Liverpool FC Forum

[Reg]

The Italian club fanbase is far greater in Brazil. In 1900 a full 50% of the population of São Paulo was Italian origin.

There was far greater Italian emigration throughout South America than Spanish.

Try Finland.

[tubby]

Im guessing thats why some of the clubs have Italian club-esque names. Juventede, Internacionale ect...?

[tubby]

Rafa - Alonso is key
Benitez identifies Liverpool's main performers

Rafa Benitez has emphasised the crucial role played by Xabi Alonso in the heart of Liverpool's midfield.

Alonso continues to be linked with a move away from Anfield despite Benitez's insistence last week that he would not be going anywhere.

The Liverpool manager has now made it clear that the Spaniard remains an integral part of his plans for the future.

Benitez is plotting how to overhaul Manchester United in the Premier League title race next season and believes he is within touching distance of assembling the right squad.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina will once again be key components in 2008/9 and Benitez believes Alonso is just as important.
Improvement

"We are working very hard to keep the spine of the team - that was always the idea," Benitez told LFC Magazine.

"We have Pepe Reina as the number one goalkeeper with Diego Cavalieri behind him, another good goalkeeper. Then we have (Martin) Skrtel, (Jamie) Carragher and (Daniel) Agger - three good centre-backs.

"Then you go to the midfield with Alonso, (Javier) Mascherano, Lucas and Gerrard, with Torres up front and (David) Ngog, who is a very good prospect. We have a good squad that is still young, so hopefully we can improve further.

"We know we still need to improve in some specific areas. We will be working very hard to do that over the summer."

--------------------


Surley he will stay now? If Rafa were thinking of cashing in on him he wouldn't be talking that way about him.

[tubby]

Here is the full interview.

AFA: SPINE IS THERE, WE'LL FIND REST
Jimmy Rice 07 June 2009

Rafa Benitez believes he has assembled the spine of a title-winning side - and claims the club is working tirelessly behind the scenes to find any missing links this summer.
Benitez has made retaining current stars a priority over the last two months, with new deals agreed for Daniel Agger, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt.

The Anfield boss now hopes to add to his talented squad over the coming months.

"We are working very hard to keep the spine of the team - that was always the idea," Benitez told LFC Magazine.

"We have Pepe Reina as the number one goalkeeper with Diego Cavalieri behind him, another good goalkeeper. Then we have Skrtel, Carragher and Agger - three good centre-backs.

"Then you go to the midfield with Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas and Gerrard, with Torres up front and Ngog, who is a very good prospect. We have a good squad that is still young, so hopefully we can improve further.

"We know we still need to improve in some specific areas. We will be working very hard to do that over the summer."

This month marks the fifth anniversary of Benitez's arrival in England.

His brief back in June 2004 was to repeat the trick he performed with Valencia in La Liga - breaking the stranglehold of two dominant and high-spending teams using less resource.

Five years on, Benitez has taken the Reds closer to the league title than at any time since 1990 - but he admits transforming Liverpool from top four also-rans to genuine championship contenders has been a tall order.

"We didn't know everything when we first arrived here," said the boss. "Now we can see little things that can make a massive difference.

"Now we know these things we can be more precise, sign players in a better way, approach games and different competitions in a better way. We know the rules and the style of the game in England much better now.

"Maybe sometimes you don't need as long to start challenging as it has taken us. But when the other teams are so strong it becomes much more difficult. You can try to move fast, but if they go as fast as you, you have to go faster.

"The only way to do that is to try to sign the right players every single time.

"With Sami Hyypia leaving we have just two players left at the club from when I took over - Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

"Coming to a club that needs a lot of work is a massive difference to arriving at a club without too many changes to make. From my time here, Chelsea and United already had big squads with top-class players. They have both spent big money since and improved a lot.

"We could not spend that kind of money, but look at the level of the squad now compared to five years ago. We have had to work hard rebuilding the whole squad.

"It's not just a case of saying, 'Oh, Liverpool should win because they are spending.' The other clubs are spending too but had better squads from the beginning. That is why if we are to reduce the gap we have to do things almost perfectly.

"We have learned together what it means to stay close to the top of the table from the beginning to the end. I am sure that will help us in the future."

[andy_g]

Real Madrid have a fan base all over the world - they are one of the most famous and iconic teams in the world - prob the most famous in the world . Yes during the last year they have been beaten by barce but they are twice as succesful at barce overall.

