Thursday, June 04, 2009

The Night Football Hit Fever Pitch At Anfield

Twenty years ago, football witnessed the most riveting finish in the history of the league, so riveting that throughout this season, in every match-day programme, Arsenal have returned to the “Spirit of 89”, interviewing anyone and everyone involved on May 26, 1989 at Anfield. This is the moment, as told by those who made it . . .

Alan Smith: We had to beat them by two clear goals [to pip them to the title] and that sounded impossible given Liverpool’s home form. At training, Bob Wilson [the goalkeeping coach] came out and said: “Cheer up, lads, this is the week we’re going to win the league.” We all looked at him as if he’d gone mad.

Niall Quinn: In fairness to George [Graham, the manager at the time], in the team-talk before the game he virtually said: “We don’t want to go one up too early.” He said: “Nil-nil half-time will do fine, then we’ll get one and then, please God, in the last five-ten minutes we’ll get a second.” Of all the things that were said that night, it happened.

Graham: I thought we’d win 3-0, by the way. This is what I told the boys. I had to lift them. When you are in charge of a team, you have to believe anything is possible. I told the lads before the game: “Never mind what’s in the media that we’ve got to come flying out of the traps. That’s nonsense. Make sure we don’t concede.” So I said: “Make sure we come in at half-time at 0-0 if we don’t score. Then in the next 20 minutes of the second half, we will score and that will make Liverpool nervous.”

Paul Merson: George said we would win 2-0. I thought: “What’s he on?” I am a gambler and as a betting man I wouldn’t have bet on it. Liverpool had not lost in 18 games since January 3, only three of which had been drawn. Along with Milan they were the best team I ever played against.

Michael Thomas: I believed it. I believed him. I knew what the players were capable of. We weren’t frightened of Liverpool and George had it all planned out. It was a masterstroke.

Brian Marwood: I never saw any fear in the dressing room that night. Sometimes you look in players’ eyes or you can smell there is doubt in the air, but there was a freshness and steely determination, a belief that they could do something special.

Tuncay Won't Win Rafa The Champions League - But Neither Will Gerrard And Torres Either


If Rafael Benitez didn't know he was in trouble before, he does now. Gareth Barry set off the alarm bells, forsaking Champions League football with Liverpool for the cash of Manchester City.

Glen Johnson is making them ring louder as he is set to spurn a move to Anfield too, heading back to Chelsea instead, and the club's prospect for next season have already dulled. And it is only June.

Benitez has about £25 million to spend before player sales and with the figures his club's so-called rivals (which now must include City) in the Premier League and Europe are ready to spend that will not be enough.

Given the manager's record of bad buys, the transfer fund will have even less impact and if last season showed anything, it was that Liverpool's squad lacked strength in depth.

Relying so heavily on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres leaves them exposed and the folly of selling out to George Gillett and Tom Hicks two years ago will again be hammered home.

For Liverpool to capitalise on the small steps they have taken they need to improve their squad but, not for the first time, they are set to be left behind.

Liverpool Slap €40m Price Tag On Real Madrid Target Xabi Alonso

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was hoping that one of his favourite players, Xabi Alonso, would also be one of his easier transfer acquisitions this summer, but the player’s current bosses at Liverpool appear to have other ideas.

The deep-lying playmaker was on the verge of leaving Anfield this time last year as his manager, Rafael Benitez, had hoped to cash in on his departure to fund a move for Gareth Barry.

And Perez was confident that a repeat scenario this year would allow Los Blancos to sneak in and prise Xabi away for a reasonable figure. But an unexpected turn of events earlier in the week has ruined any chance of a smooth-sailing transaction, with Barry deciding to join Manchester City instead.

According to Spanish paper AS, Benitez will now try to balloon Alonso’s price in an attempt to ensure he has enough money to find the right replacement. It is reported that Madrid will have to start bidding at at least €40 million (₤34.4m), but it is also believed that Rafa first wants the midfielder to publicly admit that he wishes to leave the Merseysiders in search of a new adventure.

Perez has been tracking Alonso since he was still at Real Sociedad, but he lost out on the Basque's signature after he decided to join Liverpool in 2004 for ₤10.5m.

Real Madrid Go Public After Making £20m Bid For Liverpool's Alonso


Real Madrid have tabled an offer of £20million for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

President Florentino Perez is determined to press ahead with his move for the Spain playmaker and sees him as the perfect anchor to a new-look midfield that could yet contain Chelsea target Kaka.

