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FRIDAY 30 |
Crouch is not for sale
Peter Crouch is not for sale – that's the message from Rafa
Benitez following yet more newspaper speculation over the
big man's future.
Crouch seems to be the subject of transfer talk every time
he misses a game, but his boss is adamant he's going
nowhere.
"We do not want to sell Peter. So, there could be rumours in
the press, but we are really happy with him," Benitez told a
press conference at Melwood today.
"The players in a top side know sometimes they will not play
every game but you can see how important Peter Crouch is for
us.
"The other day he was a key player with Harry Kewell
[against Porto] and we do not want to do any movement.
"We want to enjoy and see Crouchie score a lot of goals.
"Always you know Peter in every training session is a very
good professional.
"He is always ready if he must play and if he is not playing
he is working hard to be ready for the next time."
Crouch has made 15 appearances for Liverpool this season,
scoring four goals along the way.
(LFC Offical Website)
Reds unchanged for Bolton battle
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will select from an unchanged
squad for Sunday's visit of battling Bolton to Anfield.
And he is hoping defender Daniel Agger will be available
soon.
The Danish youngster suffered a recurrence of a metatarsal
injury earlier this month which delayed his comeback having
been out since September.
But Benitez revealed on Friday that Agger is trying out a
special new boot that will help him return sooner. He said:
"He is back running but has had trouble with his boot and
the injury. But he is now trying a special boot and I hope
he will be playing again in days."
Benitez is still without Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant,
both long-term injuries, but will select from the squad that
beat Porto in midweek.
Reds (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia,
Riise, Kewell, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Sissoko, Aurelio,
Benayoun, Babel, Voronin, Crouch, Torres, Kuyt, Itandje.
(TEAMtalk)
Parry rejects Hicks rumours
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has rubbished reports
that Tom Hicks was looking to sell his stake in the club.
Speculation on Friday morning claimed Reds co-owner Hicks
was planning to sell his shares in the Anfield outfit.
Hicks and George Gillett took over at Liverpool nine months
ago and are currently finalising plans for the club's new
£400million stadium
in Stanley Park.
Parry has moved to dismiss the suggestion that Hicks was
considering selling up.
"I have seen the story, and as far as I am aware it is
complete rubbish," Parry told the club's official website.
Hicks and Gillett have found themselves in the spotlight in
the last week after a row with Reds boss Rafa Benitez over
his transfer policy.
(SkySports)
Kuyt backs Babel to make impact
Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt is tipping team-mate Ryan Babel to be
a sensation when he settles into life in the Premiership.
Babel has already shown glimpses of what he can do but Kuyt
says his goal at Newcastle last week proves he can become a
star following his £11m move to the club last summer from
Ajax.
"I think Ryan can be a sensation in the Premiership," he
told the Echo.
"He has a lot of talent and ability and I think sometimes it
is easy for people to forget how young he is.
"The Premiership is one of the best leagues in the world and
it is also very physical, so it is normal that Ryan will
need more time to show his best.
(Clubcall Sports)
Nasri hopes to be ready for Liverpool
France playmaker Samir Nasri should be fit for Marseille's
crunch Champions League clash against Liverpool in December.
The midfielder hobbled off the field after 23 minutes of
Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Besiktas, and an MRI scan 24 hours
later confirmed he had sprained his ankle.
The 20-year-old will miss Saturday's Ligue 1 match at Lille
and is a doubt for the league game against Monaco a week
later.
But he should be ready to return to first-team action when
Liverpool visit the Stade Velodrome on December 11 in the
Group A qualification decider.
Nasri sustained his injury in training on Tuesday when he
came off worse in a collision with team-mate Julien
Rodriguez.
He chose to play against Besiktas anyway, but limped off
midway through the first half.
Nasri has been dogged by injury problems all season.
(Sporting Life)
Crouch's focus on Bolton
Peter Crouch believes Liverpool are running into form just
at the right time to ensure a glittering second half to the
season.
The big striker, who is having to fight hard for every
appearance in the Reds’ forward line, can still enthuse
about a run which sees Liverpool unbeaten in seven games.
In fact, they have lost just two of 22 games this term and
are still unbeaten in the Premier League.
And they return to that competition on Sunday when improving
Bolton visit Anfield, aiming to halt the Reds’ march of four
straight wins which have yielded 17 goals.
Crouch said: “It is starting to come good now. Eight goals
against Besiktas, four again against Porto, three at
Newcastle, two against Fulham.
“We are confident at the moment so I am sure we will go on
to have a strong second half to the season."
(Liverpool Echo)
Yossi praises Torres
Yossi Benayoun has praised matchwinner Fernando Torres.
Torres showed exactly why Rafael Benitez was prepared to pay
£18m for him with two goals against Porto on Wednesday
night. The second was a moment of real skill and earned him
the praise of Yossi Benayoun.
