Aquilani to miss out again

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has been ruled out of tomorrow's UEFA Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash with Benfica. The Italian international sustained an ankle injury in training this morning and will not fly out with the squad to Lisbon later today.

"He will not be available for this game," said Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez. "He had a problem with his ankle this morning and we have to fix it. It doesn't seem too serious but it's the same ankle as before and so we'll have to analyse the situation carefully," added Benitez.

Aquilani arrived in the summer, after a £17million move from Roma, carrying an ankle injury which had sideilned him for the latter stages of the 2008/09 Serie A season. Once at Liverpool it took the Italian midfielder a while to regain match fitness and, as a result, he has made just eight starts and 11 substitute appearances this season.

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Carra wants to stay a Red

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has said he wants to see out his career at Anfield, allaying fears that he was eyeing a move elsewhere.

The Reds' vice-captain has a year left on his contract, with negotiations yet to begin over a new deal.
And, earlier this month, he stunned Liverpool fans by saying he would have "no problem" exiting his hometown club.
However, the 32-year-old said: "I don't want to leave Liverpool, I want to stay here for the rest of my career."
Carragher made his Liverpool debut against Middlesbrough in 1997, going on to become a mainstay of the Reds' defence and an iconic figure to the club's supporters.
In that time he has helped Liverpool win the Champions League, a Uefa Cup, two League Cups and two FA Cups.
On the international front, though, he was not an automatic choice, and in 2007 he quit England after becoming disillusioned with a lack of opportunities, hoping the move would extend his club career.

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Your views on Carragher's future
And, despite England coach Fabio Capello's defensive options being limited by injuries, Carragher has ruled out making himself available for selection for this summer's World Cup.
"I will be watching [this summer] and, of course, I'd love to play at the World Cup," he said.
"You watch on and think 'could I have got in the squad?' But I made the decision [to retire] not just on the spur of the moment for a few weeks, it was to prolong my career and I stand by that."
Liverpool, meanwhile, resume their bid to salvage some glory from their disappointing season with the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday.
Early exits from the Premier League title race, Champions League and FA Cup have made for a grim season so far for the Reds, but Carragher insists that lifting the Europa League trophy would be more than a mere consolation prize.
"We're desperate to get our hands on some silverware - we haven't done that for a few years," said the Bootle-born player.
"That's vitally important and success in that competition could change how the season has been looked upon - in the next few weeks it could all turn around."
On Sunday, Rafa Benitez's team resume their push for a fourth-place finish away to Birmingham.
After a second-placed finish behind Manchester United last season, Liverpool were some pundits' tips for title glory this term, but their current position in sixth spot is testament to their miserable league form.
Some observers have put Liverpool's demise down to injuries to some of their star performers, including Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson.

We're desperate to get our hands on some silverware
Jamie Carragher
But Carragher was reluctant to use that as an excuse, and instead claimed the realisation that the title was beyond their grasp had dealt his team-mates' confidence a significant blow.
"We all have injuries here and there and that's just part of football and you deal with it," he said.
"I just think at the start of the season we didn't do particularly well and then we realised we weren't going to be in the title race, which was what we had all built ourselves up for.
"It was a disappointment at that early stage, whereas the other teams were excited about the prospect of getting into the top four.
"Maybe it took us a while to get our heads around the fact that we wouldn't be playing for the title, but a top-four finish is vitally important now for next season and that's something we're certainly capable of."

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Benitez to consider all attacking options available

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is looking forward to utilising all his attacking options for their crucial Barclays Premier League run-in.

Deploying Steven Gerrard in a more orthodox central midfield position but with licence to roam forward allowed Benitez to field Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Fernando Torres in front of the Reds captain.
It is unlikely Benitez will be so bold in all six of their remaining league matches - particularly at Birmingham on Sunday and at home to Chelsea on the penultimate weekend of the season - but the Reds boss feels having plenty of choices could be key to them securing fourth place.
"If they can stay fit I think it will be very important because you have more options," said Benitez, whose side travel to Lisbon for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Benfica.
"When you have two games a week it is important to have different players available so you can change the system and you can keep the tempo."

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Liverpool linked with Real Legend

Spanish striker Raul is being linked with a move to the Premier League this summer, with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez reportedly keen to sign him from Real Madrid.

The 32-year-old could be set to end his lifetime association with Real this summer after finding himself on the fringes of the first-team under Manuel Pellegrini.
Reports in the Spanish press say Benitez is keen to sign Raul on a free transfer.
However, Madrid may command a fee for the forward - who could line up alongside countryman Fernando Torres next season - as he has a 'contract for life' at the Bernabeu alongside goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Los Merenges' directors are thought to be reluctant to allow the club legend, who is their all-time record goalscorer, to join a European rival - instead preferring to sell him to an American club for his career swansong.
Several teams in the MLS are tracking Raul, including former Real star David Beckham's LA Galaxy, although the player himself may be tempted by the lure of a two-year contract in the Premier League.
Reds boss Benitez is known to have been a keen admirer of Raul since his days as manager of Valencia, before taking over at Anfield in 2004.
It is not the first time the 102-cap veteran has been linked with a team in England.
Raul's agent Gines Carvajal revealed a few months ago that Chelsea had bid in the region of £70 million for his services shortly after Roman Abramovich's takeover at Stamford Bridge.
While news of the potential new signing will undoubtedly excite Liverpool supporters, it should be treated with caution.
The rumours as they are stem from Catalan-based reports, rather than Marca - which is usually a reliable source of information on goings-on behind the scenes at the Bernabeu.

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Torres set to bolster Liverpool for Champions League spot

Fernando Torres claims Liverpool are now a different side from the one seen earlier in the season - and he believes fourth spot is still well within reach after an impressive 3-0 win over Sunderland.

The striker took his tally to seven goals in four matches with a superb brace against Steve Bruce's men, with Glen Johnson adding the other.

Torres reflected: "The main thing is I got my goals because the team is playing really well, giving me good assists. The second goal by Glen was amazing. We'll keep enjoying and keep scoring - that's my job.

"We have been much better in this last part of the season and now we have six games to play. We have to keep playing like this and make sure we're as strong away as we are at home.

"From the first minute you could see the team was different from the first part of the season."

The result leaves Liverpool four points behind Tottenham with six matches remaining, though Spurs have a game in hand.

Torres added: "We have confidence now, we know we can beat anyone and we know we have to win all our games from now until the end.

"After that we just have to wait for the other results, but we're going the right way."

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Rafa hits back at ex-Liverpool captain

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has hit back at the continued criticism aimed at him mostly by ex-players who are now pundits.

Plenty of former Reds stars have secured work in the media and Benitez has had to listen to them giving their opinion on what has been a disappointing season.

However, he felt the need to respond to the comments of former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp after the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.

Redknapp, a close friend of Steven Gerrard, criticised Benitez for moving the England midfielder to different positions as they chased an equaliser late on.

To back up his assertion that Liverpool were a weaker team than the previous season he referenced the influence of Xabi Alonso, sold to Real Madrid in the summer, in the 4-1 win at Old Trafford last March. That finally prompted Benitez into a response.

"I was surprised to see some comments by some experts talking about how they could see Alonso playing in the 4-1 win against United - he didn't play,'' Benitez said, referring to the fact the Spain midfielder was injured.

"This expert said he (Gerrard) cannot play on the left but he is playing with the national team on the left. He was playing here on the right and scoring 23 goals so Gerrard can play everywhere. It depends on the team.

