Match Report: Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal

Liverpool suffered their second home embarrassment in five days as Arsenal grabbed the points in a game which was supposed to be a new beginning for the Anfield men.

Manager Rafael Benitez had insisted the season started again after the midweek Champions League defeat to Fiorentina.

But he did not get his wish even though Liverpool led at the break through Dirk Kuyt and should have had a penalty when William Gallas felled Steven Gerrard.

Arsenal grabbed two quick goals through a Glen Johnson own goal and an outstanding winner from Andrey Arshavin to heap more misery on the men from Merseyside.

Arshavin hit four last season in a 4-4 draw, but this time one was enough.

Bill Shankly's first official day behind the manager's desk at Liverpool was 50 years ago this Monday, and Benitez will sit uncomfortably in that same office after this.

Liverpool made six changes from the side dumped out of the Champions League in midweek, with Fernando Torres back in the starting line-up for the first time since early November. Fabio Aurelio was brought in at left-back against the pace of Theo Walcott.

Arsenal were unrecognisable from the side that lost to Olympiacos in Greece, only Walcott being retained by manager Arsene Wenger.

With Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs all dropping points 24 hours earlier, both sides were desperate to take advantage.

And at last Anfield was treated to a pulsating clash after weeks of insipid displays.

The tempo and passion came from both sides and Liverpool could have had two goals in the opening 13 minutes.

First Torres broke away, fed Gerrard to his right and then took the return before failing to lift the ball over Almunia when clear.

Two minutes later referee Howard Webb controversially denied Liverpool a penalty when Gallas felled Gerrard.

The Liverpool skipper may have pushed the ball too far, but Gallas clearly took Gerrard's legs.

Denilson was booked for a high tackle on Mascherano as Liverpool poured forward.

Arsenal survived, at times with difficulty, but still sought to play their intelligent, passing football out of defence.

Samir Nasri fired wide and Cesc Fabregas tested Jose Reina as the threat on the break from the Gunners became increasingly apparent.

But four minutes from the break Arsenal finally cracked.

Aurelio lifted a free-kick into the six-yard box, where Almunia, under intense pressure in the air, managed only a weak punch and Kuyt fired home from 10 yards.

Arsenal were furious with a supposed aerial assault on their goalkeeper, Wenger making the point angrily to fourth official Andre Marriner.

The Gunners' chief was even more upset two minutes later when it looked like Aurelio stopped Walcott's run with an arm across his face. Only a booking ensured.

Arsenal came out after the break fired up for the challenge and were level after 50 minutes.

Nasri tore down the right and fired in a low cross that Johnson turned past Reina for an own goal with Walcott lurking behind him.

Mascherano was soon booked for a foul on Fabregas and it was soon to get worse for Liverpool, and especially Johnson.

Fabregas' cross after 58 minutes eluded Johnson, who then failed to stop Arshavin turning to fire in off the post from 18 yards.

Benitez finally turned to Aquilani with 25 minutes left, Mascherano making way, and with the watching Xabi Alonso applauding from the directors' box as the man bought to replace him trotted on.

But Aquilani made little impact and finished the game limping.

As much as the first half had been so positive for an aggressive Liverpool, the second was becoming deeply frustrating.

Passes started going astray, Liverpool were no longer in Arsenal's faces, rather chasing their heels.

The passion had gone from Liverpool and the accomplished young Gunners had a measure of control they were not going to lose.

Arshavin was booked for one too many late challenges on defenders clearing the ball, then Fabregas for kicking the ball away from a free-kick.

David Ngog coming on for Yossi Benayoun and then Philipp Degen for a flagging, disconsolate Johnson did little to change the flow of the match and Liverpool now have just three wins in their last 15 games.

I Will Not Walk Away From Liverpool - Rafael Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists that he will not abandon the club and walk away from the crisis that they are facing.

The Reds have bowed out of the Champions League and are well off the pace in the Premier League, where they currently sit seventh in the standings.

There have been many questions asked of the Anfield giants' top-four credentials, while Benitez has come under harsh criticism for his selection policy and decision-making.

But despite all the perceived problems, the former Valencia manager has stressed that he intends to stay on Merseyside for the long haul and will not entertain offers from elsewhere.

"I am happy here and if another club wanted me I would once again say no," the Spaniard is quoted in The Mirror as saying.

"When I decided to sign my new contract I was very clear - that I was signing to stay for another five years.

"Nothing has changed in my mind. I thought we could improve and I still think that we will improve."

Liverpool have been struggling under the pressure of debt believed to be well over the £300 million mark, but Benitez stands firm.

"I knew at the start of the season that we would all have to work together to reduce the debts and at the same time try to keep the team doing well on the pitch," he said.

"It was something I understood and accepted. It is all part of the business of being the manager of this football club."

Chelsea To Make £30m Bid For Liverpool Star Steven Gerrard

Chelsea are set to test Liverpool's resolve to hang onto Steven Gerrard with a £30 million bid for the player in the summer, according to a report from The Daily Mirror.

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly told friends that the Reds skipper has become a target as rumours of his growing disaffection with the situation at Anfield begin to spread.

With the Merseysiders in massive debt and seemingly heading towards another frustrating season, the Anfield hierarchy might well be tempted by the deal.

Whether Gerrard, 29, who signed a new four-year £25 million deal in the summer, is dissatisfied enough to consider leaving his hometown club remains to be seen.

Chelsea also have the threat of a FIFA transfer embargo still hanging over them that could mean they will be unable to deal in the close season.

Liverpool Move For Ruud van Nistelrooy Hinges On Wage Demands

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s hopes of landing a New Year move to Anfield hinge on the Dutchman accepting a pay-as-you-play deal instead of the £100,000-a-week after-tax wages he earns at Real Madrid.

Sunday Mirror Sport revealed last month that Rafa Benitez had identified the former Manchester United striker as a January recruit.

But while Liverpool believes they can get Real to slash their initial £3million asking price for the 33-year-old, they are not willing to match his salary at the Bernabeu given his recent injury record.

Van Nistelrooy’s advisers have touted him around Europe in a bid to safeguard his place in Holland’s World Cup squad.

He is now fully recovered from a thigh problem, but opportunities with the Spanish giants are at a premium now they have Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Raul and Gonzalo Higuain to choose from.

Benitez is interested in doing a deal that will add more firepower to his squad. And Liverpool are also willing to meet Van Nistelrooy’s demand for a two-and-a-half-year contract – but only if he slashes his current wages.

An Anfield source said: “There is an interest in Van Nistelrooy, but doing a deal will be very difficult unless something changes financially.

“His fitness record is a big worry. There are some reservations about bringing in a player who has suffered so much with injuries given how the squad has been hit by injuries this season.

“It would be a gamble, so any deal must offer some value for money otherwise it will not happen.”

Kop Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Pulls Plug

Liverpool's American rulers are reeling after Saudi Arabian Prince Faisal bin Fahd decided against pumping his family's millions into the Kop.

The Anfield club was in talks with the wealthy Arab owner of sports company F6 who was wooed by co owner George Gillett to buy a big chunk of the famous club.

Prince Faisal was a VIP guest at the thrashing of Hull earlier in the season and also invited Gillett to his Arabian base to discuss the possibility of taking a financial stake in the Kop.

However, People Sport can reveal the young Sheikh has told his closest aides to scrap any plans - despite the fact that Liverpool are out of the Champions League and more keen on a deal than ever.

Prince Faisal feels the asking price to buy out the club - £300million - is too high. And the option of taking just a 50 per cent stake does not appeal because the Saudi prince does not fancy a boardroom battle for power.

The collapse of the deal is a savage blow for Liverpool who knows that they must make the top four this season or lose out on the Champions League money that has been central to their planning.

Gillett had hoped the Saudi money would end years of bickering with co-owner Tom Hicks and score brownie points with Anfield fans.

Kop sources now say that Gillett is taking a back seat and that Texan Hicks, the hard man of the duo, is calling the shots about future planning.

Boss Rafa Benitez will not have any money to spend in the January transfer window unless he sells.

With reinforcements needed up front, Benitez could try to find a buyer for one of his midfielders - Lucas Leiva or Javier Mascherano - but is reluctant to let either of the South Americans leave.

Jamie Carragher Facing Anxious Wait Over Liverpool Future

Jamie Carragher faces an anxious wait to see if he is going to be offered a new contract by Liverpool.

The Kop cult-hero’s deal expires at the end of next season and he has been pushing for talks aimed at securing his Anfield future.

Carragher has seen Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Daniel Agger all agree long-term deals of late, while the Merseysiders are also looking to finalise agreements with Pepe Reina and Javier Mascherano.

But Liverpool will not open talks until the end of the season – when the most he can expect to be offered is a one-year extension.

That will be a major blow to the 31-year-old, who has served Liverpool all his career and is guaranteed his status as a club legend.

A Liverpool insider said: “When a player gets to that age you have to be more careful with new contracts.

“You take other things into account like form, fitness and injuries. We’ll look at it at the end of the season.”

Liverpool Likely To Follow Arsenal Blueprint For Staying In The Premier League's Top Four

Asked if the club must now focus on fourth place in the Premier League, England international Steven Gerrard replied: "Of course, that is always the priority at this club."

Inadvertently, Steven Gerrard offered Liverpool supporters a glimpse into the stark reality of the club's predicament as he mulled over defeat to Fiorentina, and elimination from the Champions League, this week. Asked if the club must now focus on fourth place in the Premier League, the England international replied: "Of course, that is always the priority at this club."

He meant, of course, that Liverpool's stature relies upon their continuing presence among the continent's elite, that the club could not run the risk of the financial shortfall of missing out altogether, that their desire to challenge Europe's elite for the signatures of the world's best players is predicated upon offering them the lure of Champions League football.

