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TUESDAY 27 |
Argentina call for Mascherano
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been named to
lead Argentina in their friendly international against
France next month.
The 24-year-old is one of three Premier League players named
in Diego Maradona's squad with Manchester United striker
Carlos Tevez and Newcastle's Jonas Gutierrez also included
for the game in Marseille on February 11.
Mascherano will captain the Albicelestes for just the second
time after being named captain by Maradona ahead of his
first game in charge against Scotland last November.
(TEAMtalk)
Benitez backs
Keane for pivotal role
Robbie Keane's immediate future is at Liverpool as the
Anfield club continue their stuttering chase for three major
honours.
But when Keane returns to the squad at Wigan on Wednesday
for a crucial Premier League clash, he knows he must start
to prove that his stay with the Reds can last for more than
just the next few months.
Benitez significantly stopped short of saying that Keane was
not for sale on Tuesday when he revealed that after two days
of "excellent" training, the striker was back in the squad
for the JJB Stadium clash.
Benitez said: "Everyone is now important for us. We have a
lot of games to play in the coming weeks, in the league, cup
and Europe.
"We will need everyone. People may not always play but two
weeks later we may have an injury and then we need them.
"Everyone, including Robbie, is training well. He has
experience and hopefully he will be an important player for
us."
(PA Sport)
Kuyt: No crisis of
confidence for Reds
Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt insists confidence remains high
in the squad despite three successive draws, and is now
focused on beating Wigan.
Just two points from their last two Premier League matches -
the third draw was Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie with
Everton - has allowed Manchester United to take over at the
top of the table.
"Confidence is okay. We know we have the ability to win
every game but sometimes you are unlucky," said the Holland
international.
"This is football. We just have to keep going and look
forward.
"We dropped points that we didn't want to do - because if
you are Liverpool you want to win every game - but there is
no time to stand still and think about things."
(TEAMtalk)
Duran out for months
with serious knee injury
The reserves will be without Francisco Duran for at least
six months after the midfielder has ruptured his cruciate
ligament.
Duran spent nine months on the sidelines after he damaged
his right knee, and returned to the squad in December 2007.
This time round, he hurt his left knee during training and
is expected to be out for quite a long time.
(Kop-TV)
Reds keeper desperate to go
Liverpool goalkeeper Charles Itandje has declared he is
desperate to move clubs as soon as possible.
The 26-year-old left French side Lens in summer 2007, but
failed to establish himself at Anfield.
Itandje was a star in his homeland, but he has not appeared
in The Premier League this season.
The athletic stopper was Jose Reina’s understudy last term,
but he has become The Reds’ third choice, with Diego
Cavalieri forcing him down the pecking order.
Itandje told Aujourd’hui Sport: “I have never been part of
the squad, not even once this year, so yes, for sure I want
to get out of here.
“I have the green light from my employers, but they have set
up incredible conditions.
“Today, the problem remains the same. Two German teams want
to sign me on loan with an option for a permanent move, but
Liverpool prefer a transfer.
“All we can do is talk. Coming back to France is more than
ever a likely option. Most of all because I’m missing
France.
“But there’s no real contact and to be honest, it’s not my
priority.”
(Setanta Sports)
Man jailed over footballer raid
A man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for handling
a haul of goods stolen from the Liverpool midfielder Lucas
Leiva.
Raiders took more than 150 items from the 22-year-old
Brazilian's home in Woolton on 4 November 2008.
The haul included football shirts from his debut, a bronze
Olympic medal and boots embossed with his name.
Steven Jones, 21, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court after
admitting his part in the burglary.
Computers, electrical equipment, sporting memorabilia and a
collection of jewellery and handbags belonging to Lucas's
girlfriend were also taken in the raid.
(BBC Sport Online)
Huth in five-star showing
Ronald Huth helped Paraguay keep their South America U20
Championship hopes alive with a 5-1 thumping of Bolivia on
Monday night.
The second-string defender played 87 minutes in Venezuela.
Clubmate Emiliano Insua is also taking part in the
championships with Argentina.
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez frustrated?
Now he knows how that feels
Rafael Benitez expressed his disappointment that the
opposition didn’t do enough to win game – well, at least now
he knows how it feels.