"I told him before the Sunderland game he was playing in the middle and he was happy. He can help the team and that is the main thing.''

Despite the praise for their first-half performance in the 3-0 win over Sunderland Benitez said his tactics had not changed much. Playing Gerrard in a more orthodox central midfield position is something he has done before this season but yesterday was just one of those days when all the players hit top form.

"With the same tactics we scored more goals than anyone in the Premier League last year and more goals than anyone in England two years ago,'' Benitez said. "It is a question sometimes of accuracy, pass completion or just a little bit of luck.''

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Liverpool thrash three past Sunderland

A scintillating first-half performance set the tone for a one-sided Liverpool victory over Sunderland at Anfield that kept the Reds in the race for Champions League qualification.

Fernando Torres struck a brilliant opener in the third minute and Glen Johnson's deflected strike made it 2-0 at the end of a first half in which the hosts could easily have scored six.

Torres scored his seventh goal in four matches, and his 18th in 21 Premier League appearances, midway through the second half before Liverpool coasted in the latter stages.

For Liverpool, this was an eighth successive home league win, their best run at Anfield since winning eight in a row towards the end of the 2007-08 season.

More importantly, it kept Rafael Benitez's side within four points of Tottenham, whose win over Portsmouth on Saturday cranked up the pressure in the race for fourth.

Liverpool responded accordingly and, within 55 seconds, defender Daniel Agger smashed a left-footed volley straight at goalkeeper Craig Gordon after Dirk Kuyt had flicked on Steven Gerrard's free-kick.

That the Denmark centre-back had a further two good goalscoring opportunities before half-time gave an indication of how dominant Liverpool were.

However, when it comes to goalscoring there are few to equal Torres and his third-minute strike was a piece of individual brilliance.

Goalkeeper Jose Reina picked him out wide on the left touchline and he dribbled inside Michael Turner to curl a shot over Gordon and perfectly into the far top corner.

In what was the best 45 minutes of football in Liverpool's season, Javier Mascherano had two long-range shots, one headed clear by Kieran Richardson and the other skewed wide, while Torres was just off target with a near-post effort following intricate passing between Maxi Rodriguez and Gerrard.

Ball retention, the pace of the passes, and the general attacking intent made for an exhilarating half.

More chances came and went as Gerrard's run and shot in the penalty area ended in a deflection behind and Rodriguez's near-post header from his captain's corner was superbly tipped over by Gordon.

Had Liverpool been 5-0 up after 30 minutes it would not have flattered them, but they had to settle for just the two goals at the interval.

The second came from Johnson in the 32nd minute when Gerrard's inswinging corner was only cleared to the edge of the penalty area and the defender touched the ball inside on to his left foot and unleashed a shot which took a slight deflection off Turner to beat Gordon.

Torres hit a post and then bundled the rebound wide before the break as Sunderland almost imploded under the pressure.

Liverpool's biggest problem in the second half was the expectation on them to reproduce the football they had displayed before the break.

While it did not reach those heights, they were hardly troubled.

Ryan Babel fired well over after Gerrard's driving run from halfway while Torres had an eight-yard shot blocked by Paulo da Silva, on at half-time for Lee Cattermole.

But the Spain international was not to be denied much longer and on the hour he scored his second goal, which was as simple as his first was brilliant.

Babel's far-post cross to Rodriguez dropped to Johnson who slipped a pass inside where Torres spun on the penalty spot to turn the ball past Gordon.

Alberto Aquilani replaced Kuyt with 20 minutes to go, with Torres making way for David Ngog to another standing ovation 12 minutes from time.

Richardson probably went closest to scoring for Sunderland when he flashed a left-footed shot just wide of Reina's right-hand post.

Gerrard's removal for winger Nabil El Zhar late on signalled that Benitez was more interested in saving his players for Thursday's Europa League quarter-final against Benfica in Lisbon.

What the Liverpool players must now prove in their remaining six league matches is that this performance was not a one-off.

If they can, then Benitez's guarantee of fourth place may yet hold good.

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Gerrard sets targets which he wants to achieve

Steven Gerrard has set his sights on claiming Premier League title glory and lifting the World Cup before he hangs up his boots.

The Liverpool and England midfielder can only achieve one of those aims this year with the Reds well off the pace and battling to even finish fourth to secure another season of UEFA Champions League football.

Global glory with the Three Lions is a more realistic possibility as Fabio Capello's men head to South Africa this summer among the tournament favourites.

Gerrard will celebrate his 30th birthday at the end of May and believes that he has another five years playing at the very highest level before he calls time on his career.

"It's a big time for me - I am aware of my age and what I want out of the remainder of my career," the all-action midfielder admitted.

"I look after myself, and I'm in good shape physically so I believe I've still got five years to fight for all the big prizes in football. I'll do everything I can to keep going."

Gerrard has admitted that his own personal form and that of Liverpool has been below-par this season, but he is hoping for an upturn in fortunes over the closing weeks of the campaign.

Rafa Benitez's men continue their quest for fourth place with Sunday's home meeting against Sunderland, with a Europa League quarter-final against Benfica to follow on Thursday.

Gerrard said: "You have to accept that as a team we have underachieved and I have to accept that there have been times when my form hasn't been good. We deal with that and move forward.

"There's a chance to finish the season on a high with Liverpool now, by finishing fourth and going to a cup final. It would be fantastic if we could achieve both of those things. Then you focus on the World Cup.
"Things change quickly in football," he added. "That's why my main priority is to try and finish the season strongly with Liverpool.

"That will give me a big lift going to the World Cup, and then I'll be going feeling positive that I can achieve something really important with England."

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Torres is not going any where

Fernando Torres has vowed that he will not quit Liverpool in the summer.

With the Reds out of the Champions League and struggling to secure a top-four Premier League finish, there was speculation Torres could leave Anfield.

But the Spaniard was quoted on his own website as saying: "My place is at Liverpool, and in England. I've still got three years to run on my contract."

Liverpool, one of the favourites to win the Premier League title at the start of the campaign, have disappointed this season.

Having been eliminated from the Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup, their last hope of silverware is the Europa League, while they are no longer favourites to claim the coveted fourth spot and Champions League qualification.

But Torres remains confident the club can salvage their season, stating: "I still think that we will finish fourth, but qualifying for the Champions League isn't the most important thing on my mind."

"The most important thing is for the club is to try and sign quality players, footballers who improve the quality of current squad."

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Liverpool interested in Madrid star

Liverpool are one of a handful of Premier League clubs being linked with Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.

The Daily Mail reports that the Argentine international has rejected a contract extension at the Bernabeu, and Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is one manager monitoring the situation in Spain.

Higuain has been in fantastic form for the Galacticos, scoring 22 goals so far in this La Liga season. Two of those came last night in the 4-2 victory over Getafe, with Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo both notching doubles for Los Merengues.

The 22-year-old began his professional career at River Plate, scoring at almost a goal every other game for the Argentine Primera División side after making his debut in 2004.

A €13 million move to Madrid followed in 2007, and the striker has since appeared over 100 times for the Spanish giants.

International recognition followed, with Higuain earning his first senior cap in 2009, and he's expected to play a pivotal role for Diego Maradona's World Cup side alongside Lionel Messi in this summer's World Cup.

Turning back to Madrid, and their inability to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League could well mean a glut of new signings at the Bernabeu when the transfer window re-opens.

With Florentino Perez ready to splash the cash once again, it's apparent that Higuain isn't not ready to commit to Real with his place possibly in jeopardy.

