Premier League Preview: LiverpooL vs. Reading

What an important few weeks this has been for Rafa Benitez and his side’s hopes for the remaining months of the season.

Indeed, the early days of March have been kind to the Spanish manager, with the mid week victory against Inter Milan sealing the Reds’ place in the closing stages of the Champions League, and the recent upsurge in Premiership form seeing his side claim pole position in the race with Everton to 4th place.

This upsurge in form also sees Liverpool as the Premiership’s in-form team, with the side boasting a record since the humiliating F.A. Cup defeat to Barnsley of played 4, won 4, with 13 goals scored, and only 3 goals conceded.

That this is a thoroughly impressive run of results is unquestionable, and will no doubt be helping to ease Benitez back in to the affections of his American paymasters.

The last few weeks have also seen Benitez begin to utilise a new 4-5-1 formation, which seems to have unleashed Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres on to the defences of fellow Premiership and Champions League teams with devastating effect.

Now it is Reading’s turn to find themselves in the firing line against this fearsome duo, a fact that will no doubt please all those affiliated with Liverpool, who will be seeking revenge for the Reds 3-1 defeat at the Madejski Stadium in the early months of the season.

However, a cautionary note would have to be shown by the poor results that Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal recorded after their mid week Champions League exertions. Liverpool must avoid these kinds of laboured performances if they are to continue to be ahead of Everton in the fight for the final Champions League qualifying place.

There can be little doubt that Reading manager Steve Coppell will be allowing himself any time to dream of an unlikely repeat performance of his side’s early season Premiership victory against their illustrious hosts on Saturday.

For Coppell much more important things will be dominating his mind, such as his Reading side’s position in a Premiership table that sees the Royals sitting in 14th place, three points ahead of 18th placed Bolton.
However, a small degree of hope has been generated by his side’s victories in their last two games against Middlesbrough and Manchester City.

These results came at a very important time for Reading, and arrested an alarming slide down the table which had seen the team lose for nine consecutive Premiership games.

When one considers the current form being exhibited by Liverpool however, it will be a minor miracle if Reading can avoid falling back in to these losing habits come Saturday.

In the unlikely event that Reading manage to take some points back home with them, it'll be thanks to the defence reaching a level that they have been largely unable to so far this season to deny a repeat of Fernando Torres’ hat trick against the Royals in the September meeting of the sides in the Carling Cup.

However, the last two games has seen the Royals not only claim two victories, but the much-derided Reading back line has also managed to keep two invaluable clean sheets.

Reading must take as much heart as possible from these results, and attempt to use these as a platform to launch a staunch resistance against the red hot Liverpool forward line. If this is to happen, then maybe an unlikely haul of points could be claimed by a Reading team desperate to avoid the dreaded fall back in to the Championship.


FORM GUIDE

Liverpool:

11th March vs. Inter Milan (A) won 1-0 (CHAMP LG)

8th March vs. Newcastle United (H) won 3-0 (PREM)

5th March vs. West Ham United (H) won 4-0 (PREM)

2nd March vs. Bolton Wanderers (A) won 3-1 (PREM)

23rd February vs. Middlesbrough (H) won 3-2 (PREM)

Reading:

8th March vs. Manchester City (H) won 2-0 (PREM)

1st March vs. Middlesbrough (A) won 1-0 (PREM)

24th February vs. Aston Villa (H) lost 2-1 (PREM)

9th February vs. Everton (A) lost 1-0 (PREM)

2nd February vs. Bolton Wanderers (H) lost 2-0 (PREM)


TEAM NEWS

Liverpool:

Rafa Benitez has no new injury scares to report from his side’s mid-week Champions League tie against Inter Milan, and as such only Steve Finnan (hamstring) and Andrei Voronin (knee) remain unavailable for selection for this home game against Reading.

Squad: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Aurelio, Babel, Benayoun, Mascherano, Pennant, Gerrard, Lucas, Kuyt, Riise, Torres, Itandje, Voronin, Crouch, Arbeloa, Kewell, Leto.

Reading:

Reading will travel to Anfield with question marks existing around the possible participation of Ivory Coast international Emerse Fae due to a bout of malaria. Otherwise, club captain Graham Murty (knee) and Brynjar Gunnarsson (groin) remain a week away from being available for selection, whilst long term injury absentee Glen Little (achilles) will not be able to be considered for Premiership action for around another month.

Squad: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Oster, Harper, Matejovsky, Cisse, Hunt, Doyle, Long, Kitson, Federici, Sonko, Kebe, Fae, De La Cruz, Duberry, Convey



PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool: Whilst Spanish sensation Fernando Torres has been stealing the headlines in recent weeks, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been excelling in Rafa Benitez’s new 4-5-1 formation. With this system, Benitez seems to have finally found a way to accentuate all the positive attributes of Gerrard’s play, such as his drive, determination, and willingness to attempt ambitious through balls, whilst at the same time removing his skipper from the dogmatic realm of central midfield.

This tactical switch has also seen a destructive partnership develop between Gerrard and Torres, and if this continues to bloom on the pitch against Reading then the Liverpool fans can expect another goal filled afternoon for the men in red.

Reading: With Liverpool’s current winning streak seeing them score 13 goals in 4 matches, Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann should be expecting anything but a quiet game come Saturday. That the United States international has managed two clean sheets on the trot in the victories against Manchester City and Middlesbrough is also no mean feat when one considers the fallibility of the Reading defence. However, the searing pace and clinical finishing of Fernando Torres should push the questionable Reading backline to their limit.

With this is mind, it is clear for all to see that for Reading to hold any hopes of taking any points back home to Berkshire their American goalkeeper needs to be at his obstinate best.

Champions League: Rafa Benitez Calls On LFC Fans To Help Beat Arsenal

Rafael Benitez hopes the Anfield factor can again prove decisive in the Champions League after Liverpool were handed a blockbusting quarter-final tie with Arsenal.

