CONTRACT EXTENSION

The manager of Liverpool FC, Brendan Rodgers, has said that the club has been talking to the skipper Steven Gerrard about the extension of his contract.

Gerrard’s contract with Liverpool will expire at the end of the 2013-14 season.

Although Gerrard is 32 years of age now but, he has given no indications that the age is getting on him. He is still as energetic as 25 years old and he has been the most consistent performer for the Reds in the ongoing season.

Talking to the reporters about the extension of Gerrard’s contract, Rodgers said, “I went with Steven for a dinner a few days ago and we had a discussion on the contract issue.”

“I am glad with how Steven has performed in this season. To have a leader like him in the team is just fantastic. He really deserves the extension of contract.”

“He is a very soft spoken and dedicated guy. For him, the team always comes first. He gives his everything whenever he goes out there to play in Liverpool jersey.”

In one of his interviews, a few days ago, Gerrard had also said that he wanted to sign a new deal for Liverpool.

When asked about the extension of contract, the Liverpool skipper had said, “I want a contract extension and the club is ready for it. So, now, it’s about time only. Let’s see when I sign a new deal.”

“The length of contract extension hasn’t yet been decided. That is something which is under consideration at this point of time. But, I think it’ll be sorted out in a couple of weeks.”

“Off late, I have been at my peak. Now, the focus is on finishing the season in a strong way. Hopefully, I will be able to do that.”

Oldham Athletic vs. Liverpool Preview

The weekend’s FA Cup matches conclude at Boundary Park on Sunday afternoon as League One Oldham Athletic host seven times winners Liverpool.

The two sides met in last season’s competition, with the Reds running out 5-1 winners having gone a goal down in the third round tie at Anfield.

The hosts, who have lost the three league games since beating Nottingham Forest in the last round,  are without midfielder Dean Furman, who is with South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations, with life-long Liverpool fan James Wesolowski set to wear the captain’s armband in his absence.

Top scorer Jose Baxter, who is on loan from Everton, is priced at 15.0 (14/1) with Bet 365 to get the first goal of the game.

Paul Dickov’s men are 15.0 (14/1) with Bet 365 to win the match, with Liverpool 1.29 (2/7) with Paddy Power. The draw is widely available at 6.5 (11/2).

Liverpool, who edged past non-league Mansfield Town in round 3, go in to the game in good form having won four of their last five games in all competitions.

Glen Johnson is doubtful with a hamstring injury, with Jose Enrique side-lined with a similar issue. Brad Jones is set to continue in goal.

Luis Suarez has 20 for the season so far, and is unsurprisingly favourite to open the scoring at a best price of 3.5 (5/2), whilst Daniel Sturridge, who has scored in each of his three appearances for the Reds so far is 4.33 (10/3) with Bet 365.

Liverpool vs. Norwich City Preview

Saturday afternoon’s game at Anfield sees eighth place Liverpool host a Norwich City side without a win in five league games.

The Reds go in to the fixture on the back of a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, though they have four wins from their last five league games in front of their own fans.

Jose Enrique remains side-line with a hamstring injury, so Glen Johnson is expected to continue at left back, while Daniel Sturridge could start after scoring two in as many games since signing for club.

Sturridge is widely available at 4.5 (7/2) to open the scoring, while Luis Suarez, who has scored three in each of his last two appearances against the Canaries, is favourite at 4.0 (3/1) while you can back him at 21.0 (20/1) with Bet Victor to get another treble.

Paddy Power offer the best price of 1.36 (4/11) for the home win, with Norwich 11.0 (10/1) with Bet Victor, and the draw available at (19/4) with Bet Victor.

The visitors 0-0 draw with Newcastle United put an end to four straight league defeats, and kept them in twelfth position.

Midfielders Jonny Howson and Andrew Surman are available for selection, as is striker Grant Holt who has fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

Holt is 12.0 (11/1) with Bet 365 to get the first goal of the game, while defender Russell Martin, who has three goals in his last three league appearances is a 51.0 (50/1) shot with the same firm.

