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SATURDAY 9 |
Carra: We're not good enough
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admits the Reds have not
been good enough to compete for the Premier League title
this season.
Carragher, though, is hopeful Liverpool can record three
points against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as the
Reds bid to close the gap on Avram Grant's third-placed
side.
However, when asked for his assessment of the season so far,
the combative defender told the Daily Star: "We are not good
enough.
"It is not one particular 'this' or 'that'. It is just that
other teams have been playing better than us."
(Sporting Life)
Kewell: I'll earn new deal
Liverpool's Harry Kewell plans to work tirelessly in order
to earn himself a new contract at Anfield.
Kewell's current deal expires in the summer and, as yet, no
talks over an extension have taken place.
Kewell is determined to impress manager Rafa Benitez, and
believes
a consistent run in the first team will aid him in his quest
for a new deal.
"I want to stay at Liverpool and I'm going to be working
hard to get another contract," he said in The Guardian.
"I think this is a great club. I was out on the pitch the
other night and I said to Yossi [Benayoun] that Anfield has
the best atmosphere in the world. Why would you want to
leave?
"It's good to be injury free but I don't know if I'm
actually 'playing' at
the moment.
"I would like to get there quicker but I have to get back to
basics and just play easy football to get my confidence up."
(Sky Sports)
Youngsters held by Stoke
Liverpool Under-18s were left to rue a series of missed
opportunities as they warmed up for next week's Youth Cup
tie at Sunderland with
a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City.
Hugh McAuley's men made a bright start to the match but fell
behind on 11 minutes when City's Jimmy Phillips curled in a
delightful free-kick.
It was a goal that came against the run of play, but the
hosts managed
to recover and went in at the interval level when Joe
Kennedy turned in Astrit Ajdarevic's free-kick on 39
minutes.
The Reds upped their game after the break but despite seeing
the visitors reduced to 10-men they could not find that
elusive winning goal to leave manager Hugh McAuley
frustrated with his forward line.
Liverpool: Hansen, Awang, O'Connor, Metcalf, Kennedy,
Highdale, Amoo, Ajdarevic, Pourie, Eccleston, MacKay-Steven.
Unused subs: Irwin, Oldfield, Scott, Della Vale. (only four
subs selected)
(LFC Official Website)
Rush confirms Malaysia approach
Former Liverpool striker Ian Rush has confirmed the Football
Association of Malaysia have contacted him about a possible
role with the national team.
Rush, who is currently the elite performance director of the
Welsh Football Trust, has been earmarked as part of the
restructuring of the national team in the wake of a string
of poor performances.
In last year's Asian Cup, which Malaysia co-hosted, they
failed to win a match in the group stage and scored just one
goal. Malaysia were also eliminated in the first round of
qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup
in November.
"I have been asked to have a look at their strikers, but it
has got no further than that at the moment," said
46-year-old Rush.
"I will be having another chat with them when I get back
from Portugal, where I am at the moment on a break. Maybe
sometime next week I will be in a better position to make a
decision."
(Football 365) |
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FRIDAY 8 |
Clemence hails record-breaker Reina
Ray Clemence today hailed Pepe Reina after the Liverpool
goalkeeper became the quickest in the club's history to
record 50 clean sheets.
Reina's shut-out against Sunderland last weekend saw him
beat the 36 year old record as he racked up his half century
of clean sheets three games quicker than Clemence managed.
Despite losing the record, Clemence has spoken of his
admiration for
a goalkeeper he believes is now among the best in European
football.
"I think Pepe is an excellent goalkeeper and his record
speaks for itself," said Clemence.
"He is in his third season at Anfield now and he has got
better every year he has been there."
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez backs under-fire Kuyt
Rafael Benitez has given striker Dirk Kuyt his full support
as the troubled Dutchman prepares to be plunged into
Sunday's make-or-break clash
at Chelsea.
In a week that has seen 27-year-old Kuyt dumped from the
Holland squad, with national boss Marco van Basten claiming,
"He is just not good enough at the moment," the Liverpool
star has revealed the personal and professional anguish that
has blighted his season.
Benitez said: "Everybody was saying that Torres and (Peter)
Crouch did well last week, but I will have to change that
plan now with probably Dirk Kuyt involved. It will not be
rotation now, but something I will have to do.
"I have no problems with Kuyt. He is a fantastic
professional, a worker, so he does an important job for the
team. If Torres or (Steven) Gerrard score goals it is
because Kuyt is working so hard.
"He's OK. He would like to score more goals and I would like
him to score more but I have every confidence in him.
(Football 365)
Rafa rues pointless friendly
Rafael Benitez was left ruing this week's pointless
international friendlies.
The Reds are without Fernando Torres for Sunday's game
against Chelsea after the Liverpool striker picked up a
hamstring injury while playing for Spain against France.
"We have lost Torres and Mascherano is not back until
Friday. I think Mascherano will be okay for Sunday but we
will have to see,"
said Benitez.