And Benitez’s side may have to beat all three of their “big four” rivals if they are to lift a sixth European Cup in Moscow in May.

Yesterday’s draw at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland ensured Liverpool face Arsenal three times during a pivotal seven days at the beginning of next month.

The first leg of the Champions League tie will be held at the Emirates on Wednesday, April 2 with the return at Anfield the following Tuesday, sandwiching a crucial Premier League clash at the Gunners on Saturday, April 5.

It’s the fourth successive season that Liverpool will face Premier League opposition in the Champions League, having faced Chelsea in the last three campaigns.

The Londoners were vanquished at the semi-final stage in 2005 and 2007 after being beaten in the second leg at Anfield.

And despite his indifferent record against Arsenal – Liverpool have won only three of seven league meetings and none away from Anfield, where they were dumped out of the Carling Cup and FA Cup by Arsene Wenger’s side last season – Benitez is heartened by the fact the second leg is at home.

“It’s two legs, it’s not the same as one game and three points,” said the Anfield manager. “In that respect, we will have to prepare differently to a league game.

“Playing the second leg at home might not have the same effect because Arsenal are an English team and play at Anfield every season. But then, we play at Arsenal every season so it’s the same for both teams. It won’t be the same as if we were playing a foreign club.

“The first game will be important, though. If you play away, it’s important to score. A 1-1 draw could be a good result. And if we have a good result, it will be easier for our supporters to be on top of them. I’m sure the atmosphere will be fantastic at Anfield for the second leg.”

Should Liverpool prevail against the Gunners, they will could conceivably face another semi-final tie against Chelsea, who have been drawn against Turkish team Fenerbahce.

And with Manchester United clear favourites to progress from their half of the draw, having been paired with Roma and to then face the winners of the tie between Barcelona and Schalke, an all-English final appears a definite possibility.

“The way the draw has gone, we might have to play three English teams to win the Champions League, but it will be difficult for all of us,” said Benitez, whose team entertain Reading this afternoon.

“I’d be happy to play an English team in the final, because that would mean we were in the final.

“Arsenal are a very good team and I don’t think our European experience will be an advantage. They have players who have played a lot of games for their national teams and in Europe.

“Arsenal will know we are a tough team to play against, and they will respect us in the same way we will respect them.”

While Arsenal were lauded for their win over AC Milan at the San Siro last week, similar praise has been slow to materialise after Liverpool’s defeat of Inter in the same stadium on Tuesday.

But Benitez insists: “Inter Milan are top of the Italian league and have won it the last two seasons. To beat them was a great achievement for the club.”

Kuyt: We Expect Torres To Score In Every Game

Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool have come to expect Fernando Torres to score in every game as the striker looks to continue his goal-spree against Reading this weekend.

The Reds reached the last eight of the Champions League after Torres’s 26th goal of the season secured a 1-0 midweek away-win against Inter Milan.

And Kuyt for one wants more of the same from the Spanish forward as Liverpool continue their battle with city rivals Everton for fourth place in the Premier League and the Champions League spot that goes with it.

But this weekend they face a Reading side that has started to climb away from the relegation zone with two successive wins.

Such has been Torres’s form that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez may well abandon his longstanding rotation policy and play Torres against the Royals here at Anfield today.

“Fernando is just special,” Dutch forward Kuyt said. “It is amazing to score this many goals in his first season in England.

“He is getting them in the league and in Europe, he is doing a great job for the team. He will only get better and better.

“Other teams now are very worried by him, but you could see with the way he put away his one chance of the night just how dangerous he is.

“The rest of the players seem to think he will score in every game, and the way it is going, that is starting to happen.”

Fernando Fear Factor

Arsene Wenger last night warned that red - hot Fernando Torres is the biggest danger to Arsenal's Champions League hopes.

Gunners boss Wenger tried to be upbeat as he insisted Arsenal can win the Double despite being paired with Liverpool in the last eight - and could end up facing Chelsea in the semis.

But Wenger did admit that in-form Torres - the destroyer of Inter Milan in the last round - is the man they have to stop as they face Liverpool three times in the space of eight days in Europe and in the Premier League.

Wenger said: "He is going through a good spell. He had an indifferent spell at the start, but now he has adapted very quickly.

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"He is quick, strong, brave and that's the kind of competition you want to keep quiet in the Champions League. You must be particularly careful when he is away from home. You do not want to give him any counterattacking chances. He and Steven Gerrard are both very quick on the break."

Wenger has said that he wanted to avoid an-all English quarter-final and that he would have to treat the Champions League games differently to the Premier League encounter sandwiched in the middle. But he firmly believes his players can rediscover their form in the Premier League - and that would help them overcome Liverpool.

Wenger said: “You would ideally prefer to avoid another English team but we knew that if we wanted to go all the way through to the final then we would have to play another English side at some stage.”Football is not predictable - that's why it's interesting - but at the moment we are in the position in the Championship where we have the advantage. So we want to focus immediately - we aren't sitting there waiting for the Liverpool game, we are focusing on Middlesbrough.

"It will help us when we play Liverpool if we are in a good shape in the Championship. We can play with less pressure. I believe between the two legs in the last round (against Milan) there was a hangover. We were desperate to go through and the 0-0 draw in the first match created an uncertainty and we dropped maybe two points in the league from that.

"That shows you how strong you have to be to deal with both competitions.

"This is a cup game, and in a League game you can concede a goal. In the Champions League you have seen against Liverpool, against Milan, how vital it is not to concede at home.

"What Liverpool have done before doesn't bother us at all, what is very important on the day is that you are at your best, we need to raise our game on the day, because it's a cup game."

