Captain Gerrard was set to be sidelined for a month but could feature at West Brom in the Premier League on 2 April.

Reds first-team coach Steve Clarke said: “They are all improving. Fingers crossed, we will have Martin Kelly and Steven Gerrard back training next week.

“We hope the same for Jonjo Shelvey, who has been out for a long time. Fabio Aurelio is also making good progress.”

Gerrard suffered the injury in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 6 February.

Hamstring injuries have sidelined both Kelly and Aurelio while Shelvey underwent a knee operation in February.

The news of the imminent return of several of his squad will come as a timely boost to Reds manager Kenny Dalglish ahead of crucial games against Manchester City at Anfield on 11 April and a trip to Arsenal on 17 April.

Clarke said the returning players will give the rest of the squad a lift going into a key month in their season.

“It will be a difficult month in April with a lot of tough games, but if we can have our full squad ready to go then we’ll look forward to the challenge,” Clarke added.

The former Chelsea and West Ham assistant was impressed with the manner in which the Merseysiders bounced back from last Thursday’s Europa League exit with a 2-0 Premier League win at Sunderland on Sunday that allowed them to further cement sixth place.

“Everybody at the football club was disappointed when we went out of Europe at such an early stage, but I think they bounced back at the Stadium of Light which is a difficult place to go and get a result,” Clarke commented.

“The players have proven they can bounce back from disappointments and as everybody in football knows, that’s very important.”

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

he skipper will have a scan later today but an early assessment has already been made by the club’s medical team at Melwood.

Gerrard left the field after 85 minutes of England’s 2-1 defeat to France on Wednesday night.

Dr Peter Brukner told Liverpoolfc.tv: “Steven injured his hamstring last night. He’s just been in for an early assessment here and it certainly looks like a significant hamstring injury.

“He’s just heading off for a scan as we speak and we should have the results of that tonight.

“He’s going to be out for a little while, I’m afraid. I’d imagine it could be three to four weeks.”

Fans were disappointed to see Gerrard play almost 90 minutes of the friendly encounter but Dr Brukner remains philosophical.

“If you put your hand up to play for your country, you’ve got to accept how long they want you to play for,” he said.

“There were obviously circumstances last night which came together to result in Steven playing for a bit longer than we’d hoped, which is disappointing but there’s nothing we can do about that now.

“We’ll move on and work as hard as we can to get him back playing for Liverpool as soon as possible.”

Source + Pic: liverpoolfc.tv

Lech Poznan scored two late goals – one freakish and the other superb – to stun Manchester City 3-1 in the Europa League on Thursday while Juventus drew 0-0 with Salzburg for their fourth draw in as many group games.

CSKA Moscow and BATE Borisov became the first teams to guarantee a place in the knockout rounds, the Russians beating Palermo 3-1 to maintain their 100 percent record while the Belarus outfit beat Sheriff Tiraspol by the same score.

Lech reclaimed top spot in Group A on goals scored after beating City with both teams on seven points from four games.

Dimitrije Injac fired the Poles ahead on the half hour with a swerving shot from outside the area after the Premier League team’s defence failed to properly clear the ball.

Emmanuel Adebayor headed the visitors level seven minutes after halftime but Lech went back in front with four minutes left when City defender Dedryck Boyata’s headed clearance hit Manuel Arboleda on the head and went into the net.

Four minutes later Lech’s 19-year-old substitute Mateusz Mozdzen added to City’s misery with a superb curling shot into the top corner from almost 25 metres.

Juventus, who host City in their next game, have four points after failing to break down the Austrian champions at home.

Group F leaders CSKA Moscow scored three times in seven minutes after halftime to sink Palermo, with Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda wiping out Massimo Maccarone’s 10th minute effort for the visitors before Tomas Necid added two more.

Sparta Prague went second with seven points after coming from behind to beat Swiss second division outfit Lausanne Sport 3-1 away.

Aleksandr Pavlov and Renan Bressan scored in the last 20 minutes for BATE, giving an unhappy European debut to Sheriff’s 19-year-old goalkeeper Dmitri Stajila who replaced injured Vladislav Stoyanov just before the hour.

Group E leaders BATE have 10 points, three ahead of Dynamo Kiev who are favourites to follow them through to the knockout stages after beating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 with a second-half brace from Artem Milevsky.

Atletico Madrid’s Tiago scored a stunning winner six minutes from time to give the holders a 2-1 win at Rosenborg in Group B, with the midfielder leaving three players in his wake before a long-range strike gave goalkeeper Daniel Orlund no chance.

Sergio Aguero had put Atletico ahead after four minutes before Rosenborg, newly-crowned Norwegian champions, equalised through Markus Henriksen after halftime.

Atletico have seven points in Group B, one behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen who beat Aris Salonika 1-0 with a last-minute goal by Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: goal.com

They might be two of the national team’s best players but getting the best out of both of them at the same time proved beyond Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren.

It was only when Capello began to use Gerrard in a more attacking role wide on the left that a solution was finally found.

