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**Sir X** · December 14, 2007, 10:50 PM

Torres has made this the best Liverpool side in years, admits United No 2 Queiroz

By IAN LADYMAN - More by this author » Last updated at 22:38pm on 13th December 2007
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Look through Sir Alex Ferguson's 21 years at Manchester United and you will uncover a host of A-list footballers who could have moved to Old Trafford had circumstances been different.

Had they chosen United when the chance was theirs, Alan Shearer would have won more trophies, Paul Gascoigne may have aged more gracefully and Stuart Pearce would probably have won the FA Cup winners' medal he craved.
Frontrunner: Torres (right) and Rafa Benitez

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United manager Ferguson meets another elusive footballer at Anfield on Sunday when Liverpool forward Fernando Torres lines up against his multitalented side.
Still only 23, the Spain striker might have signed for United from Atletico Madrid two summers ago had the current Barclays Premier League champions not balked at the price.
Torres signed for Liverpool in a £26.5million deal last summer and United have not had cause to rue their decision yet. By the end of the weekend, it is just possible they may begin to wonder.
Torres is one reason why United No 2 Carlos Queiroz says: 'I have been in England for five years and I have never seen a Liverpool side looking so strong in the League at this point of the season. Torres is doing really well and I am impressed with him.
'He is already going some way to making the difference for Liverpool this season.
'He is like an eagle — he can see short spaces that others can't and he has the ability to penetrate these areas, with the ball or without the ball.
'He can beat a player, he can create space, he can make time. He is making a great contribution to Liverpool's season.'
One of the reasons United chose not to see their lengthy pursuit of Torres through was a nagging doubt within Ferguson's circle of staff about the quality of his finishing.
With 12 goals to his name already this season, Torres may claim to have put that issue to bed.
He has not always been consistent in front of goal — he missed three good chances in the November win at Newcastle, for example — but has scored enough important goals already to suggest that he will represent the biggest danger to United's chances on Merseyside.
Queiroz added: 'I think he's a good finisher and he's a player who gives Liverpool something completely different. Certainly we will have to be careful of him because he is dangerous. 'We are always confident in what we can do and we will not worry too much. But we do recognise his quality.'
As United's season has recovered from a slow start to progress relatively serenely, that of their neighbours has already contained enough drama to fill a series of Brookside.
But beneath the speculation over coach Rafael Benitez's future and the club's peculiar Champions League campaign, United have sensed improvement in Liverpool.
Queiroz said: 'The current side have better balance than previous seasons, their consistency is much better and they have had some very good results. They are strong, well balanced, with good organisation and very good defensively, as always with Benitez.
'They also have players who are showing they have a lot of ability and skill.
'After everything Rafa has done for Liverpool he doesn't deserve to be under this kind of pressure. I've known him for a long time and he is a great coach and a great man.
'But I think the bad things of Continental football are arriving in England.
'It is really strange because in the last five years there has been a definite change.
'I don't know the exact data but there are definitely more coaches under pressure than at any other time I can remember. This is not a good thing. It is a bad thing.'
One senses that Liverpool — and Benitez — have more to lose than their great rivals this Sunday lunchtime but defeat for either side will hurt deeply.
United's recent record at Anfield is good and despite Liverpool scoring 26 goals in their last eight games, Ferguson does not expect to lose.
The United manager said: 'I am happy with where we are and how we are playing. We are confident. 'December is traditionally a big month and one when we tend to do well. If you look at teams like Arsenal, who play something like 10 times in December, then our programme is not so bad. We have players coming back and we are happy.'
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Just a minor comment. United did not balk at any fee for Torres. Terms between the clubs were agreed in 2006, but when given the options of either a move to Manchester or an improved contract with Atletico the player chose the latter. Before signing for Liverpool last summer Torres similarly refused an opportunity to join Chelsea. When he did sign for Liverpool, the United manager classicly stated that after the 2006 refusal "We couldn't afford to wait for the player"!

- Gdiddy, Wirral, U.K.
Ferguson quoted as saying "we are happy", well,let us see if he is smiling on Sunday evening after the match of the season at Anfield.
Manchester United's assistant manager Querioz's comments about Rafa not deserving to be under pressure after all he has done for Liverpool are absolutely spot on, and as Liverpool's American owners arrive for the weekend match,it is time for them to not only verbally back manager Rafael Benitez but also reward him with a brand new improved contract, to show once and for all that the absurd and ridiculous stories about changing the most tactically astute manager in europe are exactly that - ABSURD.
One thing is certain, if the American owners were to force out Rafa,they would have immediately lost the supporters also, and that would be the beginning of the end for Messrs Hicks & Gillett. An on-line petition with 43000 signatures in 3 days backing manager Benitez speaks volumes as does 2 Champions League finals in 3 seasons - an astonishing achievment.