Wenger also believes Arsenal have got an ace up their sleeve for the run-in in the shape of fit-again Dutch striker Robin van Persie. He is in the squad for the visit of Middlesbrough today, and Wenger added: "He has only played the first eight games, where he scored five goals. At the end of the season, that could make for an interesting total.

"He can give us the final push. He can give you the final ball, score free-kicks, he's dangerous on corners and he can score."

Liverpool boss Benitez sees the clash with Arsenal as a chance for Liverpool to prove their greatness. He said: "You know what, I don't even care about those people who say that we are not great champions, even though we have won the trophy and got to the final again.

"I believe strongly that over the past three years it has got harder and harder to reach the final, because you must play the Champions of each country to get there. This season, it is a fantastic achievement to even be in the quarter-finals, because some sides you can consider to be great have not made it. We beat Inter Milan who are a fine side, and that shows our strength.

"If we progress further then it will be an even greater achievement, and if we win the competition by beating English teams, then yes, it will show we are a force.

"But then I believe we can call ourselves a great side, whether we play English teams or others. I think we have shown we are a force by beating a side as strong as Inter to get here.

"It is very hard to get to the final of this competition. Some great sides have not done that for a long time."

Daniel Agger Injury: Benitez Sure Liverpool Star Will Bounce Back

Rafael Benitez has allayed fears Daniel Agger’s career is under threat after the Liverpool defender was ruled out for the rest of the season.

The Denmark international will undergo an operation on Monday to reset the broken metatarsal that has decimated his campaign.

Agger has not played for the first team since the goalless draw at Portsmouth on September 15 after suffering the injury, which has affected the second metatarsal of his right foot.

The 23-year-old had to abort an attempted comeback in January before making his return to action with a 45-minute run-out for the reserves against Manchester United last month.

Agger played an hour for the second string against Bolton Wanderers last week, but continued to complain of pain in his foot.

And, with centre-back Martin Skrtel having become established since his January arrival, the decision has been made for Agger to finally go under the knife to repair the problem.

“It’s really bad luck for him,” said Benitez. “He will be out for three to four months, but he will be back for next season.

“We spoke to different doctors and we did everything right. They told us the bone was healed and maybe he could try and play, but it depended on the pain he was feeling.

“He played for the reserves for 45 minutes and felt something but could train the day after.

“The second game he played 60 minutes and the same thing happened, but three or four days later he was still feeling pain.”

Liverpool had originally been told Agger’s injury would heal naturally and would not require surgery.

And Benitez added: “He didn’t have an operation initially. We’ve not made any mistakes with how we have looked after him, we spoke to two or three doctors and they said he could rest, and all the experts said that an operation was the last resort.

“But now, after talking with doctors, he needs an operation. Agger’s problem is the second metatarsal and it’s more difficult than Alonso’s, who broke his fourth metatarsal, as there is more pressure on it.

“Agger is a player with quality, he is a good defender and can pass the ball and score goals. We have missed him this season, especially in the games we have drawn at home because of his ability to bring the ball out of defence.”

Rafa Anticipates Tough Battles Against Arsenal

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admitted that it will be a strange sensation coming up against familiar foes Arsenal in the Champions League.

The two Premiership heavyweights have never before met in Europe, and it is bound to be a full-blooded affair, which will only be decided in the return-leg at Anfield on Tuesday April 8.

"We were expecting to play against a top side so we knew Arsenal could be one of the options but we will approach the game with confidence because we are playing well," commented Benitez.

"Playing the second game at home could be very positive for us because always when we play at Anfield it is an inspiration to us. When you play against a good team the small details can make the difference.

"They are a very good side. They have good players, they are playing well and are top of the league. We know it will be a tough tie.

"We have a lot of confidence now. We are scoring goals, winning games and keeping clean sheets so that is a lot of positive things for us."

As fate may have it, the two sides will also lock horns in the league at the Emirates on April 5, meaning that they will be facing each other three times in the span of a week.

"It will be a strange situation to play against them three times in a week but we will see what happens," Benitez added. "Normally it's difficult to play three games like this and compete at the maximum level without changing players. It will all depend on the players and whether they will be fit for each game."

Rafa Benitez Sets Liverpool 100-goal Target For Season

Rafa Benitez today urged his team to become the first in the country this season to crash through the 100 goals barrier.

Liverpool have already scored 97 goals in all competitions and are four clear of nearest challengers Arsenal in the race for a century.

Next on the high scorers list come Spurs with 89, Man United with 83, Chelsea with 81 and Everton with 77.

And Benitez is hoping the Reds will be first to reach the 100 mark - but stressed that points are the most important thing at this stage of the season.

The Reds boss said: "It is a good record, one which is very positive for everyone at the club and it would be nice if we were the first to score 100 goals.

"It shows that all the players are doing a good job because not only are we scoring lots of goals, we are also not conceding many.

"That is important because it shows that we are getting the right balance. There is no point in scoring lots of goals if you are conceding lots also.

"We have the right balance and that comes from the defenders doing their job because that allows the attacking players to go forward with confidence and score goals.

"But I would say that winning games is the most important thing. There is no point scoring two or three goals if you do not win the game, but if we can score goals and win the game then everyone will be happy."

Benitez also congratulated Xabi Alonso on the birth of his son, Jon.

Alonso was forced to miss Liverpool's 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Tuesday as he attended the birth of his first child but Benitez is happy that things turned out well for all involved.

He said: "Xabi is happy because he became a father, we won 1-0 against a very good team in their own ground and there is another healthy baby at the club, so everyone must be happy."

Though disappointed at having to miss the Inter Milan game, Alonso is delighted to have become a father.

He said: "It was a great experience. All the family is really happy and now we have to look forward. Mother and baby are both very well. The labour was quite long but it went well, so we are delighted.

"Of course I watched the game in the evening with my brother. It was great to watch. We controlled the game very well and the goal from Fernando finished it off.

