Liverpool set to fight Manu for Vidic capture

According to press reports this morning the Nemanja Vidic's agents are still in talks with Liverpool. Vidic has told Spartak Moscow that he is planning to leave and apparently has a clause in his contract that allows him to be sold for around £ 5 million if he hands in a transfer request. Spartak had previously put a price tag in excess of £ 10 million on Vidic as he is a key member of their squad.
Man United had a meeting with the Spartak president, Sergey Shavlo, earlier this week to try and arrange a deal for the purchase of Vidic. Although no fee was agreed they were told by the Russian club that they were in the driving seat for the acquisition of the Serb International. To complicate matters further Vidic has apparently verbally agreed to join Fiorentina. Although this was before news emerged that there was Premiership interest.

Hopefully this get out clause exists in Vidic's contract otherwise the price tag will make the move unlikely. However Rafa does have alternative options. The Argentine defender, Coloccini, has been a long term target and he is unsettled at Deportivo at the moment. If Coloccini moves it is likely to be on loan.

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Carra ready for title challenge

Carra believes the defeat to Sao Paolo has not affected the confidence too much. He feels that Liverpool will still be able to carry out their pre-season goal of making a challenge for the title:

"We're definitely not down because we're doing well at the moment," said Carragher.
"We want to challenge Chelsea. Manchester United have won a couple of games while we've been away and moved into second place.
"The aim at the start of the season was to try to push as close for the title as possible. There's still a long way to go and hopefully we can do that."

Hopefully the players will have recovered from the long trip when they line up against Newcastle on Boxing day. The next four games, over the holiday period, will be pivotal. If the winning run can continue we will be able to put some pressure on Chelsea.

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Kewell still not fully fit

Harry has spoken about his return from injury. He has been back playing for over a month but his groin is still troubling him:

"I have still got a long way to go to be fully fit," says Kewell. "My groin is still giving me grief after all this time, but we are doing everything possible to combat the problem. "I come in early every day before training to do the work that needs to be done on my groin and to allow me to train. "We are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to try to correct the problem and hopefully one day we will have a breakthrough. "At the moment, I just have to grit my teeth and get on with it, but at least I'm playing again now."

Kewell has also explained how his early exit from the Champions League final was unavoidable:

"Everybody thought I had thrown it in and I could not believe the reaction from some people," fumed Kewell. "Even before the story was out properly they had diagnosed me and decided I had quit. I didn't realise there were so many qualified doctors watching the match. "My groin just snapped and I love it how people were criticising me in commentaries straight away, just saying my heart wasn't in it or I just wanted to go off. "It was the biggest game of my life and there's no way I would have left the field if there had been any way, any way at all, that I could have kept going."

Harry has been showing encouraging signs of getting back to his best. He was very dangerous against Sao Paolo and seems to be playing now with more freedom and confidence.

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Flo may return to France

Nice are discussing the possibility of taking Flo back to France to solve their striking problems:

"We are in contact with Liverpool but the talks are not very much advanced," Nice sporting director Roger Ricort told French newspaper L'Equipe. "We are going to lose two players in attack at a time where the schedule is extremely heavy.
"We are looking to get a striker whose move will be compatible with our budget and is ready straightaway."

Flo has mainly been limited to substitute appearances this season. I'm sure he would like some first team football. Rafa may allow him to leave on loan however much will depend on the Cisse situation.

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Reds may move for Pennant

According to reports this morning Liverpool are considering moving for Jermaine Pennant as a deal for Simao is looking unlikely.

There is no doubt Pennant has the footballing skills required to fill our right wing position. He is a winger who is able to run with the ball at speed and deliver dangerous crosses. However his off field antics have tarnished his reputation.

Benfica seem to have priced us out of a move for Simao. Pennant is unlikely to cost anywhere near as much as the Portuguese International. The question is whether Rafa will risk making a move for someone with a history of trouble. The way he dealt with Diouf when he arrived at the club suggests he won't.

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Benfica slap high price tag on Simao

Benfica have reiterated their intention not to sell Simao. However they have stated that if a large bid in excess of £ 12m is received they may change their mind:

"It is not in our thoughts to sell Simao or any other player in January," said Benfica supremo Luis Felipe Vieira. "We would only be ready to study the matter if someone offered more than £12.2m."

It has also been reported that Benfica are interested in Dudek although the Portuguese team have played down the chances of a swap deal:

"Dudek is a question for the coaches, but him and Simao are independent matters." added Vieira.

It looks like any deal for Simao is now unlikely as Rafa would not spend his whole transfer budget on one player with other reinforcements required.
Jerzy will certainly be looking for first team football to enhance his World Cup chances. However I think he would prefer a loan deal.

