Carragher: ‘It will only get tougher for Liverpool now’

January 14, 2010


Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has apologised for the embarrasing performances of his club. The elimination in the FA Cup, by Championship minnows Reading, is the latest setback in a disappointing season for the Reds.

“It was a very bad night for Liverpool,” Carragher told the Liverpool Echo. “we can’t disguise that – we had to do more against a side from a lower league.

““We have to apologise for the way we performed. We have to give credit to Reading, hold our hands up. We all like to win but when you don’t, you have to be a good loser.

“We have to accept they deserved it. But, at the same time, we have got to look at ourselves and the way we performed was not acceptable.

“We’ve got a massive game coming up against Stoke now. It will be very tough, as we played extra time and we have got to show enormous character to come back.

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Martinez backs Liverpool to meet top four target

December 16, 2009


Jamie Carragher may be counting on the power of prayer but Wigan boss Roberto Martinez believes it is the quality of Liverpool’s players which will ensure the club finishes the season in the Premier League’s top four.

The stuttering Reds entertain Martinez’s side at Anfield on Wednesday having won just three of their last 15 games, with one of those successes coming in the Champions League against Debrecen.

Liverpool’s latest disappointment came when they turned a 1-0 half-time lead into a 2-1 home defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, a result which left them five points adrift of the top four, which is the minimum target for under-pressure manager Rafael Benitez.

Their next three games are must-win matches if they are to cut that deficit, with a trip to bottom club Portsmouth and a home match against struggling Wolves following the Wigan fixture.

Carragher said it is imperative that Liverpool’s improvement begins immediately.

“Wigan is a massive game for us,” said the defender. “I’ve tried too many times down the years trying to work things out, so there’s no point looking further ahead than that.

“We’ll just try and get three points on Wednesday and then move on to Portsmouth. We’ve got to look at ourselves and realise that we’ve got to do much better.

“For the quality of the players and the stature of the club, we should be doing better. Statistics can change quickly and we have got to do that.

“It’s tough at the moment but part of playing for Liverpool is having big character. That’s what we need now.

“Between now and May it is going to be a grind at times but we have got to stick together, get through it and, as I’m doing every night, pray to God that at the end of the season there will be something worthwhile for what we’ve gone through, because it has been tough.

“I pray to God we win the FA Cup or the Europa League and we get in the top four, dust ourselves down at the end of the season and say ‘It hasn’t been so bad in the end’, but at this moment it is tough.”

Alberto Aquilani could make his first Premier League start in a game which is attracting as much attention in Spain as it is in England.

Former Swansea boss Martinez has endured a mixed start to his career as a Premier League manager, the trauma of an embarrassing 9-1 reverse at Tottenham offset by a 3-1 victory over leaders Chelsea and an eye-catching 2-0 victory at Aston Villa.

The Spaniard is desperate to inflict further misery on fellow countryman Benitez although Martinez is convinced that Liverpool will secure a top four finish and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“Look at their players, They have huge experience,” said Martinez, whose side sit 14th in the table.

“You are not talking about young players or a young team. You are talking about Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher.

“It is probably the most experienced group of players in world football. What is happening at the moment will not affect them. I still feel Liverpool will finish in the top four.”

Defender Emmerson Boyce suffered a head injury while scoring in a 2-2 draw at Stoke on Saturday but is expected to feature for Wigan, who have won once in six outings.

Hendry Thomas, the Honduras international midfielder, is also available after suspension.

LONDON (AFP)

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Fletcher sets sights on psychological edge over Chelsea

November 5, 2009


Darren Fletcher believes Manchester United can claim an important psychological edge over Chelsea with a win in Sunday’s showdown between the Premier League’s top two.

But the Scotland midfielder, who returned to action in Tuesday’s 3-3 draw with CSKA Moscow after a month out with an ankle injury, insists the title race will remain wide open, regardless of the outcome at Stamford Bridge, where United have not won in seven years.

“Sunday is a massive game. Games against Chelsea always are,” Fletcher said.

“It is not going to be make-or-break who wins the league by any means, although it is an important benchmark.

