Liverpool FC Boss Backs Misfiring Robbie Keane

Rafael Benitez is backing Robbie Keane to rediscover the luck in front of goal that his hard work deserves.

The Liverpool manager could be faced with a selection dilemma tomorrow if Fernando Torres declares himself fit for the Premier League visit of West Brom.

If Benitez welcomes Torres back into the fold following his hamstring injury, a decision to go with two central strikers is likely to see Keane retain his place.

The Irishman has not completed a full 90 minutes for the Reds since the 2-1 win over Manchester United on September 13, but he has featured in all 12 Liverpool games since, either being taken off or used as a substitute.

And his only two goals since his £20m summer move from Spurs have come in Champions League group games as he endures a frustrating wait to open his Premier League account.

However, Benitez feels Keane can’t be judged solely on goals and has no qualms about his contribution to the team.

“Robbie is working really hard,” said the Spaniard despite Keane’s removal for David Ngog 20 minutes from the end of the 1-1 Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday.

“With strikers, people talk about goals but sometimes it depends on luck, positioning and good delivery.

“Sometimes you want to change things when you are creating chances, in the hope the other strikers can have a bit more luck.”

Torres’ return is yet to be confirmed as the forward continues to wait until he is fully fit before making his comeback.

The original prognosis of the hamstring injury he sustained playing for Spain last month was four games, but Torres has subsequently missed another two, the midweek meeting with former club Atletico and Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.

And captain Steven Gerrard is in no doubt about how urgent the top scorer’s return to the side will be in light of the struggles of the past week.

He said: “Hopefully Fernando will be ready come the weekend, we have missed him. He has been training all week and things look hopeful.

“We need to take three points against West Brom, but last week has been our only defeat this season and we are more than happy with the way the season has gone.”

Meanwhile, Andrea Dossena has admitted that he needs to improve his game in order to pressurise Fabio Aurelio for the Liverpool left-back slot.

Aurelio’s time at Anfield has been plagued by injury but he has edged ahead in the race to be John Arne Riise’s long-term replacement since he came back into the side at the start of the season.

He played a key role in the 1-0 win at Chelsea two weeks ago but Dossena returned to the side last Saturday for the loss to Spurs before giving way to Aurelio again in midweek.

“I am not fully happy with my level,” said the £7m summer signing from Udinese. “With Fabio in my position the manager has the option of a player more in tune with the team right now.

“I am learning all the time. I knew coming to Liverpool and a new league would improve me as player and I knew that John Arne Riise was leaving and I would have the chance to play.

“But I also knew that in Fabio I had excellent competition for my position. It’s not a rivalry as such, it is merely friendly competition. He’s a great guy and a great player and having him here will help me.”

Our Full Backs Are Not Up To Standard

Before Wednesday night’s game there was a real sense that Liverpool would come out wanting to kick the cat after losing to Spurs at the weekend.

But it never really happened for us against Atletico Madrid.

Of course, Steven Gerrard has gone and got us out of jail in the dying seconds and as we all know it’s not for the first time.

Okay, so the penalty was a tad controversial but while the Madrid players protested vigorously, Stevie kept his cool brilliantly and hammered it unerringly into the Kop end. So for me he deserves enormous credit yet again for staying focused when he could so easily have been distracted by the rumpus going on around him.

But there were a couple of things in particular which struck me about the side last night and which are niggling causes for concern, I feel.

Firstly, I remain worried that our full backs are not showing up to the standards we expect to see at Anfield.

First and foremost defenders have got to be able to defend. But for Madrid’s goal Fabio Aurelio found himself caught upfield and he never recovered the ground as Madrid countered quickly.

In fact it was Albert Riera – a left winger – who tracked back to try and block the attack.

Aurelio and Andrea Dossena are clearly vying for the left back slot at Anfield yet it’s clear neither have convinced Rafa Benitez. And I can understand the reasons for that.

I’m afraid I still have doubts too about Alvaro Arbeloa. He’s tidy enough at times but when you think of some of the great right backs we’ve had at Anfield – the names of Chris Lawler and Phil Neal spring to mind – well, let’s just say he’s got a lot to live up to.

Those two were famous not just for being top defenders, but for adding an incredible number of goals too.

The other big concern is that without Torres, we look like we’re struggling to get goals.

Robbie Keane works his socks off but isn’t a target man and will be disappointed he isn’t getting on the score sheet more regularly.

Up front I wonder whether we do, Torres aside, have an out and out striking alternative of the quality we need.

That said, we kept battling away on Wednesday night.

Madrid played with typical European style, sitting deep and taking us on in their own half, which made space difficult to find and chances hard to come by.

Thankfully, when you’ve got the thrust of your captain at hand, there’s always hope.

Credit him and Liverpool for, once again, showing they never know they are beaten. But we can do much better.

Rafa Benitez now has a few clear days to work with the first team squad ahead of another home game and it will be valuable time.

It looks like Torres will be back for the visit of West Brom on Saturday evening and that’s what we all want to see.

There’ll still be a sense of frustration after the Tottenham defeat and the failure to win the Champions League group at Anfield last night.

So while we didn’t quite get it out of the system against Atletico, the visit of the Baggies will give us another chance. This time I expect us to take it.

An emphatic victory and three points safely acquired is what we need right now.

Back to winning ways, please boys!

Supporters Wants George Gillett And Tom Hanks To Sell Them Liverpool

Liverpool co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been urged to sell the club to supporters.

The ShareLiverpoolFC Group, who are attempting to recruit 100,000 shareholders to buy the club and take it into the ownership of the fans, has written an open letter to Gillett and Hicks pleading with them to sell their respective stakes to the fans.

Gillett and Hicks continue to deny that they are looking to sell Liverpool but the pair were reported last month to have engaged Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer.

While the latest development does not represent a concrete offer, it is a sign that the group, which is supported by John Aldridge among others, is serious in their intentions.

However, despite their clear ambition it remains unlikely the group could raise the £600million needed to match the Americans' asking price.

The letter, published on The Times website, reads: 'We understand you have decided to relinquish your ownership of Liverpool FC and are actively looking for a buyer. Along with the vast majority of Liverpool fans, we agree with your decision to withdraw.
'We would like to buy the club on behalf of the fans, and invite you to sit down with us to agree a deal.We are confident that if you're willing to sell to us for a fair price, we would have sufficient backing [either from the fans alone, or with a suitable partner].'

It continued: 'We want the club we love run solely in the best interests of a successful team, the fans and the community.

'We believe we represent a real opportunity for both of you to bring to an end a troubled period of ownership; an 'exit strategy' which would lead to admiration and respect from many.
'Doing the honourable thing and selling the club to the fans would return it to the values that made it the most successful football club in England and one of the best supported in the world.

'We'd also like you to be able to leave with dignity. George, in an interview last March, you said, "our goal from the beginning was to add … to the lustre [of Liverpool FC]", at this point you can only achieve this by doing the right thing – and that is to offer the club to the fans.'

Liverpool Must Seek Foreign Cash To Compete

A former Liverpool player said on Thursday the Premier League club should target foreign investors for cash to compete with rivals Manchester United.

"For Liverpool and the supporters it really doesn't matter who the owners are," Hansen told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Dubai on Thursday. "They're only interested in financing of new players and how well it (the team) is doing."

"If the Americans haven't got the money then if DIC came in and bought it and guaranteed a new stadium then that would be great," the former defender said in reference to Dubai International Capital, a state agency of the Gulf emirate.

DIC was outbid by Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks when the Moores family sold the Merseyside club for 219 million pounds ($348.1 million) in 2007.

DIC in September ruled out a fresh bid for Liverpool or other clubs after mounting speculation that Gulf Arab investors would look to emulate an Abu Dhabi-based group that took over Manchester City on Sept. 1 by buying into British teams.

"If you are a Manchester City supporter you're in dream land ... City have been in the doldrums for such a long time ... now with the transfer window in January, you don't know what's going to happen. They might buy the world."

Hansen said the most important focus for Liverpool was funding a new stadium. "You cannot compete with Manchester United if they've got 76,000 (seats) and we've only got 44,000."

Another Dubai state firm, Zabeel Investments, in October called off its proposed takeover of Charlton Athletic, which plays in the English Championship (second division).

In 2007 Zabeel tried to buy Liverpool.

Boss Benitez To Open Talks On New Contract

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is to meet with the club's owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks in the next week to discuss a contract extension.

The Spaniard's relationship with the two Americans has not always been good and has often resulted in him being linked with other clubs in the last couple of years, significantly Real Madrid.

However, they appear to have patched up their differences in recent months and with the club having their best start to a Premier League season, moves are afoot to keep Benitez at Anfield.

'I received a phone call from Tom Hicks on behalf of George Gillett also. They are talking about a meeting with my advisors and a contract extension. This is very positive news,' he told the club's website, liverpoolfc.tv.

'We decided to meet in the next week and now my advisors are in contact with them. We haven't spoken about the length of the contract but we talked and we all want to find a solution as soon as possible.

'For me it's easy. I want to stay here - I am where I want to be. It's very simple.'

Benitez signed a new four-year contract in June 2006 but the club are keen to secure his services on a longer deal - and the manager is equally eager to extend his stay.

'My family and I know how good the fans have been with us. The club is going forward and we have the new stadium project. There are a lot of positive things," he added.

'I want to stay here for a long time. Clearly I would like to be here when the new stadium opens. The other day I was joking that if they offered me a 20-year contract I'd be really pleased.'

Benitez also hopes that by agreeing a new deal he - and everyone else - will be able to concentrate on the team, which is currently second to Chelsea on goal difference in the Barclays Premier League.

'The team is in a very good position, so if I do not have to talk about my contract from now on it will be perfect,' he said.

'The last two or three press conferences I have been asked and asked, so the stability is really important.

'The owners know we are doing well. The atmosphere is really good, we are at the top of the league and our Champions League group. The team is playing well.'