It sounded, though, as a damning indictment of Liverpool Football Club, class of 2009. At a club which, as Bill Shankly said, existed solely to win trophies, it is now the taking part that counts.

That Liverpool are operating under such severe financial constraints that to demand any more would be churlish is well-documented. The club hope to find an investor, or investors, to take a 25 per cent stake of Anfield by the end of the season.

The £100 million cash injection would help kick-start the building of the new stadium on Stanley Park, as well as allowing manager Rafael Benítez more leeway in the transfer market.

Even that injection of capital is unlikely to bridge the gap between Liverpool and the petrol parvenus of Chelsea and Manchester City, or the Old Trafford marketing juggernaut.

Liverpool's wage bill is the fifth highest in the Premier League. Figures suggest that factor determines league finish with almost unerring accuracy. Unlike City, Liverpool must live within their means. Until those means increase, they can hope for little better.

Liverpool Chase Everton's Louis Saha

Liverpool are ready to go ahead with a cheeky bid to snatch striker Louis Saha from Everton.

Manager Rafa Benitez has finally decided he needs someone to play alongside Fernando Torres.

But he’ll face a battle with Toffees chief David Moyes, who wants to rush through a new deal for his French hitman.

Benitez has been alerted by news that Saha’s two year ‘pay as you play’ contract expires in the summer.

It means the former Man United and Fulham striker is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club next month.

That’s alerted Bordeaux, Roma, Atletico Madrid and now Liverpool. Bordeaux see the France international, 31, as a possible replacement for their star striker, Marouane Chamakh, who is also out of contract at the end of the season.

Chamakh has been a target in this campaign for Arsenal, Sunderland and West Ham.

News of Liverpool’s interest is forcing Moyes to act fast. He will tell chairman Bill Kenwright that Saha is going nowhere, especially not to arch-rivals Liverpool.

The canny Scottish boss will now offer Saha a new two-year contract.

Meanwhile, Benitez knows that buying Saha would be a huge risk because, like Torres, he has suffered badly from injures and missed a lot of playing time in his career.

Benitez splashed out £17million for Italian Alberto Aquilani, only for the player to spend more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. And he would hate a repeat of that situation.

But Benitez knows he must do something to turn the club around after their poor performances in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Hitman Torres has often been forced to play through the pain barrier this season despite a hernia problem – because Liverpool do not have another recognised striker.

Saha, for all his previous injury problems, is a genuine frontman with 11 goals in all competitions this season – and wants to make the French World Cup party.

The Mersey Beatts For Star James Beattie

Liverpool have made a surprise enquiry about James Beattie as they hunt for a back-up striker to Fernando Torres.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez is desperate to add more firepower and provide some much-needed cover for the Spain star. But his targets are significantly limited by the club's financial plight.

Stoke striker Beattie would, however, be well within his price range and, following his bust-up with manager Tony Pulis last weekend, is available in January.

Beattie's wages - believed to be around £20,000 a week - would not be a problem for cash-strapped Liverpool, as the player would cost only around £500,000.

Benitez considers a move for injury-prone Ruud van Nistelrooy a risk given Torres's injury history and has distanced himself, for now, from a move for Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Premier League Preview: Liverpool vs. Arsenal

The two clubs whose status as members of the 'Big Four' is under most threat this season lock horns at Anfield on Sunday in what could be described as a must-win affair for both of them.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez claims the showdown with Arsenal heralds “the beginning of a new season” for the Reds, whose Champions League campaign ended ignominiously with a 2-1 home defeat by Fiorentina on Wednesday. That means the Merseyside giants have now won only three of their last 14 matches in all competitions, and have failed to secure victory at Anfield since October 25. If Liverpool don't dispose of the Gunners on Sunday afternoon, then far from being a new start it will be a frustrating continuation of a season that has already fallen well short of expectations.

The Reds currently languish, by their standards, back in seventh place, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea, although a positive spin on the situation would be that they are only three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games and have not lost at Anfield since Aston Villa beat them in August. Moreover, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five home league games against Arsenal, winning three and drawing two.

The Gunners, in third-place, can move seven points clear of Liverpool if they can conjure their first Anfield victory since October 2003. That match saw a Sami Hyypia own goal and a sublime strike from Robert Pires cancel out Harry Kewell's opener as Arsene Wenger's side maintained an unbeaten season that culminated in their last title triumph in May 2004. Despite their recent stumble - losing four of their last six matches in all competitions and failing to score in each of those defeats - Wenger refuses to concede that it is now a two-horse race for the Premier League title between Chelsea and Manchester United, insisting that the Gunners can still win it themselves. If the Frenchman is looking for omens, four of Arsenal's last five League victories at Anfield have seen them go on to be crowned champions that season.

More immediately, though, the less grandiose target for both managers on Sunday will simply be to stabilise their respective teams' current situations by defeating a major rival.

