You'll Never Walk Alone -- The End...

[shantanu_rooney]

Page last updated: May 29, 2010​

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FA Cup Final Preview

Chelsea and Liverpool contest the FA Cup final at the Wembley in what could be Carlo Ancelotti's last game in charge of the Blues and Jose Mourinho's second major final as the manager of Liverpool.

Carlo Ancelotti could bid farewell to the travelling Stamford Bridge faithful after the encounter if they fail to win it. Chelsea ended 5th in the Premier League which means they missed out a Champions League spot, and were also knocked out of the Champions League by eventual winners Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

The Italian coach was appointed by the owner Roman Abramovich at the start of the season - as the successor of the fan favourite Guus Hiddink - to bring some Champions League glory which was never tasted before by the London club. But the things didn't turned out as wished.

Ancelotti will no doubt see the clash versus their Premier League rivals and the new Champions League and Premier League champions as an ideal opportunity to prove his class in English football as he looks to land the Blues' first piece of silverware since they won the competition last season.

Chelsea destroyed Rochdale in the third round, and then saw off Tranmere Rovers in the next stage. They then defeated Reading in fifth round before they won against Fulham and a semi-final win over Premier League rivals Manchester City.

For Liverpool, their route to the home of English football began at Barnsley before they knocked out West Brom in the next stage. Victory over fierce rivals Manchester United and Premier League counterpart Bolton followed before Mourinho's men disposed of bitter rivals Everton.

It will also be a great achievement if Liverpool do win this, for the Manager of the Year, Mourinho and his club, who already have the Premier League crown and the Champions League title in the bag.

Team News

Ancelotti has almost a fully fit squad at his disposal. Frank Lampard will be avaliable after England international confirmed he is fit to play following a knee complaint. Juliano Belletti is doubtful and will have to undergo a late fitness test after being sidelined by a recent virus. While Brazilian defender Alex will vie with Ricardo Carvalho to start alongside captain John Terry.

Mourinho on the other hand is without Albert Riera and Alexis Sanchez for this important. Winger Ryan Babel is pushing for a first-team berth while young starts Ignacio Camacho and David N'Gog are in contention to feature.

Possible starting XIs:
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Essien, Lampard, Deco, Montolivo, J Cole, Drogba.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Mascherano, Aquilani, Gerrard, Babel, Kuyt, Torres. ​

 

[Dutch]

Been away for a few days so I missed the final! Beautiful reporting as ever and congrats to The Reds! Fa Cup next!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 29th May 2010

Chelsea ended their poor season with some FA Cup glory as they defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the final at Wembley on Saturday.

Both Premier League outfits Chelsea and their opponents, Liverpool, went into the 129th cup final hoping to follow up previous respective successes in 2009 and 2006. And it was Chelsea who etched their name in the record books for the second consecutive time as a solitary first half strike from Nicolas Anelka proved too much for the Premier League and the Champions League winners Liverpool. The Blues and the Reds, served up an inevitably tense finale as Anelka's goal proved to be the conclusion to the tournament and booked a place in next season's Uefa Cup after ending fifth in the Premier League.

Ahead of kick-off there was heartbreak for young striker Alexis Sanchez, who has been battling for fitness following the leg injury he picked in the last league match of the season, as Liverpool manager Jose Mourinho opted to leave the 21-year-old out of his squad. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, whose job was on stake, named Michael Ballack in midfield following his recovery from a calf problem. And former Barcelona and FC Porto midfielder Deco started after a hamstring injury, while Anelka operated as a lone frontman instead of misfiring Didier Drogba who hasn't score for Chelsea in the last 15 games.

The magnitude of a final appearance was more than evident in a scrappy opening but it was Liverpool who enjoyed the better of possession, despite failing to truly threaten Cech. Heavy rain ahead of kick-off made intricate passing a difficult task, but it remained Liverpool who looked the most likely to break the deadlock as Cech saved well from Ryan Babel and Alberto Aquilani dragged a half-volley wide.

However, Chelsea then began to find their feet as Michael Essien floated a free-kick into the danger area and as Liverpool shot-stopper Pepe Reina flapped, John Terry and Anelka failed to convert. And shortly after Anelka should again have done better as he jinked round a nervous looking Reina with trademark quick feet, only to somehow prod his effort against the upright.

Proceedings then returned to a fashion similar to the tight opening half-an-hour with only a tame Frank Lampard volley, which was gathered by Reina, calling either goalkeeper into action. However, on 41 minutes Chelsea had their goal as Reina again fumbled a low Joe Cole cross at the near post and Anelka banished the memory of his earlier miss as the Frenchman reacted the quickest to poke in a volley from close range.

