Preview & Matchday: Liverpool vs Hull City

Liverpool continues their preseason preparations with a trip to the KC Stadium, where they’ll work to get up to speed and look to gain momentum ahead of the season opener in three weeks. This marks the midway point of the club’s preseason fixtures, and possibly gives us the first chance to see the Liverpool bow of at least a couple summer signings. As with everything in the preseason, it’s not quite the real thing, but it’s something.

Five of the six preseason matches are away from Anfield, with only the final match against Valencia taking place on Merseyside. Today’s trip is the shortest, though—only two hours separate Liverpool from Hull, which is a far cry from the 2,000+ miles they’ll travel over the next week to face Galatasaray in Istanbul. A welcomed chance to stay closer to home for Kenny Dalglish and company, and a chance for a few more Liverpool supporters to see the club in action before the season gets going proper on August 13th.

For Hull it’s the third match of a five in the preseason; they’ve won twice so far against North Ferriby United (4-1) and Winterton Rangers (2-1) on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, fielding different elevens in the back-to-back matches. Liverpool loanee Peter Gulacsi featured in the win over Winterton and conceded the only Rangers goal, and a host of other new signings made their debuts a day earlier in the rout of North Ferriby.

Over the past few seasons Liverpool’s shared a number of players on loan deals with Hull; Daniel Ayala and David Amoo joined the previously departed Jack Hobbs last season, and Gulacsi joined the club only a week ago. And, like every other club around this time of year, there’s been plenty of movement in other areas—Robbie Brady’s joined Gulacsi on loan from Manchester United, Paul McKenna and Dele Adebola signed on frees from Forest, and Hobbs made his loan move from Leicester City permanent in June.

Maybe the most interesting personnel development recently has been the ongoing Jimmy Bullard saga; the club released a brief and ambiguous statement to go along with reports from all ends that he’s been suspended for two weeks for a “breach of club discipline.” On the heels of talk that he was headed to QPR after a successful loan spell at Ipswich Town during the 2010-2011 season, probably not the type of press Hull were looking for. There’s plenty of recognizable names in the Hull squad for better reasons, though—Matt Duke, Stephen Hunt, Andy Dawson, Paul McShane, and Anthony Gardner are all holdovers from the club’s 2009-2010 Premier League season.

The early talk about today’s match on the Liverpool end has been the chance to see Liverpool’s fresh faces, with Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, and Doni all apparently in the mix to see time.

Kenny Dalglish has, however, unsurprisingly downplayed talk that we’ll see everyone we want:

“We will have a look at them and decide what’s best. There is certainly no rush for us to play anyone in these pre-season games. Stewart has been training for a fortnight and Jordan only started training on Monday. Everyone has trained well this week and the players are looking in good shape. Nowadays they come back looking as fit as they were before the break. But some have started back later than others and we have to take that into consideration.”

Good PR, but not enough to convince that we won’t get at least two of the three—Downing’s fitness doesn’t seem to be in question, and with Gulacsi heading out upon the club’s return from the Asian Tour, you’d guess that Doni would at least be in the squad with only Martin Hansen and Brad Jones left. Less clear is the status of Jordan Henderson; if he’s only been training for the week I’d imagine that a brief stint would be about as much as we could ask for. At least for now, those clamoring to have him as a regular fixture in the starting eleven might have to bide their time.

Otherwise it’s likely the same song and dance, with a good mix of youth and experience, and wholesale changes as available at the half. Dalglish said as much in the link above, along with mentioning some questions about the number of substitutes available—it’s only relevant because the Football League recently passed a ruling that only 5 substitutes would be allowed for league and Johnstone Paint Trophy Cup matches. I can’t imagine that there’d be any restrictions for today’s match, though, and with no reports of any new fitness concerns since the Asian Tour, I’m guessing we’ll see plenty of the squad in action.

And, as usual, we’ll be hoping for everyone to come out the other side more fit than less, and a step closer to being ready to do it for real in three weeks’ time.

