Rafael Benítez has declared himself “calm” as Liverpool prepare to start their season this evening with their summer-long pursuit of Gareth Barry still up in the air, but the suspicion remains that this calm could be the prelude to another storm.
Despite his board’s decision to veto an £18 million deal, Benítez is determined to proceed with a deal to sign Barry from Aston Villa and he will urge the club’s American owners to back his judgment once the small matter of tonight’s Champions League qualifying match in Belgium is out of the way.
Benítez refused to be drawn on Barry at last night’s press conference in advance of this evening’s first leg against Standard Liège, the champions of Belgium, saying only that he was “calm” and that he was “concentrating on the game”. But he is known to be unhappy at the refusal of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., the owners, to sanction the signing of Barry and will urge them and Rick Parry, the chief executive, to support him by making a restructured bid, aware that the England midfield player may choose to commit his future to Villa if no deal is reached by the weekend.
The proposed signing of Barry has provoked a mixed reaction among Liverpool’s supporters, many of whom were aggrieved by the prospect of selling Xabi Alonso to make way for the Villa player, but Benítez indicated last night that Alonso will play against Standard, which, given that it would render him ineligible to play for any other team in the Champions League, would affect his market value. Benítez appears to have come round to the idea of a squad that would accommodate the vision and artistry of Alonso in addition to the contrasting qualities of Barry, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva.
With Mascherano and Lucas representing Argentina and Brazil respectively at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Benítez was relieved that Gerrard was able to train fully at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne last night. Damien Plessis, the French midfield player, had been on standby to replace Gerrard in a starting line-up that is likely to include two summer signings, Andrea Dossena and Robbie Keane. Despite the absence of another new addition, Philipp Degen, there was no place in the squad for Steve Finnan, who has not travelled with the squad after a fallout with Benítez and is likely to be on his way out of Anfield.
Keane is expected to play just behind, rather than alongside, Fernando Torres in attack on his competitive debut for Liverpool, but Benítez believes that the players can form a strike partnership that will be equal to any in the Champions League this season. “I think so,” the manager said. “The two strikers are top-class and on the same level as anyone. If they play together a lot, I think they can form a really good understanding and then they can go on and get better and better.”
Despite his board’s decision to veto an £18 million deal, Benítez is determined to proceed with a deal to sign Barry from Aston Villa and he will urge the club’s American owners to back his judgment once the small matter of tonight’s Champions League qualifying match in Belgium is out of the way.
Benítez refused to be drawn on Barry at last night’s press conference in advance of this evening’s first leg against Standard Liège, the champions of Belgium, saying only that he was “calm” and that he was “concentrating on the game”. But he is known to be unhappy at the refusal of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., the owners, to sanction the signing of Barry and will urge them and Rick Parry, the chief executive, to support him by making a restructured bid, aware that the England midfield player may choose to commit his future to Villa if no deal is reached by the weekend.
The proposed signing of Barry has provoked a mixed reaction among Liverpool’s supporters, many of whom were aggrieved by the prospect of selling Xabi Alonso to make way for the Villa player, but Benítez indicated last night that Alonso will play against Standard, which, given that it would render him ineligible to play for any other team in the Champions League, would affect his market value. Benítez appears to have come round to the idea of a squad that would accommodate the vision and artistry of Alonso in addition to the contrasting qualities of Barry, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva.
With Mascherano and Lucas representing Argentina and Brazil respectively at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Benítez was relieved that Gerrard was able to train fully at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne last night. Damien Plessis, the French midfield player, had been on standby to replace Gerrard in a starting line-up that is likely to include two summer signings, Andrea Dossena and Robbie Keane. Despite the absence of another new addition, Philipp Degen, there was no place in the squad for Steve Finnan, who has not travelled with the squad after a fallout with Benítez and is likely to be on his way out of Anfield.
Keane is expected to play just behind, rather than alongside, Fernando Torres in attack on his competitive debut for Liverpool, but Benítez believes that the players can form a strike partnership that will be equal to any in the Champions League this season. “I think so,” the manager said. “The two strikers are top-class and on the same level as anyone. If they play together a lot, I think they can form a really good understanding and then they can go on and get better and better.”
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