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FRIDAY 6 |
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FA keeps quiet over Euro 'U-turn'
The Football Association has declined to comment on claims
it has changed its Champions League qualification policy.
The FA has ruled that the top four Premiership teams will
qualify for next season's competition, even if Liverpool win
this year's final and finish fifth.
But last season the FA stated on its website that the
fourth-placed team would enter the Uefa Cup if Arsenal or
Chelsea won the Champions League.
Arsenal and Chelsea were knocked out so the ruling was never
enforced.
This time around, however, the FA has decided to take a
different course of action if the Reds beat AC Milan in the
25 May final.
(BBC Sport Online)
Uefa rules could let Liverpool in the back
door
Despite the Football Association's decree that Liverpool
must finish fourth in the Premiership to qualify for next
year's competition, Guardian Unlimited understands that Rafa
Benitez's side could yet qualify through the back door.
Article 1.03 of Uefa's Champions League regulations - while
poorly worded and open to legal interpretation - seems to
suggest that Liverpool could be entitled to play in next
season's competition even if they finish fifth or sixth in
the Premiership.
It reads: "At the request of the national association
concerned, the Uefa Champions League title-holders may be
entered for this competition, as an additional
representative of that association, if they have not
qualified for the Uefa Champions League via the top domestic
league championship.
"If, in such a case, the title-holders come from an
association entitled to enter four teams for the Uefa
Champions League, the fourth-placed club in the top domestic
league championship has to be entered for the Uefa Cup."
(Guardian)
Rafa rejects Guti rumours
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has rejected reports
suggesting they wanted to sign Real Madrid ace Guti in a
swap deal for Steven Gerard.
Reports in Spain suggested Real were lining up a big-money
move for Gerrard in the summer and could have possibly
included Guti as part of any deal.
Benitez has moved quickly to rubbish the speculation and
insists he has no plans to lose Gerrard or sign Guti.
"The situation with Steven remains the same. He has two more
years to run on his contract and we want him to stay,"
Benitez told the club's official website:
"I have read reports from Spain today that we will sell him
to Madrid if they give us Guti.
"That is not true. Guti is a good player but we do not want
him."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez: We must treat Arsenal visit like
cup final
Rafa Benitez insists Liverpool won't allow their Premiership
campaign to end tamely in the aftermath of Champions League
glory.
The Anfield boss today warned his players reaching the
European Cup final won't excuse a timid surrender of fourth
spot.
"The games against Arsenal and Aston Villa are now our most
important fixtures, not the final," said Benitez. "It's
going to be difficult against Arsenal, but we have two games
to get into the top four and then we'll have 10 days to
prepare for the final."
(Liverpool Echo)
Diao unlikely to join Blues
Birmingham are unlikely to attempt to sign Liverpool
midfielder Salif Diao on a permanent basis.
Diao joined City on loan in the January transfer window, but
has been dogged by various injury problems.
Steve Bruce said: "Salif has been unfortunate. He's not been
able to do himself justice because of injuries. He will
probably go back to Liverpool and I think he needs a full
season under his belt. We well then assess the situation
once he is fully fit."
(TEAMtalk)
Alonso back for Reds
Champions League finalists Liverpool will have midfielder
Xabi Alonso back in their squad for Sunday’s trip to face
Arsenal, the Spanish international having been suspended for
the dramatic victory over Chelsea in midweek.
Boss Rafael Benitez will also have Fernando Morientes and
Mauricio Pellegrino available, the pair having been
ineligible for the semi-final triumph over the new Premier
League champions on Tuesday.
The need to maintain their challenge for fourth spot could
well see Benitez opting not to rotate his side as much as in
recent weeks, although he may consider resting Dietmar
Hamann and Harry Kewell, who have made returns to action of
late following long term injures, while giving Djibril Cisse
a starting role.
Benitez still has Josemi out injured, as well as the long
term absentees Chris Kirkland, Neil Mellor and Florent
Sinama-Pongolle.
Provisional squad: Dudek, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia,
Pellegrino, Traore, Warnock, Luis Garcia, Alonso, Hamann,
Kewell, Gerrard, Riise, Baros, Morientes, Biscan, Cisse,
Carson, Smicer, Nunez.