However, with Gareth Barry’s presence in South Africa dependent on recovery from an ankle injury he will have a scan on later today, Capello could not have failed to be impressed by the control Gerrard brought to a patchy England performance when he was switched back into the centre during half-time of a 3-1 win over Mexico.

“Gerrard can play in midfield with Frank Lampard but we have to wait and see which players will be fit,” said Capello.

“I changed it after half-time and put Steven in the middle, where he played very well.

“He is a really good player and can play in midfield, as a number 10, in lots of different positions.”

Peter Crouch scored his customary goal – his 21st, putting him joint 16th on the all-time England scoring list – and Glen Johnson found a brilliant effort to break his international drought.

However, it was returning central defender Ledley King who opened England’s account, nodding home Crouch’s lay-off from six yards.

“I am happy with him,” said Capello.

“I decided he had to play all the game today. It gave me an opportunity to see him.”

King is likely to be excused Sunday’s final friendly against Japan in Graz, although he has probably done enough to earn his spot in the 23-man squad Capello will unveil on June 1.

There is still time to make an impression – as Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson did on their late introductions – although Capello insists no-one played themselves out of contention.

“I am not concerned by tonight,” he said.

“It was really important to know where we are now, physically and mentally after a long season.

“We have time to recover a lot of the spirit of the team and the qualities we have.

“When we play counter-attacking, we are really dangerous. But I don’t just want to play on the counter. I want more.”

What Capello doesn’t want is to get sidetracked by reports linking him with jobs elsewhere, this time Inter Milan, who are about to lose Champions League-winning coach Jose Mourinho.

“Juventus, Inter, Real Madrid, the other teams, AC Milan,” he smiled.

“It’s good for me but I am focused on the World Cup.”

Source + Pic: football365.com

Steven Gerrard says Liverpool has no intention of giving Chelsea an easy game in Sunday’s game at Anfield.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team are one point ahead of Manchester United with two games to play and a victory on Merseyside would move them within touching distance of the Premier League title.

Some Liverpool fans wouldn’t be too upset about that as it would almost certainly deny arch rivals United a 19th English crown, which would surpass the Reds’ own total of 18.

But Liverpool captain Gerrard knows his side still have an outside chance of snatching fourth place and qualification for the Champions League, so he expects Rafael Benitez’s side to give everything to beat the Blues this weekend.

“We have a couple of games left and the idea is to take maximum points and see if we can get into the Champions League through the back door,” Gerrard told The Sun.

“If we take maximum points, who knows? The teams above us might slip up. All we have done is keep the pressure on.

“We won’t give up but it would be stupid of me to say this or that is going to happen – it’s important to be realistic.

“We are underdogs for fourth position but our fans also know we’ve got Everton breathing down our necks and we certainly don’t want them finishing above us.”

Although Chelsea will fancy their chances against a Liverpool team missing star striker Fernando Torres, they know failure to win at Anfield would give United a chance to regain top spot with a win at Sunderland later on Sunday.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored twice in Sunday’s 7-0 win over Stoke, is convinced Gerrard and company won’t be surrender the three points without a fight.

“There is no chance that 11 Liverpool players can go out and consider United winning the championship on this game,” Lampard said.

“They play only to win games and would not be unprofessional. They will give it everything, there’s no doubt about that.

“But the message from us is that we can go to Anfield and get three points.

“If you want to be champions, you have to go to these kind of places and bring back the title.”

United striker Wayne Rooney, currently sidelined with a groin injury, will be watching the Anfield clash in the hope that his friend and fellow Scouser Gerrard can do the champions a favour.

Gerrard scored twice in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Burnley and Rooney believes his England team-mate will always give 100 percent for the Liverpool cause.

“I don’t need to have a word with Stevie about making sure Liverpool win. You see what a good player and competitor he is even in friendly games,” Rooney said.

“He wants to win and I’m sure he will want to win this one. Liverpool are fighting to get into Europe and with the history behind the club I’m sure they are all determined.

“It is the last home game of the season and their fans will not really be too pleased if they don’t turn up.”

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za ]]> http://sportblog.co.za/2010/04/27/chelsea-will-not-have-it-easy-at-anfield/feed/ 0 http://sportblog.co.za/2010/02/09/steven-gerrard-happy-with-recent-events/ http://sportblog.co.za/2010/02/09/steven-gerrard-happy-with-recent-events/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:40:29 +0000 Andrew Norman http://soccerpitch.co.za/?p=870 Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes that the derby win over Everton over the weekend was just the right medicine to kick start their stuttering season.

The Reds won local bragging rights at Anfield on Saturday as Dirk Kuyt’s close-range header 10 minutes after half-time proved the difference.

Gerrard was happy with all three points and the team’s display, especially as Liverpool had to play most of the match with 10 men after the sending-off of Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

And with confidence high, the Liverpool skipper hopes his team can keep up the momentum and finish the campaign well.