"It was a little frustrating because I was excited at the thought of playing in the San Siro in what was a big challenge for the team, but of course I had to be with my family at that moment. Hopefully I will get the chance to play in that stadium in the future."

Alonso is likely to go straight back into the Liverpool squad for tomorrow's visit of Reading.

Champions League: Anyone But The English, Declares Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa Ahead Of Draw

Alvaro Arbeloa is keeping his fingers crossed Liverpool avoid being paired against a rival English team in today’s draw for the Champions League quarter-finals.

For the first time, four clubs from one country have reached the last eight of the competition after Rafael Benitez’s side this week joined fellow Barclays Premier League sides Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in progressing beyond the last 16.

In making the 2005 and 2007 finals, Liverpool knocked out Chelsea in the semi-finals, but Arbeloa would prefer not to be drawn against a fellow Premier League outfit.

“Schalke and Fenerbahce are my favourites for us to draw in the following round.

“I would also be happy to draw Roma. What is true is that we want to avoid any English team,” said the Spaniard, who would also ideally like to stay away from La Liga’s giants Barcelona, who they beat in last season’s second knock-out round on away goals.

With those two final appearances in the last three seasons and five European Cup wins in their history – the same amount as every other English side has managed between them – Liverpool are proven competitors on the continental stage.

However, Arbeloa is under no illusions just how tough it will be to get through to May’s final in Moscow.

“We are playing quite well in the Champions League, but to get to the final is going to be really difficult,” he added.

“The Champions League is very competitive and there are difficult teams.”

Until recently, Liverpool have not been as convincing in domestic competition, culminating with their FA Cup exit at home to Coca-Cola Championship side Barnsley last month.

Since then, however, a run of six straight wins has seen them reclaim fourth place and close the gap on leaders Arsenal to 10 points.

And Arbeloa believes the storm has been weathered for now.

“It has been difficult,” he said.

“A critical moment has passed. Fortunately the atmosphere has calmed down and were going through a good spell. The owners of the club have already said that they want Benitez to continue at Liverpool for many years and the manager has also stressed that his intention is to continue leading the team.”

Regarding his own future, the 25-year-old Arbeloa insists he is enjoying life at Liverpool and is hoping to remain at the club for many seasons to come.

“At the start, it took me a while to adapt to English life,” said the full-back, who joined from Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna just over a year ago.

“With respect to the Premier League, I also had to work quite hard because the style and rhythm is different to the Spanish league.

“Moreover, to arrive in the winter transfer market also makes things a little more complicated.

“Now I am very well settled in the team and enjoying it at Liverpool.

“You never know where you will end up as a player, but right now I am very happy in my team and I want to continue here for a long time.”

Harry Kewell Set To Leave Liverpool

Harry Kewell’s Liverpool career appears to be drawing to a close after he told Rafa Benitez he wants to be allowed to travel to a training camp with a young Australia side rather than work on his fitness at Melwood.

Kewell is keen to join up with an Australia squad featuring just four senior players next week while his Liverpool team-mates are preparing for the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League.

Should Benitez relieve Kewell of his Melwood duties it will be the clearest indication yet that the injury-plagued winger has no future at the club.

Kewell was not in the Liverpool squad which travelled to Milan for Tuesday’s Champions League tie and he has not played for the first team since a fleeting substitute appearance against Barnsley last month.

With his current contract due to expire this summer and with no suggestions that he will be offered a new deal, all indications are that he is now heading towards the Anfield exit door.

The Aussie training camp takes place in Singapore and national team coach Pim Verbeek had resigned himself to working with just a group of young players while the majority of his senior stars remained with their respective clubs.

But with a World Cup qualifier against China in Kunming looming on March 26 – just days before the crucial Merseyside derby – Kewell has told Verbeek he wants to take part in the training camp in a bid to build up his fitness and to be ready for international duty.

The decision about whether he is allowed to travel to the Far East now rests with Benitez and should he give Kewell the go-ahead, it will be the clearest signal yet that his five-year stint with the Reds will not be extended.

George Gillett Speak Out Over Liverpool Relationship With Tom Hicks

George Gillett has spoken publicly for the first time about his well documented fall-out with co-owner Tom Hicks.

Gillett is believed to have fallen out with Hicks over a series of comments he made which helped turn fans against the Americans.

Gillett's son, Foster, who had been appointed as the American duo's man at Anfield, has not been seen at the club since December, prompting speculation Gilett was looking for a way out.

That speculation proved correct when, late on Friday, Gillett agreed to sell his half of Liverpool to suitors DIC.

During an address to a sports conference in California, Gillett was asked whether he would remain a co-owner of Liverpool.

He responded: “I would say, choose your partners wisely,” before adding, “he (Hicks) is a great guy – but he has just got a different perspective on the media.”

That deal to sell out appears to have been scupperd by Hicks, who apparently has the power to veto any potential sale.

Hicks has denied claims he blocked the sale, which would have led to him by 1% of Gillett's stake to have overall control at Anfield, because DIC wants a fan on the club's board.

Meanwhile, conflicting reports emerged today over whether Hicks was scheduled to speak at a trade fair.

The Texan denied pulling out of a public appearance on the Liverpool stand at Mipim which is being staged in Cannes

He said he never agreed to address delegates at the property and investment fair.

But Liverpool council insisted the businessman was part of the schedule.

A council spokesman said: “We spoke to Tom Hicks’s office. We planned him into the schedule and fully understood when he had to withdraw because of pressure of other things, which is understandable for an international businessman of his stature with his interests.”

A spokesman for Hicks said: “Mr Hicks at no point agreed to speak, nor was he ever scheduled to speak, at the Mipim trade fair.”

Fiona McFadden, associate vice president of FD Tamesis PR, whose parent company Financial Dynamics includes Tom Hicks among its clients, said: “They were invited to come along. His name appeared on literature but we maybe jumped the gun a little bit.

