Liverpool FC Forum

by **Dundalk** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:38 pm

When is he due back?

by **GYBS** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:42 pm

Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani is expected to be ready to launch his Premier League career at Sunderland on 17 October.

The Italian's start date is in line with the expectations of manager Rafael Benitez, who warned the Italian might need two months to recover from ankle surgery. The player is desperately needed to add guile to the Liverpool team, after a start to the season in which midfielder Javier Mascherano, by his manager's own admission, has been below his best, though it is likely to be Lucas Leiva who will make way.

Benitez will also be anxious to put his £20m investment to the test in the week during which documents prepared by merchant bankers to encourage investment in the club suggested that his budget will be locked at £20m for five years – or as long as George Gillett and Tom Hicks are proprietors. Sources close to Aquilani suggest the midfielder, who made only 14 appearances for Roma last season because of the injury, has found the break a useful part of the settling in process.

Aquilani's team-mate Dirk Kuyt believes Glen Johnson, signed from Portsmouth in the summer, has provided Liverpool with a different emphasis this season.

"Glen has done really well," said Kuyt. "He was a big signing for us but he has shown straight from the start that he is very important – both defensively and in attack. He has scored some very good goals and provided some assists. He is probably one of the best players in the team so far this season. He is still young and I think he will only get better and better."

by **GYBS** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:44 pm

And he is jogging now and training

by **tubby** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:14 pm

From a distance he looks like Riera.

by **Tim LFC** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:14 pm

GYBS wrote:And he is jogging now and training

We've seen this picture before.

by **RedRoots** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:26 pm

bavlondon wrote:From a distance he looks like Riera.

He's not that ugly.

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:11 am

Rafa Benitez has to hope £20m Liverpool new boy Alberto Aquilani will shine as Italian gets set for debut at Sunderland By JOHN EDWARDS
Last updated at 1:24 AM on 06th October 2009

Alberto Aquilani is ready to ride to Rafa Benitez's rescue by completing a timely recovery from his latest injury and declaring himself fit for Liverpool's next game.
The Italy midfielder was dogged by injury throughout his time at Roma and is yet to make his Liverpool debut after ankle surgery following a £20million move to Anfield two months ago.

Italian job: £20m summer signing Aquilani is ready to ride to Benitez's rescue

Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea further underlined Liverpool's need for greater creativity and a wider scoring threat.
Benitez may have to ease him in via the bench when Liverpool resume in the Barclays Premier League at Sunderland a week on Saturday.
The 25-year-old blamed a haphazard medical set-up at Roma for his spate of injuries, saying: 'They were always changing doctors over there and there was no continuity but I have already noticed a big difference here.
Be prepared: Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool face a massive week that could shape their chances for honours this season following the international break

'From the outset they told me they would not try and rush me back because they did not want to risk a recurrence of the problem.

'I want to put all my injury worries behind me. After spending some time with Liverpool's medical team I feel I can do that now.'
Each Roma defeat this season has been blamed on the decision to sell Aquilani and Jamie Carragher hopes the midfielder can exert a similar influence on Liverpool's fortunes.
Carragher said: 'Once the international break is over we face a massive week.'
[url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1218365/Rafa-Benitez-hope-20m-Liverpool-new-boy-Alberto-Aquilani-shine-Italian-gets-set-debut-Sund
erland.html]LINK[/url]

Each Roma defeat this season has been blamed on the decision to sell Aquilani

How pathetic to be still moaning about the loss of an ex-player months after he has been sold...... we would never do that

by **Bad Bob** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:34 am

s@int wrote:
Each Roma defeat this season has been blamed on the decision to sell Aquilani

How pathetic to be still moaning about the loss of an ex-player months after he has been sold...... we would never do that

It's an intriguing take on things given that he's been injured this whole time. :Oo:

(We're completely missing Alonso by the way. :down:

)

by **bigmick** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:13 am

Bad Bob wrote:(We're completely missing Alonso by the way. )

Couldn't agree more. if anyone was in any doubt whatsoever, the last few weeks have confirmed one thing beyond all dispute. Xabi Alonso is a much better player than Lucas Leiva.

As for the other imponderable, would we improve against last season if we actually got in a good midfielder with more attacking gusto than Xabi, so far it's unclear. I know Rafa seems to think it's a certainty that we would, and I know each time Gerrard has played in midfield we've scored a bagfull of goals and won, but I still need a little bit of convincing. For me the team is better with Gerrard in central midfield than Xabi as he's a better player, but then we miss the captain supporting Torres.

Whether we'll improve against last season with Aquilani in there is another matter entirely. Is he a better player than Alonso was? Rafa thinks so, but I'd be sceptical to be totally honest. We'll see.

by **maguskwt** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:46 am

We need another threat and hopefully Aquilani can provide this...

Right now... with Lucas and Mascherano in midfield all the opponent needs to do is mark Gerrard. The supply line to Torres will then be cut. This is what happened against Chelsea. Not to mention Chelsea has good players to mark out both Gerrard and Torres effectively.

by **Tim LFC** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:42 am

Let's just wait and see, he should be able to pull out some crackers. His shot seems to dip before it hits the net which would add frustration to a keeper trying to save it.

by **kazza** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:47 am

Skysports:

Rafa Benitez expects Alberto Aquilani to make his long-awaited Liverpool debut in the Carling Cup fourth-round tie at Arsenal on 28th October.

The £20million summer signing has yet to make an appearance for the Reds after requiring surgery on a troublesome ankle injury in August.

In the 25-year-old midfielder's absence, Liverpool have failed to hit the heights of last season, suffering knock-backs in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

The Merseysiders enter the international break on the back of successive defeats to Fiorentina and Chelsea, but Benitez has been given some welcome news about the former Roma performer to lift the gloom over Anfield.

Progressing
"I have been speaking to the doctors and things are going well with him," the Reds boss told the Liverpool Echo.

"Alberto is progressing all the time. It could be two to three weeks before he is back.

"But we need to use caution. We will take it one step at a time and we have the international break to look forward to now.

"That will be good for him, as he will have some more time.

"He is running and swimming - I think he will have the record in the swimming pool by the end of his programme - and he is working in the gym," said Benitez.

"He is doing almost everything and he is doing some things with the team.

"The only thing he is not doing is kicking a ball - not yet any way."

Alonso replacement
It is common knowledge that Benitez acquired Aquilani as a replacement for Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, who was sold to Real Madrid for £30m after a long transfer saga.

At the time, Benitez knew the player would not be fit enough to feature early in the season but has seen his decision to let Alonso go come under criticism following their recent failings.

But the manager has stressed the purchase of the Italy international was part of a long-term plan and he will not press Aquilani into action ahead of schedule.

"We knew he had the problem but we knew we were signing the player for five years and not five weeks," he added.

"We will see if he can improve. Clearly he is a player with quality we are desperate to see on the pitch but we will not push him too much.

"He has to go one step at a time and see how he progresses."

by **Sabre** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:51 am

We knew he had the problem but we knew we were signing the player for five years and not five weeks," he added.

It's a good point, if you're very specific about your needs and you really want a certain player, signing him up despite being injured the first two months is the right thing to do.

The problem is that in a top club the players that are waiting the chance should play at least as Benayoun does.

by **kazza** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:17 am

How's Xabi doing Sabre?

by **Sabre** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:33 am

kazza wrote:How's Xabi doing Sabre?

I don't know, I haven't seen any of the Real Madrid games yet (the white shirt makes my skin itch), but he's been praised by the press.

The Madrid press has grown nervous after the first defeat, and they're blaming Pellegrini's rotation policy.

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