Having not enjoyed Champions League football since 2009/2010, despite strong support in the football odds, the Reds are desperate to bring those big European nights back to the club and their passionate fans.

Even in recent campaigns, Liverpool have enjoyed a strong starting XI but have lacked players to push those in the starting line-up or cover those who get injured.

Rodgers has looked to get his business in the transfer market done early this summer, with Manchester City defender Kolo Toure already agreeing a move to the Merseyside outfit.

Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto are expected to follow suit as the Reds start to build a squad capable of challenging for a top four finish.

Keeping wantaway striker, Luis Suarez, at the club will of course be key but Rodgers knows building competition for places will drive a winning mentality into the team for next season.

He said to football betting pundits: “You can flip it about, but we just need to build up the depth of the squad. I want people who might be disappointed because they’re not on the bench.

“At the minute we probably don’t have that so it’s competition we want to get. I don’t want a massive group. We want a tight group with a real core of 17 or 18 who feel they should always be playing and then supported be a few of our top young talents. We haven’t had that – we have had one or two on the sidelines but we need more.”

Post from: Keeper Skool

Strength in Depth Key for Reds Boss

Navas’ arrival means City now have 10 midfielders in their ranks, five of which signed for the club less than two seasons ago. In fact, the total spend on their midfield now stands at £163m and football betting fans are growing concerned City just cannot keep hold of everyone.

With Navas’ arrival, where will expected new boss Manuel Pellegrini find room for David Silva, Samir Nasri and Javi Garcia? All three players have failed to live up to expectations despite the odd purple patch in form and City wouldn’t miss them if they suddenly departed.

Pellegrini is likely to bring in more new players over the summer months as it is, so the exit door is wide open for this midfield trio. He’s are also likely to shed Scott Sinclair from the squad, meaning Pellegrini has a major task on his hands to manage and stabilise this midfield.

Sadly, City have gone a bit overboard chasing the ‘nippy little attacking midfielder’ and now have too many to cope with. Premier League betting fans can expect the Manchester club to challenge for league honours next season but they need to restructure this midfield first.

Nasri is fit for a move back to the French league while David Silva would only attract a middling Liga side at best. As for Garcia, his first season at Eastlands has been fairly forgettable, with just two goals the reward for a £15m price tag.

If City are to challenge for the title they need rid of these underperforming players who put in the odd good game and do just enough to earn a popular ‘greatest goals’ clips package on YouTube.

There’s no nous or backbone to this City midfield past Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure and James Milner and that isn’t enough to win you the league.

Did you indulge in some Champions League Final Betting? Why not read Betfair’s Champions League: A year in review article for all the highlights and picks for next season?

Post from: Keeper Skool

Navas Arrival Open City Exit Door

However, there is rightly plenty of optimism on The Kop and much of it is to do with the impact January signing Philippe Coutinho has made since the little Brazilian arrived from Inter Milan early in the new year.

The 20-year-old has been a revelation since he made the switch to Anfield and has earned rave reviews following several truly outstanding displays for the Reds.

The speed at which he has adapted to life in the Premier League has been remarkable and the playmaker looks a real find, certainly someone who Rodgers can build a team around and a player that belongs at a club challenging for the top four rather than languishing somewhere nearer mid-table.

Coutinho has scored two goals in his 12 games for Liverpool so far but, more than that, it is the exquisitely-skilful youngster’s contribution to the creative side of the Reds’ game that has caught the eye.

Alongside his goals, he has also claimed a stunning seven assists – with several of those being a fine through ball to set up a grateful team-mate. He is, simply, the kind of player Liverpool have been crying out for for many years to break teams down when things are not going well and, at such a young age, is surely only going to get better.

There were fears the slightly-built Brazil international would struggle with the physical side of the game but he has slotted seamlessly into Rodgers’ side and the way he plays the game, which is brilliantly two-footed and so easy on the eye, is perfectly suited to the short, sharp passing style the former Swansea man has implemented with mixed success this season.

Since his January arrival, Coutinho has been a virtual ever-present in the side and he has already established a good partnership with Luis Suarez, a player who is reportedly tempted by Real Madrid, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge that bodes very well for the club’s future.