That has put Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea on alert as well, but Liverpool boss Benitez is keen to strengthen his attacking options further and could see the Argentine as a perfect fit for the club.

The price could obviously prove to be a stumbling block for the Anfield outfit, and the Reds will have to let a handful of players go before making their intentions known in the summer transfer window.

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Mascherano pledges his future

Javier Mascherano today stressed his desire to remain on Merseyside and spoke of his confidence that he will soon put pen to paper on a new Liverpool contract.

Manager Rafael Benitez revealed this week that talks between the club and Mascherano's advisors were progressing - and the Argentine midfielder has now admitted he expects to soon commit his future to the Reds.

"The club are talking with my agents. I don't like to be involved in the contract meetings so I leave that to my agents and the people at the club," said Mascherano.

"Liverpool know I want to stay. I don't think it will be difficult to arrive at a deal and we will see what happens in the next few weeks."

There had been speculation suggesting Mascherano's Anfield career was heading to its end following reported interest from abroad, but the player himself admits he only sees himself as a Liverpool player.

"I have never said I was not happy at Liverpool," he added. "That was the press. I am happy here and the only way I can show that is with my performances on the pitch.

"I always try to do everything I can to help my teammates and manager. Sometimes I can do well and sometimes I can't, but I always look to give one hundred per cent in training and in games."

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Mascherano edges closer to new deal

Javier Mascherano, whose current contract still has nearly two years to run, looks like following in the footsteps of Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger by extending his stay at Anfield.

Maschernoa, a target for Barcelona last summer, has become a key man for the Reds and Liverpool are keen to tie him to a new long-term contract to prevent another close season of speculation, especially in a World Cup year.

Spain goalkeeper Jose Reina will sign his new deal in the next three weeks and Rafa Benitez says of the plans to keep Mascherano on board for the long term: “We were talking, progressing and we're closer now. Still we need to talk a little bit but we are closer.

"It would be very important for the club. We have some important players with some years left on their contracts and this could be another one. It's very important that we're keeping the spine of the team.

"Every fan knows he's a very important player for us, a key player who's good for team spirit. He's an example for a lot of players. He shows every game his commitment, desire and passion.

“He has great character, but he can also play. He's a player every manager would like to have in their team."

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Liverpool lead the race for Chelsea star

Liverpool FC are leading the race to sign Chelsea star Joe Cole after talks between the England star and the West London club broke down. Cole has admitted that talks between himself and Chelsea have stalled, and now Liverpool are being tipped as the favourites to land the playmaker, with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur the other Premier League clubs in the running for the former West Ham United youngster.

Cole, who moved to Chelsea in 2003 from West Ham United for a fee believed to be in the region of £6.6 million, is struggling to get first team opportunities since returning from injury under Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti with the classy playmaker now expected to leave the Stamford Bridge club. According to SKYBET Liverpool are now the favourites to land the player after their odds were slashed to 8/1, while Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are all at 10/1 to land the 28 year-old midfielder.

Liverpool are set for a summer of re-structuring at the football club and whether or not manager Rafa Benitez is at the football club, the Liverpool heirachy will look to strengthen the squad with Joe Cole a cost-effective way of adding an international to the Reds squad. The likes of Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is a confirmed admirer of Cole

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Liverpool accept £6m offer for Reira

Liverpool have accepted an offer of around £6m from CSKA Moscow for their outspoken midfielder Albert Riera and hope to conclude the sale of Rafael Benítez's critic by the end of this week.

The Spain international is due to return to training at Melwood today having served a club suspension for last week's public criticism of Benítez's management style. Whether the 27-year-old gets as far as the training pitch is debatable, however, with Liverpool now willing to cash in on the marginalised winger and to allow Riera to discuss personal terms with CSKA.

Liverpool are hopeful of a swift deal for Riera, who has cut an increasingly frustrated figure in a season where he has been restricted to 16 appearances and whose desire for first-team football ahead of the World Cup arguably prompted his outburst on Radio Marca. The winger, signed for £8m from Espanyol in 2008, described Liverpool as a "sinking ship" in the interview and was scathing in the assessment of Benítez, who he claimed held a personal grudge against him and had zero dialogue with players.

Russia's transfer window is open until 8 April and Benítez will have made a profit of approximately £12m through sales this season should Riera follow Andrea Dossena and Andrei Voronin out of Anfield. Even that surplus is not guaranteed to be reinvested in the Liverpool squad this summer, however, with Champions League qualification, or the lack of, determining how much can be spent.

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Babel admits best yet to come

Liverpool FC forward Ryan Babel feels he owes the squad some good performances between now and the end of the season.

The Holland international’s future at Anfield seemed in doubt in January as he appeared to be trying to manufacture a move in the transfer window.

His outbursts on Twitter about his treatment by Liverpool FC boss Rafa Benitez resulted in him being hauled into the manager’s office and told to just concentrate on playing.

Since then the 23-year-old has responded with some improved performances and he is starting to look like he could eventually fulfil the potential which persuaded Liverpool FC to pay Ajax £11.5million in July 2007.

"Every player wants to get a run of games to show what he can do. I hope I can continue to show more - if I can then I will be happy," said Babel.

"Hopefully I can give something back to the squad. I’m slowly feeling more confident.

"I’m playing games now and want to show what I can do."

The Dutchman said he wanted to try to entertain supporters by showing off his attacking skills, which would hopefully secure him a World Cup place.

"The fans expect me always to dribble and take men on. It’s not always possible but I try to do it as much as I can," he said.

"I like to take men on and hopefully I’ll show more of that in the future.

"I know if I play a lot of games then I’ll have a good chance of going to the World Cup."

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Liverpool set to offload Riera next week

Liverpool are expected to ship out arrogant winger Albert Riera to Russia in the next week following an attack on Spanish radio which accused the club of being a "sinking ship".

On the eve of his side's Europa League clash with Lille the 27-year-old launched a stinging attack on the Reds during an interview with Radio Marca which resulted in his banishment from Melwood by manager Rafael Benitez, at whom he had also taken aim, until Monday.

Following the onslaught, Riera had been tipped to make a summer exit but Anfield chiefs are planning to rid themselves of the cocksure former Manchester City midfielder with CSKA Moscow offering them the possibility of a quick sale.

A thinly-veiled attempt at a retraction in a follow-up interview has done little to curry favour with Benitez, who paid RCD Espanyol £8million for the player in 2008 and is set to move to Moscow with his wife Yulia understood to be keen on a return to her homeland.

Riera attacked Benitez for effectively killing his World Cup dream and was eager to secure a move to either another English club, Italy or La Liga - where Spain coach Vicente del Bosque could monitor his progress extensively ahead of this summer's finals in South Africa.

The outspoken onslaught he fired at his current employers, however, has left him with very few options and Champions League quarter-finalists CSKA are expected to win the race for his signature ahead of city rivals Spartak Moscow, who have also expressed an interest.

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Mascherano waiting on Liverpool to take the initiative

In a week when Rafa Benítez asked for others to follow Pepe Reina’s example and sign themselves up to his long-term Liverpool project, Javier Mascherano has suggested that it is the club, not the players, that need to be more proactive.

