Match Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Liverpool

Liverpool will be hoping to take another step on the road to recovery this weekend when they tackle Blackburn Rovers, who showed in midweek that they are more than capable of running with the Premier League's big boys.

Rovers booked their place in the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday with a shock win over table-toppers Chelsea. The score was locked at 3-3 after extra time, but Paul Robinson emerged the hero in the penalty shoot-out to set up a date with Aston Villa in January.

Blackburn's league form hardly reflects such a fine result. They presently lie 13th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone and eight adrift of the Champions League slots – it is, at least, a marked improvement on their early-season achievements under Paul Ince last term.

On Saturday they will have the chance to claim another big scalp, although the Reds look to be on the mend after a horrendous run that has seen them bow out of the Champions League and slip well behind in the title race.

Liverpool eased their European woes somewhat last weekend when they downed bitter rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby. Rafael Benitez's men may have been on the back foot for much of the contest, but Pepe Reina's efforts in goal ensured a 2-0 win to the visitors.

Those three points boosted the Red into fifth place, two points behind Arsenal – although the Gunners have a game in hand. And with the fight for places in the top four looking as tight as ever, a slip up at Ewood Park this weekend is not an option.


FORM GUIDE

Blackburn Rovers

Dec 2: Blackburn Rovers 3-3 Chelsea (League Cup)*
Nov 28: Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Stoke City
Nov 25: Fulham 3-0 Blackburn Rovers
Nov 22: Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
Nov 7: Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Portsmouth
* Blackburn won 4-3 on penalties

Liverpool

Nov 29: Everton 0-2 Liverpool
Nov 24: Debrecen 0-1 Liverpool (Champions League)
Nov 21: Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Nov 9: Liverpool 2-2 Birmingham City
Nov 4: Olympique Lyonnais 1-1 Liverpool (Champions League)


TEAM NEWS

Blackburn Rovers

Sam Allardyce will reclaim the reins from stand-in gaffer Neil McDonald, having sat out the last few games following an angioplasty. You won't see Big Sam jumping up and down on the touchline, however, as he will direct things from the relative comfort of the stands.

Franco di Santo was ineligible to play in midweek against his parent club, Chelsea, but the young Argentine forward is available once more and could reclaim a starting spot.

The in-form David Dunn was another who missed out on Wednesday, due to a calf complaint, and remains a doubt for Saturday's clash.

Last starting XI (vs Chelsea): Robinson, Salgado, Nelsen, Samba, Chimbonda, Emerton, Nzonzi, Pedersen, McCarthy, Kalinic, Roberts.

Liverpool

The big news is that Fernando Torres could make his long-awaited return from injury. The Spanish striker hasn’t featured since the 1-1 draw at Lyon on November 4.

Alberto Aquilani is still eagerly awaiting his first Premier League start, but boss Benitez has made it clear that he won't rush the fragile Italian midfielder back into action.

Both Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun made cameo appearances in the derby win at Goodison Park, so they could be in contention to start this weekend.

Last starting XI (vs Everton): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Aurelio, Ngog.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Blackburn Rovers – David Dunn

He's far from certain to play, and that's been the story of this man's career. An uncharacteristic run of fitness has allowed him to remind everyone just why he was once branded the new Paul Gascoigne. If he plays, he'll be the go-to guy; if not, Rovers may struggle to create anything – although the win over Chelsea would lead one to believe otherwise.

Liverpool – Fernando Torres

Again, not a sure-fire starter, but all the press whispers indicate that 'El Nino' is ready to return. David Ngog has deputised admirably in the past few weeks, but the Reds have nonetheless missed their superstar No.9. Assuming he does feature, it will be interesting to see how much of an impact he has after his lay-off.

Liverpool Won’t Risk Fernando Torres Against Blackburn

Fernando Torres has been ruled out of Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Blackburn on Saturday after failing to recover sufficiently quickly from the groin injury which has forced him to miss Rafael Benitez’ side’s last four fixtures.

The Spanish international striker returned to full training with his team-mates yesterday and took part today, but Benitez has confirmed he is not yet fit enough to be considered available, though the Liverpool manager is hoping Torres will be able to play some part against Fiorentina in the dead rubber Champions League game on Wednesday.

“Fernando will not be in the squad today,” confirmed Benitez. “He is much better than he was and he is very close and we hope to have him available against Fiorentina so at least we can give him some minutes.

“He played in a game in training this week but we have to keep an eye on him. The doctors said it would be three weeks, more or less, before he is ready and we are still within that time, so he is progressing well.

“Of course, it would be better for us to have one of the best strikers in the world available. He is a top striker who is always a threat, so it is really good news for the club that he is on his way back, but we have also been very pleased with David Ngog, who has done well while Fernando has been out.”

Torres picked up the injury in October while on international duty with Spain and has struggled for fitness ever since, featuring in just three of Liverpool’s subsequent 10 games, and failing to finish any of those he was deemed fit enough to play in.

