Liverpool are delighted to announce that the pre-season friendlies went really well as the Reds remained unbeaten throughout the pre-season. The Reds played a total of seven friendlies including the Asia tour and managed to win six of them and draw one. They scored a total of nineteen goals in the seven friendlies and conceded just two. Lets hope that Liverpool can carry the same form from the pre-season into the Premiership and hopefully reach their goals.
Singapore Armed Forces FC 1-1 Liverpool
Duric 22 - Riera 77
Fenerbahce 1-2 Liverpool
Guiza 78 - N'Gog 8, Agger 28
AS Monaco 0-3 Liverpool
Torres 72, Gerrard 78, Dossena 90
Getafe 0-3 Liverpool
Benayoun 52, Torres 65, Skrtel 89
Liverpool 4-0 Lille
Torres 22, 82, Kuyt 62, Riera 90
Talking about the pre-season friendlies Jose Mourinho told lverpoolfc.tv "I'm very happy with our pre-season performance. With our first game of the season just five days ahead, I am looking forward facing Manchester City at Anfield. Fernando(Torres) had a brilliant pre-season scoring seven goals in seven matches, I hope he continues the same form in the league. He is our main striker and he knows that he has a important role to play if we have to win the title. If we can play in the same manner as we played during the pre-season we surely will win the title."
Sensational presentation Shantanu. The writing is really superb and you are unlucky that there haven't been many people commenting on this.
Your writing is simply brilliant - it conveys the feel of a true newspaper article - It works superbly and the graphics and fonts are very clean and easy to read.
Anyway, an excellent pre-season there by Liverpool, and it's good to see Torres in great form to start the season off - he will definitely play a big role for them in this season. I'm tipping a 1-1 draw against Arsenal - it's probably not an ideal game to play first up and I don't think the Reds will play to their potential against them.
Liverpool boss Jose Mourinho has announced the squad numbers for the new 2009-10 season. New signing Glen Johnson from Portsmouth has been given the number 2 jersey while Alberto Aquilani has been given the number 14 jersey which was vacated by Xabi Alonso.
01. Diego Cavalieri
02. Glen Johnson
05. Daniel Agger
08. Steven Gerrard ?
09. Fernando Torres
11. Albert Riera
12. Fabio Aurelio
14. Alberto Aquilani
15. Yossi Benayourn
18. Dirk Kuyt
19. Ryan Babel
20. Javier Mascherano
21. Lucas Leiva
23. Jamie Carragher
24. David N'Gog
25. Pepe Reina
26. Jay Spearing
27. Philip Degen
28. Damien Plessies
31. Nabil El Zhar
37. Martin Skrtel
38. Andrea Dossena
40. David Martin
Liverpool play rivals Arsenal on the first matchday of the Premier League on Sunday.
As the transfer season starts to heat up the bookmakers are starting to offer their odds on the various chances of the team in the English Premier League.
Not surprisingly, defending champions Manchester United head the list of likely winners, but after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively the Old Trafford outfit can be back at unusually high at 5-2.
Carlos Ancelotti's Chelsea are priced at 3-1, followed by Jose Mourinho's Liverpool at 5-1 and then Arsenal at 10-1. Huge spenders Manchester City are priced at 22-1 and they are followed by Everton at 30-1 and Aston Villa at 40-1.
Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur 55-1, West Ham United 80-1, Fulham 110-1. Bolton 133-1 are all medium risk bets and if they have a good season then they could see themselves in with some chance of lifting the trophy.
At the other end of the tables its no surprise to see that the newly promoted teams are among the favourites to go straight back down to the Championship, and Hull City are also considered likely after their poor form in the second half of last season.
Manchester United 5-2
Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool 5-1
Arsenal 10-1
Manchester City 22-1
Everton 30-1
Aston Villa 40-1
Tottenham Hotspur 55-1
West Ham United 80-1
Fulham 110-1
Bolton Wanderers 133-1
Portsmouth 200-1
Wigan Athletic 244-1
Sunderland 270-1
Blackburn Rovers 360-1
Stoke City 500-1
Hull City 670-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 800-1
Birmingham City 900-1
Burnley 999-1
Liverpool-Arsenal should be a cracker. A perfect test at the start of the season for Jose. I think with Ronaldo gone, United's chances of winning the title have diminished, and it will be easier for Chelsea and Liverpool to challenge them. City to make the top four, imo.
Liverpool have completed the double signing of Davide Santon from Italian champions Inter Milan and Ignacio Camacho from Spanish club Atletico Madrid for a total transfer fee of ?11 million.
Before being presented to the press, both of them signed a five-year contract which will keep them at the Anfield club until the end of 2014 season after undergoing the medical at the club.
Davide Santon, 18, is a product of the Internazionale youth system and will work again with Jose Mouirnho who handed him his Inter debut against Roma in a Coppa Italia match. Santon who has been capped twice by Italy told liverpoolfc.tv: "I am very delighted to have signed a huge contract with Liverpool. I always had a dream to play in the Premier League and today it is fulfilled.
