Steven Gerrard Shocked By Liverpool’s Premier League Start

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he has been shocked by his side’s start to the season, which has seen them lose two of their opening four games.

An opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a home loss to Aston Villa mean Rafael Benitez’s men have lost as many games already as they did for the entirety of last season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the skipper admitted he was shocked by the Reds’ start but backed his team to still challenge for the title.

"To lose two games was a bit of a shock to us all but it's all about reactions,” he said.

“We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now,” he stated.

The Merseysiders flirted with defeat again yesterday, coming from behind twice to beat Bolton Wanderers and Gerrard claimed his team had shown huge character to win the game.

"It would have been difficult going into the international break, if we didn't get the result we wanted, and this was all about a reaction to the Aston Villa defeat, and I thought we got that,” added the skipper.

"We played really well, showed character and deserved the three points.”

The 29-year-old also confessed that the Reds had been poor in the defeat to Villa, and even conceded that his own display had been below-par.

"Against Villa, we never showed enough character and we didn't play well enough. I certainly didn't play well enough, on a personal level, and this was all about individuals and the team reacting,” explained Gerrard.

“The manager questioned the whole team after Monday and rightly so. We were no way near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.”

Gerrard - Rafa Right To Criticise

Steven Gerrard has shrugged off suggestions that Rafa Benitez singled him out for criticism and feels Liverpool got their just rewards after twice coming back to beat Bolton on Saturday.

The Reds responded to Monday's disastrous 3-1 humbling by Aston Villa as Gerrard netted a thunderous winner at the Reebok to reignite the Merseysiders' 20-year-long quest for domestic glory and silence a few critics along the way.

It had been widely stated that boss Benitez had been one of those to slate the 29-year-old talisman after the Villa defeat, especially when the Spaniard admitted the England international had been below his normal high standards twice this term.

But Anfield's pride and joy dismissed claims that he alone was on the receiving end from the manager, while claiming strong words in the camp had the desired effect on the team at Bolton.

Gerrard said: "The manager questioned the whole team after Monday's home defeat by Aston Villa, and rightly so. We were nowhere near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.

"There has been a lot of soul-searching this week. The manager asked for character, determination and intensity and I think he got the three things he wanted from us all.

"We have had a couple of good meetings this week and we couldn't wait for this game to come around.

"We went behind twice but again we showed what character we have in this team.

"Going behind twice there are times when you think you are not going to get a point, never mind three, but we got our rewards in the end and we could have ended up scoring four or five."

Gerrard added: "We now go away on international duty and when we get back we will have a few new faces back in the squad with the lads who have been out injured, so that will give us a boost.

"We played so well last season and everyone was expecting us to start strongly again and win matches, but we all expected that ourselves.

"To lose two games already was a bit of a shock to us all but it is all about reactions. We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now."

Benitez's Problems All Add Up To Some Clever Accounting At Anfield

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow claims Rafa Benitez had a transfer budget of £20million this summer which, on initial scrutiny, does not quite add up.

Liverpool sold Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Sebastian Leto for a total of £36m and bought Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani and Sortis Kyrgiakos for a total of £39m, leaving £17m apparently unspent.

Even for a club whose accountants were forced to warn over the summer their income might not be sufficient to meet their debts, this seems a maths error too far.

The explanation is that Liverpool have taken a cue from Arsenal's management, which presents Arsene Wenger with a transfer budget that is also expected to cover the cost of extending the contracts of current players.

Thus, Robin van Persie's signing-on fee and wages came out of Wenger's £15m summer transfer budget.

So Benitez saw £17m spent on new contracts for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Nevertheless, given the majority of Johnson's £18m fee was forgiven debt on Peter Crouch's move to Portsmouth, it could be argued Benitez had no new money to spend.

Glen Johnson Is The New Cafu

Glen Johnson netted his second goal for Liverpool against Bolton on Saturday, and it was a real beauty, too.

The former Chelsea right-back lashed home a stunner from 25 yards to equalise at the Reebok Stadium, and with his left foot, too. The goal came just 10 days after his acrobatic effort against Stoke at Anfield.

Glen Jonson’s goalscoring exploits got Mirror Football thinking about some of the finest attacking full-backs past and present. Here's their top six:

1) Cafu
The Brazilian bombed up and down the right flank for Roma and Milan all day long, earning his nickname from Cafuringa, a speedy Brazilian forward of the 1970s. Cafu didn't score that many goals, netting just nine during his time in Serie A, but he helped Brazil win two World Cups, and also won the Scudetto with both Roma and Milan, and the Champions League with the Rossoneri.

