Dirk Kuyt Believes Liverpool Can Win The Europa League After Topping Their Group

Liverpool winger Dirk Kuyt has said he feels the Europa League title is within the reach for the Reds after they progressed to the knockout phase as group winners.

The Dutchman came off the bench in the 0-0 draw against his former side FC Utrecht at Anfield on Wednesday which sees Liverpool finish at the summit of Group K.

Speaking to Channel Five the Dutchman was confident in his side’s chances.

He said: "We have a couple of targets, and I think we have a very good chance to win this trophy, so it’s good to be top of the group and we’ll see who are next opponent is."

With Liverpool secure in top spot manager Roy Hodgson took the chance to play a few of the fringe players which meant Kuyt had to drop to the bench against his former team.

When he was brought on for Milan Jovanovic both sets of supporters rose to give him a good reception.

Kuyt continued: "The supporters from Utrecht were unbelievable, just as are the Liverpool fans, and after seven years to get a reception like this it’s unbelievable, and it shows a lot of respect and I’m thankful for that."

The draw for the next stage is on Friday, and with the Reds winning the group, they will be one of the seeded teams.

Schalke Moving For Liverpool Midfielder Poulsen

Schalke are eyeing Liverpool midfielder Christian Poulsen.

The 30-year-old moved to Anfield from Juventus for £4.5million over the summer and was viewed as a replacement for Javier Mascherano.

However, the Denmark international has failed to settle in Roy Hodgson's side so far and has yet to win over the Liverpool fans.

Although the uncompromising midfielder has enjoyed a glittering career across Europe and has won over 80 international caps, TMW says Poulsen may already be heading for an exit from Liverpool, with German side Schalke prepared to make a €3.5million bid.

Liverpool Watching Adebayor Man City Situation

Liverpool are eyeing Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Mirror says Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has emerged as a surprise contender in the race to land the player.

Juventus have also been heavily linked with a move for the player, but with the Italian giants yet to produce a concrete offer for the player it seems an Anfield switch is now a realistic possibility.

Liverpool are known to be in the market for a striker as Hodgson searches for an attacking foil for Torres, and the Anfield chief is willing to spend some of his £35 million transfer war chest on a high-calibre player.

Liverpool Face Disappointment In Race For Paraguay Star

Liverpool is set to lose out in the race for Lucas Barrios, with Real Madrid set to sign the Paraguayan strike star in January.

The Premier League outfit has been linked with the Borussia Dortmund star, who has already scored eight goals in the Bundesliga this season, but the Bernabeu giants are at the head of the queue, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.

Argentine-born Barrios is in only his second season in Europe but his 27 goals in 47 games for Dortmund have convinced Madrid he is the man to bolster their attack, and they are ready to pay between €15-20 million for him.

Mourinho Rejoins Race For Unsettled Liverpool Ace

Real Madrid have rejoined Juventus and Tottenham in the race to sign Liverpool right back Glen Johnson after Jose Mourinho fell out with Sergio Ramos, according to Marca.

The Spanish daily have revealed the Madrid pair fell out in the aftermath of their 5-0 humiliation against Barcelona, when Mourinho wanted to be the only one to speak to the press.

However, his vice-captain felt it necessary to apologize for a late red card after a tackle on Lionel Messi, angering his manager who wanted his players to keep quite for 48 hours.

With ‘the Special One’ keen to continue his Real revolution, Johnson is now back on his radar despite a poor start to the season with Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson criticized the former West Ham man after a string of less than impressive performances and Johnson is now unsettled at Anfield.

With rumours of Madrid’s interest earlier on this year surfacing, he then took the decision to start learning to speak Spanish, prompting even more speculation.

And with news that Rod Fanni’s proposed move to Marseille has fallen through, Liverpool are prepared to cash in on their defender and bring the Frenchman to Anfield in a cut price deal.

Liverpool Strike Starlet Drops Massive Hint To Hodgson

Liverpool strike starlet Michael Ngoo dropped a major hint to manager Roy Hodgson on Wednesday night.

While the senior side struggled to a 0-0 draw in the Europa League group match against Utrecht at Anfield, the Liverpool junior side was making a statement at Meadow Lane in the FA Youth Cup.

Michael Ngoo was the star of the show for the young Reds, scoring twice for Rodolfo Borrell's side in a fine team performance. Wonderkid Raheem Sterling was also on the scoresheet with a fine effort, whilst Krisztian Adorjan had opened the scoring.

