Bentley Drops Liverpool Hint

David Bentley's latest comments suggest that Blackburn boss Mark Hughes will have his work cut out for him this summer trying to convince the young shooting star of the merits of staying true to his club.

The former Arsenal prospect has been heavily tipped to move to Anfield in recent months, having become increasingly unsettled following Blackburn’s failure to qualify for Europe.

Rovers boss Mark Hughes has rebuffed all interest so far and is desperate to hang onto Bentley, whose link-up with Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz provided most of the club’s highlights this season.

However, with news that Liverpool have revived their interest in the England internaional by way of a ₤12 million bid and Bentley himself showing signs of resisting committing to a new deal, things do not look especially good for Blackburn in this regard.

"No I haven't signed it but we're not talking about that now," said Bentley when pressed on the status of contract talks at Ewood Park.

"I watched the Champions League Final and of course that's the sort of match I want to play in. Every player when they start their career wants to reach the top of their game and I haven't done that yet.

"I wouldn't say I'm impatient - but I'm hungry for success," he added.

Bentley was speaking from England's training camp, where he and the rest of Fabio Capello's squad are preparing for their double-header against the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.

"I don't look at myself as a full international," Bentley added. "I haven't played in a big tournament, haven't played in the Champions League, so I've still got it all to do at the moment.

"That's what I'm trying to do. I've still got to work hard, get better as a player and hopefully one day I'll be in the big games."

Torres Is Staying At Anfield, Insist Liverpool

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is adamant striker Fernando Torres will not be leaving Anfield.

The Spaniard made a seamless transition to the Barclays Premier League following his transfer from Atletico Madrid, scoring 33 goals in his first season in England.

His efforts earned him the runner-up spot in the Footballer of the Year award behind Cristiano Ronaldo and he has become one of the most coveted forwards in the game.

Chelsea were rumoured to be preparing a £50million bid for the player but Hicks insists the Reds would never contemplate selling Torres and told the Daily Telegraph: 'We would never consider it.'

Liverpool Boss Benitez Plays Down His Side's Title Chances

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has played down his side's chances of winning the Premier League next season, describing the title as 'an option'.

The Reds finished fourth in the season just ended, 11 points behind champions Manchester United.

Their last league title came back in 1990 but Benitez did not sound overly confident of ending that depressing streak in 2008/2009.

'It is an option, for sure,' he said.

'We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things.

'It's more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title.

'The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.

'It's more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money, United needed to do the same.

'They started spending big money and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.

'You also see Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham and Everton spending money and having strong teams. It's not easy to be in the top four and be contenders but because we have a young squad we can try again.'

Mark Lawrenson: Liverpool Must Ditch Defensive Zonal System And Get Physical

Rafael Benitez can search the globe for solutions to his defensive problems this summer all he wants. But if he wants to cut down on the number of goals his team conceded from set-pieces last season then it’s not individuals he should be concerned with – it’s tactics.

Liverpool employ a zonal system, which has generally worked just fine during Benitez’s reign.

But once teams know you are going to set up like that, they work out ways of getting an extra man off to capitalise if the ball goes loose in the area.

From Benitez’s own analysis, Liverpool conceded 10 goals more from set plays than they did in the previous campaign and that is a worrying statistic.

One which suggests that something somewhere clearly isn’t working.

And while it’s plain to see that Benitez needs to fork out for some full-backs in the transfer window, it’s not as if wholesale changes to personnel throughout his defence are required.

In fact, centre-back is the one area in which you would you say there’s definitely no need to bring in reinforcements.

Certainly not as a matter of urgency anyway.

Martin Skrtel came in in January and did alright, Daniel Agger will be coming back next year, while Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia provide the experience to mix with the youth.

It looks like a strong unit, yet this is the area most responsible for avoiding the sort of goals Liverpool let in so frequently last season.

The players are more than capable of sorting that out themselves but Benitez might have to consider a change of tactics to make it happen.

And bringing in man-marking would be the ideal way to do that in my view. When the opposition has a free-kick, you’re responsible for one man and you need to stop him getting away.

I believe that’s still the most effective method of defending in the modern era, perhaps even more so considering what defenders can get away with in their own penalty area these days – you’re allowed to virtually grab hold of people.

Being more ruthless and bloody-minded in this way could be key to preventing those set-pieces resulting in goals and be worth an extra 10 or 12 points throughout the campaign.

