Steven Gerrard Shocked By Liverpool’s Premier League Start

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gerrard - Rafa Right To Criticise

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glen Johnson Is The New Cafu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liverpool's Rivals Will Suffer Soon, Says Benitez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liverpool FC Must End A Hungarian Jinx In Champions League

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steven Gerrard Gives Reds A Resounding Response

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carling Cup Third Round Draw

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

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

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

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

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

Carling Cup third round draw:

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

Ties will be played week commencing Monday, 21 September

Liverpool The Latest To Consider Roma’s Julio Baptista

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

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

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

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

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

Sotirios Kyrgiakos Has Title Know-How To Boost Liverpool FC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The match against Villa on Monday was hugely disappointing.

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

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

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

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

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

Steven Gerrard will hold his hands up for that mistake.

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

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

Liverpool Forced On The Defensive Over Transfers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match Preview: Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kyrgiakos Credentials Can Boost Reds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Benitez Left Without A Fall Guy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brown Hoping To Keep Reds Target Turner At Hull

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gerrard Not At Best, Admits Benitez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Newcastle United's Steven Taylor Will Not Move To Liverpool Or Everton - Chris Hughton

Newcastle Untied caretaker manager Chris Hughton believes the club will hold on to star defender Steven Taylor.

The former England Under-21 captain has been a long-term target of the Premier League big boys and speculation has grown since the Magpies' relegation.

Taylor was reportedly being lined up by Everton manager David Moyes as a replacement for the outgoing Joleon Lescott and has also caught the eye of Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez.

Hughton told Sky Sports News, "I am hopeful we will keep him. Nothing has been said to me that says anything different. I expect him to be a Newcastle player come Tuesday evening and beyond."

Speculation surrounding Taylor has cooled after Everton announced their intentions to bring in Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin and Liverpool completed the signing of Greek international Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Taylor had been linked with an £8 million move away from St. James' Park but the Toon boss, in his third spell as caretaker manager, doesn't believe the club can afford to let any players leave if they wish to compete in the Championship.

"I hope no one else leaves. Most importantly is that we can compete. We have been fortunate on injuries until now," he asserted.

"The squad is quite tight at the moment. Along with that there is a feel good factor among players."

Finally the Tyneside caretaker admitted that the club, who have made no permanent signings this summer, are looking to add to their paper thin squad, adding, "We are looking to strengthen. We have said if we pick up injuries we would be stretched. We are at that stage now. At the end of the window we have to be in a position where we can compete and that means having a squad big enough.

"We are short up front. There is no getting away from that. Xisco and Carroll are both out. We have to work our way around that. We are going into a difficult game against Leicester on Monday."

Manchester United Block Liverpool Physiotherapist’s England Move

Manchester United have blocked the proposed promotion of a Liverpool physiotherapist to work with the England team in a move that demonstrates the distrust that exists between the country’s top clubs.

Dave Galley, who has more than 25 years’ experience working as a football physiotherapist, had expected to be part of the England medical staff for the friendly against Slovenia on September 5 and the World Cup qualifier with Croatia four days later. But the intervention of David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive and FA board member, led to Galley reverting to his previous role with the England Under-21 squad. Liverpool are understood to be far from impressed with the situation.

Gill, referring to a policy introduced by the FA last year designed to ensure that only independent medical staff are appointed to work with the national team, raised concerns about a rival club’s physiotherapist having access to valuable information about the fitness of players from other team’s.

The FA has previously taken steps to ensure that such situations cannot arise, with the appointment of Gary Lewin as England’s full-time physiotherapist in August last year, followed by Ian Beasley becoming full-time doctor four months later. Both had previously worked for the FA on a part-time basis with their regular employment being provided by Arsenal.

This protocol led Gill to question the wisdom of the appointment of Galley to work with Fabio Capello’s squad and the FA backed his opinion. “Dave has reverted back to the Under-21s after one game.” said an FA spokesman. “There should be no questions against his professionalism, We must be clear that there is an agreed board policy that has nothing to do with Manchester United that the medical staff should be independent.

“Franco Baldini (Capello’s general manager) and Rafael Benítez (the Liverpool manager) discussed the matter yesterday and it was explained we wanted to see Dave working with the team in the friendly this month. We refute any suggestion that we have been pressurised by Manchester United.”

