Liverpool Must Avoid Repeat Of 2002/03 Finale

Liverpool have been famed for some fairly spectacular disappointments over the years, especially since the Premier League era got underway. The end of the 2002/03 season was one of the Reds’ most disastrous conclusions to a campaign, and it actually altered English football forever in the process. With two matches remaining, Liverpool remained right in the...

Scouting Mohamed Salah – The Pacey Little Trickster

The one that got away is always the hardest to look back on. In the winter of 2014, amidst Liverpool’s most thrilling – not to mention closest run – title challenge in recent memory, many fans called for reinforcements. The spine of the team was functioning well enough, but the team was well and truly...

Is Klopp Solving Liverpool’s Biggest Problems?

When Liverpool lost 3-1 to Leicester at the end of February, it was the culmination of a truly horrendous run of form that saw the Reds win just one of their seven league games in January and February, as well as crash out of two cup competitions. Overall, we registered just two wins from...

Transfer Time: A Brief Cautionary Tale

It's really far more than anyone should be expected to bear, you know. There is no way to manoeuvre the minefield that is transfer speculation and retain one's mental equilibrium. I like to think I'm a comparatively calm man, having had my stoicism tested by the slings and arrows over the years, but there's...

Jurgen Klopp: The Bench Connection

Well someone didn’t get the memo. Following three gutsy away games at Stoke, West Brom and Watford, and two limp ones at home to Bournemouth and Palace, yesterday’s match was an opportunity for the real Liverpool to stand up and beat their chests. Three games left, lads. Time to wipe Southampton away as City had...

Top Four: Who Wants It Least?

Initially, as I grimaced in recollection of the season's third-last serving of delicious Barclay's goodness, it was tempting to liken Liverpool's struggles to make any progress to the myth of Sisyphus - you know, the unfortunate chap punished by the gods of the Greeks for his offences against them. His sentence was to push...

Klopp’s Tactical Ineptitude Costs Liverpool

Liverpool were presented with the opportunity to consolidate their stranglehold on top 4 when Southampton came to Anfield - a win would've taken the Reds ahead of Manchester City in 3rd, but instead Liverpool produced a dire performance which saw a blow in their hopes for Champions League football next term. Before kick off, a...

Henderson, Henderson, Wherefore Art Thou Henderson?

Three games left in the battle for top-four and Liverpool have to make do without their skipper. Jordan Henderson has now missed the last eleven games and as we enter the final stages of the campaign, Alex Ferguson's comments from 2013 become all the more poignant. The former-Manchester United manager made some rather damning comments in regard to Henderson four...

Observations as Liverpool Come Unstuck Against Saints again

Forget Crystal Palace, Liverpool came unstuck against another one of their bogey teams on Sunday afternoon as they failed to break down a resolute Southampton defence. That's now 360 minutes played against The Saints in this season in which Liverpool have failed to score. After grinding out a 1-0 win against Watford with Manchester City...

Liverpool 0 – 0 Southampton: Player Ratings

Ah, dear. More groans around Anfield as furtherpoints are dropped. No wins in three at home, haven't you heard? We'll be revisiting performances like these if Liverpool aren't at least fourth come the season finale. Simon Mignolet - 6 - A clean-sheet is the only thing to be positive about. Wasn't tested at all from...

Keeping with the Times at Liverpool

Over recent weeks, Simon Mignolet has been nothing less than fantastic, making match winning saves in consecutive games, and taking defensive responsibility in Liverpool's pursuit of a Champions League qualification spot. In the recent match at Vicarage Road, Mignolet put in a truly commendable display, claiming crosses with confidence, and relieving pressure on the team...

Liverpool’s run in: Cometh the hour, cometh the Studge?

Hello, hello. Here we go. It's getting closer. Southampton at home, West Ham away, Middlesbrough at home. "Six points will do us," says Fred. "Nah, we need seven" offers Barry. "Don't be so pessimistic, four points and Champions League football is as good as ours" predicts Bob. Maybe all Liverpool need is Daniel Sturridge, in order to...

Positivity Around Anfield: How Do We Cope?

