Alonso

One of the Setanta commentators said during the Villa game that you could argue that Rafa had already started his rotation policy by not including Crouch or Mascherano in the squad. IT'S THE FIRST GAME YOU MUPPETT.

Mods, would it be possible to make this a sticky so that we can follow the progress of them throughout the season?

1. Gerrard 2. Kuyt 3. Carragher

Boro, Wigan and Fulham for me, even more so if Boro lose Yakubu. Birmingham could also struggle.

Just woken up to post the same only Sissoko for Mascherano and Kuyt for Crouch. Just worried that Rafa wants a solid, safe start to the season. I've been hoping for an more cut throat, attacking mentality this season, especially away from home and have been encouraged by the signings and what's being said from within the camp to enable this. Now the day is here tho I've become very nervous and apprehensive! Come on you Red Men!

Hopefully Pennant and Kewell will provide the (quality) width we need and Benanyoun and Babel can act as those who can come inside offering different qualities.

Just waiting for the next pundit to question why we're loaning Carson out again after his brilliant performance for Charlton last season and not installing him as our no 1.

Apparently dubbed the French David James!

Write up about Charles Itandje: An overzealous teammate’s father almost ended Charles-Hubert Itandje’s football career before it had even began. During a match for local club Lilas in Paris’ northern suburbs, a teenage Itandje was singled out for some particularly vitriolic criticism. It never got physical, but the young ‘keeper was sufficiently shocked by the outburst that he gave the game up and followed a friend into the world of kick-boxing. His self-imposed exile was short lived. A trial with Parisian club Red Star soon saw Itandje’s 1m93cm frame return between the posts and it has hardly strayed since. It was with Red Star’s youth team that Itandje’s star began its interminable rise. His single season with the capital’s second side was enough to alert Europe’s top talent scouts and the 17-year-old was soon entertaining offers from France’s top clubs and abroad. In the end it was Lens who beat off concerted bids from Liverpool and Fulham for the young man’s signature, and he was soon learning his trade by working alongside the club’s incumbent No 1 Guillaume Warmuz. After a season oscillating between the first-team bench and the reserves, the 2002-03 campaign promised more of the same until a series of high-profile blunders by Warmuz delivered Itandje the Christmas present he had been dreaming of. Warmuz quit the club in January and Coach Jöel Muller preferred to give the 20-year-old stand-in his full backing rather than buy a more experienced custodian. By the season’s end, Warmuz was little more than a running joke and Itandje was the new hero at the Stade Félix-Bollaert. A call up to the Espoirs followed as Itandje’s performances for Lens installed him as one of France’s most promising young ‘keepers. After playing all but three games for Les Sang et Or last season, Itandje suffered a form slump towards the end of 2004, as Lens flirted with the relegation zone. However, following the arrival of new Coach Francis Gillot, Itandje – like his teammates – is finally rediscovering his best form. His giant frame, plus feline reflexes, make him a formidable shot-stopper and during this season’s darker moments he re-emerged as one of the side’s leading lights.

Here's Kuyt's take on his situation reported by Bascombe Dirk Kuyt determined to fill Robbie Fowler’s boots Aug 8 2007 by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo DIRK KUYT today spoke of his burning desire to fill the boots of Robbie Fowler and establish himself as one of Liverpool’s most prolific marksmen. Many feel the summer departure of Fowler has left Rafa Benitez short of a natural predator in his squad. But when Benitez was asked if record signing Fernando Torres was the mythical ’20 goal a season striker’ he’d been looking for, the Liverpool boss insisted the club already possesses one in Kuyt. Since arriving on Merseyside a year ago, Kuyt has often played a deeper role to the one which led Liverpool to spend so heavily on his services. Benitez’s recent observation is a sure sign the Dutchman will now be afforded the freedom to play higher up the park, and plunder goals with the same prolific zeal he did at Feyenoord. Now the striker is relishing extra responsibility to improve Liverpool’s goal return. “I’m sure I will get better this season,” said the Dutchman. “Last year I didn’t have a full pre-season or know the rest of the lads or the club so well. Now I’m more settled and any difficulties when starting at a new club are behind me. I can focus 100 per cent on my football and I have a good feeling about this season. “Players like Robbie and Michael Owen are known as some of the best strikers Liverpool has ever had and it’s good for me to be able to have the chance to join those names. I want to be seen as a Liverpool goalscorer, and now I can’t wait to show it. “I scored a lot of goals in Holland, but England is totally different because it’s so much more difficult. I believe I can do here what I did in Holland, but I also think I can do more for the team than just score goals. It’s important for me to do whatever job is asked, working hard or making assists. “Last season was different for me, getting used to different partners in attack and also playing against better defenders. The Premiership has some of the best defenders in the world and you need to get used to that, but I’m looking forward to this season even more than last. “Andriy and Fernando are different strikers to Robbie Fowler and Bellamy, so I may play in a different role. Fernando likes to come deeper for the ball, so if I play alongside him there’s the chance for me to play higher up the park, which I enjoy. “That’s more how I was used to playing with Feyenoord. It all depends who I play alongside, of course, but what’s most important is to play, win the games and help as many players as possible to score goals.” Kuyt’s goalscoring luck deserted him in the friendlies. That was summed up when a valid goal was chalked off against his former club last weekend. “I thought it was a great goal, but then I looked to the side and saw the referee and linesman didn’t have a good view,” he said. “It was disappointing it didn’t count, but it’s better for that to happen now than in a few weeks time. “I didn’t have a lot of luck in pre-season. I feel really sharp and think I’ve been playing well and getting into good positions, but at times I’ve been unfortunate. “In the game against Portsmouth in Hong Kong I came up against David James making a lot of good saves. Maybe I’m keeping the goals for the real competition. I’m sure the goals will come. “Pre-season is important, but it’s all about the game against Aston Villa, so I’d rather score and win that match than score in the practice games.”

