Spurs build up thread

[Darkon]

Yep I have an irrational fear. Top v bottom. Unbeaten top team to lose for the first time at a rejuvenated bottom team.

If we win I will go ballistic.

I have the same feeling, Tottenham have found their confidence againt, and will give us a fight.

And lets not forget that Tottenham are not really a bottom side, they are a UEFA-cup placing side that have played well below avg. They have more talent than most sides in th PL.

But I still think a win is well plausible and it will give a good reason to drink tonight!!!

[Shaggy]

Benitez stands ground

By Oliver Kay

Saturday November 01 2008

IN his compelling recent autobiography, Jamie Carragher, in the nicest possible way, likened Rafael Benitez to a "pub bore" -- a man with an answer to everything.

Yesterday morning at the club's Melwood training ground, with his Liverpool team top of the Premier League table and about to travel to White Hart Lane, scene of his first match in English football in August 2004, seemed a good time to put the theory -- and the Spaniard's memory -- to the test as he was asked to name his starting line-up that day.

For a moment, it seemed that the Liverpool manager was about to rise to the challenge -- Dudek, Josemi ... -- but he stopped short, saying that he did not want to tarnish his reputation by making any mistakes.

You sensed that, with a little cajoling, he would have got it, right down to the men on the substitutes' bench, but instead he preferred to advance the conversation.

"It shows that we have improved, no?" he said.

Of the 16 men in Benitez's squad against Tottenham Hotspur that occasion, for a 1-1 draw on the first day of the 2004-05 campaign, only three -- Carragher, Sami Hyypia and Steven Gerrard -- are still at the club.

The pace of change has been even more dramatic at Tottenham -- they were managed at the time by Jacques Santini and had such luminaries as Noureddine Naybet, Phil Ifil and Johnnie Jackson in their starting line-up.

Evolution

Liverpool's return to White Hart Lane this evening seemed the ideal context for Benitez to reflect on the evolution of a squad that finally looks as if it may be equipped for a title challenge.

Catch him in the right mood and Benitez might joke about the paucity of the group of players he encountered on his first day at pre-season training at Anfield in '04 (Patrice Luzi, Salif Diao, Bruno Cheyrou) and even about the team, who miraculously, won the Champions League that season.

He can reminisce fondly about those who have served a purpose in the short term (Mohamed Sissoko, Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy) and those who came and went without making an impression (Antonio Nunez, Jan Kromkamp, Mark Gonzalez) and even that he has an entirely different backroom staff now, but, for all that the pace of change has been dizzying at times, Liverpool look a force to be reckoned with in the league once more.

"When you arrive in the Premier League you have a lot of confidence and you think that maybe in one year, maybe in three years, you can change everything," Benitez said yesterday.

"But then you can see the Premier League is really difficult and you know that if you want to be a contender you have to change many things.

"So little by little we have changed these things and you can see now the difference between that squad and the squad we have at the moment. We are improving. That is clear.

"When we were being successful in Europe, people were talking about the Premier League.

"We were trying to bring in players who could settle down quickly in the Premier League, so we signed players like (Jermaine) Pennant, Bellamy, Crouch. They knew the Premier League.

"You need quality, desire, passion, character, a lot of things together.

"That is the reason why you need to change players, players who can bring something and perform during the season.

"And now, little by little, you have to say that now Daniel Agger has almost everything, Martin Skrtel, Javier Mascherano, Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso. We are improving and I think we will improve over the next year."

The impact made by this summer's signings has been limited, with Albert Riera the pick so far. The improvement has been brought about primarily by those players already at the club.

Benitez firmly expects Andrea Dossena to establish himself at left-back, once he has adapted to English football, and for Robbie Keane, whose two goals for the club have come in the Champions League, to start to show the form that prompted Liverpool to pay £20.3m to sign him from Tottenham during the summer.

"I am sure Robbie will score more goals," Benitez said. "He is doing better and I am really pleased with him. The understanding with his team-mates is better. He is getting in good positions for finishing, so he will score more. It is just a question of time."

A question of time is a good way of putting it and, having presided over a gradual improvement in a team who were spearheaded in his first season by Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse, before flirtations with Crouch, Bellamy, Fernando Morientes, Robbie Fowler and Andriy Voronin, Benitez is entitled to feel that, with Keane supporting Fernando Torres, Liverpool finally have a worthy strike partnership.

Indeed, the club have been good enough to thrive in Torres's recent absence, but yesterday's bulletin, that the Spain forward is close to fitness after a hamstring injury and has a chance of being among the substitutes this evening, will only heighten the optimism among Liverpool fans.

