Liverpool striker Fernando Torres

Liverpool striker, Fernando Torres, has said that the club are paying the price for not replacing some of the best players the club have had.

Liverpool sold a couple of key players to Real Madrid last summer and Torres says the reason the side is struggling is because they have not been adequately replaced with consistent and quality players.

Torres is the biggest asset still at the club and there are rumours circulating daily that he could be tempted to move away from Liverpool this summer if the club don’t get back into the Champions League.

The Spaniard said: “There have been various important factors, like being so far behind the top teams so quickly. That killed us psychologically. After that, injuries hit us hard and we have suffered a lot because of them.”

“But after a good season last year, we needed certain reinforcements and we needed to keep the squad we had together. But circumstances dictated that we had to sell players and so everything got messed up. The sales of (Alvaro) Arbeloa, (Sami) Hyypia and (Xabi) Alonso were important losses.”

“Alvaro always did a vital job for us, always played to a high level, and his flexibility was a huge bonus. Sami did not play every week but he was a 10 out of 10 on and off the pitch. And Xabi? Players like him are very rare. He was the team’s engine, and you know that when you change an engine, it takes time to work again.”

“The biggest clubs in Europe always go through difficult spells where there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel. But because they are big clubs, they always come back and they do so with a vengeance. It is just a matter of time. Rafa signed a five-year contract last summer. He did that because he wants to help the club grow. Rafa’s new era is just starting.”

Liverpool will have to play consistently well for the rest if the season if they want any hope of being able to attract the best players to the club. This is something they have not done all season and there are no signs that this will change soon.

The side need to have faith in the manager and hope that he knows what he’s doing. The club are short in one or two areas of the team and this will have to be sorted out in the very near future.

If Torres goes or if Liverpool lose one more influential player then the club will quickly run into difficulties. They cannot afford this if they want to get back to the high Level they have just been at.

If the club was pitted against a Barcelona at the moment then they would get ripped apart and it is this gulf in quality that Rafa Benitez has got to get rid of as quickly as he can.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has said that his team are ready to dry and do the unthinkable by beating Barcelona in the quarter final of the Champions League.

The teams are tied after the first leg ended up 2-2. However, the manner of the display from Barcelona has led many to say that Arsenal stand no chance of winning as they prepare to meet for the second clash.

Barcelona have been praised by all sections of the football community after their display in the first game at the Emirates. Arsenal managed to hang on by their fingernails and they seem up for a huge task.

Wenger said: “At 2-0 down, I felt we needed a miracle but always had hope,” Wenger said. “The players have come back from the dead once and can do it again. They know they escaped being out of the competition and we have a chance we have to take tomorrow. It’s Easter you know, a time of resurrection. That’s what we want to do.”

“The late comebacks this season show that this team has character. We’ve shown that consistently throughout the season. We were written off before the season started, but there are five games to go in the Premier League and we are still in there. In the Champions League, it’s the same. People have written us off, but we’re halfway through and will give a good game to Barcelona.”

“This team has character and when you have character you always have hope. What gives me belief is the quality of players I still have on the pitch. I still have some good players to leave out. They can turn up with a massive performance. With character and quality, you can fight anywhere in the world.”

“This Barcelona team are the best I’ve ever faced because they play at a higher pace collectively. And I don’t think we have ever been dominated so much at home. At the moment, Barcelona are the best team in Europe and we have to show that we can beat them. We have won away almost everywhere in Europe, but Barcelona is a place where we have not done it. I am confident despite the injuries we have that we can do it. This team has such a great mental strength and I believe they can fight against the odds.”

Arsenal will be missing some key players for the match, who would have ultimately given them a better chance of winning in Spain. Captain, Cesc Fabregas, will not play due to a broken leg, which will come as a bitter disappointment to him and fans of the club he is tipped to join this summer.

Arsenal will have to work very hard to keep all areas of this Barcelona side very quiet. How they get on remains to be seen but they are expected to give the match a good go in front of a very expectant and excited crowd.

Former England captain, John Terry, has said that he wants to put the recent past behind him and insists he is focused on success for this season.