Reds Eye Young Ivorian Ace

The president of Stade d'Abidjan has confirmed Liverpool is interested in teenage striker Angban Bekanty Victorien.

The 16-year-old Ivory Coast prodigy was a sensation in the Under-17 World Cup alongside Coulibaly Souleymane and Diarrassouba Drissa, who is reportedly set for a trial with Stoke City.

Various reports in Ivory Coast claim Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool have agreed a fee with Stade d'Abidjan for the services of the striker.

But the club's president, Abi Koffi Richmond, says nothing has been agreed with him yet and other sides are also interested in the youngster.

He told skysports.com: "Liverpool has not agreed anything with me yet, I have nothing written.

"They are a great club and respected club, I do not need to tell them how to do their work.

"I have contact from them through some agents but they are not the only club interested in the boy."

Liverpool Ready To Pounce For French Starlet

Liverpool are ready to snap up French Under 17 star M'Baye Niang from Caen, according to the Daily Mirror.

The 16-year-old signed a new contract with Caen in January, however it's been reported that the paperwork was filed incorrectly, making one of the hottest young prospects in world football available on a free transfer.

Liverpool are thought to be interested in bringing Niang, who made his Ligue 1 debut in the second half of last season, making seven appearances and scoring three goals, to Anfield.

The French starlet has been capped at Under 16 and Under 17 levels, making 14 appearances in all for his country. With such a strong reputation amongst young players, Liverpool would be a logical choice for Niang should he decide to leave France.

Niang can play as an attacking midfielder and as a striker, and is thought to be attracting interest from Tottenham as well.

Liverpool could be with one less versatile attacker in the coming days as Anderlecht bosses confirmed they're holding talks with Milan Jovanovic.

The 30-year-old Serbian international has been told he's free to leave Liverpool, and the Belgian side has been the most likely destination for some time.

Nothing has yet been agreed, but Anderlecht officials are confident a move for the Liverpool man will be completed.

"We're currently negotiating with Jovanovic, but we couldn't achieve an agreement (yet)," an Anderlecht spokesman said. "We're very much interested and the player would like to come."

It's understood that Olympiakos and Brugge are also interested, but Anderlecht remain the favourites to take Jovanovic away from Liverpool.

Reds Preparing To Unleash ‘The Next Robbie Fowler’

With plenty of attention being focused on the newest additions to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool squad, one player also looking to make a name for himself at Anfield next season is promising academy product Adam Morgan.

The young striker, dubbed the 'next Robbie Fowler' has been making waves in the youth set-up, scoring 21 goals for the Reds' Under 18s before heading off to play for England in the Under 17 World Cup in Mexico.

Since returning to Merseyside, Morgan has continued his rich vein of form with four goals already in just two pre-season friendlies, including a brace in a Liverpool XI's 7-0 drubbing of Preston North End on Wednesday.

"I've been raring to go since the end of last season because I finished on such a high," he said. "I've had a good break. Mexico was a good experience but I just want to concentrate on Liverpool now and have a good season."

Morgan's reward for his fine performances over the past 12 months was the offer, and signing of his first professional contract earlier this month - a deal that will keep him at Anfield until June 2014.

Despite his fast-track development, Morgan is keeping his feet firmly on the floor. After emerging as a key performer for the Under 18s last term, his goal for this season is to make the step up and establish himself in coach Rodolfo Borrell's reserve side.

"If I can maintain last season's form, I'll progress and play for Rodo again hopefully," he continued. "I have a lot to thank him for, but I like working under Marshy [Mike Marsh – Under 18 coach] and I don't mind what team I play for as long as it's for Liverpool."

Five Reasons Why This Could Be Liverpool’s Year

Liverpool’s nightmare 2010-11 season officially went into the books about two months ago and even though it left painful lasting memories, all of that is history nonetheless.

For now, the Red half of Merseyside is preparing to bounce back next year under their fearless leader, Kenny Dalglish. To his credit, Dalglish nearly turned the aforementioned nightmare into a Europa League spot, which further increases the optimism surrounding the coming season.