2) Roberto Carlos
Cafu's twin on the left flank for Brazil, Roberto Carlos is best remembered for his breathtaking banana kick against France at the Tournoi in 1997, when he bamboozled Fabien Barthez from a free-kick almost 40 yards old. In 371 games from Real Madrid, he scored an impressive haul of 47 goals, winning three Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

3) Ian Harte
The Irishman is the top scorer in Premier League history to have played exclusively at full-back, netting 28 goals in 219 appearances for Leeds United. Ten of them came from the penalty spot, with a large portion of the rest coming from free-kicks, including a memorable effort against Arsenal at Highbury in 2003 to help Leeds escape relegation. He got another 11 for the Republic of Ireland.

4) Josimar
For football fans of a certain age, the sight of the Brazilian right-back rampaging down the right wing was one of the memorable images of Mexico 86. He scored two stunning goals at that tournament: a long-range effort against Northern Ireland (on his debut) and a crafty angled strike against Poland, before demonstrating one of the most exuberant celebrations of all time.

5) Sergio Ramos
The Spanish right-back rose to fame at Sevilla before joining Real Madrid in 2005. In four seasons at the Bernabeu, Ramos has netted 18 goals and created countless more with his raids down the wing and his immaculate crossing. It might have something to do with the fact that he used to play as a striker as a teenager before he became a defender.

6) Stuart Pearce
Psycho scored an impressive 99 goals during his career, a fair few of them from the spot, but the Nottingham Forest left-back was also deadly from set-pieces, perhaps none better than his piledriver in the 1991 FA Cup final. Pearce also netted a thundering header against Peterborough that helped Forest seal promotion back to the Premier League in 1994.

Liverpool's Rivals Will Suffer Soon, Says Benitez

He has been in the firing line like no other Barclays Premier League manager this week, but Rafa Benitez is adamant that others will be keeping him company before long.

The Liverpool manager looked a picture of despondency at Anfield on Monday night as he reflected on a second defeat in three games so far and conceded that productivity levels had to be raised significantly.

The smile was back on his face yesterday, though, placed there by a rousing training-ground response from his players and growing conviction that the misery of defeat will be visiting his main title rivals more often than usual.

While Manchester United looked untouchable at times on their way to another Premier League crown last May, Benitez is convinced the emergence of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa will prevent any repeat and keep even the defending champions within reach.

Predicting the most open title race for years, before today’s game at Bolton Benitez said: ‘A lot has been made of our two defeats so far, but it is clear to me that the others at the top are going to suffer the same problems and come under the same pressure.

‘Any side at the top can lose games this season, and you will see it happen. It won’t be like before, when some team reels off 10 or 12 wins and is out on its own in top place. It is going to be a lot tighter and a lot more competitive, and that is why we need to remain calm as well as positive.

‘I know everyone was expecting us to have nine points after three games and be champions by September, but it doesn’t work like that. Even less so this season.

‘We were all really disappointed losing to Villa on Monday after making so many mistakes and not playing to our true level.

‘But we have addressed what went wrong with the players, and they have reacted exactly as I hoped. When you have players of character and quality, you know they will look at a situation like this and want to do something about it. That’s exactly how it has been in every session, a real determination and no one pulling out of challenges.

‘I didn’t name anyone when I said senior players had to accept more responsibility, but everyone seemed to think I was referring to Steven Gerrard.

‘The fact is 80 per cent of those on the pitch were senior players, and I made it clear that we needed more from all of them. There had to be an improvement in all areas, and the signs this week suggest we are going to get it.

‘We’ve got to start winning games, but I am confident people will be writing a different story about Liverpool in a few weeks.’

Benitez is reluctant to disrupt Gerrard’s partnership with Fernando Torres up front but admits he may be forced to consider switching his skipper to a deeper role, if Liverpool continue to lack creativity in midfield.

‘Putting Stevie in the centre of midfield again is an option,’ he said. ‘It depends on circumstances, but it is something we have done before. I still have every confidence that Javier Mascherano and Lucas will continue to operate well together in the middle, but it helps that Stevie can change from one role to another without losing effectiveness.

‘One thing that we must strive to do is to avoid dropping points in drawn games. The focus has been on our two defeats, but it was the number of draws last season that cost us in the end.

‘If we can cut those out, it will make a big difference.’

Liverpool FC Must End A Hungarian Jinx In Champions League

Debrecen VSC being drawn out of the final pot to complete Group E of this season’s Champions League will hardly have sent shivers down the spine of Liverpool fans the world over.

Yet Hungary is traditionally one of Liverpool’s unhappiest hunting grounds. The Reds have never won there in four attempts.

Emlyn Hughes is the only man in a Liverpool shirt to score in Hungary, although his strike against Ferencvaros in the Fairs Cup in September 1970 levelled the match at 1-1.