"He is an excellent player. He scored great goals against
Porto. The second goal was the goal of a big striker -
power, ability and, of course, a nice finish," said the
Israeli.
(LFC Online) |
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THURSDAY 29 |
Just forget the absurd idea of sacking Rafa
Benitez
The Kop spoke loudly and eloquently. Rafa Benitez was more
understated, but just as sincere in his post-match response.
Now it’s time we had one last statement from Liverpool’s
owners, to put a line under this very un-Liverpool like
week.
Sports journalists are often accused of watching a totally
different game to the one in front of them.
So I must be guilty as charged.
Because while I’ve had my eyes wide open over the past eight
days, I’m afraid I still appear to have missed something.
Rafael Benitez on the brink of the sack? The whole notion is
absurd, especially at a football club as solid, as
traditional, as eminently sensible as Liverpool.
And the 40,000 supporters who have signed an online petition
supporting their manager, the fans who delivered an
emotional and clear message of support at Anfield last
night, and those who staged a protest march from the Sandon
Hotel before the match, also seem to find the situation
equally odd.
It’s not difficult to see why.
(Comment by David Prentice - Liverpool Echo)
Torres hails 'great' Benitez
Fernando Torres today praised the Liverpool fans for their
show of solidarity with Rafa Benitez against Porto last
night and hailed his manager as a "great".
"This is Liverpool, and when things go our away we have a
lot of firepower.
"The atmosphere was amazing.
"I think Benitez is more than a manager.
“He’s one of the greats in their history and people feel
that way about him and they show it."
(Liverpool Echo)
Carragher: Torres is world class
Jamie Carragher believes that Fernando Torres is one of the
best strikers in the world and could become the goalscorer
that the club have been looking for.
The Reds' defender has been very impressed witht the
Spaniard since his arrival from Atlético de Madrid in the
summer and thinks his pace and strength are his main assets.
Torres netted twice in Liverpool's Champions League triumph
over Porto on Wednesday and now has ten goals in his first
16 appearances for
the Merseyside outfit.
"He is a world-class striker and he's probably up there with
anyone now in striking terms. I only have to mark him in
training, thankfully," Carragher told Liverpoolfc.tv.
(Goal.com)
Mission to Marseille
John Aldridge told Sky Sports News that Liverpool have the
big-game experience to win in Marseille and qualify for the
knock-out stages of the Champions League.
Following Liverpool's 4-1 win over Porto on Wednesday night,
Aldridge is confident that his former team can get the win
in France in the final match of Group A that would see them
through.
"They still have an awful lot of work to do," said Aldridge,
"but Liverpool are cock-a-hoop at the moment.
"Marseille have had a couple of bad results and hopefully
that would have dented their confidence."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez maps out Reds future
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez believes he will come to an
agreement with the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George
Gillett over his future role.
Relations between the two parties soured last week after
Benitez was told, now infamously, by the American owners to
‘focus on coaching the team’ rather than discussing the
club's transfer policy.
Benitez considered the comments an affront but Liverpool’s
victory over Porto on Wednesday witnessed overwhelming
scenes of support for the Spaniard from The Reds'
supporters.
Benitez said: “I don’t have any personal problems with the
owners. We were talking about the future of the club, not
personal problems. So I wasn’t angry, just surprised a
little with the situation because I was trying to improve my
club."
(Setanta Sports)
Kop state their case but it may be too late
As usual when the Kop is involved on European nights, the
message couldn’t have been any more emphatic and inspiring.
But whether it’s effective is another matter entirely.
Because, all in all, it doesn’t tell anyone anything they
didn’t know already.
Rafael Benitez, the man who brought the European Cup to
Anfield for a fifth time and leads them into December still
unbeaten in the quest for the Holy Grail of title number 19
and still very much in the Champions League after last
night’s demolition of Porto, is adored by the supporters and
they want him to stay. News just in.
Something that must have been obvious to Tom Hicks and
George Gillett long before word of last night’s events got
back to them.
(Comment by Nick Smith - Liverpool Daily Post)
European fate in Liverpool's hands
Liverpool will qualify for the knockout stages of the
Champions League if:
l They win by any score in Marseille. Liverpool have a
better goal difference than the French, but in the group
stages head-to-head record takes precedence and Marseille
won 1-0 at Anfield.
l If Besiktas win in Porto, a Marseille-Liverpool draw would
also see the Reds progress, along with Besiktas. Porto,
Liverpool and Marseille would all have eight points,
Marseille’s head to head is better than Liverpool’s, but
Porto’s head to head is better than Marseille’s – so goal
difference would come into the equation and Liverpool have
the best goal difference in Group A.
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard equals Owen's euro record
Steven Gerrard last night notched up yet another Reds
landmark when he equalled Michael Owen's record of 22
European goals for Liverpool.
The skipper's 83rd minute penalty in the 4-1 win against FC
Porto not only helped seal a vital victory but also moved
him level with his former Reds teammate, a goalscoring feat
he has achieved in just 84 appearances.