“They were invited but I can’t say if they declined or accepted. It was a miscommunication. I can’t talk on behalf of his office.”

He was one of a dozen people whose name was discussed.

“We sent a letter of invitation to him but I cannot confirm he confirmed (his attendance) or didn’t. I understand that to be the case that a previous event clashed and he wasn’t able to attend.”

Fernando Torres Aims To Finish Season As Country's Top Scorer

Liverpool FC striker Fernando Torres has revealed he is desperate to finish the season as the Premier League's top scorer.

The pacy striker has already scored 19 league goals during his debut campaign and the Spaniard has admitted he has set his sights on the golden boot award.

Torres is just two goals behind current top-goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo and the 23-year-old is confident he can overtake the Portugese winger.

Torres said: "It would be fantastic for me personally if I could end the season as top scorer in the league.

"Obviously football is a team game and the most important thing is the team do well.

"But being top of the goalscoring charts would be a great honour and I'm confident I can do it.

"I have 19 so far, which leaves me only two behind Cristiano (Ronaldo), so hopefully I can continue to challenge him until the end of the campaign.

"I have been pleased with my form recently and I'm hoping I can keep it up and continue to score goals."

Despite his individual success, Torres has revealed he would rather pick up a Champions League winners medal than the top goalscorer award.

He added: "Nights like the ones against Inter are why I joined Liverpool in the first place.

"Everyone knows what a fantastic history this club has in European competition.

"I would swap any personal accolades for a Champions League winners medal with Liverpool."

Javier Mascherano Can Lead Liverpool To Champions League Glory

Javier Mascherano is the forgotten man who can lead Liverpool to Champions' League glory.

That is the view of Javier Zanetti, skipper of highly-fancied Inter Milan, who were dumped out of Europe's premier competition by the Merseysiders. Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard again dominated the headlines as Liverpool produced another fine performance in the San Siro, but it was Mascherano who impressed the Italian side the most. And Zanetti, Argentina's captain and most - capped player, said: "Mascherano does not get the credit he deserves.

"We know Torres is a killer. Gerrard is a fantastic player and I like him very much.

"Everyone would like him in their team because he is one of the best in the world. But no way are Liverpool a two-man team.

"Mascherano is world class, I know that because I have seen him playing close up for Argentina and I can tell you how good he is.

"He gives Liverpool a lot of things. He keeps them together, and you could see how important he was over the two legs against Inter.

"I embraced him at the end of the tie and told him that he had won it for Liverpool because he was a lion for them. He was everywhere."

Zanetti added: "People made us favourites to win, and we had the chances to beat Liverpool, but it is no shame losing to them."

Harry Kewell looks to have played his last game for Liverpool after he asked to be released from Premier League duty against Manchester United to join a training camp with his country Australia.

Benitez Makes 180-degree Turn On Rotation To Square The Circle

Could it really be that an old silver peseta has finally dropped and is now resonating with brilliant effect in the once cluttered head of Rafael Benitez?

The question is asked because beneath the surface there was something a little unfamiliar about Rafa's latest Champions League coup. This is true even though Tuesday's 3-0 aggregate defeat of the Italian champions Internazionale, who have again brushed aside all opposition in Serie A, had many of the Benitez hallmarks.

Most apparent, again, was the almost fiendish attention to tactical detail, something you could have put the mortgage on when the Liverpool manager rushed into the technical area to make the first of his adjustments the moment he saw how his opponents were lining up for the kick-off.

There was that same old frantic ambition to pull, minute by minute, every available string; the same old image of the relentless puppeteer.

Yet there was the new factor. It was that this was a European performance from Liverpool which didn't sail out of a clear blue sky. There was a pattern to it which had been growing sharply over the last few weeks. Though many, including Jamie Carragher, will take much convincing that Benitez's investment in the Slovakian central defender Martin Skrtel is going anywhere but the loss column, no one could deny that Liverpool's performance spoke of a clarity of purpose that had for long been elusive in Premier League action.

Could it just be that under extreme pressure for his job – and the likelihood that his position, failing another home run in the Champions League, would be quite untenable if Everton for a second time edged Liverpool out of the fourth qualifying place – Benitez has reassessed the value of rotation?

If it is so, Benitez's superb quality of tactical organisation may soon enough just have to be seen in another and much more flattering light.

Certainly it would be augmented – at last – by that classic foundation of every pre-Rafalite Liverpool success down the decades ... the confidence of a team who have been given reason to believe in each other – and vital familiarity when the pressure is racked up to an ultimate degree.

When you consider Fernando Torres' contribution to stabilising Liverpool in the league, and how easily he transferred that authority to San Siro with another killing goal, it is quite bizarre to remember how he was forced to ride the bench in those early-season weeks when Liverpool's title chances drained away so abjectly.

Ironically, Benitez's authoritarian tendency grows even as he hints that maybe he sees, finally, that you cannot endlessly juggle players from match to match and still expect ready-made coherence.

Xabi Alonso, Benitez's former favourite and playmaker-elect, was brusquely rejected when he tried to negotiate a compromise on his rival commitments to his wife's maternity ward and the challenge in Milan. Peter Crouch, the unorthodox talent Benitez embraced so successfully when he plucked him from Southampton, pays a high price for his reluctance to sign a new contract without any guarantees about his future on the field. Yet if there are rifts between the dressing room and the manager's office and the boardroom, on the field the sense is of a team who may have just have stumbled upon their version of the lost chord.

Internazionale's Patrick Vieira, who always saw Liverpool as marginal challengers when his professional imperative was to stiffen Arsenal in their battle with Manchester United, admitted that in the defeat of his team this week he saw new depths of experience and competitive character.

Said Vieira: "I think this showed how good the Premier League is now. It is a remarkable achievement to get four clubs into the quarter-finals but it is not really a surprise. The quality is there. Manchester United and Arsenal have shown their ability. Chelsea are very strong and Liverpool have the track record in Europe.