"The news we have on Torres is that it is a hamstring
injury. I need to talk to the doctor but I think he will
miss this game. Normally it is a week when a player goes off
like this.
"It is a big problem for us.
"We have three big games in 10 days in three different
competitions, and we have lost our top goalscorer.
"It is difficult to be calm about it, this was another
international friendly in a busy period for clubs at this
time of the season.
"It is crazy enough they go away and have different training
systems, diets, new ideas. And then they get injured.
(LFC Online)
Masch plays in rout
Javier Mascherano played for Argentina as they hammered
Guatemala
on Thursday.
The Liverpool midfielder was one of three senior players in
the Argentinian side as they picked a team ready for the
Beijing Olympics. Mascherano's inclusion in yesterday's team
suggests he will be one of the over 23's selected for the
Olympic side.
(LFC Online)
Reds must manage without Torres
Liverpool will be without six key players against Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with striker Fernando Torres the
biggest blow.
The Spaniard has a hamstring injury and will also miss the
FA Cup fifth round home tie with Barnsley next weekend.
Liverpool are targeting the Champions League clash with
Inter Milan on February 19 for his return.
Andriy Voronin, Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa and Daniel
Agger are all long term injury victims while Xabi Alonso is
suspended.
Ryan Babel picked up an ankle injury playing for Holland on
Wednesday making him a doubt.
Provisional squad: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Skrtel,
Riise, Pennant, Mascherano, Gerrard, Babel, Benayoun,
Kewell, Lucas, Crouch, Kuyt, Itandje.
(Ireland On-Line)
Lampard close to Blues return
England midfielder Frank Lampard could be back in contention
for a place in Avram Grant’s squad against Liverpool at
Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Lampard is close to fitness after being sidelined with a
thigh problem since Boxing Day.
Defender Ricardo Carvalho is back after suspension but
Andriy Shevchenko (back) and John Terry (foot) remain out.
Mikel John Obi should be available after international duty
in the African Nations Cup.
Provisional squad: Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira,
Belletti, Carvalho, Ben-Haim, Alex, A Cole, Bridge,
Ivanovic, Lampard, Makelele, Obi, J Cole, Wright-Phillips,
Anelka, Pizarro, Malouda, Ballack, Sidwell.
(Evening Echo)
Crouch: 'We can beat Chelsea'
Peter Crouch returns to the home of his boyhood heroes
believing that Liverpool’s brittle confidence is being
repaired.
The Liverpool front man, born in Macclesfield but brought up
in west London, was a regular visitor to Stamford Bridge as
a youngster.
He is relishing the chance to help Liverpool finally get a
Barclays Premier League win on a ground of a top three club
for the first time under boss Rafael Benitez.
“We will go into that game with more confidence now. We are
good enough to beat Chelsea, we have done it before and I am
sure we can do it again although it will be a difficult
game.
“We have beaten Chelsea in big, big games before, and this
is a big one for both of us. They want to challenge Arsenal
and Manchester United and we have got to make sure we keep
our momentum going, so it is important for both sides.”
(Evening Echo)
Gerrard remains a realist
England midfielder warns that Capello will need time
Steven Gerrard concedes England still have an awful lot to
do before they are anything like the finished article.
The Liverpool midfielder captained his country on Wednesday
in
the absence of John Terry and impressed in putting in an
all-action shift.
Reaction to Fabio Capello's bow as England boss has been
mixed and while Gerrard is relieved they were able to see
off Switzerland, he is refusing to get carried away.
"It was nice to get a win, but this team still has some
improving to do,"
he said.
"There were some positives, some decent performances - but
we realise under this manager there is still a lot of
improvement and a lot of steps
to take before we get to the level where we are really
happy.
"It is important we don't carried away and we don't raise
expectations.
"It is only early doors. We've started off with a win, but
we realise there's still a long way to go before we're
really happy."
(Sky Sports) |
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THURSDAY 7 |
Torres set to miss Chelsea game
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has all but ruled Fernando
Torres out of Sunday’s Barclays Premier League trip to
Chelsea, despite the player’s belief he would be fit to
play.
The 23-year-old lasted just 23 minutes of Spain’s 1-0
friendly victory over France last night, asking to be
substituted after suffering a hamstring problem.
Benitez said on the club’s official website,
www.liverpoolfc.tv: “The news we have on Torres is that it
is a hamstring injury. I need to talk to the doctor but I
think he will miss this game. Normally it is a week when a
player goes off like this.
“It is a big problem for us.”
(Evening Echo)
Aurelio tells of hard times
Fabio Aurelio has spoken of his frustration at his
persistent injury troubles at Liverpool, but has his sights
set on Sunday's clash against Chelsea - a game that can be
seen live on Sky Sports 1.
The Brazilian has started just 18 games since his move from
Valencia in July 2006 after suffering a number of serious
injuries.