It’s a similar frustration that most Liverpool fans have
felt this season when they have seen their team struggle to
yet another draw.
So it’s a bit rich Benitez criticising someone for not going
for it, as it’s not as if it’s something he has done a
regular basis this season, is it?
Seriously, what did he expect Everton to do? Stick Anichebe
and Cahill in a 4-4-2 and go for it? Everton were always
going to sit back and soak up Liverpool’s pressure because
that’s always going to be their best chance of staying in
the tie.
And, let’s face it, after the success other teams have had
at Anfield in applying that tactic this season, why would
you play any other way?
(Mark Lawrenson - Liverpool Daily Post) |
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MONDAY 26 |
Alonso calls for improvement
Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso admits they need to improve
if they are to challenge for honours at the end of the
season.
The Reds were held to their third successive draw after the
1-1 stalemate with Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
The recent run of form has raised question marks over
Liverpool's title challenge, but Alonso is confident they
can recapture their best form to keep their bid for success
on track.
"We have to keep going, that is the way we have to carry on
if we are to have success this season," he said.
(Sky Sports)
Skrtel: We will fight
for the title and win
Martin Skrtel says Liverpool will ‘fight for the title and
win it’ – and insists he wants to stay at the club as long
as possible.
Liverpool now trail Manchester United in the title race and,
having failed to win their last two league games, it appears
the reigning champions have the edge.
However, despite recent problems at the club, Skrtel
believes Liverpool have all the ingredients necessary to win
a first title since 1990.
“The team has played nearly long enough as one and with one
coach,” he told Sport Express.
“Beginners like me are rare there. However, in the past,
Liverpool have sometimes been very good but, after the New
Year, something has happened – injuries or some other
problem.
“I think that this time everything will be different. We
will fight for the title and win it."
(Setanta Sports)
Benitez takes the bait to open
up another derby day dispute
Rafa Benitez tried to bite his lip. He tried to keep his
frustration bottled in. The Reds boss sat in front of a
gallery of hacks and even said: “I will not talk about this
because I know where you want to go.”
But in the end he couldn’t quite help himself.
“Have you ever put 10 men behind the ball?” was the question
that did it.
“At Valencia, never,” he snapped. “With Extremadura
sometimes, but never with Valencia.
“They had players missing, yes, but they did more or less
the same
on Monday.”
And in that one frustrated phrase he opened up another derby
day row.
(David Prentice - Liverpool Echo)
Nemeth and Lindfield on the move
Krisztian Nemeth today completed a loan switch to
Championship side Blackpool.
The Hungarian striker, who has just turned 20, will spend a
month at Bloomfield Road.
Nemeth was the star of Liverpool's title-winning reserve
team last season and is already part of the Hungary national
squad.
He has yet to make his senior debut for the Reds, though he
has featured in pre-season friendlies.
Meanwhile, Wirral youngster Craig Lindfield will spend the
rest of the season on loan at League Two side Accrington
Stanley.
(LFC Official Website)
Agger: No Reds contract offer
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has admitted that he fears
for his Anfield future as talks over a new Reds contract
continue to stall.
The Denmark international first held meetings with Liverpool
over a new deal 12 weeks ago but confessed that he has not
heard anything back from the club.
The news is even more surprising given the fact that the
24-year-old stated that Liverpool wanted to resolve the
matter quickly.
The former Brondby ace recently rubbished rumours linking
him with a switch to AC Milan but reports may resurface if a
contract fails to materialise.
Agger has been restricted to just nine Premier League
outings due to injury this term and missed the 1-1 FA Cup
draw with Everton on Sunday with a calf strain.
"The ball is with Liverpool," Agger told Elkstra Bladet over
his contract dispute.
"I haven't heard a sound from the club since the beginning
of November.
"There is no reason to set the expectations too high. To be
honest, I have no idea if they want to sign a new deal."
(TEAMtalk)
No sign of an end to
Liverpool FC civil warfare
Anyone expecting a swift and merciful end to the ongoing
battle for the soul of Liverpool Football Club has clearly
not been paying too much attention over the last two painful
years.
Kuwaiti billionaire Nasser al Kharafi is the latest
potential suitor to come to the Anfield table, have a look
at the deal on offer and walk away.
Like both Dubai International Capital and the emirate of
Dubai itself before him, Kharafi has found the investment
"opportunity" not to his liking.