(BreakingNews.ie)
Carragher third in Football Writers' vote
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was named third in the
Football Writers' Association player of the year poll.
The Bootle-born Reds ace finished behind winner Frank
Lampard and runner-up John Terry.
It is major and long-overdue recognition for Carragher, who
is finally seeing his abilities recognised on the national
stage.
The 27-year-old was a hero in the Liverpool team which held
Chelsea at bay on Tuesday night at Anfield to reach the
final of the Champions League.
His performance led Liverpool legend Alan Hansen to describe
him as 'ten times the defender I was', while manager Rafael
Benitez this season described Carragher as 'the best central
defender in the country'.
(Liverpool Echo)
Hamann hints at Reds stay
Dietmar Hamann has hinted that he intends to stay with
Liverpool after The Reds booked their berth in the UEFA
Champions League final following their dramatic win over
Chelsea in midweek.
Hamann’s Anfield contract ends in the summer and the
midfielder had been linked with a return to the Bundesliga,
where Stuttgart and Hamburg are keen to land his signature,
However, the 31-year-old admitted that he would love to
continue his career under the stewardship of Reds manager
Rafa Benitez.
“I haven’t signed anywhere for 2005-06, but if you have the
chance to work under him [Benitez] you should use this
opportunity and a game like the one on Tuesday certainly
brings you even closer to the club,” Hamann told Kicker.
“He’s a tremendously hard-working coach and we practice his
tactical concept
into every detail."
(Sky Sports)
Vignal considers three offers
Gregory Vignal has revealed Newcastle, Stuttgart and
Marseille are all chasing his signature.
The Frenchman is currently on loan at Rangers from Liverpool
although the Merseysiders have granted Vignal a free
transfer at the end of the season.
Rangers have expressed an interest in making his move to
Ibrox a permanent arrangement, but Vignal has rejected their
offer of a contract.
The full back is weighing up all his options and revealed
that Newcastle and Stuttgart have contacted his agent over a
possible move.
"The Scottish officials didn't come back to me [with a new
offer] and I didn't make a step in their direction," Vignal
told French magazine But.
"If they want me to stay, they know my intentions and my
demands.
"I have not decided what my future will be yet.
"Liverpool are keen to let me leave for free with a
percentage on the next transfer or by having an option on a
young player."
(Sky Sports) |
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THURSDAY 5 |
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Reds need to finish fourth
The FA have, as expected, announced that Liverpool wil not
be entered into next season's Champions League unless they
finish fourth in the Premiership.
UEFA had already advised that if Liverpool win the European
Cup they should not be allowed automatic qusalification,
although they have admitted the subject will be reconsidered
for next year's tournament.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope. Uefa's executive
committee do have the power to overrule and enforce any
changes, but will not take any action until after the final
itself and should Liverpool win that, a decision would be
made on June 17.
(LFC Online)
Anfield becoming drunk on Benitez's special
brew
WIithout the self-importance or the sour grapes, Rafael
Benitez is the perfect antidote to the 'special one' - but
Liverpool have themselves a special one nonetheless.
Jose Mourinho lost not only the first semi-final of his
managerial career at a frenzied Anfield on Tuesday, but a
care-fully manufactured aura of invincibility.
With one more triumphant performance from Liverpool on May
25, he will also lose the honour of being the only manager
besides Bob Paisley to win the UEFA Cup and European Cup in
successive years.
The winners mentality Benitez has infused throughout Anfield
is paying off and, though the nerve-shredding events of
Tuesday, this Premier-ship campaign and his fierce work
ethic suggest otherwise, he has made the journey to the
greatest stage appear almost effortless. How Sir Alex
Ferguson must be suffering now.
The Manchester United manager made it his public intention
to knock Liverpool off their perch and delivered. Yet in
just nine months Benitez has produced as many European Cup
final appearances for Liverpool as Ferguson has in 19 years
and 11 Champions League campaigns at Old Trafford.
(Daily Post)
£1,000 for a final flight
Liverpool fans are being quoted more than £1,000 for flights
to Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines has sold out for Champions League final
dates and British Airways said seats had almost gone.