Liverpool Legend Ian Rush: Rafael Benitez’s Side Can Bounce Back

Liverpool's early season accumulation of three points from a possible nine has prompted the club's title-credential doubters to pen doom-mongering claims, yet former striker Ian Rush has tipped Rafael Benitez's Reds to bounce-back.

A resounding 4-0 win over Stoke City has separated respective 2-1 and 3-1 losses to top of the league Tottenham Hotspur and Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa.

Rush, 47, told The Daily Mail, "After losing only two games throughout the whole of last season, we’ve now managed to lose two in the space of just ten days.

"It means that Liverpool have to adopt a positive mental outlook in every game from here on in. The Reds were held to too many draws last season, but the margin for error in the modern title race is so slim that draws are no use any more.

"United won the title last season, despite losing four matches," stated Rush, "And that’s because they drew five fewer than Liverpool throughout the course of the campaign. The three points for a win format means that a defeat – even a home defeat as desperately disappointing as [Monday] night – is not as damaging as it might otherwise have been.

"That’s why I think it’s far too early to be writing Liverpool off as credible title challengers as some people already appear to be doing," he concluded.

Liverpool's next league clash is against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Reds Happy With Euro Draw

Christian Purslow feels Liverpool have been handed a favourable draw in the UEFA Champions League.

The Reds' managing director was in Monaco on Thursday to see the Merseysiders paired alongside Lyon, Fiorentina and Debrecen.

With little travelling involved in away trips for any of the sides in Group E, Purslow admits he could not have hoped for much more.

"We are very happy," he told Sky Sports News.

"We tend to focus on our travel commitments - short trip to France, short trip to Italy and a slightly longer trip to Hungary - we are pretty happy with that."

Ligue 1 giants Lyon and Serie A outfit Fiorentina have prior experience of life in Europe's premier club competition, while Debrecen are competing at this level for the first time.

The Hungarian champions will be something of an unknown quantity for Liverpool, but Purslow is pleased to see French and Italian representatives alongside the Reds.

"Both have come through the qualifiers, so that means they're doing something right, and I think they are very well known European opponents who won't bring us any surprises," he added.

Liverpool have endured a difficult start to the 2009/10 campaign, losing two of their first three fixtures in the Premier League, with question marks raised over the club's decision to offload key midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Few new additions have been brought into Rafa Benitez's squad to help build on last season's impressive campaign, but Purslow insists Reds supporters should not expect further fresh faces to be acquired by the time the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

"I wouldn't bank on it," he said.

Finally, with Uefa trialling a new scheme in the Europa League this season, with five match officials involved in each game, Purslow admits he would be happy to see the idea phased into the Champions League in the future.

He said: "I think technology is a good thing. The stakes are so high now in all sport, especially professional football, that anything that helps is a good thing.

"We saw the goal that wasn't at the start of this season in the Championship and if that were to happen at the highest level of football, the Champions League, then it would be very costly for all concerned. We are a big supporter of this."

Five Key Areas For Liverpool Manager Rafael Benitez To Address

Three games, two defeats and six points adrift of the Premier League's pace-setters are hardly the criteria Liverpool would have wished for at the start of the season they were supposed to end their 20-year wait for the title.

Yossi Benayoun has insisted that Rafael Benítez's players still think they "can win the title", the Israeli adamant that "we believe we are strong enough, even if maybe we cannot lose any more games".

Glen Johnson, equally defiant, remains convinced their rivals "will drop points, because the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham can beat anybody".

Yet that should not detract from the scale of the problems facing Benitez and his squad.

Outplayed at White Hart Lane and out-thought at Anfield for the first time in 18 months, Liverpool must find an answer to their mounting problems if they are to live up to their pre-season billing as champions in waiting.

The numbers game

As Benítez pointed out on Monday night, it is inherently flawed to suggest that Liverpool, who finished second last season, are suddenly incapable of competing for a slot in the top four simply because their side are much the same as they were last year.
The loss of Xabi Alonso aside, Liverpool are not exactly a shadow of their former selves. Alvaro Arbeloa has been upgraded for Glen Johnson and Benítez's first XI on Wednesday – plus the injured Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and Alberto Aquilani and substitutes Ryan Babel and Albert Riera – still provide a spine as good as any in the country.

The problem lies in the outlying areas. Liverpool's bench is populated by promising youngsters and substandard squad men. As he cast his eye over his substitutes on Wednesday, it is hard to believe that Benítez would feel he had the firepower to turn the game around.