His absence has coincided with a dreadful run of form for Benitez’s side, winning just three of those fixtures as their Champions League and Premier League campaigns have fallen apart.

Benitez is taking solace, though, that Liverpool’s fortuitous win in the Merseyside derby last Sunday could prove a turning point in a week of huge significance for the club. Steven Gerrard will make his 500th appearance for Liverpool at Ewood Park in the week in which Anfield celebrated the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly’s arrival as manager.

Steven Gerrard: I Have Total Belief In My Liverpool Team-Mates

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has affirmed his faith in the abilities of his Anfield team-mates, claiming that there is enough spirit and quality within the camp to see the side through their current bad patch.

"I have total belief in my team-mates. We have certainly under-achieved this season," he told his club's official website.

"But after last season where we finished so close in second, we're virtually the same group of players. We've added a couple to that, obviously Glen Johnson who is a top player.

"We've just underachieved this year, we haven't played to our capabilities. What we've learned so far this season is that if you do under-perform and don't match the teams around you chasing it, you will certainly fall behind as we have done.

"There are some fantastic teams out there full of world-class players. There are six or seven top-class teams in the league at the moment, all fighting for the top four positions. The league is very difficult, we realise that.

"But we certainly won't stop trying and we'll keep working hard to try and bring it back for all those Liverpool fans that are desperate for it as well.

"It's been too long without a league title and because it is missing from my collection it is one that I'm most desperate for going forward."

The England international is also hoping that Rafa Benitez's team can build on the momentum of Sunday's win at Everton against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend - likely to be Gerrard's 500th appearance for the club.

"Our main target is to get back into the top four. We're coming off the back of a fantastic win at Everton and we want to continue that against Blackburn and try and go on a run of games where we can get closer to the teams above us," he added, before revealing just what an honour reaching the milestone of 500 games was to him.

"It means everything to me personally," he affirmed.

"I'm a local boy and my dream when I was young was always just to play one game for Liverpool. So to reach this milestone is a really proud moment for my family and myself."

Beware The Fulham Factor, Warns Liverpool FC’s Fabio Aurelio

Winter has bitten for the first time this week but, like the rest of his team-mates, Fabio Aurelio has kept himself warm by basking in the glow of a Merseyside derby victory.

Last Sunday’s hard fought 2-0 win over Everton has, at long last, released some of the pressure that had been building on Liverpool and given Rafa Benitez and his players reason to breathe out a little.

After all, many Reds came away from Goodison Park feeling a corner had been turned and the autumn gloom which had enveloped their club was finally starting to disperse.

No wonder. When a Javier Mascherano shot from 30-yards that was going wide loops into the opposite corner of the net he was aiming for and Pepe Reina makes a save which he had no right to, it’s easy to see why people are saying Liverpool’s luck has changed.

But as happy as Aurelio is going into the next assignment on Liverpool’s agenda – a trip to Blackburn Rovers tomorrow – he is also mindful of making any rash predictions as it is not too long since they were in a similar situation.

You only need go back six weeks to be reminded that, unless the focus is good and the application matches, football has a nasty habit of ensuring that frustration follows the days when elation rules.

Manchester United’s visit to Anfield should have been the defining afternoon of the campaign but that was wiped out by a wretched performance six days later at Fulham, when Liverpool lost 3-1 and finished the game with nine men.

So despite Benitez’s men being odds-on to record back-to-back wins for the first time since September at Ewood Park, Aurelio is quick to sound a note of caution, as Sam Allardyce will inevitably have the Carling Cup semi-finalists fired up.

What’s more, if Liverpool don’t replicate the endeavour and hard work which epitomised their efforts at Goodison, the cultured Brazilian defender warns that everything good about last weekend will go to waste.

“Our target is to get back into the top four as quickly as we can,” Aurelio said. “We’ve got to start moving up the table and to do that, we need to win every game we have got coming up; it was important to get a result at Everton but it is the same at Blackburn.

“It will be the same after that when we play Arsenal. We have to be ready for these games and fight in the same way we did at Goodison. But it was just three points and we have to make sure we follow up.

“We did a great job last Sunday and you could see how much we wanted it. But it won’t mean anything if we don’t make sure the next result is a positive one as well. It is a thin line of getting the results in our favour.”

Few would argue with that claim; had Liverpool emerged from the 212th derby with the wrong result, the hysteria regarding their league position, coming so soon after being jettisoned from the Champions League, would have been intolerable.

Although there is no disputing the level of performance can improve dramatically, Aurelio is quick to point that Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five games.

And should they collect another three points at Ewood Park and results elsewhere go their way, Benitez and his squad could find themselves in the third place by the close of play this weekend.

“It was really important to beat Everton,” Aurelio reflected. “We need to get a result and it was great for confidence that we did it in a derby. We had to match them in terms of fighting for possession and there was a big battle in the first half.

“When the game started to open up in the second half, we were able to pass it a little bit easier and created some chances, but it was a very difficult game and it’s likely to be the same against Blackburn.