Travel agents across the city are being swamped with
inquiries, but are struggling to find anything under £1,000.
Fans are being warned that nearly all the city's 100,000
hotel rooms have been bought up by package firms and priced
at up to £150 a night.
Supporters have been advised to turn to special flights
organised by the club, but firm plans for charters have not
yet been arranged.
(Liverpool Echo)
Benitez: I'll stay for 20 years
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has confidently predicted this
month's Champions League final will be the first of many in
a '20 year' managerial career at Anfield.
"As a manager I'm young and if I'm at Liverpool for another
20 years, I hope to reach many more finals and win many more
trophies," said Benitez.
(Liverpool Echo)
Hansen: Carra's 10 times better than I was
Anfield legend Alan Hansen might be considered the greatest
ever defender to pull on a Red shirt by Liverpool fans all
over the world but the captain-turned-pundit believes that
even in his prime, he was nowhere near as good as Jamie
Carragher.
"The outstanding performer for me on Tuesday night was Jamie
Carragher at the heart of the Liverpool defence," says
Hansen.
"Carragher is 10 times a better defender than I could ever
be. He is a completely different player. He is a great
defender whereas I was not."
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool pose different threat to PSV,
says Ancelotti
With pride bruised and relief etched on his face, AC Milan
coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to dwell on his side's
stuttering passage into the Champions League final at the
expense of PSV Eindhoven.
Ancelotti said the Premier League side, in their first
European Cup final since the start of the Champions League
in 1992-93, would offer a different kind of test from that
posed by Guus Hiddink's energetic PSV.
"We have a big squad of experienced players and they really
helped us survive the battle. PSV played excellently and
will have a squad that can challenge for European honours in
the next few years," said Ancelotti.
"Liverpool will be a completely different game. Their
semi-final against Chelsea showed they are capable of
keeping a clean sheet.
"They are a defensive side -- a very different team than PSV
who like to dominate a match. But they will also be very
hard to beat."
(Reuters)
Houllier hails Reds success
Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier has expressed his
delight at seeing the side reach the UEFA Champions League
final.
The Frenchman insists he still has a great affection for the
club despite leaving Anfield last summer.
"On Tuesday night I was like a fan of the club," Houllier
told L'Equipe.
Houllier had special praise for homegrown duo Jamie
Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
"Jamie (Carragher) is firstly a strong character," added
Houllier. "He is the quickest player I have seen coming back
from a tibia fracture.
"I signed him when he was still in plaster. He is a gem at
training sessions as he loves working.
"He loves football, it is his life.
"One day Thierry Henry told me Steven (Gerrard) is the
strongest player.
"He is fast, he is powerful, he is technical and above all
he always wants to win."
(Planet Football/Sky Sports)
Gerrard: We can be legends
Steven Gerrard has told Sky Sports News that the Liverpool
players are determined to secure legendary status at Anfield
by lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy.
"We have been disappointing domestically but we have a
chance to make history and become legends at the football
club and we want to grab that," Gerrard told
Sky Sports News.
(Sky Sports)
Traore relishing underdog tag
French defender Djimi Traore claims it suits Liverpool to be
underdogs for the Champions League final against AC Milan.
Liverpool were ranked as outsiders against Juventus in the
quarter-finals and Chelsea in the semis but produced superb
defensive displays to secure a place in the final.
Traore said: "Being underdogs suits us well - we want to do
just as Greece did during the European Championships last
year.
"The Champions League final is the one of the best moments
of any player's career, perhaps only playing in a World Cup
final can match it.
"I have been here for six years and this has been one of my
greatest moments, I hope in Istanbul that I will play and
that it will be even better.
"The atmosphere at Anfield was fantastic, and we need our
fans to give their best in Istanbul.
"It's one of the best moments in my career, it's
unbelievable - if at the beginning of the season you had
asked me if I was going to play in the Champions League
final I would not have staked £1 on it."
(ITV Football)
Big Sam backs Reds for Euro glory
Sam Allardyce is tipping Liverpool to upset the
form book in the Champions League final.
