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SUNDAY 6 |
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Italians eye Baros
Italian side Palermo are planning an ambitious raid for
Liverpool striker Milan Baros.
Palermo are surprise contenders for a UEFA Champions League
place after a superb run in Serie A this season.
The club are already planning on making some new signings to
step up a level in the summer, and have targeted Liverpool's
Czech republic ace.
(Sky Sports)
Leverkusen lose ahead of Euro clash
Bayer Leverkusen went down to a 1-0 defeat at Hamburg
yesterday, ahead of next week's Champions League second
round tie against Liverpool.
Daniel van Buyten was the only scorer at the AOL Arena to
secure the points for the home side and send Levekusen down
into 7th place in the Bundesliga, ending their slim hopes of
a title challenge.
It was the second week running in which Leverkusen have
dropped points to one of the other sides competing for 3rd
place and the final Champions League spot, after a home draw
against Stuttgart last week.
But while the German side's away form, both in the league
and the Champions League, has been patchy, Leverkusen have
lost only once in the BayArena this season and scored three
times in each of their group games, which included a 3-0
victory
over Real Madrid.
(LFC Number 1)
Dudek likely to be fit for Bayer
Jerzy Dudek is likely to be passed fit in time for
Liverpool's visit to the Bay Arena on Wednesday night.
Dudek missed yesterday's defeat at Newcastle due to a shin
injury picked up against Chelsea which meant a debut for new
boy Scott Carson. Although Carson did well yesterday, Rafael
Benitez hopes for the experience of Jerzy Dudek when the
Reds return to Champions League duty.
The Reds boss said: "Jerzy wanted to play against Newcastle
but he felt pain in training so I played Scott Carson. In
two to three days I hope Jerzy will be able to play but we
will have to see."
(LFC Online)
Blackburn win keeps fourth place hopes
alive
Blackburn Rovers did Liverpool a major favour by inflicting
defeat upon Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday afternoon.
Rovers' Jon Stead scored the only goal of the game on 70
minutes to keep Liverpool's hopes of clinching fourth place
alive.
After the defeat to Newcastle, an Everton win would have put
Rafa Benitez's side eleven points behind the Blues, instead
the gap remains eigth points. And Liverpool have a game in
hand and the two teams face each other at Anfield on March
20th.
(This is Anfield)
Liverpool legend expecting major clearout
Former Liverpool star Ronnie Whelan believes that Reds boss
Rafael Benitez is doing well in his first season in charge
despite being eight points behind Everton in the quest for
the 4th Champions League spot.
Whelan said, "He needs more time. But he's trying to make
them play the Liverpool way again, which is a positive
start."
The 43-year-old who had won one European Cup, six League
Championships, two FA Cups and three League Cups during his
career insists that former manager Gerard Houllier's dodgy
signings are the reason for Liverpool's inconsistent form
this season.
"That's partly down to Houllier. Benitez is still trying to
offload all the poor players that Houllier brought in. He
can't do it overnight. I expect a major clearout in the
summer, especially if they don't qualify for the Champions
League."
(talkfc.com)
Moores ready to stand down
Newspaper reports today claim that Liverpool chairman David
Moores is ready to resign from his position and sell his
major shareholding in the club.
It is reported that the penny has finally dropped in that a
minor investment would solve nothing at Anfield especially
because of the escalating costs relating to the proposed new
stadium.
There are though question marks relating to today's claims.
First of all the newspapers in question aren't the most
reliable. We've seen two reports today on this subject and
they're basically identical because they're from sister
papers so there's no extra weight to the claims just because
more than one newspaper is carrying this one. There's also
no quotes and no mention of who Moores is looking to sell
to. There is though the usual reference to Kraft, Morgan and
the Thais.
We'd support a major investment (subject to the ins and outs
meeting our approval) from either L4 or Steve Morgan. Both
claim to have cooled their interest after becoming
frustrated with Parry and Moores slamming the doors in their
faces. KopTalk understands that both parties would invest if
Parry and Moores finally accepted that a major (not minor)
investment was needed.
(Kop Talk)
Liverpool's transfer secrets leaked to
midfielder
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has leaked his transfer
secrets to skipper Steven Gerrard in the hope that it will
help influence his decision not to walk away from the club.
Talking about his decision to confide in Gerrard, Rafa said:
"Sometimes I have told him about players I am looking at
because I want him to understand we are working very hard
for the present and the future."
(Kop Talk)
RB: I'll never give up fight to keep
Stevie
Rafael Benitez has revealed how he'll never give up the
fight to keep hold of Steven Gerrard despite mounting
speculation that the captain will leave the club during the
summer.
Benitez has always maintained that he wants to build a team
around his skipper and despite last weekend's pain in
Cardiff, the Liverpool manager insists nothing has changed
in terms of his plans.
(LFC Official Website) |
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SATURDAY 5 |
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Souness praises Robert
Graeme Souness was delighted with Newcastle's 1-0 win over
Liverpool, with special praise reserved for Laurent Robert.
"It was a good win for us today," said Souness. "I thought
for the first 20 minutes Liverpool were better than us but
after that we did a lot better.
"It was a special goal that won it and we know Laurent is
capable of that. He had a few more decent ones that if he
had got on target the keeper would have had problems."
(Sky Sports)
Rafa dejected after loss
Rafa Benitez cut a downbeat figure after Liverpool's 1-0
defeat at Newcastle.
"It is a disappointing day," said Benitez. "We only conceded
one goal and there were only chances from set plays.
"It was a game without opportunities."
(Sky Sports)
Robert sees off Reds
Newcastle heaped more misery on Liverpool with a scrappy 1-0
win at St James' Park.
