You'll Never Walk Alone (FM2010)

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 7
Date: Fri 12 / 02 / 2010
Headline: FA Cup 5th Rnd preview
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The odds are firmly stacked against Coca-Cola Championship side Bristol City (Bristol City: 4-1 Draw: 5-2 Liverpool: 4-7) in what should prove a difficult home encounter against league leaders Liverpool, according to Sky Bet. Bristol City beat AFC Bournemouth and Charlton Athletic whilst Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest and Barnsley to get this far.
The Robins supporters will know that they are unlikely to see an upset.

The most interesting aspect of this game will be to see what players Liverpool will start in the defensive line as they are likely also the starters in next week Champions League game against Real Madrid.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 7
Date: Sat 13 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Lucky Liverpool turn in lacklustre performance
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Bristol City 1 - 3 Liverpool (FA Cup 5th Rnd)
Liverpool achieved a fortunate victory after their team was outfought and outplayed by plucky Bristol City. A brace from Nikola Saric helped Liverpool to victory.
Midfielder Marvin Elliott got Bristol City off to a flyer by scoring a powerful effort which deflected in on 10 minutes. That was after Liverpool’s David N'Gog had two goals cancelled in the first 10 minutes for offside. Striker David N'Gog then equalised for Liverpool in the 29th minute with a placed shot from close range.
Young striker Nikola Saric then put the away side in front after 31 minutes with a well timed close range finish. Saric completed the scoring for Liverpool with a placed shot on 54 minutes.
The team were expected to qualify and now having sealed their place in the next round, fans can look forward to who they may be drawn against. Liverpool will have to face the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal if they are to go all the way and win the FA Cup. Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin feels the fans are pleased with Liverpool's 3 - 1 English FA Cup Fifth Round victory over Bristol City.
José Manuel Reina, Nikola Saric and David N'Gog particularly impressed.
The victory keeps the team in with a chance of achieving their minimum aim of reaching the Final of the FA Cup.
Attendance: 19500
Liverpool Man of the Match: Nikola Saric (8.4)




Dave Galley has reported that central defender Michael Dingsdag has suffered a pulled hamstring after chasing the ball during the match against Bristol City. Galley advises that Dingsdag will be treated by the club's physios. It is likely that Dingsdag will be out for between 2 weeks and 3 weeks whilst he is treated. This will only add to Liverpool’s injury problems at defends.


Maybe Liverpool’s 0-0 result against form strong Man City earlier this week was not so bad. The blue team from Manchester is in striking form and today beat Aston Villa handily 5-1.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 7
Date: Sun 14 / 02 / 2010
Headline: FA Cup provides no shocks
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Football enthusiasts looking to the English FA Cup Fifth Round for potential upsets were left empty-handed as there were none to be found in yesterday’s matches. Chelsea overcame Wolves in a result which reflected the general theme of the round. Manchester United are also through to the Sixth Round as they beat Premier Division team Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Elsewhere, there were wins for Fulham, Arsenal, Wigan Athletic and Liverpool.


A display of attacking football saw Nikola Saric pick up the man of the match award during Liverpool's 3 - 1 English FA Cup Fifth Round victory over Bristol City yesterday afternoon.
Saric had the quality to put the Bristol City defence to the sword and finished the match with two goals. Saric, 19, arrived at Anfield from Danish club HB Køge for a fee of £900K in 2008. This was Nikola Sarics first ever game on the first team and it left a lot of people excited to what to expect from the young player in the future.


Liverpool's Philipp Degen has returned to full training. The twenty-six year old right-back had been out of contention for 3 weeks following a thigh injury. The ex-Dortmund player signed for league leaders Liverpool on a free transfer in 2008.


Portsmouth takeover on the rocks. Discussions regarding Portsmouth's takeover are rumoured to be going badly. According to skysports.com, talks between Portsmouth chairman Sulaiman Al-Fahim and director Peter Storrie have run into difficulties over the valuation of the club.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Mon 15 / 02 / 2010
Headline: English FA Cup Sixth Round draw
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Liverpool will play Arsenal in the English FA Cup Sixth Round. The game will be played at Anfield on Saturday 6th March 2010. Liverpool and Arsenal have played each other three times in previous finals of the competition, with Liverpool winning their last encounter in 2001.
The other matches in the 6th round is:
West Ham – Fulham
Wigan – Middlesbrough
Chelsea – Manchester U


London businessman Peter Storrie has ended his interest in taking over Portsmouth, according to worldsoccer.com. Storrie had been in talks with the Pompey outfit but his proposal has been rejected by the Portsmouth chairman Sulaiman Al-Fahim.
With the talks having been close to breakdown in recent days, the collapse of the takeover will not really have come as any great surprise.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Tue 16 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool getting ready for Real Madrid
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Liverpool fans are gearing up to welcome R. Madrid fans ahead of their European Champions League First Knockout Round First Leg clash. The hosts are slight favourites for the match and supporters will be hoping their side can make their perceived advantage count.
Liverpool will be looking to take advantage of having the first leg at home by putting themselves in as strong a position as possible.


Martin Skrtel has begun full training following his knee injury. If this gives him time to get ready for the Champions League game against Real Madrid is a huge question mark. Skrtel, 25, arrived at Anfield from Zenit for a fee of £6M in 2007.


The first four games of the Champions League first knock out stage was played this evening. Juventus totally dominated Besiktas in Turkey but still only managed a 1-1 draw. Juan Roman Riquelme had his worst game of the season (4.4 rating) while Diego (Juve) won man of the match (7.9).
Inter got an easy win in Germany against Bayern Munich. The final result was 3-1 in a game where Bayern had Martín Demichelis sent off in the second half.
Hulk scored a goal but Lyon still won 2-1 at home over Porto.
At Ibrox Stadium Man United humiliated Glasgow Rangers with a 4-0 win. Two goals by Wayne Rooney put him back on the top (tie) of the goal score list in this years Champions League with a total of 8.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Wed 17 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool fortunate to beat R. Madrid
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Liverpool 3 - 2 Real Madrid C.F. (Champions League 1st Knockout Rnd)
Liverpool recorded a somewhat fortuitous win over Real Madrid C.F. on a fine spring evening at Anfield. A brace from David N'Gog helped Liverpool to victory.
Striker Gonzalo Higuaín got R. Madrid off to a flyer by scoring a placed shot on 10 minutes. An error from Fábio Aurélio allowed R. Madrid captain Raúl to score a well timed close range finish. Striker David N'Gog pulled one back for Liverpool after 47 minutes with a fine header from point-blank range.
Striker David N'Gog then equalised for Liverpool in the 49th minute with a well timed close range finish. Striker Fernando Torres then clinched a late winner for the home side on 83 minutes with a curling shot from the edge of the area.
Attendance: 44335
Liverpool Man of the Match: David N'Gog (8.4)




Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has heaped praise upon manager Thomas Northwood after their team's thrilling 3 - 2 win over Real Madrid C.F. Gerrard claimed that it was Northwood's words at half-time that inspired the team to overturn the deficit and emerge victorious at the final whistle.
Tom Northwood found the praise from Gerrard funny as Northwood admitted to almost completely blowing the game for Liverpool at halftime.
After the game is was revealed that Tom Northwood was only second away from replacing David N'Gog, who went on to score two goals in the second half, with another midfielder at halftime. The substitute card was already turned over to the referee when Northwood changed his mind in the last second.
N'Gog had played a bad first half and after being outplayed in the first half Tom Northwood was afraid of being humiliated at home by Real Madrid in the second half.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Thu 18 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Champions League Update
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David N'Gog had a fine game yesterday evening during Liverpool's 3 - 2 European Champions Cup First Knockout Round First Leg victory over R. Madrid but it was a tight match that could really have gone either way. N'Gog had the quality to put the Real Madrid C.F. defence to the sword and finished the match with two goals. N'Gog has made thirty appearances for Liverpool so far this season, scoring sixteen goals.
Elsewhere, Lionel Messi scored a placed shot during Barcelona's 1 - 0 victory over Chelsea and 47309 watched Fiorentina's 1 - 1 draw with Sevilla where Luís Fabiano scored the pick of the goals with a powerful effort from the edge of the area.


Javier Mascherano has picked up an automatic one match ban after collecting 3 yellow cards. The ban will apply for all European club competitions. Javier Mascherano has told Sporting Life of his disappointment that he will miss the European Champions Cup First Knockout Round against Real Madrid C.F. on March 9th through suspension. Instead of taking to the field against Los Merengues, Mascherano will be forced to watch his team-mates from the stands.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Fri 19 / 02 / 2010
Headline: LFC getting ready for Tottenham
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League leaders Liverpool have been touted as comfortable favourites (Liverpool: 1-2 Draw: 13-5 Tottenham: 9-2) but will have to be wary about complacency when taking on Tottenham, according to Sky Bet.
Liverpool are currently on a twelve match unbeaten run and the title contenders lie in 1st place in the English Premier Division. Tottenham are currently lying in 9th place in the English Premier Division.



Thomas Northwood was not giving much away as he met journalists ahead of Liverpool's match against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier Division.
A journalist from BBC Radio 5 live chose the main focus point for the conference, asking, "Your response suggests you have confidence in your players. What do you consider to be your strongest area of the team?"
Northwood's response was, "I am fully confident that all areas of the team are strong and up for the challenge."
It is thought that the Liverpool squad should react well to Northwood's handling of the question.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Sat 20 / 02 / 2010
Headline: The streak is over
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Liverpool 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier Division)
Just three days after Liverpool beat on of the world’s best team’s home at Anfield, Tottenham Hotspur upset the odds with a surprise victory over Liverpool. Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko gave Tottenham the lead with a placed shot in the 38th minute.
Liverpool were often prevented from playing as they wanted to due to the number of fouls committed by their enthusiastic opponents.
Liverpool loss were their first defeat in the Premier Division for thirteen games. Losing had looked unlikely for The Reds in recent games and the league title looked like a certainty, however their recent loss should serve as a reminder that there is still time to blow the title.
Attendance: 45232
Liverpool Man of the Match: Emiliano Insúa (7.3)

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 8
Date: Sun 21 / 02 / 2010
Headline:
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With a 3-2 win over Stoke, Birmingham moved out of last place for the first time since the start of the season. The team has won two of the last three games and now stands with 15 points for the year. That’s two more then Burnley who is the new bottom feeder in the EPL. Both teams still got a lot of work to do to avoid relegation as Birmingham still got 10 points up to the relegation line.
With eight teams in action and 12 goals scored, the best viewing was to be found at Old Trafford where a crowd of 76212 witnessed Man Utd's convincing 3 - 0 victory over Everton. Elsewhere, Theo Walcott scored a placed shot during Arsenal's 1 - 1 draw with Fulham and 17649 watched Portsmouth's 0 - 2 defeat against Aston Villa where Emile Heskey scored the pick of the goals with a well timed close range finish.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Mon 22 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Carragher back in training
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Liverpool's Jamie Carragher has returned to full training. The thirty-two year old central defender had been out of contention for 13 days following a knee injury.
Carragher, who is valued at £5.25M, currently has 16 months remaining on his £90K p/w deal at Anfield.
Martin Kelly (twisted ankle) is close to a return to full fitness and should soon be available for selection.
Michael Dingsdag (pulled hamstring) is still a couple of weeks away from returning to full training and the English Premier Division match against Stoke on Monday 15th March could be considered a realistic target for a possible return.
Dirk Kuyt (torn calf muscle) is our only long-term injury and it will still be a while before we can think about setting a realistic return date for him.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Tue 23 / 02 / 2010
Headline:
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No news to report



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Week: 9
Date: Wed 24 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool Reserves update
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Coach John McMahon was present as Liverpool Reserves suffered defeat against Sunderland Reserves at The Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground this evening. McMahon commented on Steve Irwin's performance during the match. The central midfielder made a crucial header to start a delightful attacking move.
Liverpool Reserves are currently lying in 7th place in the English Reserves Group 2.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Thu 25 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Preston North End looking for new manager
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Due to reports that the players have lost confidence in Alan Irvine, Preston North End chairman Derek Shaw has decided to install a new manager at the club. Irvine's contract has been terminated with immediate effect. Preston will now be looking for a new manager.
Speculation as to Irvine's successor at Deepdale is rife, with Preston North End assistant manager Robert Kelly being touted by the media as the favourite to get the nod. Stuart Gray, Roy McFarland and Dean Glover have also been linked with the position at Deepdale.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Fri 26 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Wolves next for Liverpool
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The odds are firmly stacked against Wolves in what should prove a difficult home encounter against league contenders Liverpool, according to Sky Bet (Wolves: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Liverpool: 1-2). Following Liverpool's 0 - 1 English Premier Division defeat against Tottenham last Saturday, Northwood's side are currently 2nd in the Premier Division with 60 points from 27 matches.
Wolves are currently 17th in the English Premier Division.

Liverpool’s David Moss watched Wolves' heavy 0 - 3 English Premier Division defeat against Chelsea last Saturday and noted that Wolves play a defensive 4-1-4-1 formation and often look to draw the opposition onto them before attempting a counter-attack. The pitch at Molineux is narrow, which will suit teams who play predominantly through the middle. Wide players will struggle to make an impact. McCarthy likes his teams to play possession football and Wolves will look to get the ball down and play it. Finally, it will be important to defend deep or use fast defenders as their attacking pace may cause problems.
Moss warns that Wolves have a technically gifted player in Nenad Milijas and we should look to limit the central midfielder's creativity.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Sat 27 / 02 / 2010
Headline: One-sided result for Liverpool in Premier Division fixture
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 - 4 Liverpool (Premier Division)
Liverpool pulled off a 4 - 0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in their latest English Premier Division match. Full-back Martin Olsson was left red-faced in the 5th minute as he managed hard pressed by Torres to put the ball into his own net. Striker Fernando Torres then doubled Liverpool's lead with a well timed close range finish on 15 minutes.
Lucas scored with a curling shot from the edge of the area in the 19th minute to extend the lead further. And finally Gerrard scored from the penalty spot after Olsson gave away a penalty.
Attendance: 29303
Liverpool Man of the Match: Lucas (8.4)




With ten teams in action and 14 goals scored, the best viewing was to be found at Britannia Stadium where a crowd of 27500 witnessed Stoke's 2 - 2 draw with Chelsea. Elsewhere, 35784 watched Tottenham's 1 - 1 draw with Wigan where Wilson Palacios scored the pick of the goals with a real poacher's effort.


Sammy Lee appeared in good spirits as he met journalists in the wake of Liverpool's convincing 4 - 0 English Premier Division victory over Wolves. A journalist from BBC Radio 5 live chose the main focus point for the conference, asking, "Martin Olsson had a terrible game for Wolves today. Surely you must have enjoyed seeing Olsson* falter?"
Lee's response was, "Not at all, it helped us but it's never nice to see someone struggle like that."

*This is the worst performance I have seen so fare in FM10. When Martin Olsson was substituted after 66 minutes he had made an own goal and committed a penalty and went to the locker-room with a 3.4 rating!!

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 9
Date: Sun 28 / 02 / 2010
Headline: Parise for Lucas & City wins a title
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A display of attacking football saw Lucas pick up the man of the match award during Liverpool's convincing 4 - 0 English Premier Division victory over Wolves yesterday evening.
Lucas put in an impressive performance for Liverpool and his goal will have been the icing on the cake for the central midfielder. Lucas has been in superb form for Liverpool so far this season, contributing six goals and seven assists in thirty-five appearances.
Tom Northwood believes that Lucas have been one of the key reasons why the team have done so well this season. With the loss of Xabi Alonso before the season it was unclear who could fill out his role on the defensive midfield. Lucas have stepped up from day one and not missed a beat since and the absent of Alonso has hardly been noticeable.


One of today’s good match up was between surprise team Bolton who is holding on to a top-10 finish in the EPL and Man U who is fighting to catch up to the two frontrunners Liverpool and Chelsea. At Reebok Stadium a crowd of 27723 witnessed Bolton's 2 - 1 victory over Man Utd.
The other big game today is of cause the final between Man C and Everton in the English League Cup. The game was decided one minute in to overtime when Robinho scored the wining goal for Man City. That gave City a 3-2 win and there first League Cup win since 1976.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Mon 01 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Premier League Team of the Week
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José Manuel Reina, Albert Riera and Lucas were selected in the English Premier League Team of the Week first eleven. Liverpool's full-back Emiliano Insúa has wowed the fans at Anfield this month with some outstanding performances and has duly won the English Premier Division Young Player of the Month. With not much to choose between the top three, Birmingham's James O'Shea took second place and James Tomkins of West Ham came third.
The full-back has impressed for The Reds over the past month with a series of decent performances. It’s not just this month he has played good. Before the season most experts had Fábio Aurélio as the number one left back for Liverpool this season but Emiliano Insúa have been the clear number one for almost the entire season and kept the 30-year veteran on the bench.


6.3.2010 - Liverpool v Arsenal (FA Cup)
9.3.2010 - R. Madrid v Liverpool (Champions League)
15.3.2010 - Liverpool v Stoke (Premier Division)
20.3.2010 - Hull v Liverpool (Premier Division)
23.3.2010 - Denmark Under 21s v England Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
24.3.2010 - Arsenal v Liverpool (Premier Division)
27.3.2010 - Liverpool v Burnley (Premier Division)
30.3.2010 - European Champions League Quarter Final

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Tue 02 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool board are pleased
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To summarise, the Liverpool board are pleased with Tom Northwood’s management of the team. This has been underlined by the fans' joy at Liverpool's 3 - 1 English Premier Division victory over Chelsea. Despite the positives, the fans are still disappointed at Liverpool's English Premier Division 0 - 0 draw with Man City.

The club recorded a loss of £6.1M last month.

Monthly Turnover: £8.07M
Previous Month: £16.17M
Main Income: Gate Receipts £3.16M
Monthly Expenditure: £14.18M
Previous Month: £26.67M
Main Expenditure: Player Wages £3.98M


Dave Galley has announced that the Liverpool squad is close to a clean bill of health. Michael Dingsdag (pulled hamstring) is very close to a return to full fitness and could be ready for the English FA Cup Sixth Round match against Arsenal on Saturday. Dirk Kuyt (torn calf muscle) is our only long-term injury and it will still be a while before we can think about setting a realistic return date for him.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Wed 03 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Michael Dingsdag back in practice
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Liverpool's Michael Dingsdag has returned to full training. The twenty-seven year old central defender had been out of contention for 3 weeks following a thigh injury.
The new Liverpool signing has already made it known in recent days that he is pleased to be part of the setup at Anfield.


Stephen Sama has put pen to paper on a 2 year contract at Liverpool worth around £120,000. He indicated that he was delighted to have signed a new deal for the club of his dreams. The 17-year old German signed for league leaders Liverpool in 2009 and is the second highest valued player on Liverpools U18 roster only behind Adam Pepper.


Man City keeps up the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea. Today City won 2-1 over Sunderland and moved in to 3rd spot one point in front of Man United but 8 back from the two front runners.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Thu 04 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool gripped by FA Cup fever
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Liverpool's game against Arsenal in the English FA Cup is set to be a sell-out with supporters clamouring to see their team at Anfield. Over 45000 tickets are expected to be sold for the English FA Cup Sixth Round clash on Saturday. Liverpool chairman Tom Hicks stated that he hoped the club would get a capacity crowd for an unforgettable match of football at Anfield.
Liverpool fans are all set to welcome Arsenal fans to Liverpool for their English FA Cup Sixth Round match. The hosts are slight favourites for the match according to most pundits but will still need to turn in a strong performance if they are to beat Arsenal.
Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Bristol City whilst Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers, Stoke City and Preston North End to get this far.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Fri 05 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool face Arsenal in FA Cup clash
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League leaders Liverpool's home advantage gives them the edge (Liverpool: 5-4 Draw: 11-5 Arsenal: 7-4) in what should be a close encounter against Arsenal, according to Sky Bet.
Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers, Stoke City and Preston North End whilst Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Bristol City to get this far.
The referee for the match will be Mark Clattenburg from Newcastle who has shown 5 yellow cards and no red cards in his two FA Cup games so far this season.
Liverpool might possible try to rest some players for this game as one of the biggest games of the season is coming up in just 3 days on the road in Madrid.
David Moss watched Arsenal's English Premier Division 0 - 0 draw with Everton last Wednesday and noted that Arsenal play a defensive 4-1-4-1 formation and often look to draw the opposition onto them before attempting a counter-attack. Wenger likes his teams to play possession football and Arsenal will look to get the ball down and play it. Their midfield are good on the ball and can create chances. Finally, it will be important to defend deep or use fast defenders as their attacking pace may cause problems. Moss believes that the skill of attacking midfielder Samir Nasri may necessitate playing an anchorman in midfield to help our defence.
Injured Players: Carlos Vela and Robin van Persie
Unavailable Players: Matthew Upson