"Liverpool were tough opponents. I think they can go and win now. They have done it before and they know exactly what the competition is about at this stage. They are the most experienced of the teams left in the competition. They know how to get through these ties, they know how to win the European Cup. I think they are the team everyone else want to avoid in the quarter-final draw."

The fear, no doubt, is that Liverpool are now able to add to their brilliant record in the Champions League – one win, two finals in three years and a list of scalps that becomes more spectacular by the season – the growing threat of a team geared for something more than periodic ambushes.

Last weekend the most attentive Anfield-watchers were stunned when they saw the names of Torres and Steven Gerrard on the team sheet for the Newcastle game. Given the potentially season-defining, and economic importance, of the date at San Siro, the old Benitez would have been as likely to play his star men as send flowers to Jose Mourinho.

But then if Liverpool have suffered both on the field and on the terraces this season, unquestionably so has Benitez – and what is more likely to concentrate the mind of a proud man than the prospect of being cast aside, along with his fine strategies and large supply of self-belief?

Defeat at home to Barnsley may not have gone into the bones of the football man who some time ago made himself a course specialist in Europe's most glamorous knockout competition, but it does happen to be true that since that public relations disaster a compulsion to rotate appears to have gone into decline.

Liverpool had some anxious moments at San Siro, and they never threatened to light up the place as Arsenal had done a week earlier, but they did have those qualities noted by Vieira. They had the aura of a team who seemed to know what they were about. This is something you cannot generate from the technical area. It grows from game to game, win to win. It has, maybe, the potential to turn that silver peseta into the purest gold.

Vieira: Experience Key For Reds

Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira believes Liverpool's Champions League experience makes them the team the others will want to avoid when the quarter-final draw is made in Nyon on Friday.

Vieira was in the Inter Milan side that went out 3-0 on aggregate to the Reds in the last 16 and he has tipped them to regain the trophy they won in May 2005 with a thrilling defeat of Inter's city rivals, AC Milan.

Liverpool became the fourth English side to reach the quarter-finals with their 1-0 win in Milan on Tuesday but are less fancied than Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

However, Vieira believes they are well equipped to succeed - although he hopes Arsenal will go on to win.

He told the Daily Express: "Liverpool were tough opponents and they can go on to win it now.

"They have done it before and know exactly what it is about at this stage. They know how to get through these ties as they showed against us and they know how to win the cup.

"They are the side the others will want to avoid now but I hope Arsenal win it.

"They have been waiting a long time to win this trophy and they deserve to win it. We came very close a couple of seasons ago and I hope this is their year.

"I watched them in the San Siro last week and they were incredible.

"In terms of quality they have an outstanding chance now and I really hope they do it."

Vieira is also not surprised by the presence of four English clubs in the last eight, saying: "It shows how good the Premier League is right now.

"It's a remarkable achievement to get four teams in the last eight but it is not really a surprise.

"The quality is there - Arsenal and Manchester United have shown the ability they have, Chelsea are very strong and Liverpool have the track record in Europe."

Smith Hails Torres' Quality

Liverpool legend Tommy Smith has dubbed Fernando Torres the equal of any Anfield striker of the past 50 years.

Smith watched Torres avenge 43 years of hurt for the midfield hard man, scoring the goal that beat Inter Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday and sent Liverpool into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Back in 1965, the last time Liverpool played at the San Siro, Smith was part of a side who lost an infamous European Cup semi-final to Inter, amid allegations of bribery that persist to this day.

But Torres' second-half strike wiped away the bitterness of that defeat for Smith, who believes the Spaniard is destined to become a Liverpool great.

Smith said: "Torres is up there with the best Anfield strikers of the past 50 years.

"I played alongside Roger Hunt, who was a tremendous player and could score from anywhere - a bit like Torres, who is one of the best I have seen in a red shirt.

"In the 70s, you had Kevin Keegan, a good link player who was always on hand to accept chances.

"And Ian Rush had a great time scoring for the Reds in partnership with Kenny Dalglish. I always said when he was sold to Juventus that they forgot to take Dalglish, too, because he made so many of Rushie's goals.

"Torres has a special ingredient we have not seen for some time. He has the ability to glide past defenders with effortless pace and often places the ball home rather than use power. What a talent!"

Boss Rafael Benitez paid close more than £20million for Torres last summer and is delighted with the impact the 26-goal hitman has had.

He said: "Fernando, he is improving, we all know he can get better. But he is doing his job very well for us, and I am really happy with him.

"Our form is coming right at just the right time of the season. Now we must keep it going to secure fourth spot, also."

Of Friday's draw, Benitez said: "I would be happy to play another English team in the final.

"I would prefer that we were drawn against a non-English team now, though, because everyone knows that the top three in the Premier League are all outstanding, very strong.

"The fact that four English clubs are in the quarter-finals shows that the Premier League is one of the best leagues in Europe and the world.

"The quality of the top four, the quality of the players, shows our league is very strong."

Gerrard Dismisses Liverpool's 'Rivals' Sniping

Rio Ferdinand did not mention Liverpool by name and indeed he wished them good luck for their tie with Inter Milan. But when the Manchester United defender commented that there had been sides who were far from great but had won the Champions League in recent years, most people at Old Trafford thought they knew at least one of the clubs to whom he was referring.

One remarkable FA Cup final apart, Liverpool under Rafael Benitez have been domestically underwhelming but the home and away victories over the Italian champions confirmed their status as one of the great sides in the recent history of the European Cup.

In the last three years, Steven Gerrard has led his side to victory against seven clubs who have lifted the trophy - Juventus, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Marseille, Porto and now Inter - and two more who have reached recent Champions League finals.

