Ageism Is Working Against James Milner

When a footballer hits 30, or at least in and around that age, something instantly changes in the way they are perceived by supporters. Every bad performance is suddenly due to their advancing years, every misplaced pass is because they’re not as young as they once were and they are used as target practice every...

Brighton v Liverpool Preview – Potential banana skin on the coast for Reds

The Details Venue - Amex Stadium, Brighton Referee - Kevin Friend Date & Time - Saturday, January 12th @ 15:00 Current Odds - Brighton 8/1, Draw 9/2, Liverpool 3/10 Form Brighton Form After a three-game losing streak during December, Brighton are now undefeated in their last four matches in all competitions. Those games include an impressive win at Bournemouth in the FA Cup last weekend...

Liverpool’s Important Goals And Who’s Scoring Them

Liverpool have played 21 league games so far. In those games, they have scored 49 goals, at 2.33 goals per game. Of those 21 goals, Liverpool have scored 23 goals when they’ve been losing or drawing, taking the lead in 18 games and equalising in two of the other three. The Reds have scored...

Ajax Pair Could Help Liverpool’s Title Bid

The January transfer window is now open. After Liverpool’s first defeat of the Premier League season to rivals Manchester City, it is possible that manager Jurgen Klopp could be tempted to dip into the transfer market. Liverpool still hold a four-point lead at the top of the Premiership and whilst the current squad may have Klopp’s...

Liverpool’s Midfield – Still Not Consistent Enough

Liverpool's unbeaten start in the league came to an end last week, which prompted old insecurities in the supporters. A lot of finger-pointing and scapegoating has taken place since. When the starting line-ups were announced there were only two ways it was going to go - the Reds don't lose, and nobody cares, or...

Operation CupOut Complete: Wolves 2-1 Liverpool

Ah, the magic of the FA Cup... Is there another competition in the world that would allow Liverpool supporters a moment to sit back and appreciate their front-line starters more than this?  How about that squad depth am I right? You could tell Jurgen Klopp was really feeling the magic.  He revered the cup so much...

Player Ratings as Liverpool are eliminated from FA Cup

This game was always going to be a strange one. Should Klopp go for it and risk injuries to key players in the midst of a genuine title challenge? Or should he play a youthful eleven, succumbing a chance to obtain his first piece of silverware since taking over for Brendan Rodgers? Many fans hoped...

Can Liverpool Win the Title?

Although January started with a loss the race for the title is still on, with Liverpool and Manchester City locked in a battle for the top slot. The current champions are not going to back down lightly, if not only to hold their gloat over United and maintain their 'bigger team' ranking within Manchester...

Why Liverpool Were Wrong To Loan Nathaniel Clyne

Today, it was announced that Liverpool had agreed a deal with Bournemouth to loan out Nathaniel Clyne until the end of the season. The deal will not come with an option to buy for the south coast club – with the deal merely understood to be put in place for the 27-year-old to play...

Oxlade-Chamberlain return to provide perfect boost for the run-in

Jurgen Klopp’s recent confirmation that Oxlade-Chamberlain is ahead of schedule in his return from injury following a knee ligament injury that threatened to derail all chances of featuring during the 2018/19 campaign is, in many ways, the perfect gift anyone could’ve asked for going into the New Year. Anyone who watched Liverpool with any interest...

Wolves v Liverpool FA Cup Preview – With The Reds’ focus elsewhere, will Wolves pounce?

The Details Venue - Molineux, Wolverhampton Referee - Paul Tierney Date & Time - Monday, January 7th @ 19:45 Current Odds - Wolves 29/10, Draw 27/10, Liverpool 1/1 Form Wolves Form Nuno Espirito Santo's side have shown some real inconsistency in recent months. Wolves currently sit 9th in the Premier League table though so they would have to be very happy with that upon their...

City Display Demonstrates Reds Are Ready To Deliver

Liverpool suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season at the hands of Manchester City, in a hard-fought, gripping match that ended 2-1 to the Citizens. But whilst in many respects this game felt like a title-decider, the reality is that it is anything but. Whilst it was a must-win for City, and...

Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown

The beautiful game, and two of its best proponents in a tête-à-tête. Manchester City, the Emirati bankrolled behemoth, against Liverpool; the old kid on the block, desperate to reclaim lost territory. Guardiola, the purist football scholar versus Klopp, an underappreciated genius. It was supposed to be a tight game. It wasn't. One team was clearly...

Dejan Lovren’s deja vu

For many, Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City must’ve felt like a rerun of a movie you’d seen plenty of times throughout the years. A midfield three lacking creativity, picked solely for their energy and experience of the system being deployed, was swarmed by counterparts possessing superior quality both on and off of the ball....

