Christian Poulsen ready to make an impact on Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Christian Poulsen admits he needs to play more matches with Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard before he fully settles in but expects a busy schedule to help.

The Denmark international played his first game alongside the club's two biggest stars in Sunday's victory over West Brom, having previously featured in the two-legged Europa League play-off against Trabzonspor. He acknowledges being in a team with Torres and Gerrard involves certain requirements.

"I feel comfortable here. The match against West Brom was the first game with Fernando and the captain so you have to learn how they want the ball," he said.

"Fernando is a strong player and can do things at speed and can do things one against one.

"You also feel Steven and Fernando have a good eye for each other and you saw that against West Brom - I hope it will get even better."

Poulsen believes he too will improve given a run of matches in the first team.

"When I came here I had not played since the World Cup so I feel I need some time to get into the rhythm," added the 30-year-old, a summer arrival from Juventus.

"But last Thursday (in the second leg against Trabzonspor) I did better than in the first game.

"We have a lot of games so with Javier Mascherano and Alberto Aquilani leaving we need quality players for the team because for the next six months we will have a game every four days."

Source: The Press Association

Liverpool announce new jersey: Liverpool FC and Standard Chartered Bank together in the shirt

Liverpool FC and Standard Chartered Bank announced today they had agreed a four year deal for the bank to become the club's main sponsor - the largest commercial agreement in Liverpool's history.

The agreement, which starts in July 2010 and runs through to the end of the 2013-14 season, will see the bank's name and logo appear on the Liverpool shirt.

Liverpool FC is the most successful club in English football, enjoying a global following most recently evidenced in its highly successful pre-season tour of Singapore and Thailand. As official club sponsors, Standard Chartered will enjoy a major rights package which will provide the platform to significantly step up the Bank's brand awareness across its core markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

standardchartered2Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The Bank has more than doubled its revenue and profits over the last five years and has performed consistently well, delivering record results throughout the recent financial crisis.

Christian Purslow, Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club, pictured above signing the contract alongside Standard Chartered chairman John Peace, commented: "This partnership brings together two highly successful organisations with a really strong cultural and strategic fit. The sponsorship opportunity attracted a huge level of interest from a wide array of globally recognised brands and in Standard Chartered we believe we have the ideal partner to move forward and help develop our global ambitions for the club. It is a real sign of the progress we have made at Liverpool that we have been able to secure the largest ever commercial deal in our history."

Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC, said: "This is a great partnership. We are excited to be working with such a famous global brand as Liverpool Football Club for the next four years. This is an outstanding opportunity for Standard Chartered, our customers and shareholders, and for Liverpool, its players and fans

"We see many opportunities to continue growing our business, particularly as Asia, Africa and the Middle East are emerging from the global downturn more quickly than the West. This sponsorship will drive a step change in brand recognition in our key markets and will provide an additional catalyst for our business growth."


Liverpool FC Press

Arsenal kit for PlayStation 3 Home avatar

Arsenal Football Club can today announce that the official kit is now available in PlayStation’s 3D world, Home.

Check out the kits and dress your PS3 Home avatar in the famous Arsenal strip by first signing up for a free PlayStation Network account on your PlayStation 3. Then download PS Home, visit the Shopping Mall, and pop into the "Threads" store. You'll see an Arsenal logo - click on this and you'll soon be kitting yourself out like Andrey, Theo, Robin or Cesc! The shirts are £1.99 each and the shorts and boots come free!

Daniel Hill, Home Business Director, said; "We're delighted to welcome Arsenal into PlayStation Home, a 3D social gaming platform for PlayStation 3 users. Our audience is loyal, and passionate about entertainment, two qualities embodied by the football club itself, so there is a great fit. We're looking forward to further integration with Arsenal as the Home platform evolves."

