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WEDNESDAY 9 |
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Carra shines for England
Reds defender Jamie Carragher had an impressive 90 minutes
for England in their 0-0 draw with Holland on Wednesday
night.
The performance by Sven Goran Erikkson's side was pretty
average with Carragher standing out alongside Wes Brown in
defence.
The unsung hero of Liverpool was as reliable as ever and
didn't put a foot wrong - a common theme for the Reds
longest serving player this season.
The BBC website gave Carragher man of the match, saying
"Again proved himself a more than able deputy in defence and
was the best of an ordinary bunch."
Steven Gerrard played 80 minutes of the game and was
arguably England's second best player on the night, again
showing his supreme range of passing.
Steve Finnan played the full match as the Republic of
Ireland recorded an impressive 1-0 win over Portugal.
(This is Anfield)
Baros: Liverpool on the up
Liverpool striker Milan Baros believes the Reds can still
overtake Merseyside rivals Everton for a place in the
Champions League and is confident they will challenge the
'big three' for the Premiership title next season.
The Czech, the top scorer at Euro 2004, insists there is
enough time to claw back the five-point gap on David Moyes'
side.
"Our aim in the Premier League is clear - qualifying for the
Champions League," he said.
"We are in fifth place and there are five points between us
and fourth place, where Everton are. But there are 12 rounds
of the competition left and we have to play our biggest
rivals at home, so it might be achieved."
(TEAMtalk)
Hansen's praise for Benitez' Reds
Former Liverpool captain and BBC pundit Alan Hansen has
praised Liverpool for the way they have bounced back this
week.
Hansen was especially critical of the Reds after their poor
performance at St Mary's the other week, calling it the
worst Liverpool display in fourteen years. However, Hansen
says he is delighted at the way Rafael Benitez' side has
bounced back with wins over Charlton and Fulham.
He said: "Joe Fagan once said to me that the best way to
answer your critics is by performing on the pitch and that's
exactly what Liverpool have done this week.
"I was really critical of them after the game at Southampton
but I was full of praise for them after the 2-1 win at
Charlton because that's the sort of performance I want to
see from Liverpool.
"Liverpool must take heart from the last couple of matches
and I just hope they can now finally go on that run of seven
or eight matches undefeated. That's what it is all about."
(LFC Online)
Parry: Benitez can win title without
wealth
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry believes Rafael Benitez
will not require the extraordinary wealth of Chelsea to
construct a championshipwinning team at Anfield.
The Anfield club have spent £43million on their squad since
the end of last season in an attempt to close the gap on the
title chasers.
And though Liverpool cannot compete with Roman Abramovich's
riches and are currently 22 points behind Jose Mourinho's
league leaders, Parry insists Benitez (above) can still
deliver the title in time.
"We have to be realistic," Anfield's chief executive said.
"We don't have the resources of Chelsea, but we have a top
class coach in Rafa. He's the best at getting the best out
of the resources at his disposal."
(Daily Post)
Dudek hoping to go fourth
Jerzy Dudek believes Liverpool can overtake Everton in the
title race in the next few weeks.
David Moyes' side have a tough few games ahead of them and
the Liverpool keeper is confident the Reds can claim fourth
place.
"The first thing we have to do is look at our own
performances, but obviously we still want to know how the
teams around us are doing," he said.
"I know Everton have games against Arsenal, Chelsea and
Manchester United, so hopefully if they drop points that
will give us a chance to close the gap and reach our target.
"We've been in this situation for the last two years when it
went to the final week of the season and we don't want to do
that again.
"You never know what can happen in the final stages so we
want to get in the top four as soon as possible. We know it
won't be easy. Everton are playing well, but all we can do
is keep winning our games.
"I hope our experiences over the last few years will help
us."
(LFC Online)
Sami helps Finland reach final
Sami Hyypia was in action winning his 67th cap for Finland
on Tuesday as he helped his country to the final of the
Cyprus international tournament.
Finland beat Latvia 2-1 and Cyprus saw off Austria in a
penalty shoot-out in the Cyprus international soccer
tournament on Tuesday. The final takes place on Wednesday
night with Hyypia expected to play some part in the final.
(LFC Official Website)
Carson and Welsh suffer defeat
Liverpool youngsters Scott Carson and John Welsh were on the
losing side for England's under-21's against Holland last
night.
Carson started the match before being replaced at the break
while Welsh entered the action as a second half substitute.
Holland established a two goal lead before half time at
Derby's Pride Park before Bristol City's Leroy Lita grabbed
a consolation for Peter Taylor's side in the final minute.
Meanwhile Darren Potter played the full 90 minutes in the
Republic of Ireland Under-21's 2-0 defeat in Portugal.
(LFC Official Website) |
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TUESDAY 8 |
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Riise targets record
John Arne Riise has set his sights on becoming
Norway's record cap holder.
The versatile Liverpool ace has been a regular member of the
international set-up for several years and has a lofty goal.
Norway's current appearance record holder is Thorbjorn
Svendsen, who picked up 104 caps for his country.
That is a figure which Riise, who can play at full back or
in midfield, is determined to top before his career
concludes.
Riise is due to make his 42nd appearance for Norway against
Malta on Wednesday and the 24-year-old is targeting over a
century of caps.
"As the situation is now, the goal is to beat that record,"
Riise told Nettavisen.
"It is just up to me how many matches I will play in.
"But all the time I have got to work to live up to the
expectations, both in the national team and at Liverpool."
(Planet Football/Sky Sports)
Yellow balls don't work for Jerzy
Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek believes the yellow Premiership ball
has made life more difficult for goalkeepers this season.
The Anfield stopper says he can't understand why the FA
decided to change the match balls for Premiership fixtures
during the winter months.
Dudek is looking forward to a return to more conventional
equipment in Spring.
"I agree the new balls are more difficult to deal with. I
have spoken to a lot of goalkeepers and everyone agrees
there is much more swing on the ball," said Dudek.
"Also, I don't understand why they've brought in the yellow
balls.
"They says it's more visible, but it's not true. It's harder
to see a yellow ball on a green pitch than a white one, so
it's no more visible than the white ball. I can understand
it if there's snow on the pitch, but otherwise, I can't
under-stand it."
(Liverpool Echo)
Heskey hopes to face Reds
Emile Heskey is battling to be fit for this weekend's
meeting with former club Liverpool.
The powerful striker has missed Birmingham's last two games
as he battles to shake off an Achilles problem.
Heskey is determined to face his former employers and is
confident he will win his fitness battle to tackle The Reds
this weekend.
"The injury isn't too bad and I hope to be fit for the
Liverpool game," said Heskey. "I want to play.
"Liverpool is a big game for me and it's special to play
against them because I was there for four years."
(Sky Sports)
Moores ready to go the extra mile
Liverpool chairman David Moores could dip into
his own pocket to fund his club's transfers at the end of
the season.
Despite reports over the last year of consortiums planning
to invest at Anfield, no deal has been agreed to bring cash
to the Barclays Premiership club.
"He (Moores) will do whatever it takes to move it forward,
even if it affects his own interests. He cares more about
this club than about himself," said chief
executive Rick Parry.
(Sporting Life)
Reserves beaten
Liverpool's reserve side were beaten 3-1 by West Brom at the
Aggborough ground last night.
The Reds played well going forward and were unlucky not to
score more than once. Anthony Le Tallec, who scored
Liverpool's goal, could have had a hat-trick with a bit more
composure.
The Reds were without a few of their reserve regulars due to
tonight's under 21's internationals so that meant a call up
for a few of the Academy players and a rare appearance for
Patrice Luzi in goal. Luzi did himself no favours with a
disinterested display.
Jon Ostemobor captained the side in the absence of Jon Welsh
which would have been a confidence booster as the young
full-back looks to earn a new contract before the end of the
season.
The evening ended on a sour note for the Reds when Le Tallec
was withdrawn complaining of a muscular problem.
(LFC Online)
Robben to miss Carling Cup Final
It has been confirmed that Chelsea ace Arjen Robben will
miss the Carling Cup Final against Liverpool after scans
revealed that the player has broken his foot.
Robben has broken two bones in his foot and faces at least
six weeks out of action.
Talking about the injury, the player said: "Six weeks is the
average time to heal this injury and then I need a few more
weeks to be completely fit again."
(Kop Talk)
Lawro: Reds will win race for fourth
Mark Lawrenson has backed Liverpool to win the
race with Everton to claim the fourth Champions League place
for next season.
The Reds are five points behind their city rivals with
twelve games left to play, but Lawrenson believes the Reds'
extra quality and strength in numbers will see them
eventually climb above David Moyes' men.
"In my career I experienced being the fox and the hound -
the pacesetter and the chaser - and I have to say it's
easier to chase," said the former Liverpool defender. "When
you have a rival in front of you, instead of a points total,
it's easier to focus on what needs to be done.
"For this reason as well as Liverpool's greater strength in
depth I believe Liverpool will have enough about them to
claim fourth place.
Looking at the games both teams have from now on too, you
would say that Everton have the harder run-in. Chelsea,
Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as a trip to Anfield,
will be difficult to get anything from, whereas Liverpool
only have to play Arsenal and Middlesbrough from the top
six.
(LFC Official Website) |
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MONDAY 7 |
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Carragher raring to go
Jamie Carragher is hoping to take his club form on to the
international stage when England face Holland on Wednesday.