“We are starting to build momentum and the win feels so much better than Debrecen. It was difficult there because we knew it wasn’t just about us but against Everton, we did our job and showed we can start to move up the Premier League.

“We have got our targets. The most important thing was to take three points but now we can start to look ahead a bit more. We know from now until the end of the season, every game is going to be massive for us.”

If things do go the way Aurelio hopes and anticipates, he will not forget the role Reina has played to keep Liverpool in the thick of things.

Reina may have fewer clean sheets than he might not normally expect to have at this stage of affairs but that does not detract from how consistent his performances have been since August.

“Pepe has been showing that all season,” Aurelio declared. “He has been helping us a lot with some of the saves he has made and it was brilliant to see him do the same against Everton. They had a clear chance to score but that’s what Pepe does.

“He’s such a quick goalkeeper that you know he is going to get to the ball most of the time first; he’s got great quality with his feet. You don’t really have to talk about how good he is because everyone can see it on the pitch.”

Rafa Benitez Hails David Ngog's Liverpool Form

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is very pleased with the way in which David Ngog has stepped forward and led the Reds' line during the recent injury absence of Fernando Torres.

The 20-year-old has started Liverpool's last four games, scoring twice. He has now notched five goals in all game this season, and Benitez is pleased that the striker seems to have answered some of his critics.

"I think he is doing well because everyone has been talking about Torres, so to play in his position, work hard and score goals is difficult," Benitez told his club's official website.

"When people talk about Torres, you know the next striker will always be in a bad position.

"But Ngog is working very hard, he has good movement and technique, and is scoring goals. For a young player, you cannot expect any more from him."

And the speed of the Frenchman's development has been a pleasant surprise for his manager.

"When we signed him, we were talking about him playing maybe five to 10 games a season, 15-20 maximum," Benitez added.

"Now he is playing a lot of games, which is very good for him and the team also.

"Sometimes for a young player it can be difficult because you have to fight with two strong centre-backs in difficult games.

"But he has scored some goals and has given us some options in attack. We are watching the progression of a very good young player.

"He likes to train and learn. We were doing training sessions with him and Torres and they were working together on some movements. He is someone who is keen to learn.

"Always when you talk about young players, you talk about the price, so when you put everything together, he is a very good signing."

Benitez: Gerrard Is "Key"

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has praised the contribution of Steven Gerrard to the club.

The midfielder is set to make his 500th appearance for the team he supported as a boy when he leads Liverpool out in their clash against Blackburn.

He will become only the 13th player to reach for the milestone for the Anfield club and Benitez believes his captain can make a further 200 appearances at the highest level in a Liverpool shirt.

"To reach 500 games for one club is remarkable," Benitez said. "Usually good players don't stay with one club. Bigger clubs with more money tempt them away.

"He is certainly one of the very best players I have ever worked with. When I was at Real Madrid I worked with people like Raul and many other very good players who did very well in the first team.

"Like them, Stevie is known as a top-class player all around the world."

Benitez also applauded the commitment of his lynchpin midfielder, having seen Gerrard remain at the club despite nearly being tempted away by a big-money move to Chelsea in 2005.

The 29-year-old has spent 11 years on Merseyside, and has established himself as a Kop favourite for his all-action and often matching-saving displays.

And Benitez recognised the dynamic style Gerrard brings to the team.

He added: "To play 500 games is a massive achievement for any player, especially at the same club.

"He has reached this stage by showing the same passion and commitment for many years. His loyalty to Liverpool is to be praised, few players do what he has done for his local club.

"Steven is a key player for us, the kind of player that can make a difference in a game.

"We have some important players but Stevie is one of those that, when he is playing well, the team can win any game.

"It doesn't matter if the other players aren't playing well, he can win a game for you with one special moment."

Liverpool have endured a difficult season to date, and will be without Fernando Torres for the trip to Ewood Park.

The Reds have not won the league since 1990, and despite success in domestic and European cups, the Premier League crown is the trophy Liverpool fans crave.

Their title charge has stumbled though, and they lie 13-points shy of leaders Chelsea.

But Benitez said Gerrard can win more silverware with the club and would go down as "one of the best players in history" - if he can maintain current levels of fitness.

"You cannot win trophies with just one player, you need a team behind that player," Benitez explained. "But if you have a good team, players like Gerrard can make the difference.

"He has won a lot already in his career, but if we can win even more trophies with him he will go down as one of the best players in history.

"He is at a good age and is very professional. If we can keep him fit he can still play another 200 or more games for this club, hopefully at the same level he has shown for many years now."

Ian Callaghan holds the all-time Liverpool record of 857 games and that is unlikely to be beaten by Gerrard, but he is now just 20 short of Kenny Dalglish's tally for the club.

And the Liverpool manager highlighted Gerrard's hunger as the driving force behind his success, as well as his willingness to learn.

"He's set very high standards but, of course, cannot play at the same level all the time," he said. "That is why he needs the team to be playing well with him.

