Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes that the future of the club is secure with regard to the burgeoning talent among the youth players who are set to break into the senior squad.
The 'Rafalution' of the Reds continued during the summer, when the Spaniard instigated an overhaul in the system and structure of the club's youth and reserve set-up. Click to continue reading...

Jamie Carragher insists the mood remains positive at Melwood following the latest spate of injuries to hit the treatment room.
Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio all withdrew from international duty this week with minor knocks, but Carragher is hopeful his team-mates will be ready to face Manchester City next weekend. Click to continue reading...

Emiliano Insua lent his support as Liverpool and Everton launched the Premier League 4 Sport initiative in the city on Tuesday afternoon.
The Argentina international was joined by Blues defender Sylvain Distin at the event at the Greenbank Sports Academy.
The Premier League 4 Sport scheme aims to introduce four different Olympic sports to youngsters in the region - volleyball, judo, table tennis and badminton. Click to continue reading...

It's a regular mash unit at Melwood prior to Wednesday's do-or-die Champions League tie against Lyon. And whilst we'd all love to hear good news ahead such a match, it appears the reports coming from the club keep getting worse. Isn't the typical of the way this season has gone so far? The word [.. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool FC striker Fernando Torres has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Lyon at Anfield.
But skipper Steven Gerrard is back to lead the side in a match Liverpool FC dare not lose if they are to retain a realistic chance of reaching the last 16.
Torres missed Saturday's defeat at Sunderland with a groin injury, and did not train on Monday at Liverpool FC's Melwood complex. Click to continue reading...

Dirk Kuyt has given Liverpool's preparations for Saturday's trip to Sunderland a much-needed lift by declaring himself fit for duty.
The Holland international picked up an ankle injury during his country's trip to Australia last weekend and exacerbated the problem during the 0-0 draw in Sydney. Click to continue reading...

Andrea Dossena is confident Alberto Aquilani's 'quality and intelligence' will ensure he has no difficulty acclimatising to the rigours of the Barclays Premier League.
The Italian midfielder began light training at Melwood recently as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle injury.
With his Liverpool debut now firmly on the horizon, Dossena is adamant his compatriot has all the necessary features to his game to succeed in England. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee has stressed the importance of the club's international players returning to training this week fully focused on their domestic duties.
A host of Reds stars have been representing their countries across the world during the international break and Lee maintains that their mindset must change quickly once they are back at the clubs' training centre at Melwood. Click to continue reading...

International breaks are the bane of a manager's life and never more was that evident in the weekend just gone – if anything, Rafa Benitez could not have scripted it to go any worse.
Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt all picked up injuries to some degree and with a crucial run of fixtures set to begin this Saturday, it goes without saying that all three men will be needed to play a part. Click to continue reading...

The Carling Cup may lie a distant fourth in Liverpool's list of priorities but as far as Fabio Aurelio is concerned all that glitters is gold.
The Brazilian is set to make his first start of the season when the Reds face Leeds United in a mouth-watering third-round clash at Elland Road on Tuesday night. Click to continue reading...

On the mend

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Daniel Agger has given boss Rafael Benitez a major boost by returning to training at Melwood.
To watch Rafa's interview click here>>

The Reds No.5 hasn't featured since pre-season after requiring a back operation.

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The fly on the wall in Rafa Benitez's office at Melwood on Thursday will certainly have a story to tell.
Ryan Babel had some serious explaining to do following his return from international duty.
The Dutchman's outburst while he was away with his national side was as ill advised as it was nonsensical. Click to continue reading...

International breaks are a source of great frustration at Melwood.
Just when you are building up a head of steam your top stars depart and jet off around the world.
Even if they come back fit, fatigue is a major concern and there is little time to prepare for your next assignment. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool have endured a sluggish start to the season, spurring widespread speculation that the Reds are already out of the title running.
A dramatic late 3-2 win against Bolton Wanderers, thanks to another timely Steven Gerrard thunderbolt, is just the momentum-changer that manager Rafael Benitez believes his club needed. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez believes the major changes at Melwood and the Academy this summer are already paying dividends.
The international break has given the Spaniard the chance to see for himself the progress being made both at reserve and under-18 level.
And the Reds boss insists he is delighted with the impact the new coaching staff have made. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool assistant boss Sammy Lee has hailed the return to fitness of left-back Fabio Aurelio.
The Brazilian has been sidelined since he injured his knee in a freak accident while playing with his son in the close season.
He missed all the Reds' friendly matches and has sat out their first four Premier League clashes. Click to continue reading...

Good to see young graduates of the Anfield Academy coming through.

Rafa Benitez believes the inclusion of youngsters Nathan Eccleston and David Amoo in his Champions League squad can be an invaluable one for their development.

The Academy graduates join the likes of Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and Stephen Darby in Rafa's squad for the group stages, after the trio made their first team debut in the Champions League last season away at PSV Eindhoven.

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Rafa Benitez insists he is happy with the progress Alberto Aquilani is making as he plots his return to action.
The Italian midfielder made the switch to Anfield in a £20million deal from Roma last month.
Aquilani has spent the past three weeks continuing his rehabilitation at Melwood following the ankle surgery he underwent back in May. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is delighted with the progress that his injured players have made in order to regain full fitness.
The Reds boss began by explaining that Fabio Aurelio will be back by the time the club host Burnley at Anfield on September 12.
"Fabio is back training and playing football," Benitez is quoted by The Liverpool Daily Post as saying. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez's hopes of challenging Manchester United to end Liverpool's 19-year wait for a title seem to have been extinguished already after he was told last week that the remainder of his transfer budget for the summer would be £2million - a revelation which seems to have prompted the highly-charged midweek atmosphere at Melwood and the reports that the manager was poised to quit. Click to continue reading...

