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Liverpool Vs Atletico Madrid

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Hopefully. This is the last warm-up before the Spurs match, so it's important we play the way we intend to play all season long. I'm looking for a clean sheet, more fluidity and goal threat in our attacking play, and hopefully a win to boost confidence. No more injuries would be good too.
 
Programme notes:
Ahead of today's Anfield friendly with Atletico Madrid Rafael Benitez has given his pre-match thoughts in the official match programme. Read what the manager has to say online now.

WELCOME to Anfield for today's game against Atletico Madrid, our final match of pre-season.

Although results have not always gone our way, our preparations for the new campaign have gone well.

Switzerland was very positive and the training sessions had a good intensity.

The games against St Gallen and then Rapid Vienna were ok but the main concern was improving the fitness of the team. That is always the priority in pre-season.

We had to approach our trip to Asia differently with players joining us after the Confederations Cup.

Pre-season is about bringing everyone up to the same level. Every player is different though so we had to decide how many minutes each could manage from game to game.

For example, it was important for the fans in the Far East to see Fernando Torres but we knew he couldn't play more than 15 minutes or so in his first game back against Thailand.

This is why you saw some players playing for 45 minutes, others 60 minutes and some 75 minutes.

If you push everyone too hard from the beginning it's not good preparation for the season. You have to take it one step at a time knowing that each player has his own plan to work to.

The game against Espanyol was massive for them with the opening of their new stadium.

For us, it was just a friendly.

Saying that we didn't play well and deserved to lose.

Any mistakes in pre-season are helpful for the future. We can analyse things and see what changes we need to make. It is never good to lose but, given the choice, it's better to do so now before the season starts.

We could see against Espanyol that you cannot win if you don't work hard enough.

From there it was a decent response against FC Lyn in Oslo.

There were plenty of positives and we could see the fitness of some players is improving.

We are pleased that a lot of players have signed new contracts; Kuyt, Gerrard, Torres, Agger, Spearing, Darby, Nemeth, El Zhar and so on. Our idea was to keep Xabi Alonso too but once we knew he wanted a transfer, we had to find a solution.

We've been working hard and can see that Alberto Aquilani is a very good player. He is 25-years-old and is a great option.

As I write these notes, we've agreed terms with AS Roma for Alberto and finalising the deal is subject to a medical.

Alberto's passing is excellent. He is also dangerous in the final third and can give us more options in attack.

As with Glen Johnson, we are excited by Aquilani but we mustn't forget we have other players who can do a job in the middle.

Lucas is improving all the time and has been our best player in pre-season. We are really happy with him too.

We are pleased to welcome Atletico Madrid back to Anfield today having faced them in last season's Champions League group stage where we drew 1-1 home and away.

They qualified with us for the knockout stage before going out only on away goals to Porto.

Atletico are dangerous on the counter-attack and this will be a good test for us with the new season just a week away.

After missing both games against Atletico through injury, today's match provides Fernando Torres with an opportunity to play against his old club for the first time.

It could be an emotional occasion for him and I'm sure he will get a good reception from the travelling supporters.

For me, Atletico is similar to Liverpool in terms of the fans who are always there, backing and supporting their club.

We have a good relationship with Atletico Madrid and I'm sure it will be a good day for both sets of supporters.

Rafael Benitez




IT'S great to be back at Anfield today and playing in front of our own supporters against a very good Atletico Madrid side.

We've travelled across Europe and to the Far East during pre-season and we've had amazing support wherever we've gone.

We've done a lot of hard work, we've brought in one or two new players and we're starting to get it together before the season kicks off next weekend.

It's important that we show our fans our intent for the season against a team who are going to give us a real test.

We saw in two games against them last season that Atletico are an excellent side, more than capable of causing us real problems.

It's a great way to finish off, and we're all determined to get a win under our belts.

Pre-season's never relaxed because you've got to focus on getting yourselves collectively right, getting yourself up to your individual levels and making sure you're doing what you need to as part of the team.

But it's been enjoyable.

I suppose as far as the friendlies are concerned the results are less important this season than they were maybe in seasons past because we don't have a Champions League qualifier to worry about with us going straight into the groups.

Normally there's a bit of tension when you're playing such an important game before you're properly in your stride.

Results don't matter at this stage of the season, what is crucial is that the performance is at a certain level and against Espanyol the manager was right, our performance wasn't where we wanted it to be at this stage of our preparations. It wasn't good enough and we knew it when we came off the pitch.

But that was the right time, if you like, to put in a below par display because it's much better losing a friendly game that losing a game that matters.

The goals we have for this season, and the trophies we believe we'll be challenging for, won't come our way if we produce performances like that during the season.

The closer you get to the season starting then the more important it becomes for us as individuals to be turning in the type of performance we'll want to produce at White Hart Lane.

This is our final warm-up before we go to London to start the Premier League season and it's important that we put on a good performance both as individuals and as a team.

The results this week have been important. It was vital that we went to Norway in midweek and showed a reaction to the manager's words after the defeat in Spain. I think we did that well and it was good for David Ngog and Andriy Voronin to get amongst the goals.

Today I think it's important that we get a positive result and turn in the kind of performance that we'll expect when the season gets underway.

I'm sure a lot of people are coming to Anfield excited to see Glen Johnson's first appearance in a Liverpool shirt. His performances over the last 18 months to two years have been excellent and, as team-mates, we're excited to see what he'll bring to the team.

Hopefully, he adds another dimension to our play and that helps us go one better in the league than we managed last season.

Steven Gerrard
Click to expand...
 
Agree with that Bunny, I at least want to see close to our starting line up against Spurs be on the field together for 45 minutes at least. Chelsea and Utd will probably be doing that tomorrow.
 
Fernando Torres starts against his former club Atletico Madrid in the Reds' final pre-season friendly at Anfield today - a game you can listen live to from 2.50pm BST on Liverpoolfc.tv.
Summer signing Glen Johnson makes his debut in front of the Kop following his switch from Portsmouth, while young centre-back Danny Ayala begins alongside Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool team in full: Reina, Johnson, Ayala, Carragher, Insua, Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun, Gerrard, Torres.


WOOP WOOP.
 
ayala has leapt up the pecking order it would seem, I thought san jose and kelly were both ahead of him, this formation so close to the spurs game suggests this could be close to out final team
 
[quote author=red_maradona link=topic=35132.msg921000#msg921000 date=1249737486]
ayala has leapt up the pecking order it would seem, I thought san jose and kelly were both ahead of him, this formation so close to the spurs game suggests this could be close to out final team
[/quote]

I think that will be the team for Spurs with Ayala being replaced with Agger.
 
[quote author=Paddy link=topic=35132.msg921002#msg921002 date=1249737576]
[quote author=red_maradona link=topic=35132.msg921000#msg921000 date=1249737486]
ayala has leapt up the pecking order it would seem, I thought san jose and kelly were both ahead of him, this formation so close to the spurs game suggests this could be close to out final team
[/quote]

I think that will be the team for Spurs with Ayala being replaced with Agger.
[/quote]

is ayala really that good? I have not seem much of him - kelly seemed to be the standout young defender of pre-season.

I think riera will have a good shout as well for a starting position. I would prefer yossie to lucas.
 
Ayala impressed against Lyn and deserves his chance. I'm guessing Kelly will play the 2nd half.
Skrtel or Agger better get fit for next week or we're fucked.

I know Agger has withdrawn from the Danish international squad. He isnt fit yet from the back injury.
 
He might be putting him in the shop window for a good loan move. Altho San Jose could probably do with that more at his stage.
 
I think we should try and loan Sami back off Stuttgart or wherever he went. If Carra's out next week, we'll be extremely vulnerable.
 
[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=35132.msg921050#msg921050 date=1249741024]
ayala loses aguero. 1 - 0.
[/quote]

Or was Masher at fault for playing him onsides?
 
[quote author=TheBunnyman link=topic=35132.msg921052#msg921052 date=1249741155]
I think we should try and loan Sami back off Stuttgart or wherever he went. If Carra's out next week, we'll be extremely vulnerable.

[/quote]

Defoe's going to love it 🙁
 
[quote author=TheBunnyman link=topic=35132.msg921048#msg921048 date=1249740920]
Carra injured? Fucking hell, what a disaster that would be.
[/quote]

Going for Michael Turner wouldnt look like as stupid a move as most made out on here.
 
Please tell me its not the team that will start next week. Awful defence and Lucas ahead of them. :-\
 
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