Red News                                            

 


NOVEMBER      2009
4 5 6

 

        
 

FRIDAY 6
Agger demands
response from Reds

Daniel Agger says Liverpool must rediscover their killer instinct against Birmingham - and insists the Reds "have to keep believing".
Agger, 24, has been easing his way back into the first string following back surgery earlier in the year.
The Danish defender has figured just four times for the Reds in what has been a disappointing campaign by their lofty standards.
Agger insists "you get what you deserve in football" and says Liverpool have paid the price for not closing games down quick enough.
"Now we have just got to look forward to the Birmingham game to get going. If we keep playing with the effort we did in Lyon, we hope the situation will turn for us."
(TEAMtalk)


Ngog eyeing more goals
Liverpool striker David Ngog wants to score more goals for Rafa Benitez to repay the Spaniard for improving his game.
The 20-year-old has netted twice in the Premier League this term - against Stoke City and Manchester United - in four substitute appearances.
He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "Rafa has improved me.
"I've learnt a lot at this club and the manager has given me a lot of confidence. I thank him for that and now I have to give my best for him."
(Sky Sports)


Two fixtures changed for live tv
Two of Liverpool's Barclays Premier League fixtures in 2010 have been changed so far for live television coverage by Sky Sports.
Our Anfield meeting with Tottenham Hotspur is now on Sunday, January 10, at 4pm, while our clash with Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium remains on Saturday, January 16, but kicks-off at 12.45pm.
(LFC Official Website)

Duo banned for clash with Blues

Liverpool will be without suspended duo Jamie Carragher and Philipp Degen for the clash against Birmingham at Anfield on Monday (8pm).
The pair are starting their bans after they were sent off against Fulham in the Premier League last weekend.
There is better news on the injury front at last for Liverpool. Martin Skrtel (virus) and Fabio Aurelio (calf) are back in the squad.
Albert Riera (hamstring) is also close to a comeback, but there are still doubts over Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, while Liverpool are still assessing the groin problems affecting Steven Gerrard and
Fernando Torres.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Aurelio, Darby, Agger, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Lucas, Mascherano, Aquilani, Kuyt, Babel, Benayoun, Voronin, Ngog, Cavalieri, Spearing, Riera, Torres, Gerrard, Ayala, Plessis.
(TEAMtalk)

Ferguson banned against Liverpool
Birmingham midfielder Barry Ferguson is suspended for Monday night's Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield.
The former Scotland international was sent off for two bookable offences during Sunday's goalless draw with Manchester City and could be replaced by Lee Carsley.
On-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart is available after being ineligible to face his parent club although deputy Maik Taylor impressed against
Mark Hughes' side.
Winger Keith Fahey is battling to overcome a knock to his knee in training but striker Garry O'Connor is still troubled by a groin problem and
is a doubt.
Birmingham (from): Hart, Taylor, Carr, Parnaby, Johnson, Dann, Queudrue, Ridgewell, Vignal, Larsson, Bowyer, Carsley, Fahey, McFadden, McSheffrey, Jerome, Benitez, Phillips, O'Connor, Doyle.
(TEAMtalk)

Vignal regrets
early Anfield exit

Birmingham defender Gregory Vignal admits he will always regret quitting Liverpool as he prepares to return to Anfield on Monday night.Vignal joined the Reds in 2000 in a £500,000 move from Montpellier but made only a handful of first-team appearances as he struggled to displace
John Arne Riise.
He experienced several loan spells, including a season under current Blues boss Alex McLeish at Rangers, before leaving Liverpool to join Portsmouth on a free transfer in 2005.
But in hindsight the 28-year-old, now available for selection again after a hamstring problem, wishes he had been more patient on Merseyside.
Vignal said: "I should have stayed longer at Liverpool and been patient but, when you are young sometimes you don't realise things.
"When you get older, you realise that with extra experience because Liverpool are a massive club."
Vignal added: "Do I regret leaving? Yes. I should have never
left Liverpool."
(TEAMtalk)