"I am very happy to work again with Jose Mourinho as I have learned a lot from him at Inter and will be hoping to do so over here at Liverpool. Liverpool have some great players and I am very excited to play along with them. I am very eager to play alongside them in front of the great Liverpool supporters at Anfield."
Ignacio Camacho, 19, becomes the fourth player to join Liverpool since the arrival of new boss Jose Mourinho. Camacho will join his former Atletico Madrid team-mate Fernando Torres over here at Liverpool. Camacho who has made around eighteen appearances for the Los Colchoneros told liverpoolfc.tv: "I am very proud to have signed for Liverpool. It was always a dream to play for a big club capable of winning many titles and today I am very happy that it has come true.
"There were many good offers for me on the table but I chose to join Liverpool because I feel I will settle here quickly as there are many Spanish players over here like Torres, Riera, Reina. I am very happy to be playing alongside such great players at Liverpool and I am sure I will learn a lot from them."
Jose Mourinho who unveiled his fourth signings told liverpoolfc.tv: "I am delighted to have finally sign Davide and Ignacio. They are bright future prospects and I am sure they will have a part to play this season. I was impressed with Davide when I first saw him and straightaway when I came over here I wanted to sign him and today finally I did it. He is a great player and has shown a lot of maturity. He can play on both wings and he is a very versatile player.
About Ignacio, he is another player who has shown huge amount of maturity at such a small age. I was very impressed when I saw him playing for the Spain u-17 side and I always wanted to sign him since and today I have done that. I wish both of them good luck for their future over here at Liverpool and I am sure they will give their best to help the team win many titles.
I am sorry guys my save game file crashed and I had to restart the whole game : :doh. So in the new game I don't face Arsenal any more instead I face another tough top four or title contenders Manchester City. I was a bit lucky to get the transfers done as they were in my first game and I am all ready to go.
Thanks you guys for reading this story hope you keep doing the same in the future :hpraise. More updates coming soon.
The Premier League start is just around the corner and we caught up with the new Liverpool manager, the self proclaimed 'Special One' ahead of his first competitive game against Manchester City since his return to England.
Hello Jose, you have been here at Liverpool for a month now, how do you feel about you return to England?
I am very happy to return back to England. When I left Chelsea some two years back, I had made my mind that if I get a good offer from a top club in England I would consider it and that happened. Liverpool did offer me and the offer was too good to be rejected as I always wanted to come back. I am feeling at home over here. Everyone is great over here, the staff, the players, the owners all are very good.
Talking about your pre-season, it has been very good. Winning six games out of the seven and scoring nineteen goals and conceding just two.
Yeah, I am very happy with our preparations for the new season. We were excellent during the pre-season friendlies and now we just need to carry the same form into the Premier League and the Champions League. Fernando(Torres) has been in top form and I hope he keeps the same form going on and keeps scoring a lot of goals.
You have added four new faces to the squad, tell us something about them. And will they feature tomorrow?
Yeah, we have bought in four new players in Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani, Davide Santon and Ignacio Camacho. They are really very good players. They all have the attacking mentality in them which we need at the moment if we want to win the Premier League and Champions League this season. All of them will have a key role to play this season.
Talking about winning the main prize, who do you think will win the Premier League this season?
I think my Liverpool can stop Manchester United from making it four in a row. We have got a balanced side and if we can play like what we did during pre-season then we would be unstopable. But we can't underestimate Manchester United, Chelsea or even Arsenal because they have some good players who can win them the titles.
Your opponents for tomorrow, Manchester City. A tough match to start the season with as they have been spending huge amount of money to buy the best players.
Ah yeah, they have been spending loads of money in buying the best players but money won't win them matches. They have a good manager in Mark Hughes and if he can get the balance of their team right then they will be unstoppable, but they can't beat us tomorrow as we have a much better side than them.
You have already signed four new players at the club, are you thinking of adding any more new players to the squad?
Yeah, I am thinking of adding a new striker as backup for Fernando Torres as he can play whenever Torres is no 100% or is injured. And I am also thinking about adding some young players to squad who could be really useful for the future.
Finally Jose, whats your objective for this season?
Well like always, we want to win the Premier League, the Champions League and all the domestic cups. But we will give more importance to the Premier League and Champions League as they are biggest prize in European football.
Well, thats its from me Jose, thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck with Liverpool and hope you do fulfill the dreams that all the Liverpool fans share of winning the Premier League.
Ryan Babel and skipper Steven Gerrard scored as new boss Jose Mourinho's Liverpool got off to a winning start at Anfield against Manchester City.
The Citizens toiled unconvincingly early on and the Reds were well on top by the time Babel slid in to score at the far post after Aquilani's impressive run. Man City came back strongly but the closest they came to an equaliser was when Adrian Mutu's volley flashed wide. Steven Gerrard's low shot sealed Liverpool's win after good work by Daniel Agger.