Benítez, it has been noted, is alone among managers in that he only ever wins. If Liverpool lose, the blame inexorably shifts to the club's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, for not providing their manager with the requisite financial support.

Culpability, though, must be shared. Benítez has only been able to spend what he has raised, but his decision not to cash in on the likes of Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena has deprived his side of the infusion of quality it needed.

The missing midfielder

One player who was sold this summer, Alonso, has achieved by leaving what he failed to do during his five years on Merseyside: demolishing the myth of Liverpool as a two-man team.

For half a decade, Alonso was Liverpool's secret heartbeat, dictating the pace and tempo of their play. Few noticed, preferring instead to highlight the contributions of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, perpetuating the idea that without their strike duo, Liverpool would struggle. As soon as Alonso left, though, the obituaries poured in, stating that Benítez's two-man team would be bereft without the Basque.

The Liverpool manager is right to suggest that how keenly Alonso's departure will be felt can only be judged when Aquilani is fit. There remains the possibility that by the time he is, though, too much ground may have been lost in the title race.

The missing midfield

Before Aquilani appears, Liverpool must learn to live within their means. Benítez's side have yet to adapt their style to deal with life after Alonso.

Lucas Leiva, much-maligned and much-improved, has borne the brunt of the criticism, but in truth the Brazilian international has been among Liverpool's best players in the nascent campaign. The problem is more one of structure than personnel.

Like his midfield partner, Javier Mascherano, Lucas is used to playing deep, coming short for his defenders to pick up the ball and begin attacks. Lacking the passing range of Alonso, though, he has found himself playing sideways more often than forward, a situation exacerbated by Gerrard seemingly fitting in against Aston Villa as an auxiliary striker.

Steven Gerrard

The Liverpool captain is usually immune to criticism, but his performance against Aston Villa was among the worst he has produced under Benítez. All players are entitled to off nights and it is testament to Gerrard's consistency that his lows are so noticeable.

His display, though, brought back memories of Basle in 2002, when the midfielder was substituted at half-time after a listless showing which he has since admitted was due to personal problems. The parallels with a sluggish start to this season are obvious.

Gerrard has had a difficult summer, and it would be understandable if the stress of his trial has affected his performances. That there is nobody available to take the weight of expectation from him is an indictment of Liverpool's strength in depth.

Set-pieces

Benítez, whenever he chooses to leave England, is unlikely to want to hear the words 'zonal marking' ever again. The statistics over the last five years prove that the manager's favoured system is no more or less flawed than man-to-man marking, yet there is room for concern that all five of the goals conceded by the Spaniard's team this season have come from set pieces.

Little or nothing could be done about Ashley Young's penalty, Lucas's own goal or Benoit Assou-Ekotto's thunderbolt, of course, but the fact the fouls central to each goal were unnecessarily conceded means all three were thoroughly avoidable.

Benítez has built his success on a sound defence but his side have now looked vulnerable from set pieces for more than a year. Zonal marking may or may not be to blame, but the Spaniard is open to criticism until he finds a solution.

Liverpool In No Hurry To Replace Rick Parry

Liverpool face "no time pressure" to appoint a permanent chief executive to replace Rick Parry almost six months after it was revealed he would stand down, sources close to the club have claimed.

Headhunters Odgers Berndtson were tasked with finding a replacement in June but, as yet, no appointment has been made.

While Christian Purslow, a Spanish-speaking Liverpool fan, was named as managing director – purely on a "short-term basis" – it is believed Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the club's owners, are not concerned by the lack of progress.

Sources have confirmed that, while a number of candidates have been identified, the Americans have placed no time limit on ending the search.

Pepe Reina Confident Liverpool FC Will Find Form As Champions League Beckons

Liverpool’s Pepe Reina is convinced that Rafael Benitez’s side can overcome their stuttering start to the campaign.

The draw for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League competition took place in Monaco at 5pm this evening.

Liverpool are ranked joint second in the seedings, alongside Chelsea and behind only European Cup holders Barcelona.

It means they will also avoid Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Sevilla while the country protection rule ensures the Anfield outfit cannot face either Manchester United or Arsenal.

However, dangers lurk in the second group of seeds that includes Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus.

Nonetheless, Benitez’s side will have to improve on their form so far this campaign which has already seen defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

But goalkeeper Reina has urged the worried Liverpool support to keep faith in the team.

“The fans can trust us until the end because as a team we have always been strong,” said the Spain international.