Torres’ back with squad
Fernando Torres was back at Melwood today following a whistle-stop trip to Spain for a check up on his injured groin.
The Reds striker visited a Liverpool hospital yesterday before flying out with two of his younger team-mates Zslot Poloskei and Francisco Duran, as well as club doctor Mark Waller, to a clinic in Valencia for
a second opinion.
The specialist he saw is someone who both player and club trust and the meeting was designed to see what course of action is best for treatment.
“He wants to wait, rather than have an operation,” Benitez confirmed. “He wants to work with the physio’s to try to solve his problems, but still he has pain. He told me he needed to keep stopping during the game because of the pain.
(Liverpool Echo)
 

Benitez backed by Alonso
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has backed Rafa Benitez to turn things around at Anfield.
Alonso, who left Liverpool for Real Madrid in the summer, admits he feels for his former team-mates as they struggle for form.
Benitez has found his future come under intense scutinty after seeing his side struggle in the Premier League and move to the brink of an early exit from the Champions League.
Many pundits claim the departure of Alonso is one of the main reasons for Liverpool's struggles this season, but the the Spain international has called on the club to keep faith in Benitez to sort out their problems.
"It's not the Liverpool way to sack a manager after a few bad results early in the season," Alonso told The Times. "He is the right man for the club. It wouldn't be a good decision to change the manager. He's
a great manager."
"I still have great respect for him. I'm very grateful to him for the five great years I had at Liverpool.
"Of course the situation isn't the best right now, but he knows how to turn it around.
Alonso added: "It's a difficult situation,"
"They have had injuries, they've had some bizarre moments like the one at Sunderland [when Darren Bent's winning goal bounced in off
a stray beach ball].
"Liverpool will always be in my mind. I keep in contact with my former team-mates, I look for their results and, whenever I can, I watch their games on TV."
(Sporting Life)

Pepe: No disaster if we fail to qualify
Pepe Reina has played down talk of an impending “disaster” if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
Rafael Benitez’s side are on the brink of elimination from the competition after Lyon’s last-minute equaliser in their Group E clash
on Wednesday night.
Should Fiorentina beat the French side – who have now qualified – in Italy later this month, the Anfield outfit will have been dumped out at the group phase for the first time under Benitez’s tenure.
And it is that fantastic record in the Champions League that has moved Reina to dismiss the notion of a potential catastrophe for Liverpool.
“I do not accept that not going through will be a disaster for the club,” said the goalkeeper. “We have been in the Champions League now for several years, one failure is not a disaster.
“Not many teams have reached the semi-final twice and two finals – including a title victory – in the last few seasons. It can happen again, we get closer to our real form with every game.”
(Liverpool Daily Post)

Torres goes to Spain to cure his pain
Fernando Torres flew to Spain yesterday for a second opinion on the hernia problem that has cast a foreboding shadow over his and
Liverpool’s season.
Torres is visiting a specialist in Valencia and the trip will raise manager Rafa Benitez’s fears that the striker will now need an operation to cure the injury that has plagued him this term.
Torres has been determined to play through the pain barrier, but it was clear from the opening minutes of the 1-1 Champions League draw with Lyon on Wednesday that his effectiveness was severely hampered.
Torres underwent a scan yesterday morning at the Lourdes private clinic in Liverpool under the watchful eye of club doctor Mark Waller before heading to Spain.
Skipper Steven Gerrard is making progress after receiving an injection in the groin injury that has restricted him to just 25 minutes of action in the last month. Gerrard has already had two groin operations in his career, but could also undergo further surgery, meaning he would miss England’s friendly with Brazil.
(Daily and Sunday Express)
THURSDAY 5
Hospital tests for
Reds ace Torres

Fernando Torres has undergone tests at a Liverpool hospital on the serious groin injury which is threatening to ruin his season.
The Spanish striker played 87 minutes of Liverpool's 1-1 Champions League draw with Lyon on Wednesday, a result which virtually ends their hopes of progress from Group E into the last 16.
Torres played with pain throughout the match, before flying back with the Liverpool party on Thursday morning.
Later on Thursday he attended a Liverpool hospital where more tests were carried out on his injury.
Manager Rafael Benitez fears that Torres will eventually need an operation on what he describes as a "poor man's hernia."
However, Liverpool are loathe to go down that route until every other avenue has been explored.
If Torres has an operation he could be out until after Christmas, and any further problems could even affect his participation in the World Cup finals for Spain.
(TEAMtalk)
  

