Everton’s Phil Jagielka and Chelsea’s Gary Cahill have spoken about facing Liverpool’s Luis Suarez at this summer’s World Cup.
The defenders are expected to start in England’s defence at the tournament, which gets underway on Thursday in Brazil.
England face Uruguay in their second group game on Thursday, 19th June at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo and Suarez is hoping to have recovered from a recent knee operation in time for the clash.
Suarez finished the season having scored 31 goals in 33 league appearances, and created a further 87 goalscoring chances for teammates, according to Squawka.
Jagielka is no stranger to playing against Suarez, having been part of an Everton defence that let in seven goals against Liverpool in their two Premier League meetings in 2013/14.
Suarez scored the Reds’ second in a 3-3 draw at Goodison Park in November, and the fourth in a 4-0 rout at Anfield in January.
“He nearly is impossible to handle at times,” Jagielka told the Liverpool Echo .
“Not only is he a very gifted individual but he seems to get the run of the ball most of the time which makes it even more frustrating.
“If he isn’t taking you on purposefully and being as good as he can be, he seems to get that bit of luck.
“It’s frustrating but you also create your own luck in football and because he tries thing so many times you get the breaks.
“And he doesn’t score the goals he scores because he’s a lucky player, he scores them because he is a fantastic player.
“So he will be one of the players we will be looking at in that game but they have a few other decent players so there is no point in us just focusing on Suarez.
“They have not qualified just because of Luis Suarez.”
Suarez isn’t the only big name striker England come up against this summer, with Italy’s Mario Balotelli a danger in their opening game this Saturday at Arena Amazônia in Manaus (kick-off 11pm UK).
But Cahill is relishing the opportunity to face both Suarez and Balotelli, and believes his experience against them for Chelsea will benefit England.
“I’ve played against Balotelli and Suarez and some of the other strikers we’ll be facing and that helps, certainly,” Cahill said in the Daily Mirror .
“When you’re talking about the key players, the dangerous players, to be aware of them and what they do always helps.
“If you come up against someone who you’ve never played against before and know nothing about, sometimes that can surprise you.
“So to know these players is good. And to respect the quality of these players is good as well. I’ve played against both of them.”
Brazil v Croatia is the opening game of the 2014 World Cup, this Thursday night at 9pm (UK) in São Paulo.
Everton’s Phil Jagielka and Chelsea’s Gary Cahill have spoken about facing Liverpool’s Luis Suarez at this summer’s World Cup.
The defenders are expected to start in England’s defence at the tournament, which gets underway on Thursday in Brazil.
England face Uruguay in their second group game on Thursday, 19th June at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo and Suarez is hoping to have recovered from a recent knee operation in time for the clash.
Suarez finished the season having scored 31 goals in 33 league appearances, and created a further 87 goalscoring chances for teammates, according to Squawka.
Jagielka is no stranger to playing against Suarez, having been part of an Everton defence that let in seven goals against Liverpool in their two Premier League meetings in 2013/14.
Suarez scored the Reds’ second in a 3-3 draw at Goodison Park in November, and the fourth in a 4-0 rout at Anfield in January.
“He nearly is impossible to handle at times,” Jagielka told the Liverpool Echo .
“Not only is he a very gifted individual but he seems to get the run of the ball most of the time which makes it even more frustrating.
“If he isn’t taking you on purposefully and being as good as he can be, he seems to get that bit of luck.
“It’s frustrating but you also create your own luck in football and because he tries thing so many times you get the breaks.
“And he doesn’t score the goals he scores because he’s a lucky player, he scores them because he is a fantastic player.
“So he will be one of the players we will be looking at in that game but they have a few other decent players so there is no point in us just focusing on Suarez.
“They have not qualified just because of Luis Suarez.”
Suarez isn’t the only big name striker England come up against this summer, with Italy’s Mario Balotelli a danger in their opening game this Saturday at Arena Amazônia in Manaus (kick-off 11pm UK).
But Cahill is relishing the opportunity to face both Suarez and Balotelli, and believes his experience against them for Chelsea will benefit England.
“I’ve played against Balotelli and Suarez and some of the other strikers we’ll be facing and that helps, certainly,” Cahill said in the Daily Mirror .