“Obviously we are disappointed because it is not normal for us to play three games and lose two of them, but we have to look forward, try to improve and carry on with our title challenge.

“We are the same team as last season – the same team that won 86 points in the league.

“We have plenty of good players in the dressing room and we have to look forward because as soon as we win two or three games in a row, things will change a lot.”

Glen Johnson Maintains Title Hopes

Glen Johnson insists Liverpool's title challenge remains intact despite their disappointing start to the season.

The Reds suffered their second defeat of the 2009/10 campaign on Monday night against Aston Villa, meaning they have now lost as many games this term as they did in the whole of last season.

Two setbacks in three outings is far from the ideal start Rafa Benitez's men were looking for, especially as they were tipped to be among the contenders to take the crown this year after falling agonisingly short in 2008/09.

Johnson insists Liverpool are still capable of conquering the Premier League, with 35 games still to come, but the England ace does accept that a lacklustre opening was not part of the Anfield plans.

"Obviously this is not the start to the season that we wanted, but it's only the third game and there is a long way to go," Johnson told the club's official website.

"It's still the early part of the season so we are not going to beat ourselves up at the moment.

"Of course, we'd like to have a few more points but it's not to be so we'll just keep going."

Next up for Liverpool is a trip to Bolton on Saturday and Johnson is hoping the Reds can kick-start their season at the Reebok Stadium.

"Bolton is a hard place to go next but hopefully we'll start there the way we started the second half against Villa, by going at them from the first minute to get three points," he added.

It's Tough At The Top - Yossi

Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun believes the competition in the Barclays Premier League is shaping up to be tougher than ever.

While the Israel international is frustrated at his side losing two of their opening three games, he insists they can mount a challenge as the other top teams will drop points.

Liverpool are aiming to bounce back from the home defeat by Aston Villa when they face Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.

It has always been an unpopular venue for manager Rafael Benitez but Benayoun is just focusing on the challenge in hand.

He said: "I feel the big four will lose more points than expected as other teams are now stronger and Villa have proved they can beat anyone.

"I am sure Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal will have tough games against the likes of Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham.

Hopefully, at the end of the season we will still be there.

"We need to try and improve and quickly, starting on Saturday against Bolton. To lose two out of three is unusual for us.

"We lost only twice through the whole of the last Premier League season, and we have to show that we are still a strong team.

"We need to recover from this and look to work game by game, and work hard to play better.

"At a club like Liverpool, if you lose two or three games then people will ask if we are strong enough to win the league. But there is still a long way to go, everything can change.

"If we go on a long winning run then people will start talking differently about us."

Benitez was critical of his team in the wake of the Villa defeat and Benayoun says the players have to share responsibility for the poor display.

He added: "I don't think it's the senior players who need to come to the fore, it's everyone. We know what we need to do to improve.

"I'm sure we have enough quality. We still think we can win the title but maybe we cannot lose any more games until the end of the season."

Liverpool’s Next 10 Games to Get Title Bid Back On Track

Two defeats in their opening three Premier league games has already raised doubts over Liverpool’s title credentials and left them trailing Chelsea, Arsenal and even Tottenham.

However, still in August there is plenty of time for Rafa Benitez to put things right and prevent a disappointing start from turning in to a full-blown crisis at Anfield.

Bolton, 29 August, away

A byword for a ‘tough place to go’ in the past, the Reebok Stadium is actually anything but and Liverpool will be able to take their frustrations out on Gary Megson’s winless, pointless and goalless side this season.

Burnley, 12 September, home

When the fixtures were announced this would have been down as a home banker but Burnley have surprised plenty of people this season already and wins over Manchester United and Everton mean they should be treated with more respect than Rafa Benitez famously gave them in his first FA Cup campaign at Anfield.

West Ham, 19 September, away

Gianfranco Zola has been doing wonders with what little he’s had to work with at Upton Park and this is a potential pit fall for Liverpool, especially as the Italian should have added some extra firepower to his squad by then.

Hull City, 26 September, home

Hull held Liverpool to a damaging draw at Anfield last season and showed enough against Chelsea on the opening day of the season to suggest they can still be problematic to big teams – though the capitulation against Spurs virtually disabused that notion.

Chelsea, 4 October, away

Carlo Ancelotti’s side look compact, business like and very hard to beat – much like Liverpool last season - and a tight affair is unlikely to produce many goals, or a Liverpool win.

