Mascherano says all not lost as Spurs await

January 20, 2010

Javier Mascherano believes Liverpool can still secure a place in next season’s Champions League despite accepting they deserve all the criticism that has come their way.

Even though Liverpool have failed to win seven times in their last 11 Premier League matches, Rafael Benitez’s under-performing team will move to within one point of fourth place if they defeat Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield here on Wednesday.

The match against Spurs, who currently occupy the Premier League’s fourth and final qualifying spot for Europe’s elite competition, has taken on extra significance for Liverpool following their recent woeful form.

Having seen his side suffer early exits from this season’s Champions League and FA Cup, as well as falling out of the race for the English title, Benitez knows the only way he can salvage the campaign is by Liverpool finishing in fourth place.

But Liverpool’s task against Tottenham has been made harder by the absence of inspirational captain Steven Gerrard (hamstring), star striker Fernando Torres (knee) and Israeli playmaker Yossi Benayoun (rib), who all suffered injuries in last week’s shock FA Cup loss to second division Reading.

In the trio’s absence, Liverpool could only manage a draw in the league against Stoke on Saturday but Argentina captain Mascherano said the team could overcome their difficulties by pulling together as a squad.

“The situation is enough to get anyone down, but this team is going to keep going forward because of the spirit and history of the club,” said Mascherano.

“It is normal that we are being criticised – we are all to blame for going out of the Champions League and FA Cup.

“We share the credit when things go well and the blame when things go badly.

“Rafa has a difficult job because this season key players are getting injured, which would upset the plans of any coach.

“Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are fundamental for us and any team would miss them,” Mascherano added.

“It is true we are not in certain competitions now but there are still things to resolve.

“We have to sort out the problems and win. For once, I’d prefer to get the points over the level of our performance.”

Ryan Babel is expected to miss the Spurs match after angering Benitez on the eve of the Stoke match by revealing his frustration on micro-blogging site Twitter at not being included in the squad.

Tottenham have not won a league game at Anfield since 1993 yet Redknapp’s side arrive at Anfield on the back of a six-match unbeaten run.

They surprised Liverpool on the opening day of the season, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Sebastien Bassong setting the tone for the Merseyside club’s poor season by scoring in a 2-1 home win at White Hart Lane.

Redknapp is well aware of the value to Liverpool of their England midfielder and Spain forward.

“I’d be lying if I stood here and said that the absence of Gerrard and Torres won’t matter,” said Redknapp. “Of course, they are two world-class players, and they will miss them.

“But they have a strong squad. I have never been there and had an easy game. It is a difficult place to go.”

Tottenham are without winger Aaron Lennon due to injury while Ledley King is also expected to be missing with a damaged knee.

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Keane is available but might have to make do with a place on the substitutes bench after being replaced by Peter Crouch, another Anfield old boy, during last Saturday’s goalless draw with strugglers Hull City.

“When Crouch came on against Hull, and not being disrespectful to Robbie, we suddenly looked (more dangerous),” said Redknapp.

“They put so many bodies in there and it was hard to play through them.

“When Crouch came on we could miss them out and drop balls up to him and he won headers and we were getting shots on goal.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

Tags: absence, anfield, captain steven, champions league, elite competition, Fernando Torres, Hotspur, inspirational captain, Liverpool, mascherano, match, playmaker, premier league, rafael benitez, salvage, seven times, shock, Steven Gerrard

Buffon boost as Juve seek to salvage season

January 16, 2010

Juventus have received two important boosts ahead of their tricky trip to Chievo on Sunday as they bid to salvage their dismal season.

Last week Juve crashed 3-0 at home to AC Milan to slip 12 points behind leaders Inter Milan.

The defeat, a sixth in eight games in all competitions during which time they also slumped out of the Champions League, also left Juventus embroiled in a tense race for a place in Europe’s top competition next season.

Napoli in fourth are level on points with them, AS Roma are one point behind and both Palermo and Fiorentina, who have a game in hand, are within one victory of the Turin giants.

