Tag Archives: Liverpool

EPL: Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp Satisfied With Draw.

Posted on by
16

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, wants his players to stop spurning chances after they needed an 84th-minute equalizer from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to rescue a 1-1 draw against Liverpool.

 

Only seven of United’s 32 Premier League goals this season have been scored in the first 35 minutes and Mourinho wants his team to stop letting their opponents off the hook.

 

United, who had won their previous nine matches in all competitions, remain sixth, four points off the top four.

 

On the flipside, Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp believes his team dominated play and deserved more from the game.

 

A James Milner penalty handed the visitors the lead in the 27th minute after Paul Pogba handled the ball in the box.

 

After the game, Klopp was quick to praise the performance of his Liverpool side but admitted that while a draw was satisfactory, the performance merited more.

Finally, former Liverpool and England captain,Steven Gerrard, retires

Posted on by
Reply

Former Liverpool and England captain, Steven Gerrard, announced his retirement on Thursday, a week after confirming he would not be returning to play for MLS side LA Galaxy.

 

“Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football,” Gerrard, 36, said.

 

“I’ve had an incredible career and I’m thankful for each and every moment of my time with Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy.”

 

Gerrard made his Liverpool debut in 1998 and established himself as one of Europe’s most dynamic midfield player.

 

He went on to make more than 700 appearances for the club and was capped 114 times for his country.

Balotelli: My Relationship With Rodgers Was a Disaster

Posted on by
Reply
Italian striker, Mario Balotelli during the summer left Liverpool on a free transfer to Nice in France after a loan spell at AC Milan and has scored six goals already, helping the southern club to the top of French Ligue 1.

Although the striker was overlooked by the Italian national team selectors in the Europeans series of Russia 2018 qualifiers, he returned to Milan on Tuesday to watch Italy face Germany.

The striker known for his arrogance both on and off the pitch, has played for Inter Milan, Manchester City, Milan and Liverpool by the age of 26.

He told Gazzetta dello Sport about his coaches, and described his relationship with former manager at Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers as a disaster.

He said, “In truth, I had the biggest disappointment with Rodgers. I enjoyed myself with him in training but our relationship was a disaster.

“For me, the one most on the ball remains Mancini: fantastic, I owe him so much.

“In second place I put (Lucien) Favre (of Nice) with (Jose) Mourinho: the Portuguese is talented and motivated, it is a pity that we had a falling out.

“The worst? Not Klopp, I am not angry with him. If he has created a certain situation at Liverpool, maybe he should have had more patience with me.

The 26-year-old was signed by Liverpool after the sale of Luis Suarez in 2014, but managed only one League goal for Rodgers before loaned out to Milan the following summer.

Balotelli, who said he will always be available for Italy, is enjoying his time on the Cote d’Azur, with Nice currently topping Ligue 1.

“Now I am calm.
“There is less pressure, clearly. Some autographs, nothing more,” he added.

Barcelona Ready to Make Coutinho their Number One Summer Target

Posted on by
22

Barcelona are ready to ramp up their interest in Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho – and are looking to land him for £65million.

That is according to Spanish newspaper Sport, who have put the Brazilian on their front page with Barca reportedly lining up a bid.

The report comes just the following morning after Coutinho and Barcelona forward Neymar combined to lead Brazil tao a 3-0 win over fierce rivals Argentina.

It has been suggested that the Reds playmaker’s long-standing friendship with compatriot Neymar, who has recently committed his future to Barca, could be key to luring him to the Nou Camp.

Coutinho has emerged as arguably the best player in the Premier League this season, scoring five goals in 11 appearances, which has helped fire Liverpool to the top of the table.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is desperate not to sell the Brazilian Magician, but Barca have now firmly made him their number priority for the next summer transfer window.

It is claimed the Catalan club believe a fee of around €75m – £65m at the current exchange rate – would be enough to land him, although Liverpool will surely hold out for much more given the player’s importance and star quality.

However, Barcelona are not the only Spanish giants hopeful of landing the former Inter Milan man, with their bitter rivals Real Madrid also keeping close tabs on the situation.

Lampard: Why England Wasted My Partnership With Gerrard

Posted on by
Reply

The midfielder is still at a loss as to why him and the former Liverpool man failed to click for England, but says they were let down my a succession of managers

Frank Lampard admits he has regrets over his England career and his inability to form an effective midfield partnership with Steven Gerrard.

The pair – who now ply their trade in MLS for New York City FC and LA Galaxy respectively – were talismanic figures for Chelsea and Liverpool but didn’t click together at international level.

A succession of England managers failed to get the best out of the two men while playing in the same side, though Lampard believes more could have been done by the coaches he played under.

He told Sky Sports‘ ‘Monday Night Football‘: “I think there were times when they [England managers] could have done something different. I certainly would take personal responsibility if I don’t reach certain levels.

“I think there were times when we could have been managed better, there could have been a way to get the best out of us.

“When we were both in our prime playing regularly for Chelsea and Liverpool, scoring goals, being involved heavily, we went away with England sometimes and you’d play in a 4-4-2, Stevie’s asked to sit, Stevie’s on the left.

“I played with Capello for years in the holding role and I was never playing like that for Chelsea ever. There was something missing, I felt, when I look back at my England career.

“I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s because we play against each other every week and there’s little groups, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea.

“And when you’re Argentinian, and they are all playing all over the world, they come home, it’s a big family, and there’s a different spirit. I’m not sure we ever managed to get that togeth

Ifreke Inyang: 5 Things To Look Out For As The EPL Returns This Weekend

Posted on by
Reply

1. Flying without Ings

What a welcome Jurgen Klopp has received. But that will count for nothing, if he does not get a positive result at Tottenham in the early kick-off on Saturday. Already, the former Dortmund boss has to deal with a double injury blow, as Danny Ings and Joe Gomez are both out for the season. Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke and Jordan Henderson are all unavailable this weekend. But the media will be unforgiving if it goes wrong. He needs to hit the ground running.

2. Are they Gunner beat Watford?

It is almost a surprise that Arsenal are second in the league, after such an uncertain start to the campaign. But this is the Premier League and anything can happen. Before the international break, the Gunners were at their mesmeric best, tearing Manchester United apart at the Emirates. Up next is a trip to Watford, with an in-form Odion Ighalo. Let’s see how they square up to a different challenge.

3. Martial arts

Anthony Martial has been rewarded for his excellent start to his United career, with the September Player of the Month. The 19-year-old has brought pace and directness to Louis van Gaal’s side, although he could not save his team, as Arsenal ran riot the last time. It is time to fight back though. They are away at Everton. And Roberto Martinez’s men enjoying playing against the big boys.

4. Mou misery for Chelsea?

Jose Mourinho looks like a man possessed these days. The Portuguese is renowned for his caustic soundbites and mind games, but nothing seems to be working. Chelsea has come out to back their manager, but you do feel that anything other than a win against Aston Villa on Saturday might spell the end for the Special One.

5. Salt to injuries?

It has been a bad international break for Manchester City and Manuel Pellegrini. Sergio Aguero – who scored five times against Newcastle – and David Silva will miss the next month through injuries. Vincent Kompany does not appear fully fit either. The table toppers welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad this week and will be eager to put their injury woes behind them.

——–

‘Ifreke Inyang tweets via @Ifreke

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor is associates

Ferguson Reveals Reasons For Keeping “Amazing” Cantona After Kung-Fu Kick

Posted on by
1

The former Manchester United star was suspended for eight months for kicking a supporter, with his former manager admitting he felt duty-bound to keep him

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the reasons behind his decision to keep Eric Cantona at Manchester United after his infamous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace supporter in 1995.

Cantona was banned for eight months after the incident, which led to widespread calls for Ferguson to sell him.