There’s nothing wrong with the zonal system in open play, where you can pass players on to each other when the opposition has got the ball.

Having someone like Javier Mascherano and another player in a deeper midfield role in front of the defence works very well. It’s why so few teams get beyond Liverpool in open play, particularly down the middle.

But the central defenders are more than good enough and disciplined enough to pinpoint their man at a dead-ball situation and deal with it.

That didn’t happen enough last season but that’s no reason for Benitez to use any of his transfer budget on a new set of centre-backs.

The ones he has are fine – they just need to get a bit more physical.

Liverpool In Shock Defender Move

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is set for a shock move for Bristol City defender Liam Fontaine, according to reports.

The 22-year-old defender has had a superb season with the Robins during their promotion chasing season.

And the Daily Mirror claims that Fontaine, who can play centre-back or left-back, could be ready for a £1m move to Anfield.

Meanwhile, Benitez has played down his side's chances of winning the Premier League next season, describing the title as "an option''.

The Reds finished fourth in the season just ended, 11 points behind champions Manchester United.

Their last league title came back in 1990 but Benitez did not sound overly confident of ending that depressing streak in 2008/2009.

"It is an option, for sure,'' he told the club's website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

"We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things.

"It's more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title.

"The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.

"It's more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money, United needed to do the same.

"They started spending big money and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.

"You also see Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham and Everton spending money and having strong teams. It's not easy to be in the top four and be contenders but because we have a young squad we can try again.''

Liverpool City Council Plans Joint Stadium For Liverpool And Everton

Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley last night revealed he is still working on a plan for a joint stadium for Liverpool and Everton football clubs in the city.

The Lib-Dem leader’s revelation came after opposition Labour leader Joe Anderson urged the ruling group to make a last-ditch effort to stop Everton going to Kirkby by enabling the redevelopment of Goodison Park.

Last night, Cllr Bradley told the Daily Post: “I’d back the redevelopment of Goodison first and foremost as an Everton season ticket holder, but you can’t unless Everton make a commitment.

“If they want to come to the table, we’re always ready and willing.

“I’ve also been working behind the scenes on a joint Liverpool and Everton stadium. I’ve talked to the sports minister and to the NWDA and I’ve spoken to Bill Kenwright.

“We’re also opposing the Kirkby bid on planning grounds.”

Liverpool FC has planning permission for a new 61,000 stadium in Stanley Park but no work has started yet.

Fans have strongly opposed any joint stadium proposals.

Knowsley Council had hoped changes to the planned £400m joint Tesco/Everton development in Kirkby – including reducing the retail element by around 25% – would stop Liverpool Council object- ing to the project, but it seems that has been unsuccessful.

The more objections filed, the more likely it is that a time- consuming and possibly fatal “call-in” for government scrutiny will materialise.

Joe Anderson made his call for Liverpool to fight harder to keep Everton in the city as Knowsley planners prepare to assess the club’s Kirkby plans.

A report circulated to planning members suggests that the application could be seen in the early part of June.

The planning agenda for May 29 outlines a proposed change in procedure as a one-off mea- sure to accommodate the vast levels of interest in the plans.

The agenda sets out that any- one wishing to speak in the planning debate must give a response by June 5: “The plan- ning committee will meet shortly after that deadline to examine the proposals.”

But Cllr Anderson believes extending the footprint of Goodison Park is a viable alternative to relocation to Knowsley.

He said: “Liverpool Council owns some of the land surrounding Goodison Park and so we should be trying to negotiate with Everton about what can be done there.

“It’s a crazy situation. The city council is sitting back and letting a multi-million pound business move away from the city and not doing anything about it.

“Historically, this club has always been in the heart of Liverpool and my true belief is that this council should be negotiating with Everton Football Club to achieve a status to keep the club in the city.

“Everton needs a Plan B and we should be talking to them about that now.”

But Everton FC spokesman Ian Ross last night said the city had not come up with a viable alternative.

“We’ve always been open to approaches and negotiations with Liverpool City Council.: “Unfortu- nately (the city) have been un- able to put anything to us that in any way matches the current proposed Kirkby project.” “A wide variety of people have suggested the city council should come forward with a plan for us to look at but the simple truth is that they haven’t.