Sunderland, 17 October, away

Sunderland already look to have improved under Steve Bruce with Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones enjoying each other’s company. Should Sunderland’s own good start to the season run through in to October then a trip to the north east this season may turn out to be less productive than last year.

Manchester United, 25 October, home

Liverpool looked the most like possible champions last season when they faced Manchester United, doing the double over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in fine style. With the division more open that ever this year beating the other top sides becomes even more important and a repeat of last year’s drama could kick start the campaign for Liverpool.

Fulham, 31 October, away

Roy Hodgson’s side finished seventh last season and beat Manchester United at home and so a trip to Craven Cottage should not be taken lightly. However, Liverpool should still be too strong for a side for which Europe may prove something of a distraction.

Birmingham, 9 November, home

Alex McLeish’s hard working but limited Birmingham side should be easy pickings at Anfield – if not then the title bid really will be over by November.

Manchester City, 21 November, home

More will be known about both teams’ aspirations by this point. Will they be jostling for the title? A Champions League spot? Or a Europa League place? City have started the season in better health than Liverpool and this match could prove a defining one in both their seasons.

Reds Close On Czech Starlet

Liverpool are set to bring in Jakub Sokolik from Banik Ostrava, according to the defender's agent.

The teenager, who turns 16 on Friday, is understood to be on his way to Merseyside to hold talks over a possible contract with the Premier League giants.

Sokolik's representative Pavel Zika expects the move to go through in the very near future.

"It is a regular transfer on the basis of an agreement between two clubs," Zika tolf CTK.

"During the next few days we should finalise the deal."

Sokolik has played for Czech Republic at Under 16 level and is regarded as an exciting prospect for the future.

Liverpool have been tracking his progress for some time and Banik general manager Werner Licka is not surprised Rafa Benitez's men have stepped up their interest.

Licka said: "On the club level we are basically agreed with Liverpool, but it is not concluded yet because Jakub is travelling to Liverpool to discuss the terms of the contract.

"It is no coincidence that they have chosen him. He has a great potential to gain ground there.

"He knows what he wants and he is all right in the head. Personally, I am no big fan of transfers of such young players to foreign leagues but, on the other hand, the interest of Liverpool is a huge reward for our work."

Banik chairman Tomas Trucha added: "If he reaches the first team just once, then it would make the transfer one of the biggest in Banik's club history."

Reina - Keep The Faith

Pepe Reina has urged fans to maintain their trust in Liverpool's ability to challenge for the Premier League title.

Monday's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa was their second league loss in three games, equalling the number of defeats they suffered last term.

The Reds have already slipped six points behind the early pace-setters, but the Spanish shot-stopper is refusing to press the panic button, saying the team remains strong and capable of challenging.

"The fans can trust us until the end because as a team we have always been strong," he told the club's official website.

"Obviously we are disappointed because it is not normal for us to play three games and lose two of them, but we have to look forward, try to improve and carry on with our title challenge.

"We are the same team as last season - the same team that won 86 points in the league.

"Nothing has changed except that some players have left and some have come in, but we are still a strong team.

"We have plenty of good players in the dressing room and we have to look forward because as soon as we win two or three games in a row things will change a lot."

Manchester United secured 90 points to win last season's Premier League title, but Reina does not believes this year's winners will need anywhere near that mark.

The former Barcelona keeper thinks 82 points could be enough to secure top spot this time around, but that it is too early in the campaign to start thinking about the finishing line.

"Teams like Villa, Tottenham and Man City will be involved in the title race and I think the eventual champions will probably win no more than 82 points this season," he continued.

"Tottenham are playing at a good level. They were probably better than us in the first game of the season, especially in the first half.

"But it is too early to speak about teams. We have to wait a little bit longer."

Hertha Give Up Chase For Liverpool’s Andriy Voronin

The general manager of Hertha Berlin, Michael Preetz, has indicated that the Bundesliga club have no option but to forget about chasing striker Andriy Voronin because Liverpool have no intention of letting the player leave.

"We have been talking to Liverpool and Rafael Benitez, but we have to stay realistic," Preetz told Spox.

"At this moment they do not only refuse to give Andriy another loan spell away from the club, they do not even want to sell him.

"The fact is that he is getting match practice at Liverpool and it looks as if we have to forget this possibility."

Voronin had a very successful spell with the German club last season, making 23 league appearances and scoring 11 goals.