Such has been their faith in Benitez from day one that they could not have imagined, when heading to Spurs, that it would take until his fifth season for a credible Liverpool title challenge to be under discussion.

It may have taken longer than they expected, but, as a pub bore will tell you, good things come to those who wait.

Meanwhile, Benitez is looking forward to welcoming Diego Maradona to Liverpool's Melwood training complex as Argentina's new boss is due in Liverpool for talks with Javier Mascherano as part of his plan to meet all of his new charges.

"Diego will be very welcome to come to our training ground. Maybe I can persuade him to take a few free-kicks!

Benitez added: "We are about the same age (both men are 48), he had a great impact on me as a player. I watched him when he was at Napoli and Barcelona.

"You talk to the people there and they tell you he is God, which just underlines what everybody knows, he was a fantastic player.

"I think it is an exciting appointment. If he has the right people around him it will be really good for Argentina.'' (© The Times, London)

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/benitez-stands-ground-1516056.html

[Reece]

Maradona is a Liverpool fan

[bobbyfallon]

Maradona is a Liverpool fan

think thats about all me and the great man have in common right there

[frank the tank]

i am going to the game later on but am sitting in the home end.....d'oh!!!!

i really dont know to be honest how we will get on.... spurs are a team that will give the big teams a game (draws away to chelsea and arsenal) but will **** it up against small teams (hull at home) - the redknapp factor is plain to see as well so this game is certainly one of the 10 toughest in the premier league fixture calender for us....... added to the fact that we have played atletico madrid away, chelsea away and a doged portsmouth team in the last 10 days, then this changes to a very tricky game....

However, i think rafa has played a blinder by resting certain players during the week and if torres can be on the bench, then i would fancy us to win......we might need him for 20 mins but i do think we can force the win.... also, spurs will need to attack at home so we should have the know-how to pick em off....

i just home we will be solid ourselves.... i think that kuyt and arbeloa will be solid enough on our right flank but bentley might get joy if our left back (be it aurelio or dossena) are exposed..... riera will have an important part to play if he starts on the left wing.....

my prediction.......2-1 to the reds

[bobbyfallon]

i am going to the game later on but am sitting in the home end.....d'oh!!!!

i really dont know to be honest how we will get on.... spurs are a team that will give the big teams a game (draws away to chelsea and arsenal) but will **** it up against small teams (hull at home) - the redknapp factor is plain to see as well so this game is certainly one of the 10 toughest in the premier league fixture calender for us....... added to the fact that we have played atletico madrid away, chelsea away and a doged portsmouth team in the last 10 days, then this changes to a very tricky game....

However, i think rafa has played a blinder by resting certain players during the week and if torres can be on the bench, then i would fancy us to win......we might need him for 20 mins but i do think we can force the win.... also, spurs will need to attack at home so we should have the know-how to pick em off....

i just home we will be solid ourselves.... i think that kuyt and arbeloa will be solid enough on our right flank but bentley might get joy if our left back (be it aurelio or dossena) are exposed..... riera will have an important part to play if he starts on the left wing.....

my prediction.......2-1 to the reds

thought you were nearly dead corkonian

[Reece]

"Goalkeeper Jose REINA, also an ever-present, leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove, having kept six clean sheets."

Can't believe people coughnic83R.I.P.cough were questioning him and saying we'd be better off with someone like Brad Friedel or Shay Given

[frank the tank]

thought you were nearly dead corkonian

got out of hospital about 2 weeks ago bud...... in london with buddies since thurs.....

[frank the tank]

[QUOTE=Reggie;1197433]"Goalkeeper Jose REINA, also an ever-present, leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove, having kept six clean sheets."

QUOTE]

he is a class act

[bobbyfallon]

got out of hospital about 2 weeks ago bud...... in london with buddies since thurs.....

nice one

in fact you should do something today at the match a banner or some thing

i dunno - "i ****ed your sister" or something for the ones back home

[Rich]

Hopefully Keane is 100% and gets us a goal or two for the win.

[slimbimjim]

Ok I'm off to bed now but I'll be catching a stream later.

[Rich]

Ok I'm off to bed now but I'll be catching a stream later.

night night x

[Shaggy]

"Goalkeeper Jose REINA, also an ever-present, leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove, having kept six clean sheets."

That's quite surprising really as at times we've shipped goals. Just goes to show.

Every season he tops this list, yet still fails to get the recognition he deserves outside of LFC.

[Rich]

That's quite surprising really as at times we've shipped goals. Just goes to show.

Every season he tops this list, yet still fails to get the recognition he deserves outside of LFC.

A common problem with baldies I believe.