Observations from Liverpool’s comfortable night against Maribor

Three goals, three points and an efficient performance. The Reds are back, kind of, with the Champions League last 16 well in sight. From the top of the main stand, where I sat for the first time (pleasantly surprised at noise), what did I observe? Daniel Sturridge Yes, I’m starting with a substitute scoring in the last...

Liverpool 3-0 Maribor – Player Ratings from Liverpool’s defeat of Maribor

Liverpool produced a carbon copy of the weekend performance against Huddersfield, to put themselves in control of Group E in the UEFA Champions League. After an insipid first-half display, goals from Mo Salah, Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge gave the Reds a 3-0 win over a plucky Maribor in the rather quiet confines of...

Liverpool 3 – 0 Maribor: Patience the most important virtue again

The Details Date: 1/11/17 Venue: Anfield, Liverpool Background Liverpool came into this game as hot favourites after disposing of the same opposition 7-0 in Slovenia two weeks ago. They could all-but-guarantee qualification to the knockout stages with three points tonight and maintain pole position at the top of the group ahead of Sevilla. Klopp would have the opportunity to...

The Anfield Atmosphere

With Liverpool sitting in sixth place in the league and 12 points behind the leaders, Man City, the Twitter brigade are scavenging off poor displays from certain players or the team as a whole. Although our calamitous defence may be an issue, it is not as big as the issue which is unfolding around the...

Liverpool’s Chance to Turn a Corner

It’s fair to say that Liverpool haven’t been brilliant of late. Before the 3-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday Jurgen Klopp’s team had won twice in their last 10 games. This included frustrating draws to Newcastle, Spartak Moscow, Burnley and Sevilla and away embarrassments to City and Spurs. While the first half performance didn’t...

Dejan Lovren and Anti-Social Media

A few years ago I was working for a media sales company in London. It was the standard setup. I was charged with bringing in a set amount of revenue every quarter from a predetermined number of clients, both existing and warm. On top of that, I had to convert a number of cold contacts...

Liverpool v Maribor – Damage Limitation the only aim for Slovenian Champions

The Details   Venue - Anfield, Liverpool Referee - Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia) Date & Time - Wednesday, November 1st 2017 @ 19:45 BST Current Odds - Liverpool 1/25, Draw 20/1, Maribor 50/1 Form Since the 7-0 win in Slovenia, Liverpool have again displayed some jarring inconsistencies in their team performances. They were well beaten at Wembley by Spurs while showing a more patient, professional side...

Expected Distribution – Who Are Liverpool’s Creative Sources?

The AI Under Pressure team produced a graph showing what the ratio of expected goals per 90 minutes played and expected assists per 90 is for each player in the squad in the Premier League. Below is Simon Brundish’s tweet with the attached graph (each line on the graph is 1.0 xG+xA p90). The...

Klopp set to be vindicated over Oxlade-Chamberlain use

Jurgen Klopp has taken something of a beating from supporters in recent weeks from Liverpool fans criticising his signing, and resulting use, of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Much of that criticism has been fair. Whether or not you subscribe to the '£35M is the new £15M' club, it's okay to expect something of a quick return from...

Heavy Metal Isn’t Klopp’s Only Football

On the Anfield Index Pro Post-Match show after Liverpool beat Huddersfield 3-0, Simon Brundish talked about how the idea of Liverpool needing to play fast, flowing football every single game is a complete myth. He also highlighted our excellent form at the back end of last season where Liverpool had to grind out results,...

Liverpool 3-0 Huddersfield: A Tactical Breakdown

A calming remedy to the farcical display at Wembley against Spurs, but a hurdle which Liverpool were always expected to jump over rather comfortably. Liverpool's 3-0 victory, for the opening 45 minutes threatened to be a washout, as the Reds struggled, with an all-too-familiar drabness. In the second-half though, Liverpool sprung into life, with...

How to make consistent income from football betting?

Football and betting make an excellent combination as a large majority of football lovers also love backing their favourite players and/or teams through real- money wagers. Considering the huge fan following that popular football clubs enjoy, football has emerged as a very lucrative sport for betting purposes. If you’re interested in boosting your bankroll and...

Klopp Needs Our Support Now More Than Ever

My 3 part series "The Klopp Project" discussed some of the context around the club's current position and fortunes. Context is one thing, but the Spurs debacle at Wembley (Huddersfield result notwithstanding) put some things into perspective. It is undeniable that LFC and, perhaps more pertinently, Jurgen Klopp stands at a crossroad. It almost beggars...

Observations as Liverpool toil to a victory over Huddersfield

Liverpool toiled hard but eventually came out with much needed 3 points. The key takeaway moments from today's game. The Team Sheet The Liverpool fanbase were waiting with bated breath to see how many changes would be affected by Klopp. Ultimately it turned out to be not many, especially in the hotly debated positions. There would...

Why is Football So Popular? A Look at the Top Reasons Why It’s the Number One World Sport

There may be plenty of sports that are popular the world over, such as basketball (particularly in the US), baseball (most notably in Japan), and other sports, such as cricket and tennis, which have staked their claim in the hearts of millions. But there’s no denying the fact that the most popular sport in...