“When you’re talking about the key players, the dangerous players, to be aware of them and what they do always helps.
“If you come up against someone who you’ve never played against before and know nothing about, sometimes that can surprise you.
“So to know these players is good. And to respect the quality of these players is good as well. I’ve played against both of them.”
Brazil v Croatia is the opening game of the 2014 World Cup, this Thursday night at 9pm (UK) in São Paulo.
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has urged England boss Roy Hodgson to show the same faith in Rickie Lambert at the World Cup as the Reds have shown in signing him this summer.
England get their World Cup campaign underway against Italy on Saturday night, with Lambert expected to be on the bench.
The 32-year-old became Brendan Rodgers‘ first signing of the summer when he completed a £4 million from Southampton earlier this month.
And after 13 goals in 2013/14 for the Saints, Fowler is backing him to produce the goods for England in Brazil.
“I would play Lambert, [Wayne] Rooney and Sturridge as a front three,” Fowler told radio station talkSPORT.
“I’m old school – I want to win games playing with excitement and getting people off their seats. I’d have Lambert as the focal point, and have Rooney and Sturridge playing off him as a three.
“Lambert gives you other options and I think that’s probably what England lacked in a few of the games where Lambert has not played. Everyone wants to drop off and get the ball, and there’s no-one behind the defenders.
“At least Rickie Lambert will stay up there, the ball will stick and it will give other players a chance to get forward.”
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, 12th June with Brazil v Croatia at 9pm UK time and continues until the final on Sunday, 13th July.
The post season break is already providing an influx of Liverpool transfer news, with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can becoming the second Reds signing of the summer.
Liverpool have also been heavily linked with a move for Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno, though reports in Tuesday morning’s papers suggested the deal has stalled.
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has urged England boss Roy Hodgson to show the same faith in Rickie Lambert at the World Cup as the Reds have shown in signing him this summer.
England get their World Cup campaign underway against Italy on Saturday night, with Lambert expected to be on the bench.
The 32-year-old became Brendan Rodgers‘ first signing of the summer when he completed a £4 million from Southampton earlier this month.
And after 13 goals in 2013/14 for the Saints, Fowler is backing him to produce the goods for England in Brazil.
“I would play Lambert, [Wayne] Rooney and Sturridge as a front three,” Fowler told radio station talkSPORT.
“I’m old school – I want to win games playing with excitement and getting people off their seats. I’d have Lambert as the focal point, and have Rooney and Sturridge playing off him as a three.
“Lambert gives you other options and I think that’s probably what England lacked in a few of the games where Lambert has not played. Everyone wants to drop off and get the ball, and there’s no-one behind the defenders.
“At least Rickie Lambert will stay up there, the ball will stick and it will give other players a chance to get forward.”
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, 12th June with Brazil v Croatia at 9pm UK time and continues until the final on Sunday, 13th July.
The post season break is already providing an influx of Liverpool transfer news, with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can becoming the second Reds signing of the summer.
Liverpool have also been heavily linked with a move for Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno, though reports in Tuesday morning’s papers suggested the deal has stalled.
Jeff Goulding explains why The Sun newspaper’s decision to post free copies to almost all households in England this week will never move Liverpool.
A Liverpool supporter with a banner ‘Don’t Buy The Sun – 96 Justice’ during the Premiership match against Arsenal at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
This Thursday The S*n tabloid rag will launch a World Cup charm offensive. It plans to deliver 22 million free copies to households all over England.
They have decided not to include one city in the mail shot. Guess which one. Perhaps they thought the sight of mass burnings on Merseyside would prove counter-productive.
Liverpool is a leftward leaning city. Of course I wouldn’t want to lump all of it’s citizens into one political pigeon hole. After all, there must be the odd Tory in the city (just not enough to elect any Conservative councillors).
The root of Liverpool’s “socialism” (small ‘s’) lies in its strong sense of community and togetherness. In short, if you take on one of us, you take on all of us. The more poetic Liverpudlians among you might say “an injury to one is an injury to all.” It amounts to the same thing.
Every attempt to undermine the city, or besmirch it’s reputation has only served to drive it’s people closer together. Nothing symbolises this fact better than Liverpool’s response to The S*n newspapers infamous headline “The Truth”.
For most of us the thought of mentioning that rag in the same breath as the word truth, bordered on the ridiculous long before 1989. That said, we could never have imagined the depths to which that paper sank after Hillsborough. Just four days after Hillsborough!
Successive editors have since described it as the “greatest mistake in the papers’ history.”
Let’s be clear here. That headline orchestrated by Kelvin McKenzie was no mistake. He knew exactly what he was doing.
It was a lie that would persist for decades. The S*n, and specifically McKenzie were in the vanguard.
There may have been a time when the less educated would have branded such statements as paranoid and overblown. The Hutton and Hillsborough Independent Panel reports have since put paid to any such suggestions. Now the whole country knows what we knew thirty years ago.
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign shop on Walton Breck Road, organising a renewed campaign to boycott the Sun newspaper, before a Premiership match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
McKenzie did make a mistake in constructing that headline though. He took on the city of Liverpool and Merseyside.
Can anyone remember a more solid and relentless boycott than the one this city has inflicted upon The S*n? For twenty five years people have refused to by it. Many newsagents won’t even stock it. Now postal workers are refusing to deliver it.
I remember, along with many others going into local shops and asking them to put up the posters in their window. I think the words went along the lines of “In solidarity with our brothers and sisters who died in Sheffield, Don’t buy the S*n.” It took hold fast and the paper has never recovered.
I have grown older and greyer. I have married, had kids, divorced, got married again and had more kids and still the boycott remains solid. This is a fight that spans generations.
My eldest wasn’t born in ’89. He’s eighteen now and he will never buy it. Neither will my youngest. More importantly they know exactly why they won’t buy it.
The S*n thought that by omitting Liverpool postcodes from their mail drop they would escape a backlash. Another disastrous miscalculation on their part. Hillsborough touched countless families across Mersey borders and beyond.
The actions of postal workers who deliver to Lancashire post codes, illustrates this point brilliantly. Members of the Communication Workers Union at the Skelmersdale Royal Mail sorting office are refusing to deliver the rag. They have threatened to strike if their manager’s attempt to force them.
My guess is that the marketing team at The S*n just won’t get this. Such acts of solidarity are alien to them. However, no one on Merseyside will be the least bit surprised.
After all, if you take on one of us.
I am a proud Scouser, who has been following the Reds and living the dream for over forty years. I write fiction and non fiction, and I am working on my first novel.
Jeff Goulding explains why The Sun newspaper’s decision to post free copies to almost all households in England this week will never move Liverpool.
A Liverpool supporter with a banner ‘Don’t Buy The Sun – 96 Justice’ during the Premiership match against Arsenal at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
This Thursday The S*n tabloid rag will launch a World Cup charm offensive. It plans to deliver 22 million free copies to households all over England.
They have decided not to include one city in the mail shot. Guess which one. Perhaps they thought the sight of mass burnings on Merseyside would prove counter-productive.
Liverpool is a leftward leaning city. Of course I wouldn’t want to lump all of it’s citizens into one political pigeon hole. After all, there must be the odd Tory in the city (just not enough to elect any Conservative councillors).
The root of Liverpool’s “socialism” (small ‘s’) lies in its strong sense of community and togetherness. In short, if you take on one of us, you take on all of us. The more poetic Liverpudlians among you might say “an injury to one is an injury to all.” It amounts to the same thing.
Every attempt to undermine the city, or besmirch it’s reputation has only served to drive it’s people closer together. Nothing symbolises this fact better than Liverpool’s response to The S*n newspapers infamous headline “The Truth”.
For most of us the thought of mentioning that rag in the same breath as the word truth, bordered on the ridiculous long before 1989. That said, we could never have imagined the depths to which that paper sank after Hillsborough. Just four days after Hillsborough!
Successive editors have since described it as the “greatest mistake in the papers’ history.”
Let’s be clear here. That headline orchestrated by Kelvin McKenzie was no mistake. He knew exactly what he was doing.
It was a lie that would persist for decades. The S*n, and specifically McKenzie were in the vanguard.
There may have been a time when the less educated would have branded such statements as paranoid and overblown. The Hutton and Hillsborough Independent Panel reports have since put paid to any such suggestions. Now the whole country knows what we knew thirty years ago.
The Hillsborough Justice Campaign shop on Walton Breck Road, organising a renewed campaign to boycott the Sun newspaper, before a Premiership match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
McKenzie did make a mistake in constructing that headline though. He took on the city of Liverpool and Merseyside.
Can anyone remember a more solid and relentless boycott than the one this city has inflicted upon The S*n? For twenty five years people have refused to by it. Many newsagents won’t even stock it. Now postal workers are refusing to deliver it.
I remember, along with many others going into local shops and asking them to put up the posters in their window. I think the words went along the lines of “In solidarity with our brothers and sisters who died in Sheffield, Don’t buy the S*n.” It took hold fast and the paper has never recovered.
I have grown older and greyer. I have married, had kids, divorced, got married again and had more kids and still the boycott remains solid. This is a fight that spans generations.
My eldest wasn’t born in ’89. He’s eighteen now and he will never buy it. Neither will my youngest. More importantly they know exactly why they won’t buy it.
The S*n thought that by omitting Liverpool postcodes from their mail drop they would escape a backlash. Another disastrous miscalculation on their part. Hillsborough touched countless families across Mersey borders and beyond.
The actions of postal workers who deliver to Lancashire post codes, illustrates this point brilliantly. Members of the Communication Workers Union at the Skelmersdale Royal Mail sorting office are refusing to deliver the rag. They have threatened to strike if their manager’s attempt to force them.
My guess is that the marketing team at The S*n just won’t get this. Such acts of solidarity are alien to them. However, no one on Merseyside will be the least bit surprised.
After all, if you take on one of us.
I am a proud Scouser, who has been following the Reds and living the dream for over forty years. I write fiction and non fiction, and I am working on my first novel.
According to The Telegraph, Liverpool are reluctant to confirm any progress in their bid to sign Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno out of fear he will be snapped up by another club, such as what happened with midfielder Willian last summer.
Reports in Spain have suggested the Reds have been on the verge of completing a £16 million deal for the Spanish defender for the last week, and whilst The Telegraph ‘s Luke Edwards says the interest is true, the clubs are yet to agree a fee.
He writes:
Sevilla are seeking more than £16million up front, as well as a series of additional clauses that, if activated, would raise the overall cost considerably. Liverpool are hoping the player’s desire to move will eventually bring an end to the stalemate, but are braced for protracted negotiations.
Edwards cites Liverpool’s failed attempt to sign Brazilian Willian last summer as a reason for staying in the dark with Moreno.
The Reds confirmed Willian was having a medical at Anfield, before Chelsea stepped in with a last minute offer and the lure of Champions League football.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror ‘s David Maddock says the deal between Liverpool and Sevilla has stalled and Brendan Rodgers is considering hisotions elsewhere.
Maddock writes:
Rodgers has become increasingly annoyed by apparent attempts to create an auction by Sevilla, who have tried to flog the player to a number of clubs, including Spurs.
Simon Jones of the Daily Mail concurs and also reveals that youngster Suso could be set to join Porto, a story we reported in more detail on Monday. Jones writes:
iverpool midfielder Suso, who was initially proposed as part of the deal for Moreno, may now move to Portuguese side Porto, who have expressed an interest.
The 20-year-old has one year left on contract and Porto are keen to secure a quick deal.
Liverpool have already signed two players this summer in Southampton’s Rickie Lambert and Bayer Leverkusen’s Emre Can. Can will officially become a Reds player when paperwork goes through on July 1st.
Catch up with all the latest Liverpool transfer rumours in our Rumour Mill.
According to The Telegraph, Liverpool are reluctant to confirm any progress in their bid to sign Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno out of fear he will be snapped up by another club, such as what happened with midfielder Willian last summer.
Reports in Spain have suggested the Reds have been on the verge of completing a £16 million deal for the Spanish defender for the last week, and whilst The Telegraph ‘s Luke Edwards says the interest is true, the clubs are yet to agree a fee.