The Chelsea captain was stripped of the top England job when it emerged that he had an affair with the girlfriend of a former teammate. The news exploded and there were even calls from many for Terry to be dropped from the side completely.

However, the centre back is still a very good player and the circus that has surrounded him seems to have made him more determined to funnel his energy into something else and in this instance it is football success.

Chelsea are still fighting on more than one front and Terry also is still going to the World Cup to play for his country. This is the most anticipated World Cup in recent memory and one of England’s best chances to win an international event.

He said: “I’m on a mission and nothing is going to distract me. I’m responding by doing what I’ve always done – by looking straight ahead. I’ve got broad shoulders and nobody’s going to knock me out of my stride.”

“I want to win the Champions League and Premier League for Chelsea and help win the World Cup for England. I’m not ashamed to say it, I wouldn’t be John Terry if I felt any differently.”

“Jose was an inspiration to us all at Stamford Bridge and I truly value his friendship. It’s going to be a sensational tie between two great teams but when I stick on the shirt tonight I’ll be focused on one thing only – playing and winning for Chelsea. It’s the way I play the game and the way I always will.”

“There’s a shirt on my wall at home – the shirt I wore when I missed that penalty against Manchester United in the Champions League final. It’s there as a daily reminder to me of what I’m striving for. I won’t rest until it’s replaced by a winner’s shirt – that’s my pledge to every Chelsea fan who has stood by me and still believes in me as a player and as their club’s captain.”

“If I’m fortunate to play for England in the World Cup – and playing for your country is the ultimate honour – I will take the same determination, drive and passion out on to the pitch in South Africa as I’ve always done. Absolutely nothing will change. I’ve already admitted that losing the captaincy hurt but that’s in the past and all I want to do now is move forward and carry on giving my best for England.”

Hopefully this brand new energy and enthusiasm from Terry will be healthy and will spread to the rest of his teammates and colleagues. It is a very big time for English football and if the people committing the mistakes can make up for it then it could also turn out to be very successful.

Chelsea appears to be back to their lethal best after they demolished Athletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League last night. Two goals from Solomon Kalou, one from Frank Lampard and one own goal all led to another three points as Chelsea strive to win the competition that has eluded them since Roman Abramovich’s arrival.

Chelsea never looked threatened against a very talented attacking side. There are a number of players in the Madrid team that could have created big problems but John Terry seemed to be in perfect form and snuffed out all signs of danger instantly.

Manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: “We did better at the set plays. It was very important to keep our concentration at the set plays — and we scored twice from them as well.”

“Maybe the first half was more difficult than the second, but after our first goal we had a good match. We had good attacking, a good transition. Nine points is good. I think we are in control of the group now, but our aim is still to go for first place.”

“I am happy for him [Lampard]. He is important because he works 90 minutes on the pitch for the team. He is a very generous, unselfish player. And if he scores a goal, it is better.”

The problem that seems to have plagued Chelsea in the last one or two seasons is their inconsistency. This had provided gaps and windows of opportunity for rivals to pounce on and is the reason they have fell short of Manchester United in the last two campaigns.

Chelsea are a big club that need to be winning trophies on a regular basis. If they carry on playing in this efficient manner then they should be in with a good shout on all fronts by the end of the season.

The problem is that better teams are going to exploit their weaknesses in a way that Madrid could not. Set plays are just a single part of the game but at times last night they gave too much space and time that will be used a lot better by teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ancelotti will be grateful for the points but he knows better than anyone that there is always work to do and he will not be happy until his team has won 4-0 in every game they have played over the course of a month.

Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti, has warned his side not to underestimate Athletico Madrid when the Spanish side play at Stamford Bridge this evening. Ancelotti wants a marked improvement on some inconsistent recent Chelsea displays and says that if his side are going to win the Champions League they will need to grind out wins from matches like this.

Chelsea should be able to name a very strong side and Ancelotti does not have many headaches to deal with. He will be happy at the fact that his team are still competing and not out of any thing even though they have not been playing as well as they could do.

