Liverpool FC Forum

by **Scottbot** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:03 am

Am hoping to see Babel come in for Kuyt for this one with either Babel or Yossi playing the right-mid spot. Expect to see Keane exert a bit of influence at home in a game where we will enjoy the lions share of possession. I've been very surprised to read so many posters have already decided that Keane-Torres is not going to work this season. All based on 2 very tough away fixtures where the front two got poor service.

It will be a tough game. Boro look a decent side this year. We'll have to be careful at set-pieces because Wheater is a real handful in the air. I expect us to win a close game 1 or 2 nil.

by **account deleted by request** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:11 am

Gerrard is carrying an injury but is expected to play, while Hyypia is out with a hamstring injury

Steven Gerrard set to play despite a groin problem
James Ducker
Rafael Benitez has ordered Steven Gerrard to play through the pain barrier, with the Liverpool manager keen to ensure that his team do not lose ground at the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

Gerrard has a niggling groin problem that has restricted him to light training over the past fortnight, but while Benítez does not want to put the midfield player at risk of long-term injury, the manager has conceded that Liverpool can ill-afford to be without their captain, especially with Javier Mascherano still at the Olympics in Beijing and Lucas Leiva unavailable for the league match at home to Middlesbrough today as he makes his way back from China.

“He has had a problem before with his groin and he has gone ten to fifteen days without training with the rest of the team,” Benítez said. “Hopefully we will see his best against Middlesbrough. With players like Gerrard, it is important he is fit against the top sides, but in some games the quality of the player alone is enough so he is still capable of scoring three goals even if he is not 100 per cent fit.”

Benítez would not reveal who instigated the meeting he held with Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, at Anfield on Tuesday, but having cleared the air in the wake of the acrimonious Gareth Barry transfer saga, the manager is hoping to make at least one more signing before the close of the transfer window on Monday week.

Albert Riera, the Espanyol winger, and Stewart Downing, of Middlesbrough, are targets for Liverpool, who have also been linked with Ricardo Quaresma, the FC Porto playmaker.

While Benítez is hoping to offload Xabi Alonso, Jermaine Pennant, Andriy Voronin and Steve Finnan, one player who will not be leaving the club is Sami Hyypia. Liverpool have turned down a £2.5 million bid from Stoke City for the Finland defender, who will miss the Middlesbrough game because of a hamstring injury.

Times online

Squads (not sure how accurate they are)

Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Plessis, Kuyt, Aurelio, Keane, El Zhar, Torres, Cavalieri, Ngog, Skrtel, Babel.

Middlesborough (from): Jones, Turnbull, Wheater, Hoyte, Huth, Pogatetz, Williams, Taylor, Grounds, Aliadiere, Emnes, O'Neil, Shawky, Digard, Downing, Johnson, Tuncay, Alves, Mido.

by **Effes** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:47 am

Rafa is always cautious with people who have travelled from afar before a game.

Just cant see him starting with Babel - hope he does start, but just can't see it.

by **LiverpoolMadman** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:08 am

Effes wrote:Rafa is always cautious with people who have travelled from afar before a game.

Just cant see him starting with Babel - hope he does start, but just can't see it.

He played well in Bejing, to continue the way he's playing , Rafa should bring him starting lineup.

by **SupitsJonF** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:43 am

s@int wrote:While Benítez is hoping to offload Xabi Alonso

Everytime I read that I always get angry.

by **LiverpoolMadman** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 5:23 am

SupitsJonF wrote:
s@int wrote:While Benítez is hoping to offload Xabi Alonso

Everytime I read that I always get angry.

You are not the only one .....

by **Greavesie** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:32 am

Time to forget everything thats going on at the club for today and support the lads for a well needed three points. I can see this being close but I can see both strikers on the scoresheet today

COME ON REDMEN! DO THESE SMOGGIES!

by **66-1112520797** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:12 am

I hope we get three points today, and equally a better footballing performance than we saw at Sunderland last week just to cap it off for our first home game of the season.

