What if... Dejan Lovren was sent off against Middlesbrough?
In the latest of our 'what if?' series, we cast our minds back to 21st May 2017.
Back in the days of watching James Milner play left back every week, Nathaniel Clyne on the other side as Trent Alexander Arnold sat on the bench, Dejan Lovren partnered Joel Matip in defence as part of a Liverpool team that needed to beat Middlesbrough on the final day of the season to assure themselves of a top four spot.
Having managed 73 …
Tactical analysis: Henderson's new role in absence of Fabinho
By Reece Chambers
When Liverpool signed Fabinho from AS Monaco in July 2018 for an estimated £40million, there was a degree of uncertainty as to what he would bring to Jurgen Klopp’s team.
He had previously played at right-back and centre midfield for Monaco, and did so to great avail, as he helped his side reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final. But with a scarce international career with Brazil, many fans were left to speculate what he would provide at …
Player ratings as Liverpool book last 16 place in Austria
Get in! The reigning European Champions once again move into the last 16 of European competition under Jurgen Klopp, with goals from Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah securing a 2-0 win for Liverpool against Salzburg.
In a fairly hostile atmosphere, the fixture delivered what was expected. There was high paced football with chances at both ends, the Reds eventually coming through stronger as Keita's header forced the opening goal before a superb finish from Salah shortly after.
Liverpool go into …
Player Ratings as Liverpool stick five past the Ev
There are holes to pick that performance and a nagging concern that Liverpool's defensive lapses will eventually lead to some dropped league points, but the day we stop beating our rivals 5-2 is the day we pack it all in.
Divock Origi loves a big game, Sadio Mane is a magician and Everton are really bad are my main takeaways, and here are my ratings.
Snide, silly errors and more from the defence
Adrian (6): Not giving him too much blame …
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal: A Tactical Breakdown
After a series of underwhelming performances, Liverpool's victory against Arsenal was a significant step in the right direction. Whereas in previous games, Liverpool had conceded a number of chances, and defended poorly, through not pressing effectively or making positional errors, the fixture on Saturday evening was far more akin to the efficient, composed and effective performances which came to define Liverpool's ruthless machine-like intensity over the course of last season.
Liverpool set up in their typical 4-3-3 formation, but whereas …
Tactical Analysis: How Liverpool Improved Mo Salah
When Liverpool signed Mohammad Salah for £37 million from AS Roma in 2017, most people didn’t expect him to have scored 72 goals in 106 games. But, under the watchful eye of Jurgen Klopp, his reputation as a fast winger has rapidly developed into becoming one of the most prolific forwards in the Premier League.
Looking back now, and at today’s current market, £37 million is an absolute steal for one of Liverpool’s most potent goal scorers of all time. …
Liverpool Player Ratings: End of Season Edition - Part Two
Here we go again, back for part two as I conclude my player ratings for Liverpool's season. You can find part one here, whilst Anfield Index Pro subscribers can find Adam, Tom and I guided by the lovely Kay as we join together for a Rate, Don't Hate, end of season special two-parter.
Virgil van Dijk was, unsurprisingly, the high scorer in part one of these ratings, but will anyone else achieve a perfect ten as we delve into the …
Liverpool Player Ratings: End of Season Edition - Part One
It's that time of year again, a time for reflection. A memorable domestic campaign drew to a disappointing end for Liverpool as a ninth straight league win wasn't enough to prevent Manchester City from a successive title, but there were a string of positives - one of which being qualification for another Champions League final.
Whilst we're still a couple of weeks from finding out if the Liverpool squad can make themselves heroes by bringing home number six from Madrid, …
Liverpool's Fullback Creativity and Recruitment Targets – Part 1
Liverpool’s Fullback Creativity and Recruitment Targets – Part 1
An analytical deep dive to profile Liverpool's fullback creativity and answer the question - is it sustainable?
This season, Liverpool consistently lacked a midfield set-up that tasked a player to be a high performing creator and goal threat. That meant the absence of a midfielder to carry the ball past defensive lines, complete creative passes into the box and take dangerous shots from inside the box, all at a high level. …
Do Liverpool need a Christmas Caulker?
To a casual observer, Steven Caulker's six-month loan move to Liverpool in January 2016 represented the most bizarre of transfers.
It's very rare that top-six Premier League teams actually bring players in on loan, rather than sending them away, especially from a team - Queens Park Rangers in this case - floundering in the Championship.
However, the deal made some sort of sense when the context was added.
Caulker, a phoenix from the ashes
With Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren …