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TUESDAY 9 |
Reds duo fire in Spain romp
Albert Riera and Fernando Torres fired as Spain warmed up
for the Confederations Cup with a 6-0 thrashing of
Azerbaijan.
Riera bagged his third international goal on 67 minutes
following a first-half hat-trick from David Villa.
Torres then hit his 19th Spain strike in the dying moments.
The pair played all 90 minutes alongside clubmates Alvaro
Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso, while Pepe Reina replaced Iker
Casillas for the second period.
Spain now travel to South Africa where they will kick off
against New Zealand on June 14. Also in Group A are Iraq and
the hosts.
The five Liverpool stars will be out there until June 28
should Spain reach the final.
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez insists he is
happy with his transfer budget
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has revealed he was fully
aware of the club’s financial problems before he signed his
new five-year contract
in March.
And a defiant Benitez insists he is happy with his transfer
budget and still aims to bring in "one or two" top signings
ahead of next season.
The Liverpool boss was speaking in the wake of the release
of the club’s worrying financial figures last week,
underlining the need for prudence in the transfer market.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Agent: Masch would join Barca
Javier Mascherano's agent says the Argentine midfielder
would love to join Barcelona if the European champions come
calling.
The Reds midfielder has become a vital part of Rafa
Benitez's plans since signing a five-year contract back in
2007.
While the 24-year-old has recently said he is happy at
Anfield, his agent Walter Tamer claims Mascherano would
gladly jump ship.
Tamer told Catalan radio station RAC-1: "If a club like
Barcelona want to bring you into their ranks after having
completed such a brilliant season and having won everything,
obviously as a player you are going to say 'Yes, I want to
play there'.
"It is an honour for Javier that a club like Barca pay such
close attention to him, especially after the incredible
season they had. I believe that a transfer would be
feasible. If Barca really want him, he will sign for them.
"He would have a very easy job at Barca. Sometimes we talk
and joke that the only thing he has to do is run, rob the
ball, and pass it on to all the superstars in front of him."
But Tamer does admit the move would be made more difficult
if Liverpool agree to sell Real Madrid-linked Xabi Alonso
first.
"What if Xabi Alonso also leaves? Surely, Rafa Benitez would
not want to have both his central midfielders go. It will be
difficult, although Xabi's future does not depend on
Mascherano and vice-versa," he said.
"The transaction would certainly happen, but the first to
leave will have more options."
(Sky Sports) |
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MONDAY 8 |
Benitez: Liverpool are not
interested in Lavezzi
Liverpool have reportedly been chasing the signature of
Napoli star Ezequiel Lavezzi, but Rafa Benitez has quashed
the speculation, stating that the Premier League side do not
want to add the ex-San Lorenzo star to their squad.
"We never contacted Lavezzi and we have no intention of
doing so. We want to put a stop to these rumours," the
Spanish tactician claimed to the English press, according to
tuttomercatoweb.
One of Lavezzi's representatives, Eduardo Rossetto, had
recently made statements to the contrary, indicating the the
Reds were extremely interested in signing the Partenopei
forward.
The Argentine international has been an influential figure
and fan favourite at the Stadio San Paolo for the last two
seasons, but has become unsettled after what he claims is "a
lack of respect" from
the Serie A outfit.
Press reports from the peninsula suggest that AC Milan,
Juventus, and Manchester City are also in the running for
the 24-year-old.
(Goal.com)
McMahon named
new Reserve boss
Liverpool have announced the appointment of John McMahon to
their backroom staff as reserve team head coach.
Having spent almost four years at Shrewsbury Town, McMahon
is delighted to make the move back to Merseyside.
"If any Premier League club comes knocking at your door it
is something that you have to consider and with it being
Liverpool it was a job that I couldn't refuse," he said.
"To work with a manager of the quality of Rafa Benitez and
an assistant manager like Sammy Lee is brilliant."
Younger brother of former Kop favourite Steve McMahon, John
spent eight years at Tranmere Rovers before making the move
to Shrewsbury as number two to Gary Peters and then
progressing to become assistant manager to Paul Simpson.
(LFC Official Website)
Lavezzi makes Reds claim
The agent of Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi has claimed Liverpool
have made a concrete bid for the Argentine striker.
Lavezzi, who has made no secret of his desire to quit the
Serie A outfit, has also courted attention from Manchester
City.
He wrote an open letter to fans last week complaining that
the club had shown him a lack of respect.
Now agent Eduardo Rossetto has claimed that a move to
Anfield is a real possibility, telling Gazzetta dello Sport:
"There is a definite proposal
from Liverpool.
"The one thing I can say, that so far I have kept
confidential, is that (Napoli general manager Pierpaolo)
Marino met twice with the Fifa agent Pablo Cosentino, who
invited him to set a meeting in either Liverpool or Naples
with the British club."
Asked if the meeting had taken place, Rossetto said: "No.
And we do not want to compel Napoli to sell the player.
"But I think it is appropriate that the club consider the
offer: to judge that it is either sufficient or
insufficient."
(Sky Sports)
Reds duo linked with Rovers
John Barnes and Jason McAteer have been linked with the
Tranmere job.
(LFC Online)
Bruna helps Argentina through
Gerado Bruna helped Argentina reach the semi-finals of
the Toulon Tournament.
The reserve team midfielder made his first start of the
under 20's tournament and helped Argentina book their place
in the semi-final with a 1-1 draw with the United Arab
Emirates.
(LFC Online) |
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SUNDAY 7 |
Crouch linked
with Reds return
The Sunday papers always bring a few new rumours to the
table and with the transfer window open in less than a month
you can expect many more in the weeks to come.
A new name has entered the discussion today though, with
former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch the subject of a
report in The Mirror.
“Despite severe financial restrictions in place at Anfield,
manager Rafa Benitez will attempt to try to land Crouch for
as little as £4million” claims Paul Smith.
(This is Anfield)
International round up
Plenty of Reds were in international action yesterday.
Steven Gerrard had two assists for England in their 4-0 win
over Kazakhstan.
Dirk Kuyt played 66 minutes of Holland's 2-1 win over
Iceland while Ryan Babel came on as a 75th minute subsitute.
Daniel Agger recovered from a back injury in time to play
for Denmark as they beat Sweden 1-0 to go three points clear
at the top of Group 1.
Javier Mascherano picked up a slight knock in Argentina's
1-0 win over Colombia but had to stay on the pitch as Diego
Maradona had already used his three subsitutes.
Andrea Dossena came on as a subsitute for Italy in their 3-0
friendly win over Northern Ireland.
Peter Gulacsi and Krisztian Nemeth both played for Hungary
under 21's as they beat Luxembourg 3-0 in a European
Championships qualifier.
David N'Gog helped France under 20's beat Portugal 1-0 to
qualify for the knockout stages of the Toulon Tournament.
(LFC Online)
Rafa: Spine is there,
we'll find rest
Rafa Benitez believes he has assembled the spine of a
title-winning side - and claims the club is working
tirelessly behind the scenes to find any missing links this
summer.
Benitez has made retaining current stars a priority over the
last two months, with new deals agreed for Daniel Agger,
Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt.
The Anfield boss now hopes to add to his talented squad over
the coming months.
"We are working very hard to keep the spine of the team -
that was always the idea," Benitez told LFC Magazine.
(LFC Official Website)
Gerrard eyes one more win
Steven Gerrard believes a win against Andorra on Wednesday
would all but see England qualify for the World Cup in South
Africa next summer.
The Liverpool midfielder was instrumental in the first two
goals against Kazakhstan on Saturday as Fabio Capello's men
ran out comfortable 4-0 winners to make it six wins out of
six in Group Six.
Despite taking time to adapt to their surroundings on what
was an extremely bobbly pitch the Three Lions took command
when Gerrard crossed for Gareth Barry to nod home before
playing a part in the second for Emile Heskey.
Further goals from Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard mean
England need six points from their final four games to seal
a place in South Africa but Gerrard believes qualification
can be ensured as soon as Wednesday.
"I think if we win against Andorra we are in the box seat to
qualify," he told the Sunday Mirror. "I think we are one win
away from virtually sealing it.
"But it is important for us not to get carried away, be
professional and get the job done and then we can go into
the more difficult games with greater confidence."
(TEAMtalk)
Thor Zakariassen
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