No matter what happens from now until the end of the season, and whether we finish in the top 4 or not, there are a number of recent transfer deals that bother me greatly - signings, sales or missed opportunities that could've improved our squad and afforded us more depth than we currently have.
The deals relevant to last season may even have turned some of those nagging draws in wins, maybe giving us enough points to have snatched the title from Man Ure. Click to continue reading...

If you believe what you hear - and what you saw against Fulham - you'll probably believe the wolves are at the door for Señor Benitez. However, I'll try to put things in perspective without using an array of cringe-worthy Halloween puns.
What happened against Fulham was a disaster, and a game we shouldn't have lost going into. Click to continue reading...

It has been revealed that Xabi Alonso may have been prevented from writing an open-letter to Liverpool's fans when he left the club. Given the Spaniard's contribution to the club, I find this to be very disappointing.
Both John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia wrote open letters to Liverpool fans when they left the club, both of which were published on the official Liverpool FC website. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, I looked at the real cost of Jan Kromkamp's transfer to Liverpool. Today, I attempt to establish the true cost of Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia, two of Rafa Benitez's most successful signings.
At the time of both transfers, the BBC reported that Garcia cost 6m, but in their report for Alonso's transfer, a fee was not specified. Click to continue reading...

Let's enjoy a lush trifecta of footballer perfection avec children:

David Beckham with his oldest son Brooklyn at the Lakers game last night. Photo details that make us feel safe and secure: Brooklyn's untied shoelaces and David's chomped on candy apple;

Francesco Totti and his seriously enamoured son Christian.

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Let's enjoy a lush trifecta of footballer perfection avec children:

David Beckham with his oldest son Brooklyn at the Lakers game last night. Photo details that make us feel safe and secure: Brooklyn's untied shoelaces and David's chomped-on candy apple;

Francesco Totti and his seriously enamoured son Christian.

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Almost everything is going wrong for Liverpool. I say 'almost', because last week they beat Manchester United at Anfield, and the gloom was temporarily lifted. "Liverpool have turned a corner... This will kick-start their season... etc" in the end, it hasn't. Liverpool's continued struggles share similarities with those of the aforementioned United in the 2004-05 season, where, after an awful start to the season, a victory against Big Rivals (in that case, Arsenal) threatened to send the Old Trafford club on a march back to glory.

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I finally got to this. There shouldn't be any surprises, but the depth chart is obviously switched right now. Forward: Montero, Ljungberg, Jaqua, Levesque, Le Toux Left Wing: Zakuani, Ljungberg, Levesque, Le Toux Right Wing: Jaqua, Ljungberg, Levesque, Le Toux Center Mid: Evans, Vagenas, Alonso Defensive Mid: Alonso, Vagenas, Ianni Left Wingback: Gonzalez, Scott, Wahl Right Wingback: Riley, Evans, Ianni Centerbacks: Hurtado, [. Click to continue reading...

After Sunday's great victory over Man Utd and a very good performance in the Carling Cup defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday, Rafa Benitez must be starting to believe that Liverpool have turned a corner this season and that his side are now prepared to fight again for the Premiership title.
Lets face it, we played United of the park last week and we put in a very good display against Arsenal the other night and were very unlucky to lose that match. Click to continue reading...

In a Copa Del Rey match, Jerzy Dudek was the goalie under siege as Francisco Borja scored the first goal, a under pressure Alvaro Arbeloa scored an own goal, Ernesto Gomez tapped in a third, and Borja completed Madrid's woebegone display with his second goal and Alcorcon's fourth.

Pellegrini rested Kaka and his place was taken by Guti.

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The "incredible" home support witnessed during Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Manchester United has increased Italian international Alberto Aquilani's desire to make his long-awaited debut for his new club.
Aquilani was purchased by Rafael Benitez in August for an estimated £17 million, as a direct replacement for Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso, but the former Roma star has been unable to represent the Reds in competitive action as his season has been beset with ankle trouble. Click to continue reading...

Before Sunday's game between Liverpool and Manchester United, Liverpool were supposedly in crisis. While their manager Rafa Benitez has got some relief from the enormous pressure on him, the questions regarding the team's dependence on Gerrard and Torres will come up again in the future. Liverpool fully deserved their victory and this does not reflect well on the quality of the United team.

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In the midst of the Alonso summer saga, I posted the results from different midfield pairings. Lucas/Mascherano's line looked like this:
6 wins, 4 draws
2-0 West Brom, 3-0 West Ham, 4-1 United, 1-1 City, 1-1 Wigan, 0-0 Stoke, 5-1 Newcastle, 3-1 PSV [4-4-2], 0-0 Fulham [4-4-2], 2-1 Marseille
Let's ignore the PSV and Fulham games because of the 4-4-2 formation in Gerrard's absence (and Torres' against PSV). Click to continue reading...