Dirk Kuyt: Liverpool's Champions League
draw with Lyon feels like a defeat

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has said the club's 1-1 Champions League draw with Lyon last night felt as bad as a defeat as the pressure mounts on Rafa Benitez.
"It feels like a defeat," said Kuyt. "I think we deserved to win, but we conceded in the last minute and everyone is really disappointed.
"It's out of our hands now, but we stuck together as a team here and everyone put a lot of effort into the game.
"We showed character and that's what we have to do at this stage. We deserved more, but all we can do is work hard and be ready for
the next game."
(The Daily Telegraph)
 

Reds' European hopes on the brink
Stadium announcers are not renowned for making statements of great resonance but the man whose duty it was warm the crowd up here last night did just that
“The UEFA Champions League gives us the opportunity to see the best teams in Europe,” he proclaimed, shortly before the teams from Lyon and Liverpool marched out on to Stade de Gerland.
Though there was nothing revelatory about those words, they should strike a chord with those Liverpudlians who are trying to search for positives after this tumultuous campaign took another dramatic twist.
We should have been chronicling on these pages today how ironic it was that in the city which is home to the headquarters of Interpol, Liverpool launched the first part of what they hoped would culminate in another great escape.
Instead their presence in the Champions League is in the gravest danger after another Lyon late show left them on the brink of elimination.
(Dominic King - Liverpool Echo)

Liverpool owners seek
£100M cash injection

Liverpool representatives are struggling to attract new investors.
The Times says it is known that Merrill Lynch, the investment bank representing Reds co-owner Tom Hicks, has held talks with a number of potential investors, offering a 25 per cent stake in the club
for £100 million.
As yet, no one has been prepared to pay such a high price for a minority share in a business that has debts totalling at least £250 million and a stalled stadium project desperately in need of a cash injection to the tune of £400 million.
(tribalfootball.com)

Euro exit would cost 'Pool £10m
Liverpool need to take maximum points from their two remaining group games -- away to Debrecen and at home to Fiorentina -- to stand any chance of making it through to the last 16 and will be out if Fiorentina beat Lyon on November 24, a result that would cost the Merseyside club at least £10m in lost revenue.
(Irish Independent)

Lyon coach Puel assures they
will do right thing by Liverpool

Lyon coach Claude Puel has assured Liverpool they won't roll over against Fiorentina for their next Champions League clash.
It is possible that Lyon and Fiorentina can produce a result in Florence that will ensure Liverpool go out.
But Puel said: "We will play fair, we want to win the group and avoid getting a tougher draw in the next stage.
"Liverpool have no need to fear what may happen. We will play to win the game and that will leave the situation in Liverpool's hands to win their last two games and go through themselves."
(tribalfootball.com)
WEDNESDAY 4

How we can still qualify
With just two matches left to play in Group E of the Champions League our European destiny for this season is no longer in our own hands.
Lyon's last minute leveller in the Stade Gerland on Wednesday night means we are now relying on other results if we are to stand a chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition.
Matchday 5 in three weeks time sees Liverpool travelling to face Debrecen while Fiorentina host Lyon in Italy.
Liverpool have to win both of their remaining games to stand any chance of going through to the last sixteen.
(LFC Official Website)
 

Carra keeps faith in Reds
Jamie Carragher vows Liverpool will fight to keep their UEFA Champions League hopes alive despite a late lapse in Lyon which left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
The Reds must win their final two Group E matches, first at Debrecen before an Anfield showdown with second-placed Fiorentina, to stand any chance of a place in the knock-out stages.
"We still believe we will get through," said the veteran defender, who was forced to play at right-back in France after injuries ravaged the Premier League outfit's back-line.
"We know it's going to be difficult but we're not out of it yet. All we can do is win our next two games and see what happens."
(Sky Sports)


Benitez: I don't fear for my job
Rafael Benitez insists he does not fear for his job even though Liverpool now need a miracle to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
Liverpool now must rely on Lyon winning away to Fiorentina in their next match, and hope they will still have their destiny in their own hands in their final group matches against Debrecen and the Florence club.
Benitez's own position has been under threat during Liverpool's recent horror run, but when asked if he feared for his job, the Spaniard was quick to respond.
"No, I am only thinking about the next game, nothing else," he said.
Benitez, who also revealed that striker Fernando Torres played through the pain barrier for the 87 minutes he was on the pitch, remains hopeful his side can still progress even though the odds are stacked
against them.
He said: "We have to be really disappointed, we had so many chances and we were almost there.
"But again it was a late goal by Lyon, and it is a massive difference
for us.
"Clearly it is difficult now, but not impossible. We have to win our next game in Debrecen and wait to see what the result is between Fiorentina and Lyon."
(Sporting Life)
 

