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SATURDAY 18 |
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Benitez sympathy for stricken Smith
Rafael Benitez's joy at seeing his Liverpool battlers reach
the FA Cup quarter-finals was tempered by the horror injury
which could sideline Manchester United's Alan Smith for nine
months.
Substitute Smith fell badly in the closing minutes of a
highly-charged fifth-round tie at Anfield and was carried
off after several minutes of treatment on the pitch.
The former Leeds man was taken straight to hospital and has
a fractured lower left leg and dislocated ankle.
Liverpool boss Benitez said: "We are all so sorry for Smith,
it is a great pity such things happen and we all wish him
good luck.
"As a manager you do not want to see any player hurt. But
sadly this is football and I can only offer my concern and
just enjoy the victory with my team and our fans."
(TEAMtalk)
Crouch: Scoring the winner is so special
Peter Crouch reflected on his FA Cup winner against
Manchester United and admitted: "That's probably the biggest
goal of my career."
Crouch stooped to head past Edwin van der Sar after 18
minutes of today's Cup clash to net his first goal of the
year.
It proved to be the winning strike on the day the Reds
celebrated beating United in an FA Cup tie for the first
time in 85 years.
"Liverpool against Man United is probably the biggest
fixture in English football and so to get the winner is
something special," said Crouch.
(LFC Official Website))
Rafa hails Reds fans
Rafa Benitez praised Liverpool's fans after The Reds beat
arch rivals Manchester United 1-0 to reach the FA Cup
quarter finals.
Spanish boss Benitez hailed the club's vociferous support
for firing his team on, and praised his players for
controlling the game against a lacklustre United.
"After 85 years to beat Manchester United is fantastic,"
Benitez told the club's official website.
"We need to enjoy this win with our supporters and we
deserved it. Our supporters were fantastic and the team
responded to them."
(Sky Sports)
Crouch stoops to conquer United
Liverpool claimed their first FA Cup victory over Manchester
United for 85 years with relative ease as they confirmed
their place in the quarter finals with a 1-0 win at Anfield.
A first half Peter Crouch header gave The Reds revenge for
the defeat at Old Trafford in January that saw Gary Neville
charged by the FA for his controversial celebrations.
However there was little cause for joy for the United
skipper in the latest instalment in one of English
football's most heated derbies, as a shaky backline
contributed to United's exit from the competition they have
won on 11 occasions.
Indeed matters were compounded for the visitors in the final
minutes as substitute Alan Smith had to be stretchered off
after a nasty looking leg injury that caused considerable
concern in the Red Devils' ranks.
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool v Man Utd - CONFIRMED TEAMS
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell,
Sissoko, Hamann, Gerrard, Crouch, Morientes.
SUBS: Dudek, Kromkamp, Cisse, Garcia, Traore.
MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Vidic, Brown, Silvestre,
Ronaldo, Fletcher, Richardson, Giggs, Rooney, Van
Nistelrooy.
(Kop Talk)
Another Benfica player out
UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body have handed down a
provisional suspension for Benfica midfielder Nuno Assis
after the player reportedly failed a drugs test following a
Super Liga match in December.
The ban, which takes effect immediately for all European
matches, comes after the player tested positive for banned
substance norandrosterone following his side's win over
Maritimo, and UEFA has said any appeal against the
suspension can and must be filed by midnight CET on Monday.
Assis, 28, will now miss next week's Champions League match
against Liverpool and it is unsure when a decision on the
length of the ban will be handed down.
This is becoming a bad week for manager Ronald Koeman, who
also learnt he do without Brazilian striker Geovanni after
he picked up a thigh strain in the act of scoring in
Sunday’s victory over Penafiel.
Ex-Newcastle winger Laurent Robert is another injury doubt
and will quite possibly miss the visit of the European
Champions.
(Victor Predictor)
Rio hits out at Neville charge
Rio Ferdinand has criticised the Football Association for
their decision to charge Gary Neville with misconduct, as
the Manchester United star prepares to face the Anfield
boo-boys in the FA Cup.
Neville's enthusiastic celebrations following The Red Devils
1-0 victory over Liverpool on January 22 saw him hauled up
before the governing body on a charge of misconduct.
