Reds midfielder Javier Mascherano lines up for Argentina against Brazil in the Copa America 2007 Final on Sunday, kick off at 10.05pm UK time.
Ashley Gray in the Daily Mail’s Copa Blog named the Masch in his team of the tournament, saying:
There is no one more dependable to have in front of the back four than the Liverpool midfielder. Whether it is an opposition attacking midfielder or a striker dropping deep to pick up the ball, if you head near Mascherano he will hound you. The 23-year-old is rarely beaten and does the dirty work that allows his team-mates to attack so confidently. He has even scored twice himself in this tournament.
More signings to come?
Tom Hicks told how he “wouldn’t rule out one more” when asked about new signings on Wednesday and yesterday Rafa Benitez didn’t rule it out either, saying “We are working hard with the players we have but we’ll also keep an eye on the market. We have another month before the season starts so there’s plenty of time.”
New stadium update - again!
The plans for the new stadium are yet to be revealed but it has been confirmed that the design is now finalised and the plans have been submitted to the council, with a planning application scheduled for July 25th - when plans may finally become public.
The proposal for the new Stanley Park site is for a £280m project with an initial capacity of 60,000. The club hope to receive planning permission by October and start work before the end of the year, with construction completed in 2010.
Timetable as outlined in the Liverpool Echo:
JULY 25 , 2007 – this is the date that Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks says the revised plans will be submitted to Liverpool council, a month later than originally planned.
OCTOBER 2007 – the council will then face a race against time to re-examine the proposals and decide whether to grant planning perm-ission. To meet this deadline, the club will have to make sure the scheme is not dramat-ically different to its predecessor in terms of capacity and impact on the surrounding area. The original scheme was approved in summer 2004.
NOVEMBER 2007 – possibly the most crucial date. The government office for the north west will have to decide whether Liverpool’s plans should be “called in” for further investigation, sparking a public inquiry. This would delay the scheme by several months.
Lucas deal awaiting approval
Brazilian under 20 captain Lucas Leiva was hoping to fly off with the rest of the squad to Switzerland today but his move is on hold until he secures a European passport. Liverpool strook a £5m deal with Gremio earlier in the year but that was reliant upon the neccessary documents being granted as the club are not wishing to encounter the same problems as they had with Mark Gonzalez’ transfer.
The club are working hard to get an Italian passport granted for Lucas.
The Echo also reports there are problems with goalkeeper Nikolay Mikhailov’s work permit, although it is unclear why such problems exist as Bulgaria became part of the EU earlier this year. The Bulgarian Under-21 has been training with the first time this last week but may have to return to Bulgaria.
Aurelio not ready yet
Full back Fabio Aurelio is still a month away from full fitness after suffering a cruciate knee injury against PSV last season, it was hoped he would be fully fit for the start of the season but it now looks a little too soon for the Brazilian. Benitez said “Fabio isn’t fit yet. It could be another month before he is recovered, but we knew it would be a long time when he suffered the injury. He is improving, but it’s not easy when you have this kind of injury.”
Matt Ladson
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