Puel hails Lyon courage
Lyon boss Claude Puel was understandably delighted to have stolen a point off Liverpool on Wednesday.
The Ligue 1 giants appeared to be heading towards their first UEFA Champions League defeat of the season when Ryan Babel hammered home for the Reds on 83 minutes.
That effort looked set to keep Liverpool's ambition of reaching the knockout stages alive, while delaying Lyon's attempts to reach
the last 16.
"We have mastered the art of writing particular screenplays throughout the season," said the former Monaco and Lille coach.
"We were very courageous until the end in order to equalise and to qualify this evening."
(Sky Sports)


Lyon late show leaves Reds reeling
Lisandro Lopez's late equaliser denied Liverpool a crucial victory as Lyon secured Champions League progression with a 1-1 draw in France.
The much-maligned Ryan Babel had scored a wonderful goal with just seven minutes left and if Liverpool could have hung on to that lead they would still have had a realistic chance of reaching the last 16.
But Liverpool's season has been littered with shattering luck and bitter body blows, as well as beach-ball goals.
And when Lisandro struck an equaliser in the final seconds for Lyon - sending them into the last 16 - Liverpool knew their own hopes were left hanging by a thread.
Fiorentina's expected win over Debrecen keeps them firmly in second spot and Liverpool will need more than a miracle now after this devastating blow.
(TEAMtalk)
 

Torres starts - Aquilani on bench v Lyon
Fernando Torres will start for Liverpool in tonight's Champions League clash with Lyon at the Stade Gerland, while Alberto Aquilani has been named amongst the substitutes.
Daniel Agger returns to the centre of the Reds' defence to partner Sotirios Kyrgiakos, with Jamie Carragher set to operate in a right-back role.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun, Voronin, Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Babel, Ngog, Spearing, Darby, Ayala.
(LFC Official Website)

Massive cash boost
for struggling Liverpool FC

Liverpool, which signed a record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered earlier this year, has agreed another lucrative partnership.
The club will be backed by 188Bet, the online betting company which already has partnerships in place with Aston Villa, Chelsea, Bolton and Wigan. The partnership will last for three years, and is expected to earn the club as much as US$7.5 million.
"We are delighted to welcome 188Bet to our family of partners. Their innovative approach to betting will enhance the fan experience, in addition to benefiting good causes through the 188 Foundation," said Ian Ayre, commercial director of Liverpool Football Club.
"Given 188Bet's presence in Asia, we will develop a number of initiatives that will mutually benefit our respective organisations. 188Bet has made a clear commitment to marketing their brand through football, and we are looking forward to developing a successful partnership," he added.
(SportsPro Media)

Sampdoria's Koman
welcomes Liverpool interest

Sampdoria midfielder Vladimir Koman has welcomed interest
from Liverpool.
Liverpool have been linked with a January move for the Hungary international.
"This is an honour for me if the news about Liverpool is true," Koman told Nemzeti Sport. "This is a famous and giant club but at the moment I want to concentrate on getting regular first-team football.
"I wouldn't go there to sit on the bench. Getting into the starting 11 of Liverpool may be a bit early for me but so far I haven't only thought about this possibility.
"I want to play football and a smaller club may be a more suitable choice for me.
"I have plenty of time as I am a young footballer. In Italy it's difficult to get into the first team as a young player – I'll see how I can deal with my chances at Bari."
(tribalfootball.com)

FA reject Degen appeal
The Football Association have rejected Liverpool's appeal over Philipp Degen's red card against Fulham.
The Swiss defender will serve a three-match ban for the foul
on Clint Dempsey.
(LFC Online)