Upon replacing Roy Hodgson, Dalglish brought forth a mini-revolution that included the departure of prolific Spaniard Fernando Torres in January, while Uruguay’s World Cup hero Luis Suarez and England international Andy Carroll arrived at Anfield to fill the void.

In addition to revitalizing the club’s previously one-dimensional attack that revolved around the often injured Torres, Dalglish also integrated youthfulness in other positions as young Jay Spearing impressed in the midfield and Martin Kelly showed flashes of brilliance in the defense.

Most importantly, he brought the huge roster of players together in a manner that bolstered morale and allowed the Reds to end the season strongly with a run that included a comprehensive win over champions Manchester United.

With that said, it is fair to believe that Kenny’s strategies have alerted rivals about the true potential of Liverpool as the new season approaches. In fact, the following five reasons suggest that this could very well turn out to be the Reds’ year to celebrate the title glory that has evaded them for over two decades:

5. A balanced attack:

Chelsea has Didier Drogba and Torres while Manchester United boasts of the lethal trio of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, and Dimitar Berbatov. Yet, neither of last season’s top two sides have a duo of young starlets with completely different skill sets. In Suarez and Carroll, Liverpool have actually discovered a partnership that could deliver for years as the Uruguayan’s mobility complements the former Newcastle striker’s presence. While Suarez has already scored four times in his 13 appearances for the Reds, Carroll also proved his mettle with two goals in six appearances last season. One must keep in mind that this was all accomplished without extensive preseason training. Starting with the Liverpool’s tour of China, both Suarez and Carroll will have plenty of time to get in sync with each other as well as the other members of the offense.

4. Incredible midfield depth:

If a player of Joe Cole’s caliber becomes a forgotten man as quickly as he has, then it is clear that we are talking about a world-class midfield. It must be noted, though, that rather than simply stacking up the players, Dalglish has created a unit of players who can establish a rhythm playing together. While newboys Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam can create plays down the middle, Lucas Leiva and Christian Poulsen can battle hard in the holding role. The likes of Raul Meireles and Maxi Rodriguez can prove to be a handful for any defense on their best day. Last, but not least, the return of Steven Gerrard is poised to shake up the Premier League. The Reds missed the leadership of number 8 throughout his spell on the sidelines last year and now that the skipper has promised to be back in better condition than ever, don’t be surprised if Lionel Messi has trouble retaining his crown as the continent’s best player.

3. First full season for Kenny:

If you thought that Mr. Dalglish proved to be quite the tactician by calmly guiding he club to some level of respectability amidst massive chaos last season, just think how much he will benefit from a summer of nothing but planning. Bright minds like Kenny only need time to be on their side and with an entire off-season to solve the puzzle that last season turned out to be, expect his Reds to arrive into the new season as one of the most prepared teams in the league.

2. Stability has replaced unrest:

There is no secret that everyone associated with the club last season had to endure their share of frustration as uncertainty off the field hindered the team’s performance in the opening weeks of the campaign. Distraction lingered around the locker room as Hodgson’s doomed spell in charge of the club went from bad to worse with each passing week until the club’s ownership issue was settled. The new owners brought a new lease of life and thanks to several changes that followed, the Reds now appear to be stable again with silverware being the only object of their focus.

1. No European commitment:

The disappointing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur towards the end of last season not only took Liverpool out of the running for Europa League qualification, but it also dented their momentum in a big way. Nevertheless, looking back at that loss, the Reds might as well think of it as a blessing in disguise. Any Scouser will tell you that Premier League glory means far more than 10 Europa League titles put together, which is precisely why it is favorable for Dalglish’s men to dedicate all their effort towards the domestic front this year.

At the end of the day, saying and doing are two very different things. Looking at the promising development of this Liverpool squad, no one can have difficulty saying that they are likely to be contenders. However, it remains to be seen whether or not they can lift their first Premier League trophy since 1990 when the coming season ends up in the books next May.

