07 March 2008

Benitez urges his players to continue fine form


Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has stressed to his players the importance of maintaining their vastly-improved form over the coming weeks.
The Anfield boss is rightly happy with a dramatic change in fortunes which has seen the team emerge from frustrating inconsistency to win four of their five unbeaten league matches since losing at West Ham in January.
Fernando Torres' third hat-trick of the season helped the side to a 4-0 victory over the Hammers on Wednesday to put Liverpool back into fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League but with competition so tight Benitez knows the club's revival must be maintained.
'We have been growing in confidence and the whole side believes that Fernando Torres is in the sort of form that will produce us goals,' said the Spaniard.
'But now we must take this on. Winning three games on the trot has helped our quest for fourth place, but we must now beat Newcastle before we turn our attention to the Champions League at Inter Milan next week.'
Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan brings his relegation-threatened Newcastle to Anfield tomorrow still without a win after seven matches since his return to St James' Park as manager.
Keegan - who joined Liverpool in 1971 as a £33,000 signing from Scunthorpe by Bill Shankly - can be assured of a great welcome from the Kop but that is where the sympathy will end.
Few will ever forget the two famous clashes between the clubs in 1996 and 1997 which both ended in 4-3 wins for Liverpool and remain timeless classics.
But Keegan's side were title contenders then and the fear is there could be plenty more goals on Saturday with Liverpool on a roll - although no-one is expecting the visitors to score three times on this occasion.
Newcastle's only Premier League win at Anfield came in 1994 on Keegan's first visit as Magpies manager. They have not won in 13 visits since and, considering their current form, it will be a major shock if they reverse that trend.
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, who scored 158 goals in 297 games for the club, also returns.
He has never quite been forgiven for the manner of his departure to Real Madrid after saying he wanted to win trophies - ironically, the season he departed Liverpool won the Champions League.
But when he first played for Newcastle at Anfield on his return to England after one season in Spain the Kop sang 'Where were you in Istanbul?' at their former hero.
Liverpool have a doubt over defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano, who picked up a muscle injury against West Ham.

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