The Long Term Fabinho Replacement

Since Fabinho arrived at Anfield in 2018, he’s been able to cement himself as one of the top 5 defensive midfielders in world football. Even if you were to look at him just a few months back, you wouldn’t doubt his long term ability to anchor a midfield to an elite level, until perhaps...

Tier 2 Shopping: The Smart Money

When you look at the transfers that Liverpool have made under Jurgen Klopp, the key factor over that body of work stands out a mile. The ability to consistently take players to the next level isn’t a skill too many coaches have been able to evidence. Certain managers can improve a player no doubt,...

Succession

Effective succession planning is the key to sustained growth and success for organisations of all types - and football clubs are no different. For Liverpool, I feel a disjointed approach to succession planning has led to the club's recent on-field woes.  The model FSG had developed and put in place at Liverpool was inspired by...

The Liverpool Crisis: We’ve Been Here Before

It's no secret that the Reds have been on a bit of a dreary start to the 2022-23 campaign. The Premier League season started with 2 points from 3 games, and it hasn't really been much better since than. Liverpool currently sits 9th in the Premier League, with 16 points from 12 games, and...

Firmino Contract: Sense not Sentiment

There’s something that the kop wants you to know…Certain myths and tales can outgrow the reality as potentially the hardest personal decision of Jurgen Klopp’s reign approaches. Roberto Firmino will rightly leave Anfield as a legend whenever that time arrives. With January approaching, a player Klopp described as ‘an incredibly important player to me...

Who Are Liverpool’s Premier League Competitors This Year

For the last few years, Manchester City would be the early season team compared to Liverpool in the Premier League title race. This early season looks like a one horse race (Arsenal will inevitably fall away), and the Reds currently languish within mid table mediocrity, though thankfully not as lowly as their blue neighbours,...

Liverpool 2 – 0 Napoli – The Champions League Post-Mortem

With the group stages of this year’s Champions League drawing to a close, the Reds managed to ignore recent form and put together a very solid performance. Napoli arrived with a very strong side, and a clear intention to be the first Italian club to win all 6 group games in the European Cup....

Who Could Be A Right Wing Target In The 4-4-2

It seems after the last few weeks, that we are starting to settle on a formation (or two). It also seems that the most recent pre-season blue print (Mo wide etc) has been scrapped, and we are now in full adaptation mode. What wasn’t working needed rectifying, and the next two months have to...

Is it time for Trent Alexander-Arnold to play in midfield for Liverpool?

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so is it time for Liverpool to give Trent Alexander-Arnold the midfield role he once shone in? Another week, another bleak feeling of emptiness as a Reds supporter. Last Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds was arguably the nadir of the season to date, as the grim results keep...

Liverpool 2 – 0 Napoli – Champions League Man Of The Match

Man Of The Match Ibrahima Konate This was a giant return for the formidable defender. He took on the challenge posed by the brilliant Osimhen, and matched him stride for stride. He was dominant, aggressive, fast paced, and effective in carrying out the ball. The team needs this player, and his towering presence allowed the perfect Virgil...

Liverpool 2 – 0 Napoli – Champions League Player Ratings

Starting XI Alisson Becker - 7.0 Was maybe a consideration to come out, but his importance in keeping his team in games is clear. Very little to do, except for the odd pot shot in the opening half. Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7.0 Was surprisingly taken off against Leeds. Was tested by a pacy attack, and was pretty reserved...

Liverpool v Napoli – The Champions League Preview

Both teams are qualified, so the team sheets could be much changed from the norm. The Italian visitors are flying high in Serie A right now, so will probably take this game to fully rotate their traveling squad of table toppers. Napoli will finish top of the group regardless, so hopefully (for the reds)...

Does Jurgen Need To Switch To A 3-4-3 Formation

With the Liverpool team's on-going issues, there’s also going to be endless antidotes to solve the problems at hand. To start from the top (then all the way down), below probably represents all the pieces that need change, apparently: The Ownership - FSG The Sporting Director - Julian Ward The Chairman - Tom Werner (FSG) The CEO -...

Liverpool Stars to Look Out for at the World Cup

This year’s World Cup in Qatar is going to be a unique tournament, as it is taking place midway through the Premier League season. Liverpool’s final game before the league pauses for the World Cup will come on the 12th of November. Here is a look at which Liverpool players will be featuring at the 2022...

Liverpool F.C Loan Watch: October 29th and 30th

Billy Koumetio (Austria Wien) Koumetio was not selected in the team for Austria Wien's 2-1 win over Altach. Koumetio instead played the full 90 for Austria Wien II in Austria's 2. Liga. Austria Wien II lost 5-0 to SKN St. Poelten, which puts them 1 point away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Austria Wien's win...

Liverpool vs Napoli: Full XI or Kids?