"He has learned under different managers but for the past five years we have been talking a lot about different parts of his game and how he could improve.

"He has always been willing to learn. He is always learning and knows the game much better now than when I first came to the club."

Pacheco: I'm Watching Yossi

Daniel Pacheco has taken to studying Yossi Benayoun in a bid to make the grade at Liverpool.

The 18-year-old Spaniard is one of the hottest prospects at Melwood but is still waiting for his competitive debut.

He believes watching Benayoun can help his progression.

"Yossi is an important player for Liverpool," Pacheco told LFC Weekly magazine.

"Both in games and on the training field I pay a lot of attention to what he does with the ball. It's great to watch him.

"I like the way he plays between the lines and is able to go past defenders."

Martin Skrtel Targets Liverpool Return

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel accepts that his current absence from Rafa Benitez's first-choice line-up is part of being a footballer, but he is still targeting a return to the heart of the Reds' defence soon.

"When one player plays, another one is on the bench - that's football," he told his club's official website.

"That is the situation for me at the moment, but in my position we have four players.

"It is good to have competition for places because the season is very long, there are a lot of games. You need a lot of players in the squad to cover every position.

"I have played in the past, and now Daniel [Agger] is playing with Carra [Jamie Carragher]. That is a normal situation, so I will keep working hard in training and wait for my chance."

Liverpool go to Ewood Park on Saturday to face a Blackburn Rovers team energised by their League Cup quarter-final victory over Chelsea in midweek. Skrtel is anticipating a stern physical test.

"Blackburn are a team who like to play physical football with a lot of long balls and tackling," he said.

"It will be a difficult match, but if we play our game, try to keep the ball and score early, I think we will be okay.

"We have to play our game and focus on ourselves - not Blackburn.

"It's very important because it's the Premier League and we have to try to win every game.

"We've had some bad results so far this season, so we need to change that and every game is very important for us."

The Reds did manage to beat Everton at Goodison Park last week and Skrtel is keen to build on that momentum after the team's recent slump.

"We were very happy after the Everton game because it was a very important match for us. We won, so it was perfect," he added.

"We'll see if it changes our season, but it's given us a boost in confidence.

"After the Debrecen game we were very down because we were knocked out of the Champions League.

"Now we have won two games in a row, our confidence is increasing and I hope it continues."

Wayne Rooney And Steven Gerrard Lead Fight For Share Of $420 Million

Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard will lead England's quest to win the Fifa World Cup next summer, aware that they will be chasing not only winners' medals, but a prize fund more than 60 per cent larger than in Germany 2006.

More than US$420 million will be on offer at the competition, with US$30 million handed as a prize to the winning country. Every team participating will receive at least US$1 million, with the runner-up landing US$24 million.

Meanwhile, each club who contributes players to the competition will receive US$1,600 per day, per player - meaning that, for example, Liverpool or Manchester United would receive US$48,000 per player should England stay in the competition until the final.

In return, clubs have agreed that any compensation claims for injuries will not be pursued through the civil courts.

Gerrard Staying Realistic

Steven Gerrard has admitted Liverpool must focus on finishing in the top four rather than trying to win the Premier League.

The Reds have made a dismal start to the season, dropping more points than would have been expected of them and crashing out of the UEFA Champions League as well.

Gerrard is refusing to give up hope but accepts that his side have a lot of work to do to get back into the title race.

Liverpool are currently fifth in the table, two points adrift of Arsenal having played a game more, and Gerrard concedes the priority is to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea would appear to be out of Liverpool's reach at the summit, while the immediate threat to Liverpool may come from the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa in the hunt for fourth place.

"I think we have to be realistic," Gerrard told talkSPORT. "At the moment we're out of the title race, but we will keep trying to get back in it.

"There is still a lot of football to be played and it is possible to turn it around, but I think Chelsea are looking really strong at the moment.

"But our main target is to get back into the top four. We're coming off the back of a fantastic win at Everton and we want to continue that against Blackburn and try and go on a run of games where we can get closer to the teams above us."

Gerrard, 29, is due to make his 500th appearance for the Anfield club in Saturday's encounter with Blackburn.

He said: "It means everything to me personally. I'm a local boy and my dream when I was young was always just to play one game for Liverpool. So to reach this milestone is a really proud moment for my family and myself."

The only major medal missing from Gerrard's collection after an outstanding career with Liverpool is a league title and he has no plans to rest until he achieves it.

"It's been too long without a league title and because it is missing from my collection it is one that I'm most desperate for going forward," he added.

Liverpool Hopeful As Fernando Torres Resumes Training After Four Weeks

Rafael Benítez's conviction that Liverpool are over the worst of a turbulent season gained further credence today when Fernando Torres returned to full training for the first time in four weeks. The club are confident their leading goalscorer will be available for Saturday's visit to Blackburn Rovers.