New to PlayStation Home?
PlayStation Home is the 3D, online, social gaming service from PlayStation. Set in a beautifully rendered High Definition world, you'll be able to create a unique avatar, hang out with your friends, play games online, watch videos, attend exclusive events and chat to other PlayStation fans about the latest news and gossip. It’s always evolving, with new games, activities and spaces being added all the time. It’s customisable and yours to use however you like.

Connect with friends
Meet up with friends and meet new people to chat with and to play with online, then come straight back to PlayStation Home to hang out, discuss your game and arrange the next one.

Explore the 3D world
Home is a gorgeous, High Definition experience, where you can explore the Central Plaza, Bowling Alley, Shopping Centre, Home Theatre, your personal apartments, special themed game spaces and much more.

It's free to get involved
As long as you have a PlayStation Network account and access to PlayStation Store, you can download Home for free.

Liverpool FC: Reds name Champions League squad

Liverpool have named a 28-man squad for the Champions League group stage. The Reds will kick off their European campaign at home to Debreceni VSC on September 16 before travelling to Italy to face Fiorentina.

A double header with Lyon will then follow ahead of a trip to Debreceni VSC. The group fixtures are concluded at home to Fiorentina on December 9.

Goalkeepers

Diego Cavalieri, Pepe Reina, David Martin.

Defenders

Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Emiliano Insua, Jamie Carragher, Stephen Darby, Martin Kelly, Martin Skrtel, Andrea Dossena.

Midfielders

Alberto Aquilani, Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva, Jay Spearing, Damien Plessis, Albert Riera.

Forwards

Fernando Torres, Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, David Ngog, David Amoo, Nathan Eccleston.

Rafa Benitez: “it's too early for pressure”

Rafa Benitez is confident Liverpool will be challenging for the title come May - and insists his side are under no pressure going into this weekend's clash with Bolton despite two defeats from their opening three games.

The boss believes 'togetherness and hard work' will get the Reds back on track following reversals against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Asked at a pre-match press conference if his players were now under pressure, Benitez replied: "No, I don't think so. It's too early. Clearly the message for the players is the same - three points from the next game, that's it.

"We have to approach every game thinking about three points and then think about the next game. We cannot be thinking about January.

"Last year I was answering questions in September and October about us being contenders - it was too early. I said we will see in April.

"In football every week is different. You have to start winning games and then confidence will be really high.

"Now everyone needs to be together, working hard and trying to play well.

"Clearly we are not happy with the situation but we talked about draws last year, and maybe now we can manage and get wins instead of the draws and end up with a lot of points too."

Benitez warned against underestimating a Bolton side without a point or a goal from their two opening fixtures.

"We know Bolton are a very physical team that works very hard," he said. "They know how to play, especially at home. The figures don't matter. It will be a difficult game, so we have to approach it with confidence and make sure we are strong."

Gary Megson has come in for criticism from certain sections of the Reebok support, but Benitez rates his opposite number highly.

"He was doing a good job in the last year and hopefully this year, after this game, he will too," said the Spaniard. "For me he's someone who works hard and who is honest."

Benitez was also quizzed on whether Liverpool would conduct any more business in the transfer market before the deadline.

He responded: "Still we are working and we have some clubs asking about our players, but I don't think we'll do too much. It depends on the players, maybe some who are not playing or young players. I don't think we will do too many things."

Asked if there would be any new signings, he added: "I don't think so."

Meanwhile, Liverpool this week discovered they would face Lyon, Fiorentina and Debreceni in the Champions League group stages - three sides the club have never met in European competition.

Benitez added: "It will be good for the fans to see different teams from different cities. The games are not too far away, so that's positive. It will be a really good experience for everyone."

Liverpool Press

Rafael Benitez seeking home comforts

Benitez today urged his players to claim another three home points against Aston Villa tonight - and serve notice that Anfield will be a fortress for opposition teams this season.

Having comfortably seen off the challenge of Stoke City in midweek the Reds go into this evening's fixture full of confidence, and with their manager insisting home victories will be key to a title challenge this time around.