Mascherano has had his say on the good ship Liverpool, the direction it is going, and why he hasn’t agreed a new deal.
It is understood that Mascherano is not waiting for the same assurances as Torres about Liverpool’s transfer budget or policy before he agrees to a new deal.
Rather, it appears that all he is after is for someone from the club to move the situation forward. A deal worth £100,000-a-week has been mooted in order to seal his future on Merseyside until at least 2012 and to ward off interest from suitors including Champions League holders Barcelona. However, he is believed to be holding out for a four-year deal to 2014.
But if the deal is already done, nobody has bothered to tell the player about it. “I’m waiting for an answer,” he said. “They know what I want – it depends on them and not me.”
When Liverpool visit Old Trafford in Sunday, Mascherano will walk out into the arena that has given him his two most contrasting memories since he signed for the club on loan in February 2007.
Firstly, there was his mental implosion on the touchline following his draconian dismissal by referee Steve Bennett in Liverpool’s 3-0 loss in March 2008, before happier times last season as a member of the side that beat United in an astonishing 4-1 victory.
But the 25 year-old insists he is not dwelling on the past. It is clearly all about the United match for him and he is hoping that another victory against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on their own soil will unnerve Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham to allow Liverpool to secure fourth spot.
“It’s difficult for us, for the supporters and I think it will be hard but in our minds we know that we can beat them.
“We have to win for us because we need to be in the Champions League next season. It will be hard for the other teams involved in fourth place to take if we beat United – it will be a shock.”

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Liverpool have to intentions to sell Torres and give him all the assurances

Liverpool have given Fernando Torres assurances they will be active in the transfer market this summer to try to convince him his future lies at Anfield.

As Liverpool go to Manchester United on Sunday, both manager Rafa Benitez and managing director Christian Purslow have talked with their star striker.

Torres is considered vital to Liverpool's interests as a 'global brand' and they told him the team will be strengthened, despite uncertainty surrounding the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona have all been linked with the hero of Spain's Euro 2008-winning campaign.
But Liverpool are adamant Torres will not be sold even for £60million because of the damage it would do to their reputation as a world force.
He is seen as their poster boy in the same way as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

To placate Torres, Liverpool are looking to sell squad players like Albert Riera, Ryan Babel and Alberto Aquilani this summer to raise £30m, which will then be invested in top-line talent.
A pre-contract agreement has already been reached with Serbian star Milan Jovanovic and Javier Mascherano is expected to sign a new £90,000-a-week deal.
Benitez said: 'We can talk with Torres and go forward. He is happy and we don't want to sell him.'

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Liverpool new kits for 2010-11 revealed

Check out the Liverpool kits for the 2010-11 season.





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Gerrard lauds players reaction

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the dressing-down the players received from boss Rafael Benitez last week played a key role in their run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Gerrard scored the early penalty that paved the way for his side's 3-0 win over Lille at Anfield and coming after Monday night's Barclays Premier League win over Portsmouth, Gerrard believes a corner has been turned.
Gerrard told Five: ''He (Benitez) is the manager and he's allowed to criticise the team at the right time but I think the reaction over the last two games has been superb and the plan is to maintain it on Sunday against Man United.''
Gerrard knows the importance of maintaining his side's good recent run against United if they are to continue their push for the fourth Champions League place and added: ''It was vital this game didn't go to extra-time tonight.
''We know how difficult it (Sunday) is going to be. We'll enjoy tonight and we'll get a warm-down tomorrow and we'll look forward to Sunday.''
Benitez hailed another good night at Anfield after recent tribulations, including some critical comments about him from Spanish winger Albert Riera. He said: ''It was a difficult game because they are a good team but the atmosphere was fantastic and everybody is happy now.
''We knew they had to push from the beginning and if we did not score an early goal they could carry on with some hope, so this goal gave us some time and some confidence too.
''You could see they were working very hard today so it was really good. They (Lille) were dangerous and have some good players with ability and pace. We needed to score the third goal just in case and it was a bit of a relief.''

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Rafa remains cautious after Europa victory

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes his side are more than capable of winning the Europa League but he will not allow his players to get ahead of themselves.

The 3-0 win over Lille at Anfield put them into the quarter-final draw in Nyon.

Liverpool could be drawn against Fulham, Hamburg, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Standard Liege, Wolfsburg or Valencia.

The Reds will also find out their prospective semi-final opponents as well, mapping out their route to the final in Hamburg, but Benitez said they could not afford to look any further than Sunday's important Barclays Premier League clash at Manchester United.

"We have more confidence but we have to take things one game at a time,'' said the Spaniard, after captain Steven Gerrard's ninth-minute penalty and then Fernando Torres' 16th and 17th goals of the season - and his first in Europe since last April - put his side into the last eight.

Benitez said his star striker was not yet 100% fit but after four goals in his last two matches - he scored twice in Monday's 4-1 Premier League victory over Portsmouth - he is approaching it.

"Torres was working very hard and I am really pleased because he did a fantastic job,'' added Benitez. "Match fitness is something you can only get by playing games. I'd like to say he's 50% [fit] but he is close, it is a question of playing games.

"But I still believe he can improve. You can see there is a big difference when he plays well and it is the same with Gerrard too. It helps the rest of the team to play better. It was a really good performance. We could see the players working really hard together and it was a good night.

"The early goal was important because we knew we had to push forward from the beginning - and that goal gave us more time and confidence. At 2-0 they were still dangerous so we needed the third goal just in case and, when it went in, it was a bit of relief.''

Benitez woke on Thursday morning to stories about winger Albert Riera criticising his management technique and saying Liverpool were a "sinking ship''.

The Reds boss' response was to suspend the Spain international until Monday, when he will report back to the club's Melwood training ground to discover if he will be punished further, but a fine is the very least he can expect.

"The timing was not the best for the team and we will deal with this internally,'' was all Benitez would say on the matter."

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Ex-Liverpool man blasts Reira for his attitude

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann blasted the Rieira for looking to shift the blame from some mediocre personal performances in the current campaign.

'I didn't read too much into the comments because he's a player who has not played too much football over the last six to eight months,'' said Hamann. ''He is clearly frustrated but you have to say since he signed for Liverpool (in the summer of 2008) he has not done enough to really have an opinion on the manager.

''If Riera is not in the team it is probably because he is not doing enough in training or in games. The first question you have to ask when you are not playing is have you done enough to be in the team.

''It happens too often with players who can't get in the team and the first thing they do is blame the manager. They should look at themselves. I can honestly say I have never had a problem with a manager in 15 years of my career and I would never blame a manager for not playing.''

Hamann, who has done some part-time coaching for Liverpool's youth teams, admitted Benitez had his own individual style of management but did not have an issue with it during his two seasons under the Spaniard.

''Every manager has his different styles and he may not talk, as other managers do, to his players, but at the end of the day I always had a professional relationship with him,'' he added. ''I never really needed much conversation with the manager because his team selection told you everything most weeks.

''I think he was always pretty honest in terms of his team selection, he always did what he thought was best for the team.''

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Liverpool suspend Riera for his unprofessional behaviour

Albert Riera has been suspended by Liverpool for his outspoken attack on manager Rafael Benitez's communication skills and the club, which he described as a ''sinking ship''.

Riera has been disciplined by Benitez and told not to return to the Merseysiders' Melwood training ground until Monday, with his future at Anfield cast into serious doubt.

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Liverpool through to the quarter's

Liverpool kept alive their hopes of silverware this season with a 3-0 victory over Lille at Anfield to win their Europa League last-16 tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Captain Steven Gerrard's ninth-minute penalty gave them the ideal start after Lucas Leiva had been fouled.

Fernando Torres then struck twice in the second half - his first European goals for more than 11 months - to put his side into the quarter-finals.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg an early Liverpool goal was essential to ease the pressure and, watched by Argentina coach Diego Maradona, they produced just that.