“You always enjoy beating your local rivals but it was the way we did it that was really satisfying, particularly after losing a man after half an hour,” Gerrard said. “I thought we showed fantastic character, a great attitude and I also thought we played some decent stuff at times. I thought it was a fully deserved win.

“You could see what it meant to everyone on the pitch at the end and it was the same again in the dressing room afterwards; everybody is still on a high. ”But we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we’ve got to do it again. We want to extend our run and go on to better things.”

The win moved Liverpool up to fourth spot – one point ahead of rivals Tottenham Hotspur – as the race for Champions League qualification hots up.

“We know there is a long way to go and we want to make sure we are in the top four at the end of the season,” said Gerrard.

“It’s performances like this that will get you in there. We have got to try and keep this run going, as we can’t afford any slip-ups.

“There is pressure coming from Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa. There are a couple of very tough games coming up but if we can show what we have done in the last six games, I don’t see why we can’t maintain it.”

Source: premierleague.com

The pain felt around Anfield following on Wednesday’s shock extra-time FA Cup defeat by second division Reading, was compounded Thursday by news that Torres, Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun had all sustained injuries during the 2-1 extra-time loss.

Torres, who lasted barely half an hour at Anfield, faces the longest lay-off of the trio.

The Spain striker is set to be sidelined for six weeks with a knee injury while inspirational club captain Gerrard, substituted at half-time, is expected to be out for a fortnight with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Israeli playmaker Benayoun – one of Liverpool’s better players in a terrible season so far for the Merseysiders – sustained a fractured rib against Reading and could be unavailable for at least a month.

Torres is to undergo an operation but England midfielder Gerrard may not need surgery.

“Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both underwent scans earlier today (Thursday) after coming off in the FA Cup tie against Reading,” a Liverpool spokesman said.

“Steven has a hamstring strain and will be out for a fortnight, while Fernando has torn a cartilage in his right knee. The injury will require surgery and he is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

“Yossi Benayoun also suffered a fractured rib in the game and will be unavailable for between three and four weeks.”

The trio will miss this weekend’s match against Stoke and the subsequent Premier League encounters with Tottenham and Wolves but the Reds will hope to have Gerrard back in time to face Bolton on January 30.

But the extent of Torres’s injury means he is set to miss next month’s Merseyside derby against Everton and February’s league match with Arsenal as well as the fixture with high-flyers Manchester City.

As well as being a blow to Liverpool, Torres’s injury will be a concern to European champions Spain ahead of this year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

The injury setbacks came as pressure grew on Benitez, with former Liverpool captain Ronnie Whelan calling for the Spaniard to be sacked.

“He should have gone a long time ago,” Whelan told the BBC. “They have got to do it now.”

Liverpool started the season fancied to end the club’s 20-year-wait for the English title but they are currently 12 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Benitez recently “guaranteed” the five-times European Cup winners would finish in the top four and so qualify for next season’s Champions League but they are currently seventh in the table, having already crashed out of this season’s tournament at the group stage.

Now the only chance Liverpool, desperate for finance but hampered by the stand-off between feuding American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, have of winning a trophy this season rests with the Europa Cup.

It was only last year that Benitez signed a contract extension that is set to keep him with Liverpool until 2014 and doubts remain over whether, even if they wanted to sack him the club would be willing to afford the multi-million pounds pay-off they would have to give the Spaniard.

A defiant Benitez, speaking after the Reading match, said he’d got used to criticism.

“For three months everyone was talking about me. At the end, as a manager you have to be disappointed but then move forward and think about Stoke on Saturday,” added the Spaniard, who has been in charge at Anfield since 2004.

“We are frustrated but you have to carry on.”

And as the knives were being sharpened, Benitez did at least receive support from former Liverpool striker John Aldridge.

“We can turn the tide, I don’t think to get rid of Rafa now is the answer,” he told Sky Sports.

Source: supersport.co.za

The England midfielder is expected to be ruled out for a further seven to 10 days with the groin problem that has forced him to miss Liverpool’s last two matches.

A draw for Liverpool at Anfield would see them go top of the table although champions Manchester United would regain first place if they defeated Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Arsenal will be without their top scorer Robin van Persie (groin) and fellow striker Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring).

However, full-back Bacary Sagna has recovered from a virus and could feature at Anfield, along with fit-again Croatia forward Eduardo.

Lukasz Fabianski, who had a shaky match during Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea, is set to continue to deputise for the injured Manuel Almunia (ankle) while defenders Gael Clichy (back), William Gallas (knee) and Johan Djourou (knee) are all out of action.

Arsenal are fourth in the table and seemingly assured of qualification for next season’s Champions League now that they are seven points ahead of Aston Villa.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger may be tempted to rest key players ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final with United.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who himself fielded what was all but a reserve side during United’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Everton last weekend, was banking on his French rival’s competitiveness.

“I don’t know what Arsene will be thinking about tomorrow but no matter what, Arsenal always try,” United manager Ferguson said Monday.

“That is the mantra of Arsene himself. He is a winner.

“Providing they try, it is all I can ask for.”

Source: soccernews.com

Pic: soccerfanzone.com