"We have talked about trying to push teams from the beginning at Anfield," Benitez said.

"If we can create some chances in the first few minutes it sends out a good message. It's important to show teams our desire to win. At home we have fantastic fans behind us pushing us on.

"It's vital our home form is good. Teams already know that coming to Anfield is difficult and the more games we win the more difficult they will realise it is."

Villa will arrive on Merseyside still haunted by their 5-0 thrashing at Anfield last term - and Benitez is hoping his side can produce a similarly deadly display to ensure they keep pace with the early season league leaders.

"We were on a good run at that time, we played really well and scored a lot of goals," Benitez added. "That was very positive and hopefully we can play at that level against Villa once again.

The confidence of the players is high after the Stoke game but this will be a totally different game. "Villa are a good team with quality and pace. They also have plenty of experience."

Liverpool Press

Liverpool 4-0 Stoke City 0: reactions

Here's the pick of the post-match reaction following Liverpool's 4-0 victory over Stoke City at Anfield on Wednesday.


The local paper
Stoke were chasing their first win at Anfield for 50 years and Liverpool were looking to avoid starting a season with two straight defeats for the first time since 1924. In truth neither ever looked likely after an opening period in which the Reds flew out of the blocks in the same fashion which left the likes of Real Madrid and Aston Villa gasping for air in the closing months of last season.
James Pearce, Liverpool Echo

The tabloid
Benitez bought England full back Johnson to provide attacking verve down the flanks and a surprise extra man in attack, especially here at Anfield and especially against sides like Stoke given that their draw here last season provided the template of how to steal points from Anfield. A year on, and the Reds have passed their first big test, because they demolished Stoke and in the process posted warning that they may be a different proposition at home.
David Maddock, Daily Mirror

The broadsheet
A year ago, Stoke held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield, a result that owed a much to a Steven Gerrard effort being ruled out for no apparent reason after just two minutes. This time there was to be no such reprieve for the visiting team. Gerrard helped to tee up Torres's first goal of the season, Johnson's acrobatics effectively ended the game as a meaningful contest, and in the second period Liverpool simply kept up the pressure, with Lucas Leiva controlling play in midfield. Dirk Kuyt scored the third goal with 12 minutes remaining after a moment of inspiration from Gerrard, who produced a graceful pirouette that was too much for Danny Higginbotham, the defender ending up on the seat of his pants watching Kuyt finish the move. David Ngog, a substitute, completed the rout, leaving a content Benitez to enjoy not only the spoils of victory but also the knowledge that his team had carried out his orders.
Tony Barrett, The Times

The tabloid
Many judge Pepe Reina to be the best goalkeeper in the Barclays Premier League and that number can only have increased after the way he launched himself to his left and tipped Delap's effort around the post at full stretch. It was to be Stoke's only genuine threat on goal and their fate was sealed by a flash of brilliance from Gerrard in the 78th minute. The England midfielder is renowned for his surging runs, but it was close control and inspired vision that allowed him to bring down Mascherano's chipped pass and turn past Etherington in one movement before rolling the ball along the six-yard line for Kuyt to force home.
John Edwards, Daily Mail

The broadsheet
Johnson's principal rival for the man-of-the-match award was Steven Gerrard, who was behind each of the first three goals. If he had done nothing else, the England midfielder's high-speed "Cruyff turn" in the build-up to Kuyt's goal deserved the thunderous acclaim on his substitution.
Phil Shaw, Independent

The manager
The first goal was important and the second was a big difference because they had to go forward, we had more space. We were patient, played well on the ball and took our chances.
Rafa Benitez

The player
Obviously it was brilliant to score my first for Liverpool and to do it on my home debut was amazing, but the win was more important to get us out of the starting blocks.
Glen Johnson

