Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Klopp’s key to unlock midfield’s potential?
It was a return to form that was one of the most welcome in recent memory.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who endeared himself to Liverpool fans everywhere during the 2017/18 season, reminded Reds last night what they’ve missed during his arduous absence after his cruel knee injury.
The dominant, powerful and threatening Ox was back with a bang, scoring two fabulous goals and putting in a solid all-round performance in Liverpool’s comfortable 1-4 win over Genk – giving a timely reminder that …
Why Gini Being Let Out Of His Bottle Would Boost Liverpool
It wouldn't be an international break in the last year or so without two things happening.
One, Liverpool fans worrying about any of their stars being injured in a meaningless friendly on the other side of the globe; or two, the timelines of Reds fans being festooned with clips of Georginio Wijnaldum plundering goals for the Dutch national team.
The Netherlands manager, Ronald Koeman invariably plays Wijnaldum as the most advanced midfielder, ahead of Frenkie De Jong and Marten de …
Genk 1-4 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown
So it begins. A gruelling period for Liverpool’s squad which will only leave three full rest days until the 23rd January (that’s days between games that are not classed as recovery).
However, this particular fixture carried a little extra weight. Having won seventeen consecutive league matches, Liverpool put in one of their worst displays over the past year, with a drab, insipid and utterly dull affair against Manchester United, for all but fifteen minutes. Having already lost one group stage …
Why Mo Salah Will Take Centre-Stage For Liverpool
Sadio Mané and Mo Salah have both been making headlines this season for Liverpool. And rightly so. Mané has scored nine goals with one assist in all competitions, whilst Mo has seven goals and four assists. Both players have also this week been nominated for the Ballon D’Or along with four other Liverpool players (Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino).
But there’s also been talk of a bit of friction between the two, although that’s mostly just …
Genk 1-4 Liverpool: Who Was Man of the Match?
A win on the road in the Champions’ League Group Stage - only had to wait 2 years for it. Genk posed a bit of a threat, mainly from offside positions, but the Reds came out comfortable victors. It was a shame to not be able to see out the game with a clean sheet, but when you’ve got Dejan Lovren in the team you have to accept that goals will be scored against you. With that said, let’s get …
Observations as Liverpool prove too good for Genk
The performance wasn't perfect, but the result certainly wasn't far off. Liverpool exposed the gulf class in a commanding victory which leaves them well-placed to continue their title defence into the knockout stages.
Stephen Odey's 88th-minute clean sheet buster proved the only blemish after thirty dazzling second-half minutes.
Revamped midfield showcases its potential
Scores of Liverpool fans on social media greeted the evening's team news with immense excitement after Jurgen Klopp deployed Fabinho, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita for their …
Four Years of Jürgen Klopp - Part 4: The Black Comedy
This month marks four years since Jürgen Klopp took charge at Anfield and began the process of transforming the Reds from Premier League also-rans into one of the dominant teams in world football. I’ve been reminiscing about some of the crucial games and moments that have stood out over that period.
You can read the previous entries in the series here:
Part 1: Liverpool 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Part 2: Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool
Part 3: Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund
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What's the point in VAR?
I was wrong about VAR. When it first emerged that the Premier League would be introducing it, I was an advocate of it. After years of watching penalties appeals being turned down, I thought it’d be a huge plus for Liverpool.
In real-time, referees can miss things. In my naive mind, I believed the chance to review these questionable calls would right many wrongs. However, I didn’t take into account the fact officials would be so reluctant to overturn a …
Jurgen Klopp's tactical masterclass against Manchester United
It’s been described by parts of the Manchester United media as an Ole Gunnar Solskjær masterclass.
The Red Devils took to the Old Trafford pitch for the match against Liverpool with one purpose. It wasn’t to win, it was simply not to lose. It’s been a common theme over recent seasons with the power shift between the two sides becoming more and more evident. United used to be the clear favourites in these clashes. Now they aren’t even the favourites …
Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown
On Sunday afternoon, perhaps the worst United side in living memory lined up against arguably the best Liverpool side in living memory, and most certainly the best side in the Premier League era.
With Mohamed Salah unavailable through injury, Sadio Mané was positioned on the right of Liverpool’s 4-3-3, and Divock Origi on the left. Conceptually, even without Salah, these two forwards were supposed to operate inside United’s wingbacks, and attack the spaces outside of the centre-backs. From this, it …