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SATURDAY 18 |
Itandje wants Reds start
Liverpool's new goalkeeper Charles Itandje has vowed to put
pressure on Anfield first-choice Jose Reina.
The former France Under 21 international recently joined the
Reds after having been forced down the pecking order at
Lens.
Reina is the current No.1 at Liverpool and Itandje is aware
of the Spaniard's standing, but he intends to make his new
team-mate work hard.
"At Liverpool there is a very good keeper who has been there
three years," Itandje told L'Equipe.
"I am clearly going to be No.2. But, there are 60 matches a
season and it is planned that I will play the League Cup and
FA Cup.
Itandje has revealed he snubbed La Liga new boys Almeria,
where he was offered a starting XI role, in favour of
Liverpool.
"I could have signed in Spain with Almeria, as No.1, but I
didn't choose the easy way," he added.
"I preferred to join a very big club. It is up to me to
create a doubt in the coach's mind."
(Sky Sports)
Babel eager for Anfield debut
Ryan Babel cannot wait for his first taste of Anfield
combat, and the fact that it could be against Chelsea is so
much the better for the young Dutchman.
And the confident winger believes that a victory now against
Chelsea will "hurt them" in the title race and send out a
message to all the challengers.
He added: "It is Chelsea next. I am not too sure how big the
rivalry is between the two clubs but I am beginning to
understand.
"I know it is an important game. Maybe if we can hurt
Chelsea now we will have confidence for the rest of the
season, winning this one is very important."
(Football 365)
Aldo: Torres will be a big asset
Anfield goalscoring great John Aldridge has spoken of his
admiration for Fernando Torres and said the Spanish striker
will prove to be a big hit
at Anfield.
The former Liverpool ace believes Torres has got a lot of
attributes in his game that will quickly endear himself to
the Anfield crowd.
"As a former striker I was watching Fernando Torres'
performance very closely at Aston Villa last week and I
liked what I saw," enthused Aldridge.
"His all-round attributes were excellent. In fact I saw
similarities in his performance to that of one of his
opponents tomorrow, Didier Drogba.
"I liked the way he held the ball up, put himself about,
chased down defenders and wanted to get on the end of
everything."
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez tells Mourinho: Try naming my team now
Rafa Benitez believes Chelsea have lost a key tactical
advantage when they now face Liverpool – because Jose
Mourinho can no longer guess the Reds’ starting eleven.
Mourinho famously announced Benitez’s starting line-up in a
Press Conference ahead of the teams’ first Champions League
semi-final meeting in 2005.
Benitez felt his options were so limited with a less
powerful squad, it was easy for opposing managers’ to
predict his selection when the most important games arrived.
The Anfield boss relishes the fact that’s not so easy now,
with the weekly guessing game about who’ll start ensuring
Benitez can always keep a trick or two up his sleeve.
“It’s not easy for anyone to predict the team now because we
have two players in each position,” said Benitez ahead of
tomorrow’s meeting with Chelsea."
(Liverpool Echo)
Reds closing in on goals milestone
Liverpool are closing in on a major milestone and are just
two goals short of 7,000 in league football.
Steven Gerrard's fantastic free-kick at Aston Villa last
weekend was the Reds 6,998th goal in League football, so
Liverpool could reach 7,000 against Chelsea at Anfield on
Sunday.
Great Dane Jan Molby scored the Reds 6,000th goal during a
7-1 away win at Derby County in March 1991.
(LFC Official Website)
Torres eager for Anfield bow
Fernando Torres is eagerly awaiting his home debut.
Liverpool's £20m Summer signing will make his first
appearance at home when the Reds face Chelsea tomorrow and
he's keen to make his
Anfield bow.
"Last Saturday was my Barclays Premier League debut and we
came away with the win, on Wednesday it was the Champions
League and we also won, and on Sunday I will walk out at
Anfield for the first time to play a match," said Torres.
"Everybody tells me that until I listen to 'You'll Never
Walk Alone' inside our stadium it's as if i've never really
heard it properly, and I can't wait to hear it."
(LFC Online) |
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FRIDAY 17 |
Three reds named in England squad
Three Liverpool players have been included in Steve
McClaren's England squad for the friendly against Germany at
Wembley on Wednesday night.
Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard and on loan goalkeeper Scott
Carson have been named in the squad.
Gerrard is a certain non starter at Wembley because he is
suffering from a hairline fracture in his toe.
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez: Voronin is a special talent
Andriy Voronin has come in for special praise from Liverpool
boss Rafael Benitez this week - but that may not secure him
a place in the side on Sunday.
Voronin’s spectacular winner against Toulouse in the
Champions League will not alter the fact he is just one of
four strikers Benitez can use against Chelsea.
The boss made six changes in Toulouse from the side that won
at Aston Villa - and he is hinting there could be as many
again against Chelsea.
“Last season we did not have a player who could change the
game like Andriy does,” said Benitez.
“You can see he is that sort of player. He is the type of
player who does things, with his movement and understanding,
that can change the course of difficult matches."
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard set to face Chelsea
Steven Gerrard is expected to play against Chelsea on Sunday
despite having a hairline fracture of his big toe.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has indicated that his skipper
will be given a pain-killing injection to allow him to lead
the side against the former champions, but that will mean he
will have to rest next week instead of playing for England.
Benitez, who made six changes in Toulouse in Wednesday from
the side that beat Aston Villa last weekend, is likely to
rotate his squad again with Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso,
Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt returning.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise,
Arbeloa, Pennant, Gerrard, Sissoko, Alonso, Mascherano,
Babel, Benayoun, Hyypia, Crouch, Kuyt, Torres, Voronin,
Itandje.
(Sporting Life)
Reina: Why Premier title is our obsession
The clearest sign of how well Liverpool’s season is going is
how long domestic duties eclipse European adventures.
Rafa Benitez’s reign to date has been dominated by Champions
League progress, with the pursuit of glory on the continent
quickly established as the only realistic chance of
salvaging pride.
Now there’s a resolve to buck this trend.
Benitez’s first two team selections underlined where his
priorities are, and as Pepe Reina looked ahead to renewing
hostilities with Chelsea on Sunday, he was absolute in his
view what matters most to the club.
“Every tournament Liverpool is involved in is important and
we have to fight to win it, but we have a special resolution
in the Premier League,” he said. “It’s been 18 years since
we won it, so that’s what’s getting us excited. It’s the
number one tournament for us now.”
(Liverpool Echo)
Rail call on plan for New Anfield
Fresh calls have been made to reopen a mothballed train line
to carry fans to Liverpool FC’s proposed new stadium.
Members of Liverpool council’s regeneration committee
believe the Bootle branch line will be needed to help the
Anfield area cope with the increased number of fans
attending the ground if it is built.
Councillors called for urgent talks with Merseytravel about
the possibility of providing a direct rail link to Anfield
for the first time in years.
They also called for park-and-ride schemes and other public
transport improvements.
The committee also wants more enforcement action to be taken
against motorists who abuse the area’s residents’ parking
scheme.
Chairman Eddie Clein said: “The New Anfield scheme has the
potential to bring about major regeneration in north
Liverpool, but there are concerns about traffic and
transport.”
(Liverpool Echo)
Benitez: It’s time to show title fight
Rafa Benitez today challenged his players to prove they have
what it takes to sustain a title challenge.
Benitez has warned his stars he won’t tolerate a season
where they keep their best form for the visit to Anfield of
their main Premier League rivals.
The Liverpool boss trusts his side to reach the standards
required when Chelsea arrive on Sunday, but he admits he
must feel the same confidence for games such as the trip to
Sunderland next week.
And now he’s using the build-up to the Londoners’ visit to
order his squad to prepare for each league game with the
same intensity he knows will be on show at Anfield this
weekend.
“If we show the same quality against every side in the
league as I believe we will against Chelsea, at the end of
the season we will be up there,”
he said.
“Chelsea may be an important game now, but next week’s game
against Sunderland will be just as important.
“Every three points we play for will mean something at the
end of the season, so all the players must be ready every
week."
(Liverpool Echo)
Hammill handed Reds deal
Skysports.com understands Liverpool starlet Adam Hammill has
signed a new deal at Anfield.
The skilful winger, who is on a season-long loan at
Southampton, inked a new three-year contract before making
the move to St Mary's.