What with the revelations about plans for further expansion of Anfield, the decision to dedicate an entire stand to Kenny Dalglish, the proposed state-of-the-art training facility in Kirkby and a rumoured bumper transfer spend in the summer, one could be forgiven for thinking that things were looking reasonably positive for Liverpool Football Club. This is...

Liverpool vs Southampton Preview: Will Reds be Saints or Sinners?

Liverpool have an excellent chance to put themselves within touching distance of that much craved Champions League place by beating Southampton at Anfield on Sunday, minutes before their two biggest rivals for fourth face off against one another. THE DETAILS Match: Liverpool vs Southampton Venue: Anfield Referee: Bobby Madley Date: Sunday 7th May Time: 13:30 BST FORM Liverpool were given a huge let...

Liverpool v Southampton Preview – Key Battles

Three games to go and every one of them is critical. Liverpool need to keep their momentum going for just a little bit longer and their next test is Southampton at Anfield. Here are the key battles: James Milner vs Dusan Tadic Whilst Tadic has been playing across Southampton’s front three, he’s most likely to start...

Liverpool’s Saints Raid: A Success?

Until very recent years, Liverpool and Southampton were two clubs who had very little to do with each other. There was no rivalry to speak of, there had been no real classic contests between the pair and the relationship between the duo was relatively healthy. That all changed in the summer of 2014, when all of...

Stand And Deliver: Coutinho Back For Final Push

Following the announcement yesterday that the Centenary Stand will soon bear the exalted name of Kenny Dalglish, it was interesting to note the response from some fans. For many of an older vintage, like your columnist, there was an understandably emotional reaction to the honouring of a man we had worshipped on the field...

Is Impressive Mignolet Winning Round The Doubters?

Who else remembers that bizarre moment at Burnley in 2014/15, when Simon Mignolet allowed the ball to run out before kicking it? It left you lost for words. It was one of many strange occurrences during the Belgian’s time at Liverpool - the kind that have ensured he has never earned universal praise from...

Klopp Says The Reds Will Get What They Deserve

With exam season almost upon us, I was reminded of an old teacher of mine who, when presented with a sea of anxious faces, used to say, "pressure is for tyres, lads." Now, plainly, he wasn't the most insightful or sensitive of gents, and no doubt he felt as though he was imparting something of...

Candidates For Liverpool’s MOTM Against Watford

Liverpool edged one huge step closer to qualification for the Champions League proper next term with a hard-fought 1-0 away win at Watford. Emre Can scored the solitary goal that separated the two sides - and I really cannot quite put the strike from the German into comprehensible words. In what was a first half deprived...

Emre Can Deserves All The Inevitable Praise

Emre Can deserves this. In the following days, maybe even weeks, he’s going to be eulogized by Liverpool fans, waxing lyrical over his talents and all rushing to be the ones to claim that they always believed in him, as his spectacular bicycle kick, Liverpool’s goal of the season despite Phil Coutinho’s best efforts,...

The Can Can and Player Hubris – Watford 0 Liverpool 1

Oh Emre. Emre, Emre, Emre. Something incredible happened in Hertfordshire last night. Something very special indeed. Once I’d stop jumping around the Vicarage Road Stand and got my bearings, four different thoughts simultaneously arrived in my mind. They were… I’m getting too old to be jumping around stands. We’ve done it again. A goal just before half...

Can’s Acrobatics Edge Liverpool Closer to Champions League Football

Liverpool edged closer to a crucial top four finish after a tight 1-0 against Watford at Vicarage Road. The Reds are now three points above Manchester City in fourth and more importantly four points ahead of Manchester United in fifth after both teams dropped points at the weekend. A game that lacked real quality...

Observations as Liverpool dig deep to beat Watford

With Manchester United and Manchester City both dropping precious points against relegation-threatened Swansea and Middlesbrough along with Arsenal tasting defeat in the North London derby, tonight was a chance for Liverpool to take a huge step in their bid for Champions League football. An early injury to Philippe Coutinho would have rattled even the most...

Watford 0-1 Liverpool: Player Ratings

Yes! