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FRIDAY 12 |
Liverpool pair fit to face United
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres
have both been passed fit to face Manchester United at
Anfield on Saturday.
Torres had been sidelined with a hamstring injury, while
Gerrard underwent minor groin surgery last month, but both
completed a light training session at Melwood this morning
and have been included in the squad.
"They are both much better," manager Rafael Benitez told
the club's website.
"They came through a full training session this morning. It
wasn't a very hard session, but they will both be in the
squad.
"It's important for us to have these two players of quality
who can change a game.
"I'm not surprised they are available because the medical
staff have done a good job and the players have been working
really hard with the physios to get fit."
(TEAMtalk)
Mascherano rallies Reds
Liverpool ace Javier Mascherano admits they need to win
their showdown with Manchester United if they are to mount a
serious title bid.
The Reds have struggled in recent seasons against their
bitter rivals and are putting their championship credentials
on the line in the first title showdown of the season.
Argentina international Mascherano knows Rafa Benitez's men
need to put down a marker against the reigning champions if
they are to show they are more than just title pretenders.
"This is a very important period, we have a lot of important
games coming up after the international break - especially
the first one against United," said Mascherano.
"More than three points ride on these games as it proved
when we lost at home to United last season.
"It's a match we need to win if we want to compete for the
title. We can do that and push for honours. The fans deserve
it."
(Sky Sports)
Gillett arrives in time for fans` protest
Timing is evidently not George Gillett's forte. Having not
watched a match at Anfield for over a year, the Liverpool
co-owner is expected to attend tomorrow's game with
Manchester United - on the day that a fans group will march
in protest against the club's American owners.
Acclaimed as Liverpool's saviours when they bought the club
in January 2007, the takeover by Gillett and Tom Hicks has
since proved to be something of a disaster.
Thousands of fans are expected to march in protest before
Saturday's match - "a march of passion, a march of anger, a
march of red solidarity", according to fans group Spirit of
Shankly - and feelings are likely to be inflamed if Gillett
makes a rare appearance in the directors' box.
(Football 365)
Pallister dismisses
Liverpool title bid
Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister has claimed
Liverpool will once again fail to challenge for the title
this season.
The rivals face each other in a lunchtime kick-off at
Anfield on Saturday with both having made unbeaten starts to
the season.
But Pallister insists Liverpool's success will not be
sustained over
the course of the season and has hinted that things could
unravel quickly for manager Rafael Benitez if they lose.
"I can't see them challenging this year. I thought they
might put together
a sustained challenge last year and they didn't manage to do
so. I don't feel as though they can this year either," he
told the Daily Star.
(TEAMtalk) |
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THURSDAY 11 |
Riera set for debut
against United
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has hinted new signing
Albert Riera may make his debut against arch-rivals
Manchester United in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off.
Riera, of course, is no stranger to high-profile clashes
against the Red Devils having spent four months on loan at
Manchester City in 2006.
The Spanish left-winger made his Blues bow in a 3-1 victory
over United at Eastlands on January 14.
Benitez hopes Riera, who arrived from Espanyol on transfer
deadline day after a protracted pursuit, will provide the
lucky omen he needs to break his own duck against
Liverpool's near-neighbours.
Since he took over at Anfield in June 2004, Benitez has yet
to record
a league victory over United.
"He (Riera) started his Manchester City career against
Manchester United and they won, so maybe he is a lucky man,"
said Benitez.
(BreakingNews.ie)
Rafa backing for Dossena
Rafa Benitez is convinced Andrea Dossena will soon
demonstrate the form which persuaded Liverpool to shell out
£6 million for the Italian
this summer.
The full back demonstrated glimpses of quality during
pre-season, but his form on the whole has been patchy since
his move from Udinese.
The 27-year-old still has the faith of Italy coach Marcello
Lippi who handed him a start against Georgia on Wednesday
and Benitez remains confident Dossena will come good.
