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MONDAY 24 |
Reserves denied by last-gasp Newcastle
Gary Ablett's reserves paid the price for failing to add to
a Vincent Weijl goal as Newcastle scored a last-gasp
equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw at the Northumberland FA's
headquarters in Whitley Park.
Liverpool had numerous opportunities to make sure of the win
after their Dutch winger put them ahead just before the
break, but Newcastle striker Andy Carroll popped up with a
headed equaliser in what was the last action of the match.
It will be particularly disappointing for Ablett's players,
who put in their most convincing performance of the season
so far.
Liverpool Reserves: Peter Gulacsi, Emmanuel Gomis Mendy
(Francisco Duran, 66), Emiliano Insua (Captain), Mikel San
Jose Dominguez, Daniel Ayala, Damien Plessis, Nabil El Zhar,
Steven Irwin, Andras Simon (Krisztian Nemeth, 70), Daniel
Pacheco (Gerardo Bruna, 74), Vincent Weijl.
Unused substitutes: Dean Bouzanis, Andre Wisdom.
(LFC Official Website)
Torres backs Ronaldo to claim award
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres insists Manchester United
and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is "in a class of his
own" when it comes to deciding the world's best player.
The pair are both on the 23-man shortlist for the FIFA World
Player of the Year award, along with five of Torres' Euro
2008-winning team-mates and his Liverpool colleague Steven
Gerrard.
However, Torres is in no doubt as to who should win the
award.
"No-one can rival him," he told France Football. "He is in a
class of his own. I have never seen a comparable player.
"What he did last season is incredible. No-one won this year
what he's won: Champions League, Premier League and Golden
Boot.
"For me he is the best player in the world. A machine.
Incomparable."
(Football 365)
Benitez: Focus on Marseille
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has told his players to
focus on Wednesday’s Champions League clash against
Marseille and forget the frustrating draw with Fulham.
“We are disappointed about Saturday but we cannot talk about
past games now,” said Benitez.
“We have to think about making mistakes and analyse why and
find solutions for the next game."
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Gerrard expected
to play against Marseille
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is expected to play in
Wednesday's Champions League tie against Marseille.
He has recovered from a groin injury, which forced him to
miss Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham, as well as
England's win over Germany
last week.
Striker Fernando Torres is available for action after
returning last week from a hamstring problem.
A Liverpool win over the team that beat them 1-0 at Anfield
last season would secure a place in the knockout stages.
(BBC Sport Online)
Zenden travels
to Anfield 'without fear'
Marseille’s Boudewijn Zenden insists his current side will
travel to Anfield without fear as they seek a result over
the Dutchman’s former employers to keep them in the hunt to
progress out of Champions League Group D.
“When you play against Liverpool, you have to be warned,” he
told TV 5. “They are a big club near the top in England and
are a very well
organised team.
“But we go over there, as we did last year, with hope we can
pull off a result. It is 11 against 11 at the beginning and
after that anything is possible."
(Setanta Sports)
Mears' unlikely
year in Provence
While many of us spent the weekend searching for the
thermals to combat temperatures below freezing, Tyrone Mears
was enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine.
"I've been training in a vest. The weather is unbelievable,"
says Mears, who, in one of the summer's most surprising
transfers, joined Marseille on loan after a "freak" season
with relegated Derby.
The friendly atmosphere has helped the former West Ham and
Preston full-back cope with a cruciate knee ligament injury
that has prevented him from making his first-team debut for
the club.
"It has been frustrating," says Mears in a rather less
ebullient tone.
He is back training and is set to play in a
behind-closed-doors match, but he will not feature in
Wednesday's Champions League tie against Liverpool at
Anfield, the scene of the Rams' 6-0 slaughter by Rafael
Benitez's men last season.
Mears admits he was "embarrassed" after that defeat and
while he says Marseille will have to "hope a miracle
happens" if they are to beat the Merseysiders and keep alive
their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages, he warns
that a Liverpool victory is not a foregone conclusion.
(BBC Sport Online)
Liverpool FC must learn
how to blow teams away
It's a conundrum that even Jeff Stelling might have to pause
for breath to ponder. Is it a sigh of relief that Chelsea
also dropped two home points that were theirs for the
taking? Should it be seen as an encouraging sign that they
can also fail miserably to break down inferior opposition?
Or does it make Saturday’s result more painful to bear for
Liverpool? The fact that they failed to capitalise on what
has to be assumed to be a rare Stamford Bridge blip and open
up a two-point lead at the top?
It’s a difficult one, but there’s only one certain answer –
it’s far too early for all that tit-for-tat stuff. Liverpool
need to address their own shortcomings and not worry about
anyone else’s.