Looks like Leto could get a run out tomorrow after being given his European passport. I imagine Lucas may well get his first start too.

Hardly Athletic

That's some talent!!

One thing's for sure, if Gerrard starts on the right the media will have a field day asking why Rafa has played Gerrard there when we have signed these wide players and Pennant has improved from last season. Merson and Nicholas will be saying Rafa still hasn't got a clue and that we'll be lucky to finish in the top 4 what with Arsenal's youngsters playing beautiful football and Spurs spending big not to mention having the best player the world has ever seen in Berbatov.

But was that from a set piece cos if it was it's that bloody zonal marking problem again.

Here's Bascombe's take on it: Link LIVERPOOL are waiting for the Premier League to take the next step in the acrimonious battle to sign Gabriel Heinze. The Reds have written to league officials asking them to resolve the dispute between Heinze and Manchester United, thus paving the way for the transfer to Anfield. Although the focus has understandably been on the row between two fierce rivals, this is essentially a dispute between the player and his club, not Liverpool and United, and in such instances it is for the league to intervene. The crux of the argument remains whether a signed letter from David Gill making it clear Heinze can join any club for a set fee is binding or not. Gill says he verbally told the Argentinian he couldn’t join their Premiership rivals, but he didn’t put this in writing. Heinze is due to return to training with United next Monday. Clearly, he’ll expect the matter to have taken a turn in his favour by then, as United recognise he has no future at their club. Privately, Liverpool are bemused at United’s refusal to allow him to move to Anfield as they would receive a hefty sum for a player who is clearly surplus to requirements. In the absence of a logical explanation for blocking his move to Merseyside – to a club which United fans gleefully recognise has barely mounted a serious challenge for the title in 17 years – it seems Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson are basing their opposition solely on emotional factors. The Premier League must decide if it’s fair for a transfer to be blocked and a player's career stalled on the basis of one club disliking another. Meanwhile, Steve Finnan is expected to put pen to paper today on the contract he agreed last week. Finnan will sign a two-year deal which may become a three-year contract if clauses are activated.

Spurs Arsenal Everton Villa

So long as we close the gap significantly on the top 2 and are still in with a shout of the title around beginning of April then we can look on it as a successful league season and who knows what could happen if we are actually still in with a shout come April!

That's the one for me!

Altho he had Leiva on for Liverpool!!

Thanks for that!

At this rate we'll be lucky to get a UEFA spot next season.

And we only managed to score 3 against them.

Question is what name is gonna have on his shirt, Lucas or Leiva?

For anyone who can speak Norweigan, there's this about him on Liverpool.no: 16 spillere fra pre-season til Halden Det vil være flere kjente navn som blir med Liverpool XI til Halden og Karlstad. Daniel Ayala enda en utenlandsk unggutt på plass(?) Av Torbjørn Flatin Liverpool XI skal spille i Halden tirsdag 21.august og i Karlstad 23.august. Mikael Linder fra arrangøren sier til liverpool.no at 25 spillere er påmeldt, hvorav de 16 første på listen under var involvert i pre-season kampene mot Wrexham, Crewe og Werder Bremen. Alle disse kampene endte som kjent med seier. Linder tror at man ender opp med 18-19 spillere, som vil bli ledet av Gary Ablett. En vil også se at andre nye unggutter som Mikel San José Ryan Crowther og Daniel Pacheco kan være aktuelle. I tillegg står Daniel Ayala oppført, en spiller som tilsynelatende ubemerket har skrevet under for Liverpool FC. Vi kommer nærmere tilbake til disse kampene etter hvert, og informasjon vil også bli lagt ut på hjemmesidene til Kvik Halden og Karlstad BK.