He said: “Atletico didn’t start well but they have very good qualities. They have Aguero and Forlan, they are dangerous strikers and we have to pay attention to this. Aguero has fantastic quality and he can win matches. They are a good team.”

“We have a possibility to move eight points ahead of Atletico and that is very good because we want to arrive in first place in the group. We have a great opportunity to do this. To get first place in the group we need 12 or 13 points so it is important to win on Wednesday.”

Chelsea will want to finish first because if they do it will mean that they will get an easier game in the first knock out stage of the Champions League. However, every match seems to be a tough one in the modern day and Athletico will still be entertaining their own ideas of reaching the later stages.

Chelsea should be able to welcome back Germany’s captain, Michael Ballack, but right back, Jose Bosingwa, will miss the match with a knee problem. Otherwise the Chelsea gauntlet should be at full strength and it will be full steam ahead as they look to carry on their Champions League quest.

Chelsea will probably still feel a little bit of heart break from the final defeat they suffered two years ago at the hands of Manchester United. This should be enough inspiration to spur them on this season and they will go out of their way to make sure that there are no repeats of any last minute goals, like the one that knocked them out at the semi-final stage last year.

Chelsea are capable of going all the way but they need to work very hard at keeping a level of consistency that will allow them to compete with the better sides in the competition.

Rafa Benitez is under increasing pressure after his Liverpool side lost 2-1 to Lyon in the Champions League last night. Liverpool were quite clearly below par and mirrored some bad recent performances that have also seen them lose to Fiorentina in the same Champions League group.

Liverpool did go ahead through a Yossi Benayoun strike but goals from Maxime Gonalons and César Delgado were enough to make it a happy night for the French team as Liverpool are now staring right down the barrel of a gun. Liverpool’s problems were made worse by the fact that captain, Steven Gerrard, limped off with an injury.

Gerrard is the tool the many people have said was missing from the side and his premature arrival back into the team did not appear to work and he has only made his injury worse. Needless to say Benitez was not exactly happy.

He said: “Everything that can go wrong is going wrong at the moment. I think we have to win our last three games now. We were 1-0 up and had two or three chances which could have changed everything, but we just had too many problems. I’m really disappointed because we still had enough chances to win it, which could have made everything different.”

“With Glen and Stevie, we will have to check how they are. It was the same problem with Stevie. He felt something and I knew it was better to change him then, but starting with him wasn’t a risk because the doctor said he was OK. He trained for the last two days and was OK — sometimes it’s just bad luck.”

“My job is to prepare them for the next game, and that starts as soon as I finish tonight. Personally, my staff and the players will be the ones who lift me — everyone who wants to see Liverpool winning again, in fact.”

Liverpool fans seems to be losing their patience with the man that won them a fifth European Cup in the club’s history, but the point is that time is running out. Liverpool have also slipped right off the pace in the Premier League and if things do not start to improve quickly then it could be the end as far as Liverpool’s season is concerned.

Benitz needs wins and he needs them fast. In this day and age, losing is heavier than any thing else and if Liverpool keep up their bad form then people will start to want the Spaniards head.

Rafa Benitez is trying to stay upbeat about Liverpool’s title chances, despite the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea yesterday. Goals from Nicholas Anelka and Florent Malouda were enough to put Chelsea right back into the driving seat after Manchester United’s draw with Sunderland.

Liverpool were also soundly beaten in a Champions League match against Fiorentina during the week, a match that Benitez said was one of the worst performances that he had ever seen from his side.

Liverpool will need to buck up their ideas very quickly or it will probably end up being just another dull and boring season that will not play to the ambitions and expectations of the average Reds fan.

Benitez said: “We must stay calm. We will see what happens in March and April. I think you will see all the top sides losing more points against the other teams. It’s good for the Premier League, good for the competition, and it just means we have to try to win more games.”

“I think the performance wasn’t bad. We were against a very good team. The end of the championship is a big distance away. Manchester United’s result [a 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland on Saturday] was a surprise, but we want to stay concentrated on our season, not on the season of other teams.”

