Predictions for Sunday

There is no doubt the game on Sunday is a close one to call.
Mark Lawrenson has predicted a 1-1 draw on the bbc website.
Skysports.com have also gone for a 1-1 with Charlie Nicholas expecting another 0-0 draw.
I think we will win the game 2-1. We were the better team on Wednesday and I'm sure we can again be dominant on Sunday. However this time I think we will play a more attacking game and with a bit of luck we can score a couple. Although I'm expecting Chelsea to score as well causing a tense finish.
Please post your thoughts and predictions.

Gerrard ready for Chelsea

Stevie G is predicting a win against Chelsea following our promising performance on Wednesday. He had this to say to Liverpool's official website:

"Everyone is saying that they are invincible and unbeatable, and that no-one was going to take any points off them but we have proved to ourselves that the gap is not that big," Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.tv in an exclusive interview ahead of the big game. "I think the first half was pretty even and that we cancelled each other out a bit but we made all the running in the second half. Overall I'd say we controlled the game and were the team that looked like they wanted to win it more.
"Nevertheless the result on Wednesday gives us is a massive belief that we can match them again and take the game to them. It also instils a confidence in us that we can claim all three points. We know we can get at Chelsea and that we can beat them."

"It is a hugely important game, that's for sure, but everytime we play at home is a 'must win' for Liverpool. Three points are a necessity for us whoever we are playing and we'll be approaching it like we do any other."

I am also confident about the game ahead. I think it will be more open than the game on Wednesday as I am expecting us to play a bit further up the pitch and closer to Peter Crouch.
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Rafa unperturbed by points difference

Rafa doesn't care about the points gap so far this season. As usual he is only concerned about the next game:
"I don't think about gaps, I just want to win the next game. If that is possible then we will move closer.
"But if you start thinking about gaps in September, it is wrong. There are a lot of points to play for and we do not need to think about Chelsea or other teams, only how to improve ourselves in each game."
"I have a lot of confidence this season in the team. Last season we had a very bad time, we finished fifth and we were three points behind Everton.
"But if you compare the games we have played this season with the same matches last season, we have taken more points from games against Manchester United, Birmingham and Middlesbrough.
"That gives us confidence that we are improving. If we keep going along these lines, improving on like for like games, then we will finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League. That is an improvement."
He added: "I am not bothered about people saying we are better in Europe than the Premiership. They talked of us not scoring in the league and when we do and also concede goals like at Birmingham last week, they talk of the errors. But I know we have improved."
Rafa is learning everyday about how the Premiership works. It's only a matter of time until our performances in the league match our European exploits.
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Joaquin bid possible in January

Reports this morning have stated that Rafa is planning a £12 million swoop for Joaquin in the January transfer window. Joaquin has a buy out clause of £40 million but Betis may well sell for around £16 million.
Paco Herrera invited the player's agent Gonzalo Arguiano to Anfield for Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Chelsea.
We are still crying out for some top quality on the right and Joaquin would fit the bill nicely.
He would be cup tied for Europe this season having played for Betis in the Champions League.
Our other option is Simao after Rick Parry hinted we are still tracking him, "He is a great player and we need more like him," Parry told O Jogo.
"I did not see the Manchester United - Benfica game, but I heard about his great goal and excellent performance.
"Simao is confirming that he is a great player."
"We have still not definitively decided, but it is an interesting option for us.
"We need a player with his characteristics.
"I don't know if Benfica are willing to let him go, but we can talk."
Ideally every effort will be made in January to capture Joaquin and if we can't get him then move for Simao.
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Lampard impressed with Reds

Frank Lampard knows he was in a difficult game last night and has backed us to rise up the league table:

"They are a top team and I think they have got a couple of games in hand and can push up the league, he says. "They have got quality players in their team so it is up to them to win those games in hand.
"They are always enjoyable battles with Steven Gerrard. They have got a good midfield, very strong, similar to us and it is always a great battle at Anfield. When a team pushes Crouch forward they make it very hard for you to play and credit to them."

Lampard was impressed with Peter Crouch's contribution and is backing him to become a useful member of the England squad:

"It was a tough game," he conceded. "They put a lot of balls into Crouch which made it hard.
"Every team gives you different problems and at Liverpool it was Crouch. First and foremost he is good at what he does, holding the ball up and trying to bring people into the game.
"We dealt with it and will go away and look at it. Everybody brings up different things and Liverpool brought that threat. We will see what lessons there are to learn.
"I could have told you before that Crouch is one of the best at what he does. He poses a different kind of threat to what you encounter elsewhere and does it very well. You know when he is playing he is going to get hit with a lot of long balls and you have to deal with it.
"He has got great feet and not only does he flick the ball on but he is a good player with his feet. He will be pushing for an England place for sure. He is fresh and different. He played well last night and is someone we can use."

Lampard was very quiet last night due to the strength of our midfield. Hopefully he will be just as quiet on Sunday.