Both sides have been disrupted by injuries this season, though Liverpool look to have turned the corner in that respect with Alberto Aquilani, their £20 million summer signing from Roma, having made his first start of the season in midweek against Fiorentina - a game in which talismanic striker Fernando Torres also returned from injury. In contrast, Arsenal's treatment room is still bursting at the seams, a factor which influenced Wenger's team selection for the Champions League tie with Olympiakos on Wednesday. Having already won their group comfortably to reach the knock-out stages, Arsenal fielded the youngest side in the competition's history (average age: 21) in Piraeus. Kerrea Gilbert, Fran Merida, Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere and in particular Aaron Ramsey all performed well in a side that also featured debutants Kyle Bartley and Tom Cruise, and Wenger was proud of the way the youngsters acquitted themselves in a narrow defeat.

Another young Arsenal side had come unstuck at Manchester City a week earlier in the League Cup, the competition from which they eliminated Liverpool six weeks ago. In that encounter Merida and Nicklas Bendtner scored for the Gunners in a 2-1 win at the Emirates, with Emiliano Insua replying for the Reds.


FORM GUIDE

Liverpool

09 Dec (Champions League) v Fiorentina (H) LOST 1-2
05 Dec (Premier League) v Blackburn Rovers (A) DREW 0-0
29 Nov (Premier League) v Everton (A) WON 2-0
24 Nov (Champions League) v Debrecen (A) WON 1-0
21 Nov (Premier League) v Manchester CIty (H) DREW 2-2

Arsenal

09 Dec (Champions League) v Olympiakos (A) LOST 0-1
05 Dec (Premier League) v Stoke City (H) WON 2-0
02 Dec (League Cup) v Manchester City (A) LOST 0-3
29 Nov (Premier League) v Chelsea (H) LOST 0-3
24 Nov (Champions League) v Standard Liege (H) WON 2-0


TEAM NEWS

Liverpool

Fernando Torres could make his first league start for six weeks after recovering from a hernia problem, havng come on as a substitute against Fiorentina. Alberto Aquilani is in the running for a starting berth, having made his full debut in that Champions League defeat.

Their availability signals that Liverpool are close to having a fully fit squad again, with Ryan Babel, recovering from an ankle injury, the only doubt for Sunday's clash.

Arsenal

Midfielder Alex Song is free of a domestic ban and is likely to start in a side that will be much-changed side from the one that lost to Olympiakos in midweek.

Eduardo (thigh) and Abou Diaby (calf) could be back in contention if they recover in time, but top striker Robin van Persie's recovery from surgery to reconstruct ankle ligaments will keep him sidelined until at least March, while injury-plagued Tomas Rosicky also misses out with a groin strain.

They join Kieran Gibbs (fractured metatarsal), Johan Djouoru (knee), Nicklas Bendtner (hernia) and Gael Clichy (back) on the sidelines, with Emmanuel Eboue also nursing a hamstring problem.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool

There will be much expectancy on Merseyside if, as expected, Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani starts against Arsenal. After his full debut against Fiorentina, Benitez said: “To see Aquilani, to see [Fernando] Torres, those were the real positive things for the next match and the rest of our season. Aquilani showed his quality, his touch was good. His vision and passing were good but obviously he will have to work on his match fitness." It was while playing against Arsenal, for Roma, in last season's Champions League, that Aquilani sustained the injury that so delayed the start of his Liverpool career. Meanwhile Torres, who is the Reds' leading scorer with 10 goals, all in the Premier League, needs two more to reach 50 for Liverpool in the league. The Spaniard has missed much of Liverpool's disappointing run of form and results leading up to this match, and will be eager to get back in the groove.

Arsenal

It is impossible not to refer to Andrey Arshavin in the context of this match: it was at Anfield last April that the Russian playmaker announced his arrival in English football by scoring all of Arsenal's goals in a thrilling 4-4 encounter. Arshavin again showed his class last week against Stoke, when he was deployed as a centre-forward and ran the Potters' big centre-backs ragged with his movement, vision and positional play. He scored Arsenal's opener, missed a one-on-one, saw an effort deflected on to the bar and won the penalty which Cesc Fabregas failed to convert. If he leads the Arsenal line as well against Liverpool, the hosts will be in for a busy afternoon. Welsh teenager Aaron Ramsey, who scored the Gunners' second against Stoke after coming off the bench, was the man-of-the-match against Olympiakos in midweek, producing an array of astute passes that split open the Greeks' defence but on which his team-mates failed to capitalise. If Ramsey is involved at Anfield, it will be another step in his development.

Torres Is Left To Shoulder Burden Of Expectation At Average Liverpool

THE euro was plummeting this week (blame those feckless Greeks and Irish) but in football terms it's the English Premier League that looks the devalued currency.

A mire of dismal ineptitude characterises the entire lower half of the table. Just above them lie the plucky but unremarkable battlers, Sunderland, Birmingham, Fulham and Liverpool.

