Too Much Change? How High Player Turnover Affects League Performance
The optimism around Liverpool’s 2015 summer transfer window is not without due: a decent calibre of players arrived all well before the competitive fixtures kicked off, and there was an excellent attempt to rid the squad of its deadwood. The optimism was only marginally dampened by the losses of Gerrard and Sterling; but poor form and a high fee respectively, mitigated the disappointments of those departures. Despite these positives, Liverpool’s early season performances have not inspired. A solid but unspectacular …
The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same for Liverpool FC
Seven points from three games represented an excellent start to the new season for Liverpool Football Club and, its embattled manager, Brendan Rodgers. A battling if blunt display against Stoke, followed by an unconvincing showing against Bournemouth had delivered 6 points from 6, before the Reds turned in an impressive display away at the Emirates. Things were looking decent-ish, at least in terms of results, and the performances seemed to be improving. Step forward West Ham at Anfield! Saturday's absolute …
Rafa vs Rodgers - Comparing Their First Three Years
Brendan has just begun his fourth season as manager and his first three years have been full of great expectations with limited success. It is hard to pinpoint exactly how well Rodgers has performed whilst in charge. In three seasons under Rodgers, the Reds have finished in 7th, 2nd and 6th, with two cup semi-finals and two unsuccessful European run-outs. Perhaps if the 2013/14 season ended up differently and Steven Gerrard was seen lifting the Barclays Premier League trophy, we would …
Did Jordon Ibe Need a Loan Move More Than Markovic?
Realism and fantasy are often blurred when casting judgement over a player that plays for your club. In a quixotic world Jordon Ibe would be a starter, he'd be single handedly winning games and we as fans would be laughing at the fact Manchester City paid £49 million for an inferior player. In the realistic world though that isn't the case. Raheem Sterling seems to be at home on the Manchester City left whereas Jordon Ibe lost his starting place …
How Important Should Set Pieces Be For Liverpool?
Set pieces are generally under utilised in the modern game. On numerous occasions recently you hear managers say their new £20 million target man can aid their team defensively but let's be honest, that's not why you're spending that money. Let's be honest, If you're spending £20/30 million on a striker you want him scoring set pieces, not defending them. If signing a big striker doesn't lead to an increase in set piece goals then you're using him wrong.
There …
Supersubs – Who Can Change the Game From the Bench?
The 1-0 win over Stoke City on the opening day of the season was a nervous, tense affair. With 85 minutes on the clock, it looked as though Liverpool were going to come away with just a point. Not a bad result by any means, but in the end the Reds snatched all three points thanks to the options available to Brendan Rodgers from the bench.
The ability to call upon the services of Emre Can and Roberto Firmino at …
Liverpool FC 15/16 | 5 Strategic Keys to Champions League Football
PART 1 OF 2
Preface
As Liverpool fans close a chapter on last season, many are left to ponder if the club will come to rue a missed and golden opportunity, which in the grander context of British and European football, may well be the start of a new challenge in the English Premier League for upper mid-table clubs with Champions League ambitions. As our fierce rivals of the North-West faced a turbulent transition under the free-spending Woodward and disciplined …
Is a New Brendan Rodgers Upon Us?
We’ve seen the two extreme ends of the “Brendan Rodgers Spectrum” over the course of his tenure in the Red part of Merseyside. It's not quite a ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ story, but the change in personality is far from fiction.
The Personable
Upon his arrival, Brendan seems to be a people's person. He was a breath of fresh air from Benitez who had his fair share of media spats. He was a manager of a different ilk compared …
Alberto and Markovic, do Liverpool waste talent?
Why have a Ferrari, a Porsche and a Lamborghini if you're just going to lock them away, rarely use them yet continuously talk about having them.
"Yeah, look at the videos of how quick they can go. Imagine how good it'll be when I finally use them, right?!"
Is this scenario not what happens when Liverpool sign these 'wonderkids'? We sign a player that's hyped by the masses yet genuinely seen by very few. Games like Fifa and Football Manager …
Do Liverpool Have Squad Depth in Midfield?
Much has been made this summer about Liverpool buying in bulk again. Many fans believe we now have the numbers to compete in the many competitions we'll be involved in this coming season. The question is however not 'if' Liverpool have the numbers but whether they've got the requisite quality? After all, numbers don't always indicate quality, do they?
With that in mind myself and two others, Tom Dowan and John O'Sullivan, have decided to take a look at the …