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Momo & Nando are back

Rafa has confirmed today that Momo Sissoko and Fernando Morientes are back in full training and fit for action against Chlesea on Sunday. Rafa doesn't like playing Didi twice in one week so I think Momo will take his place. We can see now what Rafa means when he says we have a better squad. Our central midfield area is particularly impressive in strength and depth.

Carra blasts hypocritical Mourinho

Carra has reminded Maureen that his team are the long ball merchants and not Liverpool:

"We watched videos of Chelsea before the game and when we saw their game against Bayern Munich from last season ' s Champions League, I couldn't remember seeing so many long balls in a match since I started watching football in the 1980s.
"No-one could accuse us of playing too direct last night. Our midfielders got the better of them. When you look at the quality they've got in Lampard, Essien and Makelele, I thought Xabi, Didi and Steven had the upper hand.
"I know it's an easy accusation to make against a side when you've a six foot seven striker, but we showed a lot of good quality all over the pitch.
"We've now got an another option in Peter Crouch, but I'm not having it that we played it all long to him. We didn't.
Carragher said: "We watched videos of Chelsea before the game and when we saw their game against Bayern Munich from last season ' s Champions League, I couldn't remember seeing so many long balls in a match since I started watching football in the 1980s.
"No-one could accuse us of playing too direct last night. Our midfielders got the better of them. When you look at the quality they've got in Lampard, Essien and Makelele, I thought Xabi, Didi and Steven had the upper hand.
"I know it's an easy accusation to make against a side when you've a six foot seven striker, but we showed a lot of good quality all over the pitch.
"We've now got an another option in Peter Crouch, but I'm not having it that we played it all long to him. We didn't."We'll take a lot of confidence from the game because we feel we've played really well and could have won it," said Carragher.
"They've not scored against us in their last three games and the goals they did get last season were all from set pieces.
"I've got a lot of respect for their defenders and they are very hard to score against, but we know we've got nothing to fear."
I think Carra is now winning on points in his feud with Mourinho.
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Rafa happy with performance

Rafa was pleased with our football yesterday and thought we were the better side:

"I think we were the better side, we worked hard and played very well. We won in the air and on the ground and as a manager I am happy with my team and I am sure our supporters are too."
Benitez said: "There could have been a penalty, maybe two. This is the difference. It was a clear penalty, the player said it was clear and I watched on TV and it was obvious.
"I am happy with my team, but people do not remember such things. We are playing to beat a big team and a detail like that is critical.
"They were time-wasting in the final minutes and that shows they have a lot of respect for us as a team.
"Crouch was maybe man of the match. He kept the ball and we need to work closer to him to give us more options."

I'm glad Rafa has hinted above that we may play further up the pitch to prevent Crouch being so isolated.
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Carra livid over penalty decision

Carra spoke after the game stating that once again we have been denied a clear cut penalty by the Ref in an encounter against Chelsea.
"It was a definite penalty - every time we play them we should get a penalty but they are never given," said Carragher "If we had got a penalty, there's a 70% chance we would have scored and won the game - but we'll try not to cry about it too much." Carragher admits it was a tight and tense affair between the two favourites to qualify from Group G. "Maybe we know each other too well - there weren't many chances at either end and it will probably be the same at Stamford Bridge," he added. "We've probably played our two toughest back to back games now in Betis away and Chelsea at home so to have four points is good. You probably want to take seven from nine at home and then pick up something away."
Hopefully the decisions will start evening themselves out on Sunday.
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Riise needs to fix up

John Arne Riise has be told to buck up his ideas if he wishes to keep representing his Country. His season has yet to get going after finding himself second choice for Liverpool following the arrival of Zenden and the form of Steve Warnock. His International boss, Hreide, had this to say:
"I am not happy with Riise at all.
"He was really great last season but was very weak in our defeat against Scotland and has been for Liverpool so far this season as well.
"I have spoken to John about this and am counting on him to sort himself out and show us an improvement.
"He definitely needs to pull himself together."
I am very surprised that Riise is struggling to get into the team this season. He was one of our best players last season and should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
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Denied by the Ref against Chelsea Again

Our performance yesterday proved what we already knew, we can match Chelsea. Particularly in the second half we were dominant with our midfield controlling the game and Didi on outstanding form. Our defence looked very solid with Carragher superb as usual. Yet again though it appeared that the officials were under the influence of Abramovich's millions as there were three occasions when penalties could have been awarded. Hyypia looked set for a tap in until he was taken down by Drogba. Replays showed that Drogba was nowhere near the ball. Luis Garcia was ready to open the scoring until he was tugged back by Ferreira although the contact would have been difficult for the ref to see. Most blatant of all though was the handball of Gallas. His hand was outstretched for no reason and the ball clearly struck it. How the ref didn't give a penalty in front of the Kop was a mystery.

Our attacking play is improving although we again struggled to create clear chances, though it must be remembered we were playing against an excellent defence. Most of our efforts were from long range and Petr Cech was not properly tested. The final third is certainly the most difficult area to succeed on the football field. Once our play improves in this area we will be almost unstoppable. Again Cisse suffered by playing on the right of midfield. He looks uneasy playing in this role and offered little to the team. Rafa needs to play him upfront or his morale will be affected.
Overall though the game yesterday should give us the confidence boost required to play even better on Sunday when a victory is vital.

