Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

Time to for the players to pick themselves up, go out and do the business. A win should see us through, if not we should need only a point or two from two games and then we can focus on the Premiership. A win is also important to put the defeat behind us, last thing we want to do is start on one of our usual trots of poor form that happen a few times a season and see us out of contention for the title

[roberto green]

Time to for the players to pick themselves up, go out and do the business. A win should see us through, if not we should need only a point or two from two games and then we can focus on the Premiership. A win is also important to put the defeat behind us, last thing we want to do is start on one of our usual trots of poor form that happen a few times a season and see us out of contention for the title

Yeah totally agree it is usually this time of the year were we hit a bad patch we just need to play as we have been doing

[lewerty]

is torres fit??

[The Good Yank]

One good thing is that the matches are coming fast and furious,so it's a chance tor the team to shake off the tough result at Spurs . On the negative side, the matches are coming fast and furious so if the lads don't improve on their form quickly a true blip may be starting.  This will be the Fourth match in ten days and I'm thinking we'll see some tinkering in the starting Eleven.

[johnymarcu]

Don't worry, this match is won, Atletico has good names, but bad game

[Eagle]

Were starting to see some really tired legs in the final 30 minutes of games. A little bit of “styling” is necessary as well as good use of impact subs.

                           Reina

Arbeloa     Carragher     Agger     Aurelio


El Zhar     Mascherano   Lucas       Riera

                  Keane        Kuyt

Subs

Torres
Babel
Gerrard
Alonso
Dossena
Darby
Cavalieri

[Madmax]

We should win this one. Would do wonders for the squad mentally. Hope torres does get a run in because we are desperately missing him. Need a top striker out there. Could see us 2-1 winners. Lets get qualification sorted and concentrate on the premiership.

[Igor Zidane]

Were starting to see some really tired legs in the final 30 minutes of games. A little bit of “styling” is necessary as well as good use of impact subs.

                           Reina

Arbeloa     Carragher     Agger     Aurelio


El Zhar     Mascherano   Lucas       Riera

                  Keane        Kuyt

Subs

Torres
Babel
Gerrard
Alonso
Dossena
Darby
Cavalieri

Feck me ace Bigmick would have a wobbler if rafa played that side . No styling lash , strongest team available and put the group to bed .

[Dundalk]

Nando needs at least 30 mins of a run out in this one

[NANNY RED]

I was reading this before on RAWK
I got really choked up soft cow.

But i sincerly hope he plays some part on Tuesday

A Shattered Dream
Antonio Sanz, journalist

To begin with, I want to recommend a fantastic novel. I am sure that it will offer more than this short story. It is about trying to see how the book 'The elegance of the hedgehog' manages to convey as much ingenuity as its author, Barbery. After reading the novel, I believe that it is possible to turn ‘always’ into ‘never’. Maybe that's why I managed to take something positive from the absence of Fernando Torres from the game between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.

Atletico fans had prepared a special homecoming to thank a player who had given so much to their Club. Had he have been there, it would have happened. More than ten thousand fans from all-over Spain bought tickets for the game to thank the (shy) player who tried to help Atletico recover their grandure; and perhaps because he left without being able to say goodbye.

Perhaps because he never thought that he would leave the club, the draw for the Champions League gave him the opportunity to remove a thorn in his side. There were many reasons for the match to be an exciting affair, one not to be missed. A river of wishes and hopes now runs dry, all thanks to an unforeseen injury. Nearly three weeks of reflection and pain, for ninety minutes of football. There’s no problem though. It’s not a ‘never’, because one day, Fernando will play Champions League football at the Calderon ... it’s my wish for him.

I told Torres the news of the draw over the phone. I wasn’t with him at the time, but then I quickly called Margarita Garay, who was with the striker. Margarita can be described as the person that makes things tick at Bahia International, and she passed her phone over to Fernando. “How did the draw go?” Because it eventually took half an hour for the name of the fourth team to finally come out, we had already spoken twice before: “Marseille” and “PSV”. “What about Atletico?” enquired Fernando. My reply on both occasions was, “They still have yet to come out.” And then it happened… Jose Antonio Martin ‘Peton’ (Fernando’s agent, among many other things) jumped-up with joy, “Have you phoned Fernando?”. My reply was: “I’m still trying to recover from the shock.” “Get him on the phone and tell him. He’s going to love the news” adds Peton. I am still unsure what to do. I dial his number, no answer. I call Margarita. Again no answer. ‘Peton’ charges in: “Does he know yet?” “No!” (now I m really shouting), “He has yet to find out.” My phone suddenly comes to life as a series of journalists and friends bombard me: Bonilla, Romero, Alvaro, ‘four eyes’, Matallanas, Perfe, Duro, Felix… I even get a call from Paloma (my girlfriend). Finally I get to speak to Fernando. He whispers to me,“Are you sure?” I’m not joking, and I wouldn’t joke about something like this. Fernando calmly replies, “Well then, we are going to beat you.” This is coming from a player with almost 250 appearances for Atletico under his belt, and with almost 100 goals to his name. I am being teased by someone who is even more Atletico than the bear on the club’s crest! Twelve years at Atletico since his parents, Jose and Flori, took him to a trial at the ‘Parque de las Cruces’. His brother, Israel, was the one to confirm that Fernando had made the cut. The list was on a notice board in the stadium… a board which often shattered the dreams of many young hopefuls.

