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SUNDAY 6 |
Gerrard: Rooney did not dive
Wayne Rooney has assured Steven Gerrard he was fouled when
earning England the controversial penalty which put them on
the way to victory against Slovenia.
The forward has come in for heavy criticism from the
Slovenia players for his part in the incident which saw
Bostjan Cesar limp off with an injury.
Gerrard said: "I didn't get a good angle of it because I
played the pass, but Wayne said there was contact."
(Teletext)
Capello glosses over Glen's errors
Fabio Capello insists Glen Johnson is not England's weak
link - but whether Croatia think the same is another matter
entirely.
Even defeat to Slaven Bilic's men at Wembley on Wednesday
would not seriously hamper England's bid to reach next
summer's World Cup finals.
The momentum built up under Capello's stewardship would come
to a juddering halt though, which is why Saturday's 2-1 win
over Slovenia presented more reasons to be concerned than
the Italian was willing
to let on.
A shaky performance, at least in the opening stages, by West
Ham keeper Robert Green was one, also the conundrum
presented by Jermain Defoe's current hot streak and a
largely anonymous performance from Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Most questions surrounded Johnson. The Liverpool defender is
excellent going forward. But it was no coincidence the vast
majority of Slovenian attacks came down the flank he was
supposed to be patrolling.
"Don't worry. I have no problem with Glen Johnson," urged
Capello. Opposite number Matjaz Kek had a different view.
"Glen Johnson is a very dangerous player," he said.
"Stopping him was very important. But when you play in such
an offensive way, it leaves a lot of space behind.
"I have seen England two or three times. I knew we could get
to the goal on that side."
(TEAMtalk)
Liverpool confirm Champions League squad
Liverpool have submitted their final 28-man squad for the
Champions League group stage to UEFA.
Rafa Benitez leaves out Swiss right-back Philipp Degen,
apart from that there’s no surprises:
Liverpool: Diego Cavalieri, Pepe Reina, David Martin, Glen
Johnson, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Sotirios Kyrgiakos,
Emiliano Insua, Jamie Carragher, Stephen Darby, Martin
Kelly, Martin Skrtel, Andrea Dossena, Alberto Aquilani,
Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun, Javier Mascherano, Lucas
Leiva, Jay Spearing, Damien Plessis, Albert Riera, Fernando
Torres, Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, David Ngog,
David Amoo, Nathan Eccleston.
The first Champions League fixture is at home to Debreceni
on September 16th.
(This is Anfield)
International round up
Liverpool players were in action all around
the globe yesterday in a day filled with World Cup
qualifiers.
England were involved in a friendly, beating Slovenia 2-1 at
Wembley. Steven Gerrard played the first half only, during
which time he fired the cross which led to Rooney’s penalty
and almost scored a goal himself. Glen Johnson played for
the full game and while giving plenty of attacking impetus,
allowed the cross which led to Slovenia’s consolation goal.
Another friendly game saw Holland take on Japan, a game in
which they won 3-0. Dirk Kuyt started the game but didn’t
register his name on the scoresheet. Ryan Babel who was
drafted in to the squad at the last minute, was an unused
substitute.
But back to the more important qualifying games…
Brazil beat arch rivals Argentina 3-1 in a game which means
Brazil have qualified and leaves Argentina facing a real
battle now to qualify for the World Cup. Javier Mascherano,
the Argentinian captain picked up a yellow card, whilst
Lucas was an unused substitute for Brazil.
Ukraine beat World Cup whipping boys Andorra 5-0. Andriy
Voronin played for an hour in the game but wasn’t one of
Ukraine’s goalscorers.
Martin Skrtel played for the full game for Slovakia against
Czech Republic. The game ended 2-2 with former red Milan
Baros coming off the bench to score for the Czech’s.
New face around Anfield, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, also put in a
full appearance for Greece, but they lost 2-0 away at
Switzerland. The Greek’s play a 3-4-3 formation – and
Kyrgiakos also picked up a yellow card in the game.
Yossi Benayoun featured for Israel in their 1-0 home defeat
against Latvia. Benayoun played in central midfield for the
game.
Anybody else? Oh that’s right – Spain! Fernando Torres
started the game in which the Spaniards thumped Belgium 5-0.
Nando was replaced on 66 minutes by fellow red Albert Riera.
Pepe Reina was an unused substitute. David Silva and David
Villa both grabbed themselves two goals.
More World Cup qualifiers take place this midweek.
(Anfield Online)
'Keeper delighted with new deal
Peter Gulacsi is hoping his new Liverpool contract will
prove to be a stepping stone towards the Reds' first-team.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper put pen to paper on a new deal
last month that will keep him at Anfield until 2013.