Liverpool's 3-0 win over Ajax on Wednesday night clinched their spot in the knockout round of the UCL. This puts Liverpool in a familiar position: one game left to play, with nothing on the line. In the extremely rare event that Liverpool beat Napoli by 4, Liverpool would finish first in Group A. However,...

Liverpool 1 – 2 Leeds – The Postmortem

Decline can be gradual, and decline can usually be hard for supporters to take, but any sporting decline requires reaction from those tasked with running said sporting entities. On Saturday night we saw Liverpool FC run 11km less than their opponents (Leeds United), as reported by Anfield Index’s own Simon Brundish. I’m not a...

Liverpool 1 – 2 Leeds – Premier League Player Ratings

Alisson Becker - 5.0 Had to once again produced wonders, especially at 1-1. Was badly let down for Leeds' goal, and showed great character to keep his side in the first half. Was again busy with hands and feet in a rather frenetic second period. Maybe could have done better for the winning goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold...

Darwin Núñez & His Importance To This Team

I once visited the Amsterdam Arena many many years ago on a youth football trip. We were due to play some games, take advantage of the low drinking age (16 years old back in 1996), and generally have a fun filled trip abroad. The Johan Cruyff Arena is a wonderful venue to visit, and...

Ajax 0 – 3 Liverpool – The Post-mortem

The end result was spectacular, some moments were brilliant, the score line (especially away to Ajax) emphatic, and Liverpool qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The reds opening game saw them humbled by a terrifying Napoli outfit, so to meet them next week (with both sides now qualified) is nothing short...

Just how many shots is Darwin Núñez taking?

Darwin Núñez is currently taking 7.37 shots per 90 in the Premier League. That seems good, right? But just how good is it? Is it sustainable? If it is, what does that mean about his potential goal scoring for Liverpool? And how drunk would you get if you took a shot every time he...

Curtis Jones: Hard to picture a last-chance saloon

Certain Liverpool players will always polarise fans. That’s been true for decades and even those with great CV’s like Ronnie Whelan have felt the sting at some points. In the current side there are many candidates but based on Saturday's defeat to Forest, Curtis Jones’ surprising start shot him straight to the forefront. Many...

Liverpool v Leeds – The Premier League Preview

Saturday night will see two historical English sides collide, in what is certain to be an entertaining evening of football. I’ve just had a look at the TV listings (I don’t really watch TV), and if you’re looking to avoid the horrid choice of The Voice or Strictly Come Dancing, then a night under...

All Aboard the Nunez Rollercoaster…

Whatever the opinions… and there are many… it’s impossible to deny Darwin Nunez is a compelling watch. Box office by all accounts. The Uruguayan has been ridiculed by many as a source of enjoyment, with snippets or clips of his performances leading to sweeping judgements and damnation of his ability to play at this...

Fábio Carvalho – The Kid Isn’t Ready Yet

The long process in finally signing young Fábio Carvalho came to a close in the summer, with the Fulham target finally making the move to Merseyside. When he arrived, he was to be the understudy in a couple of positions, with senior and established operators ahead of him. When he did finally arrive, Liverpool...

Fabinho: The Conversation that’s Getting Harder to Ignore

Sometimes problems can stare you in the face no matter how much you may want to ignore them. There’s been plenty of examples this season for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. As the weeks and games go by, it’s becoming increasingly impossible to bury any concerns Reds may have around Fabinho. Too many games have...

Tony Evans: The Henderson Haters Will Never Go Away

Jordan Henderson has a new autobiography out. It will make for interesting reading. Henderson is the most misunderstood and maligned player of the FSG era. He was bought for a position where he was rarely used. Kenny Dalglish envisioned him and Stewart Downing pinging crosses in for Andy Carroll but it never happened. Why? Luis...

Why Liverpool Aren’t Signing Jude Bellingham

Erling Haaland Kylian Mbappe Diego Costa David Silva Yevhen Konoplyanka Sergio Aguero Bruno Fernandes Matteus Nunes Saul Niguez Aurélien Tchouaméni Timo Werner The above listed players represents an extended list of Liverpool targets, that never actually signed for the Merseyside club. This is purely a list off the top my head and would’ve been based around social media speculation, back-page transfer news, and...

Liverpool can sign Jude Bellingham… if top-four finish allows them to

The summer transfer window was rightly dominated by talk of Liverpool signing a new central midfielder, with their inability to do so proving to be unacceptable. We're not counting Arthur, because I'm not even sure he's a real person at this point! Aurelien Tchouameni emerged as a genuine target but opted to join Real Madrid, and...

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool

Another week, another poor Liverpool performance. How has this team fallen so far? From chasing an unprecedented quadruple to losing to the team who entered and ended the weekend bottom of the league. Liverpool lost four matches in all of last season. Four defeats in 63 games. This season couldn't be more different. In...