The much-maligned Lucas, returning to the side because of Alberto Aquilani's illness, dribbled into the area and produced a tidy piece of skill to go past Adil Rami and draw the foul.

Referee Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot and Gerrard confidently fired home to level things up on aggregate.

Torres had two half-chances to double the lead in the next five minutes as first he cut in from the right at pace only to see his near-post shot deflected wide before then lofting a shot over from Javier Mascherano's free-kick.

Despite going behind Lille still looked like they could be a danger on the counter-attack with Eden Hazard, goalscorer a week ago, and Ludovic Obraniak posing a threat from the flanks.

But right-back Glen Johnson was getting forward at every opportunity and when he found himself in the penalty area he hit a left-foot volley straight at goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

Daniel Agger's glancing header from Gerrard's inswinging 31st-minute corner was eventually stopped by Landreau on the goalline after the ball got stuck between Dirk Kuyt and Franck Beria.

Lucas, having his best spell for some time, then shot straight at the goalkeeper from 20 yards.

A minute later Hazard burst past Agger and Johnson into the area and had only Jose Reina to beat but the goalkeeper stood tall and the shot deflected behind off his head.

Five minutes before half-time Torres headed Kuyt's hanging cross back across goal but wide of the post.

Lille came out after the break with more purpose and Jamie Carragher produced a perfectly-timed tackle to deny Rio Mavuba three minutes into the second half.

But a minute later Liverpool seized control of the tie with an expert piece of finishing from Torres.

Ryan Babel hooked a ball out of defence with his right foot which looked more like a clearance than a pass but Rami, who had been given a torrid time by Torres, misjudged the bounce of the ball and it ballooned over him.

The Spain striker did not need a second invitation and he sped towards goal before dinking a shot past Landreau with the outside of his right foot.

It was the first time he had scored in European competition since his goal at Anfield in the 3-1 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Chelsea on April 8.

Torres then drilled a shot just wide of the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

Liverpool's advantage was only a slender one and that fragility was almost exposed in the 73rd minute when Obraniak's free-kick picked out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the far post only for the substitute to bundle his shot into the ground and over the crossbar.

As the tie entered its final throes the anxiety began to grow as Liverpool were unsure whether to try to hold their lead or finish Lille off with a third goal.

It almost came when Kuyt's long-range strike was batted behind by Landreau.

But all the pressure was released when Torres followed up a rebound from Gerrard's shot to score his second a minute before time and his fourth in his last two .

It secured a second victory in an important week, with Manchester United to come at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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Reina wants to repeat monday performance against Lille

Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina believes the squad have to use Monday's morale-boosting 4-1 win over Portsmouth to get them through Thursday night's tricky Europa League last-16 second leg tie against Lille.

The French side arrive at Anfield with a 1-0 lead courtesy of Eden Hazard's late free-kick a week ago and showed enough in that game to suggest they will be no pushovers.

Liverpool's poor season - they have suffered early exits from the Champions League and FA Cup and have long been out of the title race - means this is the only trophy they can win.

Reina believes that, allied to the recent confidence boost of their biggest win since September on Monday, will spur the players on.

"We are 1-0 down and we have to lift it up," he said. "We have to take those good games we have played as an example and Monday was one of them.

"I hope we can keep a clean sheet and turn things around. I hope I will have nothing to do but I don't think it will be the case.

"They are a well-organised team with pace up front and we know it is going to be tough but there have been many times that have been tough and we have managed."

The French side will be a difficult prospect, even at Anfield, but Reina insists the players are determined to turn things around as they are desperate to win some silverware to make up for a disappointing campaign.

"It is the only trophy we can lift this season so it is massively important," he said. "A trophy is a trophy and it is always good. We are the first ones to know the season has not been good and we should have been better.

"But as long as we have got a possibility of winning a trophy it is important for the club and the players.

"Lille will play defensively with some pace and ability up front playing counter-attack and we have to be aware of that and manage that."

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Reira blasts Rafa and wants out of Liverpool

Albert Riera has indicated a desire to leave Liverpool and launched an outspoken attack on Rafael Benitez - accusing the Reds manager of failing to communicate with his players and lacking the style to manage Real Madrid.

Riera, who has started only nine league games this season, labelled Liverpool a "sinking ship" after a poor season both domestically and in Europe and has placed his future at Anfield in some jeopardy by so publicly undermining his manager with withering criticism.

The winger is contemplating joining a Russian club in an attempt to underline his claims for a place in the Spain squad ahead of the World Cup. Riera has started only one game for Liverpool since January - the 1-0 Europa League victory over Unirea Urziceni on February 18.

And with his future now a matter for real debate, Riera is likely to have deeply angered Benitez by being so open and forthright in his criticism of the man who brought him to Anfield from Espanyol in an £8 million deal in September 2008.

He said: "This year has been difficult and he has not changed at all. When you see the ship is sinking and you don't change... I've been here for two years and I know how he is as a person. He's never resolved a situation with a player by speaking with him.

"He thinks he is in charge and he just turns a deaf ear to everyone else," Riera told Radio Marca. "The dialogue with the players is practically non-existent. There is a lack of tact.

"When the coach doesn't say anything to you and you are in good shape with no physical problems and training well, you have no choice but to think [the fact you are not playing] is personal.

"The team's playing badly and needs changes. If I'm doing something badly and you're my boss and you trust in me, then you would tell me what I am doing wrong and what I have to do to play. [The fact that Benitez has not said anything] is what most hurts."

Riera claims he has been the subject of interest from unnamed Russian clubs and appears keen to explore the possibility of moving to a country where the transfer window is currently open.

"Right now the only market open is the Russian one," Riera said. "I have offers from two clubs and, given my situation, that has made me reflect a lot... My objective is to go to the World Cup and for that to happen I have to play."

In a final criticism of Benitez, Riera also claimed the Liverpool boss would not be in demand should Manuel Pellegrini vacate the Real Madrid job at the end of the season. Riera said: "At Madrid they ask you to win and play lovely football. We [Liverpool] are effective, sure, but we don't play brilliant football."

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Villareal interested in signing Reira

Spanish side Villarreal will make a summer bid for Liverpool's left sided midfielder Albert Riera

Riera has suffered from a knee injury this season and seems to have fallen out of favour with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. Meanwhile, Villarreal are in the market for a left sided player and Sport speculates that Riera would be keen on a return to Spain, although he would have to accept a drop in salary.

Liverpool paid a reported €10 million to bring Riera to Anfield from Espanyol in 2008. However, Sport predicts that the Reds would be willing to make a loss and accept a €6.5 million offer from Villarreal for the Spanish international.

Riera has 16 international caps to his name and Sport cautions that the 27 year-old may delay a decision on his future in the hope of an unlikely call up to Spain's World Cup squad.

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Pepe Reina hails Liverpool spirit

Jose Reina hailed an "incredible'' first-half spell as Liverpool routed Premier League basement club Portsmouth 4-1 at Anfield.

Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and the impressive Alberto Aquilani all scored in the space of six minutes to give the Reds an unassailable half-time lead. Torres rounded off the win in the second period before Nadir Belhadj's late consolation.

The result will give Rafael Benitez's men encouragement going into Thursday's Europa League second leg against Lille, and Reina told ESPN: "We knew that it was a must-win game. Fortunately we did it and performed really well, hopefully we can do it again on Thursday.

"When the team is playing well we can score any time. For those 10 minutes we were incredible.''