Gulacsi is delighted to have committed his future to the
club and, having been named as a substitute for last
weekend's Barclays Premier League clash with Bolton, admits
his long-term ambition is to establish himself in
Liverpool's first-team setup.
"I am very pleased to have signed a new deal," the Hungarian
told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I came here two years ago and to join
a big club like Liverpool was a big thing in my life.
"During those two years I have tried to do my best. Signing
this contract is the next step and hopefully I can achieve
something here.
"Staying here for four more years is fantastic for me and
it's a great opportunity to improve more, develop and maybe
one day break into the first-team.
(LFC Official Website) |
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SATURDAY 5 |
Aquilani: I'll prove Rafa right
Alberto Aquilani is confident his performances for Liverpool
will prove Rafa Benitez was right to make him his biggest
signing of the summer.
The Italian International is yet to make his Reds debut as
he continues to recover from an ankle injury, but he
believes once he gets back to full fitness he will prove his
worth.
"I know Liverpool have spent millions on signing me but I'm
here to prove I'm worth it." the 25-year-old said.
The former Roma man is also looking forward to playing in
the Premier League, which he has so far enjoyed watching
from afar.
"It's very good fun watching it, mostly because the matches
are never over, and even if you are leading by two or three
goals, you still keep attacking," he said.
"I can't say if it is the best football in Europe, but for
sure it's the most spectacular, dynamic and challenging.
"And the stadiums, every time I played there, they are
beautiful and all have a terrific atmosphere."
He added: "There are champions at this club, such as
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, who can make the
difference at any moment and inspire the team.
"I'm thrilled to play alongside them also because I'm sure
they will be able to improve my game."
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool WILL build a new
stadium, promises Tom Hicks
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has vowed that the club will
build a new stadium – but has said that the move will not be
financed by the £450million he is set to bank from the sale
of baseball club
Texas Rangers.
“Liverpool will obtain stadium financing when the financial
market opens back up. We have all of our permits and will be
ready when the market
is ready.”
(Daily Mirror) |
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FRIDAY 4 |
Riera denies Benitez
rift over Barcelona interest
Liverpool winger Albert Riera doesn't believe he's been axed
by manager Rafa Benitez for considering a move to Barcelona
in the summer.
"I cannot believe I have not played because of that," said
Riera. "I will not deny that there was something that
interested me. This is true.
"But I play for Liverpool, which is the biggest club in
Europe. Benitez is a special coach who defends his own.
"I know he supports me because he told me."
(tribalfootball.com)
Yossi praise for in-form Reina
Yossi Benayoun believes Pepe Reina's early season form has
underlined his credentials as the Barclays Premier League's
number one goalkeeper.
Although Liverpool have endured an up and down start to the
campaign, the Spain custodian has been one of the Reds' most
prominent performers in their opening four matches.
Reina's form led Rafa Benitez to hail the 27-year-old as the
'complete goalkeeper' recently - and Benayoun is in
agreement with his manager.
"Ever since I've been at the club Pepe has played at a
really high level," enthused the Reds' No.15.
"He is one of our main players and he has been excellent for
us again in the opening weeks of the season.
"He made a vital save to deny Matt Taylor at Bolton and he
has done the same in the other matches. It's just great to
have him as a teammate.
"In my opinion he is the best goalkeeper in the Premier
League.
"He never lets us down and we know we can trust him all the
time."
(LFC Official Website)
Kuyt says Babel’s
heart is still in it
Dirk Kuyt has defended criticism that Ryan Babel is not
commited to Liverpool after comments from the Dutch winger
that suggested he was eyeing a January exit from Anfield.
Babel told a Dutch newspaper earlier this week that he was
frustrated with the lack of first team opportunities he is
being given this season and would welcome a loan move back
to his former club Ajax in order to establish a place in the
Holland national team in time for World Cup 2010.
And Kuyt says that despite these comments, Babel is happy
with life at Liverpool – if a little worried he won’t be
going to South Africa
next summer.
“He loves to play games for Liverpool and he will do
everything in his power to come back,” Kuyt told Sky Sports.
“He is happy at Liverpool but every player wants to play and
that is his only concern, before the World Cup, that he has
to play games.
“I’m sure that he wants to play for Liverpool and that he
wants to play in games as soon as possible.
“We have a big squad, with many players who can play in his
position, so he has to work hard and I believe he is doing
that at Liverpool and with the Dutch team.”
(This is Anfield)
Thor Zakariassen
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