Luis Suarez is continuing to fulfil his role as a victim perfectly at Liverpool in his recent statements about his eight match ban for the racial abuse of Patrice Evra. A born and bred scouser would be proud of Suarez's efforts to appear innocent and blameless.

"My conscience is clear [on Evra]," he said.

Of the players that are expected to leave this summer, there was only certainty around the departure of Fabio Aurelio. Today it's been widely reported that he'll head back to Brazil on a free transfer to join Gremio, where he'll surely see out the final days of his playing career. We've said goodbye to the player once before, which makes this a less traditional farewell post, but he's still deserving of a mention for the impact that he made during his time with Liverpool.

From the outside, at least, Liverpool Football Club is in a holding pattern, a theoretical construct that may or may not field a "squad" to compete in various English and European footballing "competitions" in the coming season and that at present exists primarily as a vehicle for endless whisper, rumour, and speculation.

A time for change at Anfield:
Guest writer: Pat McGuinness
Check out Pat's interesting blog:
Pat's Football Blog
"I'm not quite sure what to make of Saturday's game; the right team won on the day but the officials got the Carroll decision wrong - footage of the header will show that there was no view of the incident from directly on the goal-line, but fractionally in front of it.

Though Granada's match against Real Madrid began with the home side giving already crowned champions a pasillo de honor, it ended with bitterness and flying Powerade bottles.

Real Madrid moved to within three points of a record 100 with a 2-1 win thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty kick and a Granada own goal in the third minute of added time.

Another week is in the books for Major League Soccer. Week 9 kicks off tomorrow so it is time to get the rankings out of the way.

A decent amount of movement this week for me. The top three remain the same while the second tier continues to get interesting. The third tier continues to shrink though as another club dropped to the bottom group, which is also growing like weeds.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has complimented former Reds manager Rafa Benitez on the work he did to lay the foundations of the current Academy structure.
During his time in charge on Merseyside, Benitez implemented wholesale changes to the youth system over at Kirkby and appointed many of the current pool of coaches including Pep Segura, Rodolfo Borrell and Frank McParland.

Andy Carroll won the match, making him the hero. On the other hand, for most of the game he was quite thoroughly anonymous. Though of course he went some way towards making up for that by being one of the best players on the pitch in the closing minutes. Still, until those closing minutes it seemed the two things he'd be remembered for would be missing what had until then been Liverpool's best chance of the second half and for handing Blackburn their first goal of the night.

While watching sports, it can be difficult to be objective. That's just the overall nature of competitive events. I'm sure last weekend D.C. United supporters felt hard-done by the suspension of Brandon McDonald and fining of Danny Cruz. I would bet that Vancouver Whitecaps fans felt anger about losing Atiba Harris.

Shalrie Joseph is the MLS disciplinary committee's latest victim.

The New England Revolution captain was suspended a game and fined an undisclosed amount for his scissoring tackle from behind on FC Dallas' Ricardo Villar on Thursday night, one that drew a yellow card during the game.

During the first two weeks of the season many Portland Timbers fans lost sleep over how dominant the Western Conference teams appeared to be over the East, and how important it was going to be to win those games against Eastern opponents. After Portland lost to New England, many fans wrote off the Timbers' chances at the playoffs altogether.

The MLS disciplinary committee is bringing down the hammer.

After reviewing the past weekend's matches, the league's disciplinary arm has suspended FC Dallas' Jair Benitez, D.C. United's Brandon McDonald and Vancouver Whitecaps' Atiba Harris a game apiece and fined them for violent conduct, and fined D.

By Dominic Vieira

He's sharp, lighting fast and killer inside the box; those words could have easily been used to describe Fernando Torres throughout his Atletico Madrid days, under Benitez at Anfield, or whilst representing Spain at Euro 2008.

The writing is definitely on the wall for Liverpool Manager Kenny Dalglish. With two successive losses in their last two Premier League outings, the Reds, find themselves in 7th place with 42 points.