Liverpool Cut Manchester United Ticket Allocation

Manchester United fans face seeing their ticket allocation for October's Barclays Premier League clash with Liverpool slashed by more than a third because of "persistent standing" issues at Anfield.

A report submitted to Liverpool City Council has recommended cutting the visiting supporters' capacity from 3,015 to 1,965 in an attempt to combat the problem of people blocking gangways.

The Ground Safety Advisory Group, who compiled the report after match between the two sides in April, suggests problems with United fans at Anfield are far greater than those of other visiting clubs.

"Pictures were presented which showed how the gangways at that game were affected compared to a similar high-profile game where persistent standing also occurred," said the report.

"The actions of the Manchester United supporters had overwhelmed the reasonable operations of the stewards through the management plan.

"This is an escalation of the actions of the supporters from previous games.

"It is not clear what more the club can reasonably do through stewarding measures to ensure spectators do not encroach in to gangways.

"Spectators from other away clubs attending the ground also persistently stand.

"However they do not spread out in to the gangways to the same extent that the Manchester United spectators do."

Liverpool City Council's licensing committee will make a final decision on the proposal at a meeting on August 8.

Luis Suarez Focused On Copa America Glory

Luiz Suarez insists the Golden Boot doesn't bother him as he focuses on winning the Copa America.

If the Liverpool striker nets in Sunday’s final against Paraguay he will top the competition’s scoring charts.

Suarez is currently level on three with Sergio Aguero, whose Argentinian side were dumped out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay.

“Being top scorer is not the important thing for me,” said Suarez. The main issue is the collective dream of winning the Copa. Personal stuff is secondary to that.”

Uruguay is chasing a record 15th South American title and Suarez added: “We’ll not forget about those titles but we are thinking about the present, about carrying on winning.

“Uruguay are not going to waste time celebrating past achievements and past titles won.”

Liverpool FC Announce Irish Link-Up

Liverpool Football Club has struck a two-year co-operation agreement with League of Ireland club Bray Wanderers and St Joseph’s Boys.

The link up was announced prior to the reserves' clash with Bray this week.

Coaches from Liverpool will visit both clubs in Ireland to deliver training sessions and boost the development of young Irish talent.

The hope is that some will be good enough to progress into the Reds' ranks.

Boss Kenny Dalglish, who is a close friend of Bray boss Pat Devlin, said: “I've always had a close affinity to young Irish players.

Pat Devlin and I have been in close contact for some years and it's important for Liverpool to have close links with Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Liverpool FC Legends To Meet In Charity Clash

Roy Evans is returning to management for a special charity match in October.

The former Reds boss will lead a Liverpool side against Kevin Keegan's Newcastle in a showdown being billed at 'The Entertainers Reunited'.

The two bosses famously came up against each other at Anfield in April 1996 when Liverpool won 4-3 in a game which has been voted the greatest in Premier League history.

Evans, who will be joined in the dugout by Phil Thompson, has already signed up Mark Wright, Ian Rush and Jason McAteer, and other stars will be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing And Alexander Doni In Line For LFC Debuts

Kenny Dalglish is considering handing debuts to LFC new boys Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Alexander Doni in tomorrow’s friendly at Hull City.

The trio have all trained at Melwood this week and will be added to the squad which took part in the pre-season tour of the Far East.

Downing and Doni missed the trip as they waited for their respective deals to be completed, while Henderson was granted extra time off following his exertions for England in the Under-21 European Championships.

The Reds boss will assess their fitness prior to deciding who will be in action at the KC Stadium.

“We will have a look at them and decide what’s best,” Dalglish said.

“There is certainly no rush for us to play anyone in these pre-season games.

“Stewart has been training for a fortnight and Jordan only started training on Monday.

“Everyone has trained well this week and the players are looking in good shape. Nowadays they come back looking as fit as they were before the break.

“But some have started back later than others and we have to take that into consideration.”