The Destination Kirkby plans have pro- ven so unpopular that 1,186 people have signed a Downing Street petition demanding the club’s planning application be called in by the Government.

The A total of 1,186 people have backed the submission attacks the proposals for breaking with Knowsley’s Unitary Development Plan.

However anti-stadium campaigners narrowly failed to win any seat at the recent local elections.

Rafa: We Need A Winning Mentality

In his end of season review with the club’s website, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez reiterated his desire to forge a winning mentality in his team. He also also noted the necessity to spend big in order to keep pace with the rest of the "big four."

For the first time under the reign of Rafa Benitez, Liverpool did not contest a cup final. After succumbing to Barnsley in the FA Cup quarter final and to Chelsea in the Champions League semi final, the Merseysiders were consigned to a season without an end-of-season decider. Rafa Benitez is intent on bringing the right mentality to the club; firstly, with the players already in his squad and secondly, on the players he attracts in the summer.

He said: “It's always the same: during the season you must do your job with the players you have and afterwards, in the summer, you need to do your job with the staff. It's really important to sign the right players with the right mentality. – a winning mentality. You want players who are desperate to come here and win trophies.”

Among Liverpool’s weaknesses this season was a tendency to concede from set-pieces, something which frustrates Benitez. He anticipates improvements in this department over the summer as he adjusts the club in preparation for an assault on the Premier League title.

He continued: “We have analysed a lot of things this year. For example, we have conceded a lot of goals from set pieces. We need to understand why because the season before we conceded six, now it's 16, yet we're doing more or less the same things. We can improve in this area.

We also need to keep the team scoring in open play while at the same time improving a little bit in defence. We have been really good in defence for three of four years, but I think we need to improve a little bit if we want to be at the top of the table.”

Benitez lamented the purchasing power of his domestic rivals, more so in the wake of Chelsea’s £16 million capture of Porto’s José Bosingwa. By failing to match the other members of the Premier League’s “big four” in the transfer market, Liverpool run the risk of being left behind.

“It's more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money,” said Benitez, “United needed to do the same. They started spending big money, and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.”

The Premier League, in the opinion of the Spaniard, is the most difficult in which to compete. “Clearly it's more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title. They key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.”

Although the Reds finished fourth, 11 points behind Champions Manchester United, Benitez is confident that his squad can close the gap and compete for the title: “It (the Premier League title) is an option, for sure. We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things.”

Despite last season’s travails, Benitez is optimistic that his side’s setbacks will stand them in good stead for next season, with the character of his team forged in the pitfalls of defeat. He said: “You can always learn when you win, but you always learn more when you lose. In a difficult year you can see the character of the players. You can also see the character of all the staff and people around. You can see if they have the winning mentality that we want.”

“We have the spine for next season and now we need to add players in certain positions.’

Parry: Prem Is Priority

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has insisted the Premier League title is the club’s number one priority next season, in an attempt to placate disillusioned fans.

The Reds again failed to put up any real competition for domestic honours this term, finishing in fourth place, some 11 points behind champions Manchester United.

It is now 18 seasons since the Merseyside giants have won the league title, and their record of 18 English championships is now under threat from their greatest rivals, as United’s win brought their tally to 17.

And with the Red Devils also clinching their third European Cup, Liverpool’s historical superiority over their North West enemies is in danger of being completely nullified within a matter of years.

Such a situation has seen Reds supporters become severely disgruntled with the running of the club, who must now hastily undo more than a decade of timid or misguided spending if they wish to maintain their status as England’s greatest.

Manager Rafa Benitez has already declared his intention to move swiftly and significantly in the transfer market, having wrapped up the signing of Swiss full-back Philipp Degen and nearly completed the acquisition of Udinese defender Andrea Dossena.

And Parry, whose job is under threat following a falling out with club co-owner Tom Hicks, insists everyone at Anfield is keen to make a genuine challenge for the Premier League title next season.

"We have to look back, learn and build for next season when the Premier League title will again be a priority target," he said.

"We said back in February that despite the off field issues we needed to focus on a busy and important game schedule. The players did this and we qualified for next season's Champions League with games to spare.

"As ever, we now begin to concentrate on further improving the squad for next year. We have to be real contenders. The points gap has narrowed, but it's still not enough.

"We have the nucleus of a very good team and now we must build on that during the summer break."