The past two years have been disastrous for Liverpool FC but
the next six months are set up for matters to deteriorate
still further.
With hundreds of millions of pounds at stake, a bitterly
divided boardroom and no apparent saviour at the Shankly
gates, an already bumpy ride is only likely to become even
more hazardous for Liverpool and its long suffering fans.
(Tony Barrett - Liverpool Echo)
Rafa expects Keane to be upset
Rafa Benitez claims he has not seen Robbie Keane to gauge
his reaction to being omitted from the Liverpool squad for
the FA Cup clash with Everton.
Irishman Keane has not had the expected impact since his
summer move from Tottenham, but his omission from the squad
for Sunday’s clash raised eytebrows.
Benitez opted to name French youngster David Ngog on the
bench as opposed to Keane and the Irishman was not seen at
Anfield.
Benitez claims Keane is ‘working hard’ and expects him to be
unhappy to have been omitted.
“We have a good squad and Keane was not selected,” said
Benitez.
"I have not seen him so I don’t know how he has reacted. But
every player wants to be involved so I would expect he is
not happy."
(Setanta Sports)
FA Cup fifth round draw
The winners of the FA Cup replay between Everton and
Liverpool at Goodison Park will host either Doncaster or
Aston Villa in the fifth round.
Everton host Liverpool in a replay on February 4 after they
drew 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday.
Manchester United will travel to either Derby County or
Nottingham Forest.
DRAW IN FULL:
Cardiff/Arsenal v West Brom/Burnley
Derby/Nottm Forest v Man Utd
Liverpool/Everton v Doncaster/Aston Villa
Sheff Utd v Hull
Sunderland/Blackburn v Coventry
Swansea v Fulham
Watford v Chelsea
West Ham v Middlesbrough
Matches to be played over the weekend of February 13-14.
(Liverpool Daily Post) |
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SUNDAY 25 |
Moyes defends his actions
Everton manager David Moyes has defended his tactics after
his side drew 1-1 in the FA Cup fourth round at Anfield.
Despite his Liverpool counterpart criticising what he
described as defensive tactics Moyes declared that he never
goes into games looking for a draw.
"We had a lot of players out and Liverpool, over the two
games had all their players available," Moyes added.
"We did not have the physical capabilities within what we
had to do anything different. We would have liked to, but
that was all we had."
(Sky Sports)
Rafa hails Reds reaction
Rafa Benitez today praised his Liverpool charges for an
improved performance in today's 1-1 draw with Everton in the
fourth round of
The FA Cup.
Speaking after the final whistle, Benitez insisted that
Liverpool were the better team and focused on an improved
all-round display from last Monday's Premier League game
with David Moyes' side.
"I am pleased with my team's performance," said Benitez.
"Attacking against a team who have 10 players behind the
ball is not easy. Everyone was working hard, playing well
and creating chances."
(LFC Official Website)
All square on
Merseyside again
Liverpool and Everton will replay their fourth round FA Cup
tie after drawing 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, live
on Setanta Sports.
Joleon Lescott gave The Toffees the lead just before the
half-hour mark when he helped on Tim Cahill’s header at a
corner, but Steven Gerrard equalised just after half time
with a low shot that beat Tim Howard following a delightful
piece of skill from Fernando Torres to set him up.
The scoreline may have been a reproduction of Monday’s
league result between these two sides, but Liverpool could
feel slightly hard done in not winning this game having
controlled the game for long spells throughout.
(Setanta Sports)
Masch back to face Everton
Javier Mascherano returns to the starting line-up as
Liverpool look to book their place in round five of the FA
Cup at the expense of Everton this afternoon.
The Argentina international is one of four changes from the
team that drew 1-1 against the Toffees on Monday night, with
Alvaro Arbeloa, Ryan Babel and Andrea Dossena also involved.
The Liverpool team in full: Reina, Arbeloa, Dossena,
Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano, Alonso, Kuyt, Babel, Gerrard,
Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri,Hyypia, Riera, Aurelio, Benayoun, Lucas,
Ngog.
(LFC Official Website)
Ruler of Dubai
eyes Liverpool again
Dubai interests may again emerge as the main players in the
battle to buy Liverpool. Speculation is growing in the
Middle East that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum,
thought to have lost interest in the club last year as the
credit crunch started to bite, may be preparing another
move.