The long-serving United boss decided to keep him at the club, however, admitting that he felt compelled to fight his player’s corner.

“Jesus, you know, he was done and it was a problem for the club because it got such headlines,” Ferguson told the BBC. “It was front page and we decided to have a meeting at Alderley Edge the next night.

“On the way I get a phone call from Richard Greenbury, who was chairman of Marks and Spencer at the time, Richard, a big United fan.

“He says ‘well, don’t let Cantona go. He’ll give you great moments of joy.’ I said ‘I know that.’ But you know it was the mood of the board, so I had to fight the case, look we must keep him, we can’t let him go, we can’t give in to the mob and we decided to suspend him for four months and the FA at the time were happy with it, but somehow they added to it.

United signed Cantona for around £1.2 million from Leeds in 1992, with the France international playing a key role in the Red Devils’ title wins in 1993 and 1994.

And Ferguson insists he had no idea that Cantona would ever react to a fan’s provocation in such a dramatic manner.

“He’d never given us any indication that explosion was there. But I decided to approach it this way: I would speak to him every day, I would talk to him about football all the time and he loved it.

“That’s why the other players said he was my prodigal son. But I think he needed different attention, you needed different ways of dealing with him, he was a different guy from everyone else. He’s an amazing human being.

“No. There was something in me that said I need to stand by him because the world is after him. And it was a bit like, no one’s there to help him and I says well it’ll have to be me because I’m his manager.”

I Am ‘The Normal One’ – Jurgen Klopp

Posted on by
15

The former Borussia Dortmund manager was asked about Jose Mourinho’s infamous ‘Special One’ comment when he arrived at Chelsea, but he played down his own abilities

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has claimed he is ‘The Normal One’ after taking over the reins at Anfield.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager was asked how he would describe himself after Jose Mourinho’s infamous ‘Special One’ comment on his arrival at Chelsea, but he was not willing to talk up his own abilities.

More to follow…

Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp first choice to replace Brendan Rodgers

Posted on by
2

Official talks between Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp will take place this week with the club confident of appointing a new manager ahead of their next fixture away at Tottenham on October 17.

Jurgen Klopp is Liverpool’s number one choice of replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked on Sunday.

Klopp won two Bundesliga titles during seven years with Borussia Dortmund and is considered by Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group as an ideal fit to take over at Anfield.

The club sounded out the 48-year-old over the summer but kept faith with Rodgers after being told that Klopp was not yet ready for a new job after leaving Dortmund at the end of last season.

Now Klopp is ready to return to management and is attracted by the prospect of fulfilling his ambition to manage in the Premier League at a historic club like Liverpool.

Jamie Carragher: “I Would Love The Manchester United Job”, Find Out His Hilarious Reason Here

Posted on by
1

The Liverpool legend responded to a picture Sky Sports News wrongly captioned yesterday involving Louis van Gaal in a Manchester United press conference.

Twitter user @chrisharry4 trolled Carragher this morning and Sky pundit Carragher responded perfectly.

http://twitter.com/chrisharry4/status/645872891028983808/photo/1
Carragher responded in typical fashion:


This incident comes only four days after the 37-year-old put a picture on Instagram of a ‘few scouse friends and a wool’, referring to Cheshire born forward Michael Owen.

https://instagram.com/p/7u-pwRKMjU/

 

 

Why I shunned Nigeria – Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe

Posted on by
1

Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe confirmed on Tuesday he had decided   to play football for England rather than Nigeria.

The 19-year-old, who was approached by Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh to switch his international allegiance to his father’s country, is qualified to play for the Super Eagles until he has made a competitive senior appearance for England.

“It was my choice and it feels the right choice,” Ibe told Liverpool’s website.

“I was born here and have played in the younger age groups. I want to take it up to the first team one day.”

The London-born forward played for England Under-21 team against USA Under-23s side and then against Norway , alongside his Liverpool teammate colleague Joe Gomez.