Between 1967 and ’74 the Reds played Ferencvaros three times in Europe, losing the first 1-0 and drawing the last 0-0.

And prior to that hat-trick to forget Bill Shankly’s all conquering Reds side famously played out a 0-0 stalemate against Honved at Nep Stadium in March 1964, before winning the return leg 2-0.

But Rafa Benitez’s Reds won’t have to venture as deeply into the Hungarian wilderness as first thought.

Debrecen VSC’s current stadium – Stadion Olah Gabor Ut – boasts a capacity of just 10,200 which means that they will be forced to play their Champions League games in Budapest, almost 150 miles away.

That away tie on November 24 will be the Reds last away fixture of this year’s group stages after first visiting Fiorentina (September 29) and Lyon (November 4).

Most importantly all three away fixtures are followed by comfortable breaks before Premier League duties resume, a problem which has worried Benitez in the past.

Avoiding tiring trips was top of the Liverpool bosses Benitez’s wish list before the draw in Monaco yesterday.

He said: “The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games.”

Liverpool FC To Hit 100 Team Milestone In This Season's Champions League

Liverpool will reach a European century in this season’s Champions League.

Friday’s draw in Monaco gave them the unusual prospect of three clubs they have never faced before in European competition.

The Reds will face Lyon of France, Fiorentina of Italy and the Hungarians Debreceni in Group E – a welcome distraction after recent seasons which have seen the Reds regularly face the same clubs.

That will take their tally of European opposition to a round ton.

Including English opponents, the Reds will take their proud European total to 105 after they have played Lyon in October.

Boss Rafael Benitez, however, was delighted to avoid any torturous journeys.

“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” he said.

“Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.

“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fanatstic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach.

“And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league then we know it means it's because they're a good side.

“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn't too bad, we don't have too far to go for any of the games. We're just looking forward to starting the competition now.”

Benitez will also be pleased at the scheduling of the matches.

In previous campaigns the Reds boss has been unhappy at Champions League away games being followed by away games in the Premier League, with little preparation time in between.

But this season’s first Champions League trip, to Fiorentina on September 29, is a Tuesday night, five days before the trip to Chelsea which has been put back to the following Sunday.

Chelsea must also play away that week, 24 hours after the Reds, in Cyprus against APOEL.

The short trip to Lyon is on Wednesday November 4, but the Reds’ match that weekend has already been moved to Monday night at home to Birmingham, then the longest trip, to Debreceni’s 10,200 capacity stadium on November 24, is on a Tuesday, with the following game a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, again on a Sunday.

Liverpool’s Champions League Group E fixtures: Sept 16 Debreceni VSC (H), Sept 29 Fiorentina (a), October 20 Lyon (H), November 4 Lyon (a), Nov 24 Debreceni VSC (a), December 9 Fiorentina (H).

Playing With Ten Men Always Difficult - Bolton Wanderers Manager Gary Megson

Liverpool came from behind to beat Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium 3-2 on Saturday.

Bolton were reduced to ten men, after Sean Davis was sent off for his second bookable offence.

After the game, Bolton boss Gary Megson was full of praise for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who was said to be out of form by Rafael Benitez.

"Being reduced to 10 men, at this level, always has an impact and when it happens against a team of Liverpool's quality, even more so," Megson told BBC Sport.
"We were man-marking Steven Gerrard up until that point, and he was under a measure of control.

"But when Davis was sent off, we were unable to use [Fabrice] Muamba as a man-marker from then on, you can't do that when you only have 10 men," revealed Megson.

"Steven is clever, he dropped deeper and deeper and orchestrated the game from then on," concluded the Bolton boss.

Steven Gerrard Gives Reds A Resounding Response

Steven Gerrard responded perfectly to having his early season form questioned by boss Rafael Benitez when he belted in Liverpool's winner at the Reebok Stadium.

But the visitors were made to fight desperately hard by a Bolton side who were reduced to 10 men for much of the second period.

Gary Megson's side had been ahead twice through Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen, and Liverpool only really got on top when Sean Davis was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Glen Johnson fired in one equaliser in the first half, before Fernando Torres pulled Liverpool level at 2-2 a couple of minutes after Davis angrily trudged off.

Then Gerrard struck with a fierce drive seven minutes from the end to lift at least some of the pressure from Benitez.

Bolton made one change from the side that won at Tranmere in the Carling Cup in midweek, with Cohen replacing Mark Davies.

Liverpool, who lost disastrously at home to Aston Villa last Monday, gave new Greek signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos his his debut in place of Martin Skrtel, while Spanish winger Albert Riera replaced Yossi Benayoun on the left flank.