Ferdinand says he is concerned that the passion in the game
is being restricted by the powerbrokers at Soho Square.
"There's no way on earth Gary should have been charged,"
Ferdinand told The Sun.
"Do we really want to kill off all the passion in the game
and make it like going to the cinema?
"Why shouldn't he celebrate when his own Manchester United
team score a goal.
"The Liverpool fans give him plenty of stick but I think
they recognise Gary's love for the club.
"I don't think a lot of them were complaining about Gary's
behaviour, it was the police and the FA."
(Sky Sports)
Rafa shocked by cup record
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez knows FA Cup history favours
Manchester United ahead of Saturday's clash at Anfield - but
he is keen to change all that.
Benitez is conscious of the fact he has not won a clash with
United since becoming Reds manager, but the shocking
statistic of how long it is since Liverpool beat United in
the FA Cup has come as a surprise to the Spaniard.
"I know I have not won against them since I came to
Liverpool and I am being told we have not beaten them in the
FA Cup for 85 years, that has surprised me, but this is the
time to change all those statistics.
"When you face a big team it is always more difficult. But
we are stronger than last season and the league game at Old
Trafford was very close, just one mistake at the end.
"Now we are at Anfield with our own supporters and that will
be really difficult for us. And we will have the confidence
for winning after the victory over Arsenal."
(TEAMtalk)
Benitez urges calm on the field
Rafa Benitez wants his Liverpool players to stay focused on
the job of beating Manchester United today - and not get
caught up in the frenzied Anfield atmosphere.
More than six thousand United fans are making the journey to
Merseyside for the Cup tie as both sides do battle for a
place in the last eight of the competition.
Gary Neville's wild celebrations in front of the Liverpool
fans at Old Trafford last month has been an ongoing talking
point in the build-up to this clash, but Benitez is mindful
of the need to instruct his men to concentrate only on their
football.
He said: "I have spoken to my players and they know. If we
can score goals and not concede goals then it will be easier
for us to control the actions of the opposition players.
"It is important we are not distracted and stay focused. I
am confident we will do that. We have played in a lot of
important games and we know how to play in these situations.
We have a lot of experience.
"Maybe I have to say to the players to be careful but they
have a lot of experience and they know that a lot of people
are watching the game. They know they have to control
the game."
(LFC Official Website) |
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FRIDAY 17 |
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Alonso out of cup clash
Rafael Benitez has ruled Xabi Alonso out of his plans for
tomorrow's FA Cup showdown with Manchester United at
Anfield.
The Spanish midfielder was replaced during the second half
of the Reds' midweek victory over Arsenal after picking up a
minor injury.
Benitez had hoped Alonso would recover in time to face
United but he has today admitted the 24 year old won't be
involved as Liverpool look to make amends for their recent
league defeat at Old Trafford and book their place in the
last eight of the FA Cup.
"Xabi is not fit and I don't think he can play against
United," said Benitez today. "He is feeling something in his
thigh but I think he will be okay for the Benfica game."
(LFC Official Website)
It's all about us, not them
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has backed the Kop to create a
cauldron of support for his side rather than get
'distracted' by the Gary Neville sideshow in the Reds' FA
Cup tie.
Neville's controversial celebrations following United's
Premiership win at Anfield are the subject of an FA inquiry
- delayed until after tomorrow's cup clash.
The United defender is sure to receive a hostile reception
if he plays, but Benitez is eager to ensure that, unlike at
Old Trafford, football rather than unsavoury events dominate
the agenda.
"If people are talking about the game and the goals we've
scored to win after the match, I will be happy. If people
are talking about other incidents, I will be disappointed,"
said Benitez today.
"I know our supporters are the best in the world and they
are very clever. They know it's always better to support
your own team and not become distracted by other things.
It's better for everyone to focus on a very difficult game.
"My idea is always the same. I think about my team and my
supporters and don't talk too much about the other team."
(Liverpool Echo)
Police plan mass presence to head off cup
tie trouble
A major police operation will be under way on Saturday as
Liverpool prepare to welcome 6,500 Manchester United fans to
Anfield.
The fifth round FA Cup tie is believed to represent the most
significant gathering of United fans on Merseyside since the
FA Cup semi-final of 1985 at Goodison.