“It was great and I enjoyed myself,” Ibe said.

“I felt as though Joe and I did well. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to the coming games.

“You want to represent your country well. Even at times when you’ve not got games for Liverpool, doing well with England is vital.”

Ibe, who spent time on loan with Derby County last season, has played at least some part in all five of Liverpool’s Premier League games in 2015-16, starting two of them.

Credit: PunchNG

Wenger: Picking An Arsenal Midfield Is An Impossible Job

Posted on by
1

The Gunners manager has to juggle several impressive players in the middle of the park, carefully trying to maintain competition for places while keeping everyone happy

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says that picking his midfield in each game is “an impossible job”.

The Gunners are well stocked for creative players and left Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench against Crystal Palace on August 16 despite a bright start in their first game of the season, while Mikel Arteta was also on the bench and Jack Wilshere is out injured.

Wenger, who must select a starting XI to beat Liverpool on Monday, says that balancing competition for places between so many talented players is a difficult tightrope to walk.

He told the club’s official website: “It’s an impossible job but that’s why I tell you I always get asked two questions: ‘Why don’t you buy more players?’ and ‘How do you keep them all happy now?’

“I believe that competition is part of our job. On the other hand, you have to get the number right – too many players in the squad goes against competition. If you have a certain number of players who think they never have a chance to play, they killed something. Not enough players creates too much of a comfort zone.”

Santi Cazorla is one of the men being juggled by Wenger, who notes that deciding whether to field the diminutive Spaniard on the left flank or deep in midfield has been a particularly close call.

“It is tricky because he is an important player in the build-up of our game. He is naturally a guy who brings fluidity and gets you out of tight situations,” the Frenchman observed.

“My thinking [putting him out wide] was more about physical power in the centre of the park, to win the ball back and be capable of winning challenges [as] Santi is a more technical player and also to get him higher up, next to [Mesut] Ozil, to play through the lines, find those two, and combine in the final third.

“It worked sometimes – and sometimes not. The first goal in these games is vital but, anyway, against West Ham, I changed in the second half and brought Cazorla back to central midfield.”

Having recovered to a win at Palace following a defeat to West Ham in their first game of the campaign, Wenger is hopeful that his side have shown enough so far to put them in good stead against the Reds.

“[We must] play at the level we played at Crystal Palace, with good pace,” he declared. “I think Liverpool will be a different game than West Ham. Against West Ham, we conceded a set-piece and, after that, another goal just before half time.

“After that, it was difficult but, if you look well – and you have to analyse the game well – against West Ham we didn’t give chances away. You play this game 20 times, you win it 19 because they had very, very, very few chances. Their goals came from our mistakes. That’s why we had to look at ourselves.”

Rodgers Warns Balotelli: Leave Liverpool If You Want To Play

Posted on by
Reply

The striker “knows his situation” according to the manager, who has no intention of playing him in the first team again as he hopes to force a move.

If Mario Balotelli wants to play senior football this season then he must find leave Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has warned.

The striker has been told he is surplus to requirements at Anfield and Rodgers has insisted he will not change his mind after the controversial striker’s poor first season with Liverpool.

The unwanted trio of players – which also includes Fabio Borini and Jose Enrique – have been told to train with Liverpool’s youth team, prompting the defender to claim last week that Rodgers has “alienated” them.

But Rodgers shifted the blame right back on the players on Sunday, arguing Liverpool will not stand in the way of a transfer, telling reporters: “He [Balotelli] clearly knows his situation and where he’s at.

“There’s nothing to add. All of the players understand where they’re at.

“My job is to create the best possible environment for the team to succeed. That’s what I’ve always done. So I’m not going to speak about Mario when I can speak about another 25 players.

“I’ll always treat individuals with respect and try to make sure they understand the situation, where they’re at – it’s then their choice.

“If the manager and the club give a player a situation, if they really want to play, I’m sure they’ll find a solution. If they don’t, then at least they know where they stand.”

