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THURSDAY 15 |
Bruce ready for Liverpool test
Steve Bruce is backing Sunderland to build on their heroics
at Manchester United as they face another stern test of
their credentials.
The Black Cats were within seconds of a famous victory at
Old Trafford a fortnight ago when Anton Ferdinand's
unfortunate own goal rescued a point for Sir Alex Ferguson's
men. That may have been hard luck on Bruce's side, but they
get a chance to make amends on Saturday when Liverpool head
for the Stadium of Light.
(TEAMtalk)
Liverpool defender out till February
With Liverpool sweating over injuries to the likes of
Torres, Agger, Kuyt and Gerrard over the international break
– the major casualty appears to be Greek defender Sotirios
Kyrgiakos.
The reds defender left the field a minute before half time
as Greece got a draw that helped them to the World Cup
play-offs.
Reports in Greece suggest the 30 year old defender will be
out for around 4 months after suffering an anterior cruciate
ligament injury.
It is understood the player will have a scan before
returning to Liverpool.
(Anfield Online)
Aurelio targets new Liverpool deal
Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio has spoken of his
determination to earn a new deal with the club.
The Brazilian has been hit by injury problems during his
time at Anfield but he still hopes to extend his stay with
the Reds after joining from Valencia in July 2006.
"I feel very comfortable and my family is very settled here
but I know that it all depends on what the manager and the
club thinks about me," Aurelio told the Liverpool Echo.
"We had started talking before the end of last season but
then I picked up the injury in the summer and since then
there has not been any
more contact.
"I just want to play at the minute before I think about
anything else and we will see how everything goes from
there."
(Sporting Life)
Gerrard fitness race for Sunderland
Steven Gerrard has a ‘good’ chance of taking part in the
fixture at the weekend when the reds take on Sunderland at
The Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats have had an impressive start to the season
and Liverpool will require as strong a squad as possible to
take up there.
Benitez is believed to be disappointed that England did not
release Steven Gerrard back to his club as was originally
suggested, and the player even took part in a training
session on Tuesday with the rest of
the England team.
According to England, the decision to stay with England and
not return to Liverpool was Steven Gerrard’s.
Liverpool will be welcoming home the European contingent of
the squad today. Mascherano, Insua and Leiva are not
expected to return to Anfield until later tonight – with
only a brief training session before the trip up
to Sunderland.
The internationals have placed huge pressure on Liverpool
this last 10 days and it will require some effort to avoid a
hangover this weekend.
(Anfield Online)
Kenwyne racing back for Liverpool clash
Kenwyne Jones is making a trans-Atlantic dash back to
Wearside today on Sunderland boss Steve Bruce's orders.
Bruce has laid the law down to the striker about his need to
return to England as quickly as possible after international
commitments. And the Trinidad & Tobago striker knows his
chances of being involved in Saturday's big game against
Liverpool depend on how swiftly he can get back to
Sunderland.
The in-form frontman played just the final 15 minutes in
Trinidad & Tobago's 2-2 World Cup qualifier against Mexico
in Port of Spain last night and was set to catch the first
available flight back to the UK today to maximise his
chances of playing at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
(Sunderland Echo)
Agger fitness boost
Daniel Agger played another 90 minutes last night.
The Liverpool defender proved his match fitness by playing
the full game for Denmark as they lost 1-0 at home to
Hungary in their final World Cup qualifier. The result was
irrelevant as the Danes had already qualified for South
Africa 2010.
(LFC Online)
Torres fit
Fernando Torres was passed fit for last night's game.
The Reds striker was a doubt after picking up a slight
muscle injury in training but was deemed fit enough to be
part of the squad for Spain's 5-2 win over
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Torres was on the bench but was an
unused subsitute.
Albert Riera played the full 90 minutes while Pepe Reina
didn't even make the bench.
(LFC Online)
Mascherano heading for World Cup
Javier Mascherano captained Argentina to a dramatic 1-0
victory in Uruguay as the two-times winners left it late to
secure qualification for
the World Cup.
Mario Bolatti stabbed home the only goal five minutes from
the end of a tense encounter to grab South America's fourth
invitation to South Africa.
Mascherano played all 90 minutes and is one of four players
who national coach Diego Maradona has already confirmed will
be in his
World Cup squad.
Emiliano Insua played no part after making his debut at the
weekend, but he'll have his sights on cementing a regular
place by next summer.
Elsewhere, Lucas played 90 minutes for already qualified
Brazil as they drew 0-0 with Venezuela.
The full list of Liverpool players potentially featuring
next summer after their countries qualified are:
Daniel Agger (Denmark)
Martin Skrtel (Slovakia)
Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard (England)
Andrea Dossena, Alberto Aquilani (Italy)
Albert Riera, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina (Spain)
Philipp Degen (Switzerland)
Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt (Holland)
Javier Mascherano, Emiliano Insua (Argentina)
Lucas Leiva (Brazil)
Andriy Voronin (Ukraine) and Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Greece)
could yet make the trip if their countries win a play-off
encounter.
(LFC Official Website) |
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WEDNESDAY 14 |
Liverpool talks close to conclusion
The Saudi prince keen to buy shares in Liverpool has
confirmed talks are close to a conclusion.
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah revealed that following
extensive meetings with Liverpool co-owner George Gillett,
his F6 investment company could reach an agreement for the
purchase soon.
(Football 365)
Spearing seeking to become
the new Mascherano
Young Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing has revealed how
Rafa Benitez wants him to become a defensive midfielder and
learn from
Javier Mascherano.