- Graham Agg, Liverpool, England
Hmmm I don't think Man U dropped the move for Torres, but in fact the other way around - from what I have read in Torres interviews and the Spanish press in general.

I was under the impression that United were still making offers for Torres right up until when Liverpool signed him, despite briefly giving up at a much earlier point over the fee and Fernando's reluctance to move away from his home club. However, when Torres decided to leave Atleti last year and lots of offers came in, he told his club 'I only want to go to Liverpool' and in fact ignored some other very high offers and took a pay cut to move there.

He has admitted he had been a massive fan of the reds since he was fifteen and had been telling his Liverpool national teammates to get a message to Rafa that he was very interested in a move.

I bet they're glad he happened to be a reds supporter!

- Sophie, Herts

**Sir X** · December 14, 2007, 10:52 PM

Torres can end our United jinx, warns Liverpool boss

By JOHN EDWARDS - More by this author » Last updated at 22:43pm on 14th December 2007
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He could scarcely be called Liverpool's secret weapon, given his prominence on Sir Alex Ferguson's transfer radar in recent years.

But another accolade was fitting for Fernando Torres ahead of tomorrow's Anfield showdown with Manchester United.
In form: Torres (left) after scoring against Marseille

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Rafa Benitez is waiting for his first Barclays Premier League win over the defending champions after one draw and five defeats in three-and-a-half years since he left Valencia to replace Gerard Houllier.
He knows why and decided to do something about it last summer by persuading owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to pay a club record £21million for Atletico Madrid marksman Torres.
Nearly six months on, he has seen enough of the 23-year-old striker to hail him as the missing link to deliver United's scalp.
The Liverpool manager had an inkling of the returns he could expect after Torres stalled over a move to Old Trafford for fear he might be leaving home at too tender an age, and also after he turned his back on Inter Milan last summer after the Italian giants' £27million bid.
He just didn't expect to be benefiting from them quite so early. Torres has scored 12 goals in 19 appearances this season.
Benitez said: "In previous games against United, we have played well, controlled the game and had plenty of possession without creating too much.
"Now, in Torres, we have a player with pace and ability who can give us something different. He gives us another option up front and is the element we have been missing.
"I don't know how strong United's interest was, but there was another club from abroad who topped our offer by £6million," he said, referring to Inter's bid.
"Maybe it helped that I'm Spanish and could speak to Nando (Torres) in his own language. I just know it was not difficult persuading him to come here.
"As soon as I phoned him he was aware of how much I wanted him at Anfield. He knew all about the club and how the Spanish players already here could help him settle in and it was all really easy.#
"I didn't see the fee as a big gamble. Even so, I wasn't looking to him to score 20 goals in his first season, just to progress steadily and give us something different. Yet he is well on course for 20 goals and that is fantastic — a real bonus."
Benitez's next objective is to wrap up the permanent £17m signing of Javier Mascherano and the Argentina midfielder has added incentive to shine against United with compatriot Carlos Tevez among the opposition.
"Carlos and I have played against each other before when I was at River Plate and he was at Boca, but never in England," said Mascherano.
"We are good friends and I will try not to kick him, but I know all about the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester.
"Now that Carlos has moved up this way and is a lot closer, we speak very often. But we have not discussed this game and I don't think we will. For 90 minutes we will be opponents then we can be friends again. I know Carlos will be trying just as hard to be the one who comes out on top, so let's see what happens. It should be interesting.
"I got a big kick on the shin against Marseille but this is one game I don't want to miss and I feel sure I will be all right. Everyone wants to be involved in it and I desperately want to try and make sure we don't lose. I have done everything I can to stay at Liverpool. "Now they must decide whether to buy me. It is their decision, not mine, because I have done all I can to convince them I'm worth keeping."

