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MONDAY 21 |
Rafa ready to renew Leeds rivalry
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will warn his players to be on
their guard against a fallen giant who used to be one of
their biggest rivals.
Benitez will send out a much-changed side on Tuesday at
Elland Road against Leeds in the third round of the Carling
Cup.
But the Spanish coach is more than aware that the tie is
being seen by Leeds and their fans as a rare chance to
compete again against one of their biggest rivals from an
illustrious past.
Benitez says: "I believe the game will be a sell-out, and it
is a surprise to me that Leeds find themselves in League One
these days.
"Leeds will be difficult, we know they are a big club and we
respect
their history."
(Football 365)
Babel keen on Reds stay
Ryan Babel has ruled out a loan move to Ajax, stating he is
happy at Liverpool and keen to stay.
The Holland international winger has failed to hold down a
regular first-team place during his time on Merseyside, with
the bulk of his Premier League appearances coming as a
substitute.
Earlier this month Babel reportedly revealed he would be
interested in re-joining Ajax in the January transfer window
in order to secure regular football ahead of the World Cup
finals.
However, the 22-year-old has stated those comments were
twisted beyond recognition and that he has told manager Rafa
Benitez that he is not looking for a move.
"I didn't say any of those things," he told the Liverpool
Echo. "I did an interview in Holland and I don't know who in
England got hold of it but it was the worst translation I
have ever seen.
"The fact is I'm very happy here and I don't want to leave
to go anywhere. I just want to concentrate on playing.
"Yes, there is a lot of competition for places at Liverpool
but that's the same at every top club. It was like that when
I was at Ajax and that isn't a problem for me.
"I heard about what was being reported when I was away with
Holland. When I got back to Liverpool I went straight to the
manager and told him it wasn't true. He accepted that and
there is no problem."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez pleads with Purslow
for new Masch deal
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has revealed that he has urged
the club’s Managing Director, Christian Purslow, to persuade
Javier Mascherano to sign a new deal at Anfield.
Mascherano was linked with a big money move to La Liga
giants Barcelona over the summer, but it is thought the Reds
priced the Catalan side out.
“He is the captain of Argentina thanks to Liverpool,” said
Benitez.
“He understands it’s very, very important for us to have the
best from Mascherano if we want to win more games.”
After an indifferent start to the new season, some critics
have suggested the Argentine midfielder’s mind is elsewhere
and not as commited to the Reds’ cause as last campaign.
And Benitez knows the importance of Mascherano being on form
for the club.
He said, He added, “I have told the managing director that
he is very important to us and we want to keep him, and we
will look at his contract when the time is right.
“He is a key player for us and he will be a key player for
us during
the season.
“I think he is working very hard and in one or two games he
was playing well but the team was not doing really well in
the other two. It’s more the team than just one player.
“He has to play at the level he was before, but he has
enough time to do that, and we know he is a key player for
us, and will be for a long time.”
(This is Anfield)
Kuyt blushes at “Gerrard’s goal”
Dirk Kuyt says if he could, he would credit Liverpool’s
second goal against West Ham to Steven Gerrard – not
himself.
Kuyt was on the mark in front of goal to turn a powerful
Gerrard header in at the far post to give the Reds the lead
for the second time in the game – which they eventually went
on to with 3-2.
Whether or not Gerrard’s header would have gone in without
Kuyt’s touch is undecided, but Kuyt is giving full credit to
the Reds skipper.
“I touched it but if it is possible I will give it to
Steve,” he said.
“It was a great header from Stevie and I was there at the
second post if the ball goes wide. I feel that I just
touched it but if we can give it to Steve, I will be glad.
“For me, the most important thing is that we have won a few
games in a row in the league now. For us, that is very
important.
“Of course, as a player it is always good to score goals,
especially for strikers, but once again I think Stevie
deserved the goal more than me. Beside that, the other
goals, it is always nice to be involved.”
(This is Anfield)
Agger returns to Liverpool frame
Daniel Agger could be included in Liverpool's squad for
Tuesday night's Carling Cup third-round tie at League One
side Leeds.
The Danish international has been out all season following a
back operation, but returned to full training last week.
Liverpool are expected to make several changes from the side
that won
3-2 at West Ham on Saturday, with full-back Fabio Aurelio
standing by for his first start of the season at Elland Road
after a knee problem.
Liverpool (from): Cavalieri, Degen, Agger, Kyrgiakos,
Dossena, Aurelio, Riera, Spearing, Babel, Voronin, Ngog,
Reina, Benayoun, Lucas, Plessis, Darby, Kelly, Eccleston,
Ayala.
(TEAMtalk) |
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SUNDAY 20 |
Riera explains slow start
for Liverpool's Spain players
Albert Riera says Liverpool's Spain players are only now
coming good after their exhausting Confederations Cup
campaign in the summer.