Aquilani and the fans have been frustrated in equal measure by his inactivity since a £17 million summer move from Roma. And he said: "I have waited a lot of time (for the goal) but I am very happy today because we won the game.

"We need to win a lot of games to get in the top four and this is the first.''

Manager Rafael Benitez was also delighted his unusually attacking approach paid dividends.

He told ESPN: "We were expecting a good game, to play well and score goals. The most important thing was to play with an offensive mentality and a lot of quality.

"I think the team was doing well so the midfielders had a lot of possession, so maybe it is easier for people to see (Aquilani). I was very pleased for Ryan (Babel) as well, and Maxi (Rodriguez) did a good job.''

Opposite number Avram Grant was understandably subdued and admitted the hosts' first-half goal rush had left his side rattled.

"Like against Arsenal and Manchester United, we lost our shape,'' he said. "It was not a good seven minutes and we lost the game. I think the second half we got back into the game, we didn't play brilliant but we could do more.

"It was not easy for us even though we scored one goal and created a couple of good chances before.''

Grant refused to lay the blame on goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown, whose clearance straight to Gerrard set up Torres' first goal.

"Jamie is a good goalkeeper. I will not speak about mistakes because it is part of the game,'' he added. "We started the game okay, we played how we wanted to play and then came the first goal and we lost our shape and they scored a second and third goal in seven minutes and the game was finished.''

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Babel wants to continue at Anfield

Liverpool winger Ryan Babel is delighted to have earned a run in the side and insists his future belongs at Anfield.

Babel scored in the Reds' 4-1 win over Portsmouth on Monday night in what was his fourth start in six consecutive games in Rafa Benitez's side.

After early promise in a Reds shirt following his arrival from Ajax in 2007, the Dutchman has struggled to establish himself at Anfield since last season.

Speculation linking the 23-year-old with a return to his homeland mounts each transfer window, but Babel now has fresh hopes of a bright future at Liverpool.

"I was always happy at Liverpool," Babel told the club's official website.

"Slowly I'm feeling stronger. Hopefully now I can continue to get stronger. With every game you'll start to see the best of me.

"Obviously you're always frustrated when you can't show people what you can do - but that's not just me, that's every player.

"But that's the past and now I want to go forward here at Liverpool," added Babel, who has scored twice since his recent return to Benitez's first team.

The comfortable Anfield win over Pompey was the perfect response to back-to-back 1-0 defeats away from home to Wigan and French side Lille respectively.

Babel believes an early breakthrough against Avram Grant's side was key to their comfort, and he is hoping the Reds can take confidence from their performance into their next two games against Lille and Manchester United.

"These three points are very important but now this passion and the way we played in defence and attack is the basis of how we have to play in the remaining games," added Babel.

"I think we had a point to prove in terms of getting a result. I don't think the performance at Lille was as bad as some people think but here we definitely showed character and passion, and hopefully we can now look forward.

"If you can score an early goal then the confidence raises straight away. Then when a second comes everyone in the team feels confident and can play in a more relaxed way.

"It would definitely be nice to win at Old Trafford like last year but, first of all, hopefully Thursday will be good and then we'll go to Old Trafford full of confidence."

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United angry as FA clear Gerrard

Liverpool skipper will play at Old Trafford on Sunday despite incident against Portsmouth

The decision has incensed Manchester United and led to allegations that the Football Association has employed double standards. Had he been found guilty of violent conduct, Gerrard would have been banned from Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. The collision with Gerrard knocked Brown to the floor.

United's anger stems mostly from the fact that the defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for three games for swinging an arm into the face of Craig Fagan during a 4-0 win against Hull in January. That punishment was increased by one match after Ferdinand appealed. The champions will not make official comment on Gerrard's case but privately they have admitted to being surprised by the verdict and not understanding why the Liverpool captain has been let off. The ruling is also likely to go down badly among Liverpool's rivals for the fourth Champions League place.

The FA says it cannot act because the referee concerned, Stuart Attwell, has maintained that Gerrard's offence did not merit a booking or a red card.

In Ferdinand's case, the incident was missed by the referee, Steve Bennett, who said that he would have shown a red card had he seen it. Attwell has told the FA that he was satisfied with how he dealt with the incident, by awarding Portsmouth a free-kick and speaking to Gerrard.

The United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, feels that his team are punished more severely than other clubs. At Ferdinand's hearing United's legal team cited the FA's failure to charge Liverpool's Javier Mascherano over a similar incident involving the Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford at Elland Road in September.

Attwell's view that he was in control of the incident is unlikely to improve his reputation. The youngest Premier League referee by some distance, at 27, he has become known for mistakes, most notoriously the award of a "ghost goal" in a match between Watford and Reading in September 2008.

Gerrard escaped punishment from the FA last week after making a two-fingered gesture towards the referee Andre Marriner in a 1-0 defeat at Wigan. Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, responded to Monday's incident by substituting his captain.

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Liverpool finally grab some goals at Anfield

Midfielder Alberto Aquilani finally found a performance to justify his £17 million price tag, capping a masterful display with his first Liverpool goal in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth at Anfield.

The summer signing, brought in after Xabi Alonso's sale to Real Madrid, has struggled to adapt to life in England but was at the heart of everything in only his fifth Premier League start.

Fernando Torres scored twice, with Ryan Babel and Aquilani adding goals in between his strikes, before Nadir Belhadj hit a late consolation.

It was the first time since they beat Hull 6-1 on September 26 that Liverpool had scored more than two goals in a league match and that helped lift them to fifth in the table, a point behind Tottenham having played one match more.

However, of their three assignments this week - they face Lille on Thursday trailing 1-0 in the Europa League before heading to Old Trafford on Sunday - this was by far the easiest.

For Portsmouth the defeat ensured their 59-year winless run at Anfield continued but, considering their off-field problems, it will hardly have a defining impact on their season.

Strangely, Liverpool had not won on a Monday evening in their last nine attempts, with five draws and four defeats.

Their most recent victory came with Gary McAllister's last-minute free-kick at Everton in April 2001.

With a record like that they needed a positive start and the intent was apparent from the off as Torres' run towards the penalty area inside the first minute was halted only by Marc Wilson's tug.

Having cranked up the pressure against the massed ranks of Portsmouth's defence - with Torres and Gerrard both having penalty shouts turned down - Liverpool eventually made the breakthrough they were so desperate for in the 26th minute.

It was with more than a slice of good fortune, however, and came courtesy of goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown, making only his fourth appearance this season because of David James' calf injury.

Ashdown drilled Ricardo Rocha's back-pass straight at Gerrard and the ball dropped to Maxi Rodriguez, who squared for Torres to roll a shot into the empty net.

Two minutes later Glen Johnson's cross to the far post dropped to Torres, who turned former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan before slipping a pass inside for Babel to poke home.

In the 32nd minute the goal that all Anfield - and Aquilani - had hoped for came when Gerrard played in Torres, who crossed back for his captain to dummy and allow his team-mate to fire home in front of the Kop.

Torres could have made it 4-0 in the 35th minute when he cut in from the left to curl a right-foot shot beyond Ashdown only to see it rebound back off the post. Gerrard fired wide from Johnson's return ball.

Portsmouth were slow to return for the second half and it was perhaps understandable as the barrage continued almost immediately.

In probably the best move of the match, the ball was worked in from the right starting with Rodriguez and going through Torres, Aquilani, Babel, and Aquilani again before Gerrard's shot at the far post was charged down by Ashdown.