Testing Time For Liverpool

Liverpool are facing up to a title crisis just a few days into a season when they were being hailed as Premier League favourites.

Two disturbing defeats inside the first nine days of the campaign - by teams with genuine hopes of breaking into the top four - has seen boss Rafael Benitez turn on his senior stars and demand more responsibility.

But the defeats at Tottenham and then against Aston Villa at Anfield have brought to a head a summer of change at Anfield that has been largely kept very much under wraps.

Not any more. Major changes in staffing at Anfield, the club's academy and the Melwood training complex has created a sense of upheaval.

Now the financial problems of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, which has deprived Benitez of the funds to buy a much-needed top striker, is taking its toll.

Benitez, unhappy it is believed at the easy access to dressing room secrets by TV pundits who are friendly with his top players, has now called for "greater responsibility" from his star names.

Liverpool players, predictably, have jumped to the defence of a side already six points behind the leaders.

Midfielder Yossi Benayoun said: "Of course we are disappointed. We did not expect to lose to Villa but it was just one of those nights when everything went against us.

"Now we know we have to improve on Saturday at Bolton. Against Villa we did not play like we can play, we didn't move the ball quickly enough as we did to beat Stoke last week.

"Last season we only lost two league games, so of course we are not pleased. But we have to show we are still a strong team with character to recover from this.

"It is all about hard work and effort, working from game to game and We know we can do better than this.

"Normally a club like Liverpool will lose only two or three games (a season). Of course everyone will ask if we are strong enough to win the league, but there is still a long way to go and everything can change.

"Not only the senior players must do better, everybody needs to work harder. I am sure we have enough quality, enough good players to do it (win the title).

"We have a game now against Bolton and maybe then it is a good time to go on an international break and try to come back stronger."

Benitez looked to his top men for the right leadership, and that cannot hide the fact that Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano are in the firing line.

Benitez also dismissed criticism of his style of play and the quality in his squad.

He said: "There is no doubt that senior players must take on more responsibility while I have no problem with the system we use. It won us 86 points last season and we only conceded 10 goals from set-pieces.

"But there are things that must be improved. Maybe our focus, we must now win our next game and then things can change.

"There were too many people involved with mistakes for the goals (against Villa), the own goal was unlucky and we maybe could have done better for their second defending the corner.

"And, as for the penalty, it is better if the player (Gerrard) can stay on his feet and then the outcome could be different.

"This is now a test of character. We have to show we have enough quality for a title challenge and we must win against Bolton and do the right things in matches.

"The squad is more or less the same one that took 86 points last season. So we know we can do it, but we must do things properly from the beginning of games."

New signing Glen Johnson was equally defensive, saying: "Obviously this is not the start to the season that we wanted but it was only the third game and there is a long way to go.

"It is still the early part of the season so we are not going to beat ourselves up at the moment. Of course, we would like to have a few more points but it's not to be so we will just keep going."

He added: "I definitely believe that teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham and Manchester City will take points off the so-called big four this season.

"Bolton is a hard place to go next but hopefully we will start there the way we started the second half tonight by going at them from the first minute and get the three points."

Liverpool Manager Rafael Benitez Must Take His Share Of The Anfield Blame Game

US president Harry Truman took pride in a sign on his desk in the Oval Office which read ’the buck stops here’.

And Rafa Benitez, Liverpool’s own El Presidente, would do well to reflect on that as he plays the blame game following Liverpool’s poor start to the season.

Benitez pointed the finger at Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in the wake of their shock home defeat to Aston Villa, claiming his senior players need to take more responsibility.

As glaring as Carragher and Gerrard’s mistakes were for Villa’s second and third goals, Benitez is responsible for the deeper, underlying problems at Anfield.

He was the one who fell out with Xabi Alonso so badly over the midfielder’s request to spend more time with his expectant wife 17 months ago, a row which sowed the seeds for his £30million move to Real Madrid.

To compound that error, Benitez, who has full control of transfers, chose to replace Alonso with the injured Alberto Acquilani and Liverpool’s title challenge could be over before the £20million Italian is fit enough to kick a ball.

Benitez’s decision to tinker with his successful 4-2-3-1 formation by playing Lucas in a more advanced role in anticipation of Acquilani’s availability is also back firing.

With only Javier Mascherano left to protect them, Liverpool’s back four is too exposed and they have shipped five goals in their first three games.