"It is a great result for us and we are very pleased with how the lads applied themselves. In the first 20 minutes we played fantastic football and deserved to go ahead," Borrell told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"We scored three great goals and illustrated what a good team we can be against an opponent who had been unbeaten in their last 11 matches."

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has been heavily linked with strikers ahead of the opening of the January transfer window, with the Anfield chief searching for an attacking foil for Fernando Torres.

New owners NESV are thought to have provided Hodgson with transfer money to spend, but the Liverpool youngsters dropped a timely reminder that the Melwood Academy continues to develop fine players on Merseyside.

Signed in September 2009 from Southend, 18-year-old Ngoo opted for Liverpool over Manchester United, and is building an impressive reputation for himself after some fine performances for the second string last term.

With pace to burn, good technique and the ability to finish, the player's double strike is the latest sign that he could soon be considered for first team duties at Liverpool.

I Want To Stay At Liverpool - Ryan Babel

Ryan Babel insists that he would like to remain at Liverpool, while praising Roy Hodgson's style of management.

The Dutchman arrived at the club in 2007 after the Reds had carved out a £14 million deal with Ajax for his services.

But his stay on Merseyside saw him being only fringe player under former boss Rafael Benitez, with whom he shared a frosty relationship that saw him wanting to leave the club.

Hodgson's approachable nature, however, appears to have had a positive impact on the player.

"It's not up to me whether I see my future here, it's up to Liverpool," Babel said, according to The Mirror.

"This is my fourth season so it's up to them what they do. I have one more year at the end of this season left on my contract and I would like to stay.

"It has been frustrating here as a player, but it's not changed my loyalty towards the club. It's more with the manager. The club is fantastic. But if a manager doesn't like you it's between you and the manager.

"The club is amazing and there are still a lot of fans who believe in me so that gives me a goal. They [Hodgson and Benitez] are different. The current manager does things differently, and maybe that suits me better.

"When he arrived he was closer with the team, talking to players, and maybe that gives the players a boost to respond better.

"He's more involved day to day with the players. He does things differently. Under Rafa the assistant managers took a lot of responsibility but that is different now.

"I hope this country hasn't seen the best of me yet. The maximum number of games I've played in a row is four and it's difficult for any player to find consistency if you're not playing every week."

Benitez deployed Babel largely on the flanks, but his successor has chosen to play him in his preferred position as a striker.

He said: "I think first of all I'm just enjoying the opportunity to play and I am trying to make the most of it.

"But that position [central] suits me a bit better because you can use most of your energy up front. Maybe on the wing you have to defend a bit more and maybe that suits me less.

"The striker role, together with someone else, is pretty good for me."

In the recent Europa League game against Utrecht, Babel was supposed to start alongside Fernando Torres. But the Dutchman was surprised that the boss chose to go back on his word and keep the Spaniard out of the starting line-up instead.

"I only found Fernando wasn't playing an hour before the game," he said. "The day before the game we were working together. I've never played up front with Fernando and I was looking forward to it but maybe the manager wanted to give him some rest."

The Liverpool Technique: Psychologists Unveil New Treatment For ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or as it’s more commonly known, ADHD, is a condition which has baffled and challenged the medical profession for some time. Up to 16% of school age children suffer from the condition worldwide. Treatment has often been debated and there are new methods introduced each year, of varying success.

However, a breakthrough has been made. Medical researchers based on the Wirral were desperate to make an advance and began experimenting with various different techniques to help calm the children. Anything mildly exciting can often set the child’s ADHD off and as such it can be incredibly difficult for parents to get their children to settle each evening. One of the most radical tests included getting the children to watch paint dry, however this was deemed too stimulating for many and triggered the worst symptoms of the condition.

Ever eager to help in the community, Liverpool football club stepped in. The breakthrough they have helped make possible could change the management of ADHD for the foreseeable future. Wednesday evening for their game against Utrecht, Liverpool allowed children to enter the stadium for free. Two hundred and forty parents of children with ADHD took advantage of this and went along with the youngsters.

Even before the first half ended the experiment was a runaway success. All but two of the children had calmed down and many had fallen fast asleep, the two remaining being kept stimulated by watching the away supporters. In the second half, even those two slipped into a calm state and were so lacking any kind of excitement they were struggling to remain conscious.

Whilst obviously controversial, it seems that the Liverpool Technique will become a major line of treatment for sufferers of ADHD. Seemingly even a dose of several minutes watching them can induce a coma like calmness for some time.