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WEDNESDAY 15 |
Benitez pleased
with Johnson debut
Rafa Benitez praised the versatility of Glen Johnson after
the new boy filled in on the left during his Liverpool
debut.
The 24-year-old was asked to play at left-back in our
goalless draw with St Gallen on Wednesday night due to the
absence of Andrea Dossena and Fabio Aurelio.
And Johnson showed some nice touches during his second-half
bow.
Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv: "I asked him to play on the
left and he did really well. The team as a whole did well
but everyone was watching Glen and he was good."
(LFC Official Website)
Johnson makes bow
as Liverpool draw
Glen Johnson made his Liverpool debut as a second-half
substitute on Wednesday night as the Reds were held to a
goalless draw by St Gallen.
It was Liverpool's opening pre-season fixture and they were
made hard to work for a share of the spoils in Switzerland.
Rafa Benitez used the game to give each member of his 24-man
squad a much-needed run-out.
(TEAMtalk)
Nemeth and Voronin start
Andriy Voronin and Krisztian Nemeth start up front for
Liverpool in their first pre-season friendly against St
Gallen this evening - a match you can watch live only on
Liverpoolfc.tv from 7pm BST.
Glen Johnson will make his debut later in the game, with
Benitez expected to change his side completely at half-time.
The starting XI is: Cavalieri, San Jose, Degen, Insua,
Carragher, Spearing, Gerrard, El Zhar, Babel, Voronin,
Nemeth.
Those expected to feature in the second half are: Martin,
Darby, Skrtel, Johnson, Kelly, Plessis, Pacheco, Benayoun,
Lucas, Ngog, Gulacsi, Ayala, Kuyt.
(LFC Official Website)
New Hatters boss reveals Reds exit
Stockport County boss Gary Ablett insists he was sacked by
Liverpool without being given any valid reason or
explanation.
Ablett was reserve team boss at Anfield, but parted company
with the Premier League club in May as part of a reshuffle
by boss Rafael Benitez.
The former Liverpool and Everton defender told the Stockport
Express: "I honestly don't think I was ever given a a good
enough reason as to why they made the decision.
"They made the decision that they wanted to make but I'm
quite happy that while I was there we had the best reserve
team in the country.
"My job was to provide Rafael Benitez with players he could
call on for the first team and I did that. But what's
happened has happened and it's happened for a reason.
"I think I've taken a step forward coming here to manage
County and it's a job I'm thoroughly looking forward to
doing."
(TEAMtalk)
Dudek wants Alonso reunion
Jerzy Dudek is hopeful that his former team-mate Xabi Alonso
can join him at Real Madrid this summer.
Real president Florentino Perez has made the Liverpool
midfielder his next big transfer target but talks seem to
have broken down.
The Reds are thought to value the Spaniard at around
£30million while Real are said to only be prepared to part
with £20million.
However Dudek, who played with Alonso for three seasons at
Anfield, is hoping that the two clubs can come to an
agreement.
"I don't know (what's happening) let's hope so," he told Sky
Sports News.
"This club needs good players and Xabi is a good player."
(Sky Sports)
Agger out with back injury
Rafa Benitez’s pre-season preparations have been hampered
after Daniel Agger was ruled out of Liverpool’s first warm
up match against St Gallen in Switzerland tonight.
The Danish defender has been forced to remain behind on
Merseyside after suffering a recurrence of the back problem
which ruled him out of action for more than a month of the
last campaign.
Agger first picked up the injury while on international duty
with Denmark last February and though he recovered to win
his place back in Benitez’s starting line up towards the end
of the season the problem flared up again at the weekend and
the Reds boss has opted to take no chances on
his fitness.
The 24-year-old is currently undergoing treatment at Melwood
and will also miss Liverpool’s second friendly away to Rapid
Vienna on Sunday.
But Benitez is hopeful that Agger will have recovered in
time to take his place on the club’s trip to Thailand and
Singapore although the Reds boss will take into account the
effects that a gruelling long haul flight to the Far East
could have on the centre back before making a final
decision.
Agger’s absence has handed an opportunity for young Spanish
defender Danny Ayala to show what he can do.
The 18-year-old does not yet have a squad number and was not
initially included in Liverpool’s travelling party to take
part in the Swiss training camp but with Agger ruled out
Benitez drafted Ayala in and could even give him a run out
against St Gallen.
(Liverpool Echo)
Benitez eyes Silva after
Alonso nears exit to Real Madrid
After more than a year of speculation, the
saga surrounding Xabi Alonso's future is likely to be
concluded by the end of the week, with the 27 year-old Spain
international moving to Real Madrid for more than £30
million, Liverpool's asking price
Benitez's first act will be to secure the future of Javier
Mascherano, despite the Argentina captain being tempted by
the prospect of a move
to Barcelona.