“It is good for Dossena to play for his national team
because it will give him more confidence,” Benitez told the
Liverpool Echo.
“We are happy with him because we know that he is a good
player and he is working hard but we also know that he can
get better.
“He has done okay so far and he performed well in our last
game at Aston Villa, but there is still more to come.
”It is not easy to come to a new country to play for a new
club and to get used to their system, but Dossena is keen to
learn and he will get better with more games and more time.”
(Setanta Sports)
Fergie welcomes three back for Anfield clash
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been boosted
by
the prospect of having three potentially key men back in
contention for Saturday lunch-time’s heavyweight collision
at Anfield between United and arch-rivals Liverpool.
Manchester United look likely to have Ryan Giggs, Rio
Ferdinand and Michael Carrick fit and available to face
Liverpool on Saturday.
Ferdinand missed England's 2-0 victory over Andorra on
Saturday because of neck and back injuries, but recovered to
play his part in
the Three Lions’ resounding 4-1 thrashing of Croatia in
Zagreb last night.
Giggs, 34, has been suffering with a hamstring problem for
almost a month. He started in United’s August 17th opener
against Newcastle, but felt a tightening in his hamstring
and was promptly substituted as
a precaution to limit any damage.
Carrick suffered an ankle injury in the same 1-1 draw at
home to his home-town club Newcastle, and subsequently had
to withdraw from the England. But he is now expected to be
available.
The trio were all involved in last year's corresponding
fixture, which United won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Carlos
Tevez.
(Goal.com)
Sheikh Mohammed ditches DIC
to make solo bid for club
Sheikh Mohammed will step up his bid to buy Liverpool by
using his own money to invest in the club.
The oil-rich Arab leader of Dubai has ditched DIC - the
investment arm of his government - as the buy-out company he
will use if he gets the chance to purchase the Anfield club
from Americans Tom Hicks and
George Gillett.
Instead, he will dip into his own wealth to get his hands on
the Premier League outfit, with insiders suggesting that
will allow him to invest far more money into Liverpool.
The Mirror understands that Hicks and Gillett are prepared
to sell, but only at £300million above the Arab's valuation
of around £450million.
(Daily Mirror)
International round-up
Our boys were in the thick of the action last night as
World Cup qualifying matches across Europe threw up some
surprising results.
He has already captained his country at Under-20 level, and
last night Lucas Leiva made his full international debut for
the senior team. The versatile midfielder made way for Roma
striker Julio Baptista on the hour mark as Brazil searched
for a way past the Bolivian rearguard in Rio, but ultimately
the match finished 0-0.
Daniel Agger played the full 90 minutes for Denmark as they
sneaked
a smash and grab 3-2 victory over Portugal in Lisbon. Carlos
Queiroz's team began their World Cup qualifying campaign
with a 4-0 rout of Malta
at the weekend and looked on course for another three points
thanks to Nani's goal three minutes before the interval.
Niklas Bendtner equalised eight minutes from time only for
Deco to restore Portugal's lead from
the penalty spot two minutes later, but the Danes stole the
show late on with two goals in injury time to seal an
unlikely victory.
Sami Hyypia also played the full match for Finland in a
thrilling 3-3 draw with Germany. The Reds defender skippered
the team to giving Jochim Loew's side a real run for their
money, but Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose scored a
hat-trick to save German blushes in Helsinki.
Meanwhile, another Liverpool defender to feature in last
night's World Cup qualifying matches was Martin Skrtel. The
23-year-old centre-back scored last Saturday to help
Slovakia win 2-1 against Northern Ireland on home soil, but
this time around they went down 2-1 away to Slovenia despite
Skrtel playing the full match. Andrea Dossena was also on
the pitch for the full 90 minutes as he helped Italy keep a
clean sheet in their 2-0 win over Georgia.