The Bolton boss believes the side fashioned by Rafael
Benitez has every chance of overcoming AC Milan on May 25 in
Istanbul.
He said: "It will be nice for them to go in as underdogs
again.
"I am sure Rafael Benitez will be using that factor in the
build-up and it will take the pressure off Liverpool.
"Certainly outside of this country nobody will give them
much of a chance.
"But it would be very dangerous to write them off
considering what they achieved against Chelsea and Juventus.
"They are so well organised defensively in the Champions
League that it is unlikely Milan will find them as easy to
break down as everyone expects."
(Sporting Life)
FA set to decide Liverpool's fate
The Football Association is set to decide on Thursday who
will take the final Champions League spot for next season if
Liverpool win the tournament.
If the Reds beat AC Milan in the final and finish behind
Everton in the league the FA would have the final decision.
Uefa has said it would not allow five English clubs to take
part but will look into changing the rule in future.
Everton are currently lying in fourth place in the
Premiership, three points ahead of Liverpol in the table.
The FA's professional game board is meeting at Soho Square
to finalise their position if Liverpool are crowned European
champions.
Uefa has stated it would not allow Rafael Benitez's team to
automatically enter next season's Champions League as
holders.
"You cannot change the rule at this late stage of the
season," insisted Uefa spokesman William Gaillard.
(BBC Sport Online) |
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WEDNESDAY 4 |
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Milan and Liverpool in CL final
Milan face Liverpool after eliminating PSV on the away goals
rule.
The Dutch side are stricken on the field as the victims of a
great sporting injustice - they were by far the better team
tonight and deserved more two weeks ago.
The decisive moment came when Gomes failed to keep out a
Massimo Ambrosini header in injury time, an error which
rendered Phillip Cocu's late response irrelevant.
Rafael Benitez and Liverpool will be less than fearful from
what they've seen tonight but everybody knows Milan can do a
lot better.
(Sporting Life)
Moores: I'm in dreamland at the moment
Liverpool chairman David Moores described leading his club
to a Champions League final as the 'highlight of his reign'
at Anfield.
And a bouyant Moores also predicted a major push for the
Premiership title as the club seeks to build on the most
significant win for two decades.
Moores has been known for maintaining a low profile
throughout his chairman-ship, but he broke his silence to
pay tribute to players, coaches and staff on an historic
night for his club.
"Nights like this are what Liverpool Football Club is all
about," said Moores.
"I'm in dreamland at the moment. The crowd was absolutely
fantastic and I must pay tribute to the manager and the
players for a wonderful performance. They thoroughly
deserved it.
"To reach the Champions League final is without doubt the
peak of my chairmanship. Now we want to go on and win it,
and next season we'll be going for the Premiership."
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard hints at Liverpool future
Steven Gerrard has indicated that he sees his future at
Liverpool.
The Reds captain has been repeatedly linked with a move to
Chelsea, who were beaten by Liverpool in the Champions
League semi-finals on Tuesday.
But Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo: "After the Champions
League final I'll be sitting down with Rick Parry and the
gaffer and discussing the future.
"Obviously a result like this helps everyone at the club and
we'll have a lot of positive things to talk about."
Earlier in the season, Gerrard publicly doubted whether
Liverpool could win the Champions League.
But on Wednesday, he maintained: "I've said all along all I
wanted was to see the club going in the right direction and
this shows we are."
(BBC Sport Online)
Carra: You can't buy fans like ours
Chelsea may have the money to sign any player in the world,
but Jamie Carragher believes last night's brilliant victory
owed a lot to Liverpool's extraordinary supporters.
Anfield rocked like never before as Luis Garcia's goal
settled the contest in the home side's favour and secured
the club's first European Cup final appearance in twenty
years.
Carragher said he knew the Anfield atmosphere would be
awesome, but even he was left searching for the right words
to adequately describe the backing the players received from
the stands last night.
"Chelsea have bought great players and have an excellent
manager, but you can't buy fans like ours," said Carragher.
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool to face Uefa sanctions
Liverpool are set to face disciplinary action from Uefa
after pitch invasions during last night's match against
Chelsea by two men carrying out a stunt for an infamous
Barcelona-based website.
One of the men threw a Barcelona flag in Chelsea manager
Jose Mourinho's face while the other leapt into one of the
goals before being caught by stewards and arrested by
police.
A Uefa spokesman told the Press Association: "We want to
study the reports from the referee and match delegate and we
will then take action if it is appropriate."
Liverpool are likely to be fined as they are held
responsible for pitch security by Uefa.
The two people, who were due before Liverpool magistrates
today, are well-known in Spain for their pitch invasions.
During Euro 2004 one member of the group ran on to the pitch
when Portugal were playing and hurled a Barcelona banner at
the club's former player Luis Figo.
Like Figo, Mourinho was once a Barcelona favourite but has
become a hate figure for fans following the controversy
surrounding Chelsea games with the Catalan club in the first
knockout round of the Champions League.
(Times/PA Sport)
I was right, says goal-row official
Slovakian assistant referee Roman Slysko awarded the
controversial winner by Luis Garcia which sent newly crowned
Premiership champions Chelsea crashing out of the
competition on a night of incredible emotion at Anfield.
Speaking today, he said he was happy he had made the right
call. "I believe that my decision was correct. My first
feeling and which I remain convinced of is that it was a
goal. I am 100 per cent convinced that it was a goal.
"It was a very hard situation and in that kind of a
situation a person only has a few hundredths of a second to
react."
(Evening Standard)
Immense Carragher inspires Liverpool
At the final whistle at Anfield on Tuesday, there was no
doubting the difference between a trip to Istanbul for the
Champions League final and a missed opportunity - Jamie
Carragher.
The 27-year-old was an unbreakable force in defence,
throwing himself into every challenge and marking Didier
Drogba out of the game.
It came painfully close to coming off the rails in injury
time but he just deflected Eidur Gudjohnsen's shot wide.
Gerrard described Carragher as "immense" and "unbelievable"
after the match.
(BBC Sport Online)
Gallas: Fatigue not to blame
William Gallas insists Chelsea can not use tiredness as an
excuse for their UEFA Champions League exit after admitting
Jose Mourinho did not speak to his players after the defeat
at Liverpool.
Luis Garcia's controversial early goal sunk The Blues at
Anfield, with Chelsea unable to muster an equaliser which
would have taken them through to the final in Istanbul.
Chelsea had headed into the match on the back of sealing the
Premiership title but, after their defeat to Liverpool,
there is currently no consolation to be gleaned from that
triumph, according to Gallas.
The France international was heavily involved in the
decisive goal as he hooked Garcia's shot clear from under
the bar, with debate raging as to whether the ball had
crossed the line.
Gallas was unable to shed any light on the disputed goal but
explained the massive sense of disappointment pervading
through the Chelsea squad.
"We're not happy about The Premiership because we lost at
Liverpool and everybody wanted to win both competitions,"
lamented Gallas.
"Everybody wanted to go to Turkey for the final.
"If we think about what we've achieved in The Premiership we
will be very happy in the next few days but not now.
"No one is happy. We weren't tired and can't use that as an
excuse."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez - the European master
They used to say that Brian Clough could walk on
the Trent - so maybe Rafael Benitez will soon be trying the
same trick on the Mersey.
The Spaniard arrived at Liverpool last June after
transforming Valencia into a team that could stand up to the
might of Real Madrid and Barcelona and win. Two La Liga
titles in three years was testimony to that.
What Benitez achieved in Spain was akin to the way Sir Alex
Ferguson broke the stranglehold of the Old Firm in Scotland
while he was at Aberdeen.
For Benitez to find himself being talked of in the same
breath as such football management greats as Clough and
Ferguson, frankly, says it all.
But Liverpool was a real challenge for a man with little
English and even less knowledge of the very special world
that is the Premiership.
He has failed to fully understand the frenetic pace of the
Premiership but put him on the European stage and the genius
is clear for all to see.
Benitez gave Mourinho a lesson in top-quality European
tactics, and if he can just fashion those ideas to work
better in the Premiership, Liverpool could start to become a
force on their own patch rather than just the rest of
Europe.
(Sporting Life)
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Thor Zakariassen
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