Benitez seems to be quickly running out of patience with his side and could wield the axe of rotation all over again ahead of Liverpool’s next game. The problem for them is finding the consistency that will help them move forward and be able to challenge for the title all season long.

The point is that Liverpool do have it in them to compete but what they don’t seem able to do is compete regularly and make good of their best form. Once they find the consistency then they will be amazing.

The other factor is that the club look one or two players short. Fernando Torres does not have a world class partner in attack, too much pressure is put onto Steven Gerrard and the defence needs an extra world class player to hold the side together.

Once all of these things have been found then Liverpool will be fine. January can’t come quick enough at the moment but the message is already clear that the team will not be able to reach the top level of competition this season.

Liverpool were soundly beaten by Champions League qualifiers, Fiorentina, 2-0 during a long night in Italy. Two goals from 19 year old, Stefan Jovetic, were enough to bag the Italian team three points and highlight a number of worrying points for Rafael Benitez to look at.

It was one of the worst performances by a Liverpool team in Europe over the last few years and they never looked as though they would threaten at any point. The result will be used by Benitez critics as justification as to why the Reds will not do at all well in the Champions League this season.

Benitez said: “Never have I seen the team struggle as badly as they did in the first half. It was a poor performance. We had too many problems and too many mistakes, and we had to change everything. In the second half we were much better. In the first half, they were on top of us all the time and we were not doing the things that we had been talking about before the game. We were bad in everything.”

“Fiorentina did a good job. They were pressing all around the pitch and we were too nervous, making mistakes, and if you make mistakes you will pay for them. The mentality was not good enough in the first half.”

“Clearly, this new offside rule is changing everything. The best rule in football is the offside rule, but if you don’t know if a player involved is interfering, it is difficult. This time it will be totally different. Hopefully, we will see a different Liverpool, the one that we saw in the second half tonight.”

Liverpool will need to turn themselves around quickly if they are to get out of their Champions League group. The problems last night were quite clear and this should allow the club to address them very quickly.

The problem for Liverpool seems to finding a good level of consistency that will stand the club in good stead ahead of more important games. At the moment no one is able to tell whether the well oiled machine will turn up or the one that lost to Fiorentina last night.

The club need all of their big players to turn up in every single game they play and if Benitez can get the importance of all these points into his players quickly then it will not be long until this type of performance is turned around.

Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, is being forced to defend his controversial zone marking policy that he uses during Champions League games. A lot of people have said that Rafa will get punished if he continues to use the system in Europe and that it will be one of the reasons that Liverpool will not progress this season.

The system works by giving each player a specific area of the pitch to be in and control as opposed to marking another player directly. Although this system may work well in the Premier League it does not always hold firm in Europe and the system was exposed by a much weaker European side in Liverpool’s first Champions League match this season.

The Spaniard said: “The system has been very effective for us. If you look at the records, we don’t concede more goals than other teams from set-plays. This is the right way for us to go and you see a lot of goals conceded with teams man-marking.”

Former Liverpool striker, John Aldridge, said in a newspaper piece: “Liverpool’s European exit at the hands of Chelsea last season provided conclusive proof that the defensive system is unreliable against intelligent opponents and it will catch them out again.”

“Guus Hiddink clearly identified a weakness in the Liverpool back line at Anfield that night and once Chelsea scored three away goals, their passage to another European semi-final was all but assured.”

“It is still an issue this season and I feel the defenders have lost a little bit of confidence. Liverpool are looking uncertain every time their opponent gets a corner or a free-kick around the box and it is a major worry as they start another Champions League campaign.”

“The truth is defenders make mistakes and this is why we have conceded some disappointing goals. We’ve also had some problems with injuries in defensive positions and this has affected us also this season. With everyone fit, I’m convinced our defence will be strong once again.”

The point is that Liverpool will come up against better class European teams, the likes of which they have not played before. The standard is better than ever and with the money spent by a lot of sides the pressure will be right on them to brush aside teams like Liverpool, who will not be considered serious Champions League contenders until the later stages. It’s a system they will stick with but one they probably shouldn’t.