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THURSDAY 27 |
Hamstrung Torres ruled out
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will be out of action for
two to three weeks with a hamstring strain picked up in the
Champions League win over Marseille on Wednesday night.
The Spaniard completed 90 minutes at Anfield but underwent a
scan on Thursday and is now set for another spell on the
sidelines having only just returned from five weeks out with
a similar problem.
Defender Fabio Aurelio will be out for a fortnight after
picking up a calf problem in the same game.
A club spokesman told the Reds' official website: "Fernando
has a strain in his right hamstring and will be out of
action for between two and three weeks. Fabio has a calf
strain in his left leg and will be out for two weeks."
(Sporting Life)
Reds reduce ticket prices
Liverpool Football Club are to cut the cost of match
tickets, knocking £1 off the price.
The cut incorporates the government's recently announced
reduction in the rate of VAT, but goes further.
Chief Executive Rick Parry said: "We recognise these are
very difficult times for many people and wanted to help with
a reduction for our supporters beyond the cut in VAT."
With the West Ham and Hull City games already sold out, the
first match affected is the Boxing Day clash against Bolton,
with sales to PTS members starting on the 3rd of December
and the general sale from the 9th of December.
Tickets for A games on the Kop will drop to £36, with the
rest of the ground priced at £38 and for B games to £34
(Kop) and £36 respectively.
The adult child prices are: £57 (A Game) for 1 adult/1 child
and £54 (B Game) for 1 adult/1 child.
(LFC Official Website)
Youngster agrees loan deal
Reserve midfielder Ryan Flynn will spend the next month on
loan at Conference side Wrexham.
The 20-year-old joins forces with former Red Dean Saunders
until
January 3, 2009.
Flynn, who can play in central midfield or as a second
striker, joined the Reds from Falkirk in 2006.
He was a key part of the club's successive FA Youth Cup
wins, scoring in the final against Man City in 2006 and
bagging three goals during the 2007 campaign.
The young Scot also helped the reserves to league glory in
2007-08.
He has yet to make his senior competitive debut, though has
featured in several pre-season friendlies.
(LFC Official Website)
Agger admits hasty return
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger admits that he was kidding
himself last season in trying to come back from a metatarsal
injury early.
Agger has regained his place in the Liverpool starting XI
after Martin Skrtel suffered a knee injury in October, but
admits that he rushed back too quickly from his own broken
foot at the start of 2008.
“To be honest, I knew that I wasn’t good enough to come
back, but I really wanted to, so I tried,” he told reporters
after Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Marseille on
Wednesday.
“But I was feeling it the whole time, so I knew it would
take a long time. I kept working and trying, and it is OK
now.
“I was not playing football for a year, and it takes a lot
of hard work to re-establish myself. I never despaired. I
feel that I am mentally strong, and I just felt, coming
back, that I needed to work hard.”
(Setanta Sports)
Bill Shankly’s simple
truths go on show
He might have taken a European record from him last night,
but Rafa Benitez was happy to share some of Bill Shankly’s
homespun philosophy.
“Football is a simple game, complicated by idiots,” was one
of the Scottish bard’s most famous pronouncements.
And Benitez kept it brutally simple last night.
“If we want to win, we will have to play better than we did
against Fulham here on Saturday,” he wrote in his programme
notes.
They did. But it was a close run thing.
Liverpool’s passing was appalling . . . again.
(David Prentice - Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard incident probed
Uefa is expected to make a decision on Friday regarding an
incident that saw Steven Gerrard struck by a missile thrown
by Marseille fans on Wednesday night.
The Liverpool captain claimed the only goal of the game at
Anfield to see his side safely through to the last 16 of the
Champions League but was also involved in a controversial
incident in the first half.
As he prepared to take a corner, Gerrard was apparently
struck by a missile from the visiting fans but did not react
adversely.
The incident will be included in referee Olegario
Benquerenca’s report and Uefa will now look into the
situation.