I saw highlights from Middleborough/Spurs match last week, and this year Southgate wants his team attacking more. It looked the case against Spurs, they looked much more threatening than the dour Middlesborough teams of recent years have looked. So I supsect they'll carry some sort of threat, but whether Southgate sets his team up to play expansive football away from home this season remains to be seen at three O'clock today. If he does, hopefully that will give our lads more room to exploit and we wont see one of those frustrating performances from our boys in trying to break teams down. I'd certainly have Babel on the bench at least to use his pace if Boro do allow us the room to play, but we'll have to be wary of the threat they carry.

I'd like to see this team and formation played, but I dont know who Rafa will play and where.

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Alonso Plessis

Gerrard Keane Babel

Torres

by **112-1077774096** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:35 am

s@int wrote:Gerrard is carrying an injury but is expected to play, while Hyypia is out with a hamstring injury

Steven Gerrard set to play despite a groin problem
James Ducker
Rafael Benitez has ordered Steven Gerrard to play through the pain barrier, with the Liverpool manager keen to ensure that his team do not lose ground at the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

Gerrard has a niggling groin problem that has restricted him to light training over the past fortnight, but while Benítez does not want to put the midfield player at risk of long-term injury, the manager has conceded that Liverpool can ill-afford to be without their captain, especially with Javier Mascherano still at the Olympics in Beijing and Lucas Leiva unavailable for the league match at home to Middlesbrough today as he makes his way back from China.

“He has had a problem before with his groin and he has gone ten to fifteen days without training with the rest of the team,” Benítez said. “Hopefully we will see his best against Middlesbrough. With players like Gerrard, it is important he is fit against the top sides, but in some games the quality of the player alone is enough so he is still capable of scoring three goals even if he is not 100 per cent fit.”

Benítez would not reveal who instigated the meeting he held with Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, at Anfield on Tuesday, but having cleared the air in the wake of the acrimonious Gareth Barry transfer saga, the manager is hoping to make at least one more signing before the close of the transfer window on Monday week.

Albert Riera, the Espanyol winger, and Stewart Downing, of Middlesbrough, are targets for Liverpool, who have also been linked with Ricardo Quaresma, the FC Porto playmaker.

While Benítez is hoping to offload Xabi Alonso, Jermaine Pennant, Andriy Voronin and Steve Finnan, one player who will not be leaving the club is Sami Hyypia. Liverpool have turned down a £2.5 million bid from Stoke City for the Finland defender, who will miss the Middlesbrough game because of a hamstring injury.

Times online

Squads (not sure how accurate they are)

Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Plessis, Kuyt, Aurelio, Keane, El Zhar, Torres, Cavalieri, Ngog, Skrtel, Babel.

Middlesborough (from): Jones, Turnbull, Wheater, Hoyte, Huth, Pogatetz, Williams, Taylor, Grounds, Aliadiere, Emnes, O'Neil, Shawky, Digard, Downing, Johnson, Tuncay, Alves, Mido.

so lets get this right, rafa is prepared to rest players because he things we have a strong enough squad to mess round with the team, however he is now ordering an injured player to play. whatever happened to the squad that is now supposedly stronger?

more proof that the whole rotation thing was a load of cack

by **66-1112520797** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:40 am

so lets get this right, rafa is prepared to rest players because he things we have a strong enough squad to mess round with the team, however he is now ordering an injured player to play. whatever happened to the squad that is now supposedly stronger?

more proof that the whole rotation thing was a load of cack

He rotated and rested players when they werent even injured, but now he wants Gerrard to play when hes injured ?

He knows aswell as most of us, Liverpool rely heavily on Gerrard and obviously doesnt want us to stuggle today, even though the captain is carrying an injury.

by **LiverpoolMadman** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:50 am

peewee wrote:
s@int wrote:Gerrard is carrying an injury but is expected to play, while Hyypia is out with a hamstring injury

Steven Gerrard set to play despite a groin problem
James Ducker
Rafael Benitez has ordered Steven Gerrard to play through the pain barrier, with the Liverpool manager keen to ensure that his team do not lose ground at the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

Gerrard has a niggling groin problem that has restricted him to light training over the past fortnight, but while Benítez does not want to put the midfield player at risk of long-term injury, the manager has conceded that Liverpool can ill-afford to be without their captain, especially with Javier Mascherano still at the Olympics in Beijing and Lucas Leiva unavailable for the league match at home to Middlesbrough today as he makes his way back from China.