Liverpool favourite Ian Rush has singled out central midfielder Cesc Fàbregas as the most influential Arsenal player for the forthcoming game, according to Sky Sports News. Rush declared that the Reds should get something out of this game provided they put the shackles on Arsenal's main attacking threat. Fàbregas has been in superb form for Arsenal so far this season, contributing three goals and eight assists in forty-three appearances.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Sat 06 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Honours even at Anfield
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Liverpool 0 - 0 Arsenal (FA Cup 6th Rnd)
Liverpool were held to a draw by Arsenal in a close-fought FA Cup 6th Rnd match played at Anfield. The first incident of note was on 74 minutes as Arsenal were denied a penalty. Nicklas Bendtner believed that the referee had missed a blatant foul by Martin Skrtel in the box and that Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty. Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger was outraged after the game and, at the risk of incurring the wrath of the FA, criticised the decision at the post-match conference.
Liverpool were nearly handed the lead in the 85th minute through Philippe Senderos' lapse in concentration but failed to capitalise.
Liverpool were carved open a number of times but despite the ability of their opponents to create chances, they struggled to put them away.

Attendance: 45362

Liverpool Starting 11:
José Manuel Reina MOM (7.4)
Glen Johnson
Fábio Aurélio
Jamie Carragher (sub 45)
Martin Skrtel
Lucas
Javier Mascherano
Yossi Benayoun
Albert Riera
Steven Gerrard (c) (sub 77)
David N'Gog (sub 45)

Fernando Torres on 45
Stephen Darby on 45
Mauro Formica on 77

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 10
Date: Sun 07 / 03 / 2010
Headline: No upsets
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Football enthusiasts looking to the English FA Cup Sixth Round for potential upsets were left empty-handed as there were none to be found on this particular day. Man Utd overcame Chelsea in a result which reflected the general theme of the round. Elsewhere, a hat-trick from Alessandro Diamanti inspired a home win during underachieving West Ham's convincing 3 - 0 victory over Fulham and 22197 watched Wigan's 1 - 0 victory over Middlesbrough.


The Arsenal vs Liverpool English Premier Division match has been re-arranged for Wednesday 31st March 2010 due to the clash with the Arsenal vs Liverpool FA Cup match on Wednesday 24th March 2010.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Mon 08 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool fans hopeful ahead of clash
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Liverpool are preparing for their second leg clash with R. Madrid in the Champions Cup. Fans of The Reds will be hoping their team can come through a tricky away leg but, with their team considered underdogs, they may be in for a long journey home. Liverpool will take a narrow lead to Santiago Bernabéu after their 3 - 2 first leg win.
David Moss watched R. Madrid's convincing 4 - 0 LIGA BBVA victory over Villarreal and notes that although R. Madrid lined up with a 4-4-2 formation last Saturday, they normally play 4-2-2-2.
R. Madrid don't play a particular passing style and like to mix it around a bit. They benefit from a strong and organised defence and this could prove difficult to break down. They are unlikely to pose an aerial threat so Liverpool should concentrate on preventing their strikers from receiving the ball to feet. R. Madrid are missing a lot of first-team players but the skill of right winger Cristiano Ronaldo will still be a threat that we will have to deal with.


Thomas Northwood appeared in an equivocal mood as he met journalists ahead of Liverpool's match against Real Madrid C.F. in the European Champions Cup First Knockout Round. A journalist from KiCK! Magazine chose the main focus point for the conference, asking, "Liverpool will take a narrow lead to Santiago Bernabéu after their 3 - 2 first leg win. Your team secured a narrow first leg lead at home. Travelling away for the second leg, are you confident of a result?"
Northwood's response was, "We have an excellent chance."


Liverpool got a somewhat good draw for the semi finals of the FA cup and managed to avoid Man United. If Liverpool gets past Arsenal in the return match they will play Wigan in the semis. In the other semi final it will be Man United against Aston Villa

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Tue 09 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Honours even at Santiago Bernabéu
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Real Madrid C.F. 1 - 1 Liverpool (Champions League 1st Knockout Rnd)
Liverpool were held to a draw by Real Madrid C.F. in a close-fought Champions League 1st Knockout Rnd match played at Santiago Bernabéu.
Kaká had no trouble in scoring from the spot when Johnson conceded a penalty. Johnson finished the game with a horrible 4.6 overall rating but played a good game despite the penalty.
Striker Fernando Torres then equalised for Liverpool after 56 minutes with a real poacher's effort.
Liverpool therefore win 4 - 3 on aggregate.
After the game Tom Northwood was somewhat surprised about the way Real Madrid played. High ball in to the penalty box to Raul looked to be there plane. Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher again totally dominated the air-space in the Liverpool arrear and Raul only won one of 15 headers.

Attendance: 74901

Liverpool Starting 11:

Name Inf.
José Manuel Reina
Glen Johnson
Emiliano Insúa
Jamie Carragher (MOM: 7.5)
Daniel Agger
Steven Gerrard (c)
Yossi Benayoun (sub 79)
Lucas
Michael Dingsdag (sub 45)
Mauro Formica (sub 90)
Fernando Torres

Jason Steele
Fábio Aurélio (on 79)
Albert Riera
David N'Gog
Philipp Degen (on 90)
Steve Irwin (on 45)
Andriy Voronin


Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin feels the fans are pleased with Liverpool's 4 - 3 European Champions League First Knockout Round Second Leg aggregate win over R. Madrid.
Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres particularly impressed. The result means the team can still achieve their minimum aim of reaching the Semi Final of the Champions League. Liverpool have been awarded £1,913,000 for playing in the European Champions League.


Brazil boss Dunga was seen at Santiago Bernabéu during R. Madrid's European Champions League First Knockout Round Second Leg against Liverpool. It is believed Dunga was casting an eye over the progress of Marcelo, Kaká and Lucas for his next Brazil squad.
The Argentina manager, Diego Maradona, was also spotted in the stands, with Emiliano Insúa and Fernando Gago thought to be the focus of his attention.


Barcelona have lost in the European Champions League First Knockout Round after a 2 - 1 aggregate defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Los Culés were expected to be among the challengers for the Champions League and their exit may well have taken many by surprise.
Sporting CP also moved to the next round with a win over AC Milan. And finally Sevilla got a win over Fiorentina.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Wed 10 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Champions Leagues update
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3 of the 4 home teams won in today’s Champions Leagues games and moved on to the next round. The two Italian teams Inter and Juventus is thru to the next round after wins over Bayern and Besiktas. Man U easily beat Rangers for a 5-0 win over the two legs. Only home team not to move on to the next round was Porto who lost 1-3 to Lyon over two games.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Thu 11 / 03 / 2010
Headline: League news
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Tottenham have paid Stoke £475,000 as part of the Abdoulaye Faye transfer deal. The 32-year old Senegalese has played in 10 league games for Tottenham since joining the team just after New Year.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Fri 12 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Champions League Draw
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Liverpool will play Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD in the European Champions League Quarter Final.
The first leg will be played at Estádio José Alvalade Século XXI on Wednesday 31st March 2010.
Liverpool will have to watch out for Sporting CP's Liédson who is the leading goal-scorer in the Champions League this season.
The other European Champions League Quarter Finals looks like this:
Sevilla vs. Chelsea
Man U vs. Lyon
Inter vs. Juventus