Perez said: ‘As a fan, I would say that Xabi is a great player. I think he is the best passer of the ball in Europe.

‘I would be happy (to have him), but I cannot talk about the player without having spoken first to Rafa Benitez, as he is the one who needs to know that we are interested in his player.’

Though Benitez may well be angered by a familiar Real tactic of going public with their interest in a transfer target, he knows Alonso’s thoughts are now focused on his next move.

Alonso, 27, is a key figure at Anfield, particularly after they missed out on Gareth Barry, but has grown concerned with continued speculation over his future.

He is keen to stay in England but is due to join up with the national side for the Confederations Cup in South Africa next week and Spanish sources say Madrid will try to persuade him that now is the right time to return to La Liga.

Liverpool To Offer Andriy Voronin Plus Cash For David Silva


Liverpool have moved to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Valencia's David Silva with an offer of cash plus Andrei Voronin as manager Rafael Benitez begins his summer rebuilding plans.

The Reds are believed to have lodged a bid of €17.5 million (£15m) early in the window as they recognise that they could face stiff competition if they wait, according to The Daily Mirror.

Valencia know that they will have to sell certain players this year in order to help ease their financial plight and Liverpool have long been linked with Silva.

Both the 23-year-old forward and his team-mate, David Villa, have committed themselves to los Che, however, both have admitted that they could leave if the club make it clear they have to depart for financial reasons.

"Silva is high on Rafa's wish list and Valencia may have to sell as soon as possible because of their financial situation," a source close to Liverpool told Goal.com.

"Liverpool are said to have made an offer of £15 million along with striker [Andriy] Voronin.

"However, Real Madrid could also be looking at the midfielder.

"Silva has often expressed a preference to remain in Spain, but Liverpool scout Eduardo Marcia, who discovered Silva as a youth, could play an influential part in negotiations."

Benitez is overhauling his squad after missing out on the title by just two points to Manchester United and he sees Silva as the answer to his problems on the left.

Ryan Babel has flopped at Anfield and the club will use the cash from the Dutchman's sale to fund the move for Silva, although more may be required if Valencia do not want Voronin.

The Ukrainian forward joined Liverpool in 2007 but was unable to earn a regular place in the side and moved to Hertha Berlin on loan last term.

Steven Gerrard Surprised At Frank Lampard's End Of Season Awards Snub

Talismanic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who has featured for most of the season in a supporting striker's role, has admitted that he regarded Chelsea's box-to-box midfielder, Frank Lampard, as a serious contender for end of season accolades and cannot explain how the Blues man was snubbed for the commendations.

The Liverpool leader is quoted by This Is London as saying, "I was fully aware of the competition from Frank and surprised he seemed to be forgotten. He has had a great season and is such a consistent player.

"To get the nod above Frank and the others was a fantastic feeling.

"I felt the way he's been playing he would have been worthy of at least getting in the PFA Team of the Year. He is a fantastic player and he proves it by scoring 20 plus, year in year out.

"He is setting the standard for all the other players."

Steven Gerrard Surprised At Frank Lampard's End Of Season Awards Snub

Talismanic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who has featured for most of the season in a supporting striker's role, has admitted that he regarded Chelsea's box-to-box midfielder, Frank Lampard, as a serious contender for end of season accolades and cannot explain how the Blues man was snubbed for the commendations.

The Liverpool leader is quoted by This Is London as saying, "I was fully aware of the competition from Frank and surprised he seemed to be forgotten. He has had a great season and is such a consistent player.

"To get the nod above Frank and the others was a fantastic feeling.

"I felt the way he's been playing he would have been worthy of at least getting in the PFA Team of the Year. He is a fantastic player and he proves it by scoring 20 plus, year in year out.

"He is setting the standard for all the other players."

Middlesbrough Striker Tuncay Keen On Move To Anfield


Middlesbrough striker Tuncay Sanli would welcome a move to Liverpool after claiming he was being tracked by the Anfield outfit.

The Turkey international captain is expected to leave the Teessiders in the summer after Gareth Southgate’s side were relegated from the Premier League last month.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is in the market for a new striker during the transfer window after allowing Robbie Keane to leave in January.

Tuncay, who scored in Middlesbrough’s 2-0 win over Liverpool in February, is with the Turkey national team preparing for Friday’s friendly against France.