Pepe Reina is still recovering from a hernia operation, while Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel and Fabio Aurelio are also hampered by injuries which ruled them out of the Asia tour.

“There are a few knocks but they shouldn’t take too long to clear,” Dalglish added. “We’re certainly not going to take any risks with anyone at this stage. We don’t want to spoil anyone’s chances of being fit for the first game of the season.

“We’ve got plenty of games coming up with the trips to Turkey and Norway after Hull.”

No fewer than 23 players were involved in the game in Malaysia last Saturday and once again there will be plenty of changes.

“It’s a pre-season game and we will treat it as such,” Dalglish said. “We need to use these games to give as much benefit to as many players as we can.

“I’m not sure what the ruling will be in terms of the number of subs we can use. But we will certainly use up our full quota and field as many as possible.”

Liverpool Urged To Act Quickly As PSG Lodge Bid For French Midfielder

Liverpool must act quickly if they wish to stay in the race to sign St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi after Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint Germain lodged a £9m offer.

The Anfield club has been strongly linked with a move for the France international with talkSPORT claiming they were prepared to pay around £8m to take him to the Premier League.

Despite being amongst the favourites to sign Matuidi, Liverpool will need to table an official and competitive offer, with negotiations thought to be underway between St Etienne and PSG.

It was revealed earlier this month by St Etienne's vice-president Roland Romeyer that Matuidi had a €15m (£13.2m) buy-out clause in his contract and the midfield enforcer would leave if a club matched that figure.

"When he extended (his contract) with a big pay rise ... we all signed an agreement with his agents for 13m Euro plus 2m Euro bonus clauses," he said.

"Below this rate, he is not allowed to leave. This is because he is not for sale. But it is obvious that if someone offers that amount, we will meet our commitments, and he will leave."

The 24-year-old's availability alerted a host of Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Newcastle as well as Liverpool.

Despite recruiting three midfielders so far this summer, Kenny Dalglish is thought to be keen on adding a defensive operator in the middle of the park and has reportedly identified Matuidi as the top choice.

An offer in the region of £10m would allow the two clubs to begin negotiations but Liverpool must be prepared to match the £13.2m buy-out clause if a bidding war with PSG ensues.

Dalglish Looks To Hijack Blackburn Deal For Argentina Hotshot

Liverpool has joined Swansea and Fulham in the race to sign Mariano Pavone with the striker's move to Blackburn on the verge of collapsing, SkySports has reported.

The Argentine has already agreed a three-year contract with Rovers but the Lancashire club are currently struggling to finalize the deal.

The 29-year-old forward is a free agent after he bought out the final year of his contract at Real Betis and SkySports understands he is growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.

Although Pavone is still leaning towards a move to Ewood Park, it is thought he is ready to listen to other offers.

His situation with Blackburn has alerted a number of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, who are understood to be interested in making a deal.

Barry McIntosh, Pavone's British representative has revealed there are clubs interested in his client.

"Yes, there are a number of clubs looking at Mariano, obviously I cannot name them at this stage," he told SkySports.com

"The Blackburn situation is frustrating for Mariano, but as they made the move first we are willing to give them every chance to finalize the move.

"Mariano is a big fan of Steve Kean, he was very impressed with him and would love the chance to play for him.

"But we have to consider Mariano's future and we are aware of the interest from elsewhere."

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is keen to bolster his options up-front with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez the only recognizable strikers in his squad and back-up striker David N'Gog set for the Anfield exit.

With Pavone available on a free transfer, Dalglish is reportedly considering an eleventh hour move for the former Betis and Estudiantes player.

Rayo Line Up Loan Move For Reds Striker

Rayo Vallecano is poised to make a loan move for Liverpool attacker Daniel Pacheco.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is keen for Pacheco to get some regular first-team football under his belt and was impressed with his loan spell at Norwich last season.

Coventry were strongly linked with the Spanish forward during the summer, but the move never materialized and reports in Spain are now suggesting that Rayo Vallecano are the strong favourites to clinch his signature.