Liverpool's supporters will be dismayed to be grouped with those clubs, but perhaps they should be grateful, given the character of their team's recent performances. Liverpool's league position, a humble seventh, flatters them. Their recent unbeaten sequence in the league shows a side getting through on a wing and a prayer. They were clueless about how to break down a dully predictable Blackburn. They were both lucky and embarrassingly reliant on Jose Reina to win against a dominant but despondent Everton. They were lucky again to draw against a dominant Manchester City. They were very lucky to get a penalty to draw against Birmingham.

This dismal streak of fortuitous results was punctuated by a deserved exit from the Champions League, which Rafael Benitez attributed to the misfortune of conceding a couple of last-minute goals against Lyon. Another last-minute winner for Fiorentina at Anfield this week suggested that phenomenon was not down to the caprices of fate, but attributable to a familiar failure of mental acuity on the part of Liverpool defenders.

Received wisdom has it that the difference between the swaggering, goal-grabbing Liverpool of last season, and the dismal strugglers of this year amounts to the regular presence or absence of Fernando Torres, pictured, and Steven Gerrard. That is misleading. Liverpool managed to perform creditably last season when one or both of those talismans was unavailable, and have contrived to look dismal this season even in the presence of those supposed geniuses. Explanations must be more far-reaching.

It is true that Xabi Alonso looks a greater player with every week that passes since his departure to Real Madrid, but his departure cannot be the sole explanation for Liverpool's comprehensive loss of invention, composure and confidence.

This is a disjointed team playing without belief. Its character can probably be best appreciated in the players whose form has been half-decent. Glen Johnson, vilified by many for a defensive laxity that recalls Rio Ferdinand at his most nonchalant, was nevertheless one of Benitez's more inspired signings. He brings an urgency and directness down the right, and provided a significant attacking threat, until his injury in late autumn. He returned to a Liverpool side demoralised by their European failures.

Yossi Benayoun has been assiduous and inventive in the team's cause without being rewarded with the manager's confidence. Deployed, usually as a substitute, in a variety of positions, Benayoun seems to be regarded by Benitez as a stop-gap until something better comes along. Meanwhile, the earnest but unimaginative plodder Dirk Kuyt still seems to bask in his manager's inexplicable loyalty.

Torres remains Liverpool's key player. His return to the attack against Fiorentina on Wednesday immediately made Liverpool look more focused and menacing. The summer of 2008 belonged to him, with that insouciant winner against the Germans in the European Championship final. Next summer the World Cup offers the opportunity to make his mark as one of the great international forwards, but in the meantime he has to shoulder the burden of expectation at Liverpool, while his fitness is under close scrutiny. Christmas is the fulcrum of the season. Liverpool are now sifting through the wreckage of their campaign, looking for scraps to salvage, with a qualifying position for next year's Champions League, and possibly a cup run to keep them interested.

Sunday’s game against Arsenal at Anfield is the latest crisis point for Benitez. A win, and Liverpool can restore a little credibility, and briefly exalt their status to join Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa as flawed but sporadically useful challengers for a top four finish.

Nostalgists will cast their minds back to the scintillating match at Anfield last April, when Andriy Arshavin's four goals earned Arsenal a point, and put a spoke in Liverpool's hitherto healthy title challenge. Torres and Benayoun were superb for Liverpool that night, but defensive lapses undermined their pretensions to be champions.

Arsenal's meek submission to the might of Chelsea at the Emirates two weeks ago served to diminish their own title credentials. Arsene Wenger has become the footballing equivalent of one of those mature artists who had a few smash-hits in the past but is now more interested in exploring the limits of artistic invention. His work is imaginative and critically-acclaimed, but commercial success looks unlikely.

It might be up to the players to remind the manager of the obligations of delivering some silverware. Cesc Fabregas, who has become inordinately fond of his own pronouncements, has suggested that Wenger buy a big burly lad in January to protect Arsenal's plethora of diminutive geniuses.

Wenger has already expressed a degree of interest in Marouane Chamakh the Moroccan striker currently at Bordeaux. Chamakh is 6ft 2in but not quite the archetypal bustling target man (even if Wenger would ever countenance anything as vulgar). Wenger still seems fatally distracted by the flair of his youth players. He fielded eight or nine of them against Olympiacos on Wednesday, and purred at their potential (you wonder if he even noticed they lost the match).

Liverpool will huff and puff, while Arsenal pick out pretty patterns. Between them they would have a decent side. Separately though, they make a persuasive case that the strength of the Premier League runs exceedingly shallow

Manchester United And Liverpool Trail Congolese Star - Report

Monaco defender Cedric Mongongu is reportedly a target for a number of English clubs, according to his agent.

The 20-year-old DR Congo international has also been linked with a move to Serie A giants AC Milan, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool the Premier League sides reportedly keeping tabs on him.

Mongongu's agent Christophe Mongai does not think a deal will be done during the January transfer window, but expects him to move in the future.