Fernando Torres also looked isolated against Villa as he was knocked from pillar to post by Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar and he has no-one to share the burden up front.

Yossi Benayoun disagreed with Benitez’s assessment that the senior players had to stand up and be counted, claiming everyone must take responsibility.

“I don’t think it’s the senior players who need to come to the fore, it’s all of the players,” he said. “We know what we need to do to improve. We need to try and improve and quickly, starting on Saturday at Bolton.

“We didn’t play like we can play. We didn’t move the ball like we did against Stoke. We missed our chances, particularly in the first half, and we conceded two goals from set-pieces.

“To lose two out of three is unusual for us. We lost only twice through the whole of the last Premier League season and we have to show that we are still a strong team.

“We need to recover from this and look to work game by game, and work hard to play better.”

For all of Benayoun’s rousing words, it is hard to ignore the growing feeling that Benitez’s Anfield career may have peaked and that last season’s second place was as good as it will get under him in the Premier League.

Kopites charted the same graph for Gerard Houllier at the start of the decade and after finishing second in 2002, Liverpool faded as a Premier League force.

There is even the danger that the Reds might struggle to claim a Champions League berth if Tottenham and Manchester City maintain their fine starts.

Worryingly for Benitez, he has little room to maneuver in the transfer market and he has next to nothing left from Alonso’s £30million after buying Acquilani.

Reds fans still back Benitez, but an increasing number are beginning to question the wisdom of letting Sami Hyypia go and snubbing Michael Owen when the former Anfield favourite was so desperate to return.

Benayoun insists Liverpool are still good enough to win the league, although he admits the looming international break does offer them a welcome chance to regroup.

“At a club like Liverpool, if you lose two or three games then people will ask if we are strong enough to win the league,” said the Israeli star. “But there is still a long way to go and everything can change.

“If we go on a long winning run, then people will start talking differently about us.

“I’m sure we have enough quality and we still think we can win the title. Maybe we can not lose any more games until the end of the season, but we believe we are strong enough to be there at the end of the season.

“It’s important to get a winning run together, but maybe it’s good that we have an international break coming up after the Bolton game.

“We have to try and come back stronger and we have games that we believe we can win. If we can win three or four games then the confidence can come back.”

Tommy Smith: Liverpool FC Need To Sort Themselves Out

It was obvious on Monday night that Liverpool have got problems. But what worried me most was that the players didn’t act like it.

If I’d have been out there I would have shouting and bawling, demanding more from the team, whether I was the captain or not.

You take things into your own hands when it’s not going well, not just stand there and accept defeat.

But the players looked as baffled by the whole affair as I was – I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The most puzzling thing was Steven Gerrard being so out of sorts.

Every player is allowed a bad game and an off day and there were many besides him who weren’t up to the job.

But we couldn’t find a way through midfield at all and Gerrard didn’t seem up to the job of powering through and threatening in the penalty area.

In fact, the only area he caused trouble in was in his own when he gave away that penalty.

He is an attacking midfield player so what is he doing in the box making a tackle?

I remember playing in a game against Newcastle and of all people Kevin Keegan and came back to give a away a penalty. I said, “what the hell are you doing down here giving away a penalty, you’re supposed to be at other end putting them in?”

You can’t really shout and moan at Gerrard because of how good a player he is but when he’s doing things like that, you know it’s a bad night.

There weren’t many on the field that did deserve praise.

Jamie Carragher was okay apart from letting Curtis Davies in for his header but overall the defence was awful – we’ve got a left-back who is a good left-winger.

In midfield, we were crowded out and couldn’t do anything expect pass sideways or backwards. Lucas was standing there dong nothing most of the time – I’ve got two bad legs so I could do that!

So plenty of questions. We didn’t look to be playing as a unit and the squad is not as strong as it was last year – and unless Aquilani is as good as Alonso, how can it get better?

At the end of the day, how can we not beat a team that only last March we beat 5-0?

Martin O’Neill has clearly managed to sort a few tings out since then. Now the Reds need to sort a few things out of their own and fast.

Xabi Alonso: FXabi Alonso: Don't Blame Me For Poor Liverpool Form

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has told disgruntled fans "don't blame me" as many begin attributing the club's poor form to the Spaniard's recent departure to Real Madrid.

Liverpool have lost two of their opening three Premier League matches this season and cannot afford to lose any more if they are to have a realistic chance of wrestling the title away from Manchester United.

