Hot and Cold; why are Liverpool so inconsistent?
Inconsistency has been a hallmark of Liverpool's performances since the start of Brendan Rodgers' tenure in 2012, but why do Liverpool still struggle to put together a string of successive good performances, or put a small handful of fantastic performances in between a sandwich of dull, slow and rather boring ones?
There is no clear answer to Liverpool's contrasting performances over the past few seasons, but a few standout factors, such as injuries, confidence amongst the team, changes in tactical systems, uncertainty …
The Mignolet Problem
What a week it has been so far for Liverpool fans. With the arrival of Steven Caulker on a six month emergency loan, something that split fans' opinions, the news that Joel Matip has allegedly agreed a contract with Liverpool and will walk away from Schalke on a free transfer during the summer, news that will no doubt be greeted with glee once it's announced officially and finally the news that goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has signed a five and a …
Time is the Best Remedy for Benteke's Form
Christian Benteke has been subject to heavy criticism amongst the Liverpool fanbase in recent weeks, with some drawing parallels between his and Andy Carroll's fateful move to Liverpool. Yet in the league, Benteke has made 15 appearances, started on 10 occasions, and scored five, and even chipped in with one assist. In comparison, Luis Suarez in his first season for the club (played 12 in the league), only managed four goals and three assists. When considering these figures, criticism of Benteke …
Three Liverpool Problems Even Jurgen Klopp Cannot Fix
For many Liverpool supporters the arrival of Jurgen Klopp was a godsend.
The charismatic and passionate German has been a breath of fresh air on Merseyside and in English football. He has rejuvenated Liverpool and masterminded incredible away wins at Chelsea and Manchester City. He even made Dejan Lovren look not-so-terrible.
But as much as we all swoon over Klopp's excellence, he is in fact not a god. He faces the same challenges as Brendan Rodgers did. Yes he is …
The Coutinho Conundrum
In recent weeks, Liverpool have put on three stellar displays: dismembering Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton all away from home, and yet there have also been some dire, and rather boring affairs - the Newcastle and Sion matches, and to an extent the Swansea match were all too familiar and brought back bad memories of the last few weeks of Brendan Rodgers' campaign and the lacklustre season before it.
In these games, there seemed to be a distinct lack of …
Newcastle Utd vs. Liverpool: Team News, Key Stats & Predictions
Klopp's Liverpool continue to impress, moving up to sixth in the league with three points against Swansea at Anfield, before thumping six past a full strength Southampton side at St Mary's midweek in the Capital One Cup Quarter-Final. Steve McClaren's Newcastle, on the other hand, are probably alongside Aston Villa as the worst team, on form, in the Premier League. They were very lucky to take three points against Bournemouth, and many reports are suggesting the former England boss has …
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 …
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 …
Manchester City Vs Liverpool Preview | Tactics, Team News & Stats
Liverpool suffered defeat against Crystal Palace, at Anfield, followed by a two week international break, so what is the ideal match to follow that? Erm, not Manchester City away. And yet, it might be ideal - as expectations will be low, some of the Reds' key players have had time to rest and train, others are closer to returning from injury and we've fared better away from home this season, especially considering the fixture difficulty. Pellegrini's team, though, are rightly …