as he limped across the field in his sandals and suit. (Kevin Garside - Irish Independent)
	SUNDAY 2
	Rafa refuses to commit to Reds Rafa Benitez has again refused to commit his future to Liverpool amid mounting speculation that his days in the Anfield hotseat are numbered. Benitez watched his side suffer a 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday to finally extinguish any lingering hopes they had of achieving the fourth-place finish which was 'guaranteed' by the Spaniard earlier in the season. The former Valencia boss has consistently evaded questions over his future and again passed up the opportunity when asked after the Blues defeat if he would still be at Anfield next season. "Now we have to talk about the game, it is better than to be talking about the speculation," he told Sky Sports. "I understand really well [fans' concerns over his future], but the speculation is something we cannot control. So we have to talk about the games, the football and what happened today on the pitch." (Sky Sports)  DD: Gerrard gaffe gave us momentum Didier Drogba admitted Steven Gerrard's mistake gave Premier League leaders Chelsea the momentum they needed to claim victory at Anfield. Drogba told Sky Sports 1: "He made a big mistake. I was lucky to be there and score. It was good because this goal gave us a lot of confidence to play well." (TEAMtalk)     Gerrard gift lifts Chelsea Steven Gerrard's astonishing blunder allowed Chelsea to take a giant stride towards the Premier League crown with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. Gerrard was left with his head in his hands in the 33rd minute after his attempted backpass to Jose Reina was seized upon by Didier Drogba, with the Ivory Coast international rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home. Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty moments before the interval with Salomon Kalou going down after tangling with Lucas, but referee Alan Wiley was uninterested, much to the Blues' fury. But they did not have to wait long to double their advantage after the interval with Frank Lampard sliding the ball home from close range after Nicolas Anelka's low cross from the right. Liverpool, who had more than matched their opponents until the opener, rarely looked like getting back into the match from that point and saw their faint UEFA Champions League hopes finally extinguished. (Sky Sports)   Maxi and Soto face Chelsea Maxi Rodriguez returns to the starting line-up for Liverpool's final home game of the season against Chelsea. The Argentine winger is one of two changes to the side that faced Atletico, with Sotirios Kyrgiakos also involved. Liverpool: Reina, Mascherano, Agger, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Gerrard, Lucas, Aquilani, Maxi, Benayoun, Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Babel, Pacheco, Ngog, El Zhar, Degen, Ayala. (LFC Official Website) Rush warns Torres and Gerrard will quit Ian Rush warns that Liverpool's top stars will leave if they do not see the club heading in the right direction. The Liverpool legend reckons they are unlikely to tolerate more than a year out of Champions League football. Rush said last night: 'It's four years since they won anything. Players like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher don't want to be part of a team that doesn't win. 'They've always wanted to win the league. Players like Gerrard and Fernando Torres will stay another season, even if it turns out that Rafa Benitez doesn't. But if the same thing happened next season, that's when they'd start to look around for somewhere else.' (Daily Mail) Rafa Benitez is on the verge of ending his six-year reign at Liverpool Dubai International Capital are closing in on a £500million buy-out of Liverpool as manager Rafa Benitez prepares to join Juventus. It will be all change at Anfield over the coming weeks with unpopular American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks relinquishing control and the club being forced to find a new boss. In fact, the search for a new manager is already under way, with high-ranking Liverpool officials aware that Benitez has verbally agreed to join Serie A side Juventus at the end of the season on a £4.5m four-year deal. Now it’s just a case of the Italians agreeing compensation with Liverpool for Benitez to end his ­ six-year reign on Merseyside. (Sunday & Daily Express)
	SATURDAY 1
	Parky tips up Shelvey Charlton boss Phil Parkinson feels Liverpool-bound Jonjo Shelvey can become the 'new' Steven Gerrard. Shelvey finalised a move to Anfield this week, with Liverpool agreeing an initial £1.7million deal for the 18-year-old. The deal means Shelvey will not play for Charlton again, as they do not want injury to scupper the deal and Parkinson insists it is a great move for the Addicks youngster. "It has been well documented that his idol is Gerrard," said Parkinson. "Jonjo called me on Wednesday to tell me he'd had lunch with him and Jamie Carragher at Liverpool's training ground. "It is a dream move for him - a storybook transfer. But his aim is to become Gerrard's long-term replacement. Can he do it? Well, he has the potential. "It is a gamble for them because he's young but it's worth taking for the money." (Sky Sports) Benitez urges Liverpool to attack Chelsea Rafael Benitez will tell his Liverpool side to adopt an "offensive mentality" when they take on Chelsea on Sunday. Benitez is eager to see his players react after Thursday's Europa League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid. "Chelsea are different to Atletico but we want to win so have to play with an offensive mentality," said Benitez. Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson insists Liverpool will not "throw away history" by giving Chelsea the win to scupper Manchester United's title chances. United boss Ferguson is bidding to overhaul the record of 18 English titles they hold with the Reds and with two games remaining, he said: "They've been in 11 European finals and won 18 titles. "Great clubs don't throw traditions away for one game. The fans know that." (BBC Sport Online) Reds chief Rafa coy over future Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has refused to be drawn on his long-term future at Anfield ahead of Sunday's Premier League date with Chelsea. Benitez yesterday warned the Merseyside club do not have the financial muscle to challenge in the Premier League, and revealed he had not been given any guarantees from the board that money would be available in the summer. "At the moment I can't talk about the future long-term," he said in quotes reported by The Sun. "I know the future clearly and it is Chelsea on Sunday." Benitez also revealed he had turned down "massive offers" to leave Liverpool, and admitted fan power was key to those decisions. (TEAMtalk) Benitez edging closer to exit door Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez looks to be on the verge of confirming his switch to Juventus. Benitez has been under heavy pressure this season and, following the Europa League exit to Atletico Madrid on Thursday, he refused to answer questions over his future. "At the moment I can't talk about the future long-term," Benitez said on Friday. "I know the future clearly and it is Chelsea on Sunday. "I decided to stay last year because of the fans and for one year I have been working hard, trying to do my best. We will see what happens in the future." A report in Gazzetta dello Sport stated Benitez would be allowed to work with a budget of around €80 million at Juventus, with Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Javier Mascherano apparently targeted. That budget would be dependent, however, on off-loading a number of players. (ESPN Soccernet) Angry Rafa Benitez claims Liverpool broke promises on new players Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has opened the door to an Anfield farewell by accusing the club of breaking promises over new signings when he signed a five-year contract last summer. Benitez, who is being actively pursued by Italian giants Juventus, effectively put himself on the market by drawing comparisons between his current situation at Liverpool and when he walked out on Valencia in 2004 after he and the Spanish club clashed over control of transfers. Benitez said: ‘I decided to sign an extension because the squad was good and the money was going to be there. But the conditions changed. ‘We’ve had a bad season and hopefully things will be different in the future, but at the moment I can’t talk about the future because I don’t know what’s going on.' (Daily Mail)     Reds chief sits out Blues clash Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has confirmed he will not be at Anfield on Sunday, because of his loyalties to Chelsea. Broughton, a lifelong Chelsea fan, was appointed Liverpool chairman last month by the club's owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks. The British Airways boss has been brought in to oversee the sale of the club and he admits he cannot simply forget about his Chelsea passion. "Any true fan who has supported a club for 55 years - like I have - can't be expected to suddenly move against them overnight," he said. "When you have followed a team for as long as I have then it's in the blood. It's a very emotional thing and all fans who have supported Liverpool for a long time will know what I mean. "I can't come to the match on Sunday and show any of that emotion because that would be very disrespectful to the Liverpool faithful. "Liverpool have terrific fans and I wouldn't want to do that, so the only sensible thing is for me to stay at home and watch it on the television." (Sky Sports) Venables: Liverpool will consider Fulham boss Hodgson Former England and Tottenham boss Terry Venables can see Fulham manager Roy Hodgson being lured to Liverpool in the summer. In his column for The Sun, El Tel wrote: "Liverpool's knockout courtesy of Diego Forlan's away goal for Atletico Madrid will ramp up the pressure on Anfield boss Rafa Benitez. "Agony in the Europa League only compounds their humiliation in the Premier League and Champions League. "Benitez has done an excellent job at Anfield, having led the club to Champions League and FA Cup glory during his time in charge on Merseyside. But he would no doubt admit that this season has not been the best. "And he would not be under any financial pressure to quit Liverpool, given the club would have to reportedly find around £15million to pay him off. "But with Juventus and Real Madrid said to be waiting in the wings, he might decide the time is right to jump a ship that, if it is not sinking, could certainly do with an overhaul. "If that was to happen, Hodgson would certainly show up on Liverpool's radar." (tribalfootball) Thor Zakariassen ©