Uncertainty over Dalglish's future is already raising speculation on a possible replacement.

About the only consistent thing about Liverpool in the 2011-12 season has been whiplash-inducing inconsistency, and so after a pair of encouraging victories over Everton in the derby and Stoke in the FA Cup, the smart money probably wasn't on the club winning their third in a row. It might not offer much hope for progress, but it's hard to look back at the end result without thinking that on some level it was what everybody should have expected from this Liverpool side.

By Alan Duffy

Once touted as the man to bring an added creative spark to the Reds' midfield, Alberto Aquilani looks set to finally break all connections with the Anfield club and make his move to Milan a permanent one.

The £17million signing of the glamorous Roma playmaker in 2009 by Rafa Benitez was expected to infuse the Red's midfield with a classy and creative spark.

As a nod of thanks to the gentleman who fixed up a potentially lethal laptop/TV interface in the office so we could watch the Arsenal game yesterday, we would like to show our love to technology savvy men. Without them, our world would be a barren and confusing place, where dial up internet access was considered the norm, tablets would be something we took for a hangover vs.

szólj hozzá: Birmingham 0 Chelsea 2 GOALS

Roberto Di Matteo enjoyed success on his debut as Chelsea's interim manager as his club beat Birmingham, 2-0 with goals through Juan Mata and Raul Meirelles. He then dedicated the win to Andre Villa Boas. A bit too cute.

Meanwhile Pep Guardiola appears to be leaning towards taking a sabbatical this summer from coaching which will not make Roman Abramovich very happy as he was first on his wish list.

The media is reporting that Roman Abramovich wants Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to become the next Chelsea manager.

The Mirror is reporting that Guardiola is Abramovich's stand-out first option, with the architect of the finest team on the planet the man the Russian believes can deliver his vision of "Barcelona in blue shirts".

The media is reporting that Roman Abramovich wants Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to become the next Chelsea manager.

The Mirror is reporting that Guardiola is Abramovich's stand-out first option, with the architect of the finest team on the planet the man the Russian believes can deliver his vision of "Barcelona in blue shirts".

The dust is yet to settle in West London following Andre Villas-Boas shock sacking yesterday and yet his sympathisers have already started emerging. Truth be told, i am really sorry to see him leave.

You know the kind of feeling you get when you want something so bad and when you finally get it, it's not how you imagined it to be.

"And very obviously, Abramovich has gone insane. ... totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct "

The Russian roulette with managers continues at Chelsea. In what universe does a group of aging, non-performing players hold sway over a bright minded, accomplished coach?

By Chris Wright

In this morning's inevitable, ridiculous, knee-jerk news; Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked by John Terry and Frank Lampard Chelsea following yesterday's 1-0 defeat at West Brom a result that leaves the club lying in shameful, shameful fifth place in the Premier League.

According to Soccernet, Rafa Benitez would be willing to replace Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea manager. If the job is offered to him. To help invite that offer, Rafa has sent Chelsea a list of reasons why he is the perfect man for the job.

Hello, I am Rafa Benitez. You might know me from such places as Liverpool or the buses around Liverpool.

International breaks, gotta love them. Unless you hate them. In which case, as somebody who is generally indifferent to international breaks, I can respect your position but do not agree with it. [INSERT PROFANITY LACED POST]

For folks as sick of the club/country debate as much as they are of friendlies, here's a handful of enjoyable soccer links.

Though Rayo Vallecano are enjoying a bit of success, currently sitting 8th in La Liga after winning promotion last season, many of their fans are not. With Spain's unemployment rate the highest in Europe at almost 23 percent, Rayo have decided to offer tickets to Saturday's big match against Real Madrid (a match that wasn't included in season ticket packages) at a discount to fans without a job.

Just when it seems that we have reached our lowest point it seems to get worse doesn't it. As Chelsea fans all we want to see is our side give a good performance week in, week out just like any other set of supporters in the country. We want to see everyone pulling together as one unit and in the same direction but this is clearly not happening.