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Time to kickstart our season

The game tonight offers a perfect opportunity to show why we are the European Champions and get our season up and running. A victory will state our intent to retain our trophy and show the win last year was not a one off.
If we start the game at breakneck speed propelled by the Anfield roar we can knock Chelsea off their efficient stride. Hopefully we can grab a goal or two and then slow the game down using the composure and passing ability of Alonso. In the second half at Stamford Bridge last season we were in command for the last twenty minutes with Gerrard and Alonso bossing the midfield area there is nothing to suggest this can't be repeated.
I'm hoping we will see better signs of the team being able to offer support to Peter Crouch. He has been far too isolated in attack in our previous games. There is no point lumping the ball up there for him to win in the air if there is no one to move onto his flick ons. It's unlikely to happen but hopefully Rafa will select Cisse to play alongside him.
Defensively I think Rafa will opt for Traore as he prefers his experience in the European games. Pep Reina will need to have recovered from his mistake at the weekend as he is likely to be test from crosses particulary if Drogba plays. It will be interesting to see if Rafa selects Josemi or Finnan. I'm sure he favours his countryman as Finnan did enough to make the spot his own last season.
I'm prediciting a very tight game and another 1-0 victory. Hopefully the goal will be less controversial this time to keep maureen quiet.
Please post your comments and predictions.

Gerrard hoping for backing of 12th man

Gerrard is looking forward to the atmosphere tonight and hoping it will have the same galvanising effect as last season:
"The atmosphere will be special, as it always is when we play a Champions League game at Anfield," said Gerrard. "We know the fans will be behind us and everyone knows what a massive difference they made last season, not just against Chelsea, but in all the rounds. "The fans love the Champions League as much as the players and they'll want to play their part again. "As far as I'm concerned, what happened in the competition last season is history. It's gone. "You have to look to the future when you're in this game and not live off what you've just done before. We all want to win more trophies.
Stevie is ready to put an end to Chelsea's unbeaten run this season. "We know if we can get a good result tonight it puts a marker down for the rest of the season. We want to be the first team to beat Chelsea this season and then show we mean business in Europe and the Premiership. "We know what the rewards are if you can win a game like this. We were all sitting there in the dressing rooms last season and we were on cloud nine. That's a feeling we want again, but you don't get it by looking back. You only get it by getting similar results when you play big matches. "This is another opportunity for us to experience another big win in Europe. All the lads are ready for this game. We're not thinking about the fact we've got to face them twice in a week. I don't think you can afford to do that. "We want to concentrate all our efforts on the first game and then we'll think about the Premiership. All of us have got to be at our best going into tonight's match and I'm sure we will be."
Judging by the comments from our players over the last few days they have been well drilled by Rafa to do the business and move on from last season.
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Carra expects Cisse to be a big hit

Cisse's Liverpool career has been stop start so far and he has failed to set the world alight. However Carra is convinced Djib will start producing great performances for us soon:
"Djibril is going to be a big hit, it is just a matter of time," insisted Carragher.
"With his two goals, he won the European Super Cup alone and showed all his determination.
"That is the same determination he showed to recover from his awful injury.
"When it happened, he told us he would play again before the end of the season. Frankly, it made us laugh but he is so strong in his state of mind and he did it."
Carra has great footballing knowledge so he knows a good player when he sees one. I'm hoping Rafa will give Djib the backing and playing time he needs to develop into the player who was once tipped to become better then Henry.
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Harry is back

Harry Kewell has made his return with a substitute appearance for our reserves. He played the last 30 minutes just behind the lone striker. Maybe this is the position Rafa has earmarked him for this season.
There is no doubt that if Kewell has made a full recovery he will be a great asset for us. He has been playing with injuries for the last 18 months, that have been affecting his performances, so hopefully the troubles will now be behind him.
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Garcia: "Gerrard will win more trophies at Liverpool"

Luis Garcia has entered the war of words between Mourinho and Liverpool. He has applauded Gerrard's decision to stay and predicted more success for Liverpool than Chelsea in terms of winning trophies:

"Mourinho did say Stevie would win more trophies at Chelsea than he would at Liverpool but I don't agree."I think this season will be fantastic for Liverpool and I can see us winning MORE trophies than Chelsea." The two sides lock horns at Anfield tonight in their Euro Group G clash. And Garcia added: "We can show Mourinho he shouldn't have spoken so lightly about us. "It's strange to think Gerrard could have been wearing a Chelsea shirt this season - I can't imagine that ever happening now. "I think he will remain a Red for many years. It was great news for us when Steven decided to continue his Liverpool career and now that all the speculation has ended, I see this as his home for ever." While Gerrard and Frank Lampard are poised for a Titanic midfield battle tonight, the clash between Peter Crouch and John Terry could be just as explosive. Garcia is tipping the Kop's beanpole hitman to come out on top and added: "Crouch versus Terry will be very interesting indeed. "Crouch is a very good striker and Terry is a top-class defender. But if I had to bet who comes out on top it will be Crouch. "I like the way he plays because he has a very clear mind. But he is also a fighter who wins a lot of balls for us in attack. "Not only is he strong in the air, he also has fantastic control and a powerful shot. "He hasn't surprised me with his skills, though. We knew all about his qualities when he played for Southampton last season. "I believe Peter can cause a lot of damage to the Chelsea defence in this match."

