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THURSDAY 27 |
Champions League dates confirmed
Liverpool have confirmed the dates for each of their games
in Group E of the Champions League.
The Reds will kick off their campaign at home to Debreceni
VSC on September 16 before travelling to Fiorentina.
A double header with Lyon will then follow before we visit
Debreceni VSC and then conclude the group fixtures at home
to Fiorentina.
The dates are as follows:
September
16 Debreceni VSC (H)
29 Fiorentina (a)
October
20 Lyon (H)
November
4 Lyon (a)
24 Debreceni VSC (a)
December
9 Fiorentina (H)
(LFC Official Website)
Reds happy with Euro draw
Christian Purslow feels Liverpool have been handed a
favourable draw in the UEFA Champions League.
The Reds' managing director was in Monaco on Thursday to see
the Merseysiders paired alongside Lyon, Fiorentina and
Debrecen.
With little travelling involved in away trips for any of the
sides in Group E, Purslow admits he could not have hoped for
much more.
"We are very happy," he told Sky Sports News.
"We tend to focus on our travel commitments - short trip to
France, short trip to Italy and a slightly longer trip to
Hungary - we are pretty happy
with that."
Finally, with Uefa trialling a new scheme in the Europa
League this season, with five match officials involved in
each game, Purslow admits he would be happy to see the idea
phased into the Champions League in the future.
He said: "I think technology is a good thing. The stakes are
so high now in all sport, especially professional football,
that anything that helps is a good thing.
"We saw the goal that wasn't at the start of this season in
the Championship and if that were to happen at the highest
level of football, the Champions League, then it would be
very costly for all concerned. We are a big supporter of
this."
(Sky Sports)
Rafa's reaction to Champions League draw
Rafael Benitez is relishing the start of Liverpool's
Champions League adventure after the Reds discovered their
group stage opponents on Thursday afternoon.
The Reds will face Lyon, Fiorentina and Debreceni in Group E
of the competition following today's draw in Monaco - three
sides they have never previously met in European
competition.
"You know in the Champions League there will always be
difficult games and tough teams to play against," Benitez
told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"Lyon might not have won the league last season but before
that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have
lots of good players who can play good football.
"Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from
experience they have fanatstic supporters because I spent
some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach.
"And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our
relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league
then we know it means it's because they're a good side.
"The important thing as always is that the travelling isn't
too bad, we don't have too far to go for any of the games.
We're just looking forward to starting the competition now."
(LFC Official Website)
Megson shows sympathy for Rafa
Gary Megson has expressed his sympathy for Rafael Benitez as
Bolton prepare to host Liverpool in the Premier League on
Saturday.
The Merseysiders' title credentials are already under
intense scrutiny after they suffered two defeats in their
opening three games - as many as they lost in their entire
league campaign last season on the way to finishing second.
The knives are out once more for Benitez, but Megson
believes Liverpool's critics are wide of the mark and is
under no illusions as to the quality of the team his side
will face at the weekend.
"They seem to be getting a bit of unjust and unfair
criticism," said Megson.
"They've lost a couple of games, which they're not used to
and you can see the furore that it seems to have caused.
"But what I know is that they will put at least four world
class players out at the Reebok on Saturday."
(TEAMtalk)
Three Reds in Spain squad
Liverpool’s Pepe Reina, Albert Riera and Fernando Torres
have all been called up to Vicente del Bosque’s Spain squad
for the forthcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Belgium and
Estonia.
After this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures – in
which the Reds take on Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok
Stadium – domestic football takes a two week break to make
way for the internationals.
Spain face Belgium in La Coruna on 5 September, before
Estonia in Merida four days later.
The squad also sees Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa called
up, who left Anfield for Real Madrid this summer.
(This is Anfield) |
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WEDNESDAY 26 |
Reds close on Czech starlet
Liverpool are set to bring in Jakub Sokolik from Banik
Ostrava, according to the defender's agent.
The teenager, who turns 16 on Friday, is understood to be on
his way to Merseyside to hold talks over a possible contract
with the Premier
League giants.
Sokolik's representative Pavel Zika expects the move to go
through in the very near future.
"It is a regular transfer on the basis of an agreement
between two clubs," Zika tolf CTK.
"During the next few days we should finalise the deal."
Sokolik has played for Czech Republic at Under 16 level and
is regarded as an exciting prospect for the future.
Liverpool have been tracking his progress for some time and
Banik general manager Werner Licka is not surprised Rafa
Benitez's men have stepped up their interest.