Having been rewarded with a new contract in the summer and
starting the League Cup clash at Leeds, Spearing is clearly
rated highly by Benitez and is one for the future at
Anfield.
Speaking to the official LFC site he explained Benitez’s
hopes for him “It’s more tactical understanding than
anything else. Rafa wants me to become a defensive
midfielder and to understand the role and the positional
side of things.
“It’s the heart of the team here because you’ve got to get
forward if you can while protecting the back four. It’s a
key area that we look at a lot.”
Having only made his senior debut last season – making
appearances against PSV and Real Madrid in the Champions
League – we should be seeing a lot more of Spearing this
season.
“The coaches have told me I’ll be involved a lot more this
season,” said the 20 year old from the Wirral. “This season
I’ve been on the bench a few times and it’s a big
progression. Last year I made the bench maybe two or three
times. I’ve doubled that already and we’re only in October.
“It’s the most important season of my career so far. I’m
involved with the first team every day now and the boss,
Sammy Lee and the rest of the players are there looking at
me every day.
“This is the season where I’ve got to show I’m here to stay
and show what I can do.”
(Football 365)
Liverpool to demand Gerrard explanation
A fresh club v country row is brewing after Liverpool
reportedly demanded a full explanation from England over why
Steven Gerrard aggravated a longstanding groin injury in
training on Tuesday.
Gerrard completed just ten minutes of the session before
limping away and returning directly to Liverpool for further
treatment. The Reds skipper is now a doubt for Saturday's
trip to Sunderland, the start of an intense make-or-break
period for Rafa Benitez's side.
According to The Sun, 'Liverpool want to know why England
medics failed to spot the seriousness of the injury' while a
concurring Daily Mirror adds that 'Benitez is worried that
Gerrard himself was pressurised into staying when he should
have been back at Liverpool receiving treatment, because of
problems in the past.'
To compound Liverpool's sense of grievance, Gerrard's
involvement in training was in contrast to the immediate
withdrawal of Wayne Rooney with a calf strain at the weekend
following England's return from Ukraine.
England manager Fabio Capello defended the participation of
the midfielder, explaining in his press conference on
Tuesday that: "It was Gerrard who decided to stay with the
squad. We spoke after the game in the Ukraine and asked him
what he thought. And he thought he'd be fit
for Belarus.
"If he had not been fit, he would have gone home when we
returned from the Ukraine.
"He tried to practise in training but after 10 minutes he
had to stop. He couldn't finish because the pain was the
same as the day before. For that reason, he has gone back to
Liverpool."
(Football 365)
Aquilani desperate to get started
Liverpool summer signing Alberto Aquilani is anxious about
making
his debut.
The former Roma midfielder is now in the home straight of
recovering from summer surgery.
"It's not been easy for me," the 25-year-old told LFC Weekly
Magazine. "I moved to a new club in a different country and
have been unable to play or train properly.
"When you are not involved with the team it is not a good
feeling.
"It is my ambition to score at the Kop end though. I've
thought about it a lot during my rehab here. Anfield is a
great stadium with a superb atmosphere. I can't wait to play
in front of that crowd."
(tribalfootball.com) |
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TUESDAY 13 |
World Cup anguish for trio
Krisztian Nemeth, Andras Simon and Peter Gulacsi suffered
U20 World Cup anguish following a 3-2 semi-final defeat to
Ghana
on Tuesday afternoon.
All three started the defeat in Egypt, though Nemeth was
substituted
at half-time.
It was Nemeth who earned Hungary's place in the semis with a
brace against Italy.
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool FC official statement
Rafa Benitez today attended an FA hearing in Manchester that
considered three charges brought against him following
Liverpool's opening game of the season at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Commission found that two of the allegations relating to
comments made about the match referee were not proven and
therefore dismissed.
On a third, the Commission accepted that a gesture made with
a pair of spectacles was 'in a non-malicious and humorous
manner' and taking into account Mr Benitez's previous
unblemished record, warned him about his future conduct. No
fine was imposed or costs awarded against the Liverpool
manager.
The Commission also expressed their surprise at the failure
of the FA to charge another manager who had made a similar
gesture
the same weekend.
(LFC Official Website)
Pressure all on Liverpool
The Sunderland v Liverpool game this weekend really is an
intriguing one.
And much of the reason for that lies in the fact that for
once, there'll be far more pressure on the visitors than on
the home side.
Sunderland's position is clear – they would like to win the
game though they'd probably settle for a draw now. Losing
would be a disappointment.
But for Liverpool, it's not too much of an exaggeration to
say anything other than a victory would be bordering on the
disastrous.
(Gary Rowell - Sunderland Echo)
Gerrard returns to Liverpool early
Steven Gerrard has left the England training camp and
returned to Merseyside after failing to shake off a groin
injury that has ruled him out of tomorrow’s World Cup
Qualifier against Belarus at Wembley Stadium.
The Liverpool skipper will now spend time resting and
regaining fitness ahead of the Reds’ Premier League trip to
Sunderland on Saturday.
Gerrard sustained the groin problem during England’s 1-0
defeat to the Ukraine on Saturday evening and today limped
out of training.
He is, however, expected to make a full recovery in time for
the Reds’ game against Sunderland.
(This is Anfield)
Pompey fixture change
Liverpool have confirmed the kick-off time for their
Barclays Premier League clash with Portsmouth at Fratton
Park on Saturday, December 19 has been brought forward to
12.45pm BST.
The match, which was originally scheduled to take place at
3pm, will now be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
(LFC Official Website)
Thor Zakariassen
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