Hopefully Luis is right and we can look forward to a Shankly/Paisley type dynasty with Rafa in charge.
Please discuss.

Sami ready to defeat Chelsea again

Sami predicts we will be able to exploit Chelsea's weaknesses. He has stated we will have the required belief to beat them after last years success:

"Chelsea are a good team but with some weaknesses and we have to take advantage of them. "Last May, no-one expected us to win the final but no team is invincible. Chelsea will have eleven on the pitch, the same as us. "I know they are a very good team but you always have to have confidence you can win - and beating them last season gives us plenty of confidence for this game. "They're not from another planet. If you have a good team it's not always enough." Sami is delighted that Stevie will be lining up in the red of Liverpool and not the blue of Chelsea. "I am very glad that Steven Gerrard decided to stay," he added. "He is our captain and has been our main player. He was very good last season and has continued his good form this season. He is very important to us. "With Steven, it is his determination that shines. He is a Liverpool lad and he is willing to do anything for the club."

Sami and Carra will need to produce the same type of dogged defensive perfomance as last year to ensure we are victorious.

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Mourinho can't let it go

Jose Mourinho is still unable to forget Chelsea's defeat in the Semi Final last season:
Mourinho said: "We cannot prove we are the best team in Europe, nobody can do that. Because many times the Champions League winner is not the best team in Europe. I was a Champions League winner and I keep saying the same thing."
When asked if he thought Liverpool were the best team in Europe last season, Mourinho replied: "No. Last season, the team which played the most beautiful football in the Champions League was Barcelona. They played fantastic football but we beat them so we must deserve credit for that. But Barcelona was a team that played better football.
"Liverpool has a lot of credit because of what they did. No doubts about that, especially what they did in the final. It was great. They also beat Chelsea without scoring a goal but they beat Chelsea."
"We are still winning 3-1. So I do not think the game is a question of revenge. But if you are persistent and want to talk about the same thing all the time, let's go for revenge. We are beating them 3-1.
"We beat them twice in the Premiership, we beat them in the Carling Cup final and drew with them in the Champions League semi-final and they beat us in the semi-final, so it is 3-1 for us.
Mourinho still fails to remember the incident that led to our goal last season. If the ball hadn't crossed the line we would have been given a penalty and Cech would have been sent off.
"They didn't score in the semi-final against us but I accept they beat us. They played in the final and we stayed at home, so of course I accept it.
"I was upset at that time but not any more. They beat us but they didn't score. I will say that for all my life but it doesn't mean I am sad. There are certain highlights in your career that you never forget and I won't forget the goal nobody saw.
"In five matches, we beat them three times, they beat us once and we drew once. The game in Anfield where everybody says they beat us was, I think, a zero-zero draw.
"I read somewhere that Liverpool know how to beat us but again I say it is 3-1 to us, so they also know how to lose."
"The difference between the two matches is that tomorrow both teams are in a very good situation," he explained. "But on Sunday it is a competition where we are in a very good situation and they are not.
"So, tomorrow, if somebody loses it is not a drama because there is still four matches to achieve nine points. But if they lose on Sunday, I think it is (the) finish for them."
It may be 3-1 to them in games at present but we know that our victory was the most significant. We also have a chance to make it 3-3 by Sunday evening and send issue a statement to the Premiership and Europe that we mean business.
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Rafa: "Chelsea gap not that big"

Rafa has stated that the gap in the league between us and Chelsea is not a true reflection of the difference between the teams:
"I don't believe the gap between Chelsea and us is as big as the Premiership table shows," insisted Benitez today.
"We have played fewer games than everyone else and we have shown we are improving. We're also going to be closer to Arsenal and Manchester United. It's true we need to improve more, but we've shown we can beat the top teams.
"A lot of people are talking about the games we've drawn, but last year we lost those games. I'd prefer to think positively because our results show we are stronger. We must have confidence in ourselves.
"Chelsea have won all their league games so far, but the gap between us in points does not reflect the difference in the teams because we have played less games.
"We beat them last season and we're confident we can do so again. I'm preparing this game in the knowledge they're a better side than last year, but we are better, too."I'm not thinking about the last game," he said.
"It's different because of the group situation. Both sides know if they lose it's not the end of their competition. "We always want to win, but we must also recognise the quality of the opponent and the situation of the group."
There is no doubt that Chelsea have an unfair advantage with their unlimited riches. But Rafa likes a challenge and he is the man to mastermind our ascent up the Premiership and beyond Chelsea.

How are our new signings performing?

