Paul Hassall 30 January 2008
Liverpool head to Upton Park on Wednesday night still searching for their first league win of 2008.
It is a statistic that has seen them draw their last four matches in the topflight and one that Rafael Benitez admits has all-but ended our hopes of landing the Premier League title.
The elusive league win could so easily have come in the games against Aston Villa and Wigan but a habit of conceding sloppy goals from set-pieces has effectively led to us losing ground on the top three.
And with the likes of Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa all pressing hard for the much-coveted fourth and final Champions League place the Reds need to return to winning ways - sooner rather than later.
In a strange twist of fate, the Reds' search for victory takes them to a venue that saw them clinch a 2-1 success against the Hammers exactly a year ago today.
Dirk Kuyt and birthday boy Peter Crouch were the scorers on that occasion as the Reds notched up their fifth straight league win - and Rafa would no doubt take a similar scoreline this time around.
But West Ham are a different proposition now.
Last year they were a side devoid of belief and battling against relegation, but Alan Curbishley has reinvigorated them since then and they have rediscovered the verve and panache that led them to the FA Cup final in 2006.
The Hammers have already seen off Manchester United on home turf this season and on their day they are a match for anyone.
They are currently lying in 10th place in the table and with the likes of Freddy Ljungberg, Dean Ashton, Carlton Cole and Liverpool old boy Craig Bellamy in their ranks, they will pose a very real threat.
Rafael Benitez Benitez is still without Andriy Voronin, Daniel Agger and Alvaro Arbeloa but is likely to recall Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher for the Upton Park clash after they were rested for Saturday's 5-2 victory over Havant and Waterlooville.
Reina is still looking to secure his 50th clean sheet for the club and if he can shut-out the Hammers he will have achieved the landmark in record-breaking time.
As for West Ham, they have former Red Craig Bellamy and Nolberto Solano fit again, but they are unlikely to feature from the start as they bid to clinch their first victory over Liverpool since they triumphed 1-0 at Upton Park way back in November 1999.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
WEST HAM V LIVERPOOL: MATCH PREVIEW
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
CARRA IS TRUE GREAT
Liverpool Echo 16 January 2008
Jamie Carragher deserved all the plaudits he received on his 500th appearance for Liverpool – a magnificent achievement, writes Anfield Iron Tommy Smith.
For the sake of the team, I hope he goes to 600 and beyond – and his consistency should easily take him there.
Thank God he is a key member of the side who performs to such a high standard virtually every week.
The best tribute I can pay him is that he is one of the best defenders in the world – and one player who could perform in any Liverpool team in any era. Congratulations Jamie.
Friday, January 4, 2008
RAFA: LIVERPOOL STILL IN TITLE HUNT
The Telegraph 03 January 2008
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is confident his side can still mount a challenge for the Premier League title, despite losing further ground to Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea after last night's 1-1 draw against Wigan.
Liverpool have dropped down to fifth position following yesterday's result and Manchester City's 2-0 victory against Newcastle, and are 12 points adrift of pacesetters Arsenal.
However, Benitez believes it is too early to dismiss his side as title candidates, saying: "The gap is bigger than we would like but I have said many times before that this is a long race.
"We have to try to put that out of our minds because if we think about the points difference every time we go out we will be under more pressure.
"Of course it is more difficult to come from behind, but we are creating enough chances in every game.
"We have to start scoring the second goal to kill off games like this. To only get a draw is very disappointing because again we had plenty of possession.
"We had enough chances to finish them off. But when you don't do that there is always the risk the other team will take their chance, even if they only have one attempt."