It means that a strike against Marseille in the crucial
Champions League clash at the Stade Velodrome in a
fortnight's time would give him the honour of becoming
Liverpool's all-time European goalscorer outright.
Last night's victory also provided a significant moment for
Peter Crouch, who came off the substitutes' bench to head
his 11th goal in the European Cup for Liverpool, a tally
that is only bettered by Gerrard (18), Ian Rush (14) and
Terry McDermott (12).
(LFC Official Website) |
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WEDNESDAY 28 |
Rafa rubbishes rift rumours
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez insists he does not want to
quit Anfield after guiding his side to a 4-1 UEFA Champions
League victory
over Porto.
A Fernando Torres brace and goals from Steven Gerrard and
Peter Crouch were enough to cancel out a Lisandro Lopez
header and ensure Liverpool travel to Marseille in two
weeks' time for their final group game knowing that another
win would book a place in this season's knock-out stages.
"I am really proud to be here and I say thank you because
they (the fans) know that I want to stay and fight for my
club," Benitez told Sky Sports 2.
"I don't have any personal problem with the owners or with
anyone. I just try to improve everything and they also want
the best for the club. We will talk and try to go forward
and progress."
(Sky Sports)
Terrific Torres keeps Reds alive
Fernando Torres' double kept Liverpool's hopes of Champions
League progress alive with a hard-fought 4-1 victory over FC
Porto at Anfield.
The Reds' European survival fight will now go right down to
the wire with victory in their final game against Marseille
now required following their four-goal blast on Wednesday.
(TEAMtalk)
Torres and Voronin start up front
Andriy Voronin and Fernando Torres lead Liverpool's line
against Porto, while Yossi Benayoun returns from an adductor
injury.
The Reds 11 in full is: Reina, Arbeloa, Finnan, Carragher,
Hyypia, Mascherano, Gerrard, Benayoun, Babel, Voronin,
Torres.
Subs: Itandje, Sissoko, Riise, Kewell, Crouch, Kuyt, Lucas.
(LFC Official Website)
Knee forces Thompson retirement
Former Liverpool, Blackburn and Coventry midfielder David
Thompson has retired from football at the age of 30.
Persistent knee injuries had limited him to only a handful
appearances for Wigan, Portsmouth and Bolton in two seasons
and he retires after failing to land a contract after a
trial with Sheffield United.
Thompson's form while a Blackburn player in 2002/03 led to a
call-up from Sven-Goran Eriksson to the England squad, but
he never made his international debut.
(Football 365)
Quaresma: I'll make Reds cry
Porto ace Ricardo Quaresma has taunted Liverpool’s fans
ahead of Wednesday Champions League clash, telling them he
intends to make them weep.
Liverpool’s European adventure will grind to a premature
halt if they lose at Anfield, while a draw also means they
will exit the competition if Porto beat Besiktas at home in
their final game.
Quaresma is never the most popular of visitors to away
grounds due to his showboating and fondness of hitting the
deck, but he has given The Kop extra reason to jeer on
Wednesday.
“If we play our best then we will make Liverpool fans cry at
Anfield,” he said in The Daily Star.
“They will weep with despair.
“We know that a win, or even a draw, will put us into the
next round. We should have beaten them in the first game at
our stadium but they were lucky to get a draw.
“We are all inspired about playing at Anfield because it is
such a special stadium but that it why it will be even
better to win there.”
(Setanta Sports)
Fans march in mass Benitez rally
Rafael Benitez was greeted with a massive show of support
from Liverpool fans ahead of Wednesday's Champions League
Group A match with Porto.
More than 2,000 fans carried banners in a tribute to the
Reds boss as they marched to Anfield from a nearby pub.
Benitez has called a halt to his row with club owners Tom
Hicks and George Gillett over transfer policy ahead of the
game at Anfield.
"We need the three points and a win. This is a must-win
game,"
Benitez said.
Fans plan to chant his name non-stop, and Benitez will be
more than happy for that image to be carried across the
Atlantic.
He has also received support from players including Steven
Gerrard and Jose Reina, and does not believe he needs to do
much to motivate them on Wednesday.
Demonstrations outside the Shankly Gates will be organised
by a group named Reclaim the Kop.
Their spokesman, John Mackin, told The Daily Telegraph:
"Liverpool Football Club exists not to make money.
"It exists to win trophies and be a source of pride for its
supporters.
"It serves no other purpose. Rafa is far and away the most
important figure at Anfield, bar none."
(BBC Sport Online)
Nemeth superb on Liverpool debut
Krisztian Nemeth struck twice on his Liverpool reserves
debut in yesterday's 3-2 victory over Manchester City.
The Hungary youth international, who arrived in the summer
from MTK Hungaria, enjoyed an impressive debut for Gary
Ablett's team, capping off the performance with a double.
(tribalfooball.com)
Thor Zakariassen
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