"Milan has followed him for some time and has often sent its scouts to observe him, but that doesn't mean that there is a real deal," he told tuttomercatoweb.

"I don't know anything about interest from Juventus.

"In football you never know, but I think it is very difficult. AC Milan could be a problem with the competition from other clubs.

"The player is also wanted in England and the Premier League is a more important stage than the Italian championship."

Gerrard: Fitness Is The Key To Top-Four Hopes

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool will find their way into the top four by the end of the season - if they can keep people fit.

The Anfield skipper, speaking ahead of Sunday's crucial home clash with Arsenal, is determined to raise spirits after the club's disastrous plunge out of the Champions League.

Gerrard has proved his fitness after a groin problem by playing four full matches since his return from injury, and that total would have been five had Alberto Aquilani, not been summoned to replace him against Debrecen in Budapest in the final minute.

Now Gerrard must turn his attention to salvaging Liverpool's Premier League campaign, particularly in a vital run of 11 matches before the Reds enter the Europa League in February.

And the midfielder sees the returning Fernando Torres as the key to a Liverpool revival.

Gerrard said: "If we get back to our full-strength team, and we get people fit, we're confident we are good enough to finish in the top four.

"Torres' return is massive for me, massive for everyone else. He's our main man, he's our top scorer and we need him back fit and firing.

"If that happens I'm sure we'll move back up the league and get in to the top four places. Without a doubt that has to be the main aim this season."

Liverpool fans saw a hint of the future during the 2-1 home defeat by Fiorentina on Wednesday, as the Merseysiders slipped out of Europe's elite after their final group E match.

Gerrard, Torres and Aquilani joined forces during the second-half for the first time and the passing, movement and understanding between the trio must have lightened boss Rafael Benitez's mood.

Gerrard said: "It's obviously important for the club financially (to be in the top four) and having played in the Champions League for such a long time, I'm desperate to play in it again next season.

"In the six games prior to the Fiorentina defeat we had gone unbeaten, including three successive clean sheets. We have been improving.

"It was a shame we lost it at the end, because we wanted to use the game to prepare for Sunday.

"But we will be right up for the Arsenal match. If we can get three points there and then take that into the Wigan home game next Wednesday, we can turn a corner."

Benitez could well use Gerrard, Torres and Aquilani against the Gunners, and the Spaniard agrees with his captain that Liverpool will end the season in the top four.

Benitez said: "This season's race for the top four is good for the fans, for TV and for neutrals. If you have just one club trying to break into the top four it is not so exciting.

"Now there are three, at least, trying to get into the top group and that makes everything more exciting. And that helps everyone because all teams will lose more games in the race.

"Even Chelsea and Manchester United, who are both very strong, are also losing games.

"But I feel it will still be the same top four at the end of the season.

"We have options now. We have Aquilani, (Javier) Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Torres all to chose from. It is not a question of someone being left out, more a question of having choices for a change.

"We are better than we look, now we have three quality players all available and all fit. Now let's see whether we can improve our position and get into the top four.

"We will be there (in the top four). Arsenal will do that too. We can improve, we can be in the top four and we can win a trophy. It is only what you would expect from a top side.

"We have had a bad spell but we are still very close to the top four and our top players are now available."

Alan Smith: Liverpool's Fernando Torres Will Tear Into Arsenal

Think back to October when Liverpool deservedly beat Manchester United. Think back to the circumstances leading up to that game.

Rafael Benítez's side had just lost four on the trot, including the beach ball game at Sunderland and a home defeat to Lyon, which left their Champions League chances hanging by a thread.

But buoyed by the return of Fernando Torres, Liverpool reacted like a wounded beast, tearing into United with unstinting energy and aggression. The champions that day couldn't handle the pace, so determined were the home side to get a result.

Thinking about it, the situation isn't too dissimilar now going into Sunday's showdown with Arsenal. Torres returns to a team who, once again, have their backs firmly pressed against the wall. The football world awaits Liverpool's response.

It doesn't take a genius, therefore, to work out Benítez's likely game plan. Because if the Spaniard's players go about their work in similar fashion to the United duel, if they set the same kind of frantic tempo and pile into tackles with equal force, it will be interesting to see how Arsenal cope.

Arsenal, after all, face issues of their own. If the recent mauling by Chelsea wasn't painful enough, it reinforced the notion that Arsène Wenger's diminutive technicians tend to struggle when confronted by talented players who also bring a physical presence to proceedings.

Without Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby, this Arsenal side are handicapped in an important area, one that Liverpool will surely attempt to expose.

John Aldridge: Liverpool FC Must Cut Out Errors In Order To Rescue Season

I hope Wednesday’s defeat to Fiorentina acts as a wake-up call because it’s time everyone realised just how desperate the situation is that we find ourselves in.

To be out of the Champions League and out of the Premier League title race before Christmas is a real kick in the teeth.

It’s unbelievable and now it’s’ game on’ with the battle for fourth place. We’re playing catch-up and it makes Sunday’s clash with Arsenal at Anfield very juicy.