A 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Aug 16 was followed up by a convincing 4-0 victory against Stoke. However, Monday night's 3-1 humbling at home by Aston Villa, their first league defeat at Anfield for almost two years, has left a dark cloud hanging over manager Rafa Benitez, who had high hopes this would be Liverpool's year.

The two games they have already lost this season is the same number they tasted defeat in over the whole of the 2008-09 campaign, and fans believe the fact it coincides with Alonso's departure is not mere conincidence.

Alonso, who joined Real for £30m, has been keeping track of Liverpool's plight, but has urged fans not to point the finger of blame at him.

He said: "Liverpool's bad beginning in three matches is not normal but I believe my exit has not been that decisive.

"Players are not that indispensable and these are only the first moments of the season. I am convinced the team will recover."

Alonso's replacement at Anfield, Alberto Aquilani, has yet to feature and will not be fit for another six weeks.

In the mean time, Yossi Benayoun has been tasked with the job of filling Alonso's shoes as the team's playmaker, and the Israeli has admitted Liverpool cannot afford to lose any more games.

He said: "We still think that we can win the title but maybe we cannot lose any more games until the end of the season.

"We didn't expect to lose. We didn't play like we can. To lose two out of three is unusual for us. We have to show now we are still a strong team."

Rafa Benitez: Liverpool FC Can Still Mount Title Challenge

Liverpool FC's title bid is in the balance just a few days into a campaign when they were being hailed as Premier League favourites.

Two disturbing defeats inside the first nine days of the campaign - by teams with genuine hopes of breaking into the top four - has seen boss Rafa Benitez turn on his senior stars and demand more responsibility.

But the defeats at Tottenham and then against Aston Villa at Anfield have brought to a head a summer of change at Anfield that has been largely kept very much under wraps.

Not any more. Major changes in staffing at Anfield, the club’s academy and the Melwood training complex have created a sense of upheaval.

Now the financial problems of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, which has deprived Benitez of the funds to buy a much-needed top striker, are taking their toll.

Benitez, unhappy it is believed at the easy access to dressing room secrets by TV pundits who are friendly with his top players, has now called for "greater responsibility" from his star names.

Liverpool FC players, predictably, have jumped to the defence of a side already six points behind the leaders.

Midfielder Yossi Benayoun said: "Of course we are disappointed. We did not expect to lose to Villa but it was just one of those nights when everything went against us.

"Now we know we have to improve on Saturday at Bolton. Against Villa we did not play like we can play, we didn’t move the ball quickly enough as we did to beat Stoke last week.

"Last season we only lost two league games, so of course we are not pleased. But we have to show we are still a strong team with character to recover from this.

"It is all about hard work and effort, working from game to game and we know we can do better than this.

"Normally a club like Liverpool FC will lose only two or three games (a season). Of course everyone will ask if we are strong enough to win the league, but there is still a long way to go and everything can change.

"Not only the senior players must do better, everybody needs to work harder. I am sure we have enough quality, enough good players to do it (win the title).

"We have a game now against Bolton and maybe then it is a good time to go on an international break and try to come back stronger."

Benitez looked to his top men for the right leadership, and that cannot hide the fact that Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano are in the firing line.

Benitez also dismissed criticism of his style of play and the quality in his squad.

He said: "There is no doubt that senior players must take on more responsibility, while I have no problem with the system we use. It won us 86 points last season and we only conceded 10 goals from set-pieces.

"But there are things that must be improved. Maybe our focus, we must now win our next game and then things can change.

"There were too many people involved with mistakes for the goals (against Villa), the own goal was unlucky and we maybe could have done better for their second defending the corner.

"And, as for the penalty, it is better if the player (Gerrard) can stay on his feet and then the outcome could be different.

"This is now a test of character. We have to show we have enough quality for a title challenge and we must win against Bolton and do the right things in matches.

"The squad is more or less the same one that took 86 points last season. So we know we can do it, but we must do things properly from the beginning of games."

New signing Glen Johnson was equally defensive, saying: "Obviously this is not the start to the season that we wanted but it was only the third game and there is a long way to go.

"It is still the early part of the season so we are not going to beat ourselves up at the moment. Of course, we would like to have a few more points but it’s not to be so we will just keep going."

He added: "I definitely believe that teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham and Manchester City will take points off the so-called big four this season.

"Bolton is a hard place to go next but hopefully we will start there the way we started the second half tonight by going at them from the first minute and getting the three points."