Almost immediately, Liverpool had the opportunity to respond as Babel broke down the left, but his far post cross asked too much of Dirk Kuyt, who could only deflect wide. With the first half personal address system announcement of one minute added time still echoing around a sold-out Wembley, Liverpool thought they had drawn level as Martin Skrtel hooked in at a corner after Cech had spilled, but referee Howard Webb correctly spotted that the defender had used a hand to control the ball.

Soon after the interval, Chelsea could have doubled their advantage as Joe Cole raced onto an excellent Michael Ballack back heel to centre from the left, but anelka saw his goal-bound effort deflected wide by Skrtel. Chelsea began to dominate and Mourinho recognised his side were losing the battle as he introduced Ignacio Camacho in place of Mascherano in an attempt to threaten in midfield.

Ryan Babel appeared Liverpool's best outlet as the 23-year-old's pace visibly troubled Chelsea, but Cech remained a spectator. Ancelotti then opted to shuffle his hand as he replaced Joe Cole with striker Didier Drogba and Pompey looked to kill the game off, while Liverpool responded by replacing the ineffective Alberto Aquilani with Lucas.

Drogba almost justified his appearance with 20 minutes remaining as he latched onto a long ball from Essien to warm the palms of Reina. Ricardo Montolivo then earned a cup final appearance as he came on in place of Anelka as Chelsea attempted to shut up shop, but soon after Liverpool had their best chance of the half as Skrtel nodded just over the bar at a corner.

Skrtel's header, though, was to be as close as Liverpool came as Chelsea centre-back John Terry surged forward from defence and came close to adding a second late on. But Anelka's goal proved enough for the defending champions to successfully defend their trophy as captain John Terry lifted the cup.

__________________________________________________​

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry(C), Carvalho, Cole, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Cole(Drogba 70), Deco(Alex 87), Anelka(Montolivo 78).
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Mancienne.

Booked: Ballack.

Goals: Anelka 42.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio(Destro 85), Mascherano(Camacho 71), Aquilani(Lucas 75), Gerrard(C), Babel, Kuyt, Torres.
Subs Not Used: Diego, Dossena, Agger, Degen.

Att: 90,000.

Ref: H Webb.

Man of the Match: Michael Ballack.​

 

[Dutch]

Well done chelsea and well done Liverpool on a magnificent season! What will next season bring? Will the story continue? Will the manager remain? Questions to ponder!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 20th June 2010

Aguero - Jose lured me here

Sergio Aguero in his last match for Atletico Madrid​

Sergio Aguero has revealed that Jose Mourinho played a huge part in luring him to Anfield from Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool struck a deal in excess of ?40million to seal the signature of the young Argentine - rated as one of the best young strikers in world football. Indeed the Reds held off stern competition from around Europe to capture the 21-year-old from Atletico Madrid.

Aguero acknowledges that Mourinho's presence was one of the key factors to his move. "I am happy that the coach Jose Mourinho wanted me, it is the most important thing that the coach wants you as a player," said Aguero. "It is right that many clubs in England were interested in taking me, but my favourite from the first meeting was Liverpool because I am a big fan of coach Mourinho."

Aguero now hopes to fulfil all his ambitions at Liverpool, adding: "I want to play for Liverpool in international football - Champions League games and also help them defend the Premier League title. I want to achieve big things with the club and be one of the best players in the Premier League."

Mourinho revealed his own delight at securing a deal for Aguero.

"We had to speed things up because if not we could have lost him," said Mourinho. "The chairman acted very quickly. We've signed him because the player is able to adapt to the characteristics of the team. He can play in any position in the attack and also play at the wings if needed. He is a footballer with an enormous future and I just hope he gives the best of himself when he's here."​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 27th June 2010

Mourinho - Torres will stay

Fernando Torres celebrates his goal for Liverpool​

Jose Mourinho has warned Real Madrid that Liverpool will not be listening to any offers for the Premier League's Golden Boot winner Fernando Torres.

Fresh from helping Liverpool secure a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double, Torres was linked with a move to Real Madrid. Reports have claimed that the Spanish giants are willing to spend a world record fee to entice the Spanish striker to the Santiago Bernabeu during the close season.

Torres expects to have his future resolved within the next fortnight, with Liverpool tipped to offer the 25-year-old an improved contract. And the Reds boss Mourinho says there is no chance of Torres leaving Liverpool for Madird.

"I read last night that Perez's talking, Pellegrini's talking and they use this Marca as their vehicle to unsettle players," Mourinho told Sky Sports News. "The simple facts are he's got another three years left on his contract, that's the first thing.

"When you want to keep someone you work hard to do it. That is a fact not lost on Liverpool, but it is a fact not lost on Real Madrid either. In terms of great clubs, the clubs with great moral issues, like Barcelona, have far better moral issues than Real Madrid will ever have."

"There is not only Real Madrid, who are interested in our best players. There are many clubs but they don't get into the nonsense like Real Madrid do because they have some moral issues and they are not like Real Madrid."

The futures of Lucas and Javier Mascherano have also come in for scrutiny, but Mourinho insists he is not intending to break up his current squad over the summer. He added: "We will not be moving many out. It is not something I have even thought about.

"I just need to look at the squad and know I have enough cover for next season as we have three extra games, one in the Super Cup and two in the World Club Championship to cope with."​

 

[Dutch]

Wise move! Without Torres Liverpool will struggle! But what if there is a huge amount of money on offer? I mean huge!!!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 1st July 2010

Champions travel to Stamford Bridge on opening day

Champions Liverpool face Chelsea on the opening day​

Champions Liverpool will begin their Premier League title defence away from home to fellow title rivals Chelsea on 8th August. Jose Mourinho's side, who pipped Arsenal to the title last season, close the campaign with a trip to Wigan Athletic on 8th May.

Liverpool face top four sides Arsenal(home) and Manchester United(away) on successive weekends, 11th September and 19th September, before also visiting Man City on 28th November.

The Reds are at home to Chelsea on 8th January, visit Arsenal on 13th January and Manchester United visit Anfield on 15th January, which could be the most important week of the season for the champions.

FA Cup winnsers Chelsea start with a home game as they face the Premier League and Champions League winners Liverpool. Chelsea then face Arsenal at the Emirates on 18th September followed by Manchester United at home on 25th September. The Blues visit Liverpool on 8th January, face Arsenal at home on 15th January and are at home to newly-promoted Middlesbrough on the final day of the season.

Of the top sides, Manchester United look to have the more straightforward opening and closing day fixtures as they entertain Wigan on 8th August and are at home to Aston Villa on 8th May. Manchester United's fixtures against fellow top four side Arsenal are at home on 16th October and away on 15th January.

Opening Day Fixtures

Arsenal v Bolton
Everton v Wolves
Man Utd v Wigan
Portsmouth v West Ham
Stoke v Tottenham
Sunderland v Aston Villa
West Brom v Middlesbrough
Newcastle v Man City
Blackburn v Fulham
Chelsea v Liverpool​

shantanu_rooney added 1 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...

Wise move! Without Torres Liverpool will struggle! But what if there is a huge amount of money on offer? I mean huge!!!

I would reject it even if they offer me 100m, they had currently offered me 70m which I rejected after Barcelona offered 50m for him. Gerrard and Torres are not for sale for any price.

 

[Dutch]

tough first day for the reds but a chance for a quick revenge against the Blues! No, I wouldn't sell either of them for 500 million!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Premier League

Winners: Liverpool
Relegated: Birmingham, Hull, Burnley
Top Goalscorer: 19 - Fernando Torres(Liverpool)
Most Assists: 12 - Ashley Young(Aston Villa)
Highest Average Rating: 7.41 - Steven Gerrard(Liverpool)(34 apps)
Overachievers: Wolves
Underperformers: Fulham
Signing of the Season: West Ham's Ezequiel Lavezzi(2.7m), Fulham's Steven Defour(4m)
Worst Signing of the Season: Sunderland's Alexandr Anyukov(7.5m), Liverpool's Mattia Destro(6.25m)

Other Winners

English FA Cup: Chelsea
English League Cup: Arsenal
English Community Shield: Manchester United

Awards

PFA Footballer of the Year: Steven Gerrard(Liverpool)
PFA Young Player of the Year: Anderson(Man Utd)
Golden Boot: Fernando Torres(Liverpool)
LMA Manager of the Year: Jose Mourinho(Liverpool)


Liga BBVA

Winners: Real Madrid
Relegated: Sporting, Tenerife, Xerez
Overachievers: Getafe
Underperformers: Mallorca
Signing of the Season: Valencia's Arek Onyszko(625k), Real Madrid's Vagner Love(17.25m)
Worst Signing of the Season: At.Madrid's Yossi Benayoun(7m), Espanyol's Lucas Lobas(1.8m)

Other Winners

Spanish Cup: Barcelona
Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona
Spanish Federation Cup: Castilla


Serie A

Winners: Inter Milan
Relegated: Siena, Chievo, Bari
Overachievers: Napoli
Underperformers: Siena
Signing of the Season: Udinese's Edu(2.5m), Fiorentina Angelo Palombo(12.25m)
Worst Signing of the Season: AC Milan's Zdravko Kuzmanovic(7.5m), Juventus' Alessandro Rosina(4.3m)

Other Winners

Italian Cup: Inter Milan
Italian Super Cup: Inter Milan​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 7th July 2010

Appiah joins Sporting

Stephen Appiah has joined Sporting Lisbon from Liverpool​

Sporting Lisbon have completed the signing of Ghana international skipper Stephen Appiah from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The midfielder, who was part of Jose Mourinho's Liverpool side that won the Premier League and the Champions League, completed a medical at the Est?dio Jos? Alvalade in Portgal on Tuesday after it was announced a deal had been struck between the two sides.

Appiah has penned a three-year deal with the Portuguese outfit and will provide much-needed cover due to his ability to play either centre-midfield or at right-midfield. He said: "It feels great to be here to be honest and hopefully now I am here I can impress.

"I haven't played here in Portugal before, so this is a completely new challenge for me. It's a bit more physical and frantic than the Premier League but it's still an exciting league to be in and hopefully I can help Sporting push towards some league glory."

Manager Ricardo S? Pinto added: "Stephen's a player we've liked for some time, he's very experience and now he also has a Premier League and a Champions League winner's medal. He's proven himself the international level as he is the skipper of his national side, so he has the kind of quality and experience we want to bring here and I'm very much looking forward to working with him."​

 

[drainpipe32]

Gerrard for President!!!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 9th July 2010

Pompey sign Degen from Liverpool

Philipp Degen becomes Pompey's first signing of the season​

Portsmouth have signed defender Philipp Degen from the Premier League and Champions League winners Liverpool.

The former Dortmund full-back, who joined Liverpool two season's ago for free, has penned a two-year deal with the Premier League outfit. Degen saw his time at Anfield badly hit by injuries and he made just seven appearances during his stint with Jose Mourinho's side.

The Swiss international collected several medals during his time at FC Basel, including three Swiss League titles and one Swiss Cup. He then moved to German outfit Bourissia Dortmund where he made sixty-eight appearances before signing for the Merseysiders on a free transfer.

Philipp Degen has been in-and-out of the Swiss national team since making his debut in 2005. He has been capped only nineteen times by his national team and also was in the squad for the Euro 2008 Championships which were played in Austria-Switzerland.

Liverpool have also send five of their youngsters namely Davide Santon, Adam Hammill, Emiliano Insua, Mattia Destro and Ryan Martin on loan to various clubs in order to gain some first team experience.​

 

[m_vaughan]

Well its been an amazing season despite the FA Cup defeat. If it had been any other team I would have said "shame you couldn't do the treble" but for Chelsea it was a last shot at silverware in a season that has been disappointing.

I also noticed that some your unwanted or fringe players are being sold, so I expect them to be replaced by ones more suited to Mourinho's style and requirements.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Last updated: 11th July 2010

Lyon complete Lucas signing

French champions Lyon have completed the signing of Lucas​

French champions Lyon have completed the signing of Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva for an initial fee of ?10million, which could rise to ?12million.

The 22-year-old, who had been in talks with Lyon for some time and did not fly out to Portugal with the rest of the Reds squad for their pre-season training camp, has agreed a four-year contract. Lucas, who has ended a three-year spell at the Anfield, will be reunited with his Brazilian team mates Cris, Ederson, Juninho, Anderson etc.

"I'm delighted to be here. I've known of the club's interest for about six months or so now so it has gone on for a while," said Lucas. "But like I say everything is sorted now and I'm very happy it's all done and dusted.

"The manager has been brilliant, I have spoken to him a few times. He has great plans for this place and as soon as I heard what he said I wanted to be part of it. Last year was a fantastic season for everyone here and hopefully I can help push the club on even more in the Champions League."

The midfielder told Lyon Player: "There are a few lads here I already know which I'm sure will help me settle in. I know Ederson very well and we know each other's games inside out so hopefully we can show that on the pitch and work well together here."

Puel said the signing of Lucas, who made almost 80 appearances for Liverpool, showed the French Champions could be a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

"Lucas is a fantastic player and a great acquisition for this football club," he said. "He is someone I and my backroom staff have admired for a long time and to have managed to have brought him here signals our intent for the upcoming season. Lucas is a box-to-box midfielder who has a great engine and he is a player I am looking forward to working with."

Chairman Jean-Michel Aulas added: "We are delighted to have completed our first major signing of the summer transfer window. Lucas is a player who possesses some good Premier League and Champions League experience having played for Liverpool."​