An injury crisis has seen Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, John
Terry, Ledley King and Matthew Upson all unavailable for the
game at Villa Park, meaning that Carragher looks certain to
start - alongside Wes Brown.
"I'll be delighted to get another cap and play as well as I
have for Liverpool," he told Sky Sports.
"My best position is centre-half; it's where I've played
most of this season and hopefully I can take it on to the
international stage."
Despite being a friendly encounter, the Reds stopper is
adamant that England must take the encounter seriously ahead
of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Northern
Ireland and Azerbaijan.
"This is preparation for the two qualifying games (against
Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan) and we want to make sure we
win the game," he continued.
(Planet Football/Sky Sports)
Reds monitor Malaga stopper
Liverpool are keeping tabs on Malaga defender Juanito who
will be out of contract at the end of the season.
The Reds are understood to have dispatched scouts to watch
the 24-year-old twice in the last month, although boss Rafa
Benitez has held a long-term interest in the centre back -
who can also play as a defensive midfielder.
Benitez was considering a move for Juanito last summer when
he moved for then Malaga team-mate Josemi, and has kept a
watching brief on the player's progress.
(Planet Football/Sky Sports)
Garcia out of Birmingham match
Liverpool will be without the services of Luis Garcia for
Saturday's match at Birmingham as the Spaniard serves a one
match ban for picking up too many bookings.
Atonio Nunez is likely to be back in the squad for
Birmingham after he recently completed his three match ban.
(LFC Official Website)
Kewell waits as injury drags on
Liverpool winger Harry Kewell is struggling to recover from
his Achilles tendinitis problem and may not recover until
March, claims his agent.
Kewell, 26, had hoped to play against Fulham last weekend
and to be ready for the Champions League tie against Bayer
Leverkusen on 22 February.
But Bernie Mandic said: "He's had scans which don't show
anything substantial.
"But despite his best efforts at the moment he simply can't
shake off the discomfort and get back on the park."
(BBC Sport Online)
Liverpool FC anxious for decision on
stadium grant
Liverpool FC is hoping for a swift decision on a crucial
£20m grant as the club seeks to finally make progress on its
proposed new stadium.
The Anfield club won planning permission for a 60,000-seat
ground on Stanley Park last July and confirmation from the
Government it would not intervene the following month.
But it has since endured delays after agreeing to consider
the possibility of a stadium share with rivals Everton - an
eventuality the club never truly believed would materialise.
Despite talks with Sports Minister Richard Caborn, the
groundshare issue was finally ruled out last month and
Liverpool are now anxious to proceed with their own plans.
Costs have already risen steeply from original estimates of
£80m, with many observers now predicting a final bill of
around £130m.
(Daily Post)
Cheyrou delight at goal
Liverpool's Bruno Cheyrou was delighted to have scored his
first goal of the season whilst on loan at Marseille.
Cheyrou recently did a u-turn over his desire to return to
Anfield, and he underlined his decision with a goal in the
3-1 victory over Rennes on Saturday.
"I have not scored for a while and I needed that," said
Cheyrou.
"A first goal is really important for the state of mind."
(Planet Football/Sky Sports)
Radzinski tips stylish Liverpool to
overhaul rivals
Tomasz Radzinski admits he doesn't want Liverpool to win the
race for fourth place - but thinks they will.
The former Evertonian, now with Fulham, ironically received
a less hostile reception at Anfield than he did at Goodison
when the Cottagers played Everton in November.
That reflected Radzinski's spiteful departure from Everton
last summer, but the striker still wishes his former team
well, even if he does not believe they will deny Liverpool
the final Champions League place.
(Daily Post)
Hyypia: It's going to be test of nerve
Sami Hyypia claims Merseyside's fight for fourth place will
come down to a test of nerve - and insists Liverpool will
catch Everton if they maintain their current standard for
the remainder of the season.
The Finn's second-half header helped Liverpool to a
hard-earned 3-1 victory over Fulham, with Fernando Morientes
claiming his first goal at Anfield and Milan Baros sealing
the win late on.
He said: "This result has given us an opportunity to keep
the pressure on Everton and that's what we've got to carry
on doing. If we play to our level every game then I'm
confident we can get fourth place - we can beat anybody on
our day."
(Daily Post)
Parry puts Gerrard 'above money'
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has revealed they would
turn down a £50m bid for Steven Gerrard.
But Parry, speaking exclusively to BBC Sport, also admits
Gerrard, who has been constantly linked with Chelsea, will
have the final say on his future.
He told BBC Five Live: "Steven is above money. He is the
future of Liverpool.
"It doesn't matter if it's £30m, £40m or £50m, we will not
accept offers. But we are also realistic enough to know we
can't keep Steven against his will."
(BBC Sport Online)
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Thor Zakariassen
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