Weird I have never ever met anybody who admits to supporting them. Man Utd yes lots, arsenal a fair amount. A healthy number of foreign scousers, and a lot of Barca fans but never ever any Real Madrid fans, except one from Portugal and he's a complete pr1ck.

go to just about any spanish city and you will see people wearing the real madrid shirt.

[Number 9]

Real Madrid have a fan base all over the world - they are one of the most famous and iconic teams in the world - prob the most famous in the world . Yes during the last year they have been beaten by barce but they are twice as succesful at barce overall.

Weird I have never ever met anybody who admits to supporting them. Man Utd yes lots, arsenal a fair amount. A healthy number of foreign scousers, and a lot of Barca fans but never ever any Real Madrid fans, except one from Portugal and he's a complete pr1ck.

go to just about any spanish city and you will see people wearing the real madrid shirt.

ya tool!!

[mjlfc09]

From The Times
June 8, 2009

Liverpool determined to keep hold of Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso of Liverpool

Tony Evans, Football Editor; Ian King Deputy Business Editor

Liverpool are determined to hold on to Xabi Alonso despite the midfield player’s desire to move to Real Madrid. Sources at Anfield indicated that it would take a “mind-blowing” offer by the Spanish giants to prise the 27-year-old away from the club.

Florentino Pérez, the Real president, told The Times yesterday of his interest in Alonso. “Xabi is a magnificent Spanish player, so of course we’d love to have him,” Pérez said. “But everything would involve reaching an agreement with Rafael Benítez. It will need to be an agreement that is in the best interests of both clubs.”

Liverpool made it clear yesterday that they have no intention of selling the Spain player, who has three years left on his contract. Alonso, however, has made it equally clear that he wants to move on. After the 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season last month, Alonso met Benítez, the Liverpool manager, to try to force the issue.

The Spaniard has been unsettled for some time, despite having a superb season. Before the Champions League qualifying match against Standard Liège in August, he was reluctant to play to avoid being cup-tied in Europe with any potential new club. However, Liverpool are adamant that they will resist any move for Alonso — Manchester City and Arsenal have also been linked with the player. Suggestions that £25 million would tempt Benítez to sell were laughed off as being “nowhere near” Liverpool’s valuation.
Related Links

   
Benítez will be active in the transfer market despite Liverpool’s accounts revealing that the club’s profits failed to cover interest payments on debt last year. Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the club’s American owners, are almost certain to get an extension on their £350 million loan deal with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia, due for repayment on July 24. RBS, which owns 75 per cent of the debt, is unconcerned by the reported loss of £43 million since most of it was due to “non-cash” write-downs in the value of players.

It is understood that the bank’s only reservation about the performance of the owners is their inability to finance a new stadium. The banks are encouraging Hicks and Gillett to look for new investment to push through the new ground.

RBS was reassured when Benítez and Fernando Torres signed extensions to their contracts in the closing weeks of the season. The Spanish pair’s commitment to the club was a significant factor in giving the Americans financial breathing space.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol....466.ece
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Its worth noting that Tony Evans the writer of this article is a true Liverpool fan so he can't be making it up.
http://www.thisisanfield.com/columni....y-evans

[Ciggy]

From The Times
June 8, 2009

Liverpool determined to keep hold of Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso of Liverpool

Tony Evans, Football Editor; Ian King Deputy Business Editor

Liverpool are determined to hold on to Xabi Alonso despite the midfield player’s desire to move to Real Madrid. Sources at Anfield indicated that it would take a “mind-blowing” offer by the Spanish giants to prise the 27-year-old away from the club.

Florentino Pérez, the Real president, told The Times yesterday of his interest in Alonso. “Xabi is a magnificent Spanish player, so of course we’d love to have him,” Pérez said. “But everything would involve reaching an agreement with Rafael Benítez. It will need to be an agreement that is in the best interests of both clubs.”

Liverpool made it clear yesterday that they have no intention of selling the Spain player, who has three years left on his contract. Alonso, however, has made it equally clear that he wants to move on. After the 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season last month, Alonso met Benítez, the Liverpool manager, to try to force the issue.