The Arsenal vs. Liverpool English Premier Division match has been re-arranged for Wednesday 21st April 2010 due to the clash with the Sporting CP vs. Liverpool Champions League match on Wednesday 31st March 2010. This means that Liverpool’s final to games of the season will both be against Arsenal.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Sat 13 / 03 / 2010
Headline: EPL news
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With five matches played and 14 goals scored, the best viewing was to be found at Stamford Bridge where a crowd of 41761 witnessed Chelsea's convincing 4 - 1 victory over Hull. The highlight being a landmark goal for Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Chelsea is now 3 points clear of Liverpool in the top o the division but with two games more played.
Elsewhere, Emmanuel Adebayor scored a close range header during Man City's 2 - 0 victory over Tottenham and 17645 watched Portsmouth's heavy 0 - 3 defeat against Everton where Joseph Yobo scored the pick of the goals with a close range header.


Youth Coach Rodolfo Borrell was present as Liverpool Under 18s suffered defeat against Everton Under 18s at Halton Stadium this afternoon.
Borrell commented on Thomas Ince's performance during the match. The left winger was on occasion a threat to the opposition defence with his skill and direct running.
Liverpool Under 18s are currently lying in 3rd place in the English Under 18s Group 6.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 11
Date: Sun 14 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool to play Stoke at home
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League leaders Liverpool have been touted as comfortable favourites (Liverpool: 1-2 Draw: 13-5 Stoke: 9-2) but will have to be wary about complacency when taking on Stoke, according to Sky Bet. Premier Division title contenders Liverpool are currently lying in 2nd place in the table.
Stoke have been performing above expectations in the English Premier Division all season and find themselves in 13th place.
David Moss believes Stoke are likely to field a 4-4-2 formation. Moss believes that attacking midfielder Tuncay will need to be watched carefully as he has the ability to be a match winner.
Injured Players: Matthew Etherington
Unavailable Players: Jonas Olsson


With four matches played and 10 goals scored earlier today, the best viewing was to be found at The Stadium of Light where a crowd of 48300 witnessed a shock result during Sunderland's 1 - 0 victory over Man Utd. Man U now dropped to 5th place in the EPL. Elsewhere, Blackburn's 1 - 2 defeat against Aston Villa proved to be a fiery affair and Gary Cahill scored the pick of the goals in Arsenal's 1 - 1 draw with Bolton with a mighty header from within the six-yard box.


Sunderland have paid Tottenham £1,000,000 as part of the Darren Bent transfer deal. The player has played in 30 league games for Sunderland.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Mon 15 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool comes back to earth
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Liverpool 1 - 2 Stoke City (Premier Division)
A gritty performance by Stoke City saw them come away from Anfield with a 2 - 1 win. The first noteworthy incident of the match proved to be controversial, with Liverpool seeing a goal disallowed due to a questionable offside. Stoke finally took the lead when striker Ricardo Fuller scored a well timed close range finish on 67 minutes.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard then equalised for Liverpool in the 88th minute with a freak goal. Better late than never for Liverpool and the fans were clearly delighted with Gerrard's impact.
But with what turned out to be the last kick of the ball tireless midfielder Tuncay clinched a late winner for the away side on 94 minutes with a placed shot. Tuncay's impact delighted the travelling Stoke fans with his late goal and left the Liverpool supporters in a state of chock.

Attendance: 45362

Liverpool Starting 11:
José Manuel Reina
Glen Johnson
Emiliano Insúa
Jamie Carragher
Michael Dingsdag (sub 84)
Steven Gerrard (c) (MOM: 7.1)
Yossi Benayoun
Lucas (sub 45)
Javier Mascherano
Fernando Torres
David N'Gog (sub 45)
-------------------------------------
David Martin
Daniel Agger
Philipp Degen
Mauro Formica (on 45)
Martin Skrtel
Ruben Yttergård Jenssen (on 84)
Albert Riera (on 45)

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Tue 16 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Fans not happy with home loss
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Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin believes the fans are very disappointed with Liverpool's 1 - 2 English Premier Division defeat against Stoke. Richard believes the fans are despondent that they ended up coming away from the game with nothing even though a draw was within their grasp.
Mauro Formica and David N'Gog in particular were singled out as having underperformed.
Liverpool are currently three points behind league leaders Chelsea but with a game in hand.


This was a horrible loss for Liverpool. Instead of riding the high of the Champions League win last week, Liverpool came home and with what was close to the strongest starting eleven gave away 3 points. Gerrard were the only Liverpool player who finished the game with a rating over 7.0.

Liverpool is still right behind Chelsea in the standing but with just 8 games remaining every point counts and the teams behind them is getting closer every week.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Wed 17 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Reserves victory
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Coach John McMahon was present as Liverpool Reserves stormed to victory against Hull City Reserves at Prenton Park this evening. McMahon singled out Andriy Voronin as the team's top performer. The striker was in deadly form to score three goals. Liverpool Reserves are currently lying in 6th place in the English Reserves Group 2.


The free transfer deadline for English clubs is in one week.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Thu 18 / 03 / 2010
Headline: call up for international duty
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Nine of Liverpool’s young players have been called up for international duty.

Match Date: March 23rd.
Greece Under 21s: Dean Bouzanis
Hungary Under 21s: Krisztián Németh and András Simon
Iceland Under 21s: Victor Pálsson
Turkey Under 21s: Hakan Duyan
Denmark Under 21s: Nikola Saric and Nicolaj Køhlert
Norway Under 21s: Ruben Yttergård Jenssen
Bulgaria Under 21s: Nikolay Mihaylov


The MLS regular season kicked off today with a game between Chivas USA and San Jose.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Fri 19 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Hull face difficult Liverpool challenge
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The odds are firmly stacked against injury-ravaged Hull (Hull: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Liverpool: 4-5) in what should prove a difficult home encounter against Liverpool, according to Sky Bet. Liverpool are currently three points behind league leaders Chelsea with a game in hand.
Hull have been performing above expectations in the English Premier Division all season and find themselves in 13th place.

David Moss watched Hull's heavy 1 - 4 English Premier Division defeat against Chelsea last Saturday and noted that Hull play a defensive 4-4-2 formation and often look to draw the opposition onto them before attempting a counter-attack. The pitch at The Circle is long which will favour teams playing a direct style. If defenders push up there will be a lot of space to exploit in behind them for the quicker players to take advantage of. Brown likes his teams to play possession football and Hull will look to get the ball down and play it. Finally, it will be important to defend deep or use fast defenders as their attacking pace may cause problems.
Hull are missing a lot of first-team players but central midfielder Kevin Kilbane will still be a threat that we will have to deal with.
Injured Players: Jimmy Bullard, Ibrahima Sonko, Andy Dawson, Ian Ashbee and Daniel Cousin
Unavailable Players: None

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Sat 20 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Reds ease past Hull
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Hull City 1 - 2 Liverpool (Premier Division)
Liverpool produced a good display this afternoon to see off the challenge of Hull City at The Circle. Argentina captain Javier Mascherano got Liverpool off to a flyer by scoring a powerful effort from the edge of the area on 5 minutes. Experienced striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink then equalised for Hull in the 30th minute with a placed shot from close range.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard scored what proved to be the winner for the away side on 45 minutes with a powerful freekick from the edge of the area.

