Joe Allen

First Name	Joe
Surname	Allen
Squad Number	24
Position	Midfield
Height	1.68m
Weight	62 kg
D.O.B.	14 Mar 1990
Town of Birth	Camarthen
Country of Birth	Wales

Wales midfielder Joe Allen followed Brendan Rodgers in leaving Swansea for Liverpool in the summer of 2012.

His keen eye for a pass and composure on the ball was nurtured by Rodgers during the time the pair spent together at the Liberty Stadium and, as a result, the midfielder possesses a consummate grasp of Rodgers' possession football philosophy.

Having come through the club's youth ranks, Allen got his first taste of senior football as a substitute in Swansea's final game of the 2006-07 campaign against Blackpool.

Former captain and Swansea manager Roberto Martinez then rewarded him with his first professional contract in August 2007.

Swansea secured qualification to the Championship for the start of the 2008-09 season and Allen joined Wrexham on a one-month loan deal. An ankle ligament injury restricted him to just two appearances for the Blue Square Premier outfit but his return to Swansea heralded the beginning of a meteoric rise for the Welshman.

Martinez began to use him more and more, with Allen claiming his first goal in a Swansea shirt with a sensational strike against fierce rivals Cardiff City in April 2009.

Swansea missed out on the play-offs by six points the following month but Allen's contribution to their valiant promotion push did not go unnoticed and he was bestowed with the honour of the Swans' Young Player of the Year.

The Welsh club again missed out on promotion the next year under Paulo Sousa but 2010-11 saw Rodgers take over as manager and finally guide Swansea to the top flight. Allen was a key component of their success, making 43 appearances, form which he carried through with ease to the Barclays Premier League.

The midfielder shone throughout a remarkable 2011-12 season which saw him net a career record of four goals and was capped by another Young Player of the Year award.

On the international front, Allen made his debut for Wales in a friendly against Estonia in May 2009. He went on to star for Team GB in the 2012 London Olympics.

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Fabio Borini

First Name	Fabio
Surname	Borini
Squad Number	29
Position	Forward
Height	1.8m
Weight	null kg
D.O.B.	29 Mar 1991
Town of Birth	Bentivoglio
Country of Birth	Italy
Nationality	Italy

Liverpool secured the services of one of Europe's most exciting young forwards when they completed the signing of Fabio Borini from AS Roma in July 2012.

The deal reunited the Italy international with Brendan Rodgers, who he worked with during his previous spell in England with Chelsea and Swansea City.

Born in Bologna in 1991, Borini took after his father as an avid supporter of his local club - and he duly joined Rossoblu's youth ranks at the age of 10.

Even at an early age, he displayed a knack for finding the back of the net prompting Jose Mourinho's Chelsea to invite him to London for a trial in the summer of 2007. Two goals in a friendly against Malmo were enough to secure a full-time contract.

It was at Stamford Bridge where Borini first struck up a relationship with Rodgers, who was operating as Academy Director before becoming reserve-team manager.

The Italian settled quickly into life in England as he enjoyed an impressive debut campaign - but it was his second season that really helped him catch the eye as he blasted 12 goals in as many matches at the start of 2008-09 across reserve and youth-team levels, earning him a permanent promotion to Chelsea's second-string squad.

Borini was really beginning to hone his craft, studying videos of Filippo Inzaghi and Fernando Torres, as well as keeping a close eye on the technique of Didier Drogba on the training ground.

A first-team breakthrough appeared inevitable and by the summer of 2009, first-team boss Carlo Ancelotti considered Borini - now an Italy U19 international - part of his senior plans and included him in his Champions League squad for the 09-10 campaign.

On September 20 of that year, he was handed his Chelsea debut, replacing Nicolas Anelka as a late substitute in a 3-0 win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

A first start followed just three days later in a League Cup tie against Queens Park Rangers, while he acquired a cameo appearance in the Champions League against APOEL.

In total, he made eight senior appearances that season, earned his first Italy U21 cap and was named as his country's captain for the European U19 Championships in 2010.

Injuries hampered his first-team progress the following campaign. Shortly after hitting all five goals in a 5-4 reserve-team win over West Brom in October 2010, Borini underwent a hernia operation that ruled him out of action for several months. Typically, he returned in style, blasting a hat-trick against West Ham.

By now, Rodgers was established as Swansea manager and looking to secure promotion to the Premier League.

With the Swans entering the final straight, the manager sought some additional firepower to see them over the line - and he knew just where to find it, snapping-up Borini on loan in March 2011.

His impact was instant. Two goals on his debut versus Nottingham Forest set the tone for an electrifying spell at the Liberty Stadium, which yielded six goals from 12 appearances and culminated in an excellent performance in the Play-Off final at Wembley against Reading to help seal Swansea's return to the top flight.

With his contract at Chelsea now expired, Borini opted to return to Italy in the summer of 2011, signing for Parma before being subsequently loaned out to Roma.

His star continued to rise at the Stadio Olimpico where he scored nine goals in 20 league starts, including a brace in a 4-0 win over Inter Milan.

Firmly regarded as one of his country's brightest prospects, Borini made his international debut against the USA in February and was included in Italy's squad for Euro 2012, where the Azzurri were beaten finalists.