Torres last appeared for Liverpool in the damaging Champions League draw in Lyon on 4 November, in an 87-minute display that was his longest outing since suffering what was eventually diagnosed as a hernia with Spain a month earlier. After the game, and with Liverpool reluctant to resort to surgery, the 25-year-old sought a second opinion from a trusted specialist in Valencia, Dr Ramón Cugat, who ordered the striker to rest and receive physiotherapy for three weeks.

The Spain international had only taken part in the occasional light training session before tomorrow's full work-out, and aimed to return for Sunday's Merseyside derby win at Everton only to complain of discomfort on the morning of the game. Liverpool will continue to handle his recovery carefully, with the temptation to rush his comeback arguably eased by an unbeaten sequence of four matches in his absence, but his availability is a major lift to Benítez as he targets a sustained push towards the Champions League places.

The Liverpool manager and several of his players have spoken of Sunday's 2-0 win at Goodison Park as a possible turning point in their season and, with the captain, Steven Gerrard, slowly regaining match fitness plus Alberto Aquilani finally available for selection following ankle surgery, Benítez could have a full squad available for Saturday's game at Ewood Park.

Liverpool's co-owner George Gillett, meanwhile, has banked a $300m [£180m] profit from the sale of his Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, which has now been approved by the National Hockey League. Gillett's windfall, however, is not expected to see him gain majority control of Liverpool or improve Benítez's budget for the January transfer window.

The businessman decided to sell his ice hockey franchise last year to ease pressure on his diverse range of interests and, despite enduring a fractured relationship with his Anfield co-owner Tom Hicks, the pair are under instruction from the Royal Bank of Scotland to attract third-party investors to Liverpool and reduce the club's debt.

Hicks and Gillett are continuing to search for new investors willing to meet their asking price of £100m for a 25% stake in Liverpool, with the former also seeking investors in his Dallas Stars NHL franchise.

Liverpool Special: 500 Not Out For Steven Gerrard

"When the bus arrived back in Liverpool, I didn't want to get out. I thought it wouldn't be long until I was out permanently, sent back to the Under-19s with a note marked 'not good enough'."

It was December 1998 when Steven Gerrard felt this way. He was 18, and had just seen his first senior start for Liverpool ruined. Ruined by David Ginola and a 2-1 defeat. He had Paul Ince on his back, and crippling self-doubt in his head. "I was out of position and out of my depth," he would later reveal.

Fast forward eleven years, and Gerrard is preparing for a trip to Blackburn Rovers this weekend which will mark his 500th appearance in the red of Liverpool. It is a remarkable achievement, especially for someone still six months shy of his 30th birthday.
He may not be having the best run of form this season - mirroring the team's troubles - but Gerrard remains integral to Liverpool, and has been ever since that chastening lesson from Ginola in North London.

He was deployed as a right wing-back that day, a pawn in Gerard Houllier's experimental 3-5-2 formation, and he would feature at right full-back and right-midfield throughout the 1998/99 season, impressing with his ferocious tackling and long-range passing.

But he was a central midfielder at heart, and once he was switched infield - aided by the exit of his captain and tormentor Ince - he began to really shine. His first goal came in 1999 at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday - it will be ten years exactly since that strike when Gerrard lines up at Ewood Park on Saturday.

Despite a series of growth-related injury problems, Gerrard was a key figure under Houllier, as Liverpool ended the 2000/2001 season with an unprecedented treble of cups, scoring in the UEFA Cup final against Alaves. England recognition had already arrived, and the skinny kid from Huyton was growing into a man, and fast.

His goals tally began to improve - including a League Cup final strike in 2003 - as did his discipline. Early indiscretions - a derby day stamp on Everton's Kevin Campbell, a horror-challenge of Aston Villa's George Boateng - were replaced by maturity on the pitch, prompting Houllier to award Gerrard the Liverpool club captaincy in late 2003. It was, he says, "an unbelievable honour".

Houllier's reign was ultimately doomed, and when the Frenchman departed Anfield in May 2004, it seemed his captain may be set to follow him out of the door. Liverpool were in decline, and a cash-laden Chelsea were waiting outside Gerrard's door.

But, just like he would do the following year, Gerrard resisted the overtures from West London, opting to stay and spearhead the Rafa Benitez revolution on Merseyside.

And how glad he was that he did. Benitez's first season may have been below-par domestically - Gerrard even scored an own-goal against Chelsea in the 2005 League Cup final - but in Europe they embarked upon an unforgettable journey to the Champions League final in Istanbul.

The final itself looked like it would become very forgettable, however. AC Milan were three-up and cruising by half-time and Gerrard was back in Ginola territory ("out of position and out of my depth").

However, the captain inspired the greatest comeback in modern times, scoring the first and winning the penalty for the third as Liverpool fought back to 3-3, before securing a historic fifth European Cup in a shoot-out. It was the defining moment of Gerrard's career, and cemented his place among the pantheon of Liverpool legends forever.

As did his performance in the FA Cup final a year later. Liverpool made hard work of a mid-table West Ham side at Cardiff's Milennium Stadium, but Gerrard again turned things around. He created one goal and scored two of his own, before netting his penalty as the Reds secured another spot-kick success. The match would go down in history as "The Gerrard Final".