Greek defender Sortios Kyrgiakos was paraded in front of the media today having completed his signing at Melwood in a two-year deal with Liverpool who have a third year option on the player.
With the Reds very short on cover in defence, his arrival will give Rafael Benitez a welcome option at the back. Click to continue reading...

Good cover option signing confirmed by club.

Liverpool today agreed a deal with AEK Athens for centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos , subject to a medical.
The 30-year-old Greek international will arrive at Melwood for a medical examination before the weekend.

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Glen Johnson could be the player who helps push Liverpool closer to the Premier League crown, according to club legend Kenny Dalglish, who was a relentless trophy magnet as both a player and manager.
Johnson's style, a roaming right-back who can act almost as an auxiliary playmaker occupying the flank, is in keeping with the Anfield tradition, claims Dalglish, who also believes that the former Portsmouth player's Britishness will see him adapt to life on Merseyside with ease. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez's pre-season preparations have been hampered after Daniel Agger was ruled out of Liverpool's first warm up match against St Gallen in Switzerland tonight.
The Danish defender has been forced to remain behind on Merseyside after suffering a recurrence of the back problem which ruled him out of action for more than a month of the last campaign. Click to continue reading...

Saw this while writing my Raul Albiol post from earlier today.

Guess who is back? Pako Ayestarán, Rafa Benitez's right hand man during the title years, most recently with Benitez at Liverpool.

He's back!

Ayestaran worked with Benitez since their time together at Tenerife and was instrumental in planning daily training at Melwood, Liverpool's training ground, and organizing the physical work and fitness training of the team.

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Walk through the door marked "Assistant Manager" at Melwood, Liverpool's training ground, and you find yourself in the looking-glass world of Sammy Lee. Flattery falls flat and references to his trophy-laden playing days are dismissed. If I was to write that Lee works feverishly hard, understands the Liverpool philosophy better than anyone, is admirably modest and surprisingly inspirational, he would be livid. Click to continue reading...

This Finnish starlet has had an impressive season, and was probably our best youth player. At just 17 he became the youngest player at Melwood, then he went on to score 20 goals in all competitions (8 in the Youth Cup).
It's not just his goal scoring feats which attract attention, but his overall awareness of what's happening around him. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool Academy coach Hughie McAuley says his side still have it all to do if they are to reach the final of the FA Youth Cup.
Holding a 3-0 lead over Birmingham City from the first leg, McAuley's Under-18 side go into tomorrow evening's deciding tie with a clear advantage but the boss is dismissing their ‘favourites' tag. Click to continue reading...

Kenny Dalglish is set for a sensational return to Liverpool Football Club.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez wants his legendary predecessor as a key new part of his backroom staff and moves are already afoot to create a position for Dalglish.
Benitez has raised the matter with American club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and would like to tie up a deal at the earliest possible opportunity. Click to continue reading...

12:30pm, live in the US on FSCbr /br /bLast 4 head-to-head:/bbr /0-0 (h) 11.22.08br /2-0 Liverpool (a) 04.19.08br /2-0 Liverpool (h) 11.10.07br /0-1 Fulham (a) 05.05.07br /br /bLast 3 matches:/bbr /iLiverpool: /i5-0 Villa (h); 4-1 United (a); 4-0 Real (h)br /iFulham: /i2-0 United (h); 3-1 Bolton (a); 1-2 Blackburn (h)br /br /bGoalscorers (league):/bbr /iLiverpool: /iGerrard 13; Torres 9; Kuyt 8; Alonso, Benayoun, Riera 3; Aurelio, Babel 2; Arbeloa, Carragher, Dossena, Hyypia, Ngog 1br /iFulham: /iJohnson 7; Dempsey 5; Murphy 4; Davies, Gera, Nevland, Zamora 2; Hangeland, Kamara, Konchesky, Seol 1br /br /bReferee:/b Steve Bennett. Click to continue reading...

div align="justify"span style="font-family:verdana;"Liverpool are ready to gamble on the fitness of Javier Mascherano at Fulham tomorrow – despite the midfielder having not yet returned from international duty.br /br /Mascherano will play despite only having arrived at Melwood at lunchtime today after being on the receiving end of Argentina's heaviest defeat in more than 60 years, losing 6-1 in Bolivia at high altitude. Click to continue reading...

New Brazilian striker Vitor Flora has thanked Lucas Leiva, Fabio Aurelio and Diego Cavalieri for helping him settle into new surroundings at Melwood.
The 18-year-old striker - who signed for the Reds last month - admits having fellow countrymen already at the club has made life a whole lot easier for him. Click to continue reading...

Liverpoolfc.tv today continues its series looking at the men behind the Rafalution. Next up is a Kopite whose job it is to file reports on each and every opponent.
It's 6.45pm on February 21, 2007. In an hour's time Gerrard and co will face the best team in Europe in their famous Nou Camp stadium. Click to continue reading...

Steven Gerrard believes the return of Olympic trio Javier Mascherano, Lucas and Ryan Babel will have a massive impact on Liverpool's football.
The skipper accepts that while results have been excellent, the club's early season performances could have been better.
However, with three of the Premier League's most talented players now back at Melwood, Gerrard expects the Reds to step up a gear. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez has revealed there is a new buzz around Melwood following the return of our Olympic trio – but neither Javier Mascherano nor Lucas will feature against Standard Liege.
The Champions League qualifier comes too soon for the pair following their Beijing exploits, though both are fighting for a place in the starting XI versus Aston Villa on Sunday. Click to continue reading...