“Maybe psychologically it might have an effect. But Chelsea are a top-class side and we will respect them.”

Fletcher will expect to start at Chelsea given the importance the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, attaches to his defensive qualities, which were badly missed as United went down to a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool last month.

Even once-sceptical fans have come to recognise what Fletcher brings to the United mix although he insists he is not getting carried away with his growing reputation as a player for the big occasion.

“I take the compliments with a pinch of salt,” he said. “I enjoy these matches as much as anyone and I put pressure on myself to perform more than anyone does.

“The challenge of playing against the top-class players that Chelsea have is one I look forward to and I will be doing my best to win the match. But I am not going to make-or-break games like this.”

Fletcher admitted that his latest lay-off had taken its toll on his match sharpness.

“It is nice to get back into the team and get 90 minutes under my belt because I have not played for a while,” he said.

“I felt fine, which was the most important thing, although I was not 100 percent with my touch and awareness on the pitch. But the game will help and, if selected, I should feel the benefit on Sunday.”

United left-back Patrice Evra meanwhile is determined to steer clear of controversy as he seeks to claim bragging rights over Chelsea strike duo, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba, two of his best friends in football.

Evra was banned for four matches after a post-match altercation with a Chelsea groundsman in April 2008 and still feels that he was treated harshly over an incident he insists he did not provoke.

“It is unfortunate that when I play against Chelsea, something always seems to happen,” the France defender said. “First it was the ground-staff, then last year I had a bit of an argument with Michael Ballack. This year I have to make sure nothing happens because we need to get a result.”

Evra regards Chelsea as the main threat to United’s hopes of claiming a fourth consecutive Premier League title, particularly now that Drogba and Anelka are proving they can play together.

“I am not scared of them but I respect them and they are the most dangerous rivals,” he said. “I said it last year and the year before and I think it this season as well.

“Both Drogba and Anelka are good friends of mine. And I know they are both great players.

“All the defenders need to focus because keeping a clean sheet will be the key to winning this game.

“We need to be strong because Drogba and Anelka are two big strikers. They are both so quick and strong, although I do feel we have enough quality to do our jobs.”

Tuesday’s Champions League clash, in which United had to recover from a 3-1 deficit to claim a draw with a stoppage-time equalisier, underlined the defensive shakiness that has characterised the champions’ performances this season, and Evra admits an improvement is required.

“If you concede three goals at home, you can hardly say it has been a good performance from the defenders,” he reflected.

“We did well to come back, as we did against Manchester City. But we need to make sure we don’t concede three goals on Sunday because then it won’t be easy to get back.”

MANCHESTER (AFP)

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Torres reveals injury influence in goal against United

October 28, 2009


Fernando Torres revealed, his goal against rivals United was influenced by the pain levels of his groin injury.

Torres was sidelined from Liverpool’s line-up ever since he sustained a groin injury at the defeat match in Chelsea early this month. Coach Rafael Benítez however was not confident about introducing the striker as his fitness was at stake and confirmed his appearance against Manchester United only minutes before the match at Anfield.

Torres admits that his ball that went past Van Der Sar, instead of making an easy escape from the troubled Ferdinand, bringing in a vital change for Liverpool was infact the result of pain and stress in his adductor muscle.

Torres said; “I feel a bit of pain when I shoot across goal, so I could only shoot towards the near post. It was the only thing I could do!”

“I wasn’t really at my best. We knew before the game I couldn’t play to 100 per cent because I had some pain in some actions, but in games like this, the pain doesn’t matter.

We knew it was going to be a risk and I felt some pain in some of the movements that I made beforehand but, during the game, it was OK.”

“I just wanted to play so much. When the team is losing and not playing well, it is so hard to watch and you just want to help. I was not 100 per cent fit but I wanted to play and it was worth it.”

However, Benitez has released Torres for the Carling Cup tie at Arsenal on Wednesday and confirmed his return against Fulham on Saturday.

Commenting about his team’s next Premier League fixture, he said, “When you win against United it is always a nice day. We knew it was a massive game, as we needed to win to keep our chances in the title race.

We had to win and we did it. We are in the race again now. Now we have a bit of confidence, but we have to keep it going.

We have to be focused for Fulham on Saturday, but we feel like a strong team again because we are all working together like in the past.

When we play as a unit, we can beat anyone, so we need to be strong and focus on our possibilities.

And it doesn’t matter who the players are. We could beat everyone without me, Stevie [Gerrard], Dirk [Kuyt] or Yossi [Benayoun].

Liverpool has a fantastic team and we have to show everyone that.”

Anurada Bhat

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Benitez issues rallying cry amid Anfield anguish

October 25, 2009


Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes Sunday’s showdown with arch rivals Manchester United provides the perfect opportunity to stop his club’s season spiralling out of control.

Benitez’s team head into English football’s premier grudge match at Anfield amid their worst run of form for 22 years after four successive defeats.

After beginning the campaign with high hopes of ending their 20-year wait to win the league, the Reds are already seven points adrift of leaders United and face the unpalatable prospect of having their title challenge effectively ended by their most despised opponents.

The woeful run has left Benitez fighting a rearguard action to convince increasingly sceptical fans and pundits that he is still the right man to bring the title back to Anfield.

A planned pre-match fans’ protest against George Gillett and Tom Hicks, Liverpool’s American owners, adds to the growing sense of a club in danger of imploding.

Yet if Benitez harboured any fears about the consequences of losing to United, he did a good job of hiding them as the Spaniard launched a passionate defence of his position in his pre-match press conference.

“I am really relaxed in terms of my position because I know how we are working on the pitch every day. In the past we were doing really good things and we haven’t changed too much,” Benitez said.

“It’s a question of confidence. We know we have to improve but it’s about winning the first game now.

“As a manager you know you will have good moments and bad moments. At this moment we know we have to improve, we have to win and it’s a question of time. I’m sure once we win the first game everything will change.

“This game against United could be the right opportunity for us because it’s a massive game against our rivals and the fans will be behind the team from the first minute until the last. We can change everything.”

Benitez’s cause isn’t helped by groin injuries to Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson that could sideline all three stars on Sunday.

Torres is the most likely to feature but even if the Spain striker misses out, Benitez points to last season’s 2-1 win over United at Anfield — a result achieved without Gerrard and Torres — as proof that Liverpool have nothing to fear.

“Beating United last season is something positive we can use,” he said. “Without Gerrard and Torres, the team was really good.”

United have their own injury concerns as England forward Wayne Rooney, suffering with a calf injury, may not recover in time to play.

If Rooney misses out then Michael Owen should make the United starting line-up, with the former Liverpool striker likely to receive a hostile reception from the Kop.

That kind of enmity is typical of a fixture that been marred by unsavoury scenes on and off the field for years, but it is the game that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has relished most since he made it his aim “to knock Liverpool off their perch” when he arrived at Old Trafford in 1986.

“Manchester United and Liverpool games, as I have said many times, are without question massive games. That will never change,” he said.

“In my first derby game with them I got a complete sense of the history of both teams and it hasn’t changed. It is still a massive game.

“It is ‘the’ game as far as I am concerned, that won’t change.”

However, Ferguson’s side are just one point ahead of second-placed Chelsea and could be off top spot by the time they kick off at Anfield.

So keeping United in pole position, rather than adding to Liverpool’s woes, will be Ferguson’s motivation on Sunday.

“I’m not interested in Liverpool. I’m only concerned about what we do on Sunday,” Ferguson added.

“I don’t see that we have a point to prove. Different games are shaped by circumstances of games.

“You can’t look at last season as a barometer of our form or Liverpool’s form. Derby games are derby games and anyone can win it.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

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Liverpool lull means little to Lyon

October 20, 2009


Lyon are refusing to get complacent ahead of their trip to Anfield to play Liverpool in their Group E Champions League clash on Tuesday.

Lyon are joint top in France’s first division, are unbeaten in the Champions League so far this season and visit a Liverpool side reeling after losing three consecutive matches for the first time in over two seasons.

One of those defeats was against Fiorentina in this competition, meaning this match is a must-win tie for Rafa Benitez’s side.

But despite the recent blip from their opponents, Lyon will be giving Liverpool their maximum respect on Merseyside.

Midfielder Miralem Pjanic said: “I think we cannot forget we are playing against Liverpool and although they have had a tough start to the season, it is still Liverpool we are facing up against so it is a massive game.

“We really have to be focused. It is really big for us and them because we know they lost their last game againt Fiorentina so it is a big match all round.

“We know this is not an easy place to come and it is quite difficult but if we were to draw that would leave us with seven points.

“We have to be aware that we have good quality in our side and we start every match to try and win it but the main thing os not to drop too many points here.

“We want to come away from here with something to show for the rest of the group stage.

“Once you get out there it is just another game, all the action around it become secondary and we just concentrate on the football.”

Anfield is renowned for being one of the true European footballing cathedrals, an arena that has daunted and intimidated countless opponents throughout the history of Liverpool’s involvement in European football.

However, Lyon coach Claude Puel is confident that his squad will not be overawed by the occasion and is backing them to sidestep away from the emotion of the game and concentrate solely on trying to get a result.

“I think it is important that we come here and try and impose our own style,” Puel said.

“We will have to be on the top of our game but it is a privelige to be able to play in these kind of encounters and we know we have to be on top form.

“I know that the crowd is important to Liverpool but I don’t think you can call it a 12th man.

“It is all about the people out there on the field at the time. The crowd is part and parcel of the occasion and one of the ingredients but we have plenty of experience alongside the youth in our side.

“We have played plenty of big games in big stadia and big atmospheres. The main thing we have to focus on is ourselves.”

Jean-Alain Boumsong (groin), Anderson (knee) and Mathieu Bodmer (groin) are all likely to be absent for the match, leaving Lyon without a recognised centre-back forcing midfielder Jeremy Toulalan to drop back.

LIVERPOOL (AFP)

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Wenger wants focus when beaten Celtic return

August 19, 2009


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he wants his side to finish the job at the Emirates Stadium after watching his side defeat Celtic 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Parkhead.

The Gunners find themselves in a commanding position in the tie after becoming the first English side to win at Celtic Park in 26 years.

But with a place in the group stages of the Champions League at stake Wenger warned his players not to get complacent ahead of the return in London in a fortnight’s time.

“We have a good advantage but it is 180 minutes. We are in front after 90 but when you want to go through you want to play well for 180 and that is our purpose,” the Arsenal manager said.

“We want to win the home game against Celtic and of course qualify for the group stage. We are in a strong position and we want to take advantage of that.

“I believe we have to make sure we win the game at home. It would not be serious to take that game in a non-serious way.

“It is a massive game as what is at stake is massive to us. We want to play with the best and of course with an advantage of two goals we want to finish the job at home now.”

Despite his side’s dominating performance the Arsenal boss admitted his side had been fortuitous with the goals.

Arsenal’s first came when captain Cesc Fabregas’ free-kick took a wild deflection off the back of William Gallas to give the Gunners a half-time lead before Gary Caldwell knocked Gael Clichy’s cross past Artur Boruc.

However, things could have been even worse for Celtic if Russian Andrei Arshavin’s first-half effort had not been ruled offside and Wenger said his side deserved their luck with the goals.

“I believe we forced them to make one or two mistakes at the back but I concede that we were lucky with the goals,” the Frenchman said.

“But yes, of course, we merited the good fortune.

“We had plenty of opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the second-half where we missed finding the goal and the pass.

“I give credit to my team. Even at 1-0 we didn’t drop off and we kept playing very high up and putting them under pressure and that was a very positive attitude.

“The crowd was absolutely up for it, the players were up for it here and if it had been an average performance from Arsenal we wouldn’t have won the game.”

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray conceded the defeat, their second successive loss at home in European competition this season, had left the Hoops’ Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

But the former West Bromwich Albion boss promised to take the game to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a bid to turn around the tie.