The Spaniard will then begin the more arduous task of
replacing Alonso. Armed with the majority of the fee
generated by his sale, Benitez is likely to return for David
Silva, the Valencia playmaker.
(Telegraph.co.uk) |
|
TUESDAY 14 |
Balague: Alonso deal looks unlikely
Guillem Balague feels Liverpool have priced Xabi Alonso out
of a move to Real Madrid and also expects Ruud van
Nistelrooy to stay in Spain.
The Spanish giants have been splashing the cash this summer
with high-profile names such as Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and
Karim Benzema arriving at the Bernabeu in big money moves.
Liverpool's Spanish central midfielder Alonso is thought to
be the next name on the shopping list of Real president
Florentino Perez, but the Reds' reported price tag is
thought to be a stumbling block in the move.
Sky Sports' Spanish expert Guillem Balague has close
contacts within both camps and says although Liverpool would
like a decision to be made quickly, the two clubs are
currently far away from concluding a deal.
"Real will be spending more," Balague told Sky Sports News.
"The problem is that Florentino Perez would like at least
four or five of his players to be sold before buying anybody
else.
"At the other end you've got Liverpool, who maybe want to
sell, but they want about 35million euros. Perez said
there's no chance that amount of money will be spent on Xabi
Alonso.
"Everybody at Liverpool would like everything to be sorted
by Sunday when Alonso joins up with the squad - so at the
moment both parties are at such a big distance.
"It seems at the moment that it's not going to happen, but
you never know."
(TEAMtalk)
Benitez: Johnson fee is fine
Liverpool's new £17m full-back Glen Johnson will make his
Liverpool debut against St Gallen in Switzerland on
Wednesday with boss Rafael Benitez insisting he is worth the
money.
Benitez admits, like Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson,
that the transfer market has gone mad this summer.
The Spaniard said: "Yes, the money people are asking is
crazy. The money for Johnson is OK. He is English, an
international with quality and he is worth the money."
He added: "He is a very good attacking player. If you try to
buy a winger it can be £50m to £60m at current prices, but
Johnson as an offensive full-back can give us more options.
"He can be good for us, especially when we are at home and
teams are defending against us. Going forward he will give
us something different, something special. He is a good
addition for us."
(Yahoo! Eurosport)
Johnson set for Reds debut
Glen Johnson is set to make his Reds debut against St Gallen
on Wednesday night - a game you can watch live only on
Liverpoolfc.tv.
Rafa Benitez plans to give every one of his 24 available
players some pitch time in the club's first pre-season
friendly.
This means that, as well as our new right-back, youngsters
such as Martin Kelly, Mikel San Jose, Daniel Pacheco, Peter
Gulacsi, Daniel Ayala and Krisztian Nemeth will have a
chance to impress.
(LFC Official Website)
Mascherano to be told:
You’re staying at Liverpool FC
Rafa Benitez will tell Javier Mascherano he will not be
allowed to leave Liverpool when the Argentinian midfielder
returns to pre-season training later this week.
The future of Mascherano – who became a father for the
second time at the weekend – has been in question throughout
the summer after the 25-year-old told the Reds boss that his
wife was suffering from homesickness.
But with the likelihood of Xabi Alonso quitting Anfield
increasing with every passing day, Benitez would be loathe
to lose Mascherano as well and see his entire first choice
central midfield wiped out in the space of a few weeks.
Mascherano has been attracting interest from Barcelona with
Nou Camp boss Pep Guardiola keen to employ him behind Andres
Iniesta and Xavi in the European champions’ engine room.
Benitez is desperate to hang on to the Argentina captain
though and has already made it clear he is not looking to
cash in on a player he regards as one of the finest
defensive midfielders in world football.
With Mascherano due to join up with his team mates at
pre-season training in Switzerland in the coming days
Benitez will take the opportunity to tell the former West
Ham man that he won’t be going anywhere because he is needed
for Liverpool’s assault on the Premier League title in the
coming season.
Contrary to reports, there are as yet no plans to offer the
player a new contract as a sweetener with Mascherano just 18
months into a four year deal signed in February 2008.
(Liverpool Echo)
Fowler has dig
at Owen’s Utd move
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has had a go at former
Anfield teammate Michael Owen after the 29-year-old striker
signed for Manchester Utd
this summer.
