Latest rumours in the press are that that the Liverpool owners want to replace struggling Benitez with Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, it is believed Hicks & Gillette are impressed buy the way the Irishman has built a strong squad on limited funds from Randy Learner and is riding high in the Premier League. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona are reportedly preparing a bid for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who the Merseyside club are preparing to offload during the winter transfer window according to Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo.
The Argentine central midfielder, who holds an Italian passport, was a summer target for the Blaugrana and had showed signs of a desire to make the switch before Reds boss Rafael Benitez insisted he would not be leaving. Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres will defy doctor's orders to try to haul Liverpool out of their slump.
Groin-strain victim Torres wants to play against Birmingham on Monday despite being told not to play for THREE weeks.
It could spark a row with Spain who agreed not to pick Torres, 25, for their prestige date with Argentina. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez has urged the Spanish and English Football Associations to exercise commonsense when naming their squads for their international friendlies next week.
Spain will play Argentina at Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon stadium next Saturday, while on the same evening England face Brazil in a glamour friendly in Qatar. Click to continue reading...

Defender Glen Johnson may be struggling to be fit for Liverpool's home clash with Birmingham on Monday but he is convinced he is part of a squad good enough to turn around recent disastrous form.
The England man is still a major doubt with a calf injury that kept him out of the midweek Champions League draw in Lyon, and he is not expected to be fit to face the midlanders. Click to continue reading...

Forget Haye v Valuev, this is the big one Chelsea v Manchester United. This year's favourites take on the Premier League champions. But while Chelsea and Drogba are in top form, United's injury problems mount.

And it is Didier Drogba who pundits alike are talking about. He is in the best form of his life, and if there was a better time to face United for the Ivory Coast forward, it would have to be now as he will be up against a rather depleted looking back line.

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It's early November and we're still another seventh months until the tournament starts but I must admit that the injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard are beginning to worry me. According to Radio 5, Gerrard hasn't trained for two weeks and Ferdinand's overall fitness this season may have contributed to some of his indifferent performances when he has appeared for Manchester United.

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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...

Peter Beardsley! The more I watch Benayoun the more I'm convinced that he is the current Liverpool team's version of Beardsley.
Beardsley was an absolutely superb player for Liverpool, and anyone who had the privilege of watching him play during the Dalgish era will know what I'm talking about. Click to continue reading...

Xabi Alonso has risked angering the Liverpool fans who used to idolise him by claiming that Fernando Torres 'deserves' to play in Spain.
Alonso left Merseyside for Real Madrid in a £30million move this summer after telling Rafa Benitez that he wanted to join the Bernabeu revolution. Click to continue reading...

Injury problems. Shoddy defending. Indifferent form. His burgeoning interests off field. Rio Ferdinand's season has been on the wane.

It was on display against Ukraine and since then it has gotten worse. A struggling Rio futilely pulling on Fernando Torres jersey in the Liverpool match as the Spanish striker blasts the ball past Van Der Saar.

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We had other plans for this space today, Kickettes.

But, our in-box wants what it wants. And this morning, we were emailed a set of Fernando Torres photos that involve him getting wet in the name of his PES 2009* advert. This sole situation would be enough to warrant our undivided attention, time and focus for at least three weeks.

Click to continue reading...

We had other plans for this space today, Kickettes.

But, our in-box wants what it wants. And this morning, we were emailed a set of Fernando Torres photos that involve him getting wet in the name of his PES 2009* advert. This sole situation would be enough to warrant our undivided attention, time and focus for at least three weeks.

Click to continue reading...

Former teammates; Alonso and Gerrard

I really can't wait to read the December installment of FourFourTwo Magazine. In this issue Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard finally states what we all know: the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid has undeniably damaged the Merseyside club.

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Not sure why Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is so shy, he's been in top form lately. We'll have to set aside some special one-on-one confidence-building activities to help him get over this.

Let's check in with the rest of the visuals from yesterday's cracking games, shall we?

When Fernando Torres is left barely able to bitchface, no one is happy.

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Not sure why Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is so shy, he's been in top form lately. We'll have to set aside some special one-on-one confidence-building activities to help him get over this.

Let's check in with the rest of the visuals from yesterday's cracking games, shall we?

When Fernando Torres is left barely able to bitchface, no one is happy.

Click to continue reading...

Sunday's top of the table clash between Chelsea and Manchester United pits the current Premiership Champions against the current FA Cup winners for the second time this season. The Blues beat the Red Devils on penalties in the annual curtain-raiser, the Community Shield.

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Como seria de esperar, Lionel Messi arrrebatou a esmagodra maioria dos votos dos 187 leitores que participaram na votação sobre quem será eleito o melhor jogador do mundo este ano pela FIFA. O argentino recolheu 89 votos, enquanto Cristiano Ronaldo se ficou pelos 39. O brasileiro Kaká somou 28, mais 16 que Fernando Torres. Click to continue reading...