Gillett and Hicks are known to be delighted with the team's form so far this term and a statement on behalf of the pair said: 'Rafa continues to do a great job, we are really pleased with the progress of the team and we look forward to talking to him and his advisors about extending his contract.'

No9! Another Liverpool Player's Home Is Burgled As Lucas Leiva Becomes Latest Victim

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has become the club's latest in a long line of players to be burgled while on the pitch.

Raiders struck at the Brazil international's home in Woolton while he was playing at Anfield against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old returned home to find raiders had stolen an Olympic bronze medal he won in the summer as well as a collection of Brazil and Liverpool shirts.

The raid follows burglaries in the last 18 months at the homes of England dynamo Steven Gerrard, Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt, goalkeeper Pepe Reina, defender Daniel Agger and Robbie Keane, who had a watch and jewellery taken from his penthouse in August.

Former players Peter Crouch, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Jerzy Dudek were also burgled during their spell at Anfield.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said crime scene investigators attended the address and house-to-house inquiries were conducted.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Peter Parry said: 'I would like to empathise to Mr Leiva and his partner for what must have been an upsetting experience.

'As with every burglary victim, we will be carrying out a thorough investigation and offering them crime prevention advice.

'Taken from the address was an amount of jewellery and some very distinctive football and sports memorabilia.

'These items have significant personal importance to Mr. Leiva and they were associated with some very cherished memories. I'd ask members of the public to be on the look out in case they are offered such items for sale either on the street or in pubs or see the items for sale on the internet.'

Dossena Not Happy With His Form

Andrea Dossena isn't happy with his form for Liverpool since his arrival from Udinese. I don't think that he will find many arguments from the fans, as he has been disappointing on the whole since Rafa Benitez brought him to the club for £7m over the summer.

Fabio Aurelio is currently in possession of the left back berth, but the Italian is looking to reclaim this position but concedes that he needs to up his game to be successful at such a club with a rich history and the expectations of him, as he explained:

'I am not fully happy with my level and, with Fabio in my position, the manager has the option of a player more in tune with the tactics of the team right now.

'18 months ago I would not have expected to be playing for one of the most famous clubs in the world.

'I do not have silverware in my collection in my career but signing for Liverpool I have a real chance to win medals in every competition we enter.

'There are new demands on me. At Udinese, my place in the team was more secure than it ever will be at Liverpool, where there is so much ability in the squad.

'I must now get to a high level and maintain that, but first I have to battle to win selection. I am learning all the time. I knew that coming to Liverpool and a new league would improve me as a player.'

There have been some reports that Rafa could be looking to offload him already in an attempt to raise funds in January, if he could, and for the amount we paid (or near the amount) at this point in time I don't think that many would be unhappy. If the 27-year-old wants to prove himself then he needs to work hard, and if given the chance take it, if not he will prove an expensive failure.

In other Reds news Rafa has said that Robbie Keane, struggling himself (for goals at least, his work rate can't be faulted) since his big money move from Spurs, needs some luck to get going. However Rafa feels that when he gets this he will not look back, telling Liverpoolfc.tv:

'Robbie is working really hard. With strikers, people talk about goals but sometimes it depends on luck, positioning and good delivery.

'Sometimes you want to change things when you are creating chances, in the hope the other strikers can have a bit more luck.'

I'm not sure, although I'm sure Spurs fans could tell us, but I don't think that his season really got going goals wise until around this time last season and then he didn't look back, ending the season with twenty-something goals.

Liverpool’s Riera Eyes Victory Against Marseille & PSV Eindhoven

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has said that the Reds want to win their forthcoming games against Marseille and PSV Eindhoven to finish top of Group D and move into the Champions League first knockout round.

Rafa Benitez’s side secured a last-gasp 1-1 draw last night against Atletico Madrid at Anfield and just need a point from the last two group games to move into the next round.

After the draw against Atletico, Spanish international Riera, who moved to Anfield in the summer, said: "This was definitely a very important point for us.

"We knew when we went into this game that a win could have been enough to take us through.

"That did not happen but a draw is still a good result and it means that we still have the same chances to go through, albeit with one match less to do it.

"But we will do everything we can to win our last two matches because we want to go on and win this group."

Daniel Agger's Injury Causes Problems For Liverpool

Rafa Benitez has been rocked by a fresh injury worry as he attempts to steer Liverpool out of their mini-slump.

After starting the season with a 16-game unbeaten run, Liverpool finally came unstuck at Tottenham on Saturday and were seconds away from a second successive defeat, at Anfield last night, when Steven Gerrard salvaged a Champions' League point with an injury-time penalty against Atletico Madrid.

Fernando Torres was again missing with a hamstring injury and Daniel Agger could now join him on the sidelines after damaging a finger in the second half of last night's 1-1 draw.

The Denmark centre-back came off for lengthy treatment near the bench and will have a scan amid fears the finger is broken.

With Martin Skrtel still weeks away from fitness, it would leave Benitez with only two fit central defenders, in Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia, for Saturday's tea-time kick-off against West Brom at Anfield.