England legend Gary Lineker has proclaimed that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez made a mistake during the summer by signing Glen Johnson, when he should have opted to bring in Gareth Barry instead.
The current Manchester City midfielder was being chased by the Spaniard, as the boss intended to edge out Xabi Alonso to lure the Englishman into being a part of the 'Rafalution'. Click to continue reading...

Javier Mascherano has further rocked the listing Anfield boat this morning by snubbing a new contract.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, already on the ropes after four straight defeats, has always believed the Argentine midfielder would join his golden list of long-term stars.
Skipper Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger and Yossi Benayoun were all secured on bumper summer deals. Click to continue reading...

It's gearing up to be a very interesting Sunday afternoon of football, with Liverpool and United meeting before we take a trip east to face West Ham, opponents we haven't exactly thrived against in recent years. In fact, some of the games have become infamous, the 1-0 defeat that saw Wenger and Pardew nearly come to blows, and a 3-2 reverse where Sol Campbell jumped ship at half time.

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Its a game that's as big as it gets for Liverpool afternoon.Yes its our hated enemy, Man Utd at Anfield in a game which will define our season.Win and we are right back in contention for the league.Lose and our season is over, its that big a match.
With six defeats already this season, four in the Premiership, things have not been going well at Liverpool, to say the least. Click to continue reading...

I think not!

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Portsmouth Vs Liverpool Tickets Still Available!

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is already putting together a shortlist for next summer's transfer market, and it appears that his priority is a swoop for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

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A lot has been made of Liverpool's recent dip in form with the team looking a shadow of the side that we saw last year. Liverpool lost key personnel most notably in the form of Alonso with his replacement Aquilani yet to take the field in a Liverpool shirt.

Key players Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard have both missed games this season and the lack of suitable back up players for Liverpool seems to be evident at the moment.

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Alberto Aquilani's recuperation continues with a 15 minute reserve match run-out against Sunderland reserves last night. Here is a short video from Caughtoffside.com highlighting the Italian's eye for a pass, vision and close control.
Aquilani has the makings of a very good playmaker, in an advanced midfield role. Click to continue reading...

Raul

The forgotten man in Real Madrid's offensive rotation reminded La Liga fans that he is still among the best goal scorers.� With Cristiano Ronaldo out for a while it is Raul's time to shine and prove once again in his career that he is as valuable as any player on the squad.

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Without Cristiano Ronaldo, the Merengues lacked creativity and an attacking spark.

Karim Benzema and Kaka both had an unmemorable outing. It was the supporting cast of Granero, Marcelo and Raul that provided the threat and in the second half Royston Drenthe had his moments.

Pellegrini turned defensive with Lass and Alonso creating redundancy in the holding midfielder positions, with Alonso a bit more adventurous.

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Liverpool's crushing defeats to Sunderland and Lyon are undoubtedly devastating blows to the club's trophy ambitions. Clearly, the recurring problems that have plagued Liverpool under Rafa Benitez are wreaking havoc once again. As such, if the club is to recover and salvage something from this campaign, it is imperative that important changes are made NOW. Click to continue reading...

Phew! Who would want to be in Rafa's shoes right now.Four straight defeats in all competitions, the first time since 1987, an injury list as long as your arm and a tough game against Man Utd this weekend.Not the ideal scenario, in fact, things couldn't be any worse at Liverpool right now.Torres, Gerrard, Johnson, Riera and Kelly are all injured leaving us in a position where Rafa will struggle to get a fit team out on Sunday to face our arch rivals. Click to continue reading...

Lyon's 2-1 Champions League victory at Anfield on Tuesday night sparked mass hysteria amongst the Liverpool faithful. While almost everyone points the finger at the absence of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in recent weeks, even more people are blaming manager Rafa Benitez. There is no doubt about it: people are calling for Rafa Benitez's head.

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After Liverpool's home defeat to Aston Villa on August the 25th, I argued that several changes needed to be made to the formation, the most important of which being Steven Gerrard moving to central midfield. Given the team's run of defeats since that time, and the absence of Fernando Torres, the need for playing 'aces in their places' is now more important than ever. Click to continue reading...