On Wednesday, Juventus earned a confidence boost in beating Napoli 3-0 in the Coppa Italia while Italy’s number one goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has declared himself fit for Sunday’s trip.

But while that may seem like a double boost, the truth is that Buffon only missed four matches and was between the sticks during most of Juve’s troubles.

Little should be read into the defeat of Napoli either as the southerners rested all their top players, and unlike Juve they don’t have a huge squad with a bench full of international players.

Even so, Juve coach Ciro Ferrara has been happy to see a little of the pressure on his position ease.

“It was a very, very important match for all of us, for me but for everyone else as well,” he said after that victory.

“We played with humility and determination, we deserved to win.

“Lots has gone wrong recently but we absolutely must buy someone. Many players have gone away and we have some injuries.”

However, Buffon was more reserved in his assessment of Juve’s position.

“The win over Napoli in the Cup served to restore our morale but we all know that’s not enough to bring some consistency to our results,” he warned.

Ahead of Juve, Milan are eight points behind Inter, although they do have a game in hand and the Milan derby to come in a week’s time.

Inter also face a tricky clash away to Bari on Saturday with the southerners having only lost once at home all season.

They also held Inter to a 1-1 draw at the San Siro on the opening day of the campaign and are in the mix for a top four finish, six points behind Juve and Napoli but with a game in hand.

Bari captain, the Belgian goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet vowed to give Jose Mourinho as many problems as they did earlier in the season.

“Against Inter in the worst case scenario we hope to repeat the result we previously got against them when we had the Italian champions on the ropes,” he said.

Inter have problems as Samuel Eto’o is away on African Cup of Nations duty while the likes of Esteban Cambiasso and Dejan Stankovic are stuggling to be fit and Cristian Chivu is definitely out.

If Inter do slip up, Milan will be expecting to capitalise given they are playing at home to rock bottom Siena.

Alongside Napoli, Milan are probably the form team in Serie A and combative midfielder Gennaro Gattuso says a lot of that is down to rookie coach Leonardo.

“He’s doing a great job with the group and manages to get himself understood in the dressing room,” he said.

“It’s not easy managing such a group with many star players but he’s great at speaking to everyone individually and making them understand the needs of the team.”

It won’t be all plain-sailing for Milan, though, as last week Siena were two minutes away from escaping the San Siro with three points until two late Inter goals gave the champions a 4-3 win.

Fixtures

Saturday

Bari v Inter Milan, Cagliari v Livorno

Sunday

AC Milan v Siena, Atalanta v Lazio, Chievo v Juventus, Fiorentina v Bologna, Napoli v Palermo, Parma v Udinese, AS Roma v Genoa, Sampdoria v Catania

ROME (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, Bari, Bologna, boosts, catania, champions league, clash, consistency, cristian chivu, Esteban Cambiasso, Europe, Ferrara, gennaro gattuso, genoa, gianluigi buffon, inter milan, Italy, juve, juve milan, lazio, leonardo, Milan, napoli, Palermo, Roma, salvage, samuel eto, San, southerners, turin

Ten-man Liverpool hit a new low at Portsmouth

December 19, 2009

Liverpool’s miserable season hit a new low as Javier Mascherano was sent off in a 2-0 defeat at bottom of the table Portsmouth on Saturday.

Rafa Benitez’s side, who are already out of the Champions League, have won just four of their last 17 matches in all competitions and face a desperate fight to salvage a place in the Premier League’s top four.

The Reds, who are five points adrift of fourth place ahead of Saturday’s later games, fell behind in the 33rd minute when Algeria defender Nadir Belhadj lashed a ferocious shot past Jose Reina from a tight angle for his first goal of the season.

That strike was the 500th in the Premier League this season and Liverpool defender Daniel Agger should have added to that tally, but wasted his side’s best chance when he headed over from close range.

A dismal day for Liverpool got even worse when Argentine midfielder Mascherano was dismissed by referee Lee Mason for an ugly lunge on Tal Ben Haim just before half-time.