And when asked of possible interest from Liverpool, the 27-year-old said: “Yes, I’ve heard something about that, but nothing official has arrived to me. Of course I would like to play for a big club.”

Benitez has made bolstering his strikeforce a priority, with Andrei Voronin expected to depart having returned from his season-long loan on Hertha Berlin.

Midfield is another area the Liverpool manager is looking to address. And having missed out on Gareth Barry, another Middlesbrough player, Gary O’Neil, is among several options being considered.

Benitez was linked with a move for the midfielder while the 26-year-old was at Portsmouth, and has continued to monitor his progress at the Riverside.

Reports in the Midlands yesterday claimed Liverpool made a last-ditch bid to sign Barry but the player had already decided upon a move to moneybags Manchester City.

Gareth Barry Feared For Place If He Joined Liverpool


Gareth Barry has claimed that he rejected the chance to join Liverpool in favour of a £12million move to Manchester City amid fears of becoming a victim of Rafael Benítez's rotation policy at Anfield.

Barry implied yesterday that he was concerned he may have been asked to play out of position by Benítez, rather than in his preferred role in central midfield, and was worried about how that would affect his place in Fabio Capello's England team before the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer.

“The World Cup next year has always been a major part of my thinking,” said Barry, who flew to Almaty with the England squad yesterday morning before their qualifying match against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

“I feel at Manchester City I will get the chance to play regularly in my best position and play a big part in a successful side.” City are understood to have clinched the deal in Dubai last week, when a club delegation met Barry, who was on holiday with family and friends.

The move has provoked an angry reaction from Aston Villa fans bemused by Barry's decision to join a club that finished tenth - five places below Martin O'Neill team - last season, when he had always maintained that the reason he wanted to leave Villa Park was so he could play for a club offering Champions League football.

Barry was so concerned about how his decision would be perceived that he wrote an open letter to Villa's supporters in the Birmingham Mail yesterday explaining his reasons for rejecting the offer of an £80,000-a-week deal to remain at the club and instead join City. He claimed that he feared he would go “stale” if he stayed.

“I feel Villa are in the best position they have been in during my time here,” Barry, 28, said.

“I think we have a group of very good young players, we have a fantastic chairman [Randy Lerner] who is here for the good of the club and one of the best managers in the game. Obviously people will ask why I am leaving if I feel like that.

“I have honestly been very undecided what to do. The manager and the whole club have bent over backwards to try and persuade me to stay and made me a fantastic offer which I am extremely grateful for.

“But, after changing my mind lots of times, I came to the decision that the time was right for me and for the club to part company. I need a new challenge. I have a massive fear of going stale and falling into a comfort zone.”

Barry, who has signed a five-year contract worth £100,000 a week with City, also claimed that the lure of Mark Hughes's revolution at the club was too great to resist.

“A lot of people will question my decision to join Manchester City, but they were the club prepared to meet the valuation, which, for a 28-year-old with a year left on his contract, I think shows how much they wanted me,” Barry said.

“Once I had spoken to Mark Hughes [the City manager] there was nowhere else I wanted to go and I was also desperate to avoid any long drawn-out saga. I feel I am joining a club that will seriously challenge to win major honours.

“People might doubt that, but I am convinced with the plans the club has short term and long term.

“The backing the manager will receive from the owners tells me that we will be a major force.”

Dirk Kuyt Brands Liverpool Team-Mate Jamie Carragher An Absolute Football Nut

Dirk Kuyt is in awe of how much Jamie Carragher knows about football and says that his obsession with the game borders on a sickness.

Many feel the Reds' defensive stalwart has future football manager written all over him and recent comments made by his Dutch team-mate only reinforce that notion.

"I think Carra knows everything – not only about Liverpool but about football in general. He eats and sleeps football and watches it every day, so he knows everything about the club," Kuyt told liverpoolfc.tv.

"He's always shouting at people and telling them what to do on the pitch – it seems like you can hear him from everywhere. Sometimes he's so loud you just have to laugh about it."

While promoting his autobiography last year, Carragher strongly hinted of his future plans by confessing his belief that winning the league as a manager would be more fulfilling than doing so as a player, and that he someday dreams of beating Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson at his own game.

"It would be more of an achievement as manager because it would come about through my decisions," he told the Daily Mail at the time.

"It's like the ultimate football man's dream to be better than Ferguson because he is the master.

"I just hope he hangs around long enough to wait for me."