On the whole, it may have been a mixed campaign for Rodgers and Liverpool, with plenty of mistakes made and some poor performances thrown in alongside some very impressive ones but there is genuine belief that the Northern Irishman is beginning to build a side that will eventually be able to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs for the top four and, looking further ahead, even eventually with the two Manchester clubs for the title.

In Coutinho, he has certainly found a player to fuel fans’ hope that those objectives are not as far away as some would have you believe.

Visit the Betfair website for more football tips for the Premier and Champions leagues.

Post from: Keeper Skool

Coutinho’s class means Liverpool can Rise Again

The former England centre-back, who called time on his international career this season, is fully focused on club football and will be a valuable member of the squad next term.

Ferdinand scored the winning goal in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last home game in charge, thanks to a late strike to make it 2-1 against Swansea City earlier this month.

With Ferguson’s successor David Moyes coming in, United have quickly wrapped up a deal for the former West Ham and Leeds United defender.

It’s uncertain how much influence Moyes will have had on the decision but he will certainly have been involved in the deal, and it’s the right one.

Too many times managers have come into big clubs and have wanted to make their ‘stamp’ on the team.

However, as Andre Villas-Boas showed when he went to Chelsea, you can’t brush aside the established players at a club.
Using Ferdinand for another season will help Moyes know more about the squad and will make it easier for him to impart his way of playing into the group.

Like him or loath him, Ferdinand is still a fine defender in the top flight and at 34-years-old he can still play at the highest level for a few more years to come.

A one-year deal keeps him hungry and any team in the world would benefit from a Rio Ferdinand hungry for yet further success.

Pick up more betting tips on the Betfair website or read the Dummy’s Tournament Guide for the u21 Euro Championships.

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United make right move with Rio

Mourinho is currently looking for a new job after Real Madrid confirmed that he will leave the Bernabeu at the end of the current La Liga season, after a tumultuous campaign in the Spanish capital.

Despite winning the title last term, the 50-year-old has regularly clashed with the Los Blancos board this time around and his relationships with some of the club’s senior players have also come under scrutiny, most notably captain Iker Casillas who has been continually left on the bench in recent months.

The former Porto boss now looks almost certain to return to Stamford Bridge and he is likely to be welcomed back with open arms in West London, after guiding the Blues to consecutive league titles in his previous spell in charge.

Despite experiencing success in both Italy and Spain since leaving England, it has often seemed almost inevitable that he would one day return to Chelsea.

Mata says he would be delighted to see the Portuguese coach return to the club and believes his appointment would give them the best chance of winning next year’s Premier League title.

“Jose is one of the best,” the Spaniard revealed to assembled soccer betting news reporters. “He won everything in every country he was – in Portugal, in Italy, in London with Chelsea, and in Spain as well.

“If he comes we are going to be happy to have him. If he comes we will try and do our best with him, or whoever, to win the title, because one challenge for me will be to win the Premier League.”

Place a bet on football on the Bet365 website, and take advantage of the best picks for the English Premier League.

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Mata hails Mourinho

The squad is made up of 17 domestic-based players, with six European-based players comprising the rest of the team.

‘El Tri’ will face Nigeria in a friendly on May 31 in Houston before playing three consecutive World Cup qualifying matches: June 4 at Jamaica, June 7 at Panama and June 11 vs. Costa Rica and then competing in a tough Confederations Cup campaign.

Mexico face a tough battle to get through the group stage of the Confederations Cup after being placed in a pool containing Italy, Brazil and Japan.

While the hosts, Brazil, and European giants, Italy, expected to occupy the top two places in the group and progression through to the semi-finals, Mexico will be looking to cause an upset and seal their own path through to the knockout stages.

But once again the main talking point is the continued absence of Real Sociedad forward, Carlos Vela, who hasn’t played for Mexico since his fall-out with the association in 2011 following his suspension for disobeying team orders.

While there is still plenty of attacking talent in this Mexico squad to be able to go into the Confederations Cup with some confidence, not many are coming off the back of seasons as successful as the one the former Arsenal youngster is in La Liga.

Vela has been a standout player in a team that could only manage a mid-table finish, and his absence from the international stage could have fans with a Confederations Cup free bet looking elsewhere.

