It’s not about money, the plain fact is that I want to win something.”He presumably means something bigger than the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup, three of the five trophies that Houllier picked up in 12 months without managing to add success in the Premier-ship or Champions’ League.Now Rafael Benitez has arrived from Valencia, where he twice beat Real Madrid and the rest to the Spanish League title, bringing with him a new mood that permeated Liverpool’s recent trip to the United States.Every player seems to be emphasising the positive spirit in the camp, and Kewell is no exception. He is now about to do so for similar reasons, a belief that the club’s ruthless sacking of G?rd Houllier shows a new determination to succeed at the highest level. Owen will only say: “We had one meeting in New York and will have another this week, and I am closer than ever [to signing]. Harry Kewell has let the cat out of the Anfield bag by providing the confirmation Liverpool supporters have been desperate for all summer: Michael Owen is staying at the club.
Ever since Steven Gerrard, who had seemed destined for Chelsea, performed an abrupt U-turn and announced that he would remain, supporters have been desperate for Owen to follow his England colleague’s example. Portsmouth will be happy to survive another year, while Everton and Blackburn continue to have ideas above their current station.. Behind them, Middlesbrough can join Newcastle in a North- east revival, becoming more watchable too as long as Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink are in the mood.At the bottom, the promoted clubs will, as usual, be among the relegation favourites, with the depressing possibility that all three could sink straight down. Djibril Ciss? pace should add some excitement, a quality Anfield has found lacking recently.

It will not be easy to achieve his desired balance between attacking more and retaining the ball, though the signs on the United States tour were encouraging. At least the squad is less unwieldy than in the past, essentially comprising two players for each position, who will know what is required of them and not find the system or tactics changing three times before half-time.Outside the predicted top three, Liverpool should again lead the rest, winning more friends both on Merseyside and elsewhere under Rafael Benitez. The one doubt is how quickly a new coach can integrate half- a-dozen new players, all of whom will be pressing strongly for a first-team place. “I am a bit disappointed but I have to put my job above my feelings,” he said.Bolton’s season will begin without Stelios in the side, since he is just back in training and well short of match fitness. With that in mind, United will be pulling out players rather than pulling out stops in the Millennium Stadium today, especially as they cannot afford to have another striker injured.Alan Smith shaped up well amid the mixed bag and mixed reception of the United States tour, but it was the intention to use him as an option to Louis Saha, rather than a partner.

You have had some great teams in England who never did it.”Perhaps Ferguson has been made a little nervous by his own Vieira factor, the loss for at least a month of Ruud van Nistelrooy at a time when there is a Champions’ League qualifying game to come in Bucharest on Wednesday. Much time has already been spent trying to play off one of that trio against the others, and the attempts will continue during the season, to general amusement. Ferguson appeared to start it this weekend, playing down Arsenal’s extraordinary unbeaten record, to which Wenger was entitled to respond: “I think overall we got huge recognition for what we did and the way we played the game I’m proud of what my team did. They approached us, that’s true, though this has come out very late. I don’t expect them to come back in.”Wenger’s admission that the whole issue has been “damaging” to pre-season preparations will bring a smile to the lips of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. It is difficult to know how much they’re directly involved because the job is done first by an agent But they want him. Wenger is upset with the Spaniards’ behaviour: “I’m not happy with them.