All eyes on Carroll as Liverpool face Newcastle

The clash between sixth-placed Liverpool and Newcastle, a place below them, kicks off a six-day, 19-match English Premier League holiday extravaganza. League leaders Manchester City are in action on Sunday when they visit Sunderland, enjoying a revival under new manager Martin O’Neill, and then host Liverpool next Tuesday.
Second-placed Manchester United face bottom club Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford tomorrow and then travel to Newcastle on January 4, while third-placed Tottenham Hotspur visit Swansea City tomorrow before playing West Brom at home on January 3.
Carroll has scored five goals in 28 appearances for Liverpool since his 35 million pounds move to Anfield last January and netted just twice this season but Dalglish told a news conference on Wednesday the 22-year-old has worked hard and caused the club no problems.
“I think you yourselves have a bigger problem with Andy Carroll than anyone else,” Dalglish told reporters.
“Every week there are questions, this time it is understandable I suppose because he’s playing against Newcastle United if he was to start, but I don’t understand it. It is unfortunate he attracts some attention to himself from yourselves, but for us since he has come here, he has gone about his work very well on and off the pitch and he is adjusting to life at a new club with a new philosophy and a new way of playing. There is nobody at our place who couldn’t be doing better, so he is in the same bracket as everyone else,” he said.
While Carroll is expected to start for Liverpool against Newcastle, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez will be absent after being banned for one match and fined 20 000 pounds by the FA for making an offensive gesture to Fulham fans during the defeat at Craven Cottage earlier this month. – Reuters.