Merseyside Police will be keen to prevent a repeat of the
trouble which blighted United's clash with Everton at the
same stage of the FA Cup last year.
Then, tensions arriving out of the return of Wayne Rooney to
Goodison Park in a United shirt led to widespread disorder
as United fans were marched in convoy to and from Lime
Street station and the ground.
The "Battle of Everton Valley" led to 30 arrests as around
300 fans became involved in clashes both before and after
the match last February.
Some Liverpool fan websites have already carried discussions
about possible clashes with United fans.
Many in particular express anger about what is seen as the
disparity between the treatment of United fans on Merseyside
and the lack of protection given to Liverpool fans on visits
to Old Trafford.
(Daily Post)
Inter seek to tempt Rafa
Inter Milan are ready to lure Rafa Benitez away from
Liverpool with a £50 million transfer budget.
The Corriere dello Sport reported that Liverpool manager
Rafa Benitez is highly regarded in Italy and is one of the
front runners for the post along with PSV Eindhoven coach
Guus Hiddink and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
And an Inter source told the Daily Mirror: "Benitez has
already proved he is a top manager in Spain and England and
Inter believe he can now do the same in Italy."
(Sporting Life)
Mori: We won't do a Neville
Fernando Morientes insists Liverpool players would never
taunt Manchester United supporters after a goal in the way
Gary Neville did last month.
Neville could face a punishment from the Football
Association for his over-zealous celebration towards the
Liverpool fans after Rio Ferdinand's injury-time winner in
the league fixture between the sides at Old Trafford last
month.
But Spain international Morientes said Liverpool players
would not engage in similar antics should they find
themselves in similar circumstances at Anfield on Saturday.
"I firmly believe no-one on the Liverpool team would have
celebrated like Neville did," he told The Sun.
"If I score on Saturday, or any of the other Liverpool
players score, we won't run to the United fans. For certain
we will celebrate with our own supporters.
"Neville's goal celebration caused a lot of controversy last
time. But the match was very tense and there was a great
deal of nerves at that moment."
(TEAMtalk) |
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THURSDAY 16 |
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Reserves win 1-0 but Reds duo injured
The good news is that Ramon Calliste scored the only goal of
the game this evening to help the reserves secure a 1-0
victory over rivals Everton in the mini-derby.
The bad news though is that Besian Idrizaj and Daniel Agger
were both taken off injured during the game. They'll be
checked over in the morning at Melwood by the club's medical
team.
LIVERPOOL RESERVES: Martin, Barragan, Smith, Roque (Antwi
88), Agger (O'Donnell 45), Hobbs, Anderson, Peltier, Idrizaj
(Calliste 10), Guthrie, Hammill.
SUBS NOT USED: Willis, Foy.
(Kop Talk)
Ferguson heaps praise on Benitez
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed
his admiration for Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez ahead of
Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie.
"I enjoyed his company in the last Uefa coaches' seminar, it
was good," Ferguson told www.leaguemanagers.com.
"We sat beside each other on the coach going to the meeting
and I think he's a straightforward guy. That's good to see
and it does your players good.
"They can see the quality of the person - success has not
changed him."
And Ferguson added: "We don't like to see people changing
within our own confines.
"I don't like to see United players change and I'm sure that
Rafael is the same. He doesn't want to see his players
change.
"Managers like Rafael put the marker down about what they
are and hopefully it transfers itself to the players."
(BBC Sport Online)
Crouch targets cup revenge
Revenge will be in the air when Liverpool try to beat
Manchester United in the FA Cup for the first time since
1921.
Liverpool are still smarting from an injury-time defeat in
the league at Old Trafford last month when Rio Ferdinand's
flying header prompted a damaging spell of four Barclays
Premiership matches without a victory for the Anfield side.
Rafael Benitez's men felt they were the better team that day
at Old Trafford and did not deserve to lose.
The FA Cup fifth round on Saturday gives Liverpool the
chance to redress the balance and striker Peter Crouch is
determined to end United's dreams of a Carling Cup and FA
Cup double.
"I am sure the fans will relish the chance for us to play
United again," he said.
"We shouldn't have lost at Old Trafford, it is as simple as
that. I'd love another crack at them because I fancy us to
get the result this time."
