Barry Saga Takes New Twist, and Pre-season Joy
Barry Saga Takes New Twist, But It Was Expected, Right?
Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill was told in a meeting with the player (Gareth Barry) and his agent, they were still expecting a bid from the Merseyside club.
“Obviously I was disappointed to hear that. Gareth’s head is a bit all over the place at the moment and they asked for some more time,” O’Neill said on the club’s website.
“So I’ve listened to what they’ve said and I’ll go with it – reluctantly but I’ll go with it.
“There will be no deadline and Liverpool have all the time in the world now to sign Gareth Barry.
“They’ve got up to the normal window, which is the 31st of this month.”
O’Neill says Barry’s fate is now out of his hands, and he is fearing the worst.
“If Liverpool at the end of it all do not come up with the money, that’s no-one else’s fault but their own,” added the Villa boss.
“I’d be delighted if that was the case and Gareth stayed. But I would doubt that very much. The ball is very much in their court.”
So Barry’s probably gonna end up at Anfield, and with recent reports suggesting that the Yank owners are gonna come up with more money, Alonso won’t have to leave.
Pre-season Joy
Torres opened the scoring midway through the first half with a close range finish after Damien Plessis had seen a fine shot palmed away by the Rangers goalkeeper.
The Reds dominance was rewarded further after the break when French youngster Ngog opened his account for his new club with a terrific low drive into the corner of the net, and Benayoun added a third just a couple of minutes later when he slotted home from close range after Krisztian Nemeth had seen a shot saved.
Nemeth was instrumental in the fourth goal as well after winning a penalty which Xabi Alonso smashed home into the corner of the net.
Watch the goals here
Match Report (From The Official Site)
A first goal for David Ngog helped Liverpool to a 4-0 win over a strong Rangers side at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon
Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun also found the net in a thrilling encounter which saw our pre-season campaign burst into life.
Trips to the Wirral, Switzerland, Germany and Spain yielded just four goals for the travelling Kop to cheer, but a rush of goalmouth action north of the border had the faithful purring.
Their pre-match chat centred on Rafa Benitez’s team selection, for in a city famed for its double acts (Rangers and Celtic; Hateley and McCoist; The Krankies) another perfect pairing was this afternoon born as Liverpool’s two most expensive acquisitions, Robbie Keane and Torres, combined for the very first time.
They might have enjoyed just 45 minutes together, but initial glimpses of understanding were there for all to see: the Spaniard finding his partner with a Cruyff turn; Keane returning the favour with an intelligent dummy; then a neat one-two which Torres couldn’t turn into a goal.
That said, it was Rangers, whose fans sang as if this were a Champions League semi-final, who had the best of the early exchanges, with former Celtic man Kenny Miller and teammate Lee McCulloch both coming close from the edge of the box.
It took 16 minutes for Liverpool to rouse as Steven Gerrard, Keane and Torres started to stamp their authority on the game. The latter headed narrowly over after a well-placed cross from left-back Andrea Dossena.
Next Benayoun thrilled the English contingent inside Ibrox with one of his mercurial runs. The Israeli skipped past five men before finally being stopped in his tracks in the D.
Never mind, for an opening goal was just around the corner. It was Damien Plessis who can claim the assist after his long-distance hit was spilled by Allan McGregor on 23 minutes, with Torres on hand to tap home his first strike of pre-season.
It was nearly two – and nearly a first Liverpool goal for Keane – when Gerrard surged forward for the umpteenth time before unleashing a fierce drive towards McGregor’s goal. Again the ‘keeper could only parry, this time towards centre-back Kirk Broadfoot, whose subsequent backpass was inches away from being converted by our new number seven.
Down at the other end, Diego Cavalieri, so impressive against Villarreal in midweek, had to make a fingertip save when Sasa Papac sent a teasing chip towards the top corner.
The Brazilian couldn’t do anything, however, to stop Nacho Novo skipping towards an open goal on the stroke of half time. Fortunately, Dossena was on hand to thwart an almost certain equaliser with a marvellous goalline clearance.
Half-time brought five changes for Liverpool, Jamie Carragher giving an early indication that he would depart by throwing his shirt into the away end. Torres, Skrtel, Arbeloa and Plessis also made way, with Hyypia, Ngog, Alonso, Darby and Agger entering the fray.
The latter almost made an immediate impact at the wrong end when his attempt at a headed clearance went a little too close for Cavalieri’s comfort. Luckily the ball crept over for a corner.
Minutes later Liverpool’s new goalkeeper was again called into action when he palmed away a shot-cum-cross by substitute Jean Claude Darcheville.
Just as it seemed Rangers were closing in on a leveller, the visitors, or rather new boy Ngog, stuck the knife in. The French hotshot picked up the ball midway inside the Rangers half on 56 minutes, turning his man one way and the other before cracking an unstoppable left-foot shot into the bottom corner.
The goal prompted Benitez to make three more changes – Insua, Nemeth and Spearing replacing Gerrard, Kuyt and Keane – which, had the result not already been in the bag, could have been described as inspired.
For just seconds after play resumed, with the clock reading 58 minutes, Insua burst down the left before picking out Nemeth, whose dipping effort was palmed away to be volleyed home by the impressive Benayoun.
It was almost 4-0 five minutes later when Ngog grazed the post after swinging his left foot from 25 yards.
The fourth did arrive on 70 minutes when Alonso, whose passing was exemplary, found Nemeth in the box before Christian Dailly’s rash challenge gave referee Craig Thomson no option but to point to the spot. Alonso duly converted and it was game over.
This entry was posted on August 3, 2008 at 1:12 am and is filed under Match Reports, Other, Transfer Rumours. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: alonso, barry, benayoun, benitez, ibrox, keane, Liverpool, ngog, o'neill, pre-season, Rangers, torres
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