[rafa]

testing

[Poetic7]

Taking the points again this week guys? By the time the Sheikh takes over you'll probably around 3rd if you keep this up

[Le Moor]

BENITEZ ON FULHAM, GERRARD AND FORMATIONS
Jimmy Rice 08 December 2006


Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez took time out to talk to liverpoolfc.tv ahead of tomorrow's visit of Fulham.

Rafa on Fulham…

It's been a tiring week but it's not a problem because we have four or five players who stayed back. We've had enough time. I think Fulham will be more offensive than Portsmouth but if they do play a little bit deep we have to know what to do. When you are a top side you know this will happen. Okay, the other day we couldn't score even though we had chances, but I was really disappointed because Portsmouth were wasting time from the start.

Rafa on strikers…

It's important for the strikers to score goals and also it gives me a headache over which ones to use. Bellamy and Fowler both scored two goals this week, Kuyt is also scoring and Crouch is playing well. But these are the kinds of problems you like. Robbie is a very good finisher and if the team is playing well, creating chances, we will score goals when he is there. But I can say the same about Bellamy, Crouch and Kuyt.

Rafa on Gerrard…

When I talked to him it was clear he is happier now he's playing better, and this makes the team play better. Two games a week is not an ideal situation for anyone. You need to rest sometimes. The players want to play every game but as a manager you have to decide. They might be disappointed not to play but I hope at the end of the day they understand it's better for them. Gerrard is a player who can play a lot of games in a row but sometimes there is pressure because all our opponents go for him and Xabi during the games. Different positions require different physical levels. The centre-backs can play more games in a row, but the wingers, strikers and midfielders work harder and run more, with more pace.

Rafa on learning…

It's clear you can always learn. Even if I win 200 games for Liverpool, I will still be learning things.

Rafa on summer signings…

They know, we know and all the fans know they can play better, it's clear. I am really happy with their commitment and how they train every day. We need to improve away, and also sometimes at home, so not only the new players have to be better, but also the other players and the staff.

Rafa on three at the back…

It was clear the other day that we needed to use this system because we had only strikers and centre-backs fit. In Spain I used different systems depending on the game, though normally we'd use the system 4-2-3-1. The players were comfortable. Maybe it's more difficult to play with three centre-backs at home because teams come with only one striker.

Rafa on foreign players settling in…

Normally in all the leagues you have players coming in from abroad and it's not until the second part of the season that you see the best of them.

[Le Moor]

CISSE EDGING CLOSER TO A RETURN
Mark Platt 08 December 2006


Liverpool's out-on-loan striker Djibril Cisse could take another significant step on the road to recovery from a broken leg this weekend.

Cisse suffered the break while playing for France in a pre-World Cup warm-up game in June, a month before joining Marseille on a season-long loan deal.

He's yet to play a competitive fixture for the French giants but has been included in the squad for Saturday's clash with Monaco.

Marseille President Papa Diouf says: "We will not hasten the comeback so we are sure he can return at the highest level.

"Djibril is ready, medically, but at this level of competition it is right to take all the precautions. However, Djibril at 60% or 70% of his capabilities can bring us something."






Have to hand it to this brother, hes one brave and lucky person. Ive never known anyone to break both legs and be back playing at top level so quickly

[tobitrice]

Le moor you didnt like Cisse at all did you? I remember your post on the day we won the fa cup and you said this guy has got to go (even tho he did score a crucial goal). I must amitt, he was a bit frustrating throughout the season (classic exampleis the missed sitter at old trafford which coud have won us the game), but there was no doubting his pace andraw ability. He has a lot of potential to even be a world class striker, he just needs to find the application. Due to a three month goal drought during that season, my verdict was his time was up. But it wasnt entirely his fault. Benitez deliberately tried to make him fail by playing him on the right wing and only as a sub. Maybe its best that Cisse left, but now we have another example of what could have been and its painful that we've had too many of those in the past.

Good luck Djib. Hope you get back to your best.

[Le Moor]

Must admit Tobitrice in hindsight compared to what we've had up front since, Cisse didnt look a bad proposition. He had started to show form before his injury, but as you say that long barron spell he went through branded him a bit i think.

The reason i get fraustrated with all our forwards is because im still waiting for a reliable prolific goal scorer. Ive been spoilt over the years with Aldrigde, Barnes, Rush,Owen and Fowler.

And im still waiting........

[Le Moor]

[align=center]Dubai group preparing £450m offer
[/align]
[align=left]The five-times European champions looking ever more likely to pass into the hands of the Dubai International Capital group (DIC) before they resume their bid for a sixth title in the new year.[/align]
[align=left]Despite a lengthy trail of suitors in recent years, England's most successful club had failed to secure the investment required to meet the chairman David Moores' £170 million valuation, wipe out debts of about £80 million and provide the £200 million needed to build a 60,000-seat stadium at Stanley Park.