'It was painful, and no-one is too sure at the moment whether I have suffered a break,' said Agger. 'I hope to be fit for Saturday, but I will know more after the scan. It just about finished off a frustrating night for me, because I should have won the game for us.

'On a good day, I might have had three or even four goals, but almost is not good enough. It is one thing creating chances, but you have to finish them off.

'The first should have been a penalty after only two minutes, because I was fouled, but it's no good complaining now.'

Mascherano Unruffled By Reds' Goal Problems

Diego Maradona was not at Anfield, after all, to see his future Argentina charges Javier Mascherano and the Atletico Madrid prodigy Sergio Aguero on Tuesday night. But the spirit of the man was there in the penalty decision which, as injustices go, had something of the Hand of God about it.

Perhaps some of Maradona's celestial presence will rub off in L4 because, let's face it, Liverpool are hardly a side playing with his giddying lack of inhibition at present, despite their second position in the Premier League table. When the dust settled on Martin Hansson's extraordinary 90th minute penalty decision yesterday, talk turned again to their collective ability to fashion goals when Fernando Torres is wrapped up in the stand. "It's not something we should be worried about," Mascherano insisted. "The main thing is just to play well and we are. Two weeks ago people were talking of us as being contenders because we'd beaten Chelsea, so we know things can change quickly in football, but it's not something to worry about."

Yet huge psychological boost though beating Chelsea was to Liverpool, it was fashioned through determination, not invention. The creative deficit between last season's two Champions League finalists and Liverpool is there for all to see. Witness Liverpool and Chelsea's respective efforts against Sunderland.

"Sometimes it's like this: if you score quickly you kill the match and it's a different match, but [Atletico] scored and they tried only to defend and to close our passing and it was very difficult," left winger Albert Riera said. It was a pretty accurate description of much of Liverpool's domestic season. It took another Steven Gerrard penalty to knock down Portsmouth a week ago and the question is: how much longer can toil and luck keep Liverpool up among the challengers?

Mascherano talked down suggestions that Torres, absent in the wins against Chelsea and United, was the be-all and end-all for Liverpool. "Of course we have others who can score, like Keane, Gerrard and sometimes players like Riera." But his case lacked conviction. Robbie Keane's frustrated reaction to substitution on Tuesday was one of a man who knows he is still yet to shake the monkey from his back – despite declaring that he had. Riera has one Liverpool goal to his name.

That Keane was replaced by a nervous 19-year-old, David N'Gog, revealed Liverpool's thin resources. They are more dependent than Benitez would like on Dirk Kuyt – a blue-collar worker whom he admitted only this week has a touch which is simply "not bad".
Though Torres – "the main one for us," as Mascherano described him – is expected to be in the team to face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, Liverpool's immediate goals are more prosaic than Argentina's. As Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina put it yesterday: "Sometimes goals don't come so you have to keep fighting and keep improving."

Javier Mascherano 'Excites' Liverpool With Prospect Of Diego Maradona visit

Javier Mascherano is emerging as an integral figure in Liverpool’s powerful start to the campaign but the midfielder admits that events in his international career currently provide him with equal excitement.

The appointment of Diego Maradona as Argentina's national team manager will allow Mascherano to work with a figure he describes reverently as "God." The stir created by Maradona's return to football prominence has even had an impact on the Anfield dressing room with Mascherano now attempting to bring his idol to the club's training ground to meet his club team-mates.

More relevantly, Maradona has also stated in interviews that he plans to hand the Argentina captaincy to Mascherano as the 24-year-old becomes an increasingly significant player for club and country.

"It's great to have him as our manager," said Mascherano who could lead his country in Maradona's 'debut' against Scotland in two weeks.

"We all know Diego gave us so much as a player and now we hope maybe he can give us many things as a manager as well.

"It's great to have such a legend as manager of Argentina. To us he is like God. He's the best player we've had in our history, the best player football's ever had.

"I don't know if he's going to come to Liverpool, he was talking about this, saying he will come and other players are excited, wanting to see him. We will try and bring him to Melwood so all the players can meet him.

"I can't talk about if he will succeed because I don't know him, the only thing I can say is he has a lot of experience in the international team, many years, so maybe he can give us all the experience he had as a player and we can use this. Scotland will be a good test for us, we'll see."

Maradona's first difficult decision may be whether to appoint Mascherano as his captain, a position currently held by the legendary Inter defender Javier Zanetti.

After an unbeaten start to the campaign, a defeat for Liverpool at Tottenham on Saturday was followed by an unconvincing home Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool required a controversial penalty award deep in injury-time to finally equalise, having squandered a catalogue of chances, but Mascherano believes that his team's habit of scoring late in games can be viewed in a positive light.

"It was very important because the team continues to show character and determination," said Mascherano of Steven Gerrard's late penalty heroics against Atletico. "Teams know Liverpool will continue playing and trying to score in the same way until the end of the game.

"We were very sad after the Spurs game because I think we deserved to win but I'm not worried, sometimes football's like this.

