The next couple of weeks are going to be very important for Liverpool with two games away to Chelsea, one in the League and one in the Carling Cup, and a home match against Manchester City sandwiched in between. Liverpool need to keep picking up points to continue in their quest for a top four place, and the cup tie will also be very important for the club as Liverpool are desperate for silverware after a barren spell.
The cup tie away to Chelsea comes less than 48 hours after the Manchester City match and Dalglish has expressed his anger at the date of the fixture and has threatened to play a second string team against Chelsea. I just wonder if the fixture would have been changed if it was Manchester United that was in our position, I’m sure the authorities would have bent over for Fergie.
I just have a feeling that these three matches will shape our season, if we can come away with decent results in these matches then I think we will kick on and have a really good season. City and Chelsea are two of the strongest sides in the league so it is going to be a great test for us, and it will let us see how we measure up.
In my view Liverpool have nothing to fear in these matches as we have a real attacking threat now and we are also looking solid at the back now. Chelsea look good going forward but they do look dodgy defensively and are losing quite a few goals.
City are flying right now, but I think the players and supporters will be really up for it at Anfield and I can see us beating them on our own patch. Our squad is looking healthy and Carragher and Gerrard should be back for these matches too, which will be a real boost.
I would love to see us getting to a cup semi-final but I think Kenny will have to play his best team to win the cup tie with Chelsea, and it doesn’t look like he is going to do that, which is a shame, although we have a good squad and some great youngsters that may surprise Chelsea.
I can’t wait for these games and this international break has just been so frustrating as we have had to wait two weeks between matches. Hopefully everyone reports back fully fit after these matches as Kenny will need options over the coming weeks.
So exciting times for Liverpool supporters and I have confidence that we will do well in these games setting us up for the remainder of the season and giving other teams something to think about.
Written by Jamie McLaughlin, who writes for Anfield News
Lille's academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme has claimed Chelsea are paying most attention to £40 million-rated youngster Eden Hazard.
Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City will all be in the hat for the quarter-finals after the second batch of Carling Cup Fourth Round games. A seven-goal thriller at Ewood Park saw the game head into extra-time and Gael Givet scored in the final minute to give Blackburn a 4-3 victory over Newcastle. A topsy-turvy game at Goodison Park saw the match head into extra-time, Daniel Sturridge was the hero with a late goal. Luis Suarez was at the double against Stoke as Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 at the Britannia. In the other game of the night, Manchester City showed their clinical edge once more as they beat Wolves 5-2 at Molineux.
The Anfield club delivered on all of their targets for deadline day, shifting Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, David Ngog and Philipp Degen and re-signing Craig Bellamy after the Wales international was granted a free transfer by Manchester City. While Meireles never fell into the unwanted category under Kenny Dalglish, and Liverpool had been reluctant to trade with Chelsea, they were open to offers that would allow them to recoup the £11.8million paid to Porto for the 28-year-old.
Indeed it is thought that 
The heavily tattooed Portuguese midfielder has seemingly fallen out of favour with Dalglish – he only came on a substitute during last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland at Anfield – and, given the club's excessive collection of central players, is now available for transfer.
In the morning press, it reported that Liverpool and England midfielder Joe Cole could move to Aston Villa.
Andy Carroll has completed his transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool FC and signed a five and a half-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016.
The club agreed a record transfer fee of £35million with Newcastle earlier yesterday for the transfer of the England international striker.
Luis Suarez will wear the No.7 shirt for Liverpool.
The 26-year-old had a race against time to complete a medical and finalise paperwork to seal the British transfer record deal of £50million.
Chelsea are willing to pay cash to bring the disaffected Torres to Stamford Bridge in what would be a record transfer between two British clubs, although not the £50million that Liverpool are seeking, which equates to the release clause in the 26-year-old contract should the Anfield club fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
On one seismic day on Merseyside, Liverpool rejected a £35million bid from Chelsea for Fernando Torres then had a 
Liverpool Football Club announced on Friday afternoon that they had agreed a fee of up to 26.5million Euros with Ajax for the transfer of Luis Suarez, subject to the completion of a medical.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted he has no plans to bid for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.
This is what Wayne Rooney had to say when asked about his position as a role model in the game back in March following the revelations surrounding John Terry’s private life. [
