my liverpool fc

RAFA: GERRARD IS MY MIDDLE MAN Jimmy Rice 05 August 2007
	Rafa Benitez has revealed skipper Steven Gerrard will feature more as a central midfielder this season.
Speaking after his side missed out on the Port of Rotterdam trophy on Sunday night, the Spaniard revealed Gerrard would play less games on the right following the arrival of Yossi Benayoun and the continued good form of Jermaine Pennant. "Yes, normally he will play more games in the middle," said Benitez. "He enjoys playing there and I think he will play a lot more games there this season." The Reds rounded off their pre-season preparations with a fiery 1-1 draw against Feyenoord in the De Kuip Stadium. The result meant Porto claimed the silverware following their 3-0 victory over Shanghai. "The team was alright," Benitez added. "We had some chances and, okay, we could have scored more goals, but in terms of football it was okay. We are ready now for the season. We have competition for each position and now we need to decide after training who will start. "We have confidence. We are prepared, we have a better squad, and hopefully we'll start by winning next week." The Liverpool boss also revealed Harry Kewell was taken off during the second half as precaution.

Labels: 2007 rotterdam tournament, steven gerrard

Fernando Torres has scored his first Liverpool goal as the Reds cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua in the opening match of the Rotterdam tournament. The Chinese side were outclassed in every department and Liverpool were able to stroll through the game, although they will find it a little more difficult against hosts Feyenoord next up. Manager Rafael Benitez will be happy with the work-out and the fact new signing Torres has got off the mark before the Premier League season starts next weekend. But captain Steven Gerrard stole the show with a curling 20-yard shot for the second. Torres' goal came after 13 minutes from a Yossi Benayoun pass and Liverpool were never under pressure from that moment. Benitez sent on a clutch of substitutes and Gerrard bagged his cracker just two minutes after arriving on the pitch. Liverpool started with very much their second string in the De Kuip stadium, with only Steve Finnan and Torres in the starting line-up likely to be in Benitez's first choice outfit. Sebastian Leto, now with a European passport, made his debut on the left wing and looked neat and lively, while Lucas Leiva - the Brazil Under-20 captain - made his first start having played as a substitute in Hong Kong last weekend. David Martin played in goal as Scott Carson had been left on Merseyside having picked up a training injury. Shanghai had former Everton defender Li Weifeng and ex-Middlesbrough striker Hamilton Ricard in their side, while Benitez would also have known Uruguayan striker Diego Alonso, who was at Valencia under the Liverpool coach but was sent out on loan for three successive seasons. Liverpool were ahead after just 13 minutes when new boys Benayoun and Torres combined well. Benayoun flicked a clever ball into the box for Torres to move into clear space before lifting the ball over keeper Chan Zhang. Mohamed Sissoko had a couple of wild efforts in the first half that went wide but the game was being played at training pace. It took the arrival of Gerrard after 61 minutes, replacing Sissoko, to liven things up. He had only been on the pitch two minutes before he curled a 20-yarder into the top corner. Ex-Ajax winger Ryan Babel took over from Peter Crouch, with Alvaro Arbeloa, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt replacing Finnan, Torres and Leiva soon after. Babel, who received a predictable reception from the Feyenoord fans, had a fine drive blocked by Zhang, while Kuyt's arrival was far more to the liking of the Rotterdam public. The striker was a hero in these parts before his move to Anfield a year ago, and he set about producing the sort of all-action display that is his trademark.

Labels: 2007 rotterdam tournament, Kop Fernando