He appeared to be over his troubles after recently managing
three consecutive league starts, but he was forced off at
half-time against Sunderland with a thigh problem.
Aurelio is sure it is only a short-term issue, though, and
is optimistic of being available for the trip to Stamford
Bridge.
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool duo impressed by Capello
Peter Crouch believes that Fabio Capello has an "aura" about
him and certainly knows what he wants from his England
charges.
The Italian coach got off to a winning start with a 2-1
victory over Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday and already
he appears to have injected a new lease of life into the
squad.
"He's a manager who certainly knows what he wants," Crouch
told Liverpool's official website.
"He will get his point across right from the start."
Crouch's Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard was handed the
captain's armband for the game by Capello, and the
midfielder also had plenty of positive words to say about
the new national coach.
"We're really impressed by the manager's ideas and his
methods. He's certainly a winner," said Gerrard.
"But it will take time for the players to adapt and perform
in the exact way he wants us to perform.
"I think the future is bright though. He's a very good
manager and he's certainly impressed me in the two or three
days I've worked with him."
(TEAMtalk)
Liverpool fans pledge £60m
Share Liverpool FC have confirmed they have been pledged
nealy £60million during the first four days of the fans'
scheme.
The group is looking for 100,000 fans to put in £5,000 each
in a bid to buy the club and so far 11,892 fans have pledged
to buy a share of the club which amounts to £59.46million in
a bid to make the £500million needed for the buy-out.
Google has revealed that, as well as the 11,892 "count me
in" responses, the site has also recieved 5,394 responses in
favour of the idea but need more information to make their
pledge and 7,930 responses from people who cannot afford it.
The UK, Norway, USA and Ireland are the four countries where
most of the hits originated from.
(TEAMtalk)
Hicks and Gillett double act has failed
The ink was barely dry on the offer document to buy
Liverpool Football Club by Tom Hicks and George Gillett when
one Reds legend confided that he believed the American
adventure would end in tears.
“It will never work,” he said. “You can only have one person
at the top making the big decisions.
“We found out when Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans were joint
managers of the team that those kind of partnerships don't
work in football.
“You need one person in charge, it’s as simple as that.”
Twelve months on from Hicks and Gillett taking over at
Anfield, those words are looking remarkably prescient as the
‘two heads are better than one’ theory is starting to ring
incredibly hollow.
(Liverpool Echo)
International round up
Nine Reds were involved in international games last night.
Steven Gerrard played the full 90 minutes while Peter Crouch
was
a 57th minute subsitute as England beat Switzerland 2-1 at
Wembley.
Yossi Benayoun captained Israel to a 1-0 win over Romania
while Ryan Babel played 55 minutes as Holland recorded an
impressive 3-0 win
in Croatia.
Fernando Torres started for Spain but only played 23 minutes
before coming off with a hamstring injury. Xabi Alonso was a
second half subsitute as Spain beat France 1-0. Pepe Reina
was an unused sub.
Lucas came on in the 83rd minute as Brazil beat the Republic
of Ireland
1-0 in Croke Park while Martin Skrtel played for Slovakia as
they drew 1-1 with Hungary in Cyprus.
John Arne Riise had a night to forget as Norway were
hammered 3-0 by Wales' under 12's team at the Racecourse
Ground. Meanwhile, Sami Hyypia didn't feature for Finland as
they lost 2-1 to Greece. Former Red Jari Litmanen scored
Finland's goal in that one.
(LFC Online)
Barnsley seek keeper for Anfield
Barnsley manager Simon Davey wants to bring in a goalkeeper
on loan before the FA Cup tie against Liverpool.
On-loan keeper Tony Warner is cup-tied for the match at
Anfield, having already played for Fulham.
As Heinz Muller is injured with cruciate ligament damage,
Davey would be left with youngster Kyle Letheren for the
biggest match of the season.
Davey told the club website: "If we needed a kid, we would
put Kyle in. We are looking for experience."
(BBC Sport Online)
Goal-shy Kuyt looks up to Crouch
Dirk Kuyt is drawing inspiration from team-mate Peter Crouch
as he seeks to end his dry spell at Liverpool.
The Holland international has not scored in his last 12
games for The Reds and of his three Premier League goals
this season, only one has come from open play.
His drop in form has seen him fall out of Marco van Basten’s
national squad but Kuyt remains confident that he can
reverse his fortunes.
Indeed, the former Feyenoord star is looking no further than
fellow striker Crouch for inspiration as the England man
went 18 games before scoring his first goal for the club in
2005.
“I know Crouchie went a long time without scoring when he
first came here,” said Kuyt in the Daily Star.
“It turned around for him and I’m sure it will for me, then
I will be back to my best.
“Sometimes you need just a little piece of luck to make a
huge difference.
“It might be the ball hitting you and going in or something
similar.
“The most important thing is to keep focused and keep
believing in yourself. The only option is to get on with
it.”
(Setanta Sports)
Thor Zakariassen
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