Riera soon knew he was in a game. He was clattered by a strong Sam Ricketts tackle and then collected the Welsh international's boot in his ribs minutes later.

Predictably Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba was detailed to man-mark Gerrard, just as he did in both matches between the sides last season.

Liverpool soon had chances. Riera's cross was missed 12 yards out by Lucas, and the ball was returned into the box by Johnson for Torres to see a glancing header skim wide.

Torres was next in the wars, cut down by Gary Cahill, with the defender one of three Bolton first-half bookings alongside Davis and Muamba.

The visitors had plenty of possession, but without making many clear-cut chances. One through-ball from Lucas saw Torres shake off Cahill and attempt to chip Jussi Jaaskelainen from just inside the box, but the goalkeeper saved the effort.

At the other end, a Taylor free-kick was headed away for a corner by Torres - and that gave Bolton their breakthrough.

Taylor's curled the corner to the far post where Johan Elmander headed it down into the six-yard box for Davies to turn past Jose Reina from a couple of yards out.

Liverpool surged back looking for an equaliser, and it almost came when Torres chested down Johnson's cross - but he fired across goal and wide of the far post.

But the visitors were level in the 42nd minute when a corner was cleared only as far as Johnson just outside the box, and he fired a low shot inside Jaaskelainen's near post.

Bolton caught Liverpool asleep at the beginning of the second period. Liverpool's failure to clear a right-wing cross saw them go behind again just two minutes after the break.

Davies was able to flick the ball across the box, where two defenders failed to stop Cohen lashing the ball home from eight-yards.

Bolton were reduced to 10 men after 54 minutes. Lucas was racing towards the Bolton box when Davis clipped his heels from behind. Referee Alan Wiley produced a second yellow and then the red card.

Davis was furious. He had confronted the Brazilian before receiving his marching orders and ran towards Lucas again, before being halted by a team-mate and ushered away.

It was the incentive Liverpool needed. Gerrard hit the bar before Torres took a chest-down from Dirk Kuyt and steered the equaliser past Jaaskelainen in the 56th minute.

Next into the book was Gerrard for a foul on Muamba, before Benayoun replaced Riera after 63 minutes.

By this point Liverpool were in command and Andriy Voronin was sent on after 74 minutes to replace Javier Mascherano as the pressure on Bolton increased.

Torres and Kyrgiakos both had chances, and Bolton sent on another defender, Gretar Steinsson, for Cohen.

Liverpool's pressure paid off when Benayoun's corner was headed down by Torres and Gerrard crashed the ball home from 12 yards to provide another decisive contribution.

Carling Cup Third Round Draw

Liverpool will travel to League One leaders and old rivals Leeds United in the third round of the Carling Cup.

Championship side Preston will be hoping to stun Premier League high-flyers Tottenham, while Portsmouth face a long trip to League One Carlisle.

There are five all-Premier League ties with holders Manchester United hosts to recently promoted Wolves.

In the pick of the other ties, Chelsea host west London rivals QPR and Blackburn go to Nottingham Forest.

Barnsley will be looking to take the Premier League scalp of Burnley at Oakwell, while Port Vale, the only League Two club still in the competition, travel to Scunthorpe.

Carling Cup third round draw:

Arsenal v West Brom
Chelsea v QPR
Bolton v West Ham
Barnsley v Burnley
Hull v Everton
Leeds v Liverpool
Manchester United v Wolves
Manchester City v Fulham
Sunderland v Birmingham
Peterborough v Newcastle
Carlisle v Portsmouth
Nottingham Forest v Blackburn
Stoke v Blackpool
Scunthorpe v Port Vale
Preston v Tottenham
Aston Villa v Cardiff

Ties will be played week commencing Monday, 21 September

Liverpool The Latest To Consider Roma’s Julio Baptista

Roma’s Julio Baptista has been linked to a number of clubs over the course of the summer, most notably Inter from Italy’s Serie A, and more recently from the English duo Tottenham and Everton.

Despite the Brazilian affirming that he is not interested in returning back to the Premier League, Liverpool have also expressed interest in the 27-year-old in the past few hours.

According to the latest reports from Sportsmediaset, the Reds are willing to offer around €7-8 million for his signature, and they are confident of striking a deal with the Romans, as a result of their good relationship with them.

Alberto Aquilani left the Italian capital only a few weeks ago to join the English outfit, so if Baptista were to make the move, he would have the opportunity to immediately reunite with his former team-mate.

The two clubs involved are yet to make an official statement regarding these latest rumours.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos Has Title Know-How To Boost Liverpool FC

New Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos says he has title-winning experience to boost the Anfield club’s already flagging Premier League challenge.

The 30-year-old, signed last week from AEK Athens for £2m, has won titles with Rangers and Panathinaikos and could make his Liverpool debut at Bolton tomorrow.