News Alert: Mourinho Plays Down Chelsea Medical Row

Posted on by
Reply

Jose Mourinho has responded to the criticism he has received for a row that developed between him and his medical staff in the 2-2 draw with Swansea.

He told reporters: “I don’t want to run away from it. I accept the question, and understand.

“First of all, I want to say I have a fantastic medical deptartment, with top doctor, more than a dozen professionals, a very good relationship with them and, as they tell me all the time, they were never praised so much as in last few years. I praise them lots of times. They don’t forget that, I don’t.

“We have disagreements during this period, we need disagreements to improve. We work together.

“Your question about the bench. For some people it’s important. For others, it’s not… It’s my decision.

“I have seven assistants, only four can go on bench. Seven kitmen, only two. Medical, only two on bench Dr Fearne and Dr Carneiro will not be on the bench, but doesn’t mean for rest of season.

“My decision [this weekend] does not mean they won’t be on the bench in the future.”

More to follow…

I Was Right To Leave Liverpool For Barcelona, Admits Suarez

Posted on by
2

The former Reds striker left the club last summer and, after winning four major honours since his arrival at Camp Nou, he is sure that he made the correct choice to move to Spain

Luis Suarez says that winning the treble in his first season at Barcelona more than justified his decision to leave Liverpool last summer.

Suarez made the switch from Anfield to Camp Nou last August and was immediately rewarded with silverware as Barca swept the board last term.

Luis Enrique’s side added the Uefa Super Cup to their bulging trophy cabinet on Tuesday, meaning Suarez has now won four major honours in a little over 12 months at the club – a feat that convinced the Uruguayan a move away from Anfield was definitely the right option.

Speaking to Sport360, Suarez revealed: “It was the right decision [to sign for Barca].”

“Winning trophies was a part of my decision in joining Barcelona, but also as a family we knew it was the right decision even before I won a trophy.

“I am very happy at Barcelona – I am at the best club in the world.

“It couldn’t have gone better, to achieve what we did in my first season was a dream.”

And Suarez is eager to replicate last season’s success.

He added: “If you look at some of the players here they have won trophies season after season, and that is my aim now.

“We enjoyed our moment last season, but now it is about a new challenge.”

Official : Liverpool Sign Christian Benteke From Aston Villa

Posted on by
2

Liverpool have completed the £32.5 million signing of Christian Benteke from Aston Villa.

KOKOMANSION MEDIA can emphatically say that the Belgium international striker has signed a five-year contract with the club, which will see Liverpool pay £16 million up front with the remainder of the fee payable over the course of his contract.

ESPN reports that the structure for payments was then agreed last weekend, allowing the Reds to enter talks with the 24-year-old over personal terms.

Manager Brendan Rodgers is a long-time admirer of the forward, who Villa bought from Belgian club Genk for £7 million in August 2012.

“I’m very happy to be here and I would like to thank the owners, Ian [Ayre, chief executive who pushed the deal through] and of course the manager for their massive effort to bring me here,”the striker told liverpoolfc.com.

benteke at liverpool

“I think it was the right club for me because I had a good chat with the manager and I wanted to be part of his project.

“I know Liverpool is a big story. They’ve won league titles and the Champions League five times and of course the UEFA Cup and a lot of trophies. I know it’s a big club.

“I’m very happy to be part of the Liverpool family now and I will do everything to make them happy and work hard for them and my teammates.”

Benteke will not meet most of his new teammates until they return after Friday’s match against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur.

He is no stranger to some of them — goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and Divock Origi — from the Belgian national team and believes the summer recruitment has given the Reds a chance of winning silverware.

“I think there are quality players, a lot of good players with big names of course,” he added.

“I’m happy to be part of this team and will [try] to help this team reach its goals.

“I want to be the best and I want to reach the best of myself.

“I came here to win trophies. I came here to reach some great goals with the team.”

Benteke missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with an Achilles injury, and after returning to fitness, had to wait until December to score his first Premier League goal of last season.