The opposition manager
I think when they have their tails up they are a great team and I thought Johnson and Kuyt on the right and Benayoun on the left were excellent, and then Torres up front as well, he was fantastic.
Tony Pulis, Stoke City

Liverpool FC Press

Liverpool FC 2009 / 2010 squad and numbers: Premier League and Champions League

Liverpool FC squad and numbers are confirmed:


1. Diego Cavalieri
2. Glen Johnson
4. Alberto Aquilani
5. Daniel Agger
8. Steven Gerrard
9. Fernando Torres
10. Andriy Voronin
11. Albert Riera
12. Fabio Aurelio
15. Yossi Benayoun
18. Dirk Kuyt
19. Ryan Babel
20. Javier Mascherano
21. Lucas Leiva
22. Emiliano Insua
23. Jamie Carragher
24. David Ngog
25. Pepe Reina
26. Jay Spearing
27. Philipp Degen
28. Damien Plessis
29. Krisztian Nemeth
30. Charles Itandje
31. Nabil El Zhar
32. Stephen Darby
34. Martin Kelly
36. Steven Irwin
37. Martin Skrtel
38. Andrea Dossena
39. Nathan Eccleston
40. Daniel Sanchez Ayala
41. Martin Hansen
42. Peter Gulacsi
43. Dean Bouzanis
45. Mikel San Jose Dominguez
- David Martin
- Ray Putterill
- Ryan Crowther
- Gerardo Alfredo Bruna Blanco
- Emmanuel Mendy
- Vincent Lucas Weijl
- Christopher Oldfield
- Vitor Coutinho Flora
- Chris Mavinga
- Lauri Dalla Valle
- Alex Kacaniklic
- David Amoo
- Christopher Buchtmann
- Victor Palsson
- Zsolt Poloskei
- Nikola Saric
- Daniel Pacheco
- Jordy Brouwer
- Robbie Threlfall
- Andras Simon
- Ryan Flynn
- Francisco Duran

Also, for UEFA Champions League

Alberto Aquilani to Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC today confirmed they have agreed a deal with AS Roma for the transfer of Italian international Alberto Aquilani, subject to a medical.

Liverpool concluded their discussions with Roma once the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid was finally agreed.

Aquilani, who recently celebrated his 25th birthday, is expected to feature heavily for Italy in next year’s World Cup finals. Although he is central midfielder, he scored 20 goals during his career.

Accoring to Reds Press, Rafa Benitez said: "Alberto is a very good player and I'm delighted we've reached agreement with Roma for his transfer. He will travel to Merseyside later this week for a medical. Alberto has a winning mentality and great experience in both Serie A and the Champions League.

"He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both Under 19 and Under 21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side."

Real Madrid to sign Alvaro Arbeloa

Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa passed his medical with Real Madrid on Wednesday and is set to sign a five-year contract and complete his move from Liverpool.

"The results of every test are very satisfactory," Dr. Carlos Diez said. "He is delighted about playing for Real Madrid. It's always been his dream. He can't wait to join his teammates."

The 26-year-old Arbeloa's transfer will cost Madrid 3.5 million pounds ($5.7 million) as he becomes the club's seventh offseason signing, after Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo and Esteban Granero.

Arbeloa, who was part of the Spain squad that won the 2008 European championship, was with Madrid as a youngster before moving to Deportivo La Coruna in 2006 and then onto Liverpool six months later.

The right back was in the final year of his Liverpool contract, having moved to Anfield for 2.6 million pounds in January 2007. He played 99 games for the English club and scored two goals.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has already spent 17.5 million pounds on England right back Glen Johnson, who is expected to take Arbeloa's place in the side.

Liverpool also has Swiss international Philipp Degen back after rib and lung injuries. Jamie Carragher has also filled in effectively at right back.

Source: AP

Gerrard goal: Tranmere 2 - Liverpool XI 2

Steven Gerrard stepped from the courtroom straight into a surprise appearance for Liverpool's reserves - and then scored a trademark goal.