Yossi Benayoun captained Israel to a 2-1 win away to
Moldova, while Xabi Alonso made his 50th appearance for
Spain when he came on from
the bench on 55 minutes during their 4-0 demolition of
Armenia. Dirk Kuyt came on for Holland in the 69th minute of
their 2-1 over Macedonia, and Robbie Keane was close to
scoring in the dying seconds of the Republic of Ireland's
0-0 stalemate with Montenegro.
(LFC Official Website) |
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WEDNESDAY 10 |
God joins Blackburn
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has joined Blackburn
Rovers on
a 3 month contract.
Fowler scored 183 goals in 369 appearances during 2 spells
at Anfield; before joining Cardiff on a free transfer after
Rafa Benitez decided not to renew his contract. Fowler left
Cardiff in the hope of winning a contract at Blackburn, and
could make his Rovers debut against Arsenal on saturday.
Blackburn Rovers Chairman confirmed the news earlier :"We
have agreed in principle a three-month pay-as-you-play deal
and we hope to have it tied up by the end of the week,"
"If we go ahead on that basis and get it registered then if
the manager wants him he would be able to be in the squad
against Arsenal on Saturday."
(Anfield Red)
Carragher denounces
"ruthless" Liverpool owners
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called the Premier League
club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., “ruthless”
and accused them of breaking promises and profiteering.
In his autobiography to be published Thursday, Carragher
does express sympathy with the Americans in saying manager
Rafa Benitez publicly undermined them over transfers, but
gives a largely critical assessment of a year of turmoil.
“For richer or poorer, we’d sold Liverpool to two ruthless
businessmen who saw us as a moneymaking opportunity,”
Carragher writes in “Carra: My Autobiography,” published by
Bantam Press. “They didn’t buy Liverpool as an act of
charity; they weren’t intent on throwing away all the
millions they’d earned over 50 years … They wanted to buy us
because the planned stadium offered a chance to generate
tons of cash and increase the value of the club.”
(AP)
St John: This is
the game for Keane
With Saturday's clash with Manchester United edging closer,
one legendary former Reds striker today pinpointed our new
hit-man as
the potential key player against the Champions
Robbie Keane has yet to find the net since joining the club
in the summer transfer window from Tottenham Hotspur, but
Ian St John is hoping he will be on fire against the League
champions.
"This game is really set up for Keane - it's all there for
him to get his first goal for Liverpool against Manchester
United and help us win the game," St John told
Liverpoolfc.tv.
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez: Carra's a future Reds boss
Jamie Carragher’s ambition to become Liverpool manager at
some point in the future has been welcomed by none other
than current Reds boss
Rafa Benitez.
Carragher currently commands the respect of team-mates and
supporters for his colossal defensive displays but the
30-year-old has made no secret of the fact that he hopes to
be directing proceedings from the touchline once his playing
days draw to a close.
The one-club man, who actually grew up an Everton fan, is
known to be
a real student of the game and Benitez feels Carragher’s
vast knowledge and committed approach mean he would make a
worthy successor to the likes of Benitez, Bill Shankly and
Bob Paisley.
"I think he has the qualities to be a Liverpool manager, he
could be ready in 10 or 15 years," Benitez told the club’s
official website.
"His commitment is 100 percent. He has a really good
mentality in every training session and during games - every
player in a top side like Liverpool has to have a mentality
like his.
"Maybe he thinks about football more than even me.
"When you have more experience you sometimes try to be just
with your family and think about other things.
“He loves football, he enjoys playing and talks about it all
the time, I think he has many good qualities."
(Setanta Sports)
Tommy Smith: I'll settle for
Liverpool winning 'ugly'
Much has been made about Liverpool failing to turn in the
performances we've been hoping to see so far this season -
yet getting away with it.
Seven points from nine in the league, plus coming through a
tricky tie against Standard Liege to qualify for the
Champions League proper, is not a bad return considering
we’ve failed to hit the heights.
But I, for one, won’t be complaining if we again fail to
turn on the style on Saturday against Manchester United and
chalk up another ‘ugly win’.
For a start, we will possibly be without our two best
players, Gerrard and Torres, unless their recovery powers
allow them to face the Reds’
big rivals.
It’s obviously going to make it tricky for us against a side
like United if those two are out, and it will be up to the
rest of the lads to put in one hell of a shift and scrap for
96 minutes.
That’s how long games against United usually last and you
just can’t afford to switch off for a second from start to
finish.
(Tommy Smith - Liverpool Echo)
Fabio relishing left back fight
Fabio Aurelio today insisted he's relishing the challenge of
competing with summer signing Andrea Dossena for a place in
Rafael Benitez's first team.
The Brazilian full-back is fit again after recovering from a
series of injury set-backs and is now hoping to get the nod
on the left side of defence for this weekend's clash with
Manchester United at Anfield.
But with new arrival Dossena also staking his claim for the
left back berth, Aurelio knows the competition for places at
Anfield is stronger than ever.
"Always when you are in a big club like Liverpool you have
to fight for your place in the team, so having Dossena here
now is the same as when John Arne Riise was with us last
season," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"It is very good for the team because everyone has to push
that extra bit harder to get their place. I want to stay fit
and help this team improve.
"Andrea hasn’t been here that long so it has only been a
short time to get to know him, but he has a strong character
and is a very good professional. Always before Rafa signs
someone he likes to know about their character.
"I am at a great club and playing with good players here
always helps you to improve your level. I will keep my
fingers crossed that I don't get any more injuries because I
think I can do great things for this club."
(LFC Official Website)
Rafa red in the face over Uefa ruling
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has lambasted the Uefa ruling
which he says forced him to leave Sami Hyypia out of his
squad for
the Champions League.
The Spaniard has had to abide by the new statute which
dictates that eight ‘homegrown’ players must be part of the
25-man squad submitted for European competition.
Hyypia was sacrificed by Benitez and the Reds boss could not
hide his contempt for the new rule, calling it a “mistake”
and questioning
its validity.
"Clearly I think it (the new Uefa rule) is a mistake,"
Benitez told Liverpool's official website.
"When you play in the Champions League, you need the best
players you have on the pitch. It is not about where you are
from, it is about
the best players.
"I would understand if this rule came in for The Premier
League, but not for the Champions League."
(Setanta Sports)
Keane laughs off Fergie jibber-jabbin
Robbie Keane has laughed off Sir Alex Ferguson's suggestion
that his move from Tottenham to Liverpool was the surprise
transfer of
the summer.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the Manchester United boss
admitted raising an eyebrow upon learning Keane had sealed a
move
to Merseyside.
The striker arrived at Liverpool burdened with a hefty price
tag and in the knowledge Reds boss Rafa Benitez had tinkered
with his formation to accommodate a much-feted partnership
with Fernando Torres.
Keane, who captains Republic of Ireland in Montenegro on
Wednesday, insists Ferguson's assessment of his move is
water off a duck's back, as he believes the game is all
about opinions.
"I'm very surprised John O'Shea doesn't play for United
every week," said Keane. "Football is about opinions and I
respect everybody's opinion."
Keane will have a chance to prove to Ferguson he is well
worth the £20.3million Liverpool shelled out for his
services when his new side play United at Anfield on
Saturday.
(TEAMtalk)
Rio fit for Liverpool clash
Rio Ferdinand has provided a welcome boost for both Sir Alex
Ferguson and Fabio Capello after getting the all-clear to
play in England's crucial World Cup qualifier with Croatia
tonight.
The Manchester United defender had to miss Saturday's 2-0
win against Andorra because of a neck problem.
But Capello confirmed his vice-captain is fit enough to
resume his partnership with John Terry at the centre of
defence - which also means he could be available for
United's crunch clash with Liverpool on Saturday.
(Manchester Evening News)
Thor Zakariassen
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