It's been said about a thousand times already this summer - Liverpool desperately need to bring in some widemen. Even Reds boss Rafa Benitez admitted that the wide areas of the team were in need of attention before the end... Click to continue reading...

This source suggests that Rafa is very interested in making a move for this youngster who may be keen on a way out of his struggling Tottenham oufit! Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly contemplating a surprise swoop for Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale... Benitez failed to prise a certain Mr Barry away . Click to continue reading...

STEVEN GERRARD insists that Rafael Benitez has made him a better player during his reign at Liverpool – and the Anfield captain has also praised Fernando Torres for helping boost him as an attacking force.

Gerrard's ability to operate in several different midfield positions to good effect has prompted manager Benitez to deploy him in varying roles during the past five seasons. Click to continue reading...

Hey kids, it's your often drunken, seldom sober, pal Chris here to tell you about this little thing we have going on this weekend called the Merseyside Derby. If you're not familiar with this extremely important contest, then do yourself a favor and jump off of something no less than 3 stories high to prevent the breeding of any offspring that would be as ignorant as you.

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Liverpool play Crewe in the Carling Cup tonight at Anfield; and there's no way Rafa is going to play his big guns against lower league opposition so why not give David Ngog and Vitor Flora a chance upfront?

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Liverpool play Crewe in the Carling Cup tonight at Anfield; and there's no way Rafa is going to play his big guns against lower league opposition so why not give David Ngog and Vitor Flora a chance upfront?

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There were many dissenting voices to my article about the academy and whether players coming through it are being ostracized both in the comments on this blog as well as on the forums that picked it up.

The main arguments were that, if good enough, players will come through and, even though I've got my reservations about that (would Jamie Carragher have made it at Liverpool if he'd come through now? Click to continue reading...

There is an ugly rumor flying around that Michael Owen is being targeted by Rafa. Apparently, he's into the last year of his contract at Newcastle United and will not sign another, hoping to escape the drama that currently surrounds the Toon. So the big question of course is would we want him back?

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According to this source Rafa will go head to head with neighbours Everton for the signing of a former Anfield legend! Don't forget to check out Online Football Manager! Newcastle striker Michael Owen is a target for Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton. The 28-year-old's contract expires in the summer and is free . Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres believes the slow start to Robbie Keane's Liverpool career will be forgotten once the Republic of Ireland international gets his first goal for the club. The Spain striker, who scored three goals in his first eight appearances after moving to Merseyside from Atlético Madrid, expects his forward partner to make up for lost time once he has broken his duck. Click to continue reading...

Rafael Benitez has spoken of his admiration for number two Sammy Lee and believes he has had a big impact on the team this season.

The Reds boss said Lee's infectious enthusiasm for the club never ceases to amaze him and added his help has been invaluable.

"I think we have made a fantastic addition this season with Sammy Lee," said Rafa. Click to continue reading...

10am Eastern Time, live in the US on Setanta.

Last 4 head-to-head:
8-0 Liverpool (a; League Cup) 11.29.2000
2-1 Liverpool (h; League Cup) 10.25.1994
3-2 Liverpool (a; League Cup) 10.09.1991
2-2 (h; League Cup) 09.25.1991

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 2-1 Marseille (a); 2-1 United (h); 0-0 Villa (a)
Stoke: 2-3 Everton (h); 1-2 Boro (a); 3-2 Cheltenham (a)

Referee: Andre Marriner. Click to continue reading...

The first matchday of the group stage is complete, so here's a summary of the CONCACAF players in the UEFA Champions League:Rafa Márquez scored the opening goal (a header from a corner kick) in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday. He played all 90 minutes.Carlos Vela played the last six minutes of Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Dinamo Kiev. Click to continue reading...

Portuguese outfit Maritimo host the first leg at their Estádio dos Barreiros, having made their last UEFA Cup appearance in 2004/05. However, their European campaign that season ended rather immediately after being eliminated on penalties against Glasgow Rangers. Maritimo qualified through to this season's competition after finishing a credible 5th in their domestic league. Click to continue reading...

Gary Ablett has thrown down a League Cup gauntlet to his young starlets ahead of their clash with Sunderland tonight.

With the Carling Cup third round tie against Crewe Alexandra beckoning at Anfield next Tuesday night, Ablett is hoping the likes of Stephen Darby and Jay Spearing can impress manager Rafael Benitez and give him a selection poser. Click to continue reading...

1. Assholes Anonymous Hi my name is Rafinha and I am an asshole. For a team that has some very likeable and fair-minded players in Neuer, Kuranyi and Westermann, there seems to be a need to offset it with a player like Rafinha. The sooner the fat Rafa from Liverpool buys little Rafa and takes his [. Click to continue reading...

Since Rafa has been in charge, we've lost 7 and drawn only 1 game against Manchester United in the Premier League. That statistic doesn't paint the prettiest of pictures, but we can take some solace in that performance wise, we've been better on many occasions.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that at times, we've tried playing 'pretty' football, while they've dug their heels in for trench warfare. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool's Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt has made an astonishing admission - that he would love to leave Liverpool later on in his career in order to link up with fellow national Martin Jol at Hamburg.

Dirk Kuyt currently has two years left on his Liverpool contract but has conceded that he in 2010 he is open to a move to Hamburg to be coached by Martin Jol - a manager he rates very highly. Click to continue reading...

Algunos no quieren ir a jugar a Chiapas, prefieren quedarse en el Azteca (caso Rafa Márquez, Carlos Salcido y Johnny Magallón, entre otros), algunos, como Cuauhtemoc, dicen que es cuestión de "lana". Lo cierto es que en Tuxla Gutiérrez están preparando una fiesta para recibir a la Selección en partido eliminatorio contra Canadá. Click to continue reading...

Algunos no quieren ir a jugar a Chiapas, prefieren quedarse en el Azteca (caso Rafa Márquez, Carlos Salcido y Johnny Magallón, entre otros), algunos, como Cuauhtemoc, dicen que es cuestión de "lana". Lo cierto es que en Tuxla Gutiérrez están preparando una fiesta para recibir a la Selección en partido eliminatorio contra Canadá. Click to continue reading...

There has been some excellent analysis done by the likes of Paul Tomkins regarding rotation myths and their resultant effects etc. But perhaps another angle should be taken into consideration also.

Clean shaven Rafa managed to win 57% of his first 180 games for Liverpool, not to mention picking up a couple of nice trophies along the way. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal are reported to have had an eleventh hour offer of £14million rejected by Liverpool for Spanish International Xabi Alonso.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had been heavily linked with a move for the EURO 2008 winner all summer, along with the man the Anfield club had identified as the Spaniards replacement at the Reds, Gareth Barry of Aston Villa. Click to continue reading...

The writing had been on the wall for quite a while now, as Finnan had clearly been out of favour with Rafa. I'd hoped beyond hope that he would stay with us, but alas that's not to be. The really surprising thing though, is that he is signing for Espanyol. I'd figured another Premiership club would win his signature instead. Click to continue reading...

Some would agree that this was an absolute borefest while others would not. Martin O'Neil and Rafa didn't get into a scrap and Barry didn't cry so it was definitely not the grudge match we were hoping for. For me, the game pretty much ended when Torres came out with a pulled hamstring because at that point the attack threat was gone.

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Watching Liverpool set up stall for a draw against Aston Villa was very disappointing. With the quality we've got in the squad (should be enough to cover the loss of Torres & Gerrard), I had hoped for a lot more ambition from Rafa and the lads.

Playing a 4-1-4-1 formation with Keane as a left winger didn't seem like a smart move, and the problem was compounded by bringing on Ngog to play the lone striker role. Click to continue reading...

Rafa's latest glowing review of Dirk Kuyt proves that his blind faith in the staggeringly ineffective 'attacker' shows no sign of abating, which is bad news for Liverpool fans everywhere.

Gerard Houllier had illogical blind faith in some of his most ineffective players, a notable of which being Emile Heskey. Click to continue reading...

It appears that a new addition to the Premier League would like to purchase a couple of Rafa's men as Stoke City look to cement their place in the top tier. Why not join the debate at the COS forum? Stoke City have made a joint £7m offer for Jermaine Pennant and ... Click to continue reading...

3:05pm Eastern Time. Once again, I think US viewers are stuck looking for streams if they don't have lfc.tv's e-season ticket.

0-0 on aggregate.

Last 3 matches:
Liverpool: 2-1 Boro (h); 1-0 Sunderland (a); 0-0 Standard (a)
Standard: 3-0 KVC Westerlo (h); 3-1 Dender (a); 0-0 Liverpool (h)

Referee: Massimo Busacca (SUI)

Guess at a squad:
Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Skrtel Dossena
Kuyt Gerrard Alonso Benayoun
Keane Torres

Benitez has ruled out both Lucas and Mascherano, with this game coming too soon after their return from the Olympics, but hopes they'll be back for Sunday. Click to continue reading...

With Rafa looking to rid his squad of players who simply won't get much playing time, help ease his wage bill and give him some extra spending money, this deal looks likely to be sealed. With it, a Liverpool veteran looks set to join Blackburn Rovers. Why not join the debate ... Click to continue reading...

Liverpool full-back Steve Finnan is being linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers as Paul Ince is thought to be looking for a specialist right-back.

The former Ireland international, who was linked with Aston Villa in the deal that would bring Gareth Barry to Anfield earlier in the summer only for the move to fall through as both clubs failed to agree on Barry fee, had recently admitted that his Reds career is ‘in limbo. Click to continue reading...

After the drudgery of two awful premiership performances in a row, it is clear that Liverpool need to sign at least one dedicated winger before the transfer deadline. Stewart Downing is once again in the frame but it seems that many fans just don't want him. However, in my view, Downing could be just the player Liverpool need to bring some much needed balance to the team. Click to continue reading...

On the new season's second episode, Dimitar Berbatov's potential transfer to Manchester United is the hot topic. "The Boy" makes a special appeal to give the Bulgarian striker a home. Rafa and both Keanes -- Robbie and Roy -- all call in to give their takes on the "heartbreaking" plea.

"It", aka Mr. Click to continue reading...

Ex-Liverpool and Villa star Patrick Berger knows exactly why Gareth Barry would prefer to leap into the arms of Rafa B and elope to Anfield rather than stay at Villa Park. The Telegraph reports that Patrick Berger, who was earlier given a hefty fine and a slap across the wrist for ... Click to continue reading...

The Guardian reports that Liverpool's Spanish mastermind Rafa B is still yearning to put Gareth Barry in a Liverpool shirt. Even the fact that Barry is now cup-tied for the initial rounds of European competition hasn't lessened Rafa's insatiable Barry-lust, and he is still pleading with his American paymasters to . Click to continue reading...

Liverpool gaffer Rafa B is a big Gareth Barry fan, that much is evident. The Spaniard has been stalking his quarry for the whole summer now, and such was his desire to nab Gareth that he offered Steve Finnan as a potential makeweight. Unfortunately, Martin O'Neill didn't take the ... Click to continue reading...