Attendance: 25404

Liverpool Starting 11:
José Manuel Reina
Philipp Degen (sub 58)
Emiliano Insúa
Jamie Carragher
Daniel Agger
Lucas
Javier Mascherano
Yossi Benayoun
Albert Riera
Steven Gerrard (c) (sub 71) (MOM: 7.9)
Fernando Torres (sub 55)
-------------------------------------
David Martin
Michael Dingsdag
Glen Johnson (on 58)
Mauro Formica (on 71)
Martin Skrtel
Fábio Aurélio
David N'Gog (on 55)




Steven Gerrard was the best player on the park during Liverpool's 2 - 1 English Premier Division victory over Hull this afternoon and the margin of victory should have been even greater. The attacking midfielder netted the winning goal to round off his performance by scoring a powerful freekick from the edge of the area.
Gerrard, 29, looked in good form for Liverpool and the attacking midfielder will be delighted to have got on the scoresheet. Gerrard has been in superb form for Liverpool so far this season, contributing sixteen goals and nine assists in thirty-four appearances.
Javier Mascherano also had a very impressive game in a game where Lucas did not play up to his usual high standard.


It has been another great day of action in the English Premier Division. With fourteen teams in action and 27 goals scored, the best viewing was to be found at Molineux where a crowd of 26136 witnessed Wolves' heavy 2 - 5 defeat against Man City. The highlight of that match was Marek Hamsik scoring his first ever goal for Man City.
Elsewhere, 22165 watched Burnley's 1 - 2 defeat against Chelsea where Steven Fletcher scored the pick of the goals with a powerful effort from the edge of the area.


Speaking to Sporting Life, Liverpool boss Thomas Northwood admitted he is an admirer of Leeds United left midfielder Robert Snodgrass' talents. Northwood continued by stating that he thought Snodgrass was an accomplished player. Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in the player.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 12
Date: Sun 21 / 03 / 2010
Headline:
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In the biggest game on Sunday Man U won 2-0 over Arsenal. Berbatov and Park Ji-Sung scored the goal for United who moved in to 5th place with the Gunners still struggling back in 8th place.


After receiving praise from Liverpool boss Thomas Northwood, Leeds' winger Robert Snodgrass responded in an appreciative manner. During an interview with The League Paper, the player indicated that he respects Thomas Northwood's opinion and fully appreciates the comments made by the Liverpool boss.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Mon 22 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool fans hopeful ahead of clash
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Arsenal fans are all set to welcome Liverpool fans to London for their English FA Cup Sixth Round Replay match. The hosts are slight favourites for the match according to most pundits but will still need to turn in a strong performance if they are to beat Liverpool.
Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Bristol City whilst Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers, Stoke City and Preston North End to get this far.
Liverpool favourite Ian Rush has singled out central midfielder Cesc Fàbregas as the most influential Arsenal player for the forthcoming game, according to Sky Sports News. Rush stipulated that although the Reds were not favourites in this encounter, they could still get a result if they managed to keep Fàbregas quiet.
Fàbregas has been in superb form for Arsenal so far this season, contributing three goals and nine assists in forty-eight appearances.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Tue 23 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool face Arsenal in FA Cup clash
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Liverpool go into this away game with every chance of walking away with something against slight favourites Arsenal, according to Sky Bet (Arsenal: 5-4 Draw: N/A Liverpool: 7-4).
David Moss watched Arsenal's 0 - 2 English Premier Division defeat against Man Utd last Sunday and noted that Arsenal play a defensive 4-1-4-1 formation and often look to draw the opposition onto them before attempting a counter-attack. The pitch at Emirates Stadium is long which will favour teams playing a direct style. If defenders push up there will be a lot of space to exploit in behind them for the quicker players to take advantage of.
Wenger likes his teams to play possession football and Arsenal will look to get the ball down and play it. Their midfield are good on the ball and can create chances. Finally, it will be important to defend deep or use fast defenders as their attacking pace may cause problems.
Moss believes that the intelligent play of central midfielder Cesc Fàbregas will be a threat and he will look to drop into space where possible.
Unavailable Players: Aaron Ramsey, Nicklas Bendtner and Matthew Upson


Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee has reported back on the Liverpool players involved in today's international fixtures:

Albania Under 21s 1 - 1 Norway Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-one year-old tireless midfielder Ruben Yttergård Jenssen's fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for Norway Under 21s.

Denmark Under 21s 2 - 3 England Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Seventeen year-old young midfielder Nicolaj Køhlert's fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for Denmark Under 21s.
Nikola Saric also played in this match.

Cyprus Under 21s 1 - 2 Bulgaria Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-one year-old goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov's fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for Bulgaria Under 21s.

Turkey Under 21s 3 - 0 Austria Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Eighteen year-old young goalkeeper Hakan Duyan's fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for Turkey Under 21s.

Czech Republic Under 21s 2 - 2 Greece Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Nineteen year-old young goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis' fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for Greece Under 21s.

Hungary Under 21s 3 - 0 Wales Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Striker Krisztián Németh looked in good shape as he played the whole match for Hungary Under 21s, getting on the scoresheet in the process.
András Simon also played in this match.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Wed 24 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Arsenal ease to victory
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Arsenal 4 - 1 Liverpool (FA Cup 6th Rnd)
Arsenal enjoyed a comfortable 4 - 1 victory over Liverpool. The win was deserved for Arsenal who turned their superiority into goals in the English FA Cup Sixth Round game at Emirates Stadium. A brace from Robin van Persie helped Arsenal to victory.
The match began in controversial circumstances as Liverpool were denied claims by Mauro Formica for a penalty. Cultured winger Albert Riera got Liverpool off to a flyer by scoring a powerful close range effort on 7 minutes.
Cultured striker Robin van Persie then equalised for Arsenal in the 13th minute with a placed shot. An error from Lucas allowed striker Eduardo to score a placed shot from close range. Arshavin scored with a powerful close range effort in the 39th minute to extend the lead further.
There were no prizes for guessing who completed the rout on 45 minutes as that man van Persie popped up again with a placed shot from close range.

Attendance: 60361

Liverpool Starting 11:

José Manuel Reina
Philipp Degen (sub 81)
Fábio Aurélio
Michael Dingsdag
Daniel Agger (sub 76)
Lucas (sub 45)
Javier Mascherano (c)
Yossi Benayoun
Albert Riera (MOM: 7.6)
Mauro Formica
David N'Gog
---------------------------
David Martin
Jamie Carragher
Glen Johnson (on 81)
Steven Gerrard
Martin Skrtel (on 76)
Emiliano Insúa
Fernando Torres (on 45)

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Thu 25 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Fans devastated by Arsenal result
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Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin believes the fans are very disappointed with Liverpool's heavy 1 - 4 English FA Cup Sixth Round Replay defeat against Arsenal.
José Manuel Reina, Michael Dingsdag and David N'Gog were the main targets for the fans' criticism and there were some who stated that players such as David Martin, Jamie Carragher and Alberto Aquilani should have been preferred in the starting line-up.
The defeat only serves to confirm the disappointment that the team only reached the Sixth Round of the FA Cup. However, they can understand why the team were knocked out by Arsenal.