“There is no doubting the fact that it is a big ask for us now,” Mowbray added.

“But if we score the first goal it will be interesting to see their supporters react and their team react.

“I think everyone in the room knows Arsenal have better players than us but better teams and better players don’t always win football matches.

“It is going to be a difficult job for us. The secret for me is to go there and be positive and try and score the first goal.

“If you do that it changes everything. We will go there with a positive frame of mind with that target and hopefully it will see us score a goal.

“That would make them very nervous and edgy, but if they score first we aren’t going to score four at the Emirates.”

GLASGOW (AFP)

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Relegation drama on Premier League´s final day

May 24, 2009


LONDON (AFP) – Alan Shearer insists pride and not pound notes will be at stake when Newcastle make one last desperate attempt to avoid the shame of Premier League relegation on Sunday.

Shearer’s side travel to Aston Villa knowing relegation is certain if they lose and even a victory may not be enough to save them from second tier football for the first time since 1993.

Relegation would cost Newcastle around 60 million pounds in lost revenue but the financial implications mean little to caretaker boss Shearer, who is more concerned at the embarrassing prospect of playing the likes of Doncaster and Peterborough next season instead of Manchester United and Liverpool.

“Funnily enough, at this moment in time, I am not interested in the cash implications,” Shearer said.

“I am not important in this, Mike Ashley is not important in this. What is important is the football club. That will always be bigger and better than any one individual.”

Shearer’s hopes of avoiding an ignominious start to his managerial career have been dented by injuries to Habib Beye and Jose Enrique and a suspension for Sebastien Bassong that leaves him without three of his four first choice defenders.

Michael Owen could return however as Newcastle try to overhaul Hull, who are one point above the relegation zone, or Sunderland, who sit two points clear of their local rivals.

After enjoying a fairytale start to the season, Hull’s campaign is in danger of ending with a nightmarish slide back to the Championship just one year after winning promotion to the top-flight for the first time.

The Tigers await the arrival of champions United hoping that Sir Alex Ferguson will send out a weakened team ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League final against Barcelona.

Hull boss Phil Brown believes even United’s reserves will trouble his team, but he would be delighted to see Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and the rest missing from Ferguson’s team.

“Sir Alex has got a massive game three days after this game,” Brown said. “But if Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland have fears about what is coming out of Manchester United’s changing room – I have as well.

“We have held our own and now it comes down to one game. Would I have taken that? Yes.”

Sunderland will kick off in a similar position as they host a Chelsea team with next weekend’s FA Cup final against Everton on their minds.

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink insists he will pick a strong team but that won’t guarantee a whole-hearted display from players who will be keen to avoid injury ahead of the Wembley clash.

If Sunderland do go down, boss Ricky Sbragia will have few complaints.

“It’s happened over the 38 games, we have not been consistent enough,” he said. “From our point of view, we have conceded too many and not scored enough. “We have had many chances to get out of the position we are in, we have not taken them and we are down to the final game.”

Middlesbrough have the least hope of beating the drop as they must win at West Ham and hope Hull and Newcastle lose.

Boss Gareth Southgate is planning changes regardless of which division Middlesbrough end up in.

“After our experiences this season, it would be folly to not make wholesale changes,” he said. “We clearly haven’t been good enough this year so even if we stay up we’ve fallen a long way short of where we’re trying to be.”

Fulham can clinch seventh spot and the final place in the Europa League with a win over Everton.

Fixtures

Sunday (all 1500GMT)

Arsenal v Stoke, Aston Villa v Newcastle, Blackburn v West Brom, Fulham v Everton, Hull v Man Utd, Liverpool v Tottenham, Man City v Bolton, Sunderland v Chelsea, West Ham v Middlesbrough, Wigan v Portsmouth

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Fabregas glad to score again

April 27, 2009

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LONDON (AFP) – Cesc Fabregas admitted he’d forgotten what scoring a goal felt like after twice finding the net in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium here on Sunday.

The Spain midfielder was on target either side of half-time as the midfielder scored his first goals since October to help boost Arsenal’s morale ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against English and European champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.