Having seen his side counter both Inter's menace on the pitch and the hostile atmosphere of the San Siro to qualify for the quarter-finals, Gerrard reflected that Liverpool were a club who did not have to justify themselves to anyone. "In Europe we are a force, we do not fear anyone," he said. "We have got great experience. I don't want to say who we want to play, and who we don't, in the quarters but I think we can let the rest worry about us because we have a good pedigree in this competition.

"Our record in the Champions League speaks for itself but we don't have to go into the media to defend ourselves or say how good we are. People have said there are great teams who have not won the Champions League but I think our record answers that.

"We have been to the final twice in three years and have won some big games in some important stadiums across Europe, where we have produced some performances of a great European side."

The display against Inter Milan was a case in point. The leading Italian sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport, polled its reader on the question of why a side on their way to a third successive title had failed against a team who are struggling to re-qualify for the competition.

The options included: missed chances by Julio Cruz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, poor tactics by Roberto Mancini, who last night withdrew his decision to resign as manager at the end of the campaign, and disunity in the squad. But the main response was - Liverpool were simply too strong.

They may have been helped by the dismissals of Marco Materazzi in the first leg and his replacement, Nicolas Burdisso, in the San Siro but, tactically, Benitez's men played perfectly. "You dream of winning in places like these," Gerrard said. "We probably had more opportunities than they did. With a player like Fernando Torres, you are going to have a chance against anyone and we were pretty comfortable all night."

Steven Gerrard Certain Liverpool Will Get To Champions League Final

Proud Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool are gaining the momentum to carry them through to another European Cup final.

But the Anfield skipper concedes Rafael Benitez’s side have a tough task to secure a third final appearance in the last four seasons in Moscow.

Liverpool impressively despatched Serie A champions Inter Milan on Tuesday night, a 1-0 victory at the San Siro following a 2-0 success at Anfield in the first leg three weeks ago.

It put them in the quarter-finals for the 12th time in the club’s history, with Liverpool having gone all the way to the final on seven of those previous 11 occasions.

After their poor start to the group stage in autumn, Benitez’s men have won five successive games in the Champions League, scoring 19 goals and conceding just one in the process.

There is a strong likelihood Liverpool could be paired with another Premier League team in the draw for the last eight taking place tomorrow in Switzerland, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea also getting through. Barcelona, Roma, Schalke and Fenerbahce have also progressed, but Gerrard reckons none of those seven will want to come up against an in-form Liverpool.

“We have got momentum, we have, there is no doubt about that, and it could be important,” said Gerrard. “We are playing very, very well now. We cannot get carried away, because there are some monster teams left in it, but we are playing a lot better now.

“In Europe we are a force, we do not fear anyone. We have got great experience in Europe, we have been there and we know what it is all about.

“I don’t want to say who we want to play and who we don’t but I think we can let the rest worry about us, because we have got the pedigree in this competition.

“Our record in the Champions’ League speaks for itself, we don’t have to go in the media to defend ourselves or say how good we are. I honestly believe our record says we are a great team in Europe.”

Since Benitez took charge in the summer of 2004, Liverpool have beaten Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona and Chelsea in the Champions League, a impressive roll call that includes victories at the Nou Camp and now the San Siro.

Despite this unprecedented recent record, Liverpool have been heavily criticised in some quarters for supposedly not being a ‘great’ team.

But Gerrard responded: “People have said that teams that are not great have won the Champions League, but I think we can let our record answer that. We have been to final twice in three years and we have won some big games in some important stadiums across Europe, and we have produced the performances of a great European side.”

Fernando Torres’s 26th goal of the season and a stout defensive performance secured Liverpool their latest major European scalp on Tuesday night.

And Gerrard added: “It is a proud moment, these are the stadiums you want to play in as a player and honestly, you dream about winning in places like this. And I think we deserved it.

“We were always a threat on the counter and we had chances, probably more than they did.

“With a player like Torres you are always going to have a threat and have a chance against anyone. What was pleasing is that we were pretty comf-ortable all night. That was the plan to be solid defensively, and overall we handled it really well.”

Last night’s reserve game against Manchester City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Inter Milan 0 - 1 LiverpooL

Fernando Torres struck yet again for Liverpool to send them into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Seven days ago Arsenal beat the holders AC Milan here, and Liverpool ended Inter's hopes thanks to Torres' 26th goal of the season to join the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea in Friday's quarter-final draw.

Liverpool needed to defend stoutly in the first half but when Nicolas Burdisso was sent off after 50 minutes the visitors took control and got the goal they needed to make the Italians' task of recovering from a 2-0 first-leg deficit an impossible task.

But Rafael Benitez's side have been the better team in both legs and received an ovation not only from their own fans but the home supporters too.

Jamie Carragher played his 100th European match - a new Liverpool record - at right-back to allow Sami Hyypia to return in the centre alongside Martin Skrtel.

Lucas Leiva played in central midfield in place of Xabi Alonso, who stayed on Merseyside to be with his pregnant girlfriend who had gone into labour, with Javier Mascherano also back after a groin problem and the pair turned in an outstanding defensive display.

For a while the gratitude Inter fans feel towards Liverpool shone through this vibrant, passionate occasion as a huge banner was hung above the 5,000 visiting contingent saying "Whatever happens, Istanbul 2005, thank you Liverpool", in reference to that famous victory over hated rivals AC Milan.

But once the banner was taken down the real battle began in an electric atmosphere amid deafening noise.

Inter were desperate for an early breakthrough and it almost came after eight minutes when Jose Reina made a fine save at full stretch from Julio Cruz's drive from just outside the penalty area.

Crosses flew in, while a string of free-kicks were conceded too close to the box making Liverpool's task even more difficult.

Javier Zanetti was a constant threat down the left while Esteban Cambiasso followed Gerrard everywhere and still had time to keep Inter's play moving relentlessly forward.