"We will have to view the reports of the referee and the
Uefa delegate before we can make a decision," said a
spokesman.
"This will probably be tomorrow morning."
(Setanta Sports) |
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WEDNESDAY 26 |
Rafa: Winning was all-important
Rafael Benitez insisted that winning was all that mattered
after the Reds booked their place in the knockout stages of
the UEFA Champions League with a narrow 1-0 win over
Marseille at Anfield.
The Reds boss admitted his side had not performed to their
full potential, but after a nervy display against the French
outfit, he was relieved to get the three points.
"It was a difficult game, but at the end of the day we won
and that is the main thing," said Benitez.
(LFC Official Website)
Gerrard happy with Euro progress
Steven Gerrard insists Liverpool are determined to win Group
D after securing their place in the last sixteen of the
Champions League with victory over Marseille.
Gerrard admits it was a job well done against the French
side, but accepts there were perhaps too many nervy moments
in the second period as Eric Geret's side chased an
equaliser.
"It was nervy but it was a job well done," said the skipper.
"We wanted the three points and a clean sheet and we got it.
We lost control in the second half and there are a lot of
things that need looking at."
(LFC Official Website)
Gerrard calms Reds nerves
Steven Gerrard's first-half header helped Liverpool beat
Marseille 1-0 to book their place in the knockout stages of
the Champions League.
The Reds skipper, back in the team after recovering from a
groin injury, netted the winner at Anfield after 23 minutes
to add to the two goals he scored against the French side
earlier in the competition.
The goal was Gerrard's fifth in five Champions League games
this season and makes him the tournament's top scorer this
term. But more importantly it books the Reds' place in the
last 16 of the competition for the fifth successive season.
(Football 365)
Gerrard returns against Marseille
Steven Gerrard starts for Liverpool as the Reds look to book
our place in the last 16 of the Champions League against
Marseille tonight.
The skipper is one of two changes to the side that drew
against Fulham at the weekend with Xabi Alonso replacing
Lucas Leiva at the heart of the midfield.
The Liverpool team in full: Reina, Arbeloa, Aurelio,
Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Alonso, Riera, Kuyt, Gerrard,
Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Benayoun, Lucas, Babel, Keane,
Kelly.
(LFC Official Website)
Mandanda does not fear Reds
Steve Mandanda has insisted that Marseille are confident of
beating Liverpool on Wednesday.
The French side lost to the Reds at home in their opening
UEFA Champions League Group D game and have continued to
struggle.
The goalkeeper told skysports.com: "We go to Liverpool
without fear and with one objective - to win.
"Only with three points can we get to the last game with a
chance to stay in the competition."
(Sky Sports)
Agger: Let’s get job done
Daniel Agger today warned Liverpool they can ill afford a
repeat of Saturday’s first half showing against Fulham
against Marseille at Anfield tonight.
The straight talking Danish defender believes a vast
improvement is needed on that 45 minute performance, a
display which he condemned as “almost indescribable”.
And Agger believes Marseille will put Liverpool’s powers of
recovery to the test as they look to bounce back by booking
their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
“Marseille will be a difficult game because it is in the
Champions League and all matches are tough in this
competition.
“We want to go through to the next stage of the competition
as early as possible.”
(Liverpool Echo) |
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TUESDAY 25 |
Benitez coy on contract talks
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is remaining tight-lipped about
his contract situation, refusing to be drawn on whether it
is close to a resolution.
The Liverpool boss announced recently that he was in
negotiations to extend his Anfield stay, and wanted a deal
thrashed out as soon
as possible.
Liverpool are currently preparing to face Marseille in the
Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield and Benitez was
determined that nothing would distract him from the job in
hand.
When asked whether a new deal was likely to be agreed by the
end of the month, he replied: “It could be, but I prefer to
concentrate on this game.”
(Setanta Sports)
Gerrard back in the squad
Benitez confirmed Liverpool will welcome back captain Steven
Gerrard into the squad for Wednesday’s clash.