Briefly, I thought I'd revisit a graphic from almost exactly a year ago.
At this point last season, Liverpool had used 22 different starting defenses through 40 matches. No back-line had started more than five matches together. Six weeks into his reign, in the wake of Hodgson's havoc, Dalglish was experimenting with every possible defensive combination, hands tied by injuries and a lack of fullbacks, including notable three-at-the-back wins over Chelsea and Stoke.

To put it as simply as possible, Liverpool need 2.2 points per game over the remainder of the season to finish fourth. They have 39 points and stand in seventh place, while over the past ten seasons it has taken 68 points to qualify for the Champions League. That leaves thirteen games to make up the 29 point gap between where the club is now and where the club felt it needed to be by the end of the season.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish recently launched an impassioned defence of 20m winger Stewart Downing, arguing that he was a 'better player than he thought he was' when he signed for the club. Kenny's former team-mate Mark Lawrenson has a different view.Speaking on Today FM recently, Lawro was more truthful than Dalglish about Downing's impact at Liverpool so far:"The last few times I have seen

Dietman Hamann will forever be remembered and revered by Liverpool fans for his impact in the Champions League final in 2005, but as the former German International revealed recently, he went into that match thinking it was his last game for the club, and he was even more disappointed to discover that he wasn't even in the starting line-up.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has transformed the club's style of play since he returned to Anfield, and according to former QPR manager Neil Warnock, Liverpool are exciting to watch again.Speaking to ITV Sport last night, Warnock - who was sacked by QPR recently - enthused:"Liverpool on Wednesday night against Man City and today - I think that's how Liverpool should be, when they get it, have

Gareth Barry has acknowledged that Liverpool fans remain among the most influential supporters in English football but the Manchester City playmaker has also criticized them for verbally abusing him a few years ago.

Barry was touted as a replacement for Xabi Alonso and while the England international was even on the verge of signing for Rafa Benitez, he moved away from the protracted transfer proposition due to the impatience of Reds faithful.

Say, if I followed you home, would you keep me? Or at least not mace me? And would it make any difference if I could give you Tuesday's news and notes? You don't have to answer now. Just, you know, think about it. And at least give me a bit of warning on the mace front, if that's not too much to ask.

"Now is the winter of our discontent."
Yikes.
Liverpool have averaged 1.00 points per game or fewer in eight months over the last four-and-a-half seasons – eight of 46 months during this time frame. Three were in January, including this season, with one in December.

Dietmar Hamann was a fantastic player for Liverpool, and he will always be remembered for his European Cup-winning impact against AC Milan in Istanbul. The Kaiser left Anfield just two years into Rafa Benitez's reign, and in his new book 'The Didi Man: My Love Affair with Liverpool', he reveals some interesting insights into Benitez's managerial style.

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is known for his prodigious attention to detail, and calm, detached approach to management, and in a recent interview, he provided a fascinating insight into how different sports have enhanced his own managerial qualities.Speaking to El Grafico, Benitez revealed he learned different things from an array of diverse sports:"Since I was little I have had

Manchester City 0
Liverpool 1 Steven Gerrard 13′ (pk)

A week after falling 3-0 to Manchester City in the league, a Liverpool side without two of their top players returned to face a City side missing three of their best for the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals.

Ahead of a proposed loan move, former Liverpool player Robbie Keane has been training with Aston Villa over the last few days, and according to Villa boss Alex McLeish, the Republic of Ireland striker is in 'tip-top' shape.Keane only lasted six months at Anfield before being unceremoniously dumped by former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, but McLeish believes the 31 year old can do a good job for

Ahead of a proposed loan move, former Liverpool player Robbie Keane has been training with Aston Villa over the last few days, and according to Villa boss Alex McLeish, the Republic of Ireland striker is in 'tip-top' shape.Keane only lasted six months at Anfield before being unceremoniously dumped by former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, but McLeish believes the 31 year old can do a good job for