Today's Banter: Kewell set for Cardiff, Torres may return sooner, Mascherano training, & more

- Wow, what a difference a day makes, but it's still not all roses & wine just yet. It would be great to hear that Xabi's injury is not as bad as thought, but optimism isn't my forte. Anyhow, it looks as if Harry Kewell will make the next step in his return to first team action when we play Cardiff in League Cup action tomorrow evening. That probably means he won't play against Blackburn on Saturday, but still, with his record, cautious baby steps are probably the best way to go about re-integrating him into the squad.

- Rafa has stated that Torres might be back sooner than expected. Before anyone throws the baby out with the bath water in belief that Rafa might be making another error in rushing Torres again, think about this. Benitez wants the Spaniard back fully fit and would never risk further injury. Torres wanted to play against Arsenal and by all accounts was good to go. I know rationality is not a trait of Rafa's critics, so I guess we'll just have to weather the storm of ignorance comments that the press and pundits might have in store for our boss. Fernando may return a week earlier than expected.

- Another piece of welcome news is that Javier Mascherano is already back in training. Thank Robbie Fowler. I doubt we'll see him on Wednesday, but Sissoko should suffice in that regard anyhow.

- With tomorrow nights fixture against Cardiff, Liverpool legend and current Bluebird striker, Robbie Fowler, is getting a lot of praise from a former Reds teammate and manager. Dirk Kuyt has thanked 'God' helping him adjust to English football and life in England. Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez might be planning some sort of grand return for the 32-year-old Toxteth Terror. Bringing back Fowler was one of Rafa's smartest moves both on and off the field.

- Fernando Torres is happy at Liverpool and plans to play out his six-year contract. It's good to hear that we have some positive voices coming from our squad. You taking notes, Crouch?

- Rafa has declared with his last two performances, Steven Gerrard is near top form once again. It's amazing what a couple of goals will do for one's confidence. Keep 'em coming, Stevie-G.

- Finally, Rafa has announced that he'll be resting some big names for the Cardiff clash. No big surprise, I fully expect Mascherano, Hyypia, Riise, and Reina to be get the night off and possibly Finnan, Gerrard, and Kuyt as well. According to Benitez, Leto, Lucas, and Aurelio will most likely start. I'm pretty confident Hobbs and Kewell will as well. I hope Stephen Darby and Emiliano Insua are there too. I know that's a lot of youth, but it's only the League Cup and honestly, a lot of our boys looked spent by match conclusion with Arsenal. Even our Reserves players mixed in with some first-teamers should be good enough to beat Cardiff.

Today's Banters: Our injury crisis worsens, Wenger is a racist?, Gerrard praises Fabregas, & more

- At the start of yesterday's match with Arsenal it looked as if we were about to emerge from our current injury crisis with both Xabi and Torres starting and Arbeloa on the bench. It was all for naught though as El Nino was subbed at the half and Xabi re-aggravating his foot injury later in the match. To make matters even worse, Javier Mascherano left Anfield in a medical boot. Hopefully none of the injuries are too severe, but we'll find out soon enough. Thank God Harry Kewell is near return, Aurelio and Agger are not far behind him, and Arbeloa is back to form, I don't think we can take another major player loss.

- You gotta love stupid fans who try to exaggerate and manipulate what players say to create an illusionary controversy with their beloved club and manager. This idiot tries to imply that Jermaine Pennant is calling Wenger a racist, when in fact JP is saying that he thinks Wenger prefers non-English players, not non-White players. Only a retard would interpret Pennant's word in such a manner. By the way, there's a very good reason why Wenger prefers non-English players, and it has nothing to do with skill-level.

- Stevie-G has nothing but praise for Cesc Fabregas. The world's greatest midfielder said of the young Spaniard: "The world is his oyster. He can go on to be one of the best in the world, there is no doubt about that." I agree, Chucky Fab has all the talent in the world, but sometimes I feel his attitude and the 'South American influence' sours his performances.

Some more links to digest:
- Souness interested in Ireland spot
- Crouch for Sunderland's Jones? I say yes.
- Crouch to Newcastle? Yes, please.
- Goran Pandev in the works? Eh.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: What will Rafa do?

For this match, I'm praying that Benitez thinks both Xabi and Torres are fit enough to start. If so, we could possibly field are best side this year yet.

