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SUNDAY 27 |
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Cisse: It's like Kop Idol at Anfield
Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse says he expects several
players to be sold off in the new year.
There is still uncertainty surrounding his Anfield career
but he's not on his own with reports today claiming that
Fernando Morientes and even Luis Garcia could be axed by the
ruthless Rafael Benitez.
Cisse said: "In January there will be a kind of elimination
process process. I would say along the lines of Pop Idol or
Fame Academy.
"We are having to live with the expectation that an extra
forward will probably arrive during the transfer window and
that will mean more players competing for the same position.
It is natural that the manager would want to improve the
squad but it may not mean good news for everyone.
"I'm not too worried because I have scored 11 goals already
this season and that is inspite of the change in personnel
the coach likes to to use almost every game."
(Kop Talk) |
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SATURDAY 26 |
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Rafa unhappy at fans who snubbed Best
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was unhappy that some of our
supporters spoiled the minute's silence at today's game.
The national media (including independent sources such as
the BBC) along with Manchester-based media sources have
criticised the Reds for snubbing the tribute in memory of
George Best who died yesterday.
Speaking after the match, Rafa said: "It is a pity. It was
only a few people and most of them did applaud but it is a
pity, you can't say anything else."
City boss Stuart Pearce added: "I have no idea which group
of supporters it was but the vast majority paid tribute to a
legend of the game who gave a lot of pleasure to a lot of
people and that is the important thing.
"You have to look at the positives rather than dwell of the
actions of a handful of people in a crowd of 47,000."
(Kop Talk)
Rafa pleased with win
Rafa Benitez was pleased with a hard-fought Liverpool
victory at Manchester City.
"It was a difficult game against a good team who is playing
well," said Benitez.
"We played well and controlled most of the game."
(Sky Sports)
Riise wins it for Reds
Liverpool earned their fourth Premiership win in-a-row with
a scrappy 1-0 victory at Manchester City.
A poor game at The City of Manchester Stadium was not pretty
on the eye at all, and it was not surprising that the one
real moment of quality settled the argument in favour of the
visitors.
Rafa Benitez's side bagged the three points courtesy of John
Arne Riise's thumping finish from the edge of the box just
after the hour mark, and City rarely looked like clawing
their way back into the match.
The Reds have now won their last two away games in The
Premiership, and have now not conceded a goal in their last
six games in all competitions, while City only have one
point from their last three games.
(Sky Sports)
Reds rocked by Zenden blow
Liverpool have suffered a fresh injury blow after midfielder
Bolo Zenden was ruled out of action for three to four weeks
with a knee injury.
Zenden sprained a ligament in his right knee towards the end
of the goalless Champions League draw against Real Betis at
Anfield on Wednesday.
The Holland international, a free transfer signing from
Middlesbrough over the summer, is due to see a specialist on
Saturday and it is hoped a period of rehabilitation will
cure the problem.
(TEAMtalk)
Man City v Liverpool - confirmed team
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Warnock,
Gerrard, Hamann, Sissoko, Riise, Cisse, Crouch.
SUBS: Dudek, Kewell, Garcia, Morientes, Potter.
(Kop Talk)
Gerrard can be the best says Rafa
Rafael Benitez has tipped Steven Gerrard to become the best
midfielder in the Premiership.
With Partick Viera and Roy Keane having left the
Premiership, Rafa Benitez says there is no reason why Steven
Gerrard can't pick up the mantle of best midfielder in the
country.
"Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard would be considered the
two players to follow Vieira and Keane," said Benitez.
"If Steven is going to become the best, then he has to
improve on small details. The most important thing is he is
a good player who can become one of the greatest in the
world. He knows he needs to work to become even better, and
he has the qualities to be the very best."
(LFC Online) |
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FRIDAY 25 |
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Rafa tips Stevie G for top gong
Rafael Benitez believes trhat Steven Gerrard
deserves to win the European Player of the Year award.
"I would vote for Gerrard always. There are a lot of great
players in contention for this award and there's no doubt he
is one of the best," the Liverpool boss told the official
site.
"For me, Gerrard has had a very good year, the highlight of
which was the amazing final in Istanbul. The best players
can perform to a consistently high standard in the most
important games. That is what he has done for us and the
reason why I feel he deserves to win."
(LFC Online)
Reds in £4.5m swoop for Serb
Liverpool have bid £4.5m for Serbian international defender
Nemanja Vidic.
Rafa Benitez hopes to secure the signing of a centre-half by
next week, but there remain some obstacles to overcome for
Vidic to move from Spartak Moscow to Merseyside.
Italian club Fiorentina are rivals for the defender's
services, and Benitez won't maintain his interest if he
senses indecision from the player.
Vidic is one of several defenders who've been in Liverpool's
sights all season and today's move doesn't necessarily
signal the end of the Reds' search.
Benitez hopes his offer will give him permission to speak to
the 24-year-old before deciding whether to press ahead with
his purchase.
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard: We'll keep chasing Blues
Steven Gerrard and his Liverpool team-mates believe Chelsea
can still be caught at the top of the Premiership.
Liverpool are languishing 15 behind the champions and face a
tough away game at Manchester City, where they will be
protecting a five-match unbeaten run without conceding a
goal.
But they have games in hand which could see the deficit cut
to single figures.
"We are not going to give it up, and from Liverpool's
position we will fight to the end. A good run in Europe
gives you confidence and you can take that into league
games, and our wins in Europe have continued to improve
confidence."
(TEAMtalk)
Stead offers Crouch support
Under-pressure Liverpool striker Peter Crouch needs to look
no further than Sunderland's Jonathan Stead for reassurances
as he struggles to open his goalscoring account for his new
club.