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Liverpool Player Ratings against 'Boro

Another accomplished performance against Boro has seen our excellent run extend to seven successive Premiership wins and ten clean sheets. Below are the player ratings:

Pep 8 Didn't have much to do other than make two excellent vital saves.
Carra 7 Helped keep the Boro strikers very quiet.
Sami 8 Is currently in majestic form. Used his positional awareness to make a number of timely interceptions.
Finnan 7 A solid right back performance. Made some dangerous forward forays.
Riise 7 A typically efficient performance. Unlucky not to score a goal of the season contender after meeting a Gerrard corner with 25 yard volley.
Momo 8 Covered lots of ground and prevented Boro from getting any attacking rhythm.
Xabi 7 Displayed his usual repertoire of telling passes and broke up some Boro attacks.
Gerrard 8 Drifted inside from the right midfield to cause havoc. Played a key role in the first goal.
Kewell 7 Showing signs of returning to decent form. Tested Schwarzer with a long range effort and seemed more determined to take opponents on.
Crouch 7 As usual caused the opposition defence lots of problems and created chances of others.
Nando 8 Scored a couple of well taken goals and came close to scoring with some other efforts.

The Subs
Garcia 7 Made an important contribution as a sub setting up the first goal.
Cisse & Josemi 6 Did not have enough time to make a proper impact.

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Marseille coach expresses interest in Djib

Marseille look set to make an effort to sign Cisse in the transfer window as their coach, Jean Fernandez, declared his interest in the pacy Frenchman:

"I am not in the managers' confidence but I know that we really need a striker and I would be very, very happy to have Cisse, who is a great player with fantastic potential," Fernandez told Canal Plus on Saturday evening."It would be an honour to have him with us."

This comes after the Marseille president, Pape Diouf, has repeatedly claimed that a loan move could be agreed for Djib in January.

Djib had stated earlier this season that unless he was playing regular first team football by January he would look for a move to ensure his hopes of being in the French World Cup squad aren't dashed. Cisse also is clearly not one of Rafa's favourites. Rafa has stated that he prefers team players and Cisse doesn't appear to fit in that category.

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Rafa gets Manager of the Month award

Rafa has today been named Barclays manager of the month of November. The last few weeks have seen a remarkable turnaround as the Reds have won six consecutive Premiership games without conceding a goal. It's great to see Rafa getting the recognition he deserves although he was quick deflect the praise away from himself and highlight the contribution of the players:

"It was a good month for us," said Benitez. "We won games, scored goals, kept clean sheets and moved up the table. "This award is for everyone at the club and not just me. I want to share it with my staff, the players and the supporters. Everyone involved in the club is a key player in our team and everyone has been working really hard. When you work hard then you can be successful. "It's nice to receive individual awards like this but it wouldn't happen if we didn't have such a good group of people at the club. I have confidence that we can keep improving and win more games. That's the idea."

Hopefully this manager of the month award will be the first of many for Rafa.

Kirkland expecting to leave Liverpool

Chris Kirkland believes that his future will not be at Anfield. He is currently on loan at West Brom and would be happy to make his move there permanent:

"I've not spoken to anyone at Liverpool. But I'm not stupid. Rafael Benitez has brought (Jose) Reina in and he is his number one goalkeeper. He's got (Jerzy) Dudek and (Scott) Carson there as well so I'd think I'd be a fool to think I can go back there.
"But you never know. I'm not ruling anything out. I'm just hoping to play well and we will see what happens at the end of the season but I am enjoying it at Albion," he added.

"Would I like to stay on a permanent basis? I can't see why not," said Liverpool keeper Kirkland. "It is up to West Brom and the gaffer but I enjoy it here. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the season because it looks as though my future won't be at Liverpool. "I've got to give myself as many options as I can at the end of the season and if West Brom are one of them, then great. If the clubs can agree a fee I can't see no reason for not stopping if the club wants me. Hopefully they do. But a lot of things can change. I'm here for another six months."

There is no doubt that Kirkland is a very talented keeper. Unfortunately his injury problems prevented him being established at Liverpool. It does look unlikely that he will play for us again. Hopefully he can stay injury free and show everyone why he is described as one of the best young keepers around.