Liverpool 3 Huddersfield 0 – Player Ratings

Liverpool got back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, responding well after a dismal first-forty five threatened to increase fan frustration. The Reds went into the game with a lot of pressure having delivered such a poor performance against Spurs last week and it seemed all too familiar a story when their lack of...

Liverpool 3 – 0 Huddersfield Town: Patience shown to topple Terriers

The Details Date: 28/10/2017 Venue: Anfield, Liverpool Background Today, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool welcomed David Wagner's Huddersfield Town to Anfield. Klopp, surprisingly, had decided to keep the same defensive setup that faced Spurs. However, a change was forced as Lovren ended up getting injured in the warmup. Klavan came in to replace him. Coutinho was also out with a...

Breaking Free: Is Anyone Ready to Make the Grade at Liverpool?

We’re a quarter of the way through another frustrating season following Liverpool FC. Some stalwarts of the first team are proving they are not of the standard needed for the team to kick on and others have spent the first three months recovering from injury. Circumstance and last season’s form have led to the rise...

Klopp’s Stubbornness is Undermining His Elite Manager Tag

A regular feature anytime Klopp's Liverpool are in some form of a slump is the Rodgers-Klopp points comparison after so and so matches. It is a favourite whipping stick of a section of British pundits. Those stats are used without context as a dagger through the heart of another "foreigner" who has taken "the...

Liverpool v Huddersfield Preview – Key Battles

Jurgen Klopp and David Wagner are best buddies, and they couldn't have wished for more different circumstances than those facing them in the build-up to the first clash between the two as managers. Liverpool were humbled at Wembley against a strong Spurs side, with shooting themselves in the foot being the most recurring theme. Huddersfield,...

Red Rant: Inebriated and Recalibrated

Remember Freshman year of college?  OK, do you remember the people at least?  You probably knew that guy/girl who came in as Pre-Med and four years later, ended up barely squeaking through with a Communications degree.  Great guy, but keg races and frat house hijinks were more his thing than Friday nights in the...

Time For Joe Gomez To Step In At Centre-Back?

Dejan Lovren’s worryingly poor performance against Tottenham at the weekend could very well have opened the door for Joe Gomez to stake a claim at centre-back. Conceding 15 goals on the road tells the story in itself really, with three goals shipped against Watford, five against City and four at Spurs. To add insult to...

The Game of Errors – Spurs 4-1 Liverpool

I could scarcely believe my eyes, indeed, I was predisposed to turn off the television and hide. Yet even then, I couldn't bear to even cover my eyes, and instead watched in shock as Liverpool fell apart inside 20 minutes. Twenty minutes later though, and Liverpool were a few mere minutes away from somehow getting...

Liverpool v Huddersfield Town Preview – Wagner to unleash his Terriers?

The Details Venue - Anfield, Liverpool Referee - Kevin Friend Date & Time - Saturday, October 27th @ 15:00 BST Current Odds - Liverpool 1/5, Draw 6/1, Huddersfield 10/1 Form How do I write a "form" paragraph about this Liverpool side? How are they playing? There is nothing consistent about the season so far for me to detract any suitable, relevant information....

Nathaniel Clyne: Liverpool Are Missing Their Steadying Influence

Nathaniel Clyne is never going to be a player you try to emulate at school, at five-a-side or on Sunday league pitches. You’re never going to have his name on the back of your shirt. He is a footballer with very little flamboyance - a quiet character who gets on with his job and doesn’t...

Dejan Lovren: The Buck Doesn’t Stop There

Sometime after 4.15pm yesterday, a collection of mumbles, conversations and downright vitriol ran around the away section at Wembley. ‘He’s got to take him off.’ ‘We’re going to get battered here. Fuck’s sake, Jurgen.’ ‘Get that useless twat off now!’ Later on some people speculated that Dejan Lovren’s was the worst performance ever given by a Liverpool player....

Time For Under Pressure Klopp To Earn His Reputation

Liverpool’s lacklustre start to the season has threatened to escalate into a serious issue. The Reds have won just three of their opening nine league games, and just one of their opening three Champions League fixtures. The situation remains far from disastrous, they’re still in pole position to top their group in the UCL...

Gini Wijnaldum – Improve Or Be Dropped

I'm not usually a fan of criticising or singling out a player for a poor performance - especially considering the reactionary nature of some Liverpool supporters on social media or at the stadium. However, a string of below-par performances simply cannot be ignored. And in Georginio Wijnaldum's case, it's no different. The Rotterdam-born central midfielder...

Liverpool Supporters: From Doubters to Believers and Back

I was one of the doubters, I'm not going to lie. The last months of the Brendan Rodgers era were depressing. The team let the manager down, the fans down but most importantly they let the one true icon for a generation of supporters down in his last season. FSG decided to stick with...

Schooled and Lessons Unlearned – Tottenham 4 Liverpool 1

There was a minute in the second half today where Tottenham broke through our midfield. Roberto Firmino ran with his man and shoulder charged him off the ball with such ferocity that the Spurs player was left sprawled on the pitch. It was a sulky gesture by the Brazilian and borne purely out of...