But if that does happen, it will only occur next summer, as
sources close to the Sheikh argue that the price of the club
is likely to keep dropping as the moment when loans with
troubled Royal Bank of Scotland have to be renegotiated
draws nearer.
Sheikh Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai and founder of Dubai
International Capital, which was involved in lengthy and
unsuccessful negotiations to buy the club last year.
(The Guardian)
Mourinho: Liverpool can win title
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool
possess "everything they need" to claim the Premier League
title this season.
Rafael Benitez's Reds sit second in league, level on points
with leaders Manchester United but behind on goal difference
having also played one game more.
While firmly in the title race, Liverpool have been guilty
of squandering points at home to less-fancied opposition
this season, but Mourinho, now the boss of Inter Milan,
believes they can keep their championship challenge on
track.
"It has been interesting watching Liverpool this season,"
Mourinho wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "I think they have
everything they need to win
the title.
"I still can't understand why they didn't do it in the last
four years. Why wouldn't they be able to do it this season?
Of course they can.
"The manager is good, the players are good, the crowd is
unique, the tradition of the club is big, so why can't they
do it? I think they can."
(TEAMtalk)
Hiddink: Gerrard better than Ronaldo
Russia boss Guus Hiddink believes Steven Gerrard is a
far more valuable player than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo recently added the Fifa World Player of the Year
award to his impressive collection of individual honours
after scoring 42 goals last season and helping Manchester
United to a Premier League and Champions League double.
The award is decided by the coaches and captains of national
sides around the world, and former Real Madrid boss Hiddink
feels that Gerrard, who finished tenth in the voting, would
have been a far more worthy winner.
He told The Mail on Sunday: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a
good-looking footballer, he looks fit and, oh yes, his hair
is always in place, but him winning the award is too much
about glamour.
“I very much preferred Gerrard.
“He has superb technical and tactical qualities and I admire
his spirit and attitude on the pitch.
“It has everything to do with his passion for the game and
my passion for football.
“He is a player who fans can identify themselves with and a
man who carries the love for his club on his club badge.
“There is not another player in the world who combines all
those qualities."
(Setanta Sports)
Babel hopes for cup start
Ryan Babel is hoping to start against Everton today.
The Dutch international is hoping Rafael Benitez rotates his
squad for today's FA Cup fourth round game and gives him a
start.
"[Monday] was very frustrating for everybody and maybe it
wasn't the best performance from us, but we have this FA Cup
tie on Sunday which gives us a chance to play better and win
the game," said Babel.
"We felt we would go on to win the game after Stevie scored
a nice goal but it was disappointing to concede such a late
goal.
"Everybody was disappointed in the dressing room after the
game and it was very quiet. Sammy Lee spoke to us about the
positive things and the fact we can put things right on
Sunday, and he got our confidence up. Sammy is very
important for us and he always lifts everybody.
"This will be a different game on Sunday and hopefully I
will get the chance to play and help us win the game.
"We can talk a little bit about revenge maybe and we want to
improve our performance and get a better result."
(LFC Online)
Dalla Valle earns young Reds a point
A strike from Finnish ace Lauri Dalla Valle earned Liverpool
Under-18s a share of the spoils as Hughie McAuley's side
drew 1-1 with Academy league leaders Manchester City.
Earlier this season City had beaten the Reds 4-1 and things
didn't start well when they took the lead after just three
minutes.
However, McAuley's side battled back and Dalla Valle pounced
just before the interval to level the scores.
Astrit Ajdarevic was back in midfield after various trial
spells with other clubs, and Liverpool ended the game with
10 men when Nathan Eccleston was sent-off for two bookable
offences.
Liverpool team: Martin Hansen, Jack Metcalf, Christopher
Buchtmann, Andre Wisdom, Joe Kennedy, Michael Roberts (Adam
Pepper 66), David Amoo, Astrit Ajdarevic, Lauri Dalla Valle,
Nathan Eccleston, Thomas Ince (Alex Kacaniklic 68).
Subs not used: Michael Scott, Shane O'Connor, Hakan Duyan.
(LFC Official Wesite)
Thor Zakariassen
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