Lucas Leiva is confident Alberto Aquilani will be a hit at Liverpool once he settles into life at Anfield.
The Italian has endured a frustrating opening to his Reds career, with a long-standing injury carried over from his time at Roma hindering his early opportunities to make an impression.
However, with Rafa Benitez having spent big over the summer in order to acquire his services, the Liverpool faithful are expecting great things from the £17m man.
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He has been charged with filling the void created by Xabi Alonso's sale to Real Madrid, but has been limited to just 21 minutes of action so far.
Aquilani will, however, be awarded his first start against Fiorentina in the Champions League on Wednesday and his fellow midfielder Lucas is backing him to prove his worth and silence the doubters.
advanced role
Lucas said: "It is exciting that Alberto is going to get his first chance and we are all looking forward to it - we will give him all the support and respect he needs.
"Hopefully he will do a really good job for us. When you have been out for a long time injured, it takes a while for you to get your rhythm back.
"But it is easy to see in training that he has got quality on the ball and we hope he is going to help us.
"People will make comparisons but he is a different player to Xabi; he is more attacking and we can all see that he is going to play in a more advanced role.
"Obviously he came to replace Xabi but he is going to need some time to settle and we will do everything to make that happen quickly."
Although frustrated by the delay in getting Aquilani into action, manager Rafael Benitez has made it clear he bought the Italian as a long-term prospect and not just for the first few weeks of the campaign which have proved problematic for the Reds.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Chelsea will bounce back
Michael Ballack says Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea will recover from their defeat to Manchester City.
Carlo Ancelotti's side lost 2-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday evening thanks to Carlos Tevez's winner.
Frank Lampard had a chance to secure a draw, but saw his second half penalty saved by Shay Given.
The defeat was Chelsea's third in the league this season and Ballack believes his team-mates will respond positively, as they did following the losses to Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa.
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The Germany international thinks the result signals City's intent to mount a serious challenge for the title following a string of disappointing draws.
strong team
"We bounced back after defeats to Wigan and Aston Villa and we must do it again," said Ballack.
"We could have got a draw if we'd scored from the penalty spot and that would have been a good away result.
"Even after that we had a good chance to equalise, so we have to take some positives from the game.
"We're disappointed to lose but we have to remember the good things - the way we fought back and the fact we deserved a draw.
"We respect every team behind us and we've lost against a strong team. It looks like City are ready to fight for the title.
"I don't know what their target is but they showed against us that they have a good team and with a bit of luck they can beat sides like us.
"They've spent a lot of money, and they have a lot of good players, so it's not a surprise. But even if you spend a lot of money you have to go step-by-step."
Carlo Ancelotti's side lost 2-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday evening thanks to Carlos Tevez's winner.
Frank Lampard had a chance to secure a draw, but saw his second half penalty saved by Shay Given.
The defeat was Chelsea's third in the league this season and Ballack believes his team-mates will respond positively, as they did following the losses to Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa.
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The Germany international thinks the result signals City's intent to mount a serious challenge for the title following a string of disappointing draws.
strong team
"We bounced back after defeats to Wigan and Aston Villa and we must do it again," said Ballack.
"We could have got a draw if we'd scored from the penalty spot and that would have been a good away result.
"Even after that we had a good chance to equalise, so we have to take some positives from the game.
"We're disappointed to lose but we have to remember the good things - the way we fought back and the fact we deserved a draw.
"We respect every team behind us and we've lost against a strong team. It looks like City are ready to fight for the title.
"I don't know what their target is but they showed against us that they have a good team and with a bit of luck they can beat sides like us.
"They've spent a lot of money, and they have a lot of good players, so it's not a surprise. But even if you spend a lot of money you have to go step-by-step."
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