Uefa charge Essien with gross unsporting conduct

Uefa have today issued a statement on their website saying that they will meet next week to decide on Essien's punishment after his terrible tackle on Didi:

"Uefa has today instigated disciplinary proceedings against Michael Essien, charging the Chelsea FC midfielder with gross unsporting conduct following the English club's UEFA Champions League game against Liverpool FC on Tuesday. "The charge relates to Essien's tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann, which occurred out of the sight of both the referee and his assistants during the 0-0 Group G draw at Stamford Bridge.
"Any statement about the above, as well as any evidence, can be submitted to UEFA by 14 December 2005.
"The Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body will decide on the matter at its next meeting on 15 December."

Unfortunately Didi is still suffering the effects of the challenge and is doubtful for the weekend game against 'Boro.

Will the World Club Championships be a help or hindrance?

On Sunday Liverpool will leave for Japan to participate in the FIFA World Club Championships. This comes just before the premiership's busiest period of the year. The Reds will play two games in Japan, the Semi Final against Deportivo Saprissa on December 15th and then hopefully the Final on the 18th. Liverpool will then return to Premiership action against Newcastle United on the 26th December for the first of four games in seven days. Will the disruption caused by the trip be worthwhile?

On the positive side the if the Reds are victorious they will be the European and World Club Champions. They will also receive prize money of $ 4.5 million which should help Rafa's January spending spree. It will also be nice for Liverpool to play in front of their Japanese fans following the cancellation of the pre-season tour as Uefa told the holders of their premier competition to start the defence with pre qualification. Previously the European Champions would have traveled to Japan in any case for the one-off game against the South American Champions. The World Club Championships has now replaced this one off game and will be held every year.

Liverpool already have one game in hand in the Premiership. It would have been two had Sunderland not kindly agreed to bring their game forward. They will miss another game whilst participating in Japan. We are already playing catch up in the League and progression in the FA Cup and Champions League will no doubt cause a fixture pile up. With the Super Cup and Champions League qualification Liverpool have already played seven games more than usual. Surely fatigue will be a problem due to the sheer volume of games. Although the squad is stronger than last season Sami & Carra have played virtually every game and could do with a rest and certainly not additional games.

We are currently playing well and are on a superb run. Hopefully the rhythm will not be lost when traveling to the other side of the world. Overall, on the basis that Rafa can strengthen the squad in January to allow some of our heavily employed players some rest, I think the World Club Championships could provide a welcome mid season boost, provided we win the tournament.

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Simao deal in doubt

A couple of factors have narrowed the chances of Simao arriving at Anfield in the January transfer window. Simao is currently out with a knee injury and club doctors are now not expecting him to return until the new year. Simao's club Benfica have also qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League. Benfica are unlikely to sell their star player whilst they are still in Europe's top competition. The financial boost of Champions League progression will also lessen their need to raise extra cash through transfers.

Possible opponents for Champions League last 16

Apart from Man U the majority of the biggest clubs in Europe have made it through to the Champions League Knockout stage. The draw for the last 16 is scheduled to take place next Friday. A group winner cannot be drawn against another group winner and teams will not be drawn against one from the same country until the quarter finals. Consequently we will could face any of the second placed teams other than Chelsea. These teams could be:

Bayern Munich
Ajax
Werder Bremen
Benfica
PSV Eindhoven
Real Madrid
Rangers

Topping the group has certainly given us an advantage otherwise we could have faced:

Inter, Lyon, Milan, Villarreal, Barcelona or Juventus.

Hopefully we will avoid meeting Bayern or Madrid. Ultimately though it doesn't make too much difference because we will need to beat the best at some stage if we want to win the tournament again. Although it's nice to save the best till last.

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Vidic price tag raised

Spartak Moscow's chief exec, Sergei Shavlo, is now demanding a fee of around £ 9m for Nemanja Vidic. Shavlo has also stated that Man U are interested in the Serb International defender. Previously it looked like he would be sold for £ 5 million but this no longer appears to be the case:
"Vidic is a player in our team and we wouldn't like to let him go," Shavlo told Football Hockey magazine. "We'll try to do our best to keep him at the club.
"But if any club can offer us the proper price which we can use for signing another player of the same level we can accept that.
"This amount is equal to 13-15m euros. I think that we'll get similar offers.
"According to our information, Manchester United are ready to make an offer and probably Liverpool. It's good that the player has progressed so much during the last season."

Rafa has shown in the past that he will not be held to ransom. Therefore it now seems unlikely that Vidic will be heading to Anfield.

