Will Aquilani make a difference?

[Baracus]

2 people have now said I look like Aquilani! Call me Sajilani. Actually, Aquilani looks like me seeing as I'm slightly older than the focker

You my friend are a lan

[saj]

You my friend are a lan

funny guy. It's not me saying I look like the chode!

[squaddie]

not sure how he can be ready for the sunderland game without haveing layed a number of warm up/reserve games........seems like were rushing the player back

[red g]

not sure how he can be ready for the sunderland game without haveing layed a number of warm up/reserve games........seems like were rushing the player back

he will probably have 1 or 2 games behind closed dorrs in the next week.......perhaps?

[lucas]

According to the Guardian, he is unlikely to figure in the first team in the next few weeks

Alberto Aquilani is unlikely to be fit for the critical week Liverpool face after the international break despite Rafael Benítez issuing an upbeat assessment of the midfielder's recovery from ankle surgery.

Aquilani has not appeared for Liverpool since arriving from Roma in August as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, having undergone an operation on his right ankle in May. The importance of the £20m attacking midfielder has been highlighted in successive defeats away at Fiorentina in the Champions League and at Chelsea on Sunday, when Benítez's team suffered their third league reverse of the season.

Liverpool enter "a massive week", in the words of Jamie Carragher, after this latest round of international fixtures, comprising a game at Sunderland, a Champions League tie with the Group E leaders, Lyon, and the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on 25 October. The optimistic two-week wait for Aquilani's debut would see the Italy international return against Lyon but he is more likely to play at Arsenal in the Carling Cup on 28 October or at Fulham the following Saturday.

Despite that schedule and Benítez's admission that he expects Aquilani to be available in "two to three weeks", the Spaniard will not force the 25-year-old's return to competitive action, already more than six months after his last competitive game. "I have been speaking to the doctors and things are going well with him," the Liverpool manager said. "Alberto is progressing all the time. It could be two to three weeks before he is back. But we need to use caution.

"If it is two weeks everyone will say 'that is fantastic' but if it is three, everyone will say it is not a problem. We will take it one step at a time and we have the international break to look forward to now. That will be good for him, as he will have some more time."

Benítez added: "He is running and swimming – I think he will have the record in the swimming pool by the end of his programme – and he is working in the gym. He is doing almost everything and he is doing some things with the team. The only thing he is not doing is kicking a ball, not yet anyway."

The Liverpool manager must also contend with his Argentinian players Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insúa returning from international duty in South America just days before Liverpool face Sunderland, as Argentina play Peru and Uruguay in the next week. The Brazilian Lucas Leiva will also make the trip home as he is included in the squad that faces Bolivia and Venezuela between Sunday and Wednesday.

That means all three players will have little time to recover from their travels before Liverpool head for their vital Premier League fixture at the Stadium of Light on Saturday week.

Reports last night suggested that, despite the failure of Aquilani, Liverpool's most significant purchase of the summer, to justify his fee so far, Benítez has been allocated a £12m budget for the January transfer window. Lazio's Macedonian striker Goran Pandev is thought to be among his possible targets.

[Shaggy]

Reports last night suggested that, despite the failure of Aquilani, Liverpool's most significant purchase of the summer, to justify his fee so far

What a load of ****. Failed to justify his fee? FFS. How can he have failed when he hasn't even had an opportunity yet? As Rafa said, we bought him for five years, not five weeks.

[Tee]

You my friend are a lan

[Tee]

What a load of ****. Failed to justify his fee? FFS. How can he have failed when he hasn't even had an opportunity yet? As Rafa said, we bought him for five years, not five weeks.

****ing laughable isn't it.

[lucas]

What a load of ****. Failed to justify his fee? FFS. How can he have failed when he hasn't even had an opportunity yet? As Rafa said, we bought him for five years, not five weeks.

I know. The English media is a joke. Judging him before he has even kicked a ball.

[Elrond]

I've got a really good feeling about this guy, think he'll be a superstar.

[DannyMan2006]

I've got a really good feeling about this guy, think he'll be a superstar.

I have the same feeling. I just don't know if it's more in hope than it being my gut feeling though!

It would be unreasonable to expect a foreign player to come in and do the business right away, especially one who hasn't kicked a ball in anger for 6 months. It is such a shame that (IMO) our title challenge hinges on how quickly adapts.

I've seen better, more established players flop in the premier league - Juan Sebastian Veron anybody?

[fah-q]

You my friend are a lan

A local area network?

[DannyMan2006]

A local area network?

WORST. INSULT. EVER

[Tee]

You my friend are a lan

A local area network?

WORST. INSULT. EVER

[Joe King]

Can he make that difference based on our games so far?
It looks like he could be due back for the away game to Chelsea.







Hopefully he can offer Stevie and Torres a bit more service with some vision but I'm looking forward to seeing the extra attacking option that we've never really had in the middle of the park, since Gerrard was pushed forward.

Let's hope we can keep some consistency, as this could be a great return signing for us.

I'd certainly like to think so. He's not Alonso in type of play but then again there are only a select amount of players who can dictate the play from deeper positions with the range of passing Alonso had at his disposal. Aquilani, I hope having watched him play for Roma and Italy is clearly very talented but hasn't really been given a consistent amount of games to really establish himself as a top class midfielder due to his injuries. I pray that once he is fully fit, he stays fully fit because he has the ability to add a different dynamic to the side which has to be said is fairly reliant on Gerrard and Torres.