He hit form over the closing three months of the campaign, though, scoring 12 goals in his final 13 matches for Villa as they avoided relegation and reached the FA Cup final.

Liverpool Agree Deal To Sign Danny Ings

Posted on by
Reply

Liverpool FC have announced that they have agreed personal terms with Burnley striker, Danny Ings.

The English Premier League side announced this on their website on Monday, June 8.

The club says subject to a medical, the striker will join the club on July 1 after his contract with Burnley has expired.

The 22-year-old struck 11 goals in 35 Barclays Premier League appearances last season, which was his first in the top flight. He also averaged a goal from every 2.8 shots he took in his debut season in the English top flight.

Danny Ings had found the target 21 times in the previous campaign to help the Clarets secure promotion from the Championship. He was voted the best player in the Championship as he helped Burnley win promotion to the Premier League in 2013-14.

The forward has nine caps for England U21s, with four goals to date too, and will represent his country at the U21 European Championship later this month.

He faced the Reds twice in 2014-15, featuring for 90 minutes at Anfield in March and his signing is expected to be well accepted among Reds fans having scored against both Everton and Manchester United last season.

Danny Ings scored 43 goals in 130 appearances in total for Burnley over the course of four seasons at Turf Moor.

Liverpool Signs James Milner From Man City

Posted on by
2

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign England midfielder James Milner from Manchester City on a free transfer after he agreed to around £150,000 a week.

The 29-year-old will join The Reds when his contract at the Etihad expires on 1 July, subject to passing a medical.

Milner won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the League Cup during his five years at City.

He has won 53 England caps and scored eight goals for City last season.

More to follow…

The ‘Killer Instinct’ In Asisat Oshoala By Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello

Posted on by
1

Whenever the media celebrate Nigerian players, it gets into their head, they start bluffing when perfectly created by the media, girls will roll their eyes and flick their braids while the guys pierce their ears and paint their hair, sag their trousers,forgetting that sagging originally starts from prison.

 No doubt a lot has been written about Asisat Lamina Oshoala AKA SuperZee or Seedorf whom I met physically for the first time this year at the National stadium in Abuja having admired her prowess from TV and Youtube.

 As a Liverpool Football Club ardent Fan, I want to say this 20 year old striker is skillful, lucky and a record maker, being the first African player to ever play in the English women league. She is a goal net killer with her skill, talents and team spirit which I hope she can sustain and not get carried away by fame.

 Her success story is a great one for women football in Africa, she has on several occasions professed her love and commitment to football and it apparently worked for her. Nightmare, tormentor and destroyer of defenders and goalkeepers.
Oshoala in her unique way knows how to always find the back of the net and she always smash it. She has built herself into a brand in the mode of a ferocious, furious and prolific striker within a short period of time. A made in Nigeria, conquering Europe.
A young achiever, savvy, strong, black and beautiful were the words amongst others to describe the African finest Female Footballer, she however was nominated for the inaugural BBC Women Footballer of the year.
Born and Bred in Lagos, and started playing football on the streets of Lagos, the highly talented ‘tomboy’ was discovered at an early age for her uniqueness, and was recently nominated for the prestigious BBC Womens footballer of the year, 2014 was indeed her year.

 Having won the African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2014, African Women’s Youth Player of the Year in 2014 and African Women’s Championship, Golden ball and Golden boot at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World in 2014, she will be the synosure of all eyes as she plans to rule the world.

 Focus, concentration is all she needs I think she should take a clue from Cynthia Uwak who got distracted and fell out of her career, Perpetual Nkwocha is someone she should look up to as a model in the Falcons.