I might be a bit premature in saying this, but with our Champion's League hopes hanging by a thread, I was looking at the B competition, The Europa League.
In it you have some of the powerhouses of European football such as Stum Graz, FC Sheriff, Fc Twente, Bate, Dinamo Zagreb, Austria Vienna and other Luminaries of the game! Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres underwent tests on Thursday at a Liverpool hospital on the serious groin injury which is threatening to ruin his season. Torres played with pain throughout the match, before flying back with the Liverpool party on Thursday morning.

This morning he went to a Liverpool hospital where more tests were carried out on his injury.

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Rafael Benitez insists he does not fear for his job even though Liverpool now need a miracle to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Liverpool boss had seen victory snatched from his team by Lyon, who equalised through Lisandro Lopez in the dying seconds of their Group E clash at the Stade Gerland on Wednesday night. Click to continue reading...

Despite Liverpool's desperate start to the season John Aldridge still believes manager Rafa Benitez is the right man for the job.
The Reds' hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League are now out of their hands following Lyon's late leveller on Wednesday night. Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres has undergone tests at a private hospital as Liverpool look to find a cure for their talisman's groin injury.
The Anfield hierarchy are desperate for their Spain striker to avoid surgery as they attempt to put Liverpool's season back on track after six defeats in eight games. Click to continue reading...

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina has branded Liverpool's Champions League performances this season 'disgraceful'.
The Spain international was left fuming after conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw in Lyon on Wednesday night which has left the Reds' qualification from the group stages in the hands of rival teams. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez insists he is in no rush for star duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard to have operations.
Torres is playing through the pain barrier to feature for the Reds while Gerrard is currently on the sidelines.
The Spanish striker is hampered by groin-related injury while Gerrard has been struggling since aggravating a similar injury on international duty. Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal may soon have a new owner at the club. Stan Kroenke, who already added to his stock of shares in the North London club earlier this week, reportedly bought 200 more shares today to draw his stake in the club to 29.9 percent -- just 0.09 percent away from the limit where Kroenke would have to make a bid for the remaining shares.

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Arsene Wenger and Arsenal may soon have a new owner at the club. Stan Kroenke, who already added to his stock of shares in the North London club earlier this week, reportedly bought 200 more shares today to draw his stake in the club to 29.9 percent -- just 0.09 percent away from the limit where Kroenke would have to make a bid for the remaining shares.

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Sergio Aguero inherited the mantle of star striker at Atletico Madrid from Fernando Torres and on Tuesday night he showed exactly why, scoring two excellent goals in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in the Champions League.

Aguero has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in the last 18 months, and there were claims by Atletico Madrid this summer that they rejected a £42m bid for the Argentina international.

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A word of advice for Rio Ferdinand, you will have plenty of time to attend movie premieres, start a music label and run your very own magazine when you decide to hang up your boots. Until then, as long as a fat cheque comes to your house every week signed by Manchester United Football Club, kindly concentrate all your energy and effort on the pitch.

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Liverpool's hearts were broken by a cruel last-minute equaliser that has all but ended their Champions League dreams for a traumatic season.
The much-maligned Ryan Babel had scored a wonderful goal with just seven minutes left and if Liverpool could have hung on to that lead they would still have had a realistic chance of reaching the last 16. Click to continue reading...

Jamelia's ex takes Twitter pop at Liverpool boss Darren Byfield celebrated today's news that he and pop star wife Jamelia are splitting by taking Twitter shots at Rafael Benitez. The Walsall striker criticised the Liverpool manager for substituting Fernando Torres and called him a "silly Peter Kay lookalike". Click to continue reading...

Lyon hosted Liverpool on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 in the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool has lost 6 of 7 matches and is looking to get a much needed win to improve their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage. Lyon is undefeated in the group stage entering the match and looks to continue their good form.

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Rafa Benitez has decided to start with Fernando Torres against Lyon.
The full team for Lyon is:
--------- Reina
Carragher --- Agger -- Kyrgiakos -- Insua
Kuyt -- Lucas -- Mascherano -- Benayoun
Voronin -- Torres
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Babel, Ngog, Spearing, Darby, Ayala. Click to continue reading...

He ain't pretty, but he gets the job done as much as Gerrard does
Liverpool's season is on the line today as they travel to France to take on Lyon. Without their influential captain Steven Gerrard, and having already lost two straight in the Champions League, things don't look good for Rafa Benitez's club in crisis. Click to continue reading...

Tonight Rafa Benitez is on the managerial tightrope when his side faces Lyon in the Champions League. Liverpool have to win, if Fiorentina and Lyon win then Liverpool can say goodbye to major silverware this season and Benitez can probably say goodbye to his job.

Benitez's side is decimated by injuries and an awful lot of responsibility is on the shoulders of Fernando Torres tonight if he plays.

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