The 19-year-old is highly-regarded at Anfield and he is
tipped for a big future in the game.
Hammill admitted he was delighted to sort out his long-term
future and has set his sights on breaking into Rafa
Benitez's first-team squad.
"I signed a three-year deal at Liverpool earlier in the
summer," Hammill told skysports.com.
"The deal keeps me at Anfield until 2011 and I am delighted
about that.
"I am a life-long Liverpool fan and it is my dream to play
in the first team."
(Sky Sports) |
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THURSDAY 16 |
Gerrard passed fit
Steven Gerrard has been passed fit to face Chelsea on
Sunday.
The Liverpool captain was withdrawn with an injury against
Toulouse yesterday and a scan has revealed he has a hairline
fracture in his toe. Gerrard will be fit for Sunday's game
against Chelsea but he will need
a couple of weeks rest after that match.
"He has a hairline fracture in his toe. I think he will be
available for the weekend. The only problem is, if we push
him now, he might need a little bit of a rest afterwards,"
said Rafa Benitez.
"I was talking to the doctor and he said it is not a big
risk for him to play, though there is always some risk.
"If we want to push him for this game, it would be a risk to
push him again and again, because it could become more
serious.
"I still need to talk to Steve McClaren but I think he will
understand it would be a big risk."
(LFC Online)
Crouch: No rift with Rafa
Peter Crouch has denied that talk of a rift with Liverpool
boss
Rafa Benitez.
Crouch was left out of Benitez's squad for the first game of
the season against Aston Villa, and newspaper reports
afterwards suggested that the England striker held
'showdown' talks with the manager about his omission.
However, Crouch was named in the starting line-up for
Wednesday's Champions League qualifier against Toulouse, and
maintains that there is no problem with Benitez.
"I was disappointed to miss out on Saturday, so it was good
to play yesterday (in Toulouse)." Crouch told the Liverpool
Echo.
"The manager explained to me it will be a long season, and
he proved what he meant by replacing the two who started on
Saturday with myself and Andriy.
"I'm sure he will continue to chop and change, but everyone
will play their fair share.
"I've got to prove to the manager on the training pitch and
in the games when I get the chance that I should be in the
team, but I'm not the type of person who goes off shouting,
screaming and knocking down doors. I want to do my talking
on the pitch."
(Football 365)
Finnan: We'll be ready for Chelsea
Steve Finnan insists he and his teammates will be more than
ready for the showdown with Chelsea on Sunday despite a
tough midweek game in the searing heat of Toulouse.
The Republic of Ireland international admits conditions
during Wednesday's Champions League qualifier were some of
the hardest he's ever played in.
However, he believes the Liverpool squad can have no excuses
when Jose Mourinho's men come to town.
"It was one of the hottest games I've played in for a long
time," Finnan told Liverpoolfc.tv. "There were some tired
legs out there towards the end, it was a good work out for
us.
"Yes, we'll feel it on Thursday, but we're not playing until
Sunday – that's one more day than we usually get, so we'll
be fine by the time Chelsea comes around. They've played
during midweek too, so there'll be no excuses."
(LFC Official Website)
New stadium is club cash cow
Everton and Liverpool will be heartened by findings that a
move to a new stadium increases a club’s turnover by 66% on
average in the first season – even before TV revenues.
New figures from the Sports Business Group at business
adviser Deloitte show that revenue increases were mainly
driven by a 51% increase in average attendances in the first
season after a move.
Twenty-five new football stadia have been built in England
since 1990 and eight clubs in the Premier League play in new
grounds built since the league was formed. About £2.2bn has
so far been spent on new grounds in England.
And at least half of all Premiership clubs have plans for
further investment in new stadia or redevelopment of their
existing ground.
Everton fans are currently voting on a proposed move to a
new home in Kirkby and Liverpool FC plans to relocate to a
site on nearby
Stanley Park.
Among the benefits a new ground can reap are increased
capacity, an enhanced live experience, more corporate
hospitality income, enhanced opportunities to drive sales in
catering and retail and the opportunity for non-matchday
revenues from ventures such as conferences, hotels or
exhibitions.
(Liverpool Echo)
Thor Zakariassen
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