Pacheco, 20, is currently with the Spain Under-20 squad as they prepare for the FIFA U20's World Cup Finals in Colombia, but is hoping to secure a move before the tournament gets underway.

Aquilani 'Definitely' Staying At Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani will remain at Anfield, according to the player's agent.

Aquilani has regularly been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer following an impressive loan spell at Juventus last season.

Fiorentina have been mooted as potential suitors for the Italy international, who joined Liverpool from Roma in 2009, but the 27-year-old's representative has claimed he will be plying his trade for the Reds in the 2011-12 Premier League campaign.

His agent, Franco Zavaglia, told Radio Mana Mana: "Aquilani will definitely stay at Liverpool."

Aquilani has infamously struggled with injury, making just nine Premier League starts for Liverpool in two years, but Zavaglia added: "Alberto has got over his ankle problem, he's back in the international set-up and has the characteristics needed to do well in the Premier League.

"He's in pre-season training with Liverpool and has played in all of the team's summer tour games so far."

Riise Would Have Considered Liverpool Move

New Fulham signing John Arne Riise has expressed disappointment that Liverpool did not press harder to sign him before he made the move to Craven Cottage.

Kenny Dalglish is thought to be in the market for a left-back following the sale of Paul Konchesky to Leicester, with Aly Cissokho of Lyon heavily linked to Anfield. Fabio Aurelio is an existing option within the squad for Dalglish, while he employed Glen Johnson on the left side of defence for much of last season.

Riise, who left Liverpool for Roma in 2008 after being frozen out by Rafa Benitez, has hinted he would have been willing to solve Dalglish's headache by returning to the Reds.

"I've heard people say they haven't really replaced me and that is not my concern," Riise said. "If they wanted me back they could have made an effort. I know a few of the fans wanted me back. I achieved a lot when I was at Liverpool and this is my type of football. I needed a new challenge after that and improved as a player but it was always in my mind to come back."

Riise makes his debut at Craven Cottage on Thursday as Fulham defend a 3-1 lead in the Europa League second-round qualifier with Northern Irish side Crusaders.

Comolli Surprised At Lack Of Competition To Sign Stewart Downing

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli believes the club has pulled off a coup by signing Stewart Downing from Aston Villa.

The 26-year-old winger, who turns 27 this week, signed for a fee in the region of £20 million last week and joins fellow summer signings Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and goalkeeper Alexander Doni at Anfield.

The Reds chief was puzzled but pleased by the lack of competition for the former Middlesbrough man’s signature, and is looking forward to seeing him link up with a rebuilt Liverpool side.

“Maybe his talent is a little bit undervalued in English football, but we know what we are getting - and we are getting a very, very good, efficient footballer,” Comolli told the club’s official website.

“When we have Andy [Carroll] up front, he can put those balls in, but also he's got more than that.

“He is more than a winger, he can do a lot of things. He can link up with Luis Suarez by coming in, he can play on the right and on the left.

“We look thoroughly into data and statistics before signing players and we really think we are bringing a big, big asset into our team."

The deal took a long time to push through as newly appointed Villa manager Alex McLeish was not keen to let the winger leave after Ashley Young’s recent departure to Manchester United.

However, Comolli is delighted to have the England international on Merseyside.

He said: “It's difficult to say he was our No.1 target because all of our targets are our No.1 target.

“We did not prioritize on who we wanted to sign first, but we needed that pace and wide player that can bring us something extra, which we did not have in the squad.

“He has the right mentality, the right attitude and was absolutely committed to coming to us, so we are delighted.”

As well as praising Downing, the Liverpool chief said the club has signed most of the players it was hoping to and it will now focus on sending players out on loan and offloading those who want more minutes on the pitch.

“I'm sure there will be players going out because some players would like to play more and have more minutes,” Comolli continued.

“We will probably have a few loans as well; players who we would like them to develop, into the Championship or the leagues abroad.