 She needs to think of having kids and becoming a wife some day if she so wish, as someone who respect everyones’ sexual orientation, I think Asisat may as well overcome lesbianism challenges which is the bane of women’s football, however, the last thing she need is any form of distraction while planning for bigger years ahead.
Asisat said she drop out of school for football, of course it can never be too late to enroll in some courses in UK, if there is no much time, why not grab an online course which is more flexible, she should make the money now, spend and also save for the raining days because nothing last forever.
twitter @AderonkeW

Views expressed are solely that 0f author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Liverpool Can Finish Top Four Despite Defeat – Rodgers

Posted on by
Reply

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is refusing to write off their chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League after their 1-0 defeat at Hull City.

However, it is significant that he is already planning how to strengthen his team ahead of next season.

Rodgers is realistic enough to know that their Champions League ambitions are surely over as they lie seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with an inferior goal difference and only four games to play.

A place in the Europa League is also far from assured, underlining why Rodgers is under pressure after a season when they have not been able to cope with the sale of Luis Suarez and injuries to Daniel Sturridge, the two men whose goals were so important to Liverpool last season.

“You can’t hide the fact we’ve lost over 50 goals,” said Rodgers.

“Even with those players we weren’t tipped to get in the top four and we haven’t got those players now. We have to work with what we’ve got.

“Now we have to look to improve the squad and it’s always great if you can get marquee players to come in and help you. The owners will support that.

“We want to be in the top four, but that was always going to be difficult because we were playing catch up for a lot of the season.

“We lost a couple of big games which dented our confidence a bit. I need to build a team that can get through the rough waters as well. We need a team that can get through the smooth and the rough.

“That will be my challenge – to rebuild a group that can get through the rough waters.”

Whether they will be able to lure them to Anfield without the attraction of the Champions League is debatable, but the fact that Liverpool require at least two of those ‘marquee men’ was obvious in their latest setback at the KC Stadium where Michael Dawson scored the 37th minute winner for Hull.

Dawson’s goal was his first in 16 months and Hull manager Steve Bruce insisted that it earned them a success that their performance warranted.

“We deserved it because of the way we played,” said Bruce, who has had a tough season a year after guiding them to the FA Cup final.

“We caused a threat all night and defended well, which you have to do against Liverpool,” he said.

“We have 34 points but I don’t think 34 is enough, so we still need a couple of results, but we are certainly in a better position that four days ago. The job isn’t done and got to stay resilient for the next four games.”

Dawson said: “We really needed this win because back-to-back wins are so hard to get in this league and we’ve done it against a top team.

“If you give Liverpool too much respect, they will hurt you because they have good players, but the commitment from back to front was great,” added the former Spurs captain.

Steve Harper, the Hull goalkeeper who was 40 last month, was also a key influence on the outcome as he made several excellent saves.
“He was coolness personified. You could tell he wanted to keep a clean sheet,” Bruce said.

Van Gaal Slams EPL December Fixtures

Posted on by
4

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, has labelled the Premier League’s December fixtures as ‘crazy’.

The Red Devils are preparing to play six league games in December, starting with the visit of Stoke City on Tuesday.

United will also play three matches in the space of eight days over Christmas against Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

“I cannot change it, I don’t think it is good for the players that they play within two days of a match,” said Van Gaal.

“December shall be like that, and we have also family. I also have a wife, and kids and grandchildren and I cannot see them at Christmas.

“But, I want to work in the Premier League so I have to adapt and I shall adapt.”

The Old Trafford outfit are not in the Champions League this season, but the 63-year-old insists it does not give them any advantage in the league.

Sturridge Set For Mega Deal, As Liverpool Offer Bumper Sum

Posted on by
1

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, is close to signing a new five-year contract with the club this week.

The England international, who is currently recovering from injury, has been locked in negotiations with the club since the summer and a deal has now been agreed in principle.

Sturridge is expected to join the big earners at Anfield, as his new contract will see him take home around £150,000 a week. Steven Gerrard is currently the highest earner with a £150,000-a-week package.

The former Chelsea man has scored 36 times for the Reds in 46 starts, since he arrived from Stamford Bridge and he is expected to step up this season, with Luis Suarez leaving for Barcelona.