People are saying it’s a must-win for Liverpool. I wouldn’t go as far as that but it’s certainly a game we cannot afford to lose.

I know we had Reina, Carragher and Johnson missing but Fiorentina were without seven first teamers. It just shows the depth they have is better than ours.

On the balance of play we probably deserved a draw, but we were undone by another late goal.

It was the third time that’s happened in our group and those lapses have cost us dearly.

You’ve got to learn from your mistakes, but we just haven’t done that this season.

At one point the Italians had a corner which was chipped to the edge of the box for one of their lads to volley.

Nobody in red bothered to close him down so they did it again.

You’ve got to deal with things like that but nobody seems to take responsibility.

When things are going wrong defensively you need to sort it out on the training ground, but I’d question whether that’s happening. It seems to me things are just being swept under the carpet.

The players should be angry at what’s going on and they should be determined to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

We can’t keep on making those kind of errors and expect to achieve anything.

Arsenal have got the best young players in the league, but they lack a bit of experience and we have to capitalise on that.

The big positive the other night was the return of Fernando Torres. He looked very sharp and it was great to see him back.

If he can stay fit then there’s every chance we’ll finish in the top four.

Alberto Aquilani did okay against Fiorentina and getting 75 minutes under his belt will do him the world of good.

He showed some good touches and vision, and did well going forward.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back on the bench on Sunday.

I think Lucas will come back into the centre of midfield.

Rafa clearly has a lot of faith in him and the Brazilian, who has played every league game, seems to have become his first name on the team sheet this season.

The fact is the manager seems to like central midfielders with defensive qualities.

Rafa - Debt Had To Be Managed

Rafa Benitez has revealed that playing a part in helping to reduce Liverpool's debt burden was one of the most important issues he had to manage over the summer.

Liverpool's financial situation has been cited as a reason for the team's lacklustre first half to this season, with Benitez not given the funds to strengthen his squad.

He was only able to bring in Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani over the summer as he sought to aid the club's owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks by balancing the books with the sales of the likes of Xabi Alonso.

And Benitez insists it was vital that he understood the economic situation at Anfield in order to prevent the Reds suffering the same fate which has befallen Leeds United in recent times.

"I don't see Liverpool in the same way as Leeds," said Benitez.

"One of the priorities this year was to reduce the debt, so the club is working very hard to do this and I think that our position will be much better. We were doing a very good job this year trying to reduce the debt.

"It was one of the most important things that we had to manage. Along with football issues we had to manage them together.

"When I signed my five-year contract [in March] we knew that we had to work together so we will try to do the best for the club.

"Sometimes you can do it and still perform on the pitch and sometimes you have to wait a little bit. Sometimes you have to think about the big picture and the future of the club and that means you have to do your best on both sides.

"I think that we have to accept our situation and then try to do the best in the conditions that we have.

"Can we improve with these conditions? I think so, but it is a question of time."

Aquilani Gets Masch Backing

Javier Mascherano admits he is growing tired of talk that Liverpool are missing Xabi Alonso and has given his full backing to Alberto Aquilani to shine at Anfield.

Alonso joined Real Madrid in the summer in a £30million move that saw the Reds use two thirds of that sum to purchase Roma's midfield maestro Aquilani.

But the 25-year-old Italian international has been an injured bystander with a troublesome ankle problem as his new team has suffered an indifferent start to the season both domestically and in Europe.

Aquilani's delayed start to his career in England has fuelled opinion that the Reds' poor form, which has seen them crash out of the UEFA Champions League, is largely due to the absence of their former Spanish pass-master.

But Mascherano, who formed a formidable partnership with Alonso in Liverpool's engine room last season, has called for an end to such views and has seen enough of the Reds' summer signing to suggest he will be a hit with the Kop and could be in line to show his talents against Arsenal on Sunday.

"We have to forget Alonso," said the Argentinian captain, who is in talks with boss Rafa Benitez about a new deal at the club. "You cannot find two players doing the same things in the world.

"Aquilani will give us everything he can and if he is fit he will be really good for us.

"Now little by little he'll increase his confidence and learn about English football, because it's totally different, but I think he will be really good for Liverpool."

Mascherano is aware that when Aquilani gains full fitness, the competition for places in midfield will increase.

Brazilian youngster Lucas seems the most likely player to give way, but Mascherano said: "I always have to fight for a place with my team-mates.

"As a player, when you have competition it's really good for everyone. You have to fight for recognition and everyone tries to work hard so that is good for the team."

Aquilani made his full debut for Liverpool in Wednesday's Champions League defeat by Fiorentina in a deeper role, with Steven Gerrard acting as the main support for Fernando Torres.

Mascherano was used, as usual, in a holding midfield role but it is believed that, in time, Aquilani will play further forward, with Gerrard in a deeper role.

Mascherano's own improved form has pleased Benitez, but the combative ball-winner insists he is solely focused on maintaining his best level.