Owen’s contract with relegated Newcastle Utd expired this
summer, leaving him a free agent looking for a new club and
Utd boss Alex Ferguson stepped up to help him with a bid to
re-enter the England squad in time for next year’s World
Cup.
Fowler, who now plays his football with Australian side New
Queensland Fury, said he could never have betrayed his
Liverpool allegiances.
Reporters down under asked him if he could ever have moved
to United. He replied, “No, I don’t think so.
“Obviously I want Michael to do well but I don’t want
Manchester United to do well.
“It’s a sticky situation and I don’t want to get drawn into
things with Michael and Man United. Everyone knows I’m a
Liverpool fan.
“But if Michael scores a lot of goals then I hope Fernando
Torres scores a lot more.”
(This is Anfield)
Roma brace for
Liverpool offer for Aquilani
Cash-strapped Roma are bracing themselves for a bid from
Liverpool for star midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
La Repubblica says Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez sees Aquilani
as an ideal replacement for want-away midfield schemer Xabi
Alonso.
(tribalfootball.com)
Reds to look at Hungarian quintet
Liverpool could be set for another transfer raid on Hungary
after inviting five of the nation's youngsters for a trial
at Anfield.
The Reds have good links in Hungary having signed the likes
of Krisztian Nemeth, Peter Gulacsi, Zsolt Poloskei and
Andras Simon in the last
few years.
Goalkeeper Attila Abu, midfield duo Krisztian Adorjan and
Patrik Vass, striker Peter Horvath and defender Patrik Poor
are currently at the football academy of MTK Budapest.
Liverpool scouts have been keeping tabs on all five
teenagers and the quintet have now been invited over to
train with the club so the Reds' coaching staff can cast an
eye over them.
The agent of the five players Tibor Pataky confirmed it is
the second time Adorjan and Vass had been invited over to
Merseyside.
"All of the players have been observed at least three times
by a Liverpool scout, what's more at the end of May the new
director of the Liverpool Academy, Frank McParland, went to
Hungary to check the players' abilities," Pataky told
Pepsifoci.
"He invited five players to Liverpool. Krisztian Adorjan and
Patrik Vass go to Liverpool for the second time, a
year-and-a-half ago they trained with the youth team of
Liverpool and played a game in England," Pataky told
Pepsifoci.
(TEAMtalk) |
|
MONDAY 13 |
Alonso closer to Anfield exit
Rafael Benitez is still battling to keep Javier Mascherano
at Liverpool in the wake of Xabi Alonso making his position
with the club virtually untenable.
Alonso is believed to have contacted the Liverpool manager
and told him he wants to leave the club and join Real
Madrid, but stopped short of asking for a transfer.
The Spain midfielder remarkably made the call less than 24
hours before he married his long-term girlfriend Nagore
Aramburu in his home city of San Sebastian on Saturday,
where the guests included former Liverpool team-mate Luis
Garcia and Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta.
That plea to Benitez came as the Bernabeu giants stepped up
their relentless pursuit of the 27-year-old, and although
Benitez still does not want to sell, there seems little
chance now that Alonso can remain a Liverpool player.
But whereas Alonso looks like he is on his way out of
Anfield, Mascherano is still very much in Benitez's plans.
Benitez has privately claimed that suggestions that
Mascherano's wife cannot settle in Liverpool has been an
excuse, and he believes he is much more likely to persuade
the midfielder to stay.
Alonso, surely, is now a different matter. Benitez reveals
that he had a string of phone calls from Alonso while the
player was away with Spain at the Confederation Cup in South
Africa.
And since then he has become increasingly irritated by
further calls from the player as Madrid's interest has
heightened.
This latest call was probably the final straw, but Benitez
will be determined to get a fee approaching £30m, despite
Madrid's offer being considerably smaller than that figure.
(BreakingNews.ie)
McParland welcomes Kenny
Frank McParland has welcomed Kenny Dalglish to the Academy.
McParland agreed to rejoin Liverpool earlier this year to
oversee a complete overhaul of the Academy. The former Chief
Scout is now a director at the Academy and will be working
with the King who also has a senior role at the Kirkby
complex.
"Kenny's a special person. So just to have him around the
place makes a real difference," he said.
"If you think of what he has achieved in the game as a
player and a manager then it really does give you
goosebumps. The experience he brings is something that we
can all tap into. Not just the youngsters but also myself
and the coaching staff here.
"Football is at the very core of Kenny's being and the
knowledge he has is going to be such an inspiration to all
of us.
"I saw an interview with Kenny recently in which he said he
was relishing working at the Academy. Well I think I can
safely speak for everyone here when I say that we are all
relishing working with him."
(LFC Online)
Thor Zakariassen
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