Gerrard: Not much to choose between Liverpool & Chelsea

Stevie Gerrard is happy that we are now performing like a top side and thinks we are close to becoming challengers to Chelsea:

"We're getting consistently good results against the top sides, and I think we're emerging as challengers to Chelsea.
"We did it in Europe last year, and our intention has always been to do the same in the league. There's still a gap to reduce, but I don't think anyone can say we've only done it in the big games now. We're producing it week in, week out and we know that's got to continue.
"In seven, or eight matches against Chelsea there's been very little between the sides. Our problem has been showing that against other sides, but we're a lot better now."
"Tuesday night was important for us psychologically. There was a lot of talk before the game about the result not mattering, but the way we performed showed that wasn't how we felt at all.
"It's fair to say there was a lot of bluffing going on before the game, and the fact both managers picked strong sides showed how they really felt.
"We're on an excellent run and we didn't want to let it slip against Chelsea.
"We'll take a lot from the fact they couldn't break us down, and with just a bit more quality with the final ball in the second half we could have beaten them.

Gerrard believes that topping the group will prove to be important. The position at the top means we will avoid playing Barcelona and Milan in the next round:

"You never know how the draw is going to work out, but I think it's a big advantage winning the group.
"We know it's going to be tough no matter who we play, but there is a lot more chance of playing the best sides in Europe when you finish second."

With the addition of some new signings in January Gerrard feels that we will soon be strong enough to take the final step in our quest for glory:

"There have been times recently when we had a good opportunity to make the final step up and we haven't really taken it, but now everyone's a lot more confident it's going to happen.
"The manager has gone on record saying he intends strengthening in January and that's going to make a difference too."

As Gerrard has mentioned it was important to keep the run going against Chelsea. It's now nine games unbeaten, our Premiership form is superb and everything is looking very promising for the second half of the season.

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Hamann has lucky escape following horror challenge

Didi Hamann is happy that he only suffered bruising from Essien's over the top challenge:

"I was going for the ball and I think he came over the ball and caught me just below the knee. The referee didn't see it and you have to get on with it," said Hamann.
"It was the worst tackle I have ever been on the receiving end of.
"I really feared that I might have broken my leg, thankfully it is only bad bruising.
"When things like that happen, what you must not do is allow yourself to be distracted, we were playing well and controlling the game and getting the result to win the group was crucial.
"You have to get over these things and move on to the next match and make sure that we continue the run we are in."

Rafa is in no doubt about the severity of the tackle and the punishment that Essien should have received:

"I could see the tackle. I've also seen Dietmar Hamann's leg. It's clear. If you can see the video you will have your opinion."He added: "I have an idea that in this kind of situation they should look at the video. Not for changing the game, but if the referee has made a mistake."

The ref couldn't have seen the tackle otherwise Essien surely would have been given his marching orders. However Uefa are likely to review the incident and punish Essien after they have seen the ref's report.

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Reds check out Kompany

According to reports in the Belgian media the Reds sent some scouts to watch Vincent Kompany in last nights Champions League game between Anderlecht and Betis. The 19 year old defender is very talented and is being chased by a number of clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid & Barcelona. Any scouts watching last night would have been impressed as Kompany helped his team to a clean sheet and made a forward break from defence to score the winner.

Kompany would not be a cheap signing. A fee for any deal would be in the region of £ 10 million.

Argentine defender may move from Banfield to Anfield

Liverpool are pondering making a move for Argentine Youth International defender Gabriel Paletta. The 19 year old was a key part of the Argentine team who won the World Youth Championships earlier this year. If the Reds are to make a bid the fee would be in the region of £3 million for the youngster who currently plays in Argentina for Banfield.

Paletta may not require a work permit due to the European roots of his ancestors. He would also have the advantage of not being cup-tied for the Champions League.

There is no doubt we will be signing a central defender in the transfer window. The only question is who will it be? A talented youngster would be the most likely option as initially the defender will be providing cover for Sami and Carra.

Xabi ruled out of Chelsea game

Rafa has stated that Xabi will be rested on Tuesday. The Spanish midfield master has just come back from injury and Rafa does not want to take any chances with a busy schedule of games to come before the end of the year:

Benitez said: "Alonso won't be in the squad for the Chelsea game. He told me he wants to play but I said no, you must rest. All players want to play. "If it was a game that we needed to win to qualify then maybe he would have played but we have already qualified."

Although qualification is secure it's important to keep our good run going. It will also be a psychological boost to get a decent result at Stamford Bridge and topping the group would be nice. I'm not expecting Rafa to make too many changes on Tuesday.

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Rafa is staying at Liverpool

Real Madrid sacked their manager Wanderley Luxemburgo at the weekend and there is no doubt they would love Rafa to be their next boss particularly given his record in La Liga. However Rafa insists that he is happy at the Reds:

"I am happy at Liverpool, I am Liverpool's manager and I have a job to do here."I have said this in the past and now I have an important game in the Champions league against Chelsea to think about and that is all that is on my mind."I certainly will not allow this speculation to disrupt my preparation for the game, but as I say, I am happy here at this club."