"Sometimes you have many chances and you can't score. Maybe we need to work a little bit more on finishing. The most important thing is that we had the chances, the team can create."

Liverpool Knocked Back As Ownership Saga Rumbles On

A Middle East investment group came close to buying Liverpool last month before dropping its interest in mysterious circumstances, according to The Times.

Liverpool's co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett deny they are looking to sell the club but sources claim that an Arab group — unrelated to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai — had made a firm offer, having inspected the company accounts, but walked away without explanation.

A Kuwait consortium is believed to have shown an interest but it is unclear of this was the same group who came close to buying the Reds.

Sheikh Mohammed, operating independently of the Dubai International Capital group, still has his £500million offer on the table.

Gillett said yesterday he was embarrassed at the way he and Hicks have coped with Liverpool's financial difficulties.

Plans to build a new stadium in Stanley Park have been put on hold amid the economic crisis and the pair were reported last month to have signalled that they are ready to sell their stake at Anfield after engaging Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer.

'You feel a responsibility and an embarrassment on occasions when you haven't provided all you might have,' Gillett told The Times Online. 'There's a level of embarrassment and you want to correct it quickly.'

Gillett remained tight-lipped on his personal thoughts about why the pair remain so unpopular with Reds supporters, adding: 'I think you would have to ask the fans. I think there are some things that have happened that upset them.

'But I think they're at a point where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill and allowing Rafael Benitez – one of the great coaches in the history of the sport – to do his thing so we just want to leave it that way.'

Gillett has refused to say how long he would remain at Anfield but admitted the financial crisis had affected his sporting interests.

'All the sports teams I know of are re-examining all of their futures,' he said. 'We now have clubs that will be successful in the long run, that can compete for the championship every year and don't depend on buying high-priced players every year.'

Liverpool's Skrtel Will Not Be Rushed Back

Liverpool's Slovak defender Martin Skrtel has stated that his rehabilitation is going to plan but he won't be rushed into making a premature comeback.

Martin Skrtel is progressing well following the knee injury he picked up against Manchester City last month in an awkward fall. The defender is apparently very close to a comeback, but he will not set a definite date for his return.

He said: "Already before the check-up I felt much better than before, the leg almost did not hurt at all. I even did special exercises in training on the knee.

"The doctor told me that he was very satisfied with how the treatment had gone so far and told me I could be satisfied too.

"I can already walk without crutches but for the next two weeks I have to wear a special orthosis."

Despite the positive news, the player insists that he will not play until he feels that his knee is completely healed and 100% strong enough to cope with the demands of the Premier League.

He said: "The doctor explained some new exercises to me and we have not discussed the date of return yet. Anyway, I cannot nor do I want to rush anything.

"First, I must wait for the leg to be ready 100% and only then I can return."

He also stated that even with the injury, his training schedule has not been that different from his usual pattern, despite the treatment on his knee.

"Every day I go to the training centre in Melwood. For an hour I do special exercises, then I am spending one hour in the gym, then the pool and then various massages.

"Otherwise it does not differ much from the schedule I have when I am fit. I have a normal training, then I am spending time with my girlfriend and my family, who are here, and so on."

Steven Gerrard Hailed As Anfield Penalty King

Rafael Benítez praised Steven Gerrard's “nerves of steel” yesterday after his captain scored the injury-time penalty that rescued a draw against Atlético Madrid, but the Liverpool manager should be grateful that his star is not always so iron-willed.

It is Gerrard's change of mind after he resigned as Liverpool's penalty- taker in 2005 that has helped him to build a reputation as a man who delivers under pressure. His penalty on Tuesday was his third late spot-kick goal in the Champions League since the start of last season and his fourth strike in the last 15 minutes in this campaign alone.

Yet it was originally a duty that took a psychological toll. In April 2005, Gerrard missed against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool only drew, damaging the team's hopes of taking fourth place from Everton. “That's me [finished] with penalties,” he said. “I should have scored and I'm so sorry I missed. I blame myself for us not winning.” It was a resolution that lasted less than a summer as he scored against Kaunas in a Champions League qualifying match in July. Gerrard admitted to relief that he had not needed to break his pledge sooner under far more taxing circumstances.

He reacted to Andriy Shevchenko's failure in the shoot-out that gave Liverpool the 2005 Champions League title a fraction later than his ecstatic team-mates because he was so focused on preparing to take what would have been the next kick. During the famous second-half comeback it was Xabi Alonso who took the penalty when Gerrard tumbled under a challenge from Gennaro Gattuso. Alonso's effort was saved by Dida, the AC Milan goalkeeper, the Spain midfield player putting the rebound into the net to level the score at 3-3.

“Steven has nerves of steel, he has great confidence in what he does on the pitch,” Benítez said. “I always have confidence that he has the calmness to score under that sort of pressure. We know that Steven will not give up, he'll keep going right to the end and it is no surprise when he scores such late goals now.”

