Diogo Jota - When You Can't Be Good, Be Lucky
Diogo Jota lost something when Liverpool won 6-1 against Leeds United on Monday, though what he retained and gained at Elland Road could prove to be far more important.
The most obvious thing he lost was the ball. A lot. The 26-year-old turned over possession (through mis-controls and unsuccessful touches) on five occasions when the rest of the team did so nine times between them. The 2-0 ‘home’ win over RB Leipzig in 2021 was Jota’s only previous match for …
Jürgen Klopp's Midfield Unit
Hello again Anfield Index, it's been a while. Sorry I've taken some time since my last article, but apparently being in the final year of your degree is quite time-consuming. Moving on, in this piece I will be attempting to analyse what I consider the most important component of any Klopp system: the midfield. Most will tell you that Klopp's preferred shape is a 4-2-3-1, which I agree with, and I'll start by discussing what the manager tends to expect from …
Sturridge, Firmino and Coutinho - Opponents Should Fear Us
"Where are the goals going to come from?" was probably amongst the top five questions Liverpool fans have asked in 2015. It's not like there wasn't cause for concern either, saying the Reds looked blunt up front would've been polite. The toothless attack is a mixture of Daniel Sturridge having shares in the injury table market, Brendan Rodgers playing systems that isolated strikers and latterly the misfortune of having injuries to Christian Benteke and Danny Ings.
Liverpool have scored a …
Coutinho: Why Confidence and Pressing Matters
The struggles of Philippe Coutinho in recent weeks have been well documented on this website. The diminutive Brazilian hasn't had the best of times since his beautiful long-range winner at Stoke City on the opening day of the season.
So what has been the issue for Coutinho? Lack of options in front of him? Lack of players he trusts around him? External factors causing a loss of confidence? Or all of the above?
Let's look at the lack of options to …
The Two Dannys - Sturridge and Ings: Ready Made Strikeforce
Liverpool have had a few prolific partnerships in their history, a few spring to mind instantly with very little thought. John Toshack and Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Michael Owen, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and of course Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Some were integral in title winning sides, others important in winning European trophies whilst others played a dominant role in Liverpool finishing second and giving us one …
If There's Hope, It Lies in The Goals
From 101 to 52. The drop in the amount of goals scored by Liverpool from the 2013/14 season to the 2014/15 season was stark, and was a result of their meek, submissive, and wholly unconvincing performances during the last campaign.
One of the consistent themes throughout the aforementioned seasons was poor defending, both individually and as a unit. The Reds’ goal difference at the end of the 2014/15 season was a mere +4, as the error strewn defence which had …
The Formula to Win the League
The Premiership is just around the corner. In a recent article, I came up with specific plan of action on how to win the league by focusing almost exclusively on the 'Bottom 14' teams. This article looks to explore a list of specific parameters that can help Liverpool win the league based on the managers recent results with Liverpool. It will explore what Jose Mourinho does against his top 4 rivals in the Premiership, look for the likely amount of …
Danny Ings Isn't That Offensive
The news broke last night on Twitter. Mass hysteria, a fan base divided (no change there then) and for once it wasn't about the defensive midfielder subject, instead it was about a potential deal to bring Burnley Striker Danny Ings to Anfield, the meltdown that followed was borderline apocalyptic. Granted, It is in the opinion of the fanbase as a whole Liverpool should be looking at a better standard of player, in a league other than England. However, is Danny …
The Importance of Sturridge's Return
Daniel Sturridge, perhaps Liverpool's best striker, has returned to regular first team training after being injured for almost five months with thigh and calf problems. Since Sturridge's injury Liverpool have been faced with an agonisingly painful shortage of goals and with his return, the fans are expecting that factor to be eliminated.
Sturridge was set to be on the bench in the Capital One Cup tie against Chelsea, but that was not to be. He was deemed unfit to start …
MariNO Balotelli
"They tried to take him back to Italy but we said no, no, no"
- Amy Winehouse, kind of.
When he signed for the Reds in the summer of 2014 it was set up for the Italian striker to live up to his nickname, Super Mario. However this hasn't been the case as of yet, but one thing is for sure, wherever he's played it's safe to say Mario Balotelli has divided fans opinion.
"He's lazy and disruptive" is treated …