Rafa has repeatedly stated he wants to stay at Liverpool for a very long time. I'm sure he will manage Madrid one day due to his links with the club but certainly not until he has re-established us as the best team in England.

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Liverpool Player Ratings against Wigan

It was great to see the winning run continue against Wigan. We are now third in the League and the future is looking very promising. The ratings out of ten for the players' performances yesterday are below:

Pep Reina 8 Was competent when he was called upon and dealt with a number of dangerous corners with great punches.
Carra 7 Typically solid performance by Carra, although occasionally needed Sami's help dealing with Wigan's pacy strikeforce.
Sami 7 Normal good positioning and no nonsense defending. Worked well with Carra to catch Wigan offside.
Finnan 7 Produced an inch perfect ball for Crouch's 2nd and didn't allow much to get past him down the right.
Warnock 7 Gave his usual uncompromising left back display. Allowed Kewell to attack more freely down the left.
Xabi 7 Strolled around the midfield area keeping possession and continuity in our play. Also made a few key tackles.
Gerrard 8 Definitely enjoyed his return to the centre of midfield. Made a number of rampaging runs and was unlucky not to score.
Garcia 6 Scored a poachers goal although he had one of his days when he was very wasteful in possession.
Kewell 7 Still not fully fit but he looked confident had a couple of scoring chances and showed some nice touches.
Nando 7 Hit the bar with a header and missed a simple chance late on. Showed superb creativity and ball skills at times and seems to enjoy showboating once the points are secure.
Crouch 8 Finally, to the relief of everyone, he scored his first goals. The 2nd goal was well taken. He also produced some superb lay offs to find Gerrard when he was breaking forward.

The Subs 6 The game was over when the subs came on. Djib was trying to be less selfish when he had the ball. Riise & Hamann did what was expected of them.

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Rafa pleased with Gerrard's improved responsibility

Rafa has been delighted with the impact his skipper had made in recent weeks. Gerrard has been employed on the right of midfield allowing the team to be more balanced. The success of the shift is reflected in our recent run of results. Last season it looked like Xabi was Rafa's manager on the pitch but now Rafa has stated that Gerrard is capable of this role:

"Steve is a player who can play all positions," says the Anfield boss. "He likes to play in the centre because he receives more balls and plays more of the game, but at the moment he has freedom on the right. "He is the captain and I talk with him about my ideas. He was a key player for us last season but now I think he is more responsible - not because I tell him he has to be but because he plays that way. I think he's more happy."

I believe Gerrard is more focused on his football this season now that the uncertainty regarding his future is over. He has already scored eleven goals and continues to lead the team by example with some inspirational performances.

Vidic wants Liverpool move

According to reports today Nemanja Vidic has told his advisors that he wants to move to Liverpool. It looked like he was on his way to Fiorentina and apparently had a verbal agreement in place. However Liverpool have made a late £4.5m bid and Anfield would be the Serb International's preferred destination.

We definitely need cover for Sami & Carra. Although the one concern is that Vidic is not the quickest of players.

Rafa rules out Cisse sale

After pointing out that Cisse was rested for the trip to Sunderland Rafa has explained that it would be very foolish to sell Djib as he does rate him highly:

"Selling Cisse would not make sense in January," he explained. "We are still in the Champions League and where would any club find a replacement for their top scorer who was not cup tied in European competition?
"It would not make sense for anyone to sell a player of such quality in the transfer window with the European Cup still to be contested."

It's great news that Cisse will be staying. As Rafa has pointed out he is our top scorer and I don't think we've come close to seeing the best of Cisse yet.

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Betis agree deal for Pongolle

Real Betis vice president, Angel Martin, has confirmed that his club have a deal in place to sign Florent Sinama Pongolle in January. The move would be a loan deal until the end of the season. However Betis have a choice to make as a deal has also been been agreed for Portuguese striker Helder Postiga. This is what Martin had to say:

"The agreement with the clubs has been reached, both for Postiga and Sinama, but obviously it's a decision that the manager must take," stated Martin.
"Both Sinama and Postiga are good players but it's a decision for the coaches.
"I understand the dilemma facing Lorenzo because he can't get it wrong, but the president has ensured both players are now available and the final decision will be the coach's."

Flo has threatened to, but never fully established himself at Liverpool. He is still 21 and has lots of potential so hopefully some regular first team football in one of Europe's top leagues will stand him in good stead for next season.

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