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Gerrard upbeat over Liverpool’s fortunes

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Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists the Reds will ‘beat most teams in the league’ if they can repeat their display at Manchester United on Sunday (Liverpool 2/1 – Top 4 Finish).

The Reds may have come away from Old Trafford with nothing to show for their efforts following the 3-2 defeat, but the England midfielder is confident progress is being made under boss Roy Hodgson, who was only appointed in the summer.

A big piece of Hodgson’s summer transfer dealings was keeping Gerrard and star striker Fernando Torres out of the clutches of rival clubs, and the former Fulham chief was rewarded as Gerrard weighed in with a brace which included a penalty at the weekend.

Although naturally disappointed to go down at United, Gerrard was upbeat on Monday morning over the Merseysiders’ chances for the rest of the campaign.

He said: “It is going to take time before the new manager gets his feet in the door and gets his ideas over.

“We are improving and the performance yesterday was very good.

“If we play like that most weeks we will beat most teams in the league.”

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov’s first hat-trick for the club ultimately proved the difference between the two sides, but it still did not stop Gerrard from stressing what he thought were the positives.

“We kept the ball away from them and I thought we passed it really well; of course we had to be edgy in the first half because we were away from home,” said Gerrard.

“I thought second half we were much more positive and played some terrific stuff but you get nothing for that.

“When you go to places like that you have to create chances from your possession and score goals.

“We scored two but it was not enough.”

One of the main talking points post-match was the form of Berbatov after he stole the limelight with possibly his best game in a United shirt.

But talk also centred on the out-of-form Torres who has found himself accused of cheating following a tussle with United utility man John O’Shea which saw the Irishman booked.

Sir Alex Ferguson commented: “I have watched it again. Fernando Torres made a meal of it, an absolute meal of it. There is no doubt he tried to get the player sent off.”

United (11/2 – Carling Cup Outright) are back in action on Wednesday when they make the trip to Scunthorpe for a Carling Cup third-round clash while Liverpool (15/2) entertain Northampton.

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Fergie unsurprised by Reds change

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Manchester United (8/11 favourites in the match betting) boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that Rafael Benitez was lucky to last as long as he did at Anfield ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Liverpool (4/1 to win, 5/2 the draw).

“I wasn’t surprised at all that Liverpool changed their manager in the summer. I think everyone expected it even though Benitez had signed a new contract,” Ferguson told The People

He added: “That was the only complication about it. If he hadn’t signed a contract the previous season then I am sure he would have gone before the end of the last season.”

Benitez signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool back in June of last year but his contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier in the summer and he left to take up the reins at Inter Milan in June of this year.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will welcome back captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres, after the players were rested for the Europa League win over Steaua Bucharest in midweek, for the game at Old Trafford, while Joe Cole is able to return after serving his three-match ban for his red card picked up against Arsenal on the opening weekend.

Hodgson, who has seen his Liverpool side register just five points from four games in their opening fixtures of their current campaign, said ahead of the clash: “The first thing to do when you go to Old Trafford is to defend well because there are some very good attackers.

“They are very dangerous offensively so if your defensive set-up is wanting then they will punish you.”

United, who already trail title rivals Chelsea by four points, are likely to welcome back Rio Ferdinand for his first Premier League start of the season, with in-from Dimitar Berbatov partnering England striker Wayne Rooney (4/1 to score first goal) up front, but will be without Anderson, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as well as Antonio Valencia, who suffered a horrific injury in the draw with Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed though that Nemanja Vidic will get the captain’s armband back, despite Ferdinand skippering the side in midweek, and will be keeping it for the rest of the season.

“He started the campaign as captain and it will stay that way,” Ferguson said. “What we wanted was someone who was consistently available for us.

“Everyone recognises Nemanja Vidic would always be there. He has been fit all season and you don’t leave him out of the team unless you are going to rest him.”

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Stoke sweat on key men

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Stoke City (5/1 to be relegated from Premier League) are hoping injuries picked up by Jon Walters, Kenwyne Jones and Jermaine Pennant this weekend are not serious.

All three players were withdrawn in the second half of their 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Saturday and Stoke’s medical team will assess the trio this coming week.