Time To Respond, Liverpool

Thursday's narrow defeat at the Etihad was, in many ways, the perfect depiction of football. A game primed on fine margins, Liverpool could easily have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to ten points but for a desperate goal-line clearance. Technology would reveal the ball was within just 1.12 centimetres of crossing...

Observations as Liverpool lose their cloak of invincibility at the Etihad

Well... That was a bit shit, wasn't it? Many of us went into the game praying that Liverpool don't lose tonight, and for large parts of the game, it seemed as though the players heard the prayers as Liverpool were largely in their shell. Liverpool needed an Aguero goal at the Etihad (for the...

Key Stats As Reds’ Unbeaten Run Collapses

Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of title-rivals Manchester City to blow the title race wide open. But what were the key stats from an exciting and extremely painful 2-1 defeat at the Etihad? 1.1CM You always felt that that might be the moment the game was lost. Football is one...

Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool: What went wrong?

Liverpool have been beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season. It was closely-fought, but Manchester City, the ultimate in title rivals, were deserved winners. The Reds were punished for their first real defensive lapse late in the first half when Sergio Aguero lathered it past Alisson but managed to snatch an...

Reds stutter as superb City end the unbeaten run

That Brexit midfield. That Dejan Lovren. Why? Just why? Liverpool finished second-best in all departments as they lost 2-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, and saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to four points, with seventeen games left to play. Leroy Sane scored the winner for City after Sergio...

Player Ratings as City beat Liverpool to close the gap

Lots of talk about City’s injuries in the last few weeks and the difference there was that the Reds missed key defenders, whilst the hosts had Fernandinho back to deliver a Man of the Match performance. Liverpool have played better and worse his season, they’ll walk away rueing a potential Kompany red and the introduction...

Liverpool fancied to retain unbeaten record at Manchester City

Liverpool visit Manchester City on Thursday aiming to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League standings. The Reds hold a six-point advantage over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur heading into the game, with the reigning champions a further point behind in third. The home side will be without defenders Joe Gomez and Joel Matip for...

Liverpool 2018: The Coppack Awards

Look, this is a bit of a cheat. I’ll admit that. You see, your Anfield Index writers tend to pore over pages of data, argument and counter-argument before committing words to page or screen. That’s not to say that I don’t do the same, but the end of a year allows us to do something...

More to Mo Salah’s game than goals

The Premier League has seen few goalscorers more prolific than Mohamed Salah. After hitting a record 32 last season, the Egyptian is going strong once again in the Golden Boot race. If he carries on finding the net at the current rate, he'll reach the 25-goal mark before the end of the campaign. The battle...

Why there’s every reason to believe Liverpool can win the league

Supporting this Liverpool team is a real joy at the moment. After an incredible December, the mighty Reds sit at the top of the table. A healthy 7 point lead over nearest rivals City. If that kind of lead had been offered to any Liverpool fan a month ago, every fan would have bitten...

How Michael Edwards has ruined the Transfer Window for me

The year has come to an end. As we move into the new year, it is supposed to be an exciting time for us football fans - the games are coming in thick and fast over this festive period, and there is more opportunity for us to revel in what Jurgen's Mighty Reds are...

Why I Cannot Get Too Bullish About This Liverpool Team

Like many other lovers of football, I’m quite superstitious. When I used to play it was everything from my pre-match food to which sock or shin pad I put on first. As a fan watching it extends to wearing a certain shirt or having a certain drink. It’s mad and obviously has no impact...

Manchester City v Liverpool Preview – This is the big one…

The Details Venue - Etihad Stadium, Manchester Referee - Anthony Taylor Date & Time - Thursday, January 3rd @ 20:00 Current Odds - Manchester City 26/25, Draw 14/5, Liverpool 13/5 Form Manchester City Form December proved to be a tough month for Manchester City as they suffered two league defeats in a row, at home to Crystal Palace and then away to Leicester City. City have...

Scintillating Liverpool Are Sending Out A Statement

Well, that was something, wasn’t it? Liverpool clearly enjoy playing Arsenal, as Bobby Firmino turned the heat up to eleven, ably supported by Salah and Mané as ever, with Gini Wijnaldum – another player who always turns up to play Arsenal – dominating the midfield, as well as typically great performances from the likes...

Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal: A Tactical Breakdown

The Times’ David Walsh called Liverpool’s 5-1 deconstruction of Arsenal “their best performance of the season”. Liverpool barely pushed themselves. This was a clinical, ruthless and efficient dismembering of Arsenal, and precisely why Pep Guardiola said Liverpool are "the best team in the world right now". To thoroughly outplay Arsenal, score five goals, and...

Is it time to reconsider Jordan Henderson in a midfield two?

The selection of Jordan Henderson in a midfield pivot has long been met with derision by Liverpool fans, but is it time to reconsider the skipper's capabilities in the position? Henderson was often the main midfield driver during his earlier years at the club, moving in from right midfield to partner Steven Gerrard in the...