“It’s been a long time” Fabregas told Sky Sports.

“I had completely lost the feeling of scoring a goal. To score two in a game is always special but the feeling was amazing.

“It keeps going the run we have got in the league and three days before the Manchester United game, which is probably our most important one of the season, it’s good for the confidence.

“We played some good stuff, we moved the ball really quick, and every player was good so we are happy with that.”

Looking ahead to the United match, Fabregas added: “The defence will be really, really important. We know they are a great team, we respect them a lot and we love the way they play.

“I think they respect us well and it will be a good game, I’m sure.”

While victory kept Arsenal’s hopes of securing automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League alive, defeat left Middlesbrough in the relegation zone and three points adrift of safety.

Boro’s next match is at home to United on Saturday – a match sandwiched by the two legs of Alex Ferguson’s side clash with Arsenal – but manager Gareth Southgate did his best to remain upbeat after the north-east team’s 17th league defeat of the season.

“It’s about what we do from here on in now,” he said. “We’ve got a massive game at home next week and we’ve got our fans behind us there and it’s a more realistic chance of getting something,” the ex-England central defender added.

“I don’t think it really matters when you play teams, it’s about how we are on the day,” Southgate said when asked if United’s European commitments might work in Boro’s favour.

“We will have to play extremely well. But we are capable, we’ve done it in the past.

“We’ve said we’ve got to pick some big results up, results went for us yesterday (Saturday) so we are still in with a chance but we realise we’ve got it all to do.”

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Reds aim to banish Euro blues against Blackburn

April 11, 2009

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LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Liverpool can banish the crushing disappointment of their midweek Champions League defeat against Chelsea by beating Blackburn on Saturday to keep up the pressure at the top of the Premier League.

Less than 72 hours after suffering a 3-1 quarter-final first leg defeat at Anfield, Rafa Benitez’s shell-shocked players return to domestic matters when they host struggling Rovers at Anfield.

Liverpool, who will kick off one point behind Manchester United, can go top of the table with a victory ahead of the leaders’ trip to Sunderland later Saturday.

Reds midfielder Lucas admits that the mood within the camp was glum following a defeat which leaves Liverpool requiring three goals at Stamford Bridge in next Tuesday’s return leg.

But the Brazilian, who started against Chelsea in the absence of suspended Javier Mascherano, believes a victory over Blackburn would lift the mood ahead of next week’s Champions League second leg.

“It is impossible not to think about this game afterwards when you go home, but at training the next day you have to focus on Blackburn,” Lucas said.

“Hopefully we won’t make the same mistakes because we still have chances in the title race.

“We are really disappointed but we have to forget about this now because we have a really important game on Saturday, then the second leg.

“We can’t talk too much now about the Champions League because we have a massive game against Blackburn.”

Liverpool’s mood has not been helped by the news that influential captain Steven Gerrard is struggling to make the starting line-up.

The England midfielder, who had surgery on his groin last August, aggravated a persistent groin problem during the Chelsea match on Wednesday.

The extent of the injury remains unclear but if Gerrard has exacerbated the problem, it could have deep repercussions for the remainder of the season as Liverpool have little margin for error in their pursuit of United.

“Steven was not 100 percent – you could see that,” said Benitez, who welcomes back Mascherano from suspension.

“It was the same for Fernando Torres, you could see that they were a little tired, not as sharp as before.”

On paper, Liverpool ought to dispose of Blackburn without too much fuss.

Blackburn have spent the season fighting relegation and although they arrive on Merseyside boasting a five-point safety cushion, they are without a league win at Anfield since 1993.

Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager, was at Anfield on Wednesday to watch Liverpool commit defensive suicide against Chelsea.

He believes his players can expose some of the frailties he witnessed.

“I went to have a look and watch what was probably the most in-form team in this country at the moment come a little unstuck on the night,” Allardyce said.

“We can only hope it knocks their confidence a little bit. Their pride will have been hurt, but they are still just one point off Manchester United.

“I think they’ll be all guns blazing, but we’ve come across that before and have had to cope with it.”

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