Gary Neville is a 'role model' for Liverpool youth

Ha. Chris Grayling is a feckin' idiot. Why would a politician ever make such a ridiculous statement that one of the players most reviled by Liverpool FC fans is a role model for it's city's youth? Oh, he's a Man U fan. Shocking. Neville is a no class loser, who wouldn't even make our reserves squad at this point.

At first I thought he was just having a go, but then I realized he was just like most Man U fans, clueless. He has a record of trying to lobby for industrial contracts for Liverpool companies, which leads me to believe that the weather is fair when it comes to the topic of football in the Grayling home.

You know who I think is a great role model for Liverpool youth, not Wayne Rooney, that's for sure.

Today's Banter: Injury updates, Guðjohnsen wants 'revenge', & Man U build-up

It looks as if Xabi Alonso may be available on Sunday, while Steve Finnan looks a scratch. The midfield maestro has been deemed fit by Rafa, but it's unclear whether he'll feature or not. I'm thinking two things here, first, Benitez may just be setting a ploy, as Man U will definitely be more worried about Xabi than Mascherano, due to the former's awesome passing abilities. The other thing is that he may actually be fit, which is fine by me, but will he play? I would hope so, with Mascherano pairing and Gerrard on the right, but if he's not fully fit, he shouldn't.

Finnan, on the other hand, is not a very big concern. We have Arbeloa and with the return of Aurelio on the left, the Spaniard only has to cover the right. If the Irishman is definitely out, I expect Fabio to start on the left with Riise in front of him, giving us at least some sort of wing-back option in the Brazilian. Agger, by the way, is definitely a no-go.

Eiður Guðjohnsen apparently wants 'payback' for his side being booted by Liverpool last year in the Champions League. Fair game, though I don't really care who we get on December 21st when the drawing is held, but I think Guðjohnsen should be careful what he wishes for. Call me crazy, but I think we'll draw AC Milan and Barça will get Arsenal, rematches of the last two finals. The funny thing is, if we do draw the Spanish side, I doubt the former Chelsea forward/attacking midfielder will make more than a cameo in either tie.

The tension for Sunday's showdown with Man U is already bringing about words from the neighbors to the east. Sir Alex Ferguson believes form will be thrown out the window, though I'm not sure what the hell he's talking about. Both sides are in great form and though they barely boast a better record overall, we have scored considerably more goals. Is he claiming his side is in better form? If so, good, let them be cocky.

As for the players, Guadaloupian striker Louis Saha brings up last year's fiasco and how it 'kick-started' the Mancs run to the title. Ah, yes, the match where Carragher wasn't allowed to defend and Man U players were allowed to grab jerseys, but Liverpool were not. Can't wait to see who the ref will be, if it's Mike Riley I might not even bother to watch. Surprisingly, Wayne Rooney talks some sense, talking about the Marseilles match and our recent form: "They did very well and got an excellent result... They are scoring a lot of goals but probably the best thing we can do is concentrate on our job rather than worry about them." If Roons thought that was doing very well (against the 'French'), well, hopefully he hasn't seen nothing yet.

Sometimes I wish Gerrard would get 'injured'

The word is Wayne Rooney got 'injured' today in training and will be out for a month. Just in time to miss two matches for England, the Austria friendly and the Euro qualifier against Croatia. Tell me, why is it that United players just happen to get injured right before they're about to go out on International duty? Rooney always seems to 'stump his toe' every time England comes a-knockin', especially when it's just a friendly, and I seem to recall Tevez earlier this season 'not feeling well enough' to play for Argentina when he was the only true striker on the United bench.

Other than not having to play the two matches for the Three Lions, Rooney will also miss two meaningless Champions League matches and Premiership ties with Blackburn, Bolton, Fulham, and maybe even the leviathan that is Derby County. Oh no! So he'll basically miss one match that they have a slight chance of not winning in the Rovers. The convenience of pulling up lame right now is a bit overwhelming. I know, I know, he left the training facility on crutches (no, my eyes aren't rolling).

Anyhow, wouldn't it be advantageous for Gerrard to get an elbow bruise or possibly even a hangnail and not be available to try and save McClaren's ass? Those two weeks off would probably do him wonders. And what about Harry Kewell, maybe King Harry can stick his fingers down his throat, throw-up, and then claim he's too sick to play for the Socceroos against Nigeria. That would be grand, but unfortunately not our style. No, I'm willing to bet that even though Torres might not play for us before the upcoming international break, that he'll probably still feature for Spain in their two Euro qualifying matches next week anyhow. That's just the kind of players that wear our crest.

Oh, and don't be surprised if Rooney makes another of his 'miraculous recoveries.'

Bernd Schuster already worried about drawing Liverpool in CL play

I didn't really expect anyone to be paying us any attention in the Champions League at least until after the Group Stage, but apparently we're causing Real Madrid's Bernd Schuster a little anxiety, which is surprising seeing how well his squad has started this season. In this article, the former German International has this to say about our side:

"Liverpool is not so attractive in it's game; it is an ugly team to play, hard and difficult. It is not necessary to remind people how tough they made it for Barcelona last season."

Though most newspapers are trying to play this up as Schuster talking a little smack, it looks as if they're just trying to sell papers. I think all he's saying is that we are great defensively and unpredictable on attack as much can be lost or added in translation.

The thing that baffles me is how he says that Man U has the best attack and Chelsea have the best defense. Has he watched either of these sides play this season? I have no doubts that a fully fit Man U squad with Rooney, Giggs, Ronaldo, and Scholes firing on all cylinders are certainly a formidable attack, but Rooney's injured, Giggs and Scholes look a year older, and I guess we'll have to wait and see what post-suspension Ronaldo looks like. Nani and Tevez have been competent, but also look like two new players struggling to build chemistry with their new teammates.

As for Chelsea's defense, they are certainly capable of being an impenetrable fortress, but allowing two goals against Birmingham at Stamford Bridge and the two goals they allowed against Aston Villa this past weekend make them far from impressive nor in top form. I honestly think they should have never gotten rid of Diarra, but apparently that was unavoidable, and Alex has been far less impressive than he was at PSV last year.

Ultimately, if we can stay fit and maintain our current form, then sure, Schuster does have something to worry about, but to come out now and voice his concerns just doesn't make much sense.