The Reds skipper missed Saturday’s frustrating stalemate at
home to Fulham with a groin injury, but Benitez says he
could play the whole game against the French club.
Benitez added: “Gerrard has trained today so he is
available. I think he would be fit to last 90 minutes if he
needed to – it depends on the player, but he is fit and he
can start if necessary and after that, it depends on how he
is feeling during the game.”
The Reds beat Marseille 2-1 in the Stade Velodrome earlier
in their Champions League campaign, but were under pressure
for much of
the match.
The French club claimed victory at the same stage of the
competition at Anfield last season, and Benitez insists he
is aware of the threat
they pose.
He added: “We were talking about the quality of the players
they have, players with pace and ability, who are skilful
and very dangerous. And we have the experience of the last
game.
“Watching them on the pitch we could see that it was very
difficult, so we need to take care and do the right things.”
(Setanta Sports)
Torres: I've fallen in love with
Liverpool - the club and the city
Fernando Torres admits he has fallen in love with Liverpool
and English football.
The Spain striker took the Barclays Premier League by storm
last season following his big-money move from Atletico
Madrid in the summer of 2007, scoring 24 goals in his debut
campaign for the Reds.
Although his second season at Anfield has been affected by
some nagging injuries, Torres insists he is completely at
home in England.
"It isn’t easy to adapt but once you have, you would have
trouble wanting to play anywhere else," said the
24-year-old, who scored Spain’s winner in last summer’s Euro
2008 final against Germany.
Torres added: "The club is a symbol of a city which fought
to stay alive.
"Everyone is proud of the team. Players want to come here
because they know that Liverpool is a truly great club.
"Anfield is the most English of all the grounds - people
live and breath football there."
(Liverpool Echo)
Rush: Keane must learn
to live with the pressure
Robbie Keane is finding out the hard way just how different
it is to play for Liverpool.
Playing up front for a club like Liverpool is totally
different to playing for Tottenham, and I don’t mean any
disrespect when I say that.
The pressure is completely different.
At a club like Tottenham you can get away with playing well
in three of every six games. At Liverpool you have to
perform five in every six.
That’s the kind of pressure Robbie Keane is discovering for
the first time, and he has to learn to live with it.
(Ian Rush - Liverpool Echo)
Michael Shields’ parents in
Anfield plea to free jailed son
Liverpool FC has given its biggest public endorsement for
the campaign to free Michael Shields, the football fan
convicted of attacking a Bulgarian waiter in the wake of
their European Cup win in May 2005.
Following approaches by his campaign group and Spirit of
Shankly, the union formed by the club’s supporters, it has
made the unprecedented agreement to allow his parents
Michael senior and Marie, together with actress Sue
Johnston, to address the crowd from the pitch 10 minutes
before kick-off at next Monday’s evening match against West
Ham.
The Kop has also been sanctioned to hold up a mosaic
spelling out Free Michael Shields before the game which will
be broadcast nationwide by Setanta TV.
Liverpool players have also agreed to wear T-shirts bearing
the same words before the game after being approached by the
Spirit at a special meeting held with them at the Liverpool
FC training ground at Melwood yesterday, although this has
still to be officially confirmed.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Mark Lawrenson: Draw with
Fulham was a freakish one-off
There’s been much debate and division over whether
Liverpool’s goalless draw with Fulham on Saturday represents
a freakish one-off or a severe blow to title hopes.
For what it’s worth, I reckon it’s the former. Okay, so it
was two points dropped, but rather than despair over the
fact that Chelsea also failed to win at home, it should be
taken as a sign of encouragement that their main rivals,
including Manchester United, are also capable of letting
some slip through their grasp as well.
But the reason I feel that Liverpool can easily shake off
the disappointment of Fulham is because I think it was down
to an error of judgement from Rafael Benitez. And I honestly
believe it’s one he won’t make again.
(Mark Lawrenson - Liverpool Daily Post)
Thor Zakariassen
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