TOO RELIANT

The Liverpool legend Tommy Smith has said that he feels that the club still have a lot to rely upon the star midfielder Steven Gerrard. The 32-year-old England international has been the heartbeat of the Liverpool team over the past decade, but he is coming to the end of his career. A succession of injuries have also taken the strength out of his play. This has led to Liverpool being dependent on the young and rising stars like Luis Suarez and Sterling. The former Liverpool player Tommy Smith, though, believes that Gerrard is still one of the important players within the team and his role with the team should not be discounted.

The player recently signed a long-term contract that will keep him at the club until the end of his career, thus becoming one of the few players in the world to have played for the entire career for single club. Smith has said that there has been a lot of talk surrounding the fact that Gerrard’s performances have dipped this season, which have consequently led to the team struggling on the pitch. Liverpool are currently 12th in the Premier League with only an outside chance of finishing in the top four, which will provide them with the chance to compete once again in the Champions League.

“I keep hearing people say that Steven Gerrard’s performance levels have dipped but as far as I’m concerned he’s still a tremendous player for Liverpool. I actually felt sorry for Gerrard at times against West Ham as he was having to do too much because Joe Allen was giving the ball away far too often. Gerrard is the only Liverpool player to have played every minute of every game in the league so far and that highlights how important he is to Brendan Rodgers,” said Smith.

GERRARD WANTS JOSE

The Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has sensationally claimed that he would still like to play for the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager José Mourinho. The Portuguese manager has always had a long-standing interest in the Liverpool midfielder. It is no secret that the Liverpool midfielder came extremely close to leaving the club back in 2005 after the club agreed a £ 32 million deal with Chelsea only for the player to back out at the last moment. Steven Gerrard has now said that José Mourinho has persuaded with his interest on a number of occasions since then.

Steven Gerrard has said that Mourinho tried to sign him when he took over at Real Madrid in 2010. However, his answer to the calls of the Portuguese man has always been a major no because he is not the kind of player who will go to war with the club after reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Only recently, the Real Madrid midfielder Alonso suggested that Steven Gerrard is such a world-class player that he will be able to get into any team in the world. The 32-year-old recently signed a long-term deal with Liverpool that will see him take an ambassadorial role at the club.

“Liverpool weren’t really challenging at the time, so there was something to think about. But I ended up saying ‘no’ and a year later I said ‘no’ again. But he came back when he arrived at Real Madrid two years ago. I look at some players who get interest from clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona and they cause absolute wars to get out and get there. But that has never been me and, again, it just wasn’t going to happen,” said the Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard about the interest from Mourinho.

ATMOSPHERE WILL BE ELECTRIFYING

The skipper of Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, has said that the environment at the Anfield Stadium during the upcoming match between Manchester United and Liverpool is going to be Electrifying. The Red Devils will take on Liverpool on 23^rd of September. Gerrard believes that it is going to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament and the stadium will be jam packed for that match.

The performance of Liverpool hasn’t been up to the mark in the ongoing Premier League so far. The team has played four Premier League matches, but, the team is yet to secure a victory. Out of those 4 matches, the team was defeated in two matches, while, the rest two finished in the form of a draw. The team has managed to score only three goals, but, has conceded eight goals in those four matches.

On the other hand, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team has been in fantastic form of late. After losing its opening match of the season against Everton, Manchester United has won three matches in a row and that too in fine fashion. The team has scored 10 goals in the last three matches which is enough to indicate how well the United boys are playing at the moment.

But, Gerrard believes that his team will do well against United. As per Gerrard, the team played very well in the Europa League match against Young Boys two days ago. The match against United is obviously going to be tougher than that. But, the players are up for the challenge.

Sunday’s match is going to be Gerrard’s 29^th match against United. The Liverpool skipper said that it has always been tough playing against United. They are a very strong side and the Liverpool boys need to be at their very best if they want to pull off a victory against the Red Devils.