The Liverpool skipper was at Prenton Park for a friendly against Tranmere just hours after being found not guilty on a charge of affray in a high-profile court case.

Gerrard was part of a very youthful Liverpool side, who fell behind to a Chris Shuker goal just before half-time.

But before being substituted after 63 minutes, Gerrard blasted a fine equaliser with a low drive from outside the box.

Gerrard's trial had lasted a week and forced him to miss Liverpool's Far East pre-season tour.

His lack of fitness and match practice meant that it was decided he should play against Tranmere, and his presence generated a healthy crowd for the Birkenhead club.

But just 13 minutes after his departure, Tranmere took the lead again with a header from defender Gareth Edds.

Liverpool hit back with a penalty equaliser in injury-time when former Anfield youngster John Welsh brought down Adam Hammill in the box, with the 21-year-old substitute getting up to score from the spot himself.

Source: Daily Mail

Liverpool’s FC’s Singapore Diary

The two destinations Liverpool picked for this tour are like chalk and cheese.

Bangkok is a chaotic sprawling mass of a city – permanently gridlocked where abject poverty sits alongside stunning temples and golden Buddhas.

When Liverpool arrived in Singapore yesterday they were greeted by a very different sight.

This former British colony may be the smallest country in South East Asia but it’s also one of the world’s financial centres. Towering skyscrapers stand over a cosmopolitan and affluent city state.

Luxurious shopping centres are piled one after the other – the WAGs will be kicking themselves they’ve missed out on this one.

One thing that hasn’t changed much is the temperature. The Reds are now just 85 miles from the Equator. It’s 30 degrees plus and with humidity as high as 90% it’s going to be a sticky few days.

Singapore daily The New Paper has launched an online petition urging Rafa Benitez to play his strongest side on Sunday.

Fans who have paid between £37 and £79 for their tickets are concerned a largely second string Reds outfit will start the match with only fleeting appearances from the club's big names.

At the welcome press conference Benitez was urged to confirm that Fernando Torres will play an extended role after only coming off the bench for the last 10 minutes against Thailand.

“Fernando will play more than 10, maybe 11 or 12 minutes,” he quipped. The locals laughed nervously.

Liverpool were set to train twice today with players at commercial events inbetween.

Fernando Torres, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Pepe Reina were off to a Carlsberg bar, while Xabi Alonso and Kenny Dalglish were doing an adidas coaching clinic.

Source: Liverpool Echo

Steven Gerrard: talented player used to the limelight

Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool footballer, is well used to living in the limelight - although the spotlight is usually on his football, rather than a trial for affray in which his "style and speed of a professional boxer" are examined.

The England and Liverpool FC player sprang to prominence at an early age and quickly had to get used to the attention.

Marked out by coaches as a potential star, the 29-year-old made his professional debut for Liverpool when he was just 18 as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers.

A year later, national team boss Kevin Keegan invited the gangly youngster to train with the England squad. Twelve months on, a day after his 20th birthday, he made his England debut against Ukraine.

But his early career was slowed by a series of back and groin injuries.
Now a cultured and mature performer, it took Gerrard several years to end a run of picking up red cards for tackles.

In April, it emerged that it was around this time in his career that his father Paul turned to an underworld fixer to stop a Liverpool gangster terrorising his son.
The thug was threatening to shoot Gerrard in the legs and trying to extort large sums of money from him.

Giving evidence at a court hearing, Mr Gerrard Senior said Liverpool FC provided extra security and he also contacted police during a two-year reign of terror.

Gerrard, who once dated Liverpudlian actress Jennifer Ellison, married model Alex Curran in June 2007. They have two daughters, Lilly-Ella and Lexie.

In December 2007 his wife was held captive by masked men during a robbery at their home in Formby, Merseyside.

Four men wearing balaclavas raided the property and stole jewellery as the couple's two young daughters slept upstairs.