He said: “I have a little experience of winning titles from my previous career in Greece and in Scotland.

“I won one title with Panathinaikos and two in Scotland when I played with Rangers. I hope that the experiences I had in Scotland will help me begin well at Liverpool.

“I believe that I have the qualities needed to play in the Premier League.

“My time in Scotland will help because it is a similar style of football to here. It is true that the Premier League will be more difficult than the SPL because the game is faster here and there are more quality players.

“In Scotland you had Rangers, Celtic and Hearts and it was very rare for us to lose to anyone – and if we did it was normally to one of those teams. In England, everyone is capable of beating everyone else.”

He added: “I watched a lot of last season’s Premier League on TV and Liverpool were very close to the title.

“From what I have seen this season we are equipped to go even better. In my experience of winning titles, you need a great team spirit in the dressing room and I have seen this already among my new team-mates.

“Everyone works hard and gives everything. That is the most important thing you need for such a long battle as the title race.

“After that, you need to be brave and have a little bit of luck along the way.”

John Aldridge: Liverpool FC At The ‘Must Win’ Stage Already

It sounds daft to say it so early in the season but Saturday’s match at Bolton really is a must win game.

Two defeats in the first three games isn’t the start any of us were expecting and the players have to put things right.

Teams have won the league despite losing five games in recent years but there is now little room for error if we are going to challenge at the top.

When you lose to the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa you put yourself under pressure when you go into the big games against Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.

We’ve got four league games before we go to Stamford Bridge on October 4.

It’s imperative that we beat Bolton, Burnley, West Ham and Hull just to ease that pressure a bit before facing Chelsea.

Bolton are feeling the heat as well at the moment but for different reasons.

They have started poorly and could find themselves in a relegation battle this season.

Bolton hasn’t progressed as a club since Sammy Lee left and if anything they have gone backwards.

The match against Villa on Monday was hugely disappointing.

We created more than enough chances to win the game but we gave away three very poor goals.

It was a silly foul Lucas gave away for the first one. We gave that referee too many opportunities to give free-kicks against us in dangerous areas.

Villa had a huge slick of luck with the own goal and then we switched off at a corner.

It was a seriously bad goal to concede at a seriously bad time.

After that it was an uphill task and the penalty killed it.

Steven Gerrard will hold his hands up for that mistake.

It’s too easy for people to say we’re missing Xabi Alonso.

There were too many basic errors and it’s up to everyone to roll their sleeves up and prove we have the quality to bounce back.

Liverpool Forced On The Defensive Over Transfers

Christian Purslow, the managing director of Liverpool, has defended the club’s spending in this summer’s transfer market.

Purslow denied that Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has been starved of funds and insisted that net outlay is in keeping with previous years. Liverpool have made two significant signings since June with Alberto Aquilani, the Italy midfield player, and Glen Johnson, the England full back, moving to Anfield for a combined sum of about £36 million. In the past week, Sortis Kyrgiakos has also been signed for a fee of £1.5 million from AEK Athens, a bargain basement capture necessitated by continuing injury problems to key defenders.

With Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa having joined Real Madrid for fees of £30 million and £3.5 million respectively, Sebastian Leto signing for Panathinaikos for £3 million and several other fringe players departing Anfield, it appears that Benítez has balanced the books at the very least. Purslow, though, is adamant that this is not the case, contending that the Liverpool manager has in fact spent a net £20 million on reshaping his squad.

“We’ve spent pretty much the same as we’ve spent every year over the past four or five years,” said Purslow, who took up his new post at Anfield in June. “We’ve spent about £20 million more than we’ve generated, which is what we expected. We’ve bought players the manager wanted to buy and sold players the manager wanted to sell and it has cost us almost to the penny what we expected it to cost.

“In fact, some of our competitors haven’t spent any money and we have. Spending isn’t the panacea everyone thinks it is, but we’ve spent £20 million and that’s real money. There are lots of costs associated with buying players and extending players that all go into transfer funds.”

Speaking before yesterday’s Premier League meeting with Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, Benítez said it was unlikely that Liverpool would make any more signings before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. Despite having seen his team lose twice in their opening three games, the Liverpool manager retains confidence in his team and has been heartened by their reaction to the defeat at home to Aston Villa on Monday.

“The players were really good during the week,” said Benítez, who criticised his senior stars after the Villa game. “They were talking and working together, and I’m sure they are the first people that will have been disappointed with the defeat. In every training session, we have had good intensity.

“I was asked on Monday if teams had worked out our tactics. But the most common system in England is 4-4-2, most teams use that. So most teams are using the same tactics against each other, and still lots of goals are scored. We have to change something if it’s necessary. We’re trying to do this. But we have to work together and push harder, and I’m sure we will start winning games again. We need more at this moment from everyone, the team and the staff. We have to push in the same direction.