Potters assistant manager Dave Kemp said: “We started the game very slowly and we let West Ham have too much of the ball. But after we got the goal we started playing better.

“But every time we got up a head of steam, we picked up an injury. That affected us. On reflection it could be two points lost, but maybe it was one gained.”

Kemp added: “It is a groin with Kenwyne, a hamstring possibly with Jermaine and an ankle with Jon Walters. I don’t know how serious those injuries are, we will have to wait and see.”

The stalemate saw Stoke climb out of the relegation zone on goal difference whilst West Ham (8/15 to stay in Premier League) remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

West Ham’s Scott Parker was pleased to see his side pick up their first points of the season, after he opened the scoring at the Britannia Stadium.

The Hammers star said: “It is a platform for us to build on.  We have got off to a bad start and come here low in confidence.

“We can leave high in confidence and take a lot of positives.  We look forward to Tottenham next Saturday.”

Under pressure boss Avram Grant was absent from the dugout at the Britannia on Saturday due to a religious holiday.  However, Parker quelled any suggestion that the manager’s absence affected the West Ham dressing room.

Parker said: “It is always going to be difficult when the manager is not there. We all understand the circumstances.  That is football. We have just got on with it and got the result which is good.”

With Grant not on the touchline, West Ham coach Paul Groves filled the void and was pleased with what he saw.

Groves said:  “We have faced different types of challenges with the types of teams we have played lately, like Chelsea and Manchester United.

“It was pleasing that we stood up to this challenge and the work-rate of the group was fantastic. It was a decent performance. We created a number of half-chances in the first half and probably controlled the first 45 minutes as much as you can in terms of playing against Stoke and dealing with what they throw at you.”

He added: “It was different in the second half, but I felt that we showed good character, good spirit and good togetherness in terms of answering one or two questions when they managed to get the goal early on.”

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Big Sam makes Wenger comparison

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Blackburn manager Sam AllardyceBlackburn boss Sam Allardyce believes that Arsenal (9/2 to win the 2010-11 Premier League) boss Arsene Wenger is no more ‘advanced’ a coach than he is.

The Rovers manager’s comments come just days after he claimed that he could comfortably manage Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Allardyce and Wenger have had a history of tension with the Frenchman accusing players at the Ewood Park club of being over physical.

Wenger’s disapproval of Allardyce’s style of play has continued since the Rovers boss was at Bolton Wanderers who were somewhat of a bogie team for the Gunners.

The English manager has continued to spat between the two experienced coaches, stating that he has not been represented well in the media.

Allardyce said: “There is a problem with perception. Arsene is seen as a sophisticated Frenchman while I’m just a rugged English centre-half from the Midlands with an accent to match, but is Arsene more advanced than me in terms of coaching? Not a chance.

“Does he use live fitness data on his players during games? Does he study sports psychology every day? Does he use sports science to the extent that I do? I doubt it,” he added.

Arsenal and Blackburn (8/1 to be relegated from the Premier League) have already met in the Premier League this season at Ewood Park where the Gunners proved to be too strong for the home side, running out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin.

This was a fixture that in the past Arsenal have failed to pick up maximum points from thanks to direct style of play from Rovers, which the North London club have found difficult to cope with.

Allardyce has declared though that he does have respect for Wenger for the way he has managed Arsenal since he took over in 1996.

He said: “None of all this affects my view of Wenger. I have total respect for the way he changed his philosophy in recent years when the £400million move to the Emirates Stadium reduced his spending power in the transfer market.

“He hasn’t won trophies yet with his current crop but he has stuck to his guns by insisting that nothing will prevent the development of his young players.”

“Arsenal play some wonderful football but what makes the Premier League interesting is the difference in styles between teams,” he added.

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Friendship and rivalry ahead of Old Trafford clash

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There is arguably no bigger rivalry in English football than that between Manchester United and Liverpool (United 8/11, draw 5/2, Liverpool 4/1).

The two goliaths go head-to-head at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Paul Scholes expressing his belief that the animosity between the two clubs will never die. Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has extended the hand of friendship to the Merseyside club following Rafael Benitez’s departure from Anfield.

Scholes (11/1 for first goalscorer) has admitted the intense hatred between fans of the two clubs will ensure that the intensity of this fixture will always be preserved. Even when fortunes of the two sides were contrasting, that rivalry was still present.

Liverpool’s last title came 21 seasons ago whilst United had a barren spell which lasted 26 years when Liverpool were at their peak. However, despite these circumstances, the animosity endured and Scholes does not see this changing.

“You can’t get away from the fact that both teams don’t really like each other,” said the United midfielder ahead of the clash.

“We are both desperate to win and I don’t think that will ever change.”

The United boss has already described this game as ‘the’ Premier League fixture but has offered the hand of friendship to opposite number Roy Hodgson.

Generally, the relationship between the United and Liverpool managers has been cordial but this changed under Benitez, who became increasingly obsessed with Ferguson. The Spaniard claimed that the United boss was treated with kid gloves and that he escaped censure from the authorities.

Ferguson has generally not risen to the bait, the only significant war of words coming over a ‘game over’ signal during a clash against Blackburn. Speaking about his rivalry with Benitez,
Ferguson stressed: “I have never been personal. You have to examine him, not me.

“I have always enjoyed a good relationship with Liverpool managers. Both clubs have always addressed the situation properly after the games.

“That changed under the last regime. It is not a big issue for me.”

Building a more cordial relationship with Liverpool will be easier now that Roy Hodgson has assumed the hot-seat at Anfield. The two managers were friendly before the move and Ferguson has expressed his deep admiration for Hodgson due to his managerial record.

Last season, he guided former club Fulham to the Europa League final, a feat that Ferguson has described as ‘absolutely extraordinary’. He also cited his ‘wealth of experience’ in Switzerland, Finland and Italy as worthy of praise.

Ferguson still believes that the clash between United and Liverpool is the biggest of the season, even though Liverpool have rarely been title contenders in recent years. Despite this, the Merseyside outfit have inflicted some memorable defeats on the Red Devils, United’s win in March breaking a three-match losing streak against Liverpool.

United go into this match on the back of two disappointing results – a 3-3 draw against Everton in the Premier League last Saturday and a 0-0 Champions League draw against Rangers. United are already four points behind table-toppers Chelsea in the Premier League title race and will be hoping for three points from their fierce rivals on Sunday.

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Holloway on the attack

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Blackpool manager Ian HollowayIan Holloway says his Blackpool side will not be afraid to attack Chelsea when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Sunday (Blackpool 28/1 to beat Chelsea).

The Blues have looked in awesome form in the early part of the season and are the only top-flight team to have secured maximum points from their opening four matches.

The Stamford Bridge outfit began the defence of their title with back-to-back 6-0 victories over West Brom and Wigan before a 2-0 success over Stoke and a 3-1 win against West Ham United, conceding their first Premiership goal of the season at Upton Park.

They are many pundits’ favourites to win the Premier League again this term while an assault on the Champions League is also high on the agenda for Carlo Ancelotti.

Holloway will take his men to west London after an excellent and somewhat surprising start to their life in the Premiership.

The north west side currently sit in fourth place in the league after beginning the season with an amazing 4-0 victory over Wigan.

Disappointment followed with a 6-0 thumping at Arsenal but they bounced back to draw with Fulham and took all three points from Newcastle last time out.

Holloway is realistic about his side’s chances against Chelsea this weekend but is determined to try and play some attacking football and not just sit back for 90 minutes in an attempt to come away with a point.

“Obviously you have got to show respect and their home record is pretty awesome,” he said. “But if you step into the ring with a champion, which is what we are going to do, somewhere you have to throw a punch. You should never be afraid to attack.

“I watched Glasgow Rangers with great interest against Manchester United and with their 5-4-1 formation, they did really well – defensively, they were fantastic. But I still think you need to throw the odd punch.”

The Seasiders boss knows his main aim this season is to keep Blackpool in the Premiership and he wants to make sure that his players are not too afraid to express themselves when they take on the best that English football has to offer.

“I want them to enjoy the game – away at Chelsea, Stamford Bridge, the champions who are unbeaten for who knows how many matches at home,” he added. “It is a fantastic club we’re taking on. I’m respectful of everyone, but fearful of no-one.”