He writes:
Sevilla are seeking more than £16million up front, as well as a series of additional clauses that, if activated, would raise the overall cost considerably. Liverpool are hoping the player’s desire to move will eventually bring an end to the stalemate, but are braced for protracted negotiations.
Edwards cites Liverpool’s failed attempt to sign Brazilian Willian last summer as a reason for staying in the dark with Moreno.
The Reds confirmed Willian was having a medical at Anfield, before Chelsea stepped in with a last minute offer and the lure of Champions League football.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror ‘s David Maddock says the deal between Liverpool and Sevilla has stalled and Brendan Rodgers is considering hisotions elsewhere.
Maddock writes:
Rodgers has become increasingly annoyed by apparent attempts to create an auction by Sevilla, who have tried to flog the player to a number of clubs, including Spurs.
Simon Jones of the Daily Mail concurs and also reveals that youngster Suso could be set to join Porto, a story we reported in more detail on Monday. Jones writes:
iverpool midfielder Suso, who was initially proposed as part of the deal for Moreno, may now move to Portuguese side Porto, who have expressed an interest.
The 20-year-old has one year left on contract and Porto are keen to secure a quick deal.
Liverpool have already signed two players this summer in Southampton’s Rickie Lambert and Bayer Leverkusen’s Emre Can. Can will officially become a Reds player when paperwork goes through on July 1st.
Catch up with all the latest Liverpool transfer rumours in our Rumour Mill.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner believes that the expansion work that FSG will oversee at Anfield will be their legacy at the club.
As we explained last week, demolition work has begun on the houses immediately behind Anfield’s Main Stand in readiness for the expansion works which will eventually see the stadium capacity at 58,000.
With planning permission now submitted, the expansion of the Main Stand will add 8,000 seats to the capacity, before the Anfield Road End is undertaken to add a further 5,000.
Liverpool’s stadium future is something that has been uncertain since the nineties, with several failed projects for a new stadium having been drawn up under previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and previously under David Moores.
“This will be our legacy at Liverpool, resolving the stadium issue,” said Werner in an interview with The Telegraph.
“I am as proud of protecting and preserving Fenway Park in Boston as I am the three World Series we have won and will feel exactly the same way about repeating this at Anfield. It will be the most exciting day at Anfield in 2016 when we can welcome the additional supporters to the stadium.”
Liverpool hope to have the Main Stand work complete for the start of the 2016/17 season, building the new stand behind and above the current one so that current capacity is not affected.
“I think this will change the future of the club. What has been hanging over the club’s head is we simply could not accept the status quo. We did not want to make any promises that could not be delivered so we wanted a solution, but a solution was not as simple because of cost and time issues.
“We could have built a new stadium but we always felt the fans have an emotional attachment to Anfield, just like the Boston Red Sox with Fenway Park.”
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner believes that the expansion work that FSG will oversee at Anfield will be their legacy at the club.
As we explained last week, demolition work has begun on the houses immediately behind Anfield’s Main Stand in readiness for the expansion works which will eventually see the stadium capacity at 58,000.
With planning permission now submitted, the expansion of the Main Stand will add 8,000 seats to the capacity, before the Anfield Road End is undertaken to add a further 5,000.
Liverpool’s stadium future is something that has been uncertain since the nineties, with several failed projects for a new stadium having been drawn up under previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and previously under David Moores.
“This will be our legacy at Liverpool, resolving the stadium issue,” said Werner in an interview with The Telegraph.
“I am as proud of protecting and preserving Fenway Park in Boston as I am the three World Series we have won and will feel exactly the same way about repeating this at Anfield. It will be the most exciting day at Anfield in 2016 when we can welcome the additional supporters to the stadium.”
Liverpool hope to have the Main Stand work complete for the start of the 2016/17 season, building the new stand behind and above the current one so that current capacity is not affected.
“I think this will change the future of the club. What has been hanging over the club’s head is we simply could not accept the status quo. We did not want to make any promises that could not be delivered so we wanted a solution, but a solution was not as simple because of cost and time issues.
“We could have built a new stadium but we always felt the fans have an emotional attachment to Anfield, just like the Boston Red Sox with Fenway Park.”
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