“The main thing for me is to react and show we can manage and improve. We have all been working very hard, the staff have analysed data and tried to give confidence to the players, and the players have shown in training that they are doing well.

“We can get back in the title race but we have to start as soon as possible. If you can win, one weekend can change everything. But you have to win.”

Match Preview: Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool

Jlloyd Samuel could be in line to make his first Premier League start of the season for Bolton as Gary Megson's side host Liverpool.

Samuel was preferred to new signing Paul Robinson for Tuesday's Carling Cup win at Tranmere and could be set to keep his place in the side. Andy O'Brien is also in contention after recovering from a groin strain.

Joey O'Brien and Ricardo Gardner are still nursing long-term problems, but Ricardo Vaz Te is back in training with the squad and hoping to be given a run-out.

Ahead of the game, Megson believes Bolton's most important deals have already been done this summer in retaining the services of key players already in the squad.

Wanderers host Liverpool with the transfer window nearing its close, and with no points on the board so far from two Barclays Premier League games, Megson is keen to bolster his threadbare squad before the September 1 deadline.

The Bolton forward line looks to be a particular concern, with Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander the only recognised strikers currently available and a host of chances squandered in the 1-0 defeats against Sunderland and Hull.

Megson hopes to boost his attacking options with the signing of Cameroon midfielder Achille Emana from Real Betis and the reacquisition of former club captain Kevin Nolan from Newcastle.

But in an unforgiving transfer market, the manager claims that the most significant negotiations have already been completed at the Reebok Stadium.

"We wanted to try and keep as many of those established players as we could, and there are some real good ones in there,'' Megson said.

"Last year we managed to keep Jussi (Jaaskelainen) and we managed to keep Ali Al Habsi, who would manage to get in most Premier League clubs, so in that position (goalkeeper) we are well stocked.

"Kevin Davies is always linked with some clubs, but nobody has ever been onto me and said that they'll take Kevin, because I think there is a realisation that we just wouldn't entertain it.

"The same goes for Matt Taylor - he came out of Portsmouth's reserves and got 10 goals last year and we need him to start doing the same things again.

"And the biggest one was (Gary) Cahill. Gary came out of Aston Villa's reserves, had a full season here, found himself in the England squad and will kick on and go on even further.''

New Liverpool signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos came through a reserve run-out last night and is in line for his Barclays Premier League debut.

The Greece international played 45 minutes of the second string's 3-2 defeat by Blackburn reserves, and with concerns still over Martin Skrtel's jaw injury the new centre-back is set to play at the Reebok.

After two league defeats in three games, boss Rafael Benitez needs to get Liverpool's season on track quickly. But he is still without Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and new midfielder Alberto Aquilani - all long-term injured.

Benitez has questioned Steven Gerrard's form after the two defeats.

The Spaniard has been careful not to be too critical of Gerrard, accepting that even an ordinary Gerrard is better than most midfielders on the planet.

But ahead of the Bolton game, Benitez has gone one step further.

He said: "We have seen Steven playing really well for a while now. He is one of our big names, a key player. He will continue to be that.

"He will know that he has played a couple of games that are not up to his best level. But because he so often plays really well, people maybe can see the difference.

"I know he will be ready now. The players are not stupid, they know when they are not playing well and not up to their best standard. He knows, everybody knows here, that we have to improve.''

Kyrgiakos Credentials Can Boost Reds

New Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos believes he has title-winning experience to boost the Anfield club's already flagging Premier League challenge.

The 30-year-old, signed last week from AEK Athens for £2million, has won titles with Rangers and Panathinaikos and could make his Liverpool debut at Bolton tomorrow.

He said: "I have a little experience of winning titles from my previous career in Greece and in Scotland.

"I won one title with Panathinaikos and two in Scotland when I played with Rangers. I hope that the experiences I had in Scotland will help me begin well at Liverpool.

"I believe that I have the qualities needed to play in the Premier League.

"My time in Scotland will help because it is a similar style of football to here. It is true that the Premier League will be more difficult than the SPL because the game is faster here and there are more quality players.

"In Scotland you had Rangers, Celtic and Hearts and it was very rare for us to lose to anyone - and if we did it was normally to one of those teams. In England, everyone is capable of beating everyone else."

He added: "I watched a lot of last season's Premier League on TV and Liverpool were very close to the title.

"From what I have seen this season we are equipped to go even better. In my experience of winning titles, you need a great team spirit in the dressing room and I have seen this already among my new team-mates.