From the same move the Portsmouth goalkeeper's fingertip save then tipped Babel's shot onto the crossbar and over.

Portsmouth threatened in the 55th minute when Brown's shot was instinctively touched over by Jose Reina.

But it was only a brief respite as Rodriguez fired wide and Johnson should have had a penalty when Belhadj brought down the England international.

Gerrard departed in the 74th minute, having just been involved in a clash with Brown in which the Reds captain appeared to thrust an arm across his opponent's face, as Yossi Benayoun came on.

Aquilani's dream night continued in the 77th minute when he threaded a pass to Torres in the penalty area and he cut back onto his right foot to blast a shot inside the near post.

The Spaniard, who has now scored 15 Premier League goals to beat his tally of last season, was immediately replaced by David Ngog.

Torres, who looks to be returning to his lethal best having been sidelined for five weeks after a knee operation, left to a standing ovation.

But the real plaudits - after a long wait - went to Aquilani and even a late goal from Belhadj, sidefooting in Frederic Piquionne's volley across goal, could not spoil his night.

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Agger won't walk away from struggling Liverpool

Daniel Agger will not consider leaving Liverpool this summer, despite suggestions over the weekend that Fernando Torres' long-term future is in doubt due to the club's current predicament.

Torres claimed in an interview in Spain on Saturday that Liverpool need to recruit "four or five" world-class players in the summer having fallen far off the title pace and been forced into a prolonged battle to claim the fourth Champions League spot ahead of Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

The Spanish striker also said it was "too soon" to talk about his long-term future, leading many to conclude that he will consider other options if Liverpool fail to show adequate progress.

But Agger is certainly not contemplating leaving Anfield and the Danish defender is keen to make amends for what has been a terrible season for the Merseysiders under Rafael Benitez this season.

"I wouldn't walk away. I'd fight to put it right next year because I'm not a quitter," Agger said. "I've been close to winning trophies, but I still don't have any. That's a big disappointment because that's the reason I came to Liverpool."

Liverpool are four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and two behind Manchester City, who have a game in hand. The Reds welcome Portsmouth to Fratton Park on Monday night and Agger is in no doubt as to the importance of the game with Champions League participation at stake.

"We can't slip up any more because it's getting to the end of the season and we know we need more points," Agger said. "I can't imagine not being in the Champions League. That's the tournament we all want to be in. But it's our own fault where we are now and we have to get out of it.

"The fans have a right to expect Liverpool to be in the top four. A big club like Liverpool should be in there every year, but as we know football doesn't always work like that.

"The pressure of that shouldn't come into it. When you come to a club like this there will always be pressure to be successful. Maybe we'll have to start to imagine not being in the top four. But for as long as we have a chance we have to keep believing.

"If you play at a football club like Liverpool you always need to take responsibility, no matter who you are. You do that on and off the pitch, but you must definitely do it in the games."

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Liverpool Starting Line-up against Portsmouth

Every Liverpool fan is tired of watching Rafa defensive minded tactic's.He doesn't let the team play attacking football.That has been one of the reason for liverpool's downfall this season.

His enormous trust his Lucas, is a sign of defensive game play.I really don't understand why he play's Lucas every week,when he has £20 million Aquilani warming up the bench.Why doesn't aquilani get some chance atleast against the lower teams to show his potential.

Is Rafa making another Robbie Keane out of Aquilani by just not playing him and then selling him off in the summer,though his tenure at Anfield would be more then that of Robbie Keane.
I don't remember the last Lucas scored a goal or provided any assist.Then why play two defensive mid-fielders (Mascherano and Lucas) in the home games.Instead play some attacking football which will even give lot of confidence to all the players on and off the pitch.

Just scoring goals can be a confidence booster for the team at the moment.The drought should come to an end very soon.Or else i don't see Liverpool qualifying for the Champions league fourth spot.

The expected starting line-up against Portsmouth will be :

Liverpool (4-2-3-1, probable): Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insúa; Lucas, Mascherano; Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera; Torres.

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Rafa unsure of Torres future if Liverpool fail to qualify

Rafael Benítez fears Fernando Torres will seek to leave Anfield should Liverpool fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"Finishing fourth in the Premier League would mean a lot to Fernando," said the Liverpool manager ahead of his side's suddenly all-important home game against Portsmouth tonight.

"People talk about money with Fernando but I can tell you his main motivation is winning trophies. That is what drives him. That is always the main topic in any discussion between us. Fernando's only thought is to be challenging for honours, it's all that concerns him. He wants to be playing in the Champions League."

Benítez's apprehension regarding Torres's future can have been only heightened by a weekend interview the Spain striker gave to his country's AS newspaper. Torres said Liverpool would continue to "go backwards" unless "four or five top-class players" arrived at Anfield. In the absence of such investment the centre forward admitted he might have to consider his future and, dropping a hint which will have been music to the ears of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, Torres indicated another Premier League club would be his preferred destination.

"I don't plan on going back to La Liga for a while," he said. Careful not to burn any bridges with his employers, Torres, whose Anfield contract runs to 2013, added: "I owe Liverpool a lot, I like it here and the people have treated me as one of their own." Even so, when asked if he had thought about exiting Anfield this summer, the former Atlético Madrid striker said: "It's too early to talk about that."

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Rafa interested in signing Ireland

Stephen Ireland is a target for Liverpool – but the Manchester City midfielder’s chances of a move to Anfield could hinge on Rafa Benitez’s future on Merseyside.

Ireland, the City fans’ player of the year last season, has suffered a wretched dip in form under Mark Hughes and Roberto Mancini.
Manchester United were also monitoring Ireland’s situation at Eastlands, but have been deterred by the Irishman’s failure to maintain his progress at City.
They were also aware that City were unlikely to contemplate agreeing a transfer deal with their bitter rivals.
That paved the way for Liverpool to move in with a bid at the end of the season.
One of Ireland’s best performances this season was when he scored at Anfield in a 2-2 draw. And Liverpool have been made aware that Mancini would not block Ireland’s departure.
Benitez was hoping to get the go-ahead to make an opening offer of £8million.

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New takeover bid for Liverpool

It is that a proposed £100million investment in Liverpool, is unlikely to go ahead.

Reports suggest that private US equity firm - Rhone Group - were set to seal a deal to invest in Anfield.

It is claimed that Rhone Group wanted to take a 40 per cent stake in the club - reducing the holdings of current joint owners George Gillettand Tom Hicks.
But Sky Sports News has been told that the offer is unlikely to go ahead and should not be taken too seriously by Liverpool fans.

The deal has been described as a 'non-significant' offer, although it was confirmed that talks had taken place.

It is understood that Reds chief executive Christian Purslow has been working to find outside investors and previously stated he wanted to secure a deal by Easter.

However, the offer from the Rhone Group - which is the first real positive result of Purslow's wide-ranging search - and potentially could have slashed the club's debt by half, looks set to be rejected.

The Rhone Group was founded in 1995, has its headquarters in New York with other offices in London and Paris and describes itself as "one of the world's leading mid-market private equity firms".

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Gerrard on Real radar

The Spanish giants might boost squad again after early European exit.

Real Madrid is looking to make a £30million move for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard this summer after another disappointing Champions League elimination, according to the Daily Star.

After bowing out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 for the sixth consecutive season, Real Madrid might be looking to add even more quality help to an already star-studded team in an attempt to compete for European glory.

The 29-year-old England international might want a move from Anfield after experiencing a tough season so far. Liverpool is currently in sixth place in the Premier League, and were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage, with Fiorentina and Lyon, who eliminated Real Madrid from the same competition last week moving on from the group.