“He has had a problem before with his groin and he has gone ten to fifteen days without training with the rest of the team,” Benítez said. “Hopefully we will see his best against Middlesbrough. With players like Gerrard, it is important he is fit against the top sides, but in some games the quality of the player alone is enough so he is still capable of scoring three goals even if he is not 100 per cent fit.”

Benítez would not reveal who instigated the meeting he held with Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, at Anfield on Tuesday, but having cleared the air in the wake of the acrimonious Gareth Barry transfer saga, the manager is hoping to make at least one more signing before the close of the transfer window on Monday week.

Albert Riera, the Espanyol winger, and Stewart Downing, of Middlesbrough, are targets for Liverpool, who have also been linked with Ricardo Quaresma, the FC Porto playmaker.

While Benítez is hoping to offload Xabi Alonso, Jermaine Pennant, Andriy Voronin and Steve Finnan, one player who will not be leaving the club is Sami Hyypia. Liverpool have turned down a £2.5 million bid from Stoke City for the Finland defender, who will miss the Middlesbrough game because of a hamstring injury.

Times online

Squads (not sure how accurate they are)

Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Plessis, Kuyt, Aurelio, Keane, El Zhar, Torres, Cavalieri, Ngog, Skrtel, Babel.

Middlesborough (from): Jones, Turnbull, Wheater, Hoyte, Huth, Pogatetz, Williams, Taylor, Grounds, Aliadiere, Emnes, O'Neil, Shawky, Digard, Downing, Johnson, Tuncay, Alves, Mido.

so lets get this right, rafa is prepared to rest players because he things we have a strong enough squad to mess round with the team, however he is now ordering an injured player to play. whatever happened to the squad that is now supposedly stronger?

more proof that the whole rotation thing was a load of cack

I think Rafa got it wrong again. It's too early to rotation. Normally MAN :censored:

, GONERS and CHESHIT, they will play with their strongest team in every match, they will start to change here and there if key person get injured. and after the 2nd half of the season where most of the key players are tired.

by **112-1077774096** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:11 am

i know we have players away at the moment but come on, if he thinks plessis is good enough to play against sunderland then surely he is good enough to play against borough today and not risk worsening gerrards injury

by **bigmick** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:14 am

I'm not actually going to criticise Rafa for doing his very best to get Gerrard onto the pitch, even after a midweek friendly International. It is after all what some of us have been hoping for for some time, so it would be kind of wanting it both ways if I was to get on his case for that. Slightly more worrying for me was the selection of Plessis in front of alonso in the first game. It smacked of a classic piece of "styling" which fortunately we were able to alleviate with the introduction of Alonso (who changed the course of the match when he came on) and with the brilliance of Torres.

The determination to get Gerrard onto the pitch further convinces me that there has been some "seeing of the light", but selections such as Plessis ahead of Alonso demonstrate that it's not been a total illumination as of yet. The daft part wbout the whole thing of course is that what with players coming back from the Olympics and Agger continuing his rehabilitation, there will be plenty of changes to the team anyway without the need for any styling.

As I've said earlier, I think we'll beat Middlesboro regardless of who he picks (or indeed whether Gerrard plays or not). The match though provides another opportunity to get started on the season, to perform and begin to get some momentum. If we can get it, the task then is to keep it going and avoid the extended bliiiiiips of last season. The best way to dot hat is to pick your strongest team for the first few weeks.

by **66-1112520797** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:15 am

peewee wrote:i know we have players away at the moment but come on, if he thinks plessis is good enough to play against sunderland then surely he is good enough to play against borough today and not risk worsening gerrards injury

So your advocating rotating then Peewee

by **Number 9** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:46 am

I cant see anything else other than a win today!
We need to get our home campaign off to a flyer and get Fortress Anfield back,our home form last year was no way near good enough.
Im not even gonna speculate who rafa will play,all i know is that Hyypia will not be starting as he picked up a slight hamstring injury playing for Finland!

So the defence will be rotated from last week albeit from a forced change!

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