EPL ~ Liverpool striker Torres crocked again
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Sunday, 3 May 2009Channel 27: "Live"Liverpool v Newcastle - 8:30 pm
RAFA BENITEZ believes the misfiring Newcastle strikers are capable of finishing off Liverpool’s title hopes on Sunday.
Former Kop favourite Michael Owen has been criticised after scoring just once for the Toon during 2009.
And strike partners Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka were also slammed as Alan Shearer’s strugglers drew 0-0 with Portsmouth last Monday.
But Anfield chief Benitez said: “I don’t think they will be playing for a draw. They have quality players in attack.
“If Manchester United make a mistake then we have to be ready, so we must take three points from each game.”
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honestly newcastle should improve their attacking tatic. when i read the newspaper, it says each striker was only given a chance to score, no wonder i dun see owen scoring any goals
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I think Newcastle only need 3 to 4 points more to stay up...
Wait Owen comes up with a goal for the match, a winning goal somemore...
He immediately becomes a hero... Of Newcastle lah... that is...
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Lolx if Newcastle Win, ooooo
If Liverpool Win, Bye Bye for Newcastle,then Ben buy Owen back To team up with Torres
then buy Tevez
become sub striker like Babel -
I believed the Toons will stay up... They only need 3 to 4 points I think... Hull in danger of taking their place...
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i rather liverpool buy tevez
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I liked Owen when he was younger.
Right now, I think he is past his prime already.
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Gerrard's back, so good luck Newcastle, you'll need it.
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I hope Newcastle wins, the fans have so much faith in their new leader... he has to do something.
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What better ending would there be other than Michael Owen to end Liverpool's title hope?
But think of it... if he does score the winning goal, he will forever be condemmed by the Liverpool faithfuls.
LOL
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i hope they start winning only after this match against liverpool
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Please dont go championship Newcastle!
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there is news that owen might be dropped for the game vs liverpool
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Liverpool striker is crocked
FERNANDO TORRES is out of Liverpool's must-win clash with Newcastle today. The Spanish star is suffering from a hamstring problem which has plagued him all season.
While it is not bad enough to threaten the remainder of the striker's season, Rafa Benitez has decided not to risk Torres, even though victory over Newcastle is vital if Liverpool are to keep the pressure on Manchester United.
It is even more of a blow for Anfield boss Benitez as he was desperate to pair Torres with Steven Gerrard once more after the Liverpool skipper missed the last three games with a groin injury.
Benitez knows that any slip at Anfield this afternoon will virtually hand the title to Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson's men currently six points clear.
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WA Hamstring once heal is it confirm the problem come again?
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Heng they got Gerrard back.
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eh wtf?
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the title is virtually out of reach for Liverpool.
The press is just playing mind games to sell their papers.
Ah Ben know that the 6 points is too much to overcome unless MU suffered some weird injuries for their players during the following three weeks.
The pressure is actually on Liverpool to catch up with MU.
The fact is that Liverpool have left it too late to play catch-up and they dun really have a deep squad to be a champion.
No point blaming any one as what is done is already done and over.
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Humiliation for Owen: Striker dropped for Lovenkrands as Shearer hopes for an Anfield miracle
Newcastle striker is set for an unhappy return for former club Liverpool on Sunday as his side fight for their Premier League lives
Michael Owen faces a double dose of humiliation on Sunday when he makes an emotional return to Liverpool and the ground where he made his name as the most exciting teenage striker in Europe.
Owen is set to be dropped for a game at Anfield that is crucial to Newcastle's future as manager Alan Shearer opts to start with Peter Lovenkrands, an unsung Dane who arrived at St James' Park in January on a free transfer.
And the 29-year-old's hopes of a dream move back to his beloved Liverpool in the summer have been firmly ruled out by manager Rafael Benitez, even though Owen would be available on a free transfer.
The only silver lining for Newcastle ahead of a game they cannot afford to lose is that Liverpool's star striker, Fernando Torres, is a major doubt with a hamstring injury after taking part in only limited training sessions over the past 72 hours.
Shearer, accused of sitting on the fence too often as a TV pundit, is prepared to show his bold side as he seeks his first win as interim manager standing in for Joe Kinnear.
With Newcastle stuck in the bottom three and staring a financially-catastrophic relegation in the face, Shearer is prepared to sacrifice Owen, his close friend, after a spell of one goal in 14 games to accommodate the only two fit left-footed players at the club, Lovenkrands and Damien Duff.
Former Rangers striker Lovenkrands has scored twice since joining Newcastle and, crucially, he is seen as a better foil to Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins, although Owen will still be called upon from the bench if Newcastle need a goal.
The decision will be a bitter blow to Owen, who, from comments on his website, is not expecting to be dropped. The £100,000-a-week striker says: 'I wake up and know where I stand in terms of performance, my standing in the game, the goals I will score, given the opportunities. I have been around a long time and everyone knows if I get the chances I will score goals.
Boss Alan Shearer is poised to axe Owen in favour of Peter Lovenkrands
'We have to be brave and positive. We go to Liverpool and we finish the season at Aston Villa. If we can get some points from those games we'll grasp them. But it's the next home games against Middlesbrough and Fulham that are the focus.'
