Fabinho Done - Faster Than A Speeding Edwards
It’s two days after the Champions League final and the dissection of the game has barely even ended. The discussion, as these discussions are wont to do, turns to the state of Liverpool’s squad after what has been a very exciting but ultimately unsuccessful season – at least in terms of silverware.
As heated debates between like-minded but disagreeing individuals tend to do, the discussion zeroed in on the issue of defensive midfield. On and on and on we discussed. …
Lascelles or Tarkowski: Who's the Better Fit?
The wheels of Liverpool’s busy summer have already begun spinning.
Even as they head to a Champions League final, rumours have been rife regarding those who will arrive in the summer: The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reported that Michael Edwards has been tasked with finding a centre-half partner for Liverpool’s perceived most important signing in recent memory, Virgil van Dijk.
The first two names out of the block share a nationality, and were both unfortunate to not make Gareth Southgate’s twenty-three-man …
Are Liverpool 'listos' for La Liga signings?
AIPro's Dave Hendrick took his A-Eye Scouted series to Spain this week for a look at La Liga. Journalist Karl Matchett was along for the ride to give his take on eight hidden gems of Spanish football that could be a fit for the Reds. I'm not sure which contributor was Don Quixote and which was Sancho Panza on this epic search but they came up with some intriguing suggestions for the next Spanish Liverpool star.
La Liga has always …
Quality Over Quantity - A Quiet Summer for LFC?
Liverpool are rapidly heading towards yet another pivotal summer for the club. With the type of manager than Jürgen Klopp is, and the way that Liverpool are developing – not to mention the current Premier League climate – every single transfer window feels absolutely vital.
But in many respects, the constant overhype of every window, the questions of how this side will develop and how big the overhaul will be are contrary to Klopp’s own way of looking at things, …
Why Rúben Neves Would Be Liverpool's Midfield Conductor
There will always be archetypes that footballers fit into. Creators, destroyers, poachers, leaders, midfield maestros.
That “maestro” trope will be overused, as is the tendency of footballing media. It’s natural to categorise, but what exactly does that trope mean? Maestro? Is he a magic-wielding passer of the ball? Is he tricky with his feet, guiding defenders one way while fully intending to go the other? Does he possess trickery or guile? Is he selfish or will he play others in? …
Analysing Liverpool’s Finances and Transfer Activity
When it comes to football, there are few things less interesting then examining sets of accounts. However, the audited set of figures released by Liverpool in the first week of March each year give one of the clearest indications of the off-field standing of the club and its ability to effectively challenge on the pitch. This article aims to explain why the club’s net spend in recent seasons has appeared to be so relatively low, examines the story behind the …
Klopp’s Miracle: Turning Water into Wine, & Making Money at the Same Time
Jurgen Klopp has improved Liverpool all over the pitch, quite literally, since arriving in October 2015.
But unlike some of his managerial rivals, he’s done so without spending money in the transfer market. ‘Net Spend’ is a much scoffed at phrase in modern football, but to transform Liverpool into the gegenpressing, offensive monster we often see now, from the weary, possession-obsessed ‘animal’ it was at the end of Brendan Rodgers’ reign – while making £34m – is nothing short of …
A Mystery Man Cometh: Liverpool Signing Anderson Arroyo
We were promised a mystery signing, and boy did Liverpool deliver…
Since we didn’t get the traditional, drawn-out transfer saga with this new addition, I’ll set the scene for you.
AN EMERALD IN THE ROUGH
50km inland from the black sands of Colombia’s Pacific coast, between Medellin and Cali is the small city of Quidbó, capital of Chocó. A visually stunning region, largely cut-off from the rest of the country; some towns and villages there are inaccessible by road. Most …
Scouting Christian Pulisic: Dortmund's Teenage Sensation
At 1-1, Dortmund’s recent failures stared them in the face. Julian Nagelsmann – the manager they’ve been pursuing as a means of ailing all their woes suffered under previous incumbents – was about to grind out a great result at the Signal Iduna Park. Hoffenheim had taken a first-half lead but the lack of attacking impetus had come back to bite them in the rear-end as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nailed an equaliser in the sixty-third minute.
Then stepped up the American …
5 Players to Replace Phil Coutinho
Thomas Lemar
The man who this writer once described as being the creative force behind Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar is the man being touted as the replacement for Phillipe Coutinho. There’s a good reason Monaco’s price tag is yet to waver from the €90 million mark – that is the reflection of his importance to Leonardo Jardim’s side.
Though a winger by position, Lemar’s dribbling ability and creative incision are belied by a willingness to do the hard yards, and …