Looking for a review of the 2012/13 season? Join Betfair for the annual end of season report, and pick up some betting tips for the next campaign.

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De la Torre Names Confederations Squad

The Bavarians, who are the current favourites in the Champions League odds, have already beaten their rivals to one trophy this season, wrestling the Bundesliga title from Dortmund’s grasp in stunning style. They are big favourites to make up for final defeats in 2010 and 2012 after a 7-0 aggregate demolition of Barcelona in the last four.

However, despite finishing 25 points better off than Dortmund, Bayern failed to beat them in the Bundesliga, stretching their winless run against Jurgen Klopp’s side to six league games.

The game promises to be a close affair, with little to choose between two teams that know each other inside out.
Lahm hopes Bayern’s drive to end the campaign with a treble that eluded them last season will give them the edge. They could complete the feat against Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final on June 1.

“The team is hungry, as we’ve seen throughout the season. We refused to be distracted by our huge lead [in the Bundesliga], nor by losing last season’s Champions League final,” the 29-year-old told Fifa.com.

“We’ve stuck to our course and we’ll continue on it. We’re hoping to win the treble and I’m very confident. This team could be very successful over the next few years, both at home and in Europe.”

Meanwhile, Laurent Blanc has backed Bayern to become champions of Europe for a fifth time, stating they have “really crushed their opponents” in this season’s competition. He has praised both sides for playing football how it should be played.

“Dortmund are able to undermine anyone, including Bayern Munich, but Bayern really are like a steamroller,” the former France manager and player told Champions League betting pundits.

Post from: Keeper Skool

Lahm Confident of Sealing Treble

The Italian guided City to FA Cup glory to end a long wait for silverware before helping the club secure their first Premier League title in dramatic fashion on May 13 2012, much to the delight of fans betting UK.

That day will live long in the memory of City supporters but few would have guessed that literally a year later the club would be looking for a new manager.

Granted, City have not won any silverware this season and they were well off the pace in challenging old rivals Manchester United for the title but as they Red Devils have shown with Sir Alex Ferguson, stability is the key to success.

The process of building continuity again at the Etihad will have to start from scratch and with talk of Malaga boss, Manuel Pellegrini, taking over, it does not look like they are hoping to replicate the stability of United.

Pellegrini will be 60 this year and the chances of the Chilean having a 26-year reign like Ferguson look highly improbable.

Both United and City will see new managers at the helm for their first Premier League game next season but while the Red Devils will have a hungry David Moyes in the hot seat at Old Trafford, City could have Pellegrini who might well be coming towards the end of his time in the game.

There is no doubting the Malaga chief’s credentials but again it looks like a short-term solution for City, which has the potential to leave them chasing United for further seasons to come.

Also in the football news this week: United throw it away on Fergie’s final farewell.

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City Sack most Successful Modern Manager

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Looking forward to the Champions League Final

While Dave Whelan has brushed off talk linking his manager with Everton, the Wigan chairman won’t have wanted this issue overshadowing his club’s first appearance in an FA Cup final.

With David Moyes soon to be heading to Old Trafford, Martinez has seen his name linked as the Scotsman’s replacement, but the Spaniard would really rather have done without this unwanted distraction ahead of this weekend’s clash at Wembley and then the crucial final two Premier League games.

While Martinez refused to get drawn into any discussion other than his side’s upcoming appearance in the FA Cup final, this topic will only come up again after this game and certainly won’t help the club ahead of one of the most important week’s in this club’s history.

“The most important thing is to be as ready as we can for Saturday and then the two other finals we have in the league after that,” insisted Martinez in his pre-final press-conference.

“It is the peak time for us. We want our fans to be proud of us and that is what we are fighting for. What goes around on the outside doesn’t affect us. We won’t lose any focus.”

There is no doubt that Wigan will find it hard to hang onto the highly-respected Spanish coach should they fall out of the Premier League this season, especially if a club of Everton’s stature came calling. But for now, Martinez will just be focusing on bringing some silverware to the club he has played for and now managed.

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Post from: Keeper Skool

Everton link an Unwanted Distraction for Martinez