It was Gerrard's fourteenth penalty success in 19 attempts. Since 2005-06 he has scored 12 from 15 tries, last missing against Marseilles 11 months ago. “I was just trying to concentrate and blot everything else out,” he said after the Atlético game. “I decided where I was going to put the ball and stuck to that. Usually I like to get on with it but their players were complaining about the decision and I had to wait. But I was cool, I put it right where I wanted it.”

He admitted that Tuesday's decision was “debatable”. Made on the advice of the assistant referee after Mariano Pernía nudged Gerrard in the back as they jumped for the ball, it infuriated Atlético. Even the referee, Martin Hansson, appears to harbour doubts. “From my angle, I am not sure if it was a penalty,” he reportedly told a Swedish TV station yesterday.

Pernía claimed that the assistant admitted he made a mistake. “In nobody's eyes was that a penalty,” he said. “It was not a foul, Gerrard threw himself on top of me. It couldn't have been more clear. The linesman said, 'Sorry, sorry' after the penalty was given. He had time to correct it and go back on it but he didn't.”

As the scorer of the most dubious goal in history, it would have been interesting to hear Diego Maradona's take on events, but despite rumours, the new Argentina coach was not at Anfield to run the rule over Javier Mascherano and Sergio Agüero, the forward whom Mascherano believes would benefit from a move to a big English club.

“I don't know if [Maradona] is going to come to Liverpool,” Mascherano, who has been tipped to be named Argentina captain, said. “He was talking about it, saying he will come - other players are excited, wanting to see him.

“We will try and bring him to Melwood [Liverpool's training ground] so all the players can meet him. To us, he is like God. He's the best player we've had in our history, the best player football's ever had.”

Voronin Pining For Liverpool Return

Once a vocal critic of life at Liverpool, Ukranian striker Andrei Voronin has had a sudden and dramatic change of heart and now appears intent on securing a return to Anfield.

Voronin, who joined Hertha Berlin on loan after failing to make an impact on English football, made himself Public Enemy No 1 on Merseyside after criticising the standard of living in Britain and in particular the city of Liverpool.

Now, in a recent interview with Russia's Pro Sport magazine, the 25-year-old showed himself to be open to a return to the place that he spoke so badly of.

'I'm a leader at Hertha and feel their fans love me but I would like to be a leader in a team which is always fighting to win the Premier League, the Champions League and which have such people playing for them as Steven Gerrard who is a symbol of the city like the Beatles," he was quoted as saying.

'I see no sense in staying in Berlin saying to myself: 'OK, everyone loves me here, why do I need to play for Livepool?'

'I'd really like a new start there. I have a contract with them for two more years. When I joined Liverpool I knew I could play at such a high level and think I proved it. The rotation of the squad by Benitez really enraged me, but he told me from the start about that and I should have been prepared for it."

Ref Not Sure On Penalty

The Swedish referee Martin Hansson has contravened Uefa regulations by publicly admitting that he was "not sure" about the controversial 94th-minute penalty that allowed Liverpool to secure an equaliser against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday night.

He has also hinted that the atmosphere at Anfield might have been a factor in giving the penalty.

"From my angle I am not sure that it was a penalty," said Hansson, who admitted on Swedish television that the atmosphere at Anfield is "dizzying" before saying: "I am not authorised by Uefa to talk about my decision."

Meanwhile the defender penalised for a foul on Steven Gerrard has claimed the linesman who flagged for the penalty realised his mistake and apologised for the decision which cost Atlético victory.

"The linesman apologised three or four times. He was saying 'sorry, sorry' in English, because he realised he had got it wrong and robbed the game from us," said Mariano Pernía.

We Must Handle Pressure – Pepe Reina

Pepe Reina accepts Liverpool must learn to handle the pressure of increased expectations following their controversial Champions League escape.

Only a contentious injury-time penalty from Steven Gerrard prevented Rafael Benitez’s side from falling to a damaging loss at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

It meant the Anfield outfit avoided a second defeat in five days after their unbeaten start to the campaign was halted in agonising fashion at Tottenham Hotspur.

Another defeat would have cast inevitable doubts over Liverpool’s ability to bounce back from setbacks, a failing that has undermined their efforts in recent times.

But while admitting Gerrard’s equaliser may not have silenced the critics, Reina is confident Benitez’s side now possess a greater mental strength to cope with the heightened scrutiny of their performances.

“We didn’t feel any extra pressure because of what happened at Spurs,” said the goalkeeper. “You’re always going to lose some games.

“We don’t think we deserved to lose at Spurs, we played a lot better and had plenty of chances. Sometimes that happens, sometimes you get luck and sometimes you don’t.

“But if Stevie hadn’t have scored at the end against Atletico, then we know people would have been talking.

“You have to handle that kind of pressure here at Liverpool. People expect you to win every game. When you don’t win, it’s normal that people will talk about it.”

Gerrard’s penalty was the eighth goal Liverpool have netted in the final 10 minutes of a game this season, all of which have proven pivotal.