The only good thing to come out of Jermaine Pennant's injury is that Gerrard is probably our best option on the right now. I used to be one who was opposed to our captain playing there, but that was mainly because Pennant is naturally adept at that spot and his form seemed to get better the more he played that position.

With that said, I feel we will see Stevie-G start over there tomorrow. Ryan Babel and Benayoun are options, but I think Yossi is more likely to feature on the left and we have to start our best available eleven, which leaves the Dutchman as the odd man out.

Unfortunately I don't have any inside sources at the club unlike every single Rafa rotation critic, so I don't know who's fit and who's not. All I can do is speculate whether or not Arbeloa or Kewell can go tomorrow. My guess is that Arbeloa will start and Kewell might be on the bench. King Harry only played the first half of our Reserves match on Thursday, so I think there is a possibility he could contribute in some capacity.

Well, here's who I would play if possible:
Reina
Riise
Carragher
Arbeloa
Finnan
Benayoun
Mascherano
Xabi
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Sissoko
Crouch
Babel or Kewell

I'm not sure what to expect tomorrow. I don't feel that Arsenal is overconfident and we certainly aren't feeling good about our form of late. A 2-2 draw seems to be somehow stuck in my head, especially with Howard Webb calling the match, but I'm hoping we get all three points. Anyhow...

The real issues of our current troubling form

I know most are just used to getting a written summary of what happens on the field and then a long-winded illogical blaming of Rafa's rotation, so I thought I'd spend a few minutes and throw in my two cents.

First off, we're in the midst of an injury crisis. Six players are injured. I consider Agger the most devastating as it means Hyypia has to play more than his aged body can probably muster. Arbeloa is out for some reason and would be quite helpful in this regard. Xabi is the best passer on our side and he also allows Gerrard to play on the right, which I hope we see more of in the near future. Aurelio provides a cover on the left so Riise can have more fun playing left mid. If I have to tell you Torres' importance than you're an idiot. Finally we have Harry Kewell, who returned to action today for the Reserves and scored a goal. When Kewell is fit and at his top game, he's about as close to World Class as one can get. Hopefully he'll return to the first side soon, stay healthy, and help us in our quest for cups and trophies.

Second, there are certain players who have put themselves before the team. I know of at least three in the locker room who's grumblings have leaked out. The only one I will address is Peter Crouch. I could care less if I ever saw Crouch wear the kit again, I'm that upset with him. If anyone thinks he's an improvement over Kuyt, your sorely mistaken. The locker room rubbish has to stop or the players involved need to get a ticket out in January. It's that simple. If they're a distraction, they need to go.

Moving to the play on the pitch, certain players are nowhere near their form from last season. Jermaine Pennant, Javier Mascherano, and Momo Sissoko come to mind. All three need to elevate their game or get used to the bench. Of the three, Masche is the most crucial and most likely to regain the form that helped us get to the Champions League final last year. Pennant has showed flashes of what made him so valuable during last season's run, but overall his performances have been lackluster. I'm at my wit's end with Sissoko. If he's unhappy, he needs to go. I refuse to throw Hyypia under the bus, but it's obvious his age has prevented him of being effective as he has been in the past.

All right, the biggest obstacle I see preventing us from scoring goals is that we seem to get in each other's way. This has been quite prevalent in recent matches. It's bad enough that our opposition stuffs the box and puts eight to nine men behind the ball, so we don't need to congest the opponent's half any more. There are several ways to prevent this from stopping our own flow, but two stick out in my mind the most. The first option would be to send less people down field. We should be doing this anyhow with Hyypia in the back. If Sami's not going to stay back, we need to provide cover for him and the way to do that is to start two defensive-minded central midfielders, any combination of Mascherano, Alonso, and Sissoko, and start Gerrard on the right. The problem with that is of course, Stevie-G is not a true winger and so Finnan would have to come up, but that's okay since the Irishman seems comfortable playing from the far flank and drawing out defenders.

The other option is just be more disciplined in going forward. Kewell will be crucial in that regard as he seems fine at staying to the left, but Babel, Riise, and Benayoun seem to like to cut inside a bit and cause congestion issues for Gerrard. We must use more of the field to draw out more defenders and if they refuse to respect that, we must take advantage of their mistakes to do so. I know it's not that simple, but it's certainly makes sense.

Another issue I've been having with our side is that we don't even seem to want to score from outside of the box. I don't understand this whatsoever. We need to develop some sort of way to clear some room for Gerrard or whomever to get a decent try from right outside the area. Riise seems to try it a little too much, no matter the circumstance and that would be okay if actually converted once-in-a-while. I don't understand why we try to dribble it into the net so much, it's just baffling. Also, the extra passes need to stop, it's not a bad thing to be selfish at times, boys.