Riera said: “It’s true that the pre-season was hard and it
is a big handicap to start that late, so sometimes you start
the season in not the best condition. Maybe we had that this
year with Liverpool.
“But now things are coming better, just like last season,
and we have more confidence. We have to win every single
game at home from
now on.
“We didn’t start the season well and physically we needed to
improve. We are a lot better now and I think by December we
will be in
the best condition.
(tribalfootball.com)
Torres: My goal
debt to Babel
Fernando Torres paid tribute to the impact of Ryan Babel
after the Dutchman came off the bench to supply him with the
winning goal in Saturday's 3-2 victory at West Ham.
El Nino was the talk of the Capital after taking his tally
to five league goals for the season with a double against
the Hammers - but he was quick to shrug off his heroics by
praising his teammate's contribution to the Reds' third
successive league triumph.
"Everyone knows Ryan is a fantastic player," said Torres.
"He played on the right wing and he gave me a fantastic
cross which was easy for me to attack the ball and score. It
is easy for a striker when the cross is as good as that.
"He is a player with quality who can do things like this, so
without Ryan I couldn't have scored. It's thanks to him I
could score the goal to win
it for us."
(LFC Official Website) |
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SATURDAY 19 |
Gerrard hails
match-winner Torres
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes Fernando Torres
remains the best striker in the Barclays Premier League
after the Spaniard grabbed two in a 3-2 win over West Ham.
Torres’ recent form has been questioned, but he was the
difference between the two sides today, scoring Liverpool’s
opener and then heading in the winner after West Ham had
twice equalised.
“He’s been playing okay to me,” Gerrard told ESPN. “People
are talking about it, but those are the standards he’s set.
He’s scoring goals and he was on fire today with the two
goals for us.”
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Benitez lavishes
praise on Torres
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez singled out Fernando Torres
for special praise after the Reds' 3-2 win at West Ham.
The Spanish striker, 25, poked in the opener following a
dazzling run and after the Hammers had twice levelled,
Torres nodded in a fine late winner.
"If he continues to play like that, he can be one of the
best," said Benitez.
"When you talk about the Premier League you talk about a lot
of players with quality so it is not easy to pick just one,
but he is among the best."
(BBC Sport Online)
Torres brace sinks Hammers
Liverpool's star striker Fernando Torres bounced back to his
best by bagging a brace to sink West Ham at Upton Park.
The Spanish sensation, who has been below his top form this
term, scored two fine goals in the 3-2 victory over
Gianfranco Zola's side.
Zavon Hines almost put the Hammers ahead in the second
minute when he hit the post.
But Torres responded with a stunning individual goal in the
20th minute which saw the Spaniard beat James Tomkins on the
edge of the box before firing home.
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher then brought down Hines
in the box for a Hammers penalty which Alessandro Diamanti
duly despatched, although the Italian appeared to slip
before slotting home with his
second touch.
Dirk Kuyt then restored the Reds' advantage on 41 minutes
when getting a touch on Steven Gerrard's goal-bound header.
But the Hammers again drew level when Carlton Cole glanced
home a header from a corner in first-half stoppage time.
Both sides pressed for a winner in the second period before
Torres headed home in the 75th minute to seal a vital three
points for the Reds.
(Sky Sports)
Masch returns versus former club
Javier Mascherano returns to the Liverpool side to face
former club West Ham this evening.
The Argentina captain has missed the last two games through
an injury sustained on international duty but replaces
Albert Riera today
at Upton Park.
The Reds XI in full is: Reina, Johnson, Insua, Carragher,
Skrtel, Mascherano, Lucas, Benayoun, Kuyt, Gerrard, Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri, Riera, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Babel, Degen,
Dossena.
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez demands
better from Mascherano
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is in talks with Javier
Mascherano about the midfielder's below-par form.
Mascherano has struggled to hit the heights of his previous
two years at Anfield and has suffered a nightmare since
being named Argentina skipper by Diego Maradona.
Last week he hit a new low as defeats to Brazil and Paraguay
left the Argies battling to even make a play-off slot - with
the very real possibility they will not even make it to
South Africa.
Mascherano's woes followed a summer of uncertainty with
Spanish giants Barcelona sniffing round.
Yet Benitez is confident a heart-to-heart with the player
will see him return to his no-nonsense best.
And he will have talks on a contract extension beyond 2012
once he proves it.
Benitez said: "Not winning while playing for a big country
like Argentina, you have to be worried.
"Javier is the captain so he will be really worried. He has
two more years and we'd like to keep him. He has enough time
but he has to play at the level he was before.
"It's very, very important for us to have the best from
Mascherano if we want to win more games."
(tribalfootball.com)
Thor Zakariassen
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