The Spaniard has been unsettled for some time, despite having a superb season. Before the Champions League qualifying match against Standard Liège in August, he was reluctant to play to avoid being cup-tied in Europe with any potential new club. However, Liverpool are adamant that they will resist any move for Alonso — Manchester City and Arsenal have also been linked with the player. Suggestions that £25 million would tempt Benítez to sell were laughed off as being “nowhere near” Liverpool’s valuation.
Related Links

   
Benítez will be active in the transfer market despite Liverpool’s accounts revealing that the club’s profits failed to cover interest payments on debt last year. Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the club’s American owners, are almost certain to get an extension on their £350 million loan deal with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia, due for repayment on July 24. RBS, which owns 75 per cent of the debt, is unconcerned by the reported loss of £43 million since most of it was due to “non-cash” write-downs in the value of players.

It is understood that the bank’s only reservation about the performance of the owners is their inability to finance a new stadium. The banks are encouraging Hicks and Gillett to look for new investment to push through the new ground.

RBS was reassured when Benítez and Fernando Torres signed extensions to their contracts in the closing weeks of the season. The Spanish pair’s commitment to the club was a significant factor in giving the Americans financial breathing space.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol....466.ece
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Its worth noting that Tony Evans the writer of this article is true Liverpool fan so he can't be making it up.
http://www.thisisanfield.com/columni....y-evans

Extremely worrying Tony Evans lives next door to me mums fella and doesnt talk sh!t.
This is the dreaded one folks I think he''s off. 

[Torres]

Liverpool’s Arbeloa Ready To Step In For Sergio Ramos In Spain Team



The Reds right-back has expressed his delight to be presented with the opportunity to start a game for the national team.

Liverpool full-back, Alvaro Arbeloa could be given a rare chance to start for Spain in Tuesday’s international friendly against Azerbaijan should Sergio Ramos fail to regain full fitness.

The versatile Real Madrid defender suffered a hip injury just before the club’s final game of the of the Primera Division season against Osasuna and despite a full week of rest, he is still struggling to shrug off the problem.

“If Sergio fails to recover and the coach hands me a start, it will fill me with great pride,” he told EFE.

“It would be my sixth game with La Seleccion and I will try to take advantage of the opportunity as best I can,” he added.

Despite an equally long season with Liverpool, Arbeloa assured that he is physically ready for the Spanish challenge.

“I am feeling good at the moment. I finished the season well with Liverpool and I would’ve had plenty of rest before going to the Confederations Cup,” he detailed.

“The coach knows that I am here to help the team and I’m ready to play in any position necessary. That I can play at either right or left-back will increase my chances of seeing more game time and helping the national side. That is my main desire.

“We all want to repeat our Euro 2008 success by winning the Confederations Cup,” he affirmed.

Coach, Vicente del Bosque could indeed be forced to field a make-shift backline altogether for Tuesday’s test against Azerbaijan.

With Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique joining Sergio Ramos on the sidelines, the Spanish press expect Arbeloa and Joan Capdevila to line up as the full-backs while Valencia duo, Raul Albiol and Carlos Marchena will anchor the heart of defence.

It is also predicted that del Bosque will deploy the double X in central midfield, Xavi and Xabi Alonso, while relative newcomers Juan Mata and Pablo Hernandez could occupy the flanks due to injuries to Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Santi Cazorla.

Bar Iniesta, the rest are expected to recover in time before the start of the Confederations Cup on June 14.[B]

[bigmick]

It's a shame that in football if the player really wants to go, then it becomes almost impossible to stop him. I guess we'll never really know how much the shenanigans of last Summer went towards making Xabi's mind up. The supposed fact though that he was trying to avoid playing in the Champions League so as to not cuptie himself would indicate that at that time at least, the wounds were still raw.

Of course Rafa wasn't to know just like everybody else didn't that Xabi's form was going to be transformed in the way it has, but I can't help thinking that both the pursuit of Gareth Barry and the hawking of Alonso around Europe in an attempt to get 16 million quid for him could have been handled more sensitively.

As it is, Barry has now gone to Citeh as presumeably he looked at our situation and figured he'd either be played out of position or rotated incessantly. He may also have looked at how recent examples of British based players transferring to Liverpool have panned out, who knows. Perhaps it WAS just the money as many on here have suggested, the lure of 100 grand a week being so much stronger than 80. Who knows, but if it is the case that Home based players are looking at it and thinking "no thanks" it would hardly be surprising.

I know as well that many on here don't rate Barry at all, but I've a feeling that if either Masherano or Alonso leave, or perish the thought both, they may yet look upon his Man City exploits with regret. He is a very good player and would have been an able deputy. Perhaps the answer should either of the central midfielders leave is moving Gerrard back. Obviously he's capable of it, but it would disturb a very potent attacking partnership. Alternatively I guess we're staring down the gun barrel at Lucas, so i would assume that it's a certainty that whatever funds we are able to muster up, some of it at least will be spent on a central midfielder.

I wonder if when Rafa looks back on last Summer, he regrets not only the players he bought in a farcical series of dealings, but also the ones he almost sold. Such a shame.

[Scottbot]

I know as well that many on here don't rate Barry at all, but I've a feeling that if either Masherano or Alonso leave, or perish the thought both, they may yet look upon his Man City exploits with regret. He is a very good player and would have been an able deputy.

Agree completely mate. Barry was a ready-made replacement for Alonso. He doesn't grab a game and run it in quite the same way but he possesses so many similar qualities. Can't believe that we may end up missing out on Barry AND could then go on to lose Alonso. I just hope we hold out for stupid money or that Rafa simply tells him (as fergie did with ronaldo last year) that he is staying at the club, end of.

[aCe']

It's a shame that in football if the player really wants to go, then it becomes almost impossible to stop him. I guess we'll never really know how much the shenanigans of last Summer went towards making Xabi's mind up. The supposed fact though that he was trying to avoid playing in the Champions League so as to not cuptie himself would indicate that at that time at least, the wounds were still raw.

Of course Rafa wasn't to know just like everybody else didn't that Xabi's form was going to be transformed in the way it has, but I can't help thinking that both the pursuit of Gareth Barry and the hawking of Alonso around Europe in an attempt to get 16 million quid for him could have been handled more sensitively.

As it is, Barry has now gone to Citeh as presumeably he looked at our situation and figured he'd either be played out of position or rotated incessantly. He may also have looked at how recent examples of British based players transferring to Liverpool have panned out, who knows. Perhaps it WAS just the money as many on here have suggested, the lure of 100 grand a week being so much stronger than 80. Who knows, but if it is the case that Home based players are looking at it and thinking "no thanks" it would hardly be surprising.

I know as well that many on here don't rate Barry at all, but I've a feeling that if either Masherano or Alonso leave, or perish the thought both, they may yet look upon his Man City exploits with regret. He is a very good player and would have been an able deputy. Perhaps the answer should either of the central midfielders leave is moving Gerrard back. Obviously he's capable of it, but it would disturb a very potent attacking partnership. Alternatively I guess we're staring down the gun barrel at Lucas, so i would assume that it's a certainty that whatever funds we are able to muster up, some of it at least will be spent on a central midfielder.

I wonder if when Rafa looks back on last Summer, he regrets not only the players he bought in a farcical series of dealings, but also the ones he almost sold. Such a shame.

good post Mick.... however i still dont think its as bad as some are making it out to be.... if Alonso insists on leaving and does end up leaving for the prices being thrown around (25-35mill) then i dont think we'll have (or rather shouldnt have) much of a problem buying ourselves a solution or two to compensate for his departure... Whether our signing(s) is a central midfielder/ a winger or a striker would all depend on Rafa and what he has planed for next season... would be sad to see a player with his quality gone but it wont be the end of the world... we'll move on, we always do....

Barry would have been an ideal replacement... him refusing a Liverpool contract to sign for City says alot about how Rafas poor treatment of some of our better players has come back to bite us on the behind... Crouch, Pennant, Keane, Alonso....etc

Bottom line is... if he goes, then good luck to him, thanks for the memories... and Rafa better use the money wisely for a change...

[tubby]

We have to make sure we get a good price for him.

[GYBS]

So Rafa once agains states that we dont want to sell Xabi and dont want him to go anywhere then another journo says XAbi will leave and we believe the Journo ?!?!

[Fauxy]

I think if Real get Kaka then they will focus on getting Ronaldo rather than Xabi and hopefully Ronaldo will off to spain.

Xabi is being quite sensible at the moment I think, he hasnt made any statements which shows that he has got his options open and by not saying anything he isnt causing loads of media speculation or upsetting any fans, Avoiding the mistake Barry made last year of blurting out that he wanted to leave.