“In terms of players coming in, it's difficult to say. I think we are going to sit down, look at the situation, see where we are, see who might leave and then we will reassess later. But we have done most of what we wanted to do.”

The director of football at Anfield also hailed the owners on their role since they arrived at the club, and specifically with the Downing deal.

He added: “They have been absolutely fantastic. Kenny has said it previously, and they have been very, very helpful on the Stewart Downing deal.

“They gave us absolute full support. It's not only financial – obviously they made a fantastic financial commitment – but they're also very, very supportive asking if they can help.

“We have also taken advice from them asking what they think about a deal or what they think we should do.

“They are very open, they try to help us as much as they can and, again, I won't go into details, but on the Stewart Downing deal they were a great help.”

Rooney Tips Liverpool For Title Challenge

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney believes Liverpool will be genuine Premier League title challengers this season and says he aspires to reach Lionel Messi's level.

Liverpool have not won the league since 1990, but the return of Kenny Dalglish and a number of new arrivals over the summer have led to a renewed optimism around Anfield.

Rooney has little doubt that Manchester United will be battling it out for the title, but he believes any one of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester City could be their main rivals.

"Liverpool will challenge this time," Rooney said. "They've made some really good signings under Kenny Dalglish, British players, and I'm sure they will try harder than they've ever done, fighting to be up there.

"They will think they have a chance of winning the title. The main threat is going to be from Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. One of them, plus us, will be fighting for the title."

Rooney endured a torrid time at the start of last season, going into the 2010-11 campaign on the back of a dismal World Cup and suffering fitness problems.

He will be more optimistic this time around, after finishing the season in impressive form and having scored a hat-trick in this week's pre-season friendly against Seattle Sounders, but he says he always feels the need for improvement.

"I'm a player who wants to do well all the time and I know I can always improve, so if I keep working and practicing, hopefully I can do that," he said. "I don't really set targets but it would be nice if I can get through the season injury-free. That would be a big boost for me.

"I hope that I'm going to get better and better. I work and practice hard every day to try to achieve that so if I do that it'll be great for me and the club."

The form of Lionel Messi, inspirational in the Champions League final victory over United in May, has set a new benchmark in the modern game.

"Messi is a great player and rightly World Player of the Year," he said. "I think, not just for me, but for every footballer out there, that's the target you want to try to get to and hopefully I can do that.

"Barcelona has their style of play and we play differently - not everyone can play the way they do. They have their identity and we have our own. Full credit to them, they were a much better team than us on the day and deserved the win, but we're looking forward to the new season now, trying to put that behind us and concentrating on what's ahead.

"I think you have to put it behind you. I still think it was a great achievement by us to get to the final. Obviously you want to win, but they were better than us so you have to hold your hands up to that. It's always disappointing when you lose in any competition. We just want to do our best this season, try to retain the title and go that one step further in the Champions League."

LFC Scoops Industry Award

LFC scooped another industry accolade recently when it landed the prestigious Best Digital Marketing Campaign from the MBNA Northern Sports Awards for its 'We Make The Shirt. You Make It Liverpool FC' launch.

The 2010-11 kit launch, which saw a sponsor change to Standard Chartered Bank, was an historic event for LFC and the club wanted to create a point of difference. In partnership with kit provider adidas, an innovative campaign was launched that involved fans in the making of their Liverpool FC kit. The campaign included a flash mob 'shirt swap' advert featuring real fans and filmed in the historic Williamson Square in Liverpool. 'Augmented reality zones' were also created in club stores where a dynamic backdrop provided fans with a chance to have their picture taken as if they're standing next to their first-team hero. Central to the campaign's success was a focus on behind-the-scenes interviews at LFC's training ground used for exclusive digital content, virals and social media interaction.

Bruce Bundrant, Head of Commercial Partnerships with Liverpool Football Club, said: "We're delighted to win this prestigious award which saw the club pull together a high impact, integrated marketing campaign. The response from fans was incredible - they really embraced the whole meaning behind the shirt launch."