Gerrard has a new contract that has him remaining at Anfield until 2013, but Real Madrid’s £200m spending spree last summer suggests that they will be able to pay whatever it takes get the Englishman.

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Torres will call it quit if Liverpool don't spend big

Fernando Torres has warned Liverpool he may consider his future at the club if they do not make an assault on the transfer market to turn them into genuine title contenders.

Liverpool, currently struggling in sixth place, are battling with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City for fourth spot and a Champions League berth.

However, more than the quest to finish in the top four, Torres believes the most important thing on Liverpool's horizon is that they make a major assault on the transfer market and show their ambition this summer.

Talking about his future at Anfield, Torres, who has scored 13 league goals in 18 appearances so far this term, told Spanish newspaper AS: "It's too soon to talk, I honestly think that we're going to be fourth, but for me Champions League qualification isn't so important.

"The really important thing is that the club makes a big effort and brings in important players, who will improve the quality of the squad. We need four or five top-class players to compete, better than we have here, who will make us grit our teeth and do everything we can to try and keep our places.

"Without reinforcements next year we will once again be fighting to be fourth. I want to fight next year to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League or the Europa League, but for this there have to be signings."

Referring back to the initial question about his future, Torres added: "There are so many circumstances and so many things that you have to take into account that it is too soon to talk about that. But I have this and three more years of my contract.

"I've left my home and it's clear that I owe Liverpool many things, and I'm very happy here. The fans have treated me like one of their own, but I'm going to think about my future and hopefully it will be here. I think these fans deserve to win.

"Beyond thinking about me, I think the club deserve to get back to winning (trophies), but they know themselves that right now that it's far off.

"The fans are worried about players going, it's a problem when you start to fear that your players are going because you know it's because the club is not moving forward, but I don't think that is going to be the situation here.

"Since the arrival of (managing director) Christian Purslow Liverpool have had an important boost, we signed with a big-money sponsor to match Real Madrid, then things are going to go forward."

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Mascherano confident of going through in Europa

Javier Mascherano is confident the chances they created in their Europa League defeat to Lille proves Liverpool can turn the tie around.

Confidence in the squad has taken a blow after a woeful performance in losing to Wigan on Monday and although they lost 1-0 in northern France it was a much-improved display.
In many ways conceding in the Stade Lille Metropole - which was almost an inevitability considering Les Dogues had found the net in all-but one of their last 21 matches at home - makes little difference to next week's second leg.
Eden Hazard's 85th-minute free-kick means Liverpool have to score if they want to progress and Mascherano insists that is far from beyond them.
"We have a chance to come back at Anfield so I think I am confident we can do it," said the Argentina captain.
"I think it was totally different game to the one at Wigan. The team was working very hard and we didn't deserve to lose.
"Against Wigan we did not play well and did not create chances.
"But it is Europe. We conceded a foul and he took a good free-kick and it was a good goal for them.
"The pitch was not the best in Lille but it was the same for them so it is not an excuse.
"But I will repeat, it is half-time and we have a chance to change things at Anfield.
"We created a lot of chances but couldn't score. The most important thing was we had the chances.
"Hopefully we can score at Anfield. We have done it before and we can do it again."
The situation has similarities with when Liverpool faced their first French opponents in Europe - St Etienne - back in 1977 when they trailed 1-0 heading after their European Cup quarter-final first leg.
A now legendary night at Anfield saw substitute David Fairclough snatch a goal six minutes from time to beat the French champions 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.
On that occasion they went on to be crowned European champions for the first of what turned out to be five occasions.
The prize is not half as glamorous this time around but how Benitez, his players and the fans would welcome a repeat performance.

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Torres nearing his best

Rafa Benitez believes there were signs against Lille that Fernando Torres could soon be back at his deadly best.

The Spain international has started three consecutive games for the Reds since returning from a knee injury which kept him out for six weeks.

His performance was one of several positives Benitez took from the 1-0 Europa League defeat in Lille on Thursday.

He said: "There were signs Torres is coming back. He was working hard today and maybe his pace is coming back.

"There were still a lot of positives. The main thing for me was the team, but there were some individuals that were playing at the level that is expected of them."

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Liverpool face uphill task after losing against Lille

Lille winger Eden Hazard's late goal inflicted Liverpool's first defeat on French soil in six visits and left Rafael Benitez's side with an uphill battle to make the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The visitors appeared to have survived a testing examination by Les Dogues only for Hazard, who had been a threat all night, to curl in an 85th-minute free-kick.

Despite being territorially dominated Liverpool had the best two chances with Ryan Babel shooting too close to Mickael Landreau and Fernando Torres' header being brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper in the first half.

However, the scoreline was no real surprise as The Mastiffs, as Lille are known, had scored in 20 of their previous 21 games at the Lille Metropole.

Their impressive record has seen them lose just once at home in Ligue 1 since the opening day of the season on August 9, with only one defeat in 17 home European fixtures.

For Liverpool - unbeaten in France since a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Monaco in November 2004 - it was the worst possible result coming so soon on the back of a woeful performance at Wigan on Monday.

Their difficult task was outlined to them in the first minute as Lille came out in no mood to admire their more illustrious opponents as Yohan Cabaye forced Jose Reina into a save within 38 seconds.

One of the most intriguing battles was between winger Hazard and Emiliano Insua, who was destroyed on a regular basis by Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia.

The 19-year-old Belgian struck an early blow by skipping past his opponent and drilling a cross through the six-yard area but no team-mate was close enough to take advantage.

Lille were more Arsenal than Wigan in their approach - despite their heavily-sanded patchy pitch - and passed the ball around with ease to often leave their opponents chasing shadows.

However, for all their possession they looked like they were missing top scorer Gervinho, the Ivorian who was sidelined by injury.

Bizarrely, Liverpool had the best two chances of the first half.

Babel should have given the visitors the lead in the 26th minute after a neat exchange with Torres but shot too close to Mickael Landreau and the goalkeeper deflected the effort with his legs.

Hazard was proving Lille's best outlet and his cross saw Pierre-Alain Frau deflect a shot over after being pressured by Jamie Carragher.

Gerrard responded with a dipping 35-yard strike just over Landreau's crossbar before, in the 41st minute, Landreau produced a brilliant low save to repel Torres' close-range header from Johnson's deep cross.

Hazard had the ball in the net soon after half-time but was flagged offside.

Liverpool at least began the second half better than they had the first and six minutes after the restart Lucas volleyed Torres' headed flick-on wide.

Lille, by contrast, had lost some of their attacking verve as they were drawn into a more attritional contest unsuited to their style.

On the hour Babel had a fierce shot parried away by Landreau, before Insua was booked for a foul on Hazard as he threatened to break away.

Five minutes later Reina allowed a long-range shot from Frau slip through his fingers but fortunately for the Liverpool goalkeeper it ballooned behind for a corner.

Torres was then booked for his persistent complaints to referee Claus Bo Larsen.

Cabaye drilled a dipping strike inches over Reina's crossbar before he was replaced by Stephane Dumont, with Albert Riera coming on for Babel with 17 minutes remaining.

Hazard went down in the area under Carragher's challenge with seven minutes to go but Larsen waved away protests.

However, a minute later the winger made sure when he curled in a free-kick which missed everyone in front of Reina, who could only watch as the ball crept into the far corner.

And it could have been far worse had substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's shot not hit the post and gone wide.

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