**Sir X** · December 14, 2007, 10:55 PM

Bring on Liverpool game, says Alex Ferguson

By Henry Winter

Last Updated: 1:57am GMT 15/12/2007
Page 1 of 2

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Kick-off at Anfield was still 50 hours away, yet Sir Alex Ferguson could already smell the cordite mixing with the reek of linament. He could hear the enmity cascading from the Kop towards his Manchester United side. He could see the challenges flying in. Liverpool versus United is more than a match: it is an assault on the senses, and this combative Scot could not wait.
Tim Rich: Torres adds a new dimension to Liverpool
Programme Notes - Liverpool v Man Utd, 1967
In pics: Classic Liverpool v Man Utd games | Build-up: Liverpool v Man Utd "It is the game I look forward to most," Ferguson enthused.
Looking forward to it: Sir Alex Ferguson relishes Liverpool gamesUnited's manager sat in the quiet sanctity of his Carrington training ground yesterday morning, the only noises off being the brisk calls and exhortations of Academy players engaged in a slick exposition of three-touch football.
All was calm and controlled in Ferguson's empire. His focus lay elsewhere, 30 miles along the East Lancs Road. Ferguson could feel the heat of an imminent sporting battle with United's fiercest rivals. So much history pervades this fixture, it should be refereed by Simon Schama.
So many memories stir within Ferguson: of leaving a jubilant Anfield on April 26, 1992, when Ian Rush ruined United's dream of pipping Leeds United for the title. Of Ryan Giggs, Paul Ince and Lee Sharpe pausing outside Anfield's players' entrance that day to sign autographs for locals, who immediately ripped them up and threw the scraps back in their astonished faces.
And of a shift in power since then. When Ferguson became the laird of Old Trafford in 1986, he vowed to "knock Liverpool off their bloody perch". It took a while. By 1990, the title count - "the barometer of any great team's success" - read 18-7 in Liverpool's favour. Now it is 18-16.
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Liverpool have stood still in the league. United have accelerated. "It is hard to imagine that Liverpool have gone so long - the years seem to have gone so quickly," Ferguson reflected. "In terms of English records, we have won the FA Cup more times than anyone, and you get a certain pride in that.
"The same for Liverpool: they have won the title more times than anyone, and they will be proud of that. The chase will always be on to be the No 1 in the country. Before I leave, I hope we can get to that position [of Liverpool's record].
"We have had a fantastic period since the Premiership started. Our record is incredible. Our main rivalry [in the league] is with Arsenal; they have the consistency each year, particularly under Arsene Wenger. They are always knocking on the door.
"It was that consistency I was looking for when I first came. The league is a fantastic race. We say, 'We can't afford to even lose a goal here, in any particular game, because you are charging for that title.' That's the intensity of it. With the FA Cup, it's six games and it's over. To be involved in the championship race is far greater than a cup run."
As United have closed on Liverpool's precious mark, Ferguson has detected an increase in the ferocity of Anfield collisions. "When I went the first time, there didn't seem to be the intensity there is now. It has got greater. I love the atmosphere. It encapsulates the English game: the fervour of the fans, the ability of the footballers, the competition. The history between the clubs is terrific. There is no game in the English calendar like it. No matter what position the clubs are in, it is the highlight of my season."
The Glaswegian dismissed the proposition that Liverpool v United could rival the Old Firm for passion - "let's be sensible now!" he responded like the Austin Powers of Govan -but he agreed it was the "best atmosphere" in England, particularly the Anfield fixture. "Maybe fans are even closer to the arena than ours, but our atmosphere is fantastic."
He almost laughed at the suggestion that Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs would be intimidated at Anfield. "If they are lambs, they are dead. If they are men, they will have no problem. You have got to be men, you have to be strong enough to handle that. If the crowd beats you, it doesn't say a lot for you, does it?" Did he have any lambs? "At home!" Only lions will emerge from the away dressing room at Anfield.
They have run through the wall of sound before. Again and again. Consider the stats. United have not lost in the league at Anfield since November 2001. No Liverpool player has scored a league goal against United in the Rafa Benitez era; in those six meetings, the only entry in United's goals against column came from a John O'Shea mistake. Ferguson lobbed in another number: "Five times we have got a result there with 10 men."
In Sport: The Liverpool away-day curse
Liverpool homepage | Manchester United homepage
Football fans' forum If hostility defines the terrace rivalry, Ferguson's words are shaped by respect. "There have been some good Liverpool teams," United's manager observed of his duels with them. "There were players like Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Ian Rush in the past. They had some fantastic finishers. Every time we played Liverpool, and Fowler was in the team, I said, 'Stop Fowler and we have a great chance here'.
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**Sir X** · December 14, 2007, 10:57 PM

Ferguson: I wanted Torres for Man Utd

By Chalie Caroe and agencies

Last Updated: 2:32pm GMT 14/12/2007

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said he tried to sign Fernando Torres, the Spanish striker, on several occasions.
Liverpool v Manchester United: Ray Wilkins
Build-up: Liverpool v Man Utd
Manchester United homepage Torres, who will spearhead Liverpool's attack against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, was linked with United for several years before moving to Merseyside from Atletico Madrid in the summer.
Pleasing: Torres' ability is admired at Old Trafford and AnfieldThe Scot is not surprised to see the 23-year-old, who has scored 12 goals this season, doing well in England and knows the Spaniard will be one of Rafael Benitez's main threats when the two teams meet on Sunday.
Ferguson said: "For years we tried to do a deal there but we never quite managed it either because Atletico Madrid didn't want to sell or one year the player felt he was too young.
"Then we just lost interest a bit because sometimes you get fed up with going back to the same venue all the time.
"I think the advantage that Rafa had was that he is Spanish and his dealings with Atletico Madrid were maybe better than ours because he's Spanish.
"He's a good player. We wouldn't have been interested in him if he wasn't."
Ferguson said he looks forward to playing Liverpool at Anfield more than any other game but despite Arsenal also playing host to Chelsea, he is keen to play down the significance of this weekend's games.
He said: "No matter what position either club is in, it's always a big game and each season it's always the game that I look forward to.
"It encapsulates everything in British football, the passion of the fans, the ability of the footballers, the competition, the history of the two clubs. It's terrific so hopefully we can have another good game.
"If we were all meeting in March or April it would be very significant in terms of the league but as it is we're at the halfway stage and we're talking about a title decider. There's time for whoever drops points, and it's possible that the four of us drop points with two draws."
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Torres adds a new dimension to Liverpool

By Tim Rich

Last Updated: 1:57am GMT 15/12/2007

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Rafael Benitez has a clearly thought-out line of argument for when he comes face to face with the men who own Liverpool for the first time in three months.
Henry Winter: Bring on Liverpool game, says Alex Ferguson
In pics: Classic Liverpool v Man Utd games | Build-up: Liverpool v Man Utd
In Sport: The Liverpool away-day curse However much Tom Hicks and George Gillett might resent his public criticism of them, however much they would like Benitez to become a mere coach rather than Liverpool's general manager, however much they would like talk of transfer budgets to cease, there is one thing that cannot be questioned. Liverpool are now a better, more successful club than the Liverpool Benitez inherited.
Goalscorer: Fernando Torres rekindles memories of past greats There is one chink in that argument and to those who cram the Kop, or any other part of Anfield, it matters painfully. The last time a Liverpool player scored a league goal against Manchester United, Gerard Houllier was managing a club Hicks and Gillett would have been only very dimly aware of. That was a Danny Murphy penalty in April 2004 - you would have to go back to November 2003 for the last time Liverpool managed to score one in open play.
Apart from a solitary victory in the FA Cup, marred by Liverpool fans attacking the ambulance that was attempting to take Alan Smith, his leg horribly broken, to hospital, Benitez's greatest achievement in this fixture has been a goalless draw.
For a man who rolls over the minutiae of football constantly in his head, Benitez is, naturally enough, aware of the naked statistics. "The differences have been in small details," he said, describing the last encounter at Anfield, a game in which United were all but overwhelmed until a half-saved free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo was stabbed home by, of all people, John O'Shea.
Sir Alex Ferguson, knowing the title was virtually his, leapt into the arms of his assistant, Carlos Queiroz. The United players hurled their white shirts into the away end, and Jamie Carragher was asked what more Liverpool had to do. "We need better players all over the pitch," the defender replied, before grinning, "except at centre-half."
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Carragher got his wish, at least at centre-forward. In Fernando Torres, Liverpool finally possess the kind of striker Anfield has not seen since Michael Owen left Merseyside for Madrid in the first few weeks of Benitez's regime.
"When we were playing against Manchester United, we tended to have plenty of possession but couldn't make the breakthrough because they had good defenders and we were not so strong in attack," Benitez reflected before adding: "Now we have Torres, a player with pace and ability, and he will be a threat to them.
"This is a better squad now and Torres is one of the reasons for that. It will still be difficult, because Manchester United have a very good team, but we have different options to use against them than we did before."
There were several reasons why Torres chose Merseyside. He had spent four seasons leading Atletico Madrid's attack; he was only 23 and in those long, largely fruitless campaigns only Samuel Eto'o and David Villa had scored more times in La Liga. Yet when Barcelona could go to the Vicente Calderon stadium and win 6-0, Torres recognised that, despite the adoration of so many fans, it was time to find a club where success was a little easier to come by.
Liverpool homepage | Manchester United homepage
Football fans' forum He might have gone to Old Trafford; he could have ended up at Inter Milan, who offered Atletico £6 million more than the £24 million Liverpool paid. But neither of them spoke to Torres in his native tongue. "It was simple to bring him here, because my Spanish is much better than my English," Benitez smiled. "I just gave him a call. We knew a lot of top sides were interested. But he knew the club and he knew some of our Spanish players and he knew I wanted him. It was quite easy."
Torres discussed the move with goalkeeper Jose Reina, who is now a next-door neighbour in the Woolton area of the city, and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. He had the ability and the pace, but Benitez must have questioned whether this young, almost coltish, striker had the toughness for what is the most physically demanding league in the world.
"We did not expect 20 goals in his first season; we brought him to Liverpool so he could progress and offer us something different," Benitez said.
Fantasy Football"Sometimes you have to wait to see the best of someone, and we were signing Torres for six years not six months. Some players take time to settle - it took Daniel Agger three or four months. Torres is a shy person, but he has confidence now."
It seems Torres' settling-in at Anfield is over. His goals against Porto and Marseille that helped secure Liverpool's qualification for the Champions League knock-out stages were sublime and, if he is going to score 20 in his first season by the Mersey, he now requires only another eight.
Benitez reflected that Torres had been signed "because the relationship with the owners was good" and, if it can be fully repaired, who knows who else he could bring to Anfield?
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**Sir X** · December 14, 2007, 11:06 PM

IF RAFA puts Babel up front with Torres , it will be 3-0 in the 1st halk , if its Kuyt which I suspect it will be 2-0 by the 1st half , NO WAY MAN U beats US!

OUR ATTACK IS TOO POTENT OUR MIDFIELD IS THE BEST ! MASCHI AND I HOPE ITS LUCAS WILL LOCK DOWN ANYBODY , TEVEREZ WILL NOT FIND ROOM TO BREATHE !

IT WILL BE A BEATING!

**Rockman** · December 15, 2007, 12:09 AM

Here are the players I want to start against Pool.
Van Der Sar,Rio, Brown,Simpson,Anderson, Hargreaves,Evra,Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney, Giggs.
Substitutes-Nani,Saha,and O'Shea.

Never ever think any one Man U striker is the sole threat, Rooney likely will be brutal in light of his less than stellar(scoring-wise)performance against Roma.I 'went'(awkward) with O"Shea over Vidic because of the real possibility of Vidic giving away a penalty against Torres(red card likely too), and of course just in case Giggs is a step behind.. in the second half, we have Nani.
No one remembers Saha, except me.

Chelsea is at their best with Drogba, Essien is a workhorse in the midfield, and a scoring threat, but make no mistake, Avram can assemble a winning team(really thanks to Mourinho)thanks to the strong depth of the squad. A draw is what I am hoping for.

**Sir X** · December 15, 2007, 08:37 AM

I think this liverpool team is coming together at the right time , now we will see the benefits of rotation this month.Its a strong , flexible team .

I dont think any team in the prem has our flexibility and the reason is Rafa ! Veronin /Kuyt/Bablel (wingers or forwards) Benoyoun/Gerrad (wingers or attacking midfield) Lucas/Alonso defensive midfielder or attacking midfield.

Torres/Crouch are our two pure strikers but Torres is more Flexible with his role in that he dribbles ( im can carry im ball)

Kewell seems to be back how long he will last I dont know , but all we need in the Janauary transfer market is a defender or two , a left winger , maybe a striker.Crouch looks like the odd man out he is just not flexible and only posses an aerial threat in my opinion.

It will be Brutal on Sunday , I dont see Ronaldo /Tevez and Rooney doing anything sunday, your midfield will be overwhelmed and out flanked !

**Sir X** · December 15, 2007, 08:51 AM

Scary thing is we will get better as the season goes by! they ridiculed him with Zonal marking , we won the C.L league and were runners up also cupped the FA cup, now they ridicule him with rotation, 4 th in the league 7 points off the leaders with a game in hand , through to the C.L league with our strongest team in years .

The media doesnt give us a chance ? Bet against Liverpool at your own risk , just remember we nuh walk alone.

**Rockman** · December 15, 2007, 09:01 AM

Still strongly believe Man U will end the day with all three points.
I want Ronaldinho.., yet I often wonder a whofa game hym ago get.
We have a fantastic midfield, a fantastic team.

Blessed

**Yuttie** · December 16, 2007, 11:34 AM

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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