Liverpool have not won a major trophy since that 2006 triumph in Cardiff, and Gerrard is more vocal than most in his desire for a Premier League title, but the influence of their skipper remains huge. He is Liverpool's most-capped player of all time - no mean feat considering the legends to have represented the club - and the records continue to tumble.

Last season saw him blast past the 100-goal mark for the club, as well as secure the Football Writers' Player of the Year award. His reputation is such that he was named second only to Kenny Dalglish in the official website's "100 Players who shook the Kop".

He may have to wait another year at least for that much-coveted Premier League medal, but one thing is certain: when people of any age talk of Liverpool legends, Steven Gerrard's name is one of the first that springs to mind.

Liverpool FC Refuse To Release Javier Mascherano For Argentina’s Friendly Against Catalunya

Liverpool have refused to release Javier Mascherano for Argentina’s friendly against Catalunya later this month.

The midfielder, who is skipper of his country, was named by Diego Maradona in the squad for the showpiece match, which takes place on December 22.

But with Catalunya, who are coached by Johan Cruyff, an autonomous Spanish region and not a country, the fixture is not recognised by FIFA.

And that has prompted Liverpool to withdraw Mascherano, given the fixture comes between the Premier League visit to Portsmouth on December 19 and the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day.

Mascherano has been replaced in the squad by Esteban Cambiasso of Inter Milan, with Argentina expecting further withdrawals.

Jurgen Klinsmann Silent Over Liverpool Rumours

Jurgen Klinsmann insists that reports linking him with the manager's job at Liverpool are simply rumours, though he also maintains that he will have a new job after the World Cup and that his new post might not be in the Bundesliga.

Reds co-owner Tom Hicks has admitted talking to the former Germany and Bayern Munich coach in the past after previous rumours linking the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker with an Anfield switch.

Current Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez signed a new five-year contract at the beginning of the current campaign, but many feel that his tenure may be reaching an end after the Reds' unconvincing form this season, including a premature exit from the Champions League.

Klinnsman though was non-committal when asked about the reports.

"There are always rumours," he told Bild.

"For us it is relatively clear. We will not embark on another adventure in the Bundesliga.

"After the World Cup, I will possibly be somewhere else."

Ex-England Boss Slams Liverpool Over Benitez Contract

Former England and Tottenham Hotspurs manager Terry Venables has described Liverpool’s decision to offer Rafael Benitez a five-year contract last season as “madness”.

In what is surely one of his biggest opinions to date, Venables wrote in his column for The Sun: “Even though the beleaguered Spaniard may not have had the rub of the green on occasions, he still enjoyed one of the biggest slices of footballing good fortune this year.

“When Rafa signed a new five-year contract in March, he not only won the Lottery, he won the Boat Race and Grand National as well.

“We have a situation now where the club probably cannot get rid of their manager even if they want to. Liverpool are in a straitjacket - and they cannot get out.”

Sport.co.uk would like to commend Venables for quite clearly swatting up on his English lit. His recent columns – which contain opinions so large that they have to be kept in a hermetic tank next to Kelvin MacKenzie’s ego – have displayed a mastery of the written word which flies in the face of previous utterances such as: "If you can't stand the heat in the dressing-room, get out of the kitchen".

However, we would also like to take issue with the following assertion, also lifted from Venables’ latest tome: “You have to question the Liverpool board's decision to give a five-year contract to a manager who has failed to deliver a league title and, arguably, blew his club's chances of landing that elusive crown last season with his infamous 'That's a fact' rant.”

Liverpool FC's Season Filled With False Dawns Continues

For some weeks now we’ve been reading about how this or that game will be a ‘turning point’ in our season, only to find that the change of direction has been just a sharper decline.

The Manchester United game was chief amongst these pretenders, while encouraging performances against Lyon and Birmingham City have also been hailed as heralding an improvement in fortunes.

Now a scrappy win at Goodison, achieved with no little luck (though heaven knows it’s about time we are able to say that), and the sun is apparently peeking back over the horizon and we’re all set for a barnstorming assault on... fourth place.

Or maybe third now the Great Pretenders of Arsenal have been put firmly back in their very pretty but underachieving box.

Although it’s encouraging that we went through November unbeaten, it’s becoming clear there’s going to be no sudden clearing of the skies, no abrupt return to the swashbuckling form of September, no exultant release of pent-up frustration at the expense of some struggling minnow.

What we’re in for is a slow, grinding return to some sort of form, as confidence and fitness returns to what looks a pretty sorry bunch of footballers at present.

The performances against Debrecen and Everton were sluggish in the extreme, though marked by notable differences in the capacity to keep hold of the ball.

Against Debrecen we had so much possession and did so little with it that you could have nipped out for a cup of tea and just picked up where you left off on your return.