He wanted to test himself abroad. And he found a place to nest: Liverpool. He put his head down and started to train hard. Fernando brought 36 million Euros to Atletico Madrid (straight into the account at La Caixa, a bank set inside the actual stadium). With very little English under his belt, he crossed the Channel. Atletico President Enrqiue Cerezo bade the striker farewell on a sad morning for the club. Although the news caught some people away on holiday, nearly everyone was present at the goodbye press conference. Torres wore black. Sixteen months have flown-by and he almost got the chance to step back out onto the Vicente Calderon pitch with a pair of boots on. The striker was invited back to the Director’s Box, the same place which previously heard the words: “If there is any truth behind the Inter Milan rumour, we will sell Torres”. The words unsurprisingly came from Mr.Cerezo. Inter Milan were willing to pay 38 million Euros for the striker. It was the summer of 2006. It wasn’t the first time similar words had been heard. The story however goes on. “The kid is not going to get us more.” Silence follows in the Board of Directors’ meeting. Cerezo’s Vice-President, Garcia Abasolo, agrees with the President. Antonio Alonso, another Vice-President, receives the news positively. However, Lazaro Albarracin, a die-hard and loyal Atletico Madrid fan cannot believe what he is hearing. Miguel Angel Gil steps in: “Fernando is untouchable. There is nothing more to say. He is a great kid, our best player, and the drive behind our marketing and commercial projects. He will remain here for as long as he wants to.”

Before his injury with Spain in Brussels, Torres had been dealt a blow with UEFA’s possible three-game ban for the Calderon. The news caught him with Iker Casillas (how pathetic was the imaginary ‘fall-out’ between the two that some papers cooked-up?), and a camera caught Torres saying to the keeper that things were working against him, and that he will never get the chance to play against Atletico in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderon. UEFA then delayed their decision, allowing the game to go ahead in Madrid, but his dream was cruelly laid to rest by an unfortunate hamstring injury. Fernando had everything planned. He would not celebrate if he scored, he had played-out several scenarios in his head: the team’s arrival in Madrid, entering the stadium via Gate ‘0’, a warm hug with Alberto Unsain (the man in charge of the dressing room at the training ground and at the Vicente Calderon Stadium) near Atletico’s dug-out, a firm hand-shake with Baston (Goalkeepers coach), a cheeky smile at Dr.Villalon, a warm gesture with his friend Leo Franco (Atletico Madrid keeper), walking into the visiting team’s dressing room, stepping out on to the pitch from the other tunnel and posing for the team photo with either Manu, Alberto or another player from Atletico’s school of excellence. A similar experience to what he had lived before when working as a ball-boy when Atletico faced Ajax in the European Cup.

Atletico wanted the forward to be their guest at the game at the Vicente Calderon, even making their invitation to Fernando known to Rafa Benitez. The Liverpool boss gave his OK, but Torres wanted to stay on Merseyside and continue his recovery process to be back in time for the return at Anfield. There is no rush, and the day will arrive when the forward will collect the Gold and Diamond Club insignia Miguel Angel Gil promised to award Fernando.

The striker had confirmed his love for Atletico to the few remaining doubters when he paraded Atletico Madrid’s flag during Spain’s celebrations following their Euro 2008 triumph. He was Atletico’s only representative at the Championships. Well, along with coach Luis Aragones. Today a sad Fernando Torres is working with the physios. We will just have to wait and see if they are capable of helping Torres regain full fitness in time for the clash at Anfield in fifteen days time.

http://www.fernando9torres.com/index.php?s=tribuna

[metalhead]

I think Rafa will give him a runout in the last 10 or 20 minutes of the game.

He is a true gent Torres, glad to have him as our player.

[SupitsJonF]

I think Rafa will give him a runout in the last 10 or 20 minutes of the game.

He is a true gent Torres, glad to have him as our player.

Torres scores a hat trick in the only 10-20 mins he is on the pitch 

[Greavesie]

we must shake off the bad result on Saturday and use the CL as a way of getting a morale boost.

I'm worried of not making it through black November again

Torres needs a runout in this one, need him back as soon as then the lads can get firing on all cylinders

[Toffeehater]

November is a torrid month for us , we need to start picking up points here .

Reina

Arbeloa       Agger      Carragher      Aurelio


Kuyt                Masch      Gerrard   Riera

                        Babel        Keane

Torres on the bench , give him at least half an hour to run around the tired atheltico defense .

[NANNY RED]

Been reading that hes supposed to have sufferd a set back in training dont know how true it is . But if hes not 100% fully fit he shouldnt play. We need a fully fit Torres for the games we have coming up in the prem. We can win this game without him imo. I know it will break the lads heart not to take some part in this game but if these rumours are true then he must not be risked.
Or we could suffer long term.