It was a display that was sure to have pleased watching Reds co-owner Tom Hicks and George Gillet, who have given Mourinho the license to spend. The Portuguese gave debuts to two of his summer signings - Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani - with one other recent arrival on the bench.
Any fears that Mourinho's hastily-assembled team would take time to settle were dispelled by a confident start by the hosts. In fact it was Man City who seemed like a team of strangers in the opening 20 minutes and Mark Hughes' side soon found themselves behind.
The impressive Aquilani picked up the ball inside his own half and ghosted past Kolo Toure into the area before turning in a low ball that Babel turned home. Inspired by Aquilani, Liverpool's passing and movement was causing the Citizens all sorts of problems and the visitor's own debutants, Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry and Kolo Toure, were having little joy.
Shaun Wright-Phillips' long-range shot was the best effort Hughes' side could muster until just before the break when they at last began to threaten and Carlos Tevez's snapshot was well saved by Pepe Reina after Robinho's mazy run.
The tide was beginning to turn and, after Pablo Zabaleta and Emmanuel Adebayor came on at half-time, the Citizens continued to improve. Jamie Carragher had to clear Reds' lines from Adebayor's dinked cross before Wright-Phillips dragged his shot wide from the edge of the area. Robinho was unlucky that no-one could reach his drilled cross which flew along the goal-line soon after and at times the Reds were defending for their lives.
But an equaliser would not come for the Citizens despite the best efforts of former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu. The striker almost celebrated his return to the Premier League with a goal when he smashed a volley just wide after coming off the bench.
And Liverpool made sure of an opening day victory in the closing minutes when Agger made good ground down the right and teed up skipper Steven Gerrard, who fired low into the far corner.
Liverpool manager Jose Mourinho: "I'm delighted. My first match in the Premier League since my return to England and three points against one of the so called title contenders. We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again. If we are talking about points then it was the perfect start but we won't get carried away."
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes: "I am massively disappointed. That was an unbelievably flat performance considering it was the start of the season. Liverpool started well. They got their goal then sat back and we had no answers. Apart from Shay Given in goal I don't think too many of our players can come out of the game and say to themselves 'we did well'."
Liverpool have completed the signing of Ghana captain and midfielder Stephen Appiah on a two-year contract. Appiah joins the Premier League club on a free after passing the medical at the club's training ground.
The 28-year-old can play across the midfield and becomes Liverpool boss Jose Mourinho's fifth signing of the summer. Mourinho is planning to put his new signing on a strict fitness regime.
The former Juventus midfielder departed Fenerbahce at the end of last season after failing to agree to a new contract. It was rumoured that Appiah was set to sign for Hull City but the deal fell through after the club could not reach the Ghanian's wage demands.
Liverpool's boss told the club's official website,"We need to make him match fit as he has not played a lot of football over the past few months. Once he becomes used to English football, then I am sure he will make an impact as the season progresses.
"We have signed a very talented and experience man. He is a great addition to the squad. He has lots of strength, lots of ability and can play anywhere in the midfield. We have monitored him over the last few weeks."
Appiah is looking forward to a new challenge in England. "It's a great move for after what has been been a forgettable experience the past year," he told Ghana's Independent newspaper. "Liverpool opens up the biggest chapter in my career and I will try repay them for showing faith in me by playing my best football."
Liverpool have formally completed the signing of Chile striker Alexis Sanchez in a move from Italian side Udinese for an undisclosed fee, which is thought to be round the region of ?5million.
Liverpool faced competition from top European clubs to sign Alexis Sanchez but reached agreement with Udinese in early August and now the deal has been completed with the striker granted the required work permit.
Sanchez, 20, is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in football and during the last two he put out some impressive seasons on loan at Colo-Colo and River Plate. He also featured in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and his ratio of international appearances was well above the required amount to obtain a work permit.
Sanchez told the club's official website: "I am really happy to have signed for Liverpool and am looking forward to playing for the club. I think it is the right time for me to take on the challenge of the Premier League. I will be giving everything to score as many goals as possible and share in good times with the club."
Reds boss Jose Mourinho said: "Alexis is a tremendous prospect who has lit up the South American international scene. The signing is really exciting for everyone at the club and I'm really looking forward to working with him. I look forward to seeing him in a Reds jersey.
"With this, I feel Alexis will be my last summer signing for the season. I am very happy with squad I have got at the moment and I hope that with this squad we can achieve our objectives which have been set for the season."
Alexis Sanchez wgo is also known as "El Ni?o Maravilla" made the move to Udinese after previously playing for Cobreloa in his home town of Calama.
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: :doh. So in the new game I don't face Arsenal any more instead I face another tough top four or title contenders Manchester City. I was a bit lucky to get the transfers done as they were in my first game and I am all ready to go. 