"Everyone works hard and gives everything. That is the most important thing you need for such a long battle as the title race. After that, you need to be brave and have a little bit of luck along the way."

Benitez Left Without A Fall Guy

As Rafael Benitez flounders in a mire of his own making, it's easy to picture a happier scene being played out not a million miles away from Anfield.

A middle-aged man with grey, curly hair allowing himself a satisfied smile as he sits in front of the television at home or enjoys a leisurely round of golf. No, not Bill Kenwright. His name is Rick Parry, erstwhile chief executive of Liverpool FC. Or "Coco" to the fans who used to bombard internet message boards, blaming him for so many of Liverpool's ills.

Now Parry is gone, ushered out of the door at the end of last season, who is there left to blame? The American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks? Probably. Lucas Leiva? Definitely. Benitez himself? Surely not. Yet it was the Spaniard's demand for more control over Liverpool's dealings as a condition of signing his new contract in March that appeared to deliver the final blow to Parry's term in office.

Supporters had long accused him of mucking up Rafa's transfer deals. Of being too slow to the punch. Too conservative. They also blamed Parry for ticketing problems at the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, the delay in building a new stadium and the length of Andrei Voronin's ponytail.

If that wasn't bad enough, Hicks weighed in with a personal attack aimed at ingratiating himself to Benitez and his legion of disciples. The Texan described Parry's leadership as "a disaster", adding: "At the first meeting we had with Rafa he talked of the number of players he had missed out on because Parry was too slow. Too many times nothing happens."

So Parry is gone, Rafa rules the roost, Liverpool have landed all their transfer targets and the Premier League title is on its way. Well, that was the plan.

In fact, the perception is that Benitez's squad has actually gone backwards, not forwards, this summer. Two defeats in their opening three Premier League games - as many as Liverpool suffered in the whole of last season - would appear to support that view.

Against Aston Villa on Monday, Benitez executed his usual exit strategy when finishing on the losing side. A brief handshake with his opposite number Martin O'Neill and then first down the tunnel, slipping his spectacles indignantly into his top pocket. It would have been better if he'd left them there in the first place, so painful was the sight of Liverpool's surrender to a decidedly average Villa team.

In the days since there have been murmurings of discontent from supporters who know they came so close to a first title celebration for 20 years last season and were desperate to go one better this time around. One caller to a Merseyside radio phone-in even suggested Hicks and Gillett were deliberately keeping quiet and "giving Rafa enough rope to hang himself with".

Some turned on Lucas, the scorer of a hapless own goal, while others re-opened the debate over Rafa's devotion to a zonal marking system. After Sebastien Bassong's winner for Spurs in the opening game came Curtis Davies' decisive header for Villa. The natives are getting restless.

But the truth remains that this is Benitez's team. He signed Lucas, Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena, Charles Itandje, Voronin and Robbie Keane. He has left his squad too thin on the ground again and too reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

And it was his plan to sell Xabi Alonso to Juventus last summer to fund a move for Gareth Barry that sowed the seeds for the Spain midfielder's controversial departure to Real Madrid earlier this month.

Parry cannot be blamed for that, any more than he can be blamed for Benitez's ill-advised decision to spark a public war of words with Ferguson last season that seemed to distract Liverpool far more than it did eventual champions Manchester United.

There are even suggestions the former Valencia boss has over-extended himself by taking on the added responsibility for transfer dealings which effectively means he calls the shots behind new MD Christian Purslow. There were similar concerns when Benitez worked for much of the 2007-08 season without an assistant following his fall-out with right-hand man Paco Ayesteran.

Benitez certainly believes in doing things his way, but you have to question whether Liverpool have been any more clinical in the transfer market this summer than they were under Parry.

True, the Anfield boss has had comparatively little money to spend. Although £37m went on Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani, he broke even by selling Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Sebastian Leto. But both United and Arsenal's net spending is significantly lower than Liverpool's. Chelsea's is under £20m. Benitez is not alone here.

So what of his new signings? While no-one would question Johnson's impact since his arrival from Portsmouth - even though Benitez himself admitted he paid over the odds for the England defender - you cannot help but feel he will now be judged on the success of Aquilani.

The injury-prone Italian was still recovering from surgery to his right ankle when he arrived to sign a five-year deal worth £85,000-a-week, and will not appear until October when the public can decide whether Benitez has signed a worthy replacement for Alonso or an expensive flop.

By then, Liverpool's title challenge may already be history. Equally, the next four games against Bolton, Burnley, West Ham and Hull could see Benitez's side propelled back towards the top of the table and we will be talking about them as genuine contenders again.

Parry, for one, will be intrigued to see how it all pans out.