(PA Sport)
Reds move up the rich list
Liverpool have moved up the list of the world's richest
football clubs to eighth place with a turnover of £122.4m.
"Turnover is probably the least appropriate measure of a
club's financial health," said chief executive Rick Parry.
"Profits are much more important.
"Nevertheless, these results are a measure of our strategy
over the last five years, which is that success on the pitch
drives revenue up.
"The most dramatic increase is not from merchandise or from
selling Tshirts, it is success on the pitch - and
particularly in Europe."
(LFC Online)
Dudek stakes Reds claim
Jerzy Dudek is hoping he has done enough in recent games to
retain his place in the Liverpool goal.
The Polish international has been deputising for the
suspended Jose Reina in between the Reds sticks, and he is
keeping his fingers crossed that he has done enough to merit
a place in the side which will face Manchester United in the
FA Cup.
"I always do my best and I hope I've done enough in the last
three games to keep my place. We'll see at the weekend," he
told the club's official website.
"My aim is always to play as well as I can and then leave
the decision in the hands of the manager. I will accept
whatever decision he makes because I am a professional and I
play for Liverpool, not myself."
(Sky Sports)
Duo make switch to Melwood
Winger Adam Hamill and defender Calum Woods have both been
promoted from the Academy to Melwood.
18-year-old Hamill has been likened to Cristiano Ronaldo and
Joe Cole. He's moved to Melwood full-time and has signed a
contract that will run for 2 years from the end of this
season.
19-year-old Woods has been at the Academy from the age of
10. He was promoted to Melwood last week. He can play
anywhere across the back of the defence but his preferred
position is right-back.
Both players can still play for the Under 18's this season.
Let's hope they knuckle down and continue their excellent
progress.
(Kop Talk)
Neville in call for defensive solidity
Gary Neville has admitted Manchester United need to refocus
on their defensive responsibilities to ensure they remain in
contention for a domestic cup double.
United tackle Liverpool in the FA Cup on Saturday, then
Wigan in the Carling Cup final eight days later with their
confidence bolstered by an excellent run of form in front of
goal.
"We have to refocus on our jobs defensively," he said.
"That is the key to winning matches."
(Daily Post)
Benitez: We are willing and able to come
good
Rafael Benitez believes sheer will-power can drive Liverpool
towards their objectives this season.
The European Champions produced a hugely significant
performance to beat Arsenal on Tuesday to go 10 points clear
of the Gunners, leaving Arsene Wenger's side struggling now
even to finish in the top four to claim a Champions League
spot.
In a tense showdown, Liverpool showed the experience of
their European triumph last season has taught them how to
hold their nerve and maintain total concentration in the
crucial last minutes of a match.
"Now we have won a match against dangerous rivals. They are
a good team and made it very hard for us by defending so
deep, but the win gives us a lead over them and gives us
also the opportunity to look upwards in the league.
"We now will go into the FA Cup tie with Manchester United
with more confidence, they are close to us too in the league
so if we can beat them as well it will be a real boost
for us."
(Daily Post)
Referee's warning on defender's conduct
Gary Neville will be warned about his conduct ahead of
Manchester United's explosive FA Cup fifth round tie at
Liverpool on Saturday.
Match referee Howard Webb is expected to inform the
right-back to steer clear of any controversial actions
during the encounter.
Officials speak to both sets of players as a matter of
course before every game.
Neville already has a Football Association charge hanging
over his head as a result of his wild celebrations following
United's fortunate 1-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford
last month.
That hearing has been delayed until after Saturday's game,
so as not to further inflame what is sure to be a volatile
atmosphere.
(Daily Post)
Garcia targets United double
Luis Garcia has warned Manchester United that Liverpool are
intent on inflicting double misery on their bitter North
West rivals before the end of the season.
The Spaniard was the hero for Rafael Benitez's side on
Tuesday as he emerged from the substitutes' bench to score
an 87th-minute winner against Arsenal.
The victory moved the European Champions to within three
points of second-placed United, whom they entertain in a
block-busting FA Cup fifth round tie on Saturday.
And Garcia believes Liverpool can now target runners-up
place behind champions-elect Chelsea after ending United's
hopes of Cup glory this weekend.
(Daily Post)
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Thor Zakariassen
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