Then we have set pieces. Do we have any sort of plan when it comes to these? It seems like we just try to cross it over the middle every time and hope it connects with one of our players. We need more creativity, have some fun dammit. Lay it off, create room at the top and get the ball there. The more unpredictable we can become the more likely the other side will foul up. Overall I think our creativity level outside of Gerrard, Benayoun, and possibly Babel is severely lacking. What happened to the Dirk Kuyt who seemed so playful during the preseason? If the pressure is that extreme on our boys than fuck it, I'd rather have fun watching them play than win anything. I know it's near impossible with the atmosphere of top flight European football these days, but we need to let loose.

Ultimately, major injuries have been our biggest issue, but for some reason, the main stream press want everyone to point fingers at Rafa. That's fine, since it only makes them look like ignorant donkeys, but hopefully nobody on our side believes such rubbish. A side that plays together as whole, no matter which of their teammates is on the field, is going to be successful in the end, but expecting one to understand such a notion, seems to be asking the world of them. It is the pathetic English press after all, and by that I don't mean respectable journalists like Chris Bascombe.

Today's Banter: Kewell is back!, Torres still out, Rafa does what he wants, & more

- It looks like there's a good chance both Harry Kewell and Fabio Aurelio will feature for the Reserves versus Newcastle on Thursday. It would be brilliant if we had everyone healthy by the first match in November.

- Unfortunately Torres' return will have to wait until Sunday, hopefully by then he'll be ready to go since it's Arsenal and all. Obviously that means that the Spanish striker won't be available for tomorrow's crucial Champions League clash at Besiktas. No word on whether Xabi will be available either.

- Rafa will sub Gerrard again if he sees fit, so get over it. This is Rafa's team not Stevie-G's and certainly not yours. By the way, fellow Liverpool fans, don't listen to all the spew from the press and especially learn to laugh at what fans of other sides have to say, they don't know nor care what's best for our boys.

- I worry when Benitez starts to praise player's character, particularly when that player is as experienced as Sami Hyypia. To me it means our long journey with the Finnish Legend is nearing an end.

- Finally I hope our boys back their words tomorrow and get us the three points. Anything less would be devastating. Dirk Kuyt and Javier Mascherano seem to be taking this upcoming fixture very seriously, which is good to hear, but knowing Benitez they'll probably both be on the bench when the opening whistle blows tomorrow. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Kewell nears return, Reserves draw at United, Stevie-G expected to captain England, & more

- Well, coming from the official site certainly makes it sound more... official. Though he may not be back in time for the derby, it looks like Harry Kewell could return sometime in mid-November. According to Rafa, he could start training with the first team as early as next week. I hope he comes back and stays healthy, surely one more episode of injury will be his last with us.

- It sounds as if even the Man U Reserves get the calls. According to this report, Lucas Leiva was clearly tripped up in the box in our boys' 1-1 draw at Man U, yet was booked for diving. I didn't get to see the match, but it sounds as if we were unlucky not to win and were thoroughly dominating. Our inability to finish also seems to have had a trickle-down effect.

- With John Terry out due to injury, it looks as if Steven Gerrard will get the nod to captain England in their Wembley match with Estonia tomorrow. I guess that means he'll get to start over Lampard. Wow, two shocking revelations in one small segment. Hopefully Steve McClaren will stick with Gareth Barry as Stevie-G's central midfield partner as well.

- Steve Finnan, despite frequently sharing time with Arbeloa at right back, is the latest player to come out in support of Rafa's rotation policy. He believes in it, true fans don't bother questioning it, so who exactly is making a ruckus over it? People who have won more accolades then Rafa, of course.

- Fernando Torres has decided to stop diving. Not sure when he began. I can't once think of a time in a Liverpool kit when I can accuse him of the act. One thing I find amusing is that he says Steven Gerrard was one of the main catalysts in getting him to not even think about cheating in such a manner. I may love Liverpool and our Captain, but he's definitely done so for club and country in the past. So far this year though, he has yet to resort to such techniques.

- I posted a link to the Fernando Torres Story pt. 1 the other day, so here's part 2. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Rafa waiting Mascherano game, Swansea wants Anderson permanently, City to make Crouch offer, & more

- One of the bigger mysteries at Liverpool, outside of the enigma that is Harry Kewell, is Javier Mascherano's contract situation. The good news is that the Argentine wants to stick around, the bad news is that it will cost us an additional £17m to keep him. With other needs to fill in January, I'm not sure we'll have the funds to make the acquisition then, but I think if we wait until his current on-loan contract runs out his price may go up. I don't think we need Masche, but he certainly makes things a lot easier for us. Rafa is at least willing to wait and see what FIFA rules about third-party player ownership since Mascherano is still technically owned by Kia Joorabchian’s company, Media Sports Investment (MSI). I think that's a good idea, but let's just hope that happens before the January transfer window closes.

- Paul Anderson has made such a splash at Swansea City, that the Swans want to keep him permanently. I personally hope Rafa has future plans for the 19-year-old winger at our club, but I can definitely see him being loaned out again next season and if Swansea gets promoted to the Championship, I don't see why that wouldn't be one of the options. I don't see him joining anything less than a Championship side with maybe a SPL club in consideration. His contract runs through 2010.

- Sven and Man City look to be early suitors for disgruntled striker Peter Crouch. The problem is they are only willing to pay £8m for him. I can't see us taking less than £10m. The reason being is that he'll be a fresh addition to any side thanks to Rafa's rotation policy. If Sven can't get ole Thaksin to cough up an extra £2m, I'm sure Redknapp Casino FC aka Portsmouth can.

- Remember Rob Styles? The man who gave Chelsea a point at Anfield with a rubbish call. Well, it turns out he could get an additional ban for the same match, though this time for his showing of two yellows to Michael Essien. Not sure why the FA has waited this long to try him again, but it sounds awfully fishy to me. Maybe he's had a fallen out with the good ole boys in the FA.

Harry Kewell could return for derby

Well, the vagueness of this article has me rolling my eyes, but apparently the Aussie could be back for our October 20th date at Goodison Park. That would be quite a boost if it's the case.

There's also a chance that Xabi could return for that match as well. I don't think we need either player nor Agger to win at Everton and especially don't want Rafa to rush anyone, which he rarely does anyhow. It's always nice to have a full squad though, particularly when the three players set to return are of that class.

By the way, the Reserves play Man U away on Thursday. I'll be interested to see who's included in that squad. Certainly Leto and Lucas will make their returns to the side and it would be great to see Kewell get a running out, but I won't hold my breathe.

Liverpool vs Tottenham: What will Rafa do?

Screw Rafa. He'll probably put out the usual boring, recycled line-up that he usually does, same players, different names. This post is about what I would do. So here we go.

Let's start up front where I would pair Babel with Kuyt. Babel hasn't played in the last three games and I'm sure is itching to get back on the pitch. He says he wants the opportunity to play forward, so let's see what he can do. Kuyt is a given, but he needs to end his current streak of futility.

At midfield on the left I would start Aurelio. He didn't look very comfortable at left back during the Marseilles match and constantly played forward, so let's see what he can do starting there. In the middle, I'd pair Gerrard and Mascherano. No explanation required and on the right, JP, who should be well-rested after his imposed Champions League night off.

At left back, I'd go with Riise. He and Aurelio can switch off on who goes ahead and who stays back on attack. My centre backs would be Carra and Arbeloa, who got his first night off of the year Wednesday. Finally, Finnan gets the call on the right and Pepe is the only keep for me.

There you have it.

Reina
Riise
Carra
Arbeloa
Finnan
Aurelio
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Babel

My bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Benayoun
Sissoko
Torres

We really miss Agger and Alonso, hopefully they, along with Kewell, will return soon.

All this talk of having to win is rubbish. If we have to start talking about winning then there's something wrong with the ideology being instilled in our players. We should expect to win and not have to talk about. It should part of the club culture and instilled in the players that wear the kit. It worries me when I hear such notions.

Is Ryan Babel the new Harry Kewell?

Okay, so maybe that's taking it a little too far, but someone needs to put an APB out for him. The 20-year-old Dutch winger has been conspicuously absent from the pitch in our last three matches although he was on the bench for yesterday's debacle. Maybe he has been hanging out with the invisible Aussie.

Anyhow, we could have probably used his pace and quickness against Marseilles last night. I like Leto, but he's just not ready. I wonder if Babel might have a slightly injury or Rafa may think he's getting burnt out? Maybe he's working on his website? Well, if he doesn't play against Tottenham on Sunday, I'll be surprised.

I'm a bit surprised there's be no rotation rubbish over him. Come on you muppets, you missed out on the Benayoun rotation spew. We spent over £10m for the kid! Seize the day!

Should Harry Kewell get a contract extension?

Word out of Anfield is Harry Kewell (Remember him?) is looking to stay on a couple of more years after his contract expires. The 29-year-old Aussie played a total of 77 minutes last year and has yet to hit the pitch this season. Rafa has warned Kewell that he must prove his fitness before contract talks will commence.

I can't say enough that I'm a huge Harry Kewell fan and want to see him fit and in a Liverpool kit as soon as possible, but if he's going to continue to be a waste of money, I don't see why they should keep him. I'm not accusing him of anything, but I find it odd and a bit disheartening that he's always fit for Australia when the Socceroos come a calling. I hope he didn't play hurt for his country this past summer in the Asia Cup.

We need Kewell. He adds depth to the flanks and at forward. Most of all he brings flare and creativity to the squad. When he's on, he's a brilliant addition to the side. Even when he's off, he's smart enough to know that and tries to contribute in other ways.

Seeing Kewell in another team's shirt next year, especially a Premiership side, would be crushing. I don't know why he's having trouble gaining fitness, but I hope he gets better and back soon. Just in case you forgot how good the Aussie is, here's a video to remind you. (Why is it that most of Kewell's videos has questionable music? He's a cursed man, I tell ya.)

Liverpool vs Wigan: What will Rafa do?

I have to admit I was quite surprised to see Torres start in the Carling Cup tie with Reading on Tuesday and I would be quite surprised to see him start tomorrow at the JJB after only three days rest. Last year we made mince meat of the Lactics with a 4-0 victory there, but that was as we were making our strong push up the EPL ladder and the best player for us that day was Craig Bellamy.

Some positives about this year's match-up is that former Liverpool Academy product, Paul Jewell, and their captain that day, Leighton Baines, are no longer there. Plus the Lactics are suffering from a major injury crisis that will see Landzaat and Heskey, among five total casualties, unavailable for manager Chris Hutchings. Basically I'm saying Rafa shouldn't expect to need Torres to win there.

In keep, I don't think we'll be seeing Itandje again until at least our opening FA Cup tie, so Pepe shall return. In front of him I see no reason why Riise won't be on the left, Hyypia and Carra in the middle, and Arbeloa on the right. I know I sound like a broken record, but Arbeloa needs a day off soon before he get burned out. This may be the match, but I doubt it with Finnan playing the full 90 on Tuesday.

At midfield, order shall be restored with Babel on the left, Gerrard and Mascherano in the middle, and Pennant on the right. Babel should be a key as pace is something the Lactics appear to have trouble with. I expect Masche to hang out in back even more than usual and Stevie-G allowed to go buck wild.

Up front, I think it'll be Kuyt and... maybe Torres, though Voronin seems to be the logical pick with him not playing in the mid-week. I would love to see Babel up front with Kuyt, but the only way that would happen is if Harry Kewell was available, although Benayoun could start on the left. The only problem I see with that, is that Yossi would have to restrict himself to the left side instead of having free-range as he did against Reading.

So here's my final answer:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Babel
Mascherano
Gerrard
Pennant
Voronin
Kuyt

Bench:
Itandje
Torres
Finnan
Benayoun
Lucas

If we haven't scored nor look the threat by the half, expect Torres to be brought on, but I have a feeling that Kuyt is going to bring the pain. Also Hobbs might be on the bench instead of Lucas, we'll just have to wait and see if Rafa is going to ease the perpetual Reserve captain into the rotation. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Riise injured, Momo to miss Porto match as well, Redknapp LFC's new adviser, & more

- John Arne Riise picked up a groin injury in Norway's draw with Greece last Wednesday and will not be fit for tomorrow's match at Porto. Fabio Aurelio will be available though, just in the nick of time.

- No reason was given, but Momo won't be making the trip either and surprise, surprise, Harry Kewell is still nursing a groin pull.

- Rafa has revealed that his former number two, Pako Ayesteran, is contractually prevented from joining another English club. A number of Spanish clubs are rumored to be interested in retaining his services when he returns from 'gardening leave.'

- Harry Redknapp couldn't help taking a swipe at Rafa for not playing his best eleven against his Portsmouth side. Of course, that is basically saying his own players are second rate and couldn't beat a Liverpool B side, but that would actually take a brain to realize.

- Finally, with goals from Ryan Crowther and David Amoo, the U18s cruised to their second straight victory when they defeated Sheffield Wednesday, 2-0, on Saturday. Unfortunately, Gary MacKay Steven had to come off because of a hamstring injury.

We should be all right Saturday at Portsmouth

I'm crossing my fingers that our boys on international duty get through the day tomorrow unscathed, but from the looks of the squad that we played against the Crewe Alexandra Reserves today, they might get the day off anyhow.

The starting line-up looked something like this:
GK - David Martin
LB - Fabio Aurelio
CB - Jack Hobbs
CB - Xabi Alonso
RB - Alvaro Arbeloa
LM - Sebastian Leto
CM - Momo Sissoko
CM - Lucas Leiva
RB - Jermaine Pennant
F - Yossi Benayoun
F - Jordy Brouwer

The second half line-up:
GK - David Martin
LB - Robbie Threlfall
CB - Mikael San Jose
CB - Ronald Huth
RB - Stephen Darby
LM - Ray Putterill
CM - Damien Plessis
CM - Jay Spearing
RM - Ryan Flynn
F - Craig Lindfield
F - Dani Pacheco

A couple of things come to mind. First, where is Emiliano Insua? I didn't see him named as part of the Argentina squad, so I'm assuming he's injured. That's not good, I hope it's nothing serious. Second, surprised not to see Carra. If he's expected to play Saturday and he didn't today, maybe that means we'll definitely see Aurelio get the start against Portsmouth. Finally, where's Harry Kewell?

Anyhow, it looks like we'll have a competent line-up on Saturday, though I doubt we'll see Xabi line-up with Carra at centre-back. To help us out, it would be nice to see Spain go up by a couple of goals early and allow Torres to take it easy the rest of the match and be fresh on Saturday. Also, I know I'm asking for the sky to rain dollar bills, but it'd be great if either Babel or Kuyt got the day off against Albania. If we can at least get a rested Torres back, we should be fine at Pompey.

Today's Banter: Aurelio returns, What about Harry?, Rafa laughs off Reina offer, & more

- Fabio Aurelio made an unexpected early return to action today as the Reserves beat a Crewe Alexandra Reserves side, 2-1, behind goals by Xabi Alonso and Ray Putterill. The 27-year-old Left Back played an impressive 45 minutes. This is great news, if he's able to play this Saturday against Portsmouth, it allows Arbeloa to play on the right if Finnan isn't fit or even in the middle with Carra if Agger or Hyypia are fatigued.

- Despite reports that he was also set to make his return against today, apparently Harry Kewell did not line-up against the Crewe Reserves side. Hopefully there will be a mention of his status when the full match report is published on the official site. The only good news is that Kewell was included on our 23-man Champions League roster, so obviously Rafa is expecting him to return to action sometime in the near future.

- Rafa has dismissed any talk of Pepe leaving to go to Atletico Madrid or anywhere else for that matter. I kind of figured it was a load of donkey dung, but again, £10m for a keeper is not an amount to scoff at especially when you have the likes of Scott Carson available to replace him.

- A FIFA source has revealed that Peter Crouch was not singled-out by referees at the World Cup, but an incident where Crouchy pulled at the hair of a Trinidad and Tobago defender as he headed in a goal was brought to the attention of match officials. There's a picture of the incident to accompany the article and honestly, I don't see how the striker can be giving himself an advantage by being anchored down by someone's hair as he jumps. Call me crazy, but wouldn't that prevent him from jumping higher, it looks like accidental contact if you ask me.

- The U18s won on Saturday versus Nottingham Forrest, 3-1, behind a brace from German Marvin Pourie and a goal by Scot Gary MacKay Steven. 16-year-old English striker David Amoo was apparently quite impressive himself. Just taking a peek at the U18/Academy roster, we have quite the international mix with players from seven different countries, though a large majority, 13, are English.

- Finally, here's a nice piece from Liverpool Legend Ian Rush on Rafa's recent decision not to replace his number two, Pako Ayesteran. It's interesting to read what role such a person plays on a club and why it's not a good idea to replace them in haste. Cheers everyone.

Today's Banter: Carra training, Atletico want Reina, Crouch stalls contract, Cheryl Cole praises fans, & Kewell returns!!!

- Reports are that Carra returned to training today and will be ready for action on Saturday when we travel to Portsmouth. Great news considering how many players we have out on international duty including Hyypia and Agger. Hopefully everyone will return fit and rested, Pompey at Fratton Park will be no easy test.

- Apparently Atletico Madrid are keen on Pepe Reina and are putting together a bid for him in the realm of £10m to offer LFC in the January transfer window. Whether this is true or not, I wonder if Rafa would consider selling Pepe. £10m is a respectable offer and we do have Scott Carson on the books yet on loan to Aston Villa. I doubt he'd sell him in January though unless he could recall Carson.

- Peter Crouch, who's current contract expires at the end of next season, has apparently been offered a three year extension from the club. Supposedly though, he's withholding his signature to see what kind of playing time he's going to get this season. What an ass, he knows what kind of playing time he's going to get, so he needs to commit his future or gotten rid of. I've been for the latter for the past year or so anyhow.

- Cheryl Cole has praised Liverpool fans for their unconditional love of their club and players and thinks England fans should be the same way. The problem is fans of Liverpool know that the people who run their club, love LFC, while those who run England, the FA, do things that say otherwise. For starters, they would have gotten a class coach at what ever cost.

- Harry Kewell returns to action tomorrow night for the Reserves versus Crewe Alexandra Reserves. Well, that's promising. I'm hoping he'll be able to play this Saturday so we can give Babel and Yossi a little rest from International duty. Despite the rise of the new signings, we need Kewell as a key contributor this season if we want to go after all the silverware. Cheers.

Today's Banter: The needle & hopefully no damage done for Gerrard & more

- Well, he's gone and done it, Steven Gerrard has declared himself fit to Steve McClaren for England's tie with Israel tomorrow. No word on whether he'll get an injection or not, and though I doubt we'll hear about it if he does with all the controversy surrounding it anyhow. After tomorrow, I don't expect Stevie-G to play for us for about a month, call it Anfield intuition.

- Not really that much else going on other than Voronin getting a lot of love and if you wrote Steven Gerrard, Luis Garcia, or Harry Kewell a love letter between February 12 and April 21 of this year, there's a good chance it ended up in this guy's house. Cheers.

The King Harry Basquiat

God, I love Harry Kewell.

The Kewell Warhol

I can't stop laughing at this one. I messed up big time, but then ended up liking it.

Liverpool vs Portsmouth: What will Rafa do?

Well, we got some good news today with the international clearances of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, and Lucas Leiva, as well as the near return to fitness for Stevie-G, because after Tuesday's match, it looks as if we'll need all the bodies we can harbor. I'm really excited about getting a look at Lucas and fully expect him to start in the middle with Gerrard.

The heat and the humidity definitely seemed to get our boys by the end of the last match. Danny Agger and John Arne Riise looked especially exhausted, which is not good, considering how thin we are on the back line. Carra and Arbeloa played the entire match as well and Hyypia saw some time at central midfield of all places.

I can see Rafa giving a start to Robbie Threlfall at left back as well as Gabriel Paletta in the middle. I also think, since Hyypia came in late and Finnan left early, they will probably allow them to start at centre back and right back respectively.

On the flanks, I think Babel might start on the left, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Kewell there since he was taken out early on Tuesday and with him just leaving the Asian Cup, he's probably pretty well adapted to the conditions. On the right, we'll probably see Pennant since he only played twenty-five minutes or so in the South China FC match.

Up front is not as simple as it would seem. One would think Torres would get the nod since he's well rested, but I think Rafa might start with a relatively fresh Kuyt and pair him with either Babel or even Crouch. If he starts Voronin there, I'll be shocked since the Ukrainian played the whole match Tuesday, but it is Rafa and he does know his player better than I. Voronin actually didn't look too worn out by the end of the match, but you never know.

At keep, I can definitely see Reina starting, but I think Carson will get the nod, if just to keep him happy.

So here's how I see it:
Carson
Threlfall
Hyypia
Paletta
Finnan
Kewell
Lucas
Gerrard
Pennant
Kuyt
Babel

As for the bench, who knows? If I knew the actual fitness of the players I could guess more accurately, but I definitely expect the younger players like Agger, Crouch, and Riise to be available, despite how the looked by the end on Tuesday.

I hope we win this match, but I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't. Portsmouth and Harry Redknapp, without a doubt, have more desire than we do to win this, despite Rafa's words. I just hope it's entertaining, no one gets injured, and we get a solid look at Lucas. Cheers.