(video highlights di Valencia-Barcellona)
I risultati di calcio della Liga:
Deportivo La Coruna-Siviglia 1-0
38' Rodriguez
Real Madrid-Valladolid 4-2
14', 18' Raul (R), 29' Nauzet (V), 45' Marcelo (R), 53' Marquitos (V), 79' Higuain (R)
Valencia-Barcellona 0-0
Espanyol-Tenerife 2-1
11' e 60' Alonso (E), 15' Alfaro (T)
Malaga-Almeria 1-2
39' Cisma (A), 41' Soriano (M), 68' Edinho (A)
Maiorca-Getafe 3-1
31' Álvarez (M), 53' e 70' Aduriz (M), 79' Albín (G)
Real Saragozza-Racing 2-2
22' Pavon (S), 33' Arizmendi (S), 81' Tchite (R), 86' Serrano (R)
Xerez-Villarreal 2-1
18' Pires (V), 42' Bermejo (X), 80' Antonito (X)
Athletic Bilbao-Sporting Gijon 1-2
65', 76' De Las Cuevas, 81' Toquero
Osasuna-Atletic Madrid 3-0
4',25' Pandiani, 29' Aranda
CLASSIFICA - Barcellona 19, Real Madrid 18, Siviglia 15, Deportivo La Coruna 15, Maiorca 13, Valencia 12, Espanyol 11, Sporting 11, Athletic 10, Osasuna 10, Almeria 9, Getafe 9, Real Saragozza 8, Atletico Madrid 6, Tenerife 6, Racing 6, Xerez 5, Real Valladolid 5, Malaga 4, Villarreal 3. Click to continue reading...

Wenger gives his reasons for not pursuing midfield pair.

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Wenger revealed why he had not bought either Xabi Alonso or Gareth Barry in the summer.

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Alberto Aquilani has undergone two training sessions with his Liverpool team-mates and all that is left to finalise his return is to improve his match fitness, according to Rafael Benitez, who confirmed the news to the club's official website on Saturday.
The Italian was bought in the summer, as a replacement for Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso, but has been sidelined since his transfer due to an ankle injury. Click to continue reading...

With Gerrard and Torres out of today's game against Sunderland, Liverpool fans are waiting with bated-breath to see what team will be sent out by Rafa Benitez. As a comparison, Liverpool have been without their two star players five times in the past. How did the teams line-up in those games?
TOULOUSE: August 2007 (4-0 win)
-------------- Reina
Arbeloa -- Agger -- Hyypia -- Riise
Benayoun -- Sissoko -- Masch -- Leto
----------- Crouch -- Kuyt
CHELSEA: December 2007 (2-0 defeat)
-------------- Reina
Arbeloa -- Carra -- Hobbs -- Aurelio
--------- Alonso -- Sissoko
Voronin ------ Lucas ------- Babel
------------- Crouch
LUTON: Jan 2008 (1-1)
-------------- Reina
Finnan -- Carra -- Hyypia -- Riise
---------- Alonso --- Lucas
Kuyt ------ Benayoun ------ Babel
------------ Crouch
FULHAM: April 2008 (2-0 win)
-------------- Reina
Finnan -- Skrtel -- Hyypia -- Riise
Benayoun -- Masch -- Lucas -- Pennant
---------- Crouch -- Voronin
MANCHESTER UNITED: September 2008 (2-1 win)
-------------- Reina
Arbeloa -- Carra -- Skrtel -- Aurelio
---------- Alonso -- Masch
Kuyt ---------- Benayoun ------- Riera
---------------- Keane
The Chelsea defeat aside, Benitez hasn't gone particularly defensive when Gerrard and Torres have both been missing. Click to continue reading...

The Beauty: A Spanish actress� nearly as hot as� Penelope Cruz? No, impossible. But wait, here is Miss Nagore Aranburu, a truly tasty WAG and one of the most tremendous looking thespians I have ever seen. She is a beautiful woman with a husband who is one of the finest players of the beautiful game in the world.

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There has been a lot of heated debate about Rafa's signings and overall effectiveness since the ‘leaked' conversation between George Gillett and a member of the ‘Spirit of Shankly' group. How much cash has Rafa really spent since becoming manager and how much has he brought back in through sales? Click to continue reading...

Javier Mascherano is on a collision course with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.
The Argentine midfielder still harbours resentment over Benitez's refusal to sell him to Barcelona in the summer and Liverpool's subsequent refusal to hand him a pay rise that would bring him into line with the club's top earners. Click to continue reading...

Steve McManaman has warned Liverpool not to heap pressure on Roberto Aquilani to be the club's saviour.
Aquilani has yet to play for the Reds after an operation on his right ankle in May.
But Liverpool legend McManaman fears too much pressure is already being placed on the 25-year-old Italian to rescue the club's season. Click to continue reading...

The UEFA Champions League is only in the group stage but realistically there are only a handful of teams who have a chance to win. So, who are the favorites to win and how are they looking so far? Here's a look at the favorites to win the Champions League trophy in May and their current form.

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