Gerrard was told the news as he left the pitch after leading his team to victory against Marseille in the Champions League.

Ms Curran was herself questioned by police following a fight at the Shangri-La restaurant in Liverpool in August 2006. No charges were brought.

In 2006 Gerrard was named the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year to add to a host of silverware including a Champions League winner's medal, an FA Cup triumph, a Uefa Cup winner's gong and a League Cup winner's medal.

Gerrard has been capped by England 70 times and has captained his country on four occasions. He has scored more than 100 goals for the Reds and this year won the much-coveted Football Writers' Player of the Year.

Source: Telegraph

Fernando Torres: We can win the Premier League

Striker Torres, is confident Liverpool have the quality to once again challenge at the top of the table — and improve on last year's second-placed finish.

Liverpool's last silverware was the FA Cup in 2006 and Torres said: "Two years without a trophy is a long time for a club like us but we believe we can do it this year. "I came to Liverpool to win trophies. "But I am sure this time we can win the Premier League or the Champions League.

"It won't be easy because there are big challenges ahead but we think we can win."

Liverpool last won the top title in 1990 but Yossi Benayoun shares the same view as Torres.

He said: "I have a lot of confidence in this team. We have a belief in the squad that we can win the league but we have to work hard and keep improving.

"Personally I want this to be an even better season for me. I want to take my chances and help the team."

Manager Rafa Benitez insists his Spanish contingent's late return to training will not affect Liverpool's title chances.

Torres made his first appearance of pre-season during the Reds' draw with Thailand in a friendly which also saw Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa and Albert Riera taste their first action of the summer.

Having returned to training only at the start of the week, the Spaniards are behind their team-mates in the warm-up programme.

But Benitez does not believe that will be a problem when the campaign gets under way.

He said: "All the sides have a lot of internationals — it's part of modern football. Good players are international players.

"Spain are doing really well at the moment, which is positive for our players, and we have others who are doing well for their countries.

"We have to manage them perfectly and that's what we'll continue to do."

Source: The Sun

Kenny Dalglish and Dirk Kuyt thrill Thai kids

Dalglish and Kuyt made dreams come true in Thailand earlier today when they put local kids through their paces at an adidas sports clinic.

In the surroundings of the Chulalongkorn Stdaium, Dirk and Kenny first answered questions from the assembled media before going out onto the field - along with members of the club's community coaching team - to show off their skills and help the lucky youngsters improve their talents.

Even though the hot weather made conditions almost unbearable - "I only went in goal and started sweating," joked Kenny - the smiles on the kids faces at the end of the session ensured Liverpool had made yet another positive impression during their visit to Thailand.

"The standard was quite high actually," said Kuyt. "The most important thing was to see the kids enjoying themselves and having fun.

"It was a bit strange giving the clinic alongside Kenny because he was a hero of mine, and so to then be with him helping kids was fantastic. We really enjoyed ourselves out there, and it's great that the club can do so many positive things while we are over here."

Unsurprisingly, Dalglish also received a rapturous ovation when he entered the arena and he was pleased to play his part in giving the locals an afternoon they'll never forget.

"We put them through their paces for a bit and the lads did well," he said. "It's never easy in this heat but everyone seemed to be having a good time and it was fun to be involved.

"Dirk probably did a bit more than me because he has younger legs, but it was good to get back out onto the field again and run around a bit."

But does he see a future for Dirk as a coach?

"I think Dirk has the right mentality and professionalism to do whatever he wants to do," he added.

"He's very attentive and well mannered and well liked in the dressing room. If it's something he wants to do then why not?"

The Liverpool squad were split up today to undertake a series of commercial events.

While Kenny and Dirk were at the adidas clinic, several members of the squad went to an adidas store while others took part in events hosted by club sponsors Carlsberg.

Those players not involved in any of these events went to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, pictures of which you'll be able to see later today on Liverpoolfc.tv.