Just as Crouch is under pressure to justify his £7m move
from Southampton, Stead has found the going even tougher
since Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy parted with £1.9m,
almost half his meagre transfer kitty, on the England
Under-21 international.
"I sympathise with him, it's horrible," said Stead.
"Everybody keeps talking about it while all I am trying to
do is forget about it.
"It's difficult. Sometimes you just have to stop thinking
about scoring that first goal, play your own game, hope that
things will drop for you and the chances come when you are
least expecting them."
(TEAMtalk)
Rafa mourns passing of El Beatle
Rafael Benitez has paid his own personal tribute
to football legend George Best, who sadly passed away today.
Benitez has recalled the fond memories he has of the former
Manchester United and Northern Ireland star and described
his death as a great loss to the game.
A sombre Liverpool boss said: "I remember him as a fantastic
player. He was a different kind of player with talent.
"When I was in Spain you thought about the English style as
long ball and fighting in the air but he was a player who
could dribble and pass the ball, the player you like to see.
"I remember watching him on the television and he was a
fantastic player."
(LFC Official Website)
Rafa plays down latest transfer talk
Rafael Benitez has branded newspaper reports linking
Liverpool with moves for Marco Di Viao and Steed Malbranque
as pure speculation.
Di Vaio of Valencia and Fulham's Malbranque are the latest
in a long line of players to linked with a January move to
Anfield.
But Benitez is refusing to be drawn into transfer talk such
as this and said today: "It is just newspaper talk, they
like to speculate and continue to come up with lots of
names."
He also stressed that rumours linking Harry Kewell with a
move to Aston Villa fall into the same category.
(LFC Official Website)
Kewell plays down exit talk
Liverpool winger Harry Kewell says he has not
intentions of walking out on the club.
The Australian international was responding to comments made
by his wife on television earlier this week when she said
her husband would like to play abroad.
Kewell told the official LFC website: "I've always said,
ever since I was young and also during my time at Leeds,
that I'd like to one day play over there and I'm quite sure
a lot of other players have said the same at some point or
another.
"However, I'm here to do a job for Liverpool and if I remain
here for the rest of my career then that would be fine by
me. This is a great club and it was fantastic to be out
there again in front of that crowd against Betis the other
night."
(Kop Talk)
Finnan refuses to answer questions at
inquest into death
Liverpool defender Steve Finnan appeared at the inquest into
the death of 81-year-old pensioner Harry Nelson yesterday.
Mr Nelson was struck down by Finnan's black Range Rover in
January this year. He sustained serious head injuries and
severe leg fractures and subsequently died from pneumonia a
few weeks later as a result of his immobility.
Finnan was held on suspicion of dangerous driving but was
not charged due to a lack of evidence to support a
convinction.
However, Finnan was summoned to appear at the inquest into
Mr Nelson's death yesterday but refused to answer certain
questions which caused Mr Nelson's family "great pain".
(Kop Talk)
Bolo backs misfiring Crouch
Liverpool winger Boudewijn Zenden has added his voice to the
chorus of support for team-mate Peter Crouch after his
goalless streak continued against Real Betis.
The England man has still not found the net since making the
move to Anfield over the summer and again did everything but
score as The Reds secured their passage to the UEFA
Champions League knockout phase with a 0-0 draw on Wednesday
night.
"No matter what the stick he has got, Peter certainly seems
very hungry and is putting in all the effort, which you saw
against Betis," said Zenden.
"Everyone talks of Peter not scoring and it is becoming a
bigger and bigger thing with people.
"It will get like that each time, it could become a bigger
weight on his shoulders.
"What more can he do? The chances are coming and I am sure
he will get off the mark very soon, certainly if he is
playing like this."
(Sky Sports)
Pearce: I'd have liked to sign Crouch
Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce has revealed he tried
to sign goal-shy striker Peter Crouch during the summer.
The tall forward has polarised opinion within the domestic
game, with his admirers pointing to an admirable work-rate
and impressive first touch and his detractors identifying a
total failure to score in 19 appearances for Liverpool and
England this season.
Pearce got a close-up view of the 24-year-old at Anfield on
Wednesday night as Crouch's new club advanced into the
knockout stages of the Champions League despite being held
to a goalless draw by Real Betis.
And nothing in the Macclesfield-born forward's performance
changed Pearce's opinion on a player he wanted in his own
squad this season.
"I can see why people don't like him," said Pearce.. "He is
not very pleasing on the eye and he is not silky.
"But in football, you have to be effective and you have to
be a team player. I can only go on what I see and he was the
best player on the pitch at Anfield last night, so he has to
be doing something correct."
(Daily Post)
Xabi likely to miss out again
Xabi Alonso is struggling to shake off the injury that
forced him to miss the midweek clash against Real Betis and
is not expected to be available for selection at the City of
Manchester Stadium tomorrow
Rafael Benitez today confirmed that Alonso is still
suffering some pain in the knee that he injured towards the
end of last weekend's win over Portsmouth.
The medical staff at Melwood will check his progress again
this afternoon but Benitez is of the opinion that he won't
be ready to return.
(LFC Official Website)
Rafa pleased with improvement
Rafael Benitez says his team have improved their domestic
form compared with last season.
Liverpool visit Manchester City tomorrow looking for a
fourth successive Premiership win. Benitez is confident his
improved side can pick up the three points and silence the
critics who still doubt the Reds can reproduce their
European form domestically.
"We are winning more games now with confidence in the
league, as well as doing well in the Champions League," said
Benitez.
"The team is stronger, playing well and that give us
confidence. The most important thing this season is how we
have started to play better in more than one competition at
the same time. We have had good results, but I now want to
see how we play at Manchester City. We have to keep going
the way we are because talking about things means nothing if
you can't do it on the pitch.
(LFC Online)
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Thor Zakariassen
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