Liverpool had their moments, though. One outstanding ball from deep by Fabio Aurelio sent Ryan Babel away behind Inter's defence and keeper Julio Cesar needed to rush out of his box to intervene.

Then a mistake by Cambiasso in his own box let in Torres, who side-stepped one defender and forced Cesar into a crucial block at his near post.

But Cruz should have scored after 30 minutes, racing on to an Ibrahimovic pass only to fire an angled shot just wide of the far post.

Maicon's error from a poor crossfield ball let in Kuyt but his low drive bounced back to him off Nelson Rivas and ricocheted behind.

It was left to Reina to end the first half with another fine save, diving backwards to hold a Cruz flick from Maicon's cross.

Gerrard was booked for a foul on Cambiasso but after 50 minutes Inter were reduced to 10 men when Burdisso received a second booking for a high tackle on Lucas.

Inter, who had Materazzi dismissed at Anfield, had to move Cristian Chivu into a central defensive role and push Zanetti back.

The tension was racked up and Aurelio was next into the book as Inter urged referee Tom Henning Ovrebo to produce cards for seemingly every Liverpool tackle.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have scored after an Aurelio error before Rivas was cautioned for body-checking Babel, who was soon to be replaced by Yossi Benayoun.

Inter were being stretched and after 63 minutes Liverpool scored the goal that effectively killed off the tie.

Aurelio won possession on the left and surged forward, feeding Torres on the edge of the box. The Spaniard turned to fire a stunning shot inches inside Cesar's right-hand post to send the Red hordes behind the goal wild.

Dejan Stankovic and then Benayoun found themselves in the referee's book with former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira taken off after 76 minutes and replaced by Pele, the Portuguese 20-year-old.

John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant took over from Kuyt and Mascherano as Liverpool saw out time to claim the 12th European Cup quarter-final place in their history.

Gerrard Hails 'Magnificent' Carragher Ahead Of Euro Century

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has claimed team-mate Jamie Carragher is one of the club's greatest-ever players ahead of tonight's clash with Inter.

The 30-year-old defender will be making his 100th European appearance in tonight's Champions League match at the San Siro - the first Reds player to achieve the landmark.

And Gerrard, who is only 13 games behind his team-mate, believes it puts Carragher among the club's greatest ever players in continental competition.

"To play 100 games in Europe is a magnificent achievement," the skipper said.

"It's a wonderful record for Carra to have and I'm sure he will go on to break even more records in the future because he is a top professional who always looks after himself and who always gives 100 per cent in every game."

Gerrard also claimed Carragher's European record is as much about quality as quantity.

"If you look back on those 100 games you would be doing well to recall many bad ones," he continued.

"So it's not just the number of games he's played, it's the way he's played in them.

"We're going to need another big performance from Carra tonight as well because Inter Milan are a very good side."

Liverpool have travelled to Milan with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at Anfield three weeks ago.

Two late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Gerrard put the Reds in charge against the visitors, who were reduced to ten men after Marco Materazzi's sending off in the first half.

Rafael Benitez Trying To Keep Mind On The Game Amid Instability

As the arch strategist of European football, Rafael BenÍtez is in the uncomfortable position of knowing that it will take at least one false move to send Liverpool out of the Champions League at the San Siro this evening. Having seemingly done the hard work at Anfield, running up a 2-0 lead over Inter Milan, they are in a commanding position in the tie, but, at this point, does BenÍtez opt to stick or to twist?

In his pre-match press conference last night, BenÍtez emphasised the importance of scoring an away goal, which would leave Inter needing to score four times, but he is also acutely aware of the need to keep Roberto Mancini’s team at bay for as long as possible and to deny them the comfort that an early goal would bring.

The obvious game plan would be to strike a cautious balance between defending and counter-attacking, but that plan is going to require a rethink, given that Xabi Alonso, a player whose intelligence and eye for a pass makes him integral to such a strategy, is at his girlfriend’s side in a maternity ward 800 miles away on Merseyside.

Perhaps that is why BenÍtez sounded unhappy with Alonso as he explained his stance last night. Perhaps it is simply because the Liverpool manager, who stayed in Japan when his father died during the Club World Championship tournament in December 2005, is a football obsessive.

Perhaps it is because his relationship with Alonso, which his players once likened to that between father and son, has been severely strained over the past two months and might be close to breaking point.

BenÍtez did not condemn Alonso’s choice outright, but nor, when asked whether he understood the player’s point of view, did he express the slightest empathy with the father-to-be, whose pleas to fly out today, if the situation allowed, were firmly rejected. “We were talking, but he had a clear idea,” the manager said. “He wanted to come if everything was OK, but we can’t wait and wait and wait. The most important thing is to think about what to do with the other players.”

The answer is likely to include an important role for Lucas Leiva, the 21-year-old Brazil midfield player, who has already been preferred to Alonso in several matches since the turn of the year. Lucas cannot match Alonso’s passing ability - nor can anyone at Anfield, not even Steven Gerrard - but he will offer a more mobile and dogged presence in central midfield alongside Javier Mascherano, who, to BenÍtez’s immense relief, has been passed fit after missing the weekend victory over Newcastle United because of a dead leg.

BenÍtez has also had to contend with the latest twist in the Anfield takeover saga, but is unlikely to be unsettled by last night’s developments, news of which reached him shortly before he arrived at the San Siro for his prematch press conference.

Asked for his reaction, BenÍtez said: “We are just thinking about the game.”

It is just as well. Inter, for all their problems in the first leg at Anfield, are a quality side, with a six-point lead at the top of Serie A, and eager to restore a little local pride after Arsenal, one of three English quarter-finalists already confirmed, knocked out AC Milan in the San Siro last week. That may have been a spectacular victory, but BenÍtez, with the hard work done in the first leg, will simply hope for a straightforward passage this evening.