And within a couple of weeks of the tournament's conclusion, Borini went some way to getting over his heartbreak by returning to become the first signing of Rodgers's Anfield era.

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Alberto Aquilani

First Name	Alberto
Surname	Aquilani
Position	Midfield
Height	1.86m
Weight	77 kg
D.O.B.	7 Jul 1984
Town of Birth	Rome
Country of Birth	Italy
Nationality	Italian
Total Appearances	28
Total Goals	2

Alberto Aquilani is a central midfield playmaker who has spent the last few seasons away on loan.

The Italy international penned a five-year deal at Anfield in August 2009 following the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, but since an injury-hit first season he has been allowed to return to his homeland with Juventus and AC Milan.

As a 16-year-old star in the making, Aquilani spurned lucrative advances from Chelsea and Arsenal to kick off his football career with hometown club Roma.

He made his Serie A debut for Fabio Capello's side in May 2003 before spending the following season on loan at Serie B outfit Triestina.

Aquilani's return to Rome saw a gradual introduction into the first team and he really made his mark in a 2-0 derby victory over Lazio in February 2006, showcasing his technical prowess by netting a spectacular long-range drive.

His impressive performances earned him the No.8 shirt in time for the start of Roma's 2006-07 campaign.

Sadly, injury was to keep him on the sidelines for most of the season but not before he won his first full Italy cap in November 2006 in a friendly against Turkey.

Aquilani was back on the pitch for a two-legged Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan in May 2007, helping his side to a 7-4 aggregate victory.

Further success representing his country came in the 2007 Euro U21 Championships in the Netherlands, where he scored two goals and was named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

A host of eye-catching Champions League appearances for Roma and a brace of goals for Italy in a World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in October 2008 helped persuade Rafael Benitez to splash out on Aquilani ahead of the 2009-10 campaign despite a long-term ankle problem.

Our new No.4 spent his first few months at Melwood in the treatment room before earning a long-awaited bow as a substitute in the Carling Cup fourth round clash at Arsenal on October 28, 2009.

This was one of 26 appearances for Aquilani during a debut season which also brought two goals.

He spent the 2010-11 campaign on loan at Juventus and the following season at AC Milan.

Aquilani moved to Fiorentina in August 2012 and he is no more part of Liverpool FC.

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Andy Carroll

First Name	Andy
Surname	Carroll
Squad Number	9
Position	Forward
Height	1.91m
Weight	76 kg
D.O.B.	6 Jan 1989
Town of Birth	Gateshead
Country of Birth	England
Nationality	England
Total Appearances	56
Total Goals	11

Andy Carroll is an England centre-forward who became Liverpool's record signing in January 2011.

At hometown club Newcastle he established himself as a hard-to-handle, often explosive frontman - and now he is aiming to become an Anfield legend wearing the No.9 jersey vacated by Fernando Torres.

Carroll knows all about playing in a pressured environment having worn Alan Shearer's legendary shirt in front of the Toon Army.

Liverpool's scouts first become aware of his abilities having seen him at close hand during the FA Youth Cup semi-final in March 2007. Although Newcastle were well beaten, Carroll scored in the first leg at St James' Park and was a real handful throughout.

Liverpool and Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan once described Carroll as 'probably in the top three headers of a ball I have ever seen in football'.

After graduating through the Toon Academy, he became Newcastle's youngest ever European debutant when he played against Palermo during a 1-0 UEFA Cup win in 2006 at the age of 17.

The striker scored his first senior goal against Juventus in a friendly on July 29, 2007. After the game the Juventus 'keeper Gianluigi Buffon tipped Carroll to have a big future.

Despite Newcastle's relegation from the top flight in 2008-09, they made an instant return after a Carroll-inspired season in the Championship. Defences were sick of the sight of this marauding hitman as he hit 19 goals.

Carroll was also recognised by his peers when he was included in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

His performances back in the Premier League caught the attention of England manager Fabio Capello, who offered the big man a debut in a friendly with France on November 17, 2010.

It was turning out to be quite a season for the young forward, who would make his Liverpool bow as a substitute in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United on March 6, 2011.

Three weeks later, on March 29, there was another special moment: a first England goal in a friendly against Ghana at Wembley.

Full of confidence, he returned to open his Liverpool account with a double against Manchester City on April 11.

The next year would be spent adapting to life at one of the world's biggest clubs, and though it wasn't always easy, his quest to win medals with Liverpool was off to a fine start as he helped secure a Carling Cup final victory over Cardiff City.

By the end of 2011-12, Carroll's form alongside Luis Suarez ensured his name was being sung on the Kop.

A late winner at Ewood Park in April 2012 marked the start of a special few weeks for the striker, who wrote his name in Merseyside derby history with the winner in our FA Cup semi-final against Everton.

Carroll then came off the bench in the final against Chelsea, inspiring the previously languid Reds as they tried to overturn a 2-0 deficit. He scored one and had another cleared off the line but, although it wasn't to be for Liverpool, his own reputation had been greatly enhanced.

A month later he travelled to Poland and Ukraine for Euro 2012, where he featured three times and scored one goal - a picture perfect header against Sweden in the group stages. Sadly Carroll could not prevent England again slipping out of a major competition on penalties, this time in the quarter-finals versus Italy.

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