When Rafa Benitez splashed out £17 million on Roma sensation Alberto Aquilani, you could fully understand Liverpool supporters' optimism that their Champions League winning coach had taken their team another giant step closer to winning their first league title in nearly twenty years.

Something to take the fans mind off an already torrid season.

Get Liverpool Tickets at Fantastic Prices Now!

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Nikoleta Lozanova Nikolay Mihaylov's WAG

Julia Voronin dressed as a Leopard?

Liverpool v Arsenal: win or kiss Champions League goodbye - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Liverpool fans are on a high after winning the Carling Cup last weekend, with Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard heralding the triumph as the start of a new era of success for the club. Whether this season is a success or not may well depend on the outcome of this Saturday's fixture against Arsenal however.

After the win against Wigan, Rafa Benitez declared that Liverpool's season will start then. However all that took place after Wigan was an embarassing defeat to Portsmouth. Embarassing because Liverpool hardly showed any attacking threat and were completely shackled by Pompey.
The poor showing by Liverpool has drawn much criticisms about the manager's handling of the club and questionable tactics.

With his ineffective man-management skills, Rafa Benitez has alienated a whole host of players during his reign, including Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel and Xabi Alonso. The latest person to feel the full force of the 'Benitez Effect' is new signing Alberto Aquilani, who has become 'frustrated' with his manager's cautious approach.

The English Premier League had one match on Sunday, December 13, 2009 as Arsenal traveled to Anfield to face Liverpool. Arsenal has had a solid start to the season but could gain ground on 1st place Chelsea and 2nd place Man U with a victory. Liverpool is out of the top four and is now in danger of not qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for next season.

Liverpool's summer signing Alberto Aquilani may well have found breaking into the first team something of a challenge after a long spell out injured but he doesn't appear to have any problem bringing the female of the species to his attention. This is Pamela Camassa, a former conquest of Aquilani's, and she appears to like being photographed wearing as little as possible, here are some examples.

Much has been made of Liverpool's catastrophic start to the season; out of the European Cup; out of the Carling Cup, and in danger of finishing outside the top four. As they would if any of the top four were doing badly, the media has overreacted and (predictably) come up with age-old clichés to explain Liverpool's problems.

WTF?

Get Liverpool Tickets at Fantastic Prices Now!

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Can someone please try to explain to me what is going on? Rafa Benitez bought a footballer who was suffering from a long term injury, in fact he invested £20m (albeit in installments) in said player, and yet when he finally gets himself fit and ready for action, he isn't picked!

Former Liverpool FC striker Stan Collymore is calling on Steven Gerrard to leave Anfield "in search of the Premier League".
Collymore believes the Reds ace will never win the ultimate goal while with Liverpool and he says many players in the current squad are not good enough to play alongside Gerrard.

The Official Liverpool club site reported that Alberto Aquilani will start tonight against Fiorentina in a meaningless Champions League match. Fernando Torres is also expected to be named on the substitutes bench. The initial reaction from me when I was told by a Red Devils fan was, "why oh why? Rafa has got things wrong yet again!

I'm with Terrell, this whole exiting the Champions League thing sucks. And I love my quarterback too. But strictly in the platonic sense. So what if I'm the center?

In case you haven't heard, or haven't been subjected to the suffocating coverage of Liverpool's failures thus far in Europe, today marks the end of Liverpool's Champions League campaign.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez continues to guarantee that his side will finish in the top four of the Premier League, but the Spaniard will be well aware that anything less than three points against Wolves at Anfield will increase doubts.
The Reds have suffered a shocking campaign after producing numerous uninspiring displays to fall eight points off the UEFA Champions League places, a competition the 2005 winners were dumped out of at the group stages this season.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez insists he will not bow to critics who want Alberto Aquilani to be rushed into the first team.
The Reds boss' tactics have been questioned as his £20million summer signing has remained on the substitute's bench over recent weeks and only earned a strange 30-second outing in the UEFA Champions League win at Debrecen.

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

Please stop crying. No just...just stop crying. Please? Stop crying! [101gg]

Gael Clichy has a gold iPhone AND a gold Blackberry. Meanwhile, my phone has a crack in it.

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

Cristiano Ronaldo's two amazing/ridiculous goals in Real Madrid's 3-1 Champions League win over Marseille today. [YouTube]

John Terry and Frank Lampard discuss their "special relationship.

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani hopes to learn from the likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano as he makes his gradual progression to first-team regular.
An ankle injury restricted the Italy international, who arrived in the summer after the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, to just 22 minutes prior to last night's Champions League defeat to Fiorentina.

How many "Liverpool must win" stories can be written about this year's squad?

Well, at least one more.

Already 12 points adrift of Chelsea and headed for the Europa League, the shine off the 2009-2010 campaign is fading fast.

At least Sunday's latest all-or-nothing fixture with Arsenal is at Anfield.

Last night, the 'Liverpool Daily Post' published an article about Alberto Aquilani containing a headline that suggested the Italian was publicly criticising the club. I made a complaint to the Post about the nature of the headline, and now it has (rightfully) been changed to something a little less provocative.

"Rafa, remember me?"

Alberto Aquilani has told the Liverpool Daily Post that he is desperate to play against Arsenal this weekend:

"I need to play, play, play because I'm in a new team, and I need games now. My ankle is fine now, I feel good, and now I need to work hard in training for my body.

COS Contributor Retryboy extols the virtues of a cult hero who Rafa is finally warming to. A Liverpool legend in the making?

Get Liverpool Tickets at Fantastic Prices Now!

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Confusing, annoying and downright senseless!

Get Liverpool Tickets at Fantastic Prices Now!

Join Our Facebook Fan Page for the Latest News/Rumours/Forums/Videos/WAGS/Funny Stuff/Features!

Alberto Aquilani! Not for some time has a footballer produced quite so much heated debate whilst seemingly rarely getting the chance to prove his worth on the pitch whilst everyone and anyone chimes in on just why the former Roma man can't appear to get himself into the Anfield first team picture.

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani is the latest Premier League star to fly to the Balkans for treatment on his injury using horse placenta.
The Italian, a £20 million summer switch from Roma who has barely featured for the Reds after undergoing ankle surgery in the summer, travelled to Belgrade on Sunday with reserve striker Nabil El Zhar for the treatment, according to The Daily Mail.

Alberto Aquilani is in contention to play against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing day after missing the tie against Portsmouth last weekend. Aquilani has been one of the most talked about players to have barely played a game for Liverpool, yet there's a chance he will finally be given a league start against Wolves given the fact [.

Liverpool want ‘placenta doctor' Marijana Kovacevic to take a permanent role with the club.
Manager Rafa Benitez and his medical staff have been so impressed by Kovacevic's work with their injured players that they want to discuss a deal that would see her prioritise care for them.
The club want to explore the possibility of the Belgrade housewife, dismissed by some as a quack, establishing a base at Anfield so their players do not have to travel so far for treatment.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez admits he must assess the risk of using Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani in tonight's critical Barclays Premier League clash at Aston Villa.
The £20million summer signing from Roma finally made his first league start in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Wolves.

The representative of Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has rushed to stop the rumour mill after English tabloids alleged the 25-year-old had flown to Belgrade to receive treatment from ‘placenta doctor' Marijana Kovacevic in a bid to put an end to his seemingly endless series of injury setbacks.

It is the longest drawn out saga to surround Anfield since David Moores decided in the late 1990s a new stadium was exactly what Liverpool needed. But at last it looks like the wait could soon be over.
Not for the stadium - that plan has been filed neatly in the "distant future" cabinet of Anfield's offices.

The performance may have given us less to shout about – but the circumstances are so similar.
On October 25, Liverpool came off the back of that defeat to Sunderland and gave Manchester United a torrid time in a 2-0 victory which we all hoped would kick-start the season.
It was more of a false dawn, as it turned out.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has revealed that Alberto Aquilani could make his long-awaited first start for against Fiorentina on Wednesday night.
Aquilani was once again an unused substitute in the goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The Italian midfielder could now make his first start in Wednesday's Champions League clash with his countrymen Fiorentina with nothing at stake in the encounter.

The true measure of Liverpool's Champions League humiliation will really hit home next week when they face a meaningless Group E match against Fiorentina.
Liverpool are already out of the competition with one match still to go and all that boss Rafael Benitez can really look forward to is the prospect that both Fernando Torres - still fighting to recover from a groin problem - and £20million midfielder Alberto Aquilani could play.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admitted his disappointment with Liverpool's goalless draw at Ewood Park but defended his decision not to bring on Alberto Aquilani.
He said: "We did not play well in the first half, but after the break we were much better. We were certainly better in possession than we had been in the last game when we won at Everton.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that injured duo Alberto Aquilani and Fernando Torres are ready to return to action and should play some part in Wednesday's Champions League tie with Fiorentina.
Aquilani's continued presence on the Reds bench has been the source of much frustration for Liverpool fans in recent weeks.

Liverpool still drew yesterday. Sadly, the answer is no.

Glen Johnson confirms what the women at Kickette probably already knew. Oh, he meant playing style. Still, I'm inclined to say that between Benni McCarthy and Sam Allardyce, Rovers are objectively not handsome. They never should have let go of Roque Santa Cruz.

The creation of the Ferenc Puskas award was mentioned on the main page awhile back, and now voting has opened for the ten nominees. Fernando Torres' stroke of magic against Blackburn at Anfield is among those, as are strikes by Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Essien, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Andres Iniesta (but we all know it was really Tom Ovrebo).

Manager Rafael Benitez insists Saturday's point at Blackburn was another step in the right direction for Liverpool.
Chances were at a minimum during a frustrating afternoon at Ewood Park, but the Spaniard was delighted with a third successive clean sheet which extended his side's unbeaten run in all competitions to six games.

Lucas Leiva is confident Alberto Aquilani will be a hit at Liverpool once he settles into life at Anfield.
The Italian has endured a frustrating opening to his Reds career, with a long-standing injury carried over from his time at Roma hindering his early opportunities to make an impression.

After seeing tantalizing morsels of the AS Roma player, Rafa Benitez will start Alberto Aquilani in the Fiorentina match at Anfield this Wednesday. The match itself has little consequence for Liverpool.

Will we get to see him start against Arsenal over the weekend or will Rafa once again turn to Gerrard, Lucas, and Mascherano to provide "balance in the midfield" much to the chagrin of 'Pool fans?

"Alberto is available to play and has been for more than a month. He feels good and the injury has cleared up, and now the only way he can get truly fit is to play more and more minutes. He is desperate to get his career in England up and running. He has been very frustrated, first at being injured, then at not being chosen to play for so long.

Liverpool v Fiorentina
Uefa Champions League
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Kickoff: 20:45 CET

Liverpool are in the Europa League. Liverpool. Are. In. The. Europa. League. Liver...

Repetition doesn't make it any easier to accept, although thankfully for Rafael Benitez he has a very professional squad of players and the teams around him in the domestic league (Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa) are doing their best to help Liverpool qualify for the Champions League for next season.