And Reina added: “I don’t know if scoring all these late goals gives us a psychological advantage against opponents, who might think we’re never beaten. But I do know we are quite strong mentally, and we keep fighting and never give up on the result until the very last second.

“We’ve scored a lot of late goals this season, but we suffered one at Tottenham. That’s football.

“But it’s unbelievable that Stevie can handle the pressure of putting that penalty away in the 90th minute. It’s amazing. If he took five penalties against me in training, I’m sure he’d score all five!”

Wednesday’s draw has moved Atletico back above Liverpool at the top of Group D, although Benitez’s men only need one victory in their last two games at home to Marseille and away to PSV Eindhoven to progress.

“It was really important to get that goal at the end because we’re still depending on ourselves to get through now,” said Reina. “If we win against Marseille, then we know we will progress. Atletico defended really well. They were strong in midfield and put the extra man in there, which made it difficult for us to penetrate them.

But we knew it was going to be difficult.

“It’s always good to remain unbeaten in any competition, so to keep that record going in the Champions League can give us the confidence to win that game we need to go through.”

‘Goals Will Come If We Keep Creating Chances’

As ever, the television cameras were trained on Fernando Torres, tracking the Spaniard’s every movement and reaction at a packed Anfield.

The problem for Liverpool is their star striker was once again sat in the stands as his former club Atletico Madrid came within seconds of returning home with a surprise victory on Wednesday night.

Some charitable officiating and Steven Gerrard’s nerves of steel meant, as at the Vicente Calderon two weeks earlier, the spoils were shared with both teams edging nearer the knockout stages of the Champions League.

But Liverpool’s inability to find a way past erratic Atletico goalkeeper Leo Franco from open play underlined why Torres is being sorely missed.

It was a similar story five days earlier, when the Spaniard’s presence may have prevented the profligacy from Benitez’s side that allowed Tottenham Hotspur to somehow steal a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane last Saturday.

Torres has now sat out six games with the hamstring injury sustained while on international duty with Spain in Belgium last month.

However, even if the striker fails to overcome the problem in time for Saturday’s visit of struggling West Bromwich Albion, midfielder Javier Mascherano is confident Liverpool will soon click into goalscoring gear once more.

“We’re certainly not worried about missing chances, the most important thing is that we have had a lot of them,” says the Argentine. “That proves we are playing well.

“Sometimes we’ve missed a few, yes, but we’re creating a lot so I don’t think we have anything to worry about. We know we’ve won important games without Torres but obviously he’s a key player for us and it’s much better to have him there.

“Of course we have others who can score, like Keane, Gerrard and sometimes players like Riera. But obviously Fernando is the main one for us and I have no worries because in the next game we could end up scoring plenty of goals.

“It’s not something we should be worried about, as I said the main thing is just to play well and we are.”

Liverpool have won three, drawn two and lost one of the games Torres has missed. But since the 3-2 win over Wigan Athletic, they have scored just one goal in each of their last five outings.

Of course, accusations of the Anfield outfit being a one-man team were made redundant earlier this season when both Manchester United and Chelsea were beaten without any help from Torres.

But there’s no doubt Liverpool are a more potent outfit with the Spaniard, with Robbie Keane in particular toiling as the spearhead of a 4-2-3-1 formation favoured by Benitez in recent weeks that is far more suited to Torres.

Keane again fired a blank against Atletico – it’s just two goals in 18 games since his near £20million summer move from Tottenham Hotspur – but Mascherano didn’t mind who was on target provided Liverpool avoided defeat.

We deserved to win on Wednesday, but when it gets so close to the end the main thing then is just to make sure you don’t lose,” he says. “We’re still up there with Atletico and know if we win our next game, we could end up on top of the group.

“It’s too early yet to start talking of winning trophies but I think we will be fighting for titles if we carry on playing like we are.

“Two weeks ago people were talking of us as being contenders because we’d beaten Chelsea, so we know things can change quickly in football, but it’s not something to worry about.”

Mascherano has been a resounding success at Liverpool since his arrival almost two years ago.

And that consistent form has been noted by new Argentina manager Diego Maradona, who has already earmarked the midfielder as the new captain of the national team.

But Mascherano says: “I haven’t turned down the chance to be captain because I’ve not spoken to Maradona yet. And at the moment we have a captain in (Javier) Zanetti, who has played for Argentina for 14 years and won 125 caps, so we need to respect that.

“For everyone in Argentina it will maybe be a shock having him as manager, but it’s great as well. It will be fantastic. Now we need to help him as players too and help him take Argentina to the top of the world.

“We all know Diego gave us so much as a player and now we hope maybe he can give us many things as a manager as well. To us he is like God. He’s the best player we’ve had in our history, the best player football’s ever had.”

Another player in which Maradona is expected to place his faith is Atletico Madrid’s talented teenager Sergio Aguero, who came on as substitute on Wednesday.

Benitez revealed last month that, had finances permitted, he would have been keen to sign Aguero before he made his move to Madrid.

And Mascherano says: “He’s certainly good enough to play in the Premier League. He’s a fantastic player, very strong with a very good technique and a good finisher, although at the moment I think Messi is maybe one step higher.