At Goodison it seemed we couldn’t wait to give the ball to a blue shirt or knock it into touch or back to Pepe Reina, sometimes from initially promising positions which went horribly wrong somewhere in midfield.

But credit where it’s due; we managed to carve out a much-needed victory over the self-appointed ‘People’s Club’ through strength of will and, at times, sheer bloody-mindedness on the part of Reina, Carragher and Mascherano.

While others struggled to throw off the torpor of disappointment from the midweek exit from the Champions League, or pined for horse placenta in their plastic Lucozade bottles, these three literally threw their bodies into the breach, showing resilience that others need to find from within their aching limbs and souls.

Meanwhile, just when you thought you could no longer be appalled by any fresh revelations of the financial unreality of modern football, the Premier League has declared the amounts paid to agents by each club over the last 12 months.

As I prepared to chortle at the mugs of Manchester City being ripped off by Del Boys of all colours and creeds, I choked instead on my Latte Macchiato as Liverpool were pronounced third in this table of treachery, with these parasites having pocketed £6.7m of our cash. For what?

Bringing the likes of Dossena and Degen to my door?

If players want to pay these vipers for negotiating good deals on their behalf, that’s up to them.

But don’t give my season ticket money to leeches who just make a couple of phone calls.

Ian Rush: Jamie Carragher Was Key For Liverpool Against Everton

Liverpool would not have managed to beat Everton had it not been for a superb display from Jamie Carragher, according to former Reds striker Ian Rush.

Liverpool managed to come away from Goodison Park with a 2-0 win that was in no small part due to the defensive resilience they showed against a determined Toffees side.

And Rush feels that 'Carra' has answered the critics who had questioned whether the England international was still performing at high enough level for the Premier League.

"Jamie Carragher was outstanding in Sunday’s derby," Rush told The Liverpool Echo.
"He epitomised the attitude and commitment in the Liverpool side and you could see how desperate he was to get the three points.

"He put his head in when it hurts and was everywhere, fighting for possession, determined to ensure Everton didn’t get back in the game.

"He took some stick earlier in the season but Sunday proved he’s back to his best."

Bill Shankly - Liverpool FC's Greatest Manager

There was only one Bill Shankly, a man of the people, a man who made them happy.

Watch old black and white footage now of Shankly in front of the Kop, a teeming, tumbling mass of human adulation, and you know that Liverpool FC’s greatest manager was special.

He may not have won the trophies that Anfield managers who followed him amassed, but he was responsible for putting in place the foundation of a dynasty that created one of the world’s greatest football institutions.

Shankly arrived at Liverpool 50 years ago. His appointment as manager was officially on December 1, 1959. His first day at the office was the 14th and his first game - a 4-0 home drubbing by Cardiff - came on the 19th in the old Second Division.

It is hard to imagine that from those humble beginnings at a rundown northern club, Shankly created a giant of footballing achievement.

Shankly was different because he left a permanent mark on a city, a generation and a now great football club.

More than just a football manager, Shankly showed a social responsibility to the people he represented through their club.

His contribution to football was to produce a simple style of ’pass and move’ that underpinned the club’s emergence and future success.

His contribution to the city of Liverpool is immense. He gave them belief and faith when confronted with poverty.

Back in the 50s and 60s, Liverpool was still suffering the after-effects of the Second World War. The city still carried the scars and devastation of German bombing.

Shankly came from Scottish mining stock, an idealistic socialist who understood the working class, the people who flooded through Anfield’s gates to adore him and the teams he produced.

He gave them pride at a time they needed it most. It is not stretching the point to say that Shankly and the Beatles put Liverpool on the world map.

The docks, and the Lancashire coalfield that used to stretch from Salford to the sea, were in decline. Unemployment was rife.

Liverpool was a poor, forgotten city, certainly by the south at least. And here was a man "who made the people happy" - the famous epitaph on his statue in the shadows of the Kop.

His legend, the man management and clever one-liners, will come flooding back as Liverpool marks the 50th anniversary of his arrival at the club.

He became the first of the real football managers. People like Brian Clough, Don Revie and Alf Ramsey followed. They picked the team, coached it, and handled transfers.

Before that, chairman, directors and boards were in charge of all but the fitness work.

Shankly has been somewhat cruelly described as a relatively unsuccessful Liverpool manager. True there was no European Cup, but those who followed - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish and even Rafael Benitez now - have reaped the benefits of Shankly’s foundations.

But it was his leadership and devotion to the club’s fans that set him apart.

He worked in the mines for a couple of years as a boy, and he hated the poverty his family lived in. He blamed Labour politicians as much as the establishment for that depravation.

Football gave him the escape, and he signed for Carlisle, then Preston where he won seven Scottish caps.

But the war finished his career. When it was over he was 33 and his playing days were numbered. He managed Carlisle, Grimsby, Workington and Huddersfield - where he gave Denis Law his debut at 16 - before he joined Liverpool.

He had been interviewed for the job back in 1951, but rejected because he was not a big enough name. But in 1959 Liverpool’s then chairman T.V. Williams knew instinctively that this was the right man for the times.