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Barry backing Silva

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Gareth Barry has blasted criticism of team-mate David Silva, saying that it has been unfair (City face Wigan on Sunday and are 4/5 to grab the win).

The Spanish striker was one of the high-profile big-money moves conducted by Manchester City over the summer but he has failed to set the Premier League alight thus far.

His most impressive City performance came in Thursday evening’s Europa League win against Salzburg in Austria and the club clearly feel that Silva has an influential role to play at Eastlands this season.

Barry agrees with this view and points to mitigating circumstances as to why Silva has not yet found his form.

He said: “Any criticism of David is unfair because we all know the quality he has.

“He was always going to take time to settle because he has come into the Premier League from a completely different type of football.

“Against Salzburg he only showed small glimpses of what he can do. We know he will get better.”

Silva was one of Spain’s star players as they won the World Cup in South Africa over the summer. This meant that his season did not finish until the middle of July and he did not start training with City until the beginning of August.

Added to this was that he was required to go on draining trips to Mexico and Argentina. This means that there are clearly good reasons why Silva has yet to find his feet.

The man himself is confident he will succeed in the Premier League but Barry has been quick to point out that a timescale should not be put on his acclimatisation.

“The more he plays the more he will improve,” he continued.

“We know his qualities from training with him every day.

“But he is still adapting. The more time he spends in England and around our players, the better he will become.

“Sometimes it takes a player a season to settle before you see the best of them, but in the end I am confident his will be obvious to everyone.”

Manchester City have had a poor start to the season when compared to their lofty aspirations. They have only won one game so far in the Premier League and come into Sunday’s clash against Wigan on the back of a defeat to Sunderland and a draw against Blackburn.

Some have cited that the team has failed to gel and Roberto Mancini has pointed to six pivotal games which will influence their season.

The first was against Salzburg – a game which they won – and the second is the clash at the DW Stadium. City’s stars know that they will need to start performing soon if they are to realise their minimum aim of qualifying for the Champions League this season.

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Blues lose McFadden long term

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Birmingham have lost Scotland international James McFadden to injury – but are determined to hang onto two of their star central defenders (Birmingham 16/1 to finish in top six).

McFadden suffered serious cruciate ligament damage during training on Friday, and Blues say he will be out of action “for the foreseeable future” (Birmingham 15/2 to be relegated).

Meanwhile, Scott Dann and Roger Johnson have been praised by Birmingham boss Alex McLeish, who says he is unwilling to part with either of the defenders.

Striker McFadden, who has played in all four of Birmingham’s Premier League games so far this season, will see a specialist on Monday with a view to surgery.

Scotland manager Craig Levein backed the player to bounce back.

He said: “I know more than anyone how devastating a cruciate ligament injury can be and my sympathies go to James.

“Having said that, he’s a strong character and I’m sure he will overcome it.”

McFadden only scored 11 goals in more than 100 appearances for Everton, but McLeish paid £5million for him in January 2008.

He was hampered by a serious knee injury in his second season with Blues, and has scored 13 goals in 82 games so far for the club.

McLeish has backed Dann and Johnson to continue their impressive form, and dared other clubs to make an offer for the pair.

“I think it’s great that my players are getting recognition, because that means we’re doing well,” he said.

“So bring it on. I’d be quite happy, but it won’t be easy for any club to buy players from this club.”

McLeish said he did not think the reported interest from Manchester United and Liverpool would make Dann take his eye off the ball.

He said: “”I think he’ll take it in his stride. The speculation should enhance his self esteem.

“He knows how I would feel about him if he all of a sudden became a prima donna.”

Ahead of Birmingham’s derby match at West Brom in the Premier League on Saturday (Birmingham 21/20 – 90 minutes), the Blues manager said both Dann and Johnson have the potential to play for their country.

He said: “Scott is younger and has a great chance of going further in the game.

“Roger wants it badly, he’s got incredible desire. There’s no reason why he can’t be looked upon for honours.”

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Ferdinand eyes Liverpool scalp

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Rio Ferdinand believes it is important Manchester United beat arch-rivals Liverpool (19/5 – 90 minutes) on Sunday as they bid to kick start their Premier League campaign.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s team have dropped four points in their last two Premier Leagues matches away from Old Trafford, throwing away leads late on.