After six weeks there has now been enough time to realistically assess the start our new players have made.

Bolo Zenden

It appears that Bolo will be nothing more than a squad player. He seems to have lost some pace and is now more suited to playing in central midfield after excelling there for Middlesborough last season. The problem is we already are well endowed in the central midfield area. The return of Harry Kewell is likely to further curtail his chances. As Rafa signed him on a free his purchase cannot be questioned.

Pep Reina

Initially Pep made a confident start and looked very solid. However he has recently looked very dodgy when it comes to dealing with crosses and corners. He also made a costly error against Birmingham. He is very good in one on one situations and is an accomplished shot stopper. The jury is still out on Reina. Hopefully he can bounce back from his mistake quickly unlike Dudek who used to suffer for a few games after he made mistakes.

Momo Sissoko

As a twenty year old coming to a foreign country his early performances have been exceptional. He is very aggressive with telescopic legs and amazing stamina. He must be a nightmare for opposing players. Momo has also shown good skills on the ball and a willingless to make attacking runs and be unafraid to shoot from distance. Definitely the pick of Rafa's summer sigings.

Peter Crouch

The signing of Crouch was greeted with dissaproval by a significant proportion of our supporters. He has made a promising start and shown exactly why Rafa has purchased him. The alternative options he offers are invaluable and one of the Real Betis defenders described him as unplayable. I am sure he would have bagged his first goal already if Rafa had used more attacking tactics.

Please leave your comments on our new signings.

Is Joaquin on his way to the Reds?

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Liverpool assistant manager Paco Herrera, has invited Real Betis winger Joaquin's agent Gonzalo Arguiñano to the Liverpool vs Chelsea game tomorrow night. This is a very interesting development as Joaquin would be a dream signing to play on our right. It is believed he would cost around £ 18 million. The paper goes on to say that we would need to raise funds to sign him by selling Cisse.

It is a difficult call to make but if Cisse's departure would mean the arrival of Joaquin then so be it. Although with our recent success and a few recent sales of players we should have the money to spend without having to sell.
I don't think former suitors Chelsea would rival us for the signing as they have recently spent £ 20 million plus on Wright-Phillips.

Please post your comments.

Crespo unable to banish final memories

Hernan Crespo is unable put the Champions league final behind him. Crespo would have been the hero having scored two goals for Milan but for our miraculous recovery:

"I want to forget the final against Liverpool! But it's impossible," said Crespo. "I have tried so much to wipe it out of my memory but nothing works. "It still makes me crazy. I scored two goals in the final of the Champions League - but it was not enough. "Every time I see the TV now, I see Steven Gerrard with the trophy, I'm still angry. It's like a knife. "Afterwards, I could not sleep well because there were always moments from the game playing in my head again and again.'' "My wife kept telling me to forget it but when you score two goals in such a game and the team is leading by three, you have a right to think you will lift the trophy," added Crespo. "I think the only way to forget that final is to win it this season with Chelsea. "I am here to win - to win all of the prizes. "With respect to Liverpool, it must have been destiny. They passed through the semi-final without scoring - because it was not a goal against Chelsea - and with Milan in the final it was just a case of six crazy minutes. "If you play like that for six minutes in training you never get three goals."

I'm sure our supporters will be doing their best to remind Crespo about our victory last season.
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Nando predicts Chelsea downfall

Moro has backed Rafa to repeat his tactical success over Chelsea. He was cup-tied last season and has been injured recently but should be fit to play now. He had this to say regarding the Chelsea and the Champions League group:

"We've got them sussed. If I was a betting man I'd tip us and Real Betis to go through - and not Chelsea."
But he added: "We were accused of being lucky in the semi-final.
"Yet Chelsea did not score in either leg and that tells you a lot about the good work done by Rafa Benitez. It was a perfectly-planned match.
"We have a great chance of beating them again - not because we are European champions but because we know how to play Chelsea."

We all hope you are right Nando.
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Stevie ready to use home advantage

Stevie Gerrard is looking forward to the Chelsea game stating that a win will enable us to take charge of the group:
"The game against Chelsea is massive," said Gerrard. "You don't have to get any of the lads up for that. We know how important the two games are but we've got to think about the European match first.
"If we can get a good result in that one, it will put us in the driving seat in the group.
"I will relish the challenge. Big games like this are what you want to play in. They don't come bigger than Liverpool versus Chelsea in the Champions League.
"I think the pressure is on us to get a result. You've got to take points at home. We've got to put in a good performance or we will get turned over."
Gerrard was on fine form against Birmingham. Another similar performance will do nicely. It will also show Chelsea exactly what they missed out on following Gerrard's transfer U turn in the summer.
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Garcia will continue to please (and frustrate)

Luis is ready to display his European form in the Premiership. Some of his recent performances have resulted in frustrated groans from the crowd as he has been wasteful in possession. There is no doubt that Garcia likes to entertain and some of his tricks don't come off as planned. Garcia has stated that he always gives 100% and the backing of Rafa gives him the required confidence:

"It's normal if you don't play well the supporters will speak and say so," says Garcia. "Our supporters know when we play a good game and when we don't. I understand that.
"Sometimes the fans will love me and sing my name, sometimes they will hate me. That's just how it is.
"I'm not bothered by my form so early in the season because in every year you will have good and bad games. You have to try your best in every match, which is what I always do. Sometimes not everything I do works.
"I'm not bothered if supporters say I've had a bad game, because the manager knows what I can do for the team and he gives me a lot of confidence.
"It's true I want to be considered a player who does well in Europe and the Premiership and I'm always trying to show my best in every game. That's the same whether it's Champions League, Premiership or FA Cup."
We must always accentuate the positives and Garcia is a flair player with the creativity required to unlock the most stubborn of defences. It is only a matter of time before he also becomes a top Premiership player.

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Djib ready to sacrifice himself for team's benefit

It looks like Djib may have to settle for a place on the right as Rafa favours the 4-5-1 formation with Peter Crouch upfront. Fortunately Djib is showing a great attitude, as usual, and will do what is requested:
"I love to play. But the boss can't put 20 players on the pitch so someone has to be on the bench and at the moment it's me. I accept it. I'm not frustrated.
"It is not my position on the right, but if I have to play there for the team I'll do it.
"All our strikers are different. Peter [Crouch] and Nando (Fernando Morientes) are good in the air, Flo likes to run with the ball and the good thing for me is I offer something unique because of my speed.
"The boss hasn't said why he isn't choosing me, but we do talk and have the normal relationship of a player and coach."
Personally I would love to see Djib feature alongside Crouch up front. The pace with Crouch's height would pose opposition defences lots of problems.
Please discuss.

Xabi knows Chelsea can be beaten

Xabi is hopeful of a repeat of last season’s European exploits. It will be nice for Xabi to play 90 minutes against Chelsea at Anfield. Last season he only managed half an hour in the League game before coming off with a broken ankle and was cruelly suspended for the home Champions league Semi Final after being booked when Gudjohnsen conned the ref:

He told Liverpoolfc.tv, "It will be a massive step for us and a great boost if we can beat Chelsea. There will still be another four games to play before the end of the group stages, but I think it'll be easier for us if we've got six points. "We had a brilliant result against a very good Real Betis team in the first match and now we're looking to build on that. Already we have a three point lead over Betis and that's important for us because they are tough opposition. Now we're looking for another victory. "We have a lot of respect for Chelsea but we are not afraid of them and I know we can beat them. They are going very well this season but no side is unbeatable. "We know all about them and we know it will be a tough game but we're confident. We want to have another good run in the Champions League this season and repeat what we achieved last year. It will be difficult but we're going to take things step by step and game by game and then see how far we can go."
This will be an ideal chance for Alonso & Gerrard to prove they are the best midfield pairing in Europe.
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Rafa ready to defeat Chelsea again

Rafa is confident of another victory against Chelsea. He has warned though that to get a positive result we will have to be at our very best both in terms of effort and performance:

He said: "We have beaten them before and we can beat them again. They are a better team than they were last year but we're a better team as well. "To beat them you need every player to be playing at one hundred per cent and you can't afford to make any mistakes because they have good players who can punish you. You need to work hard and concentrate for the full game. "They are not easy to play against because they work very hard in defence and always have good players going forward, but they can be beaten. We are confident, that's for sure." "We did a good job in our first match against Real Betis and it was important for us to win that game. "Now we have a home match and again we will be looking for three points. It's too early to talk about the shape of the group yet. We're just concentrating on winning the game on Wednesday and then looking forward to the next match."

It is vital we perform well as this will also give us a confidence boost for the following game against Chelsea in the league.

Gerrard feeling good

Just before another couple of massive games Gerrard has declared he his fully fit and raring to go:
The Liverpool midfielder said: "I suffered in the two England games because I wasn't 100% fit.
"My performances against Wales and Northern Ireland were not good enough. Now I am 100% - I can feel the sharpness coming back. I feel good."
England's defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland means that Sven-Goran Eriksson's side need to beat Austria and Poland in their final two qualifiers in October if they are to finish top of Group Six and automatically qualify for the 2006 finals in Germany.
"I think it was just the timing of the two England games," added Gerrard. "If they had come two or three weeks later and I could have got some training under my belt you would have seen a better Steven Gerrard.
"Hopefully, I'll get the chance to play in the games coming up with Austria and Poland at Old Trafford and will be 100% fit."
Gerrard was outstanding against Birmingham yesterday and we should expect some more fantastic perfomances from him now he is in top condition.

We are Abel to challenge Chelsea

Abel Xavier has said that we can make a title challenge this season. The eccentric Portuguese remembers the dressing room atmosphere from his time at Anfield when we reached the quarter finals of the Champions League and finished 2nd in the Premiership:
"I think Liverpool can challenge Chelsea, even this season. Steven Gerrard said Liverpool were European champions but nobody gave them credit for that. "People think the fight is just between Manchester United and Arsenal to challenge Chelsea. But I believe Liverpool are involved in that fight as well. I was not surprised that Liverpool won the European title. "I knew when they faced Chelsea in the semis that they would get to the final because of the fighting spirit in the dressing room, that was one of those precious things I have experienced in my career."