Liverpool was a down-at-heel club then, their training ground at Melwood a shambles, and they were languishing in the old Second Division.

Promotion came in 1964 and the rest is history. The Kop rocked to Beatles songs and Shankly’s side won three titles, were twice runners-up and claimed two FA Cups as well as the UEFA Cup (1973).

Shankly insisted on teamwork, brotherly help and spirit. The man from working class roots wanted his team to play with a socialist ethos.

They played for the people, and the people understood that simple philosophy.

Great players owe their careers to him. Ian St John, Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan, Ray Clemence, Tommy Smith, John Toshack, Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway...the list is endless.

Men who are legends now themselves, icons still. Some quite rightly using their names to forge media careers, where the true legend of Shankly still inspires them. Players never to be forgotten by the Anfield public.

Shankly quit in the summer of 1974 at 60. He wanted to spend time with wife Nessie and his family, and he continued to live in Bellefield Avenue, his house overlooking Everton’s now former training ground where he was always welcome for a cup of tea.

Liverpool’s truly great years were still to come. Five European Cup and a total of 18 titles. At one stage the best team in the world.

The foundations were Shankly’s. He gave pride back to a shattered, grim city. He gave British, even world, football the means to become more professional and forward thinking.

From Clough to Jose Mourinho, there are managers who could be described as clones of Shankly. And what is wrong with that.

On his retirement, Shankly was asked how he would like to be remembered. He said: "That I’ve been basically honest in a game in which it is sometimes difficult to be honest.

"Sometimes you’ve got to tell a little white lie to get over a little troublesome period of time. I’d like to think that I have put more into the game than I have taken out.

"And that I haven’t cheated anybody, I’ve been working for people honestly all along the line, for the people of Liverpool who go to Anfield. I’d like to be recognised for trying to give them entertainment.

"I’d played at Anfield and I knew the crowd was fantastic. I knew there was a public just waiting. So I fought the battles inside and outside.

"I was interested in only one thing, success for the club. And that meant success for the people. I wanted results for the club, for the love of the game, to make the people happy."

If anything, those are words that the modern game would do well to take note of. Shankly would want that.

Liverpool FC Should Blow Blackburn Rovers Away

The performance may have given us less to shout about – but the circumstances are so similar.

On October 25, Liverpool came off the back of that defeat to Sunderland and gave Manchester United a torrid time in a 2-0 victory which we all hoped would kick-start the season.

It was more of a false dawn, as it turned out.

Now we’ve pulled off another 2-0 victory in a big game and this time it really is vital Liverpool capitalise on it and go to Blackburn to blow them away.

We’ve got every chance of making sure this time we do put back to back victories together – particularly if Fernando Torres is fit and ready to lead the line.

In midweek there’s a dead rubber, sadly, against Fiorentina in the Champions League.

So if he can play at Blackburn, the Spaniard can no doubt sit that one out and have plenty of time to recover.

Whether or not we’ll see Alberto Aquilani at Ewood Park, only Rafa Benitez knows.

If he needs matches then certainly the sooner he gets them the better.

Because he is starting to look like a £20m mystery man and he’ll be as desperate I’m sure to get going as the fans are to see him.

Fernando Torres Tells Manchester City: Forget Your £50m Bid

Fernando Torres has dashed Manchester City's hopes of luring him away from Anfield by admitting he already feels like a dyed-in-the-wool Scouser.

Liverpool's £21million record signing figures prominently on City's wanted list, with speculation mounting that a £50million bid could be imminent.

But the former Atletico Madrid striker, already a huge favourite among Liverpool supporters, insists his only aim is to ensure his name becomes woven into Anfield folklore with his scoring exploits over the next few years.

'I really feel at home here,' he said. 'From my first day as a Liverpool player, right up to today, I have always felt that Anfield is my home. I feel like I am from Liverpool.

'I would like to be part of Liverpool's history one day by winning trophies. I have plenty of years here, I'm sure of that, and I hope the trophies will come soon.

'The fans have seen some of the best players in the world playing for Liverpool, and now they sing my name.

'For me, it is amazing to score at Anfield and amazing to score in front of the Kop. When I hear people sing my name, it is the best feeling I can have on the pitch.

'But I have only been here two years, and I have not won any trophies yet. I have only scored some goals, but I hope, in a few years, I can write another book, explaining about the trophies I have won as a Liverpool player.

'The people here are very different from in Madrid. Over there, people don't have much respect for players, but, here, even Evertonians talk to me in a really good way. When I was at Atletico, the Real Madrid fans didn't like me, but Everton fans are really friendly with me. I must say, I was surprised by that.

'This is my home, and it helps that I have learned the language. Have I picked up any Scouse? Deffo! I am picking up words all the time, because there are a lot of Scousers at the club.

'It was difficult to begin with, but I can more or less understand them now. If my daughter grows up speaking English and Scouse, I will be proud.'