A poor encounter up in the North East saw little quality
from either side, and in the end a Laurent Robert free kick
was enough to settle the game in Newcastle' favour.
After their Carling Cup defeat on Sunday, Liverpool lost
even more ground in their battle for fourth place with
another lifeless away performance.
Newcastle looked short on ideas themselves and despite
having the majority of the possession, debutant Scott
Carson's only work of the afternoon was to pick the ball out
of the net after Robert's winner.
Steven Gerrard tried to inject some life into a quiet
opening ten minutes, when powering into the box after
winning the ball, but his cross-shot went well wide with no
Reds shirt in touching distance.
(Sky Sports)
Newcastle v Liverpool - confirmed team
LIVERPOOL: Carson, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Pellegrino,
Riise, Gerrard, Garcia, Biscan, Baros, Smicer.
SUBS: Dudek, Le Tallec, Nunez, Warnock, Welsh.
(Kop Talk) |
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FRIDAY 4 |
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Rafa: I've had a chat with Stevie
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has spent the past week
re-building captain Steven Gerrard's confidence - and trying
to keep Milan Baros quiet.
Benitez has admitted all the speculation surrounding
Gerrard's future has not helped the situation.
He said: "It is not easy for Steven with everybody talking
about his future, but maybe something positive will come
from what happened last weekend.
"I have talked to Steven, and maybe he is saying to himself
that he will now do all he can for his club and his
supporters.
"What happened in Cardiff I know will make him even more
determined to win the rest of the games this season.
"As a captain if you score an own goal it is very
disappointing, particularly in a cup final. Now this will
make him work even harder, because he feels he must make
amends.
"But we do not blame him; we support him because we want to
see the best of Steven Gerrard for the rest of the season."
(ITV Football)
Mellor's op a success
Neil Mellor's double knee operation has been a success.
Mellor went under the knife yesterday to cure tendonitis in
both his knees. The operation went well and Mellor is now
recovering, although he is definitely out for the rest of
the season.
"The operation went okay and when I spoke to the surgeon
afterwards he seemed happy. I'm not in that much pain at the
moment, which is surprising, and I'm able to walk on
crutches," said Gerd.
"I've been told to take it easy and just do nothing for the
next two weeks. After that it will just be a case of
strengthening the knees again and then building up my
fitness.
"My season is definitely over though, there's no doubt about
that. It's frustrating but to be honest it's a problem that
has plagued me since the summer and I needed to have
the operation.
(LFC Online)
Rafa backing Baros
Rafa Benitez says that he expects Milan Baros to get over
his personal Carling Cup disappointment with a goal at
Newcastle on Saturday.
Baros was bitterly disappointed not to start in Cardiff, and
reports suggested that he was considering his Anfield future
as a result.
The Czech Republic ace has played down any talk of him
quitting the club, and Benitez has backed him to bounce back
on Tyneside.
(Sky Sports)
Babbel gets recall for Germany
Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel has earned his first
call-up to the national team in five years for the friendly
away to Slovenia on March 26.
The 32-year-old Stuttgart player is one of 33 players called
up for a get-together on the Tuesday and Wednesday before
the game to allow head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to decide
which 20 to keep for the game.
(BreakingNews.ie)
Traore blow for Reds
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has been dealt yet another
injury blow with the news that Djimi Traore has been ruled
out of the next two games.
The French left-back will sit out the trip to Newcastle on
Saturday and Wednesday's crunch Champions League trip to
Bayer Leverkusen after picking up a thigh injury in the
Carling Cup final defeat to Chelsea.
Benitez said: "We don't know yet how long Traore will be out
for, but he won't be playing tomorrow.
"I need to speak with the doctor to talk about the situation
and then I will have a better idea about the injury."
Traore's place could well be taken by Stephen Warnock.
(TEAMtalk)
Diouf seeking Bolton contract
El-Hadji Diouf has said he wants a permanent move to Bolton
Wanderers.
The attacker, who was named African player of the Year in
successive years, is known to be surplus to requirements for
Rafa Benitez, and Diouf admits he is now looking for a full
time move to the Reebok Stadium.
The player has impressed since his loan move last Summer,
but Wanderers are thought to be unsure if they can meet the
asking price wanted by the Reds.
Diouf said: "I want to stay here. I'm very happy and focused
and I feel I can play and do things for this club."
(LFC Online)
Alonso's comeback target
Xabi Alonso has issued an upbeat bulletin on his fitness and
admits he could return for Liverpool before the end of the
season.
The Spanish midfielder has been sidelined since breaking his
ankle against Chelsea on New Year's Day.
There were initial fears that Alonso would miss the rest of
the campaign but he is now optimistic he can don a Reds
shirt again before the summer.
"It is difficult to say at this moment when I will be able
to play again. Everything is going well and I am staying
optimistic.
"Things are going well and day by day I am improving and
getting stronger. The ankle is feeling much better.
"Hopefully it will be before the end of the season."
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool won't waver over £5m Diouf
demand
Liverpool have told Bolton Wanderers they will not sanction
a cut-price deal for controversial striker El Hadji Diouf.
Trotters manager Sam Allardyce is keen to make permanent a
move for Diouf, who has impressed during his season-long
loan spell at The Reebok.
But Bolton have been informed Liverpool are unlikely to
waver from their £5million asking price for a player they
paid twice that to bring to Anfield from French club Lens in
June 2002.
Allardyce had initially been hoping to talk the price down,
believing Diouf's controversial antics during his time in
England would deter potential buyers.
Now Liverpool's hardline stance will test Bolton's desire to
sign the Senegalese international.
(Daily Post)
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Thor Zakariassen
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