Let's hope he's right.

Reina warning ahead of Chelsea games

Pep Reina has admitted that he fears Chelsea's attacking options:

"Everything about Chelsea's attack worries me.
"You have to concentrate twice as hard from the moment you leave the dressing room until the moment you get back.
"They play well along the flanks and have Frank Lampard's shots from distance as a goal option or two excellent headers of the ball in Drogba and Crespo. We must be on our toes constantly

He added: "We're doing OK but it's true we need more goals. We have to start finding the net more often to start dreaming about the big things. Thankfully Morientes is well on the road to recovery and given our goal-scoring issue that could be very important."
Reina also explained that victory in the Premiership could prove more significant in the long term. He said: "Europe is important as we must show we're champions. But the League is possibly more so because we're off the pace and they have started extremely well."

Pep will have to put his display against Birmingham behind him. He has already proved to be a very competent shot stopper but his ability to deal with crosses and corners needs to be improved.

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Rafa: "Stevie is already a legend"

Rafa has explained why Gerrard made the right decision, to stay, in the summer:
"I don't think it was a case for Steven Gerrard of whether he would win more trophies by staying with Liverpool or by moving to Chelsea," said Benitez.
"The important thing for him was to feel special - and he is something special to everyone at this club.
"Steven was right to stay with Liverpool because he believes that he will win trophies with the club and be successful. It is an exciting time to be here.
"But it's more than that. He has stayed with people who are his own. He has stayed at a stadium that is special to him, with a great atmosphere and the best fans in the world.
"I believe that Steven Gerrard will become a legend at this club. In fact, he is already a legend here.
"Would that have happened at Chelsea? I don't know because he would just have been looked upon by them as one more good player in a squad of good players.
"At Liverpool he is our captain, our key man. He had an opportunity to go to Chelsea and he said 'No'. The people here told him 'You are our man, you are more important to us than five or 10 new players.'
"He is already a legend here, but if he now goes on to win many more trophies, then the fans of this club will talk about Gerrard for years and years after he has finished playing."

It is interesting to hear Rafa speak this way about a player even if it is Stevie Gerrard. Rafa normally places the emphasis on the team preferring not to single out key players. Maybe this is why the problem developed between the Captain and Gaffer last year.

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Djib ready to show his best form

Djib has reiterated his desire to stay at Liverpool. He had this to say in an interview with The Times:

“I just want to say to people that I don’t want to leave,” says Cisse. “I want to be at Liverpool for a long time. I like the fans. I love the club. I don’t want to go anywhere and I don’t think I will. The speculation about me leaving never came from me and I don’t think it came from the club. I’ve had to be strong, but sometimes it’s made me sad.”

Cisse has received the backing of supporters with 89% wanting him to stay at Anfield:

“That touched me,” he says. Fans were displeased at what seemed to be petulant gestures at teammates in a recent game, but most were willing to put this down to angst: if you were young, abroad, your career had almost been ended and now you had to fight to prove yourself, how would you feel?
“England has not seen the best of me. I really want to show people what I can do,” he says. “Because of the love they’ve given me I want to give something back to supporters and score a lot of goals.”

After Cisse's promising cameo yesterday it is only a matter of time before he is given another start. Hopefully this time he can take his chance to justify the repuatation he arrived with.

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Rafa unhappy with dropped points

Rafa feels that given the chances we had the game should have been won:
"We had good chances to win the game and in the end it is two points lost for us. In the first half we controlled the game. We created some opportunities and went ahead.
"We lost the advantage in the space of five minutes but after the penalty we had two or three real good chances.
He was able to pick up a few positives though:
"To draw away from home is not the best result but it is not the worst. Last season we conceded a lot of goals away from home and this year the team is more consistent.
"We need to improve small details but then you always think that. We are certainly creating more chances than last season."
Rafa was happy with Luis Garcia's goalscoring sub appearance.
"He is clever. He has good intelligence and movement. He can play in three different positions and he did well today."

Birmingham game key to season's aspirations

After an average start to the season the game tomorrow at St Andrews is likely to give a clear indication of what can be expected this season. Last season Birmingham did the double over us. These are the type of teams we need to be beating home and away to move up to the next level. Can we produce a convincing away performance to banish the memory of some of our wretched away Premiership perfomances last season?

A lot will depend on how Rafa approaches the game. It has been clear for all to see this season that we need to take a few extra chances and make things happen. Rafa's selection tomorrow will be key to how the game will pan out. Will he opt for two upfront? Djib must be straining at the leash to play and make an impact. He had been in good goalscoring form but was given little chance by Rafa to continue, having started the last couple from the bench. It would have been nice to see Cisse in tandem with Crouch last week against Manu. Crouch was, as expected, winning lots of aerial balls and no one was within around 30 yards to move onto his flick ons.