He said: "I am trying to do my best, but others will have to decide if I am in my best form.

"I don't like to talk about me. The manager has to talk about me, the media have to talk about me, but I just try to do my best.

"But I am very relaxed at the moment because I am happy and trying my best."

Rafael Benitez Hoping To Halt Liverpool's Poor Premier League Form With A Win Over Arsenal

In the week Liverpool's Champions League elimination was made formal, following their 2-1 defeat by Fiorentina, Reds' boss Rafael Benitez has declared that the club will be taking their season one game at a time, beginning with their Anfield clash with Arsenal on Sunday.

The Merseysiders will be looking to halt a run of underwhelming domestic form that has seen them slip further and further away from the Premier League pace-setters, but Benitez is praying his side can begin bridging the gap by getting the better of Arsene Wenger's Gunners.

"As a manager you always know you have to work hard to win games, if you are not winning games it's difficult, but it's part of the job," Benitez told journalists at a pre-match press conference.

"I am just thinking about Arsenal," he said. "We have to play against Arsenal, try to win… then think about Wigan, think about Portsmouth, and carry on."

He continued: "Every game can be important until the end of the season. We start with this one, they are [near the] top of the table. If we win we'll be closer to the top four."

When asked how he and the club handle the vitriolic criticism levelled against Liverpool in recent weeks, he jested: "I switch off the volume of the Sky!"

On how managers handle the negative press, he added: "All the managers at top sides have to perform, there is a different situation at different clubs though.

"Arsene Wenger is a fantastic manager and people expect him to win trophies but he knows how difficult it is to do that."

Mascherano Calls For Consistency

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano believes the team must use Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash at home to Arsenal as an opportunity to rebuild their battered reputation.

An early exit from the Champions League - for the first time since manager Rafael Benitez took over in 2004 - and stuttering domestic form have had some critics writing off the club.

Former captain and manager Graeme Souness said he feared the club could go into "meltdown" if they did not secure Champions League football at the end of this season.

Mascherano admits the team have done "bad things" this season but stressed the players had to start putting things right against the Gunners.

The Argentina captain said: "The confidence is not here at the moment but we have a big game on Sunday to show ourselves, to show the fans and to show everyone that Liverpool still has a good team that can fight for something.

"It's not must-win on Sunday but it's really important. It's not just about the three points, it's about the situation.

"We couldn't play as well as we could (earlier in the season). Some players were not in top form, now maybe we are back in form, and some players were injured - which makes it difficult when you can't play the same team for two or three games."

Consistency is now the key for Liverpool and a good run over the festive period - they are only four points behind third-placed Arsenal - could stabilise their season.

"It's difficult because we cannot win two or three games in a row at the moment," he said.

"We won against Manchester United and then we lost (at Fulham). We couldn't continue winning but we have to start from now.

"It is a great chance for us. All of us want to win and to get the confidence. We want to play like we can play.

"We have to show to everyone that Liverpool is still a big team and can play against anyone."

Mascherano said he felt they could prove their detractors wrong by winning a trophy this season.

Despite their Champions League exit Liverpool now drop into the Europa League, although their poor form means they will be unseeded, and they have the FA Cup to look forward to next month.

"We finished the Champions League in a bad way this season and we are sad," added the Argentina captain.

"We have to do the right things in the Premier League and the Europa League.

"The Europa League is not the same as the Champions League but it is still a competition so we have to try to win it because all of us know when we play for Liverpool it is a big club with a great history.

"The talk now is that it is a bad season for Liverpool but things can change.

"Maybe in May we will be talking about Liverpool winning something."

Aquilani Wants To Face Arsenal

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has told boss Rafa Benitez that he has no concerns over his fitness as he hopes to keep his first-team place against Arsenal.

The Italy international played 86 minutes of the Reds' defeat to Fiorentina in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in his maiden starting XI appearance.

Aquilani's full debut has been significantly delayed since his £20million summer move from Roma as he has been rehabilitating from an ankle operation.

But the 25-year-old, who has a reputation in Italy for being prone to injury, is ready to remain in Benitez's first XI plans for Sunday's vital Anfield clash with Arsenal.

He said in the Liverpool Daily Post: "I feel good. I'm really happy to have come through my first game.

"My ankle is better, fully healed and there weren't any problems after basically a year without playing it's great to have played so many minutes, because it means I can have more faith that I'm fully fit again.

"There's no fear at all that it might flare up again, I know it's better, so I'm not worried at all about that. I just feel really happy to have played again. It's really important for me to have played, because the more I play, the better I'll get and the fitter I'll be."

He added: "I need to play, play, play because I'm in a new team, and I need games now. My ankle is fine now, I feel good, and now I need to work hard in training for my body. I really hope I can play against Arsenal."

Aquilani is also confident Liverpool can turn around their fortunes this season, despite having been dumped out of the Champions League and sitting off the pace in the Premier League.