He added: "The results speak for themselves with 11m social media and 83m website impressions and over 35,000 orders from 121 countries making the kit launch the most successful in LFC's history."

Barry Moore, Head of Communications from adidas, said: "adidas and Liverpool FC partnered for the 2010-11 club home shirt launch campaign entitled 'We Make The Shirt. You Make It Liverpool FC'. It was a fully integrated marketing campaign which ran across a variety of adidas and Liverpool platforms including social media."

New Commercial Director For LFC

Liverpool FC has announced the appointment of Graham Bartlett as its new Commercial Director. Graham, who takes up his position in the first week of September, will report directly to Managing Director Ian Ayre.

Graham's role will see him maximize and grow revenue streams within the areas of Partnerships, Digital Media, Merchandising & Licensing, Soccer Schools, Ticketing Sales and Corporate Sales. He will build and maintain strong relationships at senior level with existing partners and suppliers and also work closely with MD Ian Ayre in creating and developing international business sales operations and associated infrastructure.

Currently the Sports Marketing Director of Nike UK and Ireland, Graham has been responsible for all of the company's individual athlete, club and federation sponsorships across all sports. He has over 14 years' experience in the negotiation and delivery of major sponsorship, television and licensing agreements for global and national sports properties. Having worked from both a sales and buyer perspective at agency, rights-holder and rights acquirer level in domestic and international markets, he possesses an in-depth understanding of the sports marketing business.

A qualified solicitor, Graham began his career in 1993 with Linklaters & Paines before moving four years later to work in the Sports Law Group at Nicholson Graham & Jones. In 1999 he was appointed Vice President and Head of Business Affairs in the Football Department at ISL Worldwide. Two years later he moved to European Football's governing body UEFA as their Head of Business Affairs and Account Management before changing roles to be Head of Business Development, Business Affairs and Licensing. He joined Nike in 2005.

Managing Director Ian Ayre said: "Graham is a great addition to our team. Now that we have all of the foundations in place to globalize our brand, Graham's experience across partnerships, brands, merchandise and media are perfect skill sets to help us achieve our commercial objectives. I have known Graham for some time and am certain he will make a fantastic contribution to the football club.

Graham Bartlett commented: "I'm very proud to be joining such an incredible club and excited at the challenge ahead. My whole family is from the city itself and as a lifelong fan, there is no other club in the world that I would have worked for apart from Liverpool. It has a fantastic history and heritage and I'm delighted to be a part of it.

"But I wouldn't have accepted the position unless I thought I could do a good job and help the club to continue to progress. We are all desperate to take Liverpool to the next level and I want to be part of that adventure."

Kenny Dalglish Has To Sell Before He Can Buy Says Liverpool Owners

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) want manager Kenny Dalglish to sell members of his squad before they will allow him to spend the cash again.

The Reds have already embarked in a £40million recruitment drive this summer, resulting in Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Alexander Doni being signed.

FSG is now keen for the club to recoup at least some of the outlay through sales despite the boss still wanting to bring in fresh faces.

Dalglish wants a central defender and a left-back, but his pursuit of reinforcements is only likely to come to fruition once the fringe players have been offloaded.

Paul Konchesky has already been sold to Leicester City for £1.5million but there are more players likely to be heading for the exit.

Liverpool will listen to offers for Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones, Philipp Degen, Emiliano Insua and David Ngog.

Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles will also be allowed to leave should Liverpool receive substantial offers, with the Italy midfield player the most likely to depart.

Joe Cole would also be allowed to leave, but Liverpool is discovering that his £110,000-a-week contract is proving a deterrent to interested clubs.

Should Dalglish offload the players he will turn his attention to finalizing deals for Diego Godin and Jose Enrique.

The Anfield boss is satisfied with the business his club has done so far this summer, but he is aware of the need to trim his squad.

“We’re delighted with the work we’ve done,” Dalglish said. “Whether there’s more remains to be seen and depends on players going out.”