Fulham scored an injury-time equaliser to take a point at Carven Cottage before the international break, while Everton hit the back of the net twice after the 90 minute mark to secure a 3-3 draw.

United’s patchy domestic form also transferred to the Champions League in midweek when they were unable to break down a resilient Rangers side in Tuesday’s goalless draw.

The Red Devils now face their biggest rivals on Sunday looking for only their second win in five matches.

Despite beating Steaua Bucharest 4-1 on Thursday night in the Europa League Liverpool’s own form heading into the game hasn’t been good.

They have won just one of their first four matches, tasting defeat on their first visit to Manchester when City pummelled them 3-0 in August.

Liverpool’s recent record at Old Trafford isn’t great, winning just one of their last five visits to the Theatre of Dreams.

However, form could well go out the window for this clash and both sides will be hoping they can take the three points which could be the catalyst to a good season.

Ferdinand says its important United (3/1 Premier League outright) are the team that comes out on top as he believes it will be the morale boosting victory Ferguson’s team are looking for.

“This kind of game is always good for galvanising spirit and belief,” said Ferdinand.

“You would be beating one of your closest rivals, so to win this game would be great for team morale.

“Hopefully it will put us on the crest of a wave.”

Ferdinand is likely to be one of a handful of players who keeps his place in the United team from the one that disappointed against Rangers on Tuesday.

Liverpool and United made a boat load of changes for their respective European matches but are likely to bring back the big guns for Sunday.

The Reds left out Steven Gerrard (11/4 to score anytime on Sunday) and Fernando Torres (2/1) on Thursday, while Dimitar Berbatov (11/8) and Paul Scholes (10/3) watched from the stands against Rangers.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has said he believes his decision to rest his star duo will be proven to be the right one, while his counter-part Ferguson is likely to field his strongest possible side after being criticised for making 10 changes on Tuesday.

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Fabregas keeping feet on ground

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Cesc Fabregas has warned the Arsenal fans not to get too carried away by the team’s start to the season and is predicting a tough test at Sunderland (9/2 – 90 minutes) on Saturday.

The north London outfit have made a flying start to their domestic and European campaigns, winning three of their first four matches in the Premier League.

Last Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Bolton took the Gunners’ goal tally to 13 for the season but turned out to be just the appetiser before Tuesday’s goal-fest against Braga.

The Portuguese side headed to the capital with high expectations they would give Arsenal a real test in their first Champions League group match.

However, they proved to be no match for Arsenal, who ran out 6-0 winners as they made it 16 goals scored in their first three home games.

Arsenal (10/1 Champions League outright) now head to Sunderland for Saturday’s tea time kick-off looking to leapfrog Chelsea (9/2) and go to the top of the league for at least 24 hours.

The Gunners don’t have a great recent record at the Stadium of Light having drawn and lost on their last two visits to Wearside.

Despite those results Arsenal will be expected to turn over the Black Cats, although Fabregas says it will require another great display if they are to take all three points off their north-east opponents.

“I am not going to read too much into our beating both Blackburn and Bolton – in previous years we might have done the same thing before collapsing against the big sides, so it’s best that we just keep going, keep improving and keep making things difficult for whoever we face,” the Arsenal captain said.

“On Saturday, that will be Sunderland, which is always a very difficult place to go.

“Last season we didn’t do well at the Stadium of Light, but it was straight after an international break and we were perhaps a bit tired, so we hope for better this time.”

Having failed to collect any silverware in the last five years the Gunners are desperate to get their hands on something this season.

Much like last season Arsenal (4/1 Premier League outright) have made a good start to the campaign and already the Emirates faithful are buzzing over the possibility of a trophy this year.

However, Fabregas is reluctant to look too far ahead and states that while it is great the team have made such a good start they need to be able to maintain their current form for the majority of the season otherwise all their hard work will be wasted.

Fabregas continued: “We are happy with 10 points from four Premier League games.

“We would have preferred 12, but we are up there, we are second, and now we need to guard against losing more points because we will need everything we can get at the end of the season.”

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