Rafa has belief in squad
Rafael Benitez believes his side can get a win tonight.
Liverpool need a win in Lyon this evening if they're to keep their Champions League hopes alive. Benitez is confident his squad has the experience and the spirit to do just that.
"We have some experience in Europe and I think that will be the key," said the boss.
"If we want to perform well and do well then we can use the experience we have in the past.
"Always the Champions League is a massive competition. At this time it will be a crucial game for us so we have to approach the game with confidence and thinking about to win.
"The players are disappointed because we are not playing as bad as the results show at the moment. They want to do things properly and they want to win.
"The main thing is how we approach this game and we are only thinking about three points and to be in a better position after the game."
(LFC Online)

Reds Reserves edge past Everton
Liverpool Reserves continued their impressive run of form by beating Merseyside rivals Everton Reserves 1-0 in Widness last night.
Nathan Eccleston, who made his debut for the first time in last week’s Carling Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal, followed by an appearance in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham, got the only goal of the game.
Eccleston himself won a penalty after defender Shane Duffy tripped him just inside the box. Eccleston stepped up and scored the spot-kick just before half-time.
The game also saw good performances from Peter Gulacsi in the Liverpool Reserves goal, Robbie Threlfall in defence and a promising display from striker David Amoo.
The result means John McMahon’s side have won their last seven consecutive games, six of which have been in the Barclays Premier Reserve North Division.
Liverpool Reserves: Gulacsi, Mendy (Kohlert 85), Threlfall, Palsson, Mavinga, Irwin, Saric (Flora 89), Amoo, Eccleston, Poloskei, Kacaniklic (Brouwer 74).
Unused subs: Hansen, Weijl.
(This is Anfield)

Benitez banking on Torres gamble
Fernando Torres will carry the hopes of Liverpool on his shoulders on Wednesday night, with Rafael Benitez praying his gamble pays off.
Liverpool face group E leaders Lyon in the Stade Gerland knowing that only a victory will keep alive any realistic hopes of staying in the Champions League this season.
Liverpool are without Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio, Albert Riera and Glen Johnson.
Torres, despite struggling with a hernia problem, will start the match and so too could Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
Centre-back Daniel Agger will face a late test on a back injury, and Liverpool could well have teenage full-back Stephen Darby in the side.
Benitez says: "Fernando is improving, we do not want him to have an operation so we are managing his fitness carefully.
"But he is getting better. He had some pain after he played, and scored, against Manchester United. But he was better after the Fulham game at the weekend, although he could still feel something wrong.
"I hope that he will be even better for this match. I said recently that 80 per cent of Fernando can win matches, I hope that is the case again."
(TEAMtalk)

Gerrard still rues Alonso's exit
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was "devastated" when Xabi Alonso left Anfield and admits the Reds have really missed the Spanish midfielder.
Gerrard, who is currently injured and misses Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Lyon, forged a good understanding with Alonso in midfield.
Alonso moved on to Real Madrid in the summer, since when Liverpool have struggled for form in the Premier League and Champions League.
It was a move which hit Gerrard hard.
"Devastated, yeah. Devastated. But there was nothing I could do about it," he told FourFourTwo magazine.
"Xabi said a long time ago that he wanted another chapter in his career and finally he got it and his team-mates and the coaches couldn't stand in his way. We just have to say thanks and move forward without him."
Liverpool recouped around £30million for 27-year-old Alonso, and spent most of that on bringing replacement Alberto Aquilani to Anfield
from Roma.
Aquilani missed the first two months of the season due to injury and Liverpool have already lost seven matches.
Gerrard knew it would take Liverpool time to adapt to life without Alonso, who in a playmaker role had a vital duty in Rafael Benitez's team.
Gerrard said: "It's always going to be different when you lose one of the best players in the world - and people are finally realising that's what he is, on the back of his form for Real Madrid and the difference in us from
last year.
"We've got other midfielders here doing a good job but it will take a while before Alonso's out of our system because he was such a top player."
(TEAMtalk)

Mancini denies pushing
for Liverpool job

Former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has denied interest in the Liverpool job.
Mancini has been linked with Rafa Benitez's job at Liverpool after getting a release from his contract at Inter.
Asked about the prospect of being hired either by Real Madrid or Liverpool, Mancini said: “At the moment there has not been anything, but when you talk about coaches and about a team in difficulty, the names of those who are available always come out.
“We will see if something arrives and then we will evaluate it.”
(triballfootball.com)
        


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