Brown Hoping To Keep Reds Target Turner At Hull

Phil Brown hopes Michael Turner will be able to convince himself that his future lies with Hull - by putting in a performance at Wolves like he did against Bolton last week.

The Tigers travel to Molineux in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday with the transfer window nearing its close and speculation hotting up, particularly following the completion of Joleon Lescott's protracted switch from Everton to Manchester City.

Turner is one of Hull's most prized assets and has been linked with a move away from the KC Stadium for some time after a string of impressive performances since their promotion to the top flight.

Liverpool have enquired about him and Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is the latest to register his interest, but Brown is determined to hang on to his man.

"This centre-half merry-go-round began as soon as Joleon Lescott moved to Manchester City and lo and behold, there are three or four centre-halves that have moved,'' Brown said. "We are trying desperately to hang on to Michael Turner and fingers crossed we can be successful in that area.

"He (Bruce) is not the only one, we've had enquiries from three or four Premier League teams and fortunately we've managed to hang on to him. But the market is so volatile. Twenty-four million pounds for Joleon Lescott just shows you how ridiculous the game has gone.

"People will pay it though, and if they are willing to, there is going to be a cascading effect. Unfortunately we're underneath the big boys and we have to wait for these things to happen.''

After a stuttering start, with defeats against Chelsea and Tottenham, Hull got their league campaign up and running last week with a 1-0 win over Bolton in which Turner's defensive display was instrumental.

Brown said that if the 25-year-old maintained his good form, both he and the club could continue to grow together - but accepted that any big-money offer would have to be considered.

He continued: "Hopefully a win at Wolves will keep Michael Turner at Hull, for a start. But unfortunately all these things take a back seat as soon as double figures in terms of millions are mentioned. Michael was brought to the football club for £350,000 less than three years ago.

Gerrard Not At Best, Admits Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has questioned Steven Gerrard's form after two worrying defeats in the opening three games of the season.

Defeats at Tottenham and at home to Aston Villa means Liverpool have lost as many league games in a fortnight as they did all last season.

After Monday's 3-1 loss to Villa, Benitez queried the collective lack of responsibility amongst his senior men.

The Spaniard has been careful not to be too critical of Gerrard, accepting that even an ordinary Gerrard is better than most midfielders on the planet.

But ahead of tomorrow's difficult trip to Bolton, Benitez has gone one step further.

He said: "We have seen Steven playing really well for a while now. He is one of our big names, a key player. He will continue to be that.

"He will know that he has played a couple of games that are not up to his best level. But because he so often plays really well, people maybe can see the difference.

"I know he will be ready now. The players are not stupid, they know when they are not playing well and not up to their best standard. He knows, everybody knows here, that we have to improve."

Benitez dismissed the theory that Gerrard's form has suffered after a difficult summer for the midfielder, involving a court case and acquittal following a night club incident last term.

He said: "For Steven that has not been a problem. I was not naming any particular player when I was critical after the defeat by Villa.

"But it is clear that everyone has to improve, we have analysed things and we have talked to all the players. The reaction from them has been very good.

"They have to show character and they have been working really hard during the week because that is the only way to change things.

"The team wants to show that we are good enough (to challenge for the title). But we know we can improve and I can guarantee that the players will be fighting hard from the very first minute.

"We were so close last season to the title and now people are expecting us to win lots of games in a row. But the Premier League is very difficult.

"We have to forget our mistakes and try to improve quickly, and try to play to the level we did last season.

"The team and staff know we are not doing well and have to improve. This is very clear. The players have responded by training hard to try to rectify the situation.

"The attitude has been good and we have to play well at Bolton and start the game well. Then we will be able to change things.

"We have lost two games and we are very disappointed, but now we have the chance to change everything.

"We have lost to two of the clubs who will be chasing the top four, Villa and Spurs, and there are good teams now trying to get into the top four. It will be more difficult for top sides now to win every game."

Rafa Benitez Warns Liverpool FC Players To Be On Their Guard In Champions League Group Stages

Rafael Benitez admits his players must be on their guard after Liverpool learned their Champions League fate.

The Anfield outfit faces a trip into the unknown after being drawn in Group E alongside French side Lyon, Fiorentina of Italy and Hungarian outsiders Debreceni.

It will be the first time Liverpool have faced any of the trio in a competitive fixture.

Benitez’s side open the group stage with a home game against Hungarian champions Debreceni and end with a home game against Fiorentina, who finished fourth in Serie A last season.

Lyon’s stretch of seven consecutive French titles was ended last year when they could only finish third. But Benitez anticipates some tricky encounters lie in wait for his team.

“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” said the Spaniard. “Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.

“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fantastic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach. And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league then we know it means it’s because they’re a good side.

“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games. We’re just looking forward to starting the competition now.”