Liverpool’s Defence: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
When the 2015-16 season came to an end, there was disappointment for Liverpool fans as the Reds failed to make it into European competition for the following season but it was shadowed by an anticipation for what the summer would bring. Jurgen Klopp is renowned for bringing exciting talent for very little money and when he dug his heels into the Bundesliga this summer, it did raise some excitement around Anfield. Joel Matip, Lloris Karius and Ragnar Klavan have all …
Klopp's First Miracle? Transforming Liverpool's Defence
Liverpool secured their third win of the week against Swansea, and in doing so extended their time without conceding a goal to 226 minutes. The clean sheet highlights perhaps the most surprising aspect of change since Klopp’s arrival - the sudden sturdiness of Liverpool’s defence. Whilst there have been strong attacking performances, particularly against Manchester City and Chelsea, it has been far more impressive how Liverpool conceded only two goals across three away fixtures against City, Chelsea and Tottenham.
The …
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 …
Mamadou Sakho - Laying the Foundations
A friend recently asked if I had a monthly reminder on my phone to put a tweet out about Sakho only having x amount of months left on his current deal. Sad to say I had to cancel that reminder now.
Myself and many more Liverpool fans got their wish on Friday when it was announced that Mamadou Sakho had signed a new deal with the club, committing his future to the Reds till 2020. It was welcomed news with …
Liverpool's Apple Pie Defence Lacking Basic Instinct
I should've been mad but that anger and resentment after a humbling loss subsides when it becomes a weekly occurrence, and it has with the Reds as of late. In the last 12 games we've conceded 2 and 3 to Manchester United, 3 to Crystal Palace, 3 to West Ham, 4 to Arsenal and 6 to Stoke City. I'm not used to this as a Liverpool fan. I grew up with Liverpool under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, we may …
Alberto Moreno: The Latest Left-Back Departure?
With rumours surrounding the future of Alberto Moreno, it's hard not to worry about the lack of left-backs that have managed to cement themselves at Liverpool in recent years.
When the popular Spaniard came to Anfield last summer, he impressed from the start with strong performances and that goal against Tottenham. However, since that spark of early form, he struggled and has since found himself out of favour in the Liverpool side.
Joe Gomez, the exciting young 18-year old from …
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 …
Do Liverpool Have Squad Depth in Defence?
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 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 squad …
A Review of the Liverpool Defence
A statistical review of goals conceded
A disappointing season came to an abrupt end against Stoke with a defensive performance that made my Sunday league side look as solid as Chelsea.
Yet in the aftermath of the defeat it seems the popular consensus is the attack is the main reason we didn't finish top 4 this season. The idea seems to be if Daniel Sturridge was fit we'd have finished top 4 with ease. We'll never know this for sure …
Personnel Over System - Why the Current Form?
"It's the new defensive coach that we got in that everybody thought we needed. That has done the trick"- Brendan Rodgers after the win at Southampton. Basking in his own glory post-Southampto similarly to a man embracing the smell of his own fart. We witnessed a very smug Brendan Rodgers deliver that quote with a wry smile at the end of it. You can't argue with the facts, Liverpool have been infinitely better defensively since the change …