There is no doubt we have the quality, and also now the confidence, to attack the majority of teams from the first whistle. Does Rafa see things the same way or will he continue with a more cagey counterattacking game? Tomorrow we should find out.

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Rafa likes his lone striker formations

Rafa has staunchly defended our tactics. He says that these tactics have proved fruitful in the past and there is no reason why they won't work in the future. Rafa has also pointed out that more strikers doesn't necessarily mean more goals:
"I know we need improvement in attack, but we are better in defence. If you want to build a strong team you must always start at the back," insists Benitez. "The quality of the players is the most important thing. You must know what you have and work with it. "The formation depends on the players you have and who you're playing. We play 4-2-3-1 a lot. People say it's 4-5-1 when you don't have the ball. "Chelsea play similar, but for them it becomes 4-3-3 when they have the ball and attack. But the system isn't that important. The players' movement is what makes it work. "You don't score a lot of goals just by playing a lot of strikers. What you need is a lot of players who are capable of getting into the box. "In the Champions League, Chelsea used Robert Huth as a striker in the last 10 minutes. They had four players as strikers at the end. Did that mean they scored goals? No. They still couldn't score. "Tell me, how do Chelsea win their matches? They control the game in defence first and then they have good forwards to build attacks. They win most games 1-0 or 2-0. United and Arsenal do the same. They defend properly first and don't allow their opponent many opportunities. That's what we're trying to achieve. "We have the defensive part better now, but for sure we must improve more in attack. It can take time to get the balance right but at this moment we are heading the right way. I know we can beat anyone. "Manchester United have conceded only once this season but when they came to Anfieldthey were afraid of what we could do to them. They paid us a lot of respect. "We know we need to win more games, but the first thing you must do is control the game inorder to make chances." Much has been said and written this week about Liverpool's failure to win more matches this season - but the boss has heard it all before. "In my first season in charge of Valencia we went 13 games without losing a match. There were seven draws in those games. Everyone spoke about the number of games we drew and how the team needed to win," he said. "At the end of the season, we were league champions."

In my opinion it will take approximately 90 points to win the league this season as Chelsea are so adept at winning games. We have already dropped 6 points leaving very little margin for error. We need to go on a run of victories very soon if we are to have any chance. In 2004 when Rafa was at Valencia 73 points was enough to win the league allowing him to fail to win 15 games and still win the Primera division.

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Djimi ready to regain first team spot

Djimi was injured early in pre-season and Steve Warnock has deputised well enough to make the spot his own. However Djimi is happy to accept that we have a strong squad and will battle for his place as he explained on Liverpoolfc.tv:

"It was a terrible pre-season for me because I picked up the thigh injury just one week after we came back. That's two years in a row now I've missed pre-season and it was very disappointing. "I've worked as hard as I can to come back as quickly as possible and I'm pleased to be fit again now. I just need more games to improve my match fitness and my confidence. "It's going to be hard to get into the team though because we now have two or three good players for every position and that's good for the manager. "At left back there's me, Stevie Warnock and John Arne Riise. It's the same all over the field as well. All we can do is work hard and see who the manager chooses for each game."
"But I think we need to win this weekend otherwise we could be a long way behind the top three. "We've had a couple of good draws away from home but we need to start winning games now. If we can win some matches away then teams could start becoming a bit scared about playing Liverpool. It's not enough justto pick up points at home if you want to do well in the league. "I'm sure we'll be better at Birmingham this year. We have a stronger team and the new players understand our style of play better. It will be a tough game but we have to be confident." Traore is confident Liverpool will be successful in the future under Rafa Benitez and he's just delighted he's still around to play a part in it having signed a new deal in the summer. "We can be successful in the future," he said. "The main target is to win the league. Some players here have won a lot of trophies and the only thing missing is the league. "It was a boost to sign the new contract. During the summer I was wondering what I was going to do next season, but the manager told me he wanted to keep me for longer and I was pleased to hear that. "My target is to play more games than last season and to perform well in the team. I'm happy here, I signed a new contract so the club has confidence in me. "I'm 25 years old and I've been here since I was 19. I've done a lot of things with Liverpool and I feel this is my club now."
Personally I think it is time now for Djimi to feature as a centreback. He has more confidence than previously and his pace at the back will allow us to play higher up the pitch.
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Forget Chelsea We're concentrating on the League

Rafa is keeping to his prinicipals of focussing only on the next game. He had this to say on Liverpoolfc.tv:
"We are not thinking about Chelsea and the only concern is getting three points at Birmingham. "We know Birmingham have lost their three home games so far but they are a good team and it is not an easy place to go and get a result. We are training well, confident and I think we will start scoring goals soon. "We have bad memories of our visit to Birmingham last season when we lost 2-0 but now we have a better team and a stronger squad this time."
I think the team selection will give us an indication on how seriously the Chelsea game is being taken. Rafa always likes to use the old adage of taking things game by game but I'm sure he is really looking at the bigger picture.
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Mixed injury news ahead of Birmingham game

Unfort