The loss today perhaps for the first time this season underlines Liverpool’s lack of depth. As soon as all the regular starters are not on the pitch the team is vulnerable and a good opponent like Arsenal can take advantage. Some members of the local media wrote that instead of resting starters today against a strong opponent like Arsenal they could sit out the upcoming EPL game against Burnley.
Manager Tom Northwood would hear nothing off it and said that nothing was more important this season then the regular season.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Fri 26 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Liverpool firm favourites for Premier Division clash
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Liverpool are sure-fire favourites (Liverpool: 1-6 Draw: 5-1 Burnley: 10-1) to overwhelm relegation-threatened Burnley in what should be a comfortable home encounter for the Reds, according to Sky Bet. Liverpool are currently three points behind league leaders Chelsea with a game in hand.
With only seven games to go until the end of the season, Burnley find themselves in 19th place, nine points from safety.
David Moss watched Burnley's 1 - 2 English Premier Division defeat against Chelsea last Saturday and noted that Burnley play a defensive 3-5-2 formation and often look to draw the opposition onto them before attempting a counter-attack.
Coyle likes his teams to play possession football and Burnley will look to get the ball down and play it. Their midfield are good on the ball and can create chances. Finally, it will be important to defend deep or use fast defenders as their attacking pace may cause problems. Moss believes that the sheer athleticism of striker Steven Fletcher will be an imposing threat.
Injured Players: Graham Alexander, Christian Kalvenes, Jay Rodriguez and Tyrone Mears


The referee for the match will be Howard Webb from Rotherham who has shown 40 yellow cards and no red cards in his fifteen Premier Division games so far this season. Webb's last Liverpool match was Liverpool's heavy 1 - 4 English FA Cup Sixth Round Replay defeat against Arsenal on Wednesday 24th March. In that game he had a controversial call when he denied claims by Mauro Formica for a penalty early in the game.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Sat 27 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Goals galore as Liverpool and Burnley draw
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Liverpool 3 - 3 Burnley (Premier Division)
As fans left Anfield they will no doubt have agreed that neither team deserved to lose this game. In an enthralling match which saw both sides throw caution to the wind, it was football which was ultimately the winner.
Winger Chris Eagles gave Burnley the lead with a powerful freekick from the edge of the area in the 14th minute. Striker Fernando Torres then equalised for Liverpool four minutes after the break with a well placed shot. An error from Robbie Blake allowed Torres to score a second on a placed shot in the 54th minute and another error from Brian Easton allowed striker David N'Gog to score a well timed close range finish after 68 minutes of play.
Strong centre-back Clarke Carlisle then managed to pull one back for Burnley after 77 minutes with a towering header from close range when he jumped over Jamie Carragher after a corner. Striker Steven Fletcher then equalised for Burnley after 80 minutes with a well timed close range finish after he beat Glen Johnson on a cross ball.

Attendance: 45362

Liverpool Starting 11:

José Manuel Reina
Glen Johnson
Emiliano Insúa
Jamie Carragher
Daniel Agger (sub 55)
Yossi Benayoun
Albert Riera
Lucas (sub 72)
Steven Gerrard (c) (sub 45)
Fernando Torres (G: 49,54) (MOM:8.4)
David N'Gog (G: 68)
--------------------------------------
Jason Steele
Martin Skrtel (on 55)
Alberto Aquilani
Ruben Yttergård Jenssen (on 72)
Fábio Aurélio
Mauro Formica (on 45)
Javier Mascherano


Dave Galley has reported that attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard has suffered a thigh strain after awkwardly striking the ball during the match against Burnley. Galley advises that a thigh strain can either be treated by the club's physios or managed by injections.
Injections: Will get through the next game against Sporting CP but could then be out for between 12 days and 2 weeks.
Physio: Out for between 9 days and 11 days.
Its still not decided how Liverpool and Steven Gerrard is going to treat the injury.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Sun 28 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Saturday's Premier Division Round-Up
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It has been another great day of action in the English Premier Division. With fourteen teams in action and 24 goals scored. James Milner scored a placed shot during Chelsea's 0 - 2 defeat against Aston Villa. That result was a huge break for Liverpool who is now despite the draw with Burnley only 2 points behind Chelsea. 20600 watched Portsmouth's 0 - 2 defeat against Man Utd where Park Ji-Sung scored the pick of the goals with a fine header from point-blank range.


Liverpool's Steven Gerrard has told icLiverpool.co.uk that he will not play the Champions League game against Porto this week. Together with manager Tom Northwood he decided to not get the injection. He said that he was disappointed that he will miss the European Champions League Quarter Final against Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD on March 31st through injury. Instead of taking to the field against Leões, Gerrard will be forced to watch his team-mates from the stands.


A man of the match performance from Fernando Torres was not enough to secure a win during Liverpool's English Premier Division 3 - 3 draw with Burnley this afternoon, according to Sporting Life. Torres had the quality to put the Burnley defence to the sword and finished the match with two goals.
The Spanish international has been in lethal form for Liverpool this season, leading the club's scoring charts with twenty-six goals in forty-two appearances.


Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin believes the fans are disappointed with Liverpool's English Premier Division 3 - 3 draw with Burnley. Richard believes the fans can't quite work out how their team has somehow managed to come away from this game with only a draw even though they had given themselves a comfortable lead.
Martin Skrtel, Emiliano Insúa and Ruben Yttergård Jenssen were the main targets for the fans' criticism and there were some who stated that players such as Michael Dingsdag, Fábio Aurélio and Alberto Aquilani should have been preferred in the starting line-up.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 14
Date: Mon 29 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Watch your back
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Chelsea and Liverpool now have to start watching there Rear-view mirror. Man City keeps playing great football and this week had a convincing 4-0 win over Stoke. They are now in 3rd place in the EPL just 3 points behind Liverpool. The other Manchester team is also getting within striking distance.


Liverpool fans will have to travel some 1055 miles from their native England to Lisbon in Portugal ahead of their European Champions League Quarter Final First Leg match against Sporting CP. The hosts are favourites for the match but the travelling The Reds supporters head to Estádio José Alvalade Século XXI hopeful of a win.
Sporting CP will be looking to take advantage of having the first leg at home by putting themselves in as strong a position as possible.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 14
Date: Tue 30 / 03 / 2010
Headline: Getting ready for Champions Leage
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Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD vs Liverpool
David Moss believes Sporting CP are likely to field a 4-4-2 formation. The pitch at Estádio José Alvalade Século XXI is long which will favour teams playing a direct style. If defenders push up there will be a lot of space to exploit in behind them for the quicker players to take advantage of. Moss believes that Sporting CP will look to use the aerial power of striker Amr Zaki and we should look to cut off the supply to him.
Injured Players: None
Unavailable Players: Andrej Kramaric, Marek Sapara and João Moutinho


Thomas Northwood was not giving much away as he met journalists ahead of Liverpool's match against Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD in the European Champions Cup Quarter Final. A journalist from the Liverpool Echo chose the main focus point for the conference, asking, "Do you think your side will find motivation a problem against a weaker Sporting CP team?"
Northwood's response was, "I don't think it'll be a problem."
Northwood also had to answer questions about Alberto Aquilani and his demand of regular first team football.