(Nick Smith - Daily Post) |
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SUNDAY 23 |
Ex-Red Babbel
given Stuttgart job
Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel has been appointed
Stuttgart team manager after the German club sacked
title-winning coach
Armin Veh.
Stuttgart won the Bundesliga in 2007, but Veh paid the price
for the club's mixed start to the season and was sacked
after a 4-1 loss to Wolfsburg.
"It was a huge, but joyful surprise to find out I am coach,"
said Babbel, 36.
He was at Anfield between 1999 and 2003, but was out for
over a year as he recovered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
(BBC Sport Online)
Babel will get better, says Rafa
Rafael Benitez believes fans have yet to see the best of
Ryan Babel at Liverpool.
The Dutchman has earned the tag ’super sub’ due to his
consistent match-winning impact from the bench since his
move from Ajax in 2007..
“He’s improving and he’s working hard and trying to learn
and have a proper understanding of the Premier League, and
hopefully we will see the best of Babel this year,” Benitez
told the Daily Express.
“But he is still a young player and he needs to change some
things and he will be better.
“He knows that sometimes he can be a very good player for us
and he is trying.”
Ryan Babel recently expressed his frustration at his lack of
first-team opportunities and admitted his disappointment
about being played out of position.
(Kop-TV)
Rafa: Reds can
cope without Gerrard
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez would never accept that one
man makes a team, even if that man is the inspirational
Steven Gerrard.
But the Liverpool manager, after witnessing Satutrday's limp
0-0 home draw with Fulham, was relieved to be able to reveal
his skipper should be back in the starting line-up for
Wednesday's Champions League home clash with Marseille.
He said: "We will always miss a player of Stevie's ability,
but we did not beat Fulham because five or so players were
all off form together.
"You cannot win games when that happens. He would have made
a difference, yes, but it should not be an excuse.
"He is training now and I would expect that he would be fit
to play against Marseille on Wednesday."
(TEAMtalk) |
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SATURDAY 22 |
Benitez ready to reunite star duo
Rafael Benitez hopes to reunite the lethal partnership
of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the Champions
League clash with Marseille.
The Liverpool pair have not begun a match together for
almost two months, and in fact have only been in the
starting line-up for the Anfield side on eight occasions
this season.
It has been a bad loss for Liverpool, despite their more
than creditable bid for the Premier League title, and
Benitez cannot wait to see his prize assets in tandem again.
"We have not had Fernando and Steven playing alongside each
other from the start of a game for a very long time, and we
need them," Benitez said.
(TEAMtalk)
Hodgson welcomes morale boost
Roy Hodgson believes Fulham's 0-0 stalemate with Liverpool
at Anfield will boost confidence levels for the rest of the
season.
"I am really pleased with the point and the way we played,"
Hodgson told Sky Sports. "We attempted to use the ball well
when in possession.
"We ran out of steam a little in the second half but that is
fairly normal when playing at Anfield. They are very
confident as a home team."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez: Two points lost
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has admitted his
disappointment after his side missed the opportunity to move
two points clear at the top of
the Premier League.
The Reds were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Fulham
at Anfield and the dissatisfaction on Merseyside was
exaggerated by the fact that title rivals Chelsea drew with
Newcastle, while Arsenal lost at
Manchester City.
"At the end of the day we have lost two points at home where
you have to think you can win every game," Benitez told Sky
Sports.
"It is a pity and frustrating because we did not win and we
know that Chelsea have drawn and Arsenal have lost. We are
really disappointed."
(Sky Sports)
Cottage industry
pays dividends
An extremely hard-working and well marshalled Fulham side
held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield, as the hosts
missed the opportunity to go top of the league and will no
doubt rue the lack of form of several of their key players.
Both teams came into this game in relatively buoyant form
having each won their last two games in The Premier League,
Liverpool most recently defeating West Brom at home and
Bolton away without conceding a goal, whilst Fulham having
scored victories in successive home matches against
Newcastle United and Tottenham.
(Setanta Sports)
Liverpool v Fulham Team Line-ups
Team line-ups for the Premiership game between Liverpool and
Fulham at Anfield on Saturday.
Teams:
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Kuyt,
Riera, Lucas, Mascherano, Torres, Keane.
Substitutes: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Babel, Dossena, Alonso, El
Zhar, Benayoun.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Hangeland, Konchesky, Paintsil, Hughes,
Murphy, Davies, Bullard, Dempsey, Zamora, Johnson.
Substitutes: Zuberbuhler, Stoor, Baird, Gray, Gera, Nevland,
Kallio.
(Premiership Latest)
Thor Zakariassen
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