The reality is, however, that Owen wants to quit the north-east when his contract ends in the summer after three injuryhit years following a £17 million move from Real Madrid. Everton and Villa are looking at him but it emerged last night there is no chance of him winning a dream move back to Anfield, where he scored 158 goals between 1998 and 2004.
Benitez is not interested in landing Owen, five years after selling him to Madrid. The Spaniard is aware of the club's history and once re-signed Kop legend Robbie Fowler to use him sparingly as a fourth-choice striker. But he will not do the same with Owen.
Benitez said last night: 'The situation with Michael is different to what it was with Robbie. Robbie understood his role, he came here at a certain time in his career and it was a fantastic opportunity for him.
Lovenkrands could partner fellow left-footer Damien Duff in midfield for the Anfield clash
Ironically, Benitez faces a major dilemma over playing £27m Torres today after the recurrence of a hamstring injury as Liverpool try to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester United.
Benitez is having to consider wrapping Torres in cotton wool after confirming a Mail on Sunday story that the Spanish superstar will have just a three-week break between playing in the Confederations Cup for his country in South Africa on June 28 and joining up with Liverpool for their pre-season tour of Asia.
Liverpool have accepted a lucrative fee to play in Thailand and Singapore in mid-July but have to play Torres and Steven Gerrard as part of the deal.
Although Benitez would ideally like to have left Torres at home, he is reluctant to make it a huge issue as the tour revenue forms part of his summer transfer budget.
Benitez said: 'I am sure Torres will go to the Confederations Cup and he will also go to Asia.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez knows his side must keep winning to keep the pressure on Manchester United at the top of the table
'So he will have three weeks' break while the other players will have five weeks. 'It is a situation we can not change so we have to manage Torres in the best way. We know when he and Stevie are fit, the team is better.'
Shearer was hailed as Newcastle's messiah when he arrived at St James' Park five weeks ago to fill in for Joe Kinnear, who is recovering from a heart operation.
But Newcastle have won only two points from a possible 12 under Shearer and the pressure is on. 'I still believe that we'll have enough to stay up,' he said. 'The games are running out and it's easy for me to say that, but if I don't believe, who will?'
The former St James' Park captain continued the guessing game about his future, saying: 'It's not relevant, not important. I said at the beginning I'm not getting involved in all that. It's not something I should be talking about - what I should be talking about is Anfield.'
Shearer admitted that choosing between Owen, Martins and Viduka represented a tougher decision than naming all three to start at Anfield. And he raised the intriguing prospect of starting the game with three central defenders.
'I played it at Stoke and for part of the game at Spurs but it's another matter whether I go to Anfield with three or not,' said Shearer. 'First and foremost, I'm looking for a performance and hopefully it will be enough to get a result.
'We have to go there and put in a good shift and a good fight. They have a hell of a lot to play for and so have we.'
Xabi Alonso could be sold this summer as Liverpool look to raise funds for other players
Liverpool need to win as badly as Newcastle to put pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester United in their chase at the top.
Benitez has been given a limited budget of £10m this summer by American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett but hopes to raise £25m for targets Glen Johnson, Gareth Barry and an additional striker by selling Xabi Alonso, Andrea Dossena and on-loan players Andriy Voronin and Sebastien Leto, currently at Hertha Berlin and Olympiakos.
Juventus are in for Alonso and Benitez said: 'He is not on the market but if other clubs come to us, you can talk.'
Dutch winger Ryan Babel is also available at the right price but Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano is seen as one of Liverpool's untouchables, alongside Gerrard and Torres.
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Rafa rules out Anfield return for Owen
Rafa Benitez has told Michael Owen that no amount of goals at Anfield on Sunday will convince him to re-sign the Newcastle man.
Owen could find himself axed for the Sunday encounter as Alan Shearer tinkers with the 4-3-3 formation he tried against Potsmouth, but Benitez will not be the man to rescue the former Liverpool man in the summer.
Liverpool are widely recognised as needing backup for Fernando Torres but, unlike when Benitez signed Robbie Fowler, the Spaniard insists Owen is not set for an emotional reunion.
“I think it’s a different situation to the Robbie Fowler one. Robbie knew it was a fantastic opportunity for him to come back,” Benitez was quoted as saying in The Sunday Star.
“He had been injured and had not played games in a row. And we were looking for a striker of his quality. We were looking for this kind of player.
“He understood clearly what his role was. Michael is younger and still has a lot of years to play, so it is a different situation.
“Clearly he’s a top class striker so he will want to play every game. But as this moment we are really pleased with Fernando Torres.”
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Originally posted by Medicated Oil:
the title is virtually out of reach for Liverpool.
The press is just playing mind games to sell their papers.
Ah Ben know that the 6 points is too much to overcome unless MU suffered some weird injuries for their players during the following three weeks.
The pressure is actually on Liverpool to catch up with MU.
The fact is that Liverpool have left it too late to play catch-up and they dun really have a deep squad to be a champion.
No point blaming any one as what is done is already done and over.
what if what if... they kena H1N1 virus... all cant play field reserve :s
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i would nvr want to see owen back at liverpool
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Originally posted by limpper:
i would nvr want to see owen back at liverpool
me too
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maybe s-league dont want him also.
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Originally posted by jgho83:
maybe s-league dont want him also.
he come S-league confirm score 100 goals one, haha...