However, the prospect of Liverpool becoming the seventh Premiership club to be acquired by a foreign investor increased yesterday with DIC, a state-owned private equity company with links to the al-Maktoum dynasty, confirming that it had started a period of due diligence, with a formal offer in the region of £450 million expected in early January.

Sameer al-Ansari, DIC's chief executive, said: "We hope we can agree a deal that will provide us with the opportunity to fund its needs – both on and off the pitch."

Rick Parry, Liverpool's chief executive, said: "This is the latest step on the road of finding the long-term investment the club needs.

"DIC is a potential investor with the resources and philosophy we believe could make them an ideal partner. Already they have demonstrated a full understanding of, and respect for, the club's heritage and values.[/align]
[align=left]"We also believe they share our passion for success. DIC believes in investing in the businesses it acquires. This is very important in terms of the proposed new stadium, which is key to plans for the regeneration of the local community. On the pitch, Liverpool remains focused on winning and, here again, this is all about doing a deal that gives us the long-term resources to do that."

Rafael Benitez, the manager, said: "We cannot do anything at this stage other than to focus on the game, but it is always important as a club to have more possibilities and more money."

He led Liverpool to Champions League glory after a penalty shoot-out victory over AC Milan in Istanbul in May 2005, but has made no secret of his frustration at the club's inability to compete with its rivals in the transfer market.

Part of the problem is that their ground, Anfield, is too small to generate substantial transfer revenues, while the club do not have the funds to build a stadium that could bring in such an income.

Previous attempts by the minority shareholder Steve Morgan to invest in the club, and a takeover bid by George Gillett, the American owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, were rejected by Liverpool. But DIC appear to have convinced Moores and Parry of their ability to return the club to the top of English and European football.

Although the al-Maktoum family, who already have sporting connections as owners of the Godolphin Racing stables, are not directly involved with the proposed takeover, their £10 billion fortune is almost double that of Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea.

If DIC complete the take-over, any future al-Maktoum involvement could place Liverpool in a league of their own in the transfer market.

Theres a lot of talk out there saying this sort of takeover is no good for the club or football.

I say who cares, bring it on, lets role with it and see what happens at the end of the glory trail...lol
[/align]

[tobitrice]

Yep, i was over the moon when i heard news about this. Supposesdly their richer that roman abramovich, but if their fortuneis £10 billion thenthat is not the case. I remember reading that roman hadsold some of his business and boosted his fortune to £14 billion. I dont think we'll do a chelsea in the transfer market, but we'll finally be able to boost our funds to get our first choice targets more often.LeMoor, looks as if your dream in theopening post of this thread may come true, well players of those sort anyway.The investment along with the youth development in our squad looks to call for really exciting times, oh yeah and the stadium. Hats off to rick parry and moores, they've really tried.

No doubt this will come with repercussions, but good things in life rarely occur without a price. Other fans will jeer us for this, but who cares. There's Chelski and Man USA so what will we be called? Prepare for such labels as EL-FCorLiverpoil. LOL. All in good humour.

[tobitrice]

[Le Moor]

tobitrice wrote:

Yep, i was over the moon when i heard news about this. Supposesdly their richer that roman abramovich, but if their fortuneis £10 billion thenthat is not the case. I remember reading that roman hadsold some of his business and boosted his fortune to £14 billion. I dont think we'll do a chelsea in the transfer market, but we'll finally be able to boost our funds to get our first choice targets more often.LeMoor, looks as if your dream in theopening post of this thread may come true, well players of those sort anyway.The investment along with the youth development in our squad looks to call for really exciting times, oh yeah and the stadium. Hats off to rick parry and moores, they've really tried.

No doubt this will comes with repercussions, but good things in life rarely occur without a price. Other fans will jeer us for this, but who cares. There's Chelski and Man USA so what will we be called? Prepare for such labels as EL-FCorLiverpoil. LOL. All in good humour.

There will always be haters nutin new there.

I can see it now, Eto and Crouch in the same line-up....lol

What do you think of the Barcelona draw. Fancy our chances?We are capable of beating them, butwe're gonna have to severely raise our game from the standard we've had this season.

[tobitrice]

Yep, we can beat them, but you hit the nail on the head when you said we had to raise our game from the standards this season. Some of our football this season has constantly kept my hands on my head. It was frustrating because i knew wewere capable of much more. Anywaythe barca draw had me excited. To be the best you have to beat the best. Its good to see that we're back to the level where other european teamsfear us and that we can be considered 'the most interesting tie.'

I cant stop thinking of how we are supposed to beat them though. At the Nou camp we are going to have to defend for our lives, but I'm confident that we can do this because due to our winning CL campaign we showed the worldthat on our day we can defend against ANYONE. (I will thank Houllier for setting up that foundation). Then we have to bring them to Anfield and show them what this place is all about.

[safetyblitz]

Actually I think your guys match up better with Barca than anyone else. Sending Crouch on their foul prone center backs should give the smaller forwards and wings acres as Barca wing backs cannot defend.