“But I think it would help Aguero by playing for a big club in England. He’s doing very well in Spain and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the same over here.”

Match Report: LiverpooL 1 - 1 Atletico Madrid

Steven Gerrard drove home a controversial penalty four minutes into injury time to salvage a dramatic Champions League point for Liverpool.

Atletico will believe they were robbed of a confirmed place in the last 16 by referee Martin Hansson's hotly disputed penalty award for a debatable foul on Gerrard by Mariano Pernia.

The visitors had led from the 37th minute following a cleverly constructed Maxi Rodriguez goal and frustrated Liverpool at every turn.

But Gerrard never gave up and his penalty eventually spared Liverpool's blushes and both sides should advance to the last 16.

Fernando Torres failed to even make the bench, missing his sixth match since picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty last month.

He cut a disconsolate figure in the directors' box having also missed the chance to play at his former club a fortnight ago.

From that match Liverpool left out Andrea Dossena and Yossi Benayoun, bringing in Fabio Aurelio and Dirk Kuyt, while Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama-Pongolle were also left on the bench by Atletico boss Javier Aguirre.

Liverpool started with pace and desire and could have scored in the first minute when Kuyt's close-range effort was grabbed by Leo Franco.

Another chance went begging when Xabi Alonso's stunning 40-yard pass found Robbie Keane arriving at pace on the edge of the box, but the Irishman's fierce drive thudded into the side netting.

Madrid were not slow to hit back and should have scored four minutes later. Pernia got to the byline and pulled back a cross but Simao hooked it over the bar from six yards.

Two more Liverpool chances then went begging, Riera's touch into the box almost set-up Gerrard as he surged into the area and Keane denied by Franco when he tried to round the Argentinian goalkeeper.

Atletico were also producing some quality football and scored an outstanding goal after 37 minutes.

Antonio Lopez broke down the right, taking a long pass with a superb first touch to confound Daniel Agger.

His pass into the box found Rodriguez moving into space away from Jamie Carragher before firing a shot across Jose Reina and inside the far post.

Atletico had looked calm and controlled in the first period, but came out for the second half having to defend in front of the Kop.

Liverpool were instantly at their throats. After just 60 seconds Luis Perea flicked the ball away from Keane with his right hand in the box, but Swedish referee Martin Hansson ignored the appeals.

Agger saw a header drop onto the roof of the net as Liverpool cranked up the pressure.

Ryan Babel was now on for Riera, Liverpool almost camped in Madrid's half with Atletico looking for the break to settle it. Surging runs from Simao and Diego Forlan emphasised the dangers.

Liverpool almost grabbed the equaliser after 70 minutes when Arbeloa and Keane combined to set up Gerrard, but the captain's shot just cleared the angle.

Maniche was booked for a foul on Arbeloa before Liverpool sent on David N'Gog for Keane. But at the same time Madrid sent on their brilliant Argentinian striker, Sergio Aguero in place of Forlan.

Lucas replaced Javier Mascherano but the danger of a devastating Madrid break was there every time Aguero got the ball.

N'Gog's control let him down a couple of times, but he forced Franco into a near-post save that produced a corner from which Agger saw another header go agonisingly wide.

Carragher got in on the act with a run and drive that Franco touched over, before a minute from time Luis Garcia came on, to a great reception, for Simao.

Still Liverpool looked unable to break through, until the fourth minute of injury time when Gerrard went down in the box under an aerial challenge from Pernia.

He made no contact with the ball but it was a debatable decision and Gerrard picked himself up to drive home the penalty and ruin Madrid's night.

Luis Perea, Aguero and John Heitinga were all booked in the uproar that followed but Liverpool had their fortunate draw.

Liverpool Join Barcelona In Chase For Brazil Under 23 Striker Keirrison

Liverpool have been told they will not be able to pick up 19-year-old Brazilian striker Keirrison on the cheap.

Valencia and Barcelona have been tracking the teenager for a year and reports last week said Liverpool had entered the race to sign him.

His contract with Coritiba runs out in April and his representatives are thought to have offered Keirrison to a number of clubs.

But the player has now signed a contract with sports marketing firm Traffic, who will demand a hefty fee to transfer the player to Europe.

In the kind of carve-up typical in South America, Traffic have reached an agreement to 'own' 80 per cent of the player for the next four years, with the final 20 per cent yet to be secured from Coritiba.

Keirrison's new owners have close links with Palmeiras and hope to transfer him to the Sao Paulo club in time for the Paulista state championship in January - if they can agree a fee with Coritiba for the early release from his contract.

However, the move to third-party ownership could mean the 6ft striker is transfered to Europe soon enough as his new paymasters look to maximise the return on their investment.

Keirrison has scored 67 times in 101 games for Coritiba, helping them get promoted to Brazil's top division last season.

He has been called up to the Brazil Under 23 squad once but has yet to play international football and securing a work permit for a move to England may be difficult, unless he can prove European ancestry.