Licka said: "On the club level we are basically agreed with
Liverpool, but it is not concluded yet because Jakub is
travelling to Liverpool to discuss the terms of the
contract.
"It is no coincidence that they have chosen him. He has a
great potential to gain ground there.
(Sky Sports)
Reina asks fans for faith
Pepe Reina has asked Liverpool fans to keep the faith in the
face of a disappointing start to the new Premier League
season.
The Reds slumped to their second defeat in just three games
on Monday night when they went down 3-1 at home to Aston
Villa.
This has prompted much criticism from the press, and some
fans, who are already ruling Liverpool out of the race for
the league title.
But Reina has urged fans not to worry ahead of this
Saturday’s clash away at Bolton.
“The fans can trust us until the end because as a team we
have always been strong,” he told the club’s official web
site.
“Obviously we are disappointed because it is not normal for
us to play three games and lose two of them, but we have to
look forward, try to improve and carry on with our title
challenge.
“We are the same team as last season - the same team that
won 86 points in the league.
“Nothing has changed except that some players have left and
some have come in, but we are still a strong team.
“We have plenty of good players in the dressing room and we
have to look forward because as soon as we win two or three
games in a row things will change a lot.”
(This is Anfield)
Johnson still confident
Glen Johnson still believes Liverpool can win the league.
The Reds have lost two of their opening three games of the
season but Johnson insists it's far to early to write them
off.
"Obviously this is not the start to the season that we
wanted but it's only the third game and there is a long way
to go," said the defender.
"It's still the early part of the season so we are not going
to beat ourselves up at the moment. Of course, we'd like to
have a few more points but it's not to be so we'll just keep
going.
"I definitely believe that teams like Aston Villa and
Tottenham and Man City will take points off the so called
big four this season.
"That is good thing about the Premier League, anybody can
beat everybody."
(LFC Online) |
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TUESDAY 25 |
Benitez next to go?
Rafa Benitez is now 11/10 favourite to be the next Premier
League manager to leave his job in the wake of Liverpool's
second defeat
of the season.
Beaten at Tottenham on the opening weekend, the Reds
recovered to beat Stoke in midweek, only to see their
31-match unbeaten home league record come to an end as Aston
Villa claimed a shock 3-1 win at Anfield.
The result meant Sky Bet pushed Liverpool out to 8/1 to
claim the Premier League title and now Benitez's future
could be under
further scruity.
The firm also make Benitez 8/13 from 5/6 not to last the
entire season at Liverpool while it's 6/5 that he does.
Sky Bet's Helen Jacob said: "It's hard to see Liverpool's
present squad mounting a challenge to Chelsea and Man Utd.
"Liverpool seem to have problems on and off the pitch and
after such a poor start, Benitez would seem to be on shaky
ground."
(Bettingzone)
Anfield anxiety already setting in
Liverpool are facing up to a title crisis just a few days
into a season when they were being hailed as Premier League
favourites.
Two disturbing defeats inside the first nine days of the
campaign - by teams with genuine hopes of breaking into the
top four - has seen boss Rafael Benitez turn on his senior
stars and demand more responsibility.
But the defeats at Tottenham and then against Aston Villa at
Anfield have brought to a head a summer of change at Anfield
that has been largely kept very much under wraps.
Not any more. Major changes in staffing at Anfield, the
club's academy and the Melwood training complex has created
a sense of upheaval.
Now the financial problems of American owners Tom Hicks and
George Gillett, which has deprived Benitez of the funds to
buy a much-needed top striker, is taking its toll.
(TEAMtalk)
Rumour Mill: Rafa keen on Robben
Liverpool have renewed their interest in Arjen Robben,
according to the Daily Mail, with a season-long loan looking
a possibility.
(LFC Online)
Nemeth completes Greek switch
Liverpool have today confirmed Hungarian duo Krisztian
Nemeth and Andras Simon will spend the 2009-10 season out on
loan.
Nemeth has joined Greek side AEK Athens until the end of the
campaign, while Simon will spend the term with Spanish club
Cordoba CF.
The strike pair originally arrived at Anfield from MTK
Hungaria in the summer of the 2007 after impressing in the
previous year's
UEFA U17 Championships.
Nemeth was included in the first team's tours of Switzerland
and Asia this summer, and the 20-year-old helped himself to
two goals in the 5-0 victory over Singapore last month.
(LFC Official Website)
Thor Zakariassen
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