French striker Frederic Piquionne piled on the misery for Liverpool boss Benitez, who is certain to face more heavy criticism after this defeat, when he finished off a Kevin-Prince Boateng-inspired move in the 82nd minute.

Portsmouth, celebrating their second win under new manager Avram Grant, move level on points with second bottom West Ham, but remain behind the Hammers on goals scored.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: algeria, Argentine, Ben Haim, champions league, close range, daniel agger, desperate fight, dismal day, five points, hammers, Javier Mascherano, Jose, jose reina, Kevin Prince, lee mason, Liverpool, london, lunge, mascherano, miserable season, nadir belhadj, Portsmouth, premier league, rafa benitez, referee, salvage, striker, west ham

Gerrard bullish as Liverpool enter last-chance saloon

November 23, 2009

Liverpool set out for a must-win Champions League clash with Debrecen without injured striker Fernando Torres but with captain Steven Gerrard insisting they can still turn their season around.

A run of one win in ten matches has left the Reds floundering in the Premier League and on the brink of going out of the Champions League.

To survive among Europe’s elite, Rafael Benitez’s side must beat Hungarian champions Debrecen in Budapest on Tuesday and hope that Fiorentina fail to beat Lyon in Italy.

That looks a long shot but Gerrard insists that he and his squad can still salvage something from a season that started with high hopes of a sustained challenge for Liverpool’s first league title since 1990.

“The mood in the camp is really good, although we know our position in the table isn’t good enough,” Gerrard said.

“But we have faith in our ability. We know we can put things right.”

He added: “It’s been a frustrating few weeks because as soon as I was fit we had the international break. I’ve been desperate to play and can’t wait to really get going properly again.”

Gerrard started his first game in a month on Saturday when Liverpool drew 2-2 at home to Manchester City and he is expected to start again in the Hungarian capital, possibly with the help of a pain-killing injection.

Torres has been ruled out again by Benitez who admits the striker, who is battling a groin injury, is also doubtful for Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Everton.

“We thought it would be two or three weeks and he’s only 12 or 13 days into that so there’s no point in him going,” Benitez told Liverpool’s website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

“The next few days will decide if he is fit for Everton, but at this moment there are no guarantees.”

Benitez admitted it was frustrating for Liverpool to have lost control of their own destiny. “A lot depends on Fiorentina and Lyon, but the main thing for us is to concentrate on our game and see what happens,” the Spaniard said.

“We have to prepare our game because we don’t have any influence over the other one. If we can do our job and win, we’ll see.

“I think we can do it. We have some players coming back from injury, so hopefully with a bit of luck we can progress.

“It’s football, so you never know. We’ll see if we can keep going in the Champions League.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

Tags: brink, captain steven, champions league, debrecen, everton, Fernando Torres, first game, groin injury, high hopes, hungarian capital, Liverpool, liverpoolfc tv, manchester city, merseyside derby, own destiny, premier league, rafael benitez, salvage, Spaniard, Steven Gerrard

Ronaldinho rescues point for Milan as Juventus crash

October 5, 2009

Substitute Ronaldinho popped up seven minutes from time to salvage a point for AC Milan in a 1-1 draw at 10-man Atalanta on Sunday but that might not be enough to save coach Leonardo from the chop.

Meanwhile, the last unbeaten record in Serie A disappeared as Juventus were beaten 2-0 at Palermo to drop to third in the table.

Milan may have come from behind to earn a draw but their hosts played almost an hour with 10 men and it took the seven-time European champions 45 minutes to break down their lowly opponents with a numerical advantage.

It was also only Milan’s fourth goal in seven league matches in which the struggling giants have managed just two wins.

In Europe and at home they have failed to win in their last four matches, a bleak statistic which has piled the pressure onto Leonardo.

But centre-back Alessandro Nesta insisted the Brazilian boss should not be blamed for the club’s woes.

“These are two points dropped. We put our heart into this match but if it seemed as if we weren’t trying it’s because we’re not working well. We’re not managing to cover all areas of the pitch,” he said.

“It’s a difficult moment but we’re right behind Leonardo. You win and you lose all together. It’s not one single person’s failure.”

Atalanta deservedly took the lead on 21 minutes as Simone Padoin’s cross from the right caused confusion in the Milan backline.

Centre-backs Nesta and Giuseppe Favalli were both drawn to Cristiano Doni at the neat post, leaving Simone Tiribocchi free behind them as Ignazio Abate had failed to cover from right-back.

When Doni missed the ball it fell to Tiribocchi, who had time to pick his spot and beat Marco Storari in the Milan goal.

Serbian midfielder Ivan Radovanovic then made the hosts’ hopes of holding out for victory look decidedly tougher as he was sent off six minutes before the break for a needless second booking, pulling Pato’s shirt when the forward was practically on the halfway line.

Milan were expected to come out firing after the break as Leonardo replaced French midfielder Mathieu Flamini with Ronaldinho.

The former European champions did fashion an early chance as Thomas Manfredini over-committed himself in trying to reach an Andrea Pirlo cross leaving Pato free to shoot from 10 yards but Consigli came to the rescue, making a point blank stop.

Atalanta then survived a double scare 17 minutes from time.

Following a slick Milan passing move, Consigli saved well from Ronaldinho before Pato’s volleyed follow-up bounced into the ground and over the goalkeeper, only to come back off the bar.

Milan played much of the second half just in front of Atalanta’s penalty box and the 10 men finally cracked on 83 minutes when Nesta lifted the ball over the backline and Ronaldinho volleyed home in one brilliant movement.

Juve could have gone top if they had won in Sicily but that never looked likely in a game in which they were clearly second-best.

First half goals from Brazilians Edison Cavani and Simplicio within five minutes of each other gave Palermo a deserved 2-0 lead at the break after dominating the first half.

Juve’s Brazilian playmaker Diego came closest for the visitors, hitting the woodwork with a free-kick.

Sampdoria failed to take back top spot from Inter Milan, who beat Udinese 2-1 on Saturday, as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Parma.

Francesco Totti scored a brace in AS Roma’s 2-1 victory over Napoli that saw him move level with former Argentina, Roma and Fiorentina striker Gabriel Batistuta in eighth place on the all-time top Serie A goalscorers list.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, Alessandro Nesta, andrea pirlo, Argentina, atalanta, backline, chop, Diego, doni, Edison, Europe, francesco totti, Gabriel Batistuta, Giuseppe Favalli, Ignazio Abate, ivan radovanovic, leonardo, Marco Storari, Mathieu Flamini, Milan, napoli, nesta, numerical advantage, Palermo, Roma, ROME, salvage, Simone Padoin, Simone Tiribocchi, six minutes, statistic, storari, Thomas Manfredini, unbeaten record, woes

Lazio stumble again but end losing run

February 14, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Lazio were far from convincing as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Torino at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

The point did at least end a run of four straight defeats for Delio Rossi’s team after Sebastiano Siviglia equalised for the hosts following Ignazio Abate’s first-half opener.

The draw means Lazio’s hopes of qualifying for Europe through their league finish are fast fading, although they are through to the semi-finals of the Italian Cup and could earn a UEFA Cup spot through that competition.

Abate opened the scoring on 36 minutes with a shot from distance after French midfielder Olivier Dabo had lost the ball in midfield.

But 15 minutes from time Siviglia headed home a cross from Stefano Mauri to salvage a share of the spoils.

In an otherwise uninspiring match, the biggest drama came a few minutes into the second half when referee Massimiliano Saccani was knocked flat by a fierce shot by Lazio’s Aleksandar Kolarov.

Saccani stayed motionless on the turf for a couple of minutes before getting up to continue with the match.

Torino stayed third from bottom after a fifth draw in a row.

Written by: AFP