LIVERPOOL, MADRID IN THIRD EUROPEAN FINAL

Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and Spanish champions Real Madrid will meet in an European Cup/Champions League final for the third time at the Stade de France in the French capital city of Paris. They have one win in each from their previous two meetings in the final.

Liverpool were winners of the first meeting between the two teams during the 1981 European Cup final. The Reds won by a lone goal and Alan Kennedy was the recipient of the winning goal nine minutes from the end of the game. It was a third European Cup title for Liverpool and a fifth successive European Cup triumph for English teams. Continue reading LIVERPOOL, MADRID IN THIRD EUROPEAN FINAL

LIVERPOOL ATTACKERS LEAD GOLDEN BOOT RACE

The Liverpool attacking duo of Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota are leading the race for the Golden Boot in the Premier League after the latest round of games. Salah and Jota are the top two players in the Golden Boot race as far as this season’s Premier League is concerned.

Liverpool faced North London giants Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League encounter which was held at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday with Egyptian international Salah as the leading goalscorer. The ex-Chelsea, AS Roma and Fiorentina attacker was on 15 Premier League goals before the Spurs game, but he was unable to add to the tally during the 2-2 draw with the North London club. Continue reading LIVERPOOL ATTACKERS LEAD GOLDEN BOOT RACE

GERRARD RULED OUT

The captain of Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, will miss the last two games of his team in order to go through a shoulder surgery.

Earlier, the plan was that Gerrard would play till the end of the season and then, would go through the surgery. But, while, playing in the match against Everton, he looked in a lot of trouble and considering how important he is for the team, the Liverpool management doesn’t want to take any risk. So, they have asked their skipper to go through the surgery earlier.

Gerrard has been in the starting XI of Liverpool in all the 36 matches that they have played in the ongoing Premier League.

The last couple of games are not that important for Liverpool. They are likely to finish at the 7th position in the table.

Also, after this surgery, Gerrard will take almost a couple of months to get back to full fitness. So, if he goes through surgery now, it’s certain that he will be able to come back for Liverpool’s pre season tours.

On the other hand, if he goes through the operation at the end of the season, he will probably have to miss the pre season tours and he will go into the Premier League without enough match practice which will not be ideal.

So, keeping all these things in mind, the Liverpool management has taken this decision.

The Reds had done the same thing with the Welsh midfielder Joe Allen as well. Allen also had a shoulder problem, perhaps more severe than Gerrard, and, the Liverpool management asked him to go through the surgery in March this year so that he could get fit for the pre season tours.

After this surgery, Gerrard will not be able to play for England in the friendly matches against Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

FANS SHOULD RESPECT COLE

The England midfielder Steven Gerrard has said that the fans should show a lot of respect to the defender Ashley Cole, who will be making his 100th appearance for the national team when England take on Brazil in the friendly match. This friendly match is being organised as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the English FA. It will be taking place at the new Wembley stadium. It is one of the highly anticipated friendly matches in the calendar year. Ashley Cole, who has played for Arsenal and Chelsea, will be making his 100th appearance when he starts this match.

In doing so, he will become only the seventh player to have achieved this landmark. The Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard achieved this landmark only a few months ago. He has said that Cole is by far the best defender he has played with at both club and international level. Cole has been an England regular over the last 12 years, and Gerrard has recalled who he has been able to keep top players like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo quiet. Despite having won numerous trophies during this period, Cole is not especially popular among the fans. Despite this, Gerrard has said that fans should show respect to the player, who has been an instrumental part of the national team over the years.

“If the crowd take a moment to think about what he has given in an England shirt over the last 12 years, it’s been phenomenal. He has been probably the most consistent player I’ve played with during my time. It’s going to be Ashley’s night if he’s picked and the players are certainly going to show him a hell of a lot of support. Let’s hope the fans do as well. He deserves to be a 100-cap player, there’s no two ways about that,” said Gerrard.

BEST TO COME

The Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has said that he is getting close to his best after a few weeks of indifferent form. Despite coming into the twilight of his career, Gerrard is still regarded as the heartbeat of the Liverpool team in many ways. He was at his best goal scoring form a few years ago, but a number of injuries have taken the edge of his game in recent years. However, he seems to be slowly getting back to his best after an indifferent start to the new season. The Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers praised the midfielder at the start of the season, but he has so far scored less than five goals.

Gerrard has admitted that his performances have not been at the best this season, but it has been a mixed one because he has been able to have the experience of playing more than 600 matches for Liverpool and 100 matches for the national team. Liverpool are currently enjoying their best spell in the season and have managed to win four out of the last five matches. This has helped them get up to the eighth position in the table only a few points below the top four positions. They will be facing Manchester United during the weekend.

“I’ve had mixed experiences this season. I’ve passed some unbelievable landmarks for club and country, getting to the 600 games mark and winning my 100th cap for England. But with the slow start we made and being where we have in the league it’s been a bit mixed for me. There’s my form as well. I’ve played well in some games but I’ve been disappointed with myself in others and I’m not happy with my goal tally at the moment,” said the midfielder, who has made 21 appearances in all competitions.