Paul Eaton 28 February 2008
Javier Mascherano is hoping he will finally be able to put pen to paper on a permanent Anfield deal within the next few days.
The Argentine international insists it's now just a matter of time before the formalities of the contract are finalised and he can sign a lengthy contract with the Reds.
"We are really close," he said. "Maybe this week or next week we will be able to say everything's finished. We can't say it just yet but hopefully in a few days everything will be okay.
"There are no problems with the fee or with the contract, it's just getting the papers finished.
"I have always said I want to stay here and so it hasn't been a difficult time for me. I have wanted it to be finished because I have my family behind me and I want to know what my future is going to be. I am calm and relaxed because I know that everything is almost over.
"I am very happy that in the next week I will be able to say I have signed for Liverpool. It will be the best moment of my career to be able to say I will be playing my football with Liverpool."
Mascherano's immediate focus now is helping the Reds pick up another three league points when they travel to take on Bolton this weekend.
And despite the high profile clash with Inter Milan just a couple of weeks away, he insists it's easy enough to stay concentrate on the important league games which lie ahead.
"We have to finish in the top four because we want to be playing in the Champions League next season," he added.
"We have to win the games we have coming up before we go to Milan and so it's not difficult to stay focused at all.
"We had a good win against Middlesbrough on Saturday and now we have to go and try to win at Bolton. We beat them easily at Anfield earlier in the season but we know it's going to be harder this weekend because they're a difficult side to play on their own pitch."
One player looking for a return to first team duty this weekend will be Xabi Alonso after his goalscoring display for the reserves against Manchester United in midweek.
Despite being out of the side at present, Mascherano is in no doubt that Alonso's quality will be needed over the coming vital weeks.
"Xabi is one of the best midfielders in the world," he said. "He has quality and class and he knows that if he keeps training well then his chance will come again - maybe on Sunday.
"For me he is an example to everybody. He is a player who has won the Champions League with Liverpool, a player with great experience and yet on Tuesday night he had no problems in playing for the reserves."
Thursday, February 28, 2008
MASCHERANO: WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO DEAL
BENITEZ TO ROTATE LESS
Sporting Life
Rafael Benitez has revealed he expects to use his rotation policy less in the coming months now Liverpool are fighting on just two fronts.
The Reds boss made only one change in Saturday's win over Middlesbrough from the victory over Inter Milan four days earlier - and that was enforced due to Jamie Carragher's ban.
When asked about his plans Benitez told the club's website: "I think so. It will depend on the players in the end, but we can keep some players playing more games now."
Saturday's 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough saw Liverpool temporarily leapfrog Everton into fourth place until the Toffees' win over Manchester City on Monday allowed them to reclaim the final Champions League spot.
"Everton have a lot of confidence right now and it was a good win for them (on Monday), but it's a long race," said Benitez.
"Portsmouth, Villa, Everton, City and us will all be there. I'm not sure if it will go to the final game but I think a lot will depend on these three games we have in a row."
Monday, February 25, 2008
TORRES: THAT WAS FOR YOU RAFA
Steve Hunter 25 February 2008
Fernando Torres reflected on his first hat-trick in the Premier League and dedicated his fantastic treble to Rafa Benitez.
The Spanish hit-man took his tally to 21 goals for the season in the 3-2 win over Middlesbrough and was full of praise for the manager that brought him into the Premier League.
"You cannot score three goals in a game without the help of your manager and your team-mates so I would like to thank them," said Torres.
"The manager signed me for Liverpool so I am really grateful for that, and he also works with me all the time trying to improve me and make me a better player.
"I think my game has already improved and will continue to improve under Rafa Benitez. The most important thing is that the team is successful, that is the only thing that matters.
"If I score some goals that help us to win things then I will be very happy, but it is all about the team.
"I came here to win things because I have never won anything as a senior player. I won medals when I was an under-16 and an under-19 player but that was a long time ago.
"Hopefully we will win something this season but if that does not happen then next season.
"I have signed a six-year contract so I am here for a long time and if things go well hopefully I will be here for even longer.
"I have 21 goals this season and that pleases me because it is my best season yet but I am not thinking about scoring 30 because what makes me most happy is when the team wins, not when I score."
The striker also revealed how special the feeling was for him to complete his hat-trick in front of the Kop.
"That made it even more special for me because the Kop is such a special place and it means so much to everyone associated with Liverpool Football Club," added El Nino.
"The fans have been fantastic with me since I first came to the club and I would like to thank them because their support has been a big help.
"Now everyone at the club has to focus on trying to finish in the top four so the win against Middlesbrough was a very important result for us."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
LIVERPOOL Vs INTER PREVIEW
Paul Hassall 19 February 2008
Inter Milan arrive on Merseyside having breezed into the last 16 of Europe's premier competition with five wins from six Group G encounters while continuing to lead the way at the top of Serie A.
In contrast Liverpool have fallen off the pace in the Premier League and only made it into the latter stages in Europe courtesy of a superb 4-0 win in Marseille on Matchday Six.
Add to that Saturday's FA Cup defeat at the hands of Championship side Barnsley and few outside of L4 would be backing the Reds to make it into the last eight of the Champions League.
It's certainly a daunting prospect for Rafa and co and yet you can't help but feel like we've been here before can you?
Cast your mind back to 2005 when Liverpool were faced with a scrap for fourth place in the Premiership with Everton and up against it in Europe with a tie against the Italian heavyweights Juventus.
The Old Lady were much-fancied to see off an injury-ravaged Reds side, who had only made it into the knockout stages following a sensational 3-1 win over Olympiakos.
But yet again, Liverpool would defy the odds and went on to lift the trophy for the fifth time in our history.
Okay, it might not be the same stage of the competition this time around and circumstances are much changed, but the similarities are unmistakable.
Europe's premier competition is where Rafael Benitez is at his tactical best and Roberto Mancini's side will be well aware that form and reputation are of little consequence when matched against Anfield's 12th man.
In fact, Inter were one of the first sides to fall victim to Anfield and one of its famous European nights when they were undone 3-1 by Bill Shankly's side back in 1965.
That day will no doubt be in the thoughts of many a supporter when the game kicks off over 40 years on, and a repeat of that success would not only make the Reds favourite to progress but also see them notch up their 100th win in Europe.
Should Steven Gerrard be a goalscoring contributor to a home win he will also be celebrating a landmark achievement as he will have netted in five consecutive European matches and will also have claimed his 50th Liverpool goal at Anfield.
A Reds triumph would be very much in-keeping with our history against Italian opposition as we have met on six previous occasions at Anfield and won four of them. The two defeats both came in the UEFA Cup, against Genoa in 1992 and Roma in 2001.
But let's not under-estimate Inter who will no doubt provide one of our sternest tests yet.
The visitors will arrive at Anfield in buoyant mood following a 2-0 win over Livorno that stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to 11 points.
As far as team news goes, Mancini will be without the banned Cesar and injured Luis Jimenez, while they must also decide on the fitness of Luis Figo.
Liverpool will also be boosted by the news that Skipper Steven Gerrard, Jose Reina, Javier Mascherano, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio have all returned to the squad.
In fact, Benitez is only missing defender Daniel Agger and striker Andriy Voronin, both still nursing long-term injuries, as he looks to plot Inter's downfall at Anfield and keep us on course for a sixth European crown.
Monday, February 18, 2008
INTER FEAR 'INCREDIBLE' ANFIELD
Sporting Life 18 February 2008
Julio Cruz says the intimidating atmosphere at Anfield could be the biggest threat to Inter's European dreams.
The reigning Serie A champions take on Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout stage tie on Tuesday night.
The Nerazzurri are heading for another domestic title as they lead the table by 11 points this season, while Liverpool are still smarting from that shock home FA Cup defeat by Barnsley.
But Argentine striker Cruz says the atmosphere on a big European night on Merseyside can be a great leveller.
He told the club's official website: "The atmosphere at the stadium will be incredible. And Liverpool have some fantastic players, but Inter start on the same level."
While Liverpool have struggled to recreate the domestic glory days of years gone by, they've still managed to reach two Champions League finals in the last three seasons. A fact not lost on Cruz.
He added: "The Champions League is a strange competition, there are many teams seen as favourites to win it, but then it can happen that Liverpool, for example, reach the final twice in three years. There's definitely a reason why they do much better in the cup than in the championship..."
Inter have been strongly fancied to go all the way in Europe's premier club competition in the last two seasons.
But all they have to show for those runs are painful knockout exits at the hands of Spanish sides Villarreal and Valencia.
Cruz said: "What happened in the past is a lesson for us. We got knocked out against Valencia last year despite drawing both matches. We have realised that we have to play to win and do things well. This is the only way to get through the round."
Inter will play the second leg against Liverpool in their own San Siro stadium, but Cruz says their focus is currently trained on Tuesday night at Anfield.
"We mustn't think that this might be an advantage. We have to try and do things well without thinking about the return leg at home, and try to kill off the match before the game in Milan."
Monday, February 4, 2008
REDS HIT THREE IN ANFIELD WIN
Setanta 02 February 2008
Liverpool beat Sunderland 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday evening, but were far from their best as they climbed into fifth place in the Premier League.
Despite lighting the scoreboard up three times, the home side will know that there is a lot of work to do before they can get back in the race for fourth spot in the league.
Peter Crouch broke the deadlock on 57 minutes with a fine header, before Fernando Torres doubled the lead and Steven Gerrard finished it all off with a late penalty.
After a dreadful first-half that failed to offer up any major incidents, Liverpool started the second period in quite lively fashion.
Jermaine Pennant and Javier Mascherano both tried to open up gaps in the Sunderland midfield, but there was just no end product attached with their determined charges forward.
However, that end product did arrive on 57 minutes when Jamie Carragher burst up the right wing and supplied the perfect cross for Crouch to head in.
That goal lifted the atmosphere around the stadium and the hosts thrived off it as they buzzed forward in search of another goal.
Torres unleashed a wicked left-footed volley before Crouch had two chances in the space of a minute. The first of which was an eye-catching bicycle kick, and the second was a header that needed to be cleared off the line.
The Black Cats tried to erect a comeback and switched to 4-4-2 with Roy O'Donovan going onto the right wing and Michael Chopra moving up front. There was plenty of movement from the forwards, but hardly any passes arrived in their direction.
Liverpool then caught them offguard as Jonny Evans was sucked out of defence and a Crouch knock-on set Torres away to steam past Phil Bardsley before firing into the back of the net to make it 2-0.
Strangely enough Sunderland started to play a lot better after conceding that second goal and should have been awarded a penalty when a handball from Carragher was ignored by referee Rob Styles.
Jonny Evans came close with a header and O'Donovan hooked the rebound wide when he could have scored from three yards out.
Liam Miller had a shot fly over the bar and Darryl Murphy should have done better with a free-kick on the edge of the box. Their slack finishing was to be further punished.
Nyron Nosworthy, who was terrible all game, fouled Pennant inside the box to give away a penalty in the dying minutes that Gerrard tucked away.
It was a deserved win for Liverpool, but one that showed quite a few holes in their play which would be exposed by a better team.