The first two games in the Champions league quarter finals was played today without a single goal being scored. In the game between the two Italian teams Juventus and Inter the biggest story was that Javier Zanetti was sent of after 56 minutes of play and will not get to start in the return leg. The big surprise of the day was that Man U didn’t manage to take advantage at the home field advantage. Lyon even lost there keeper to injury after just 8 minutes of play but still manage to keep the 0 on the scoresheet.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 14
Date: Wed 31 / 03 / 2010
Headline: One-sided result for Liverpool in Champions Cup Qtr Final fixture
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vs.

MATCH REPORT:
Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD 0 - 4 Liverpool (Champions League Qtr Final)
Liverpool pulled off a surprisingly easy 4 - 0 win over Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD at Estádio José Alvalade Século XXI in their latest European Champions League Quarter Final match. A brace from Alberto Aquilani helped Liverpool to victory.
It was a bad start for Liverpool as they had to use there first substitute after just 23 minutes when Mauro Formica picked up an injury. The good luck started with an error from Sportings Cipriano Cardoso that allowed Israel captain Yossi Benayoun to score a placed shot from close range on the back post. Argentina captain Javier Mascherano then doubled Liverpool's lead with a real poacher's effort on 50 minutes when the Sporting goalkeeper failed to hold on to a shot by Alberto Aquilani. Aquilani scored with a placed shot in the 73rd minute to extend the lead further when the keeper once again failed to clear the ball after a shot. Aquilani completed the rout with a powerful effort from the edge of the area on 79 minutes.

Attendance: 48531

Liverpool Starting 11:

José Manuel Reina
Glen Johnson
Emiliano Insúa
Jamie Carragher
Daniel Agger
Lucas (sub 45)
Yossi Benayoun (G:41)
Albert Riera
Javier Mascherano (c) (G: 50)
Mauro Formica (sub 23)
Fernando Torres (sub 69)
---------------------------------------
Jason Steele
Martin Skrtel
Alberto Aquilani (on 23) (G: 73,79) (MOM:8.9)
Michael Dingsdag (on 45)
Fábio Aurélio
Philipp Degen
David N'Gog (on 69)



Portugal boss Carlos Queiroz was seen at Estádio José Alvalade Século XXI during Liverpool's convincing 4 - 0 European Champions League Quarter Final First Leg victory over Sporting CP. It is believed Queiroz was casting an eye over the progress of Rui Patrício, Miguel Veloso, Adrien and Liédson for his next Portugal squad.


Alberto Aquilani was one of the players to make a difference during Liverpool's convincing 4 - 0 European Champions Cup Quarter Final First Leg victory over Sporting CP this evening in a match where Liverpool showed a cutting edge. Aquilani had the quality to put the Sporting Clube de Portugal - SAD defence to the sword and finished the match with two goals.
He came up with this performance just days after complaining in the local press about lack of playing time since his move to Liverpool. Aquilani has made sixteen appearances so far this season for The Reds, scoring three goals.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 14
Date: Thu 01 / 04 / 2010
Headline: Fans pleased with Sporting CP result
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Supporter spokesperson Richard Martin feels the fans are pleased with Liverpool's convincing 4 - 0 European Champions League Quarter Final First Leg victory over Sporting CP. José Manuel Reina, Emiliano Insúa and Yossi Benayoun particularly impressed. The victory keeps the team in with a chance of achieving their minimum aim of reaching the Semi Final of the Champions League.
In the other game Sevilla and Chelsea played to a 1-1 draw. Drogba scored the goal for Chelsea while the hot streak continued for Frederic Kanoutè who scored the goal for the Spanish team. Kanoutè was the player with the good performance in the African Nations Cup.


Assistant manager Sammy Lee has reminded the Liverpool front office of some important dates in the month ahead:

6.4.2010 - Liverpool v Sporting CP (Champions Cup)
12.4.2010 - Liverpool v Fulham (Premier Division)
17.4.2010 - Everton v Liverpool (Premier Division)
20.4.2010 - European Champions Cup Semi Final
21.4.2010 - Arsenal v Liverpool (Premier Division)
24.4.2010 - Liverpool v Bolton (Premier Division)
27.4.2010 - European Champions Cup Semi Final
28.4.2010 - Aston Villa v Liverpool (Premier Division)


Manchester City's Mark Hughes has won the English Premier Division Manager of the Month award. The award panel made their decision after the Citizens boss guided his team to victory in all four of their league games this month.

(PRM) Man City 2 - 1 Sunderland (3rd Mar)
(PRM) Man City 2 - 0 Tottenham (13th Mar)
(PRM) Man City 5 - 2 Wolves (20th Mar)
(PRM) Man City 4 - 0 Stoke (29th Mar)

There was nothing to choose between the top three and the award could easily have gone to either Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill or David Moyes from Everton, who came second and third respectively.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 14
Date: Fri 02 / 04 / 2010
Headline: Board Confidence Update
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To summarise, the board are satisfied with the management of the team. The positive atmosphere in the changing room has been encouraging. Despite the positives, Liverpool's heavy 1 - 4 English FA Cup Sixth Round Replay defeat against Arsenal cannot be ignored and the fans have voiced their discontent at the result.

The club recorded a loss of £5.29M last month.

Monthly Turnover: £9.44M
Previous Month: £8.07M
Main Income: Gate Receipts £3.26M
Monthly Expenditure: £14.73M
Previous Month: £14.18M
Main Expenditure: Player Wages £3.99M


Liverpool left-back Emiliano Insúa is among a group of players touted as winners of the English Players' Young Player of the Year award. The 21 year-old Argentinean player has been in fantastic form this season and is said to be proud that he is being talked about but that his first thoughts are towards the team.
The other players thought to be in contention for the award are Nathan Delfouneso, Anderson and James Vaughan.

[Northwood_DK]

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Week: 13
Date: Sat 03 / 04 / 2010
Headline:
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In a weekend where Liverpool didn’t play they still got a helping hand. Main rival Chelsea once against lost points in the fight for first place. This time they only managed a 0-0 draw on the road against 10th ranked Fulham.
Elsewhere,, the best viewing was to be found at Old Trafford where a crowd of 76212 witnessed Man Utd's 4 - 2 victory over West Ham. A possible talking point from the game being a red card for Man Utd's Rio Ferdinand. Wolves' 2 - 1 victory over Sunderland proved to be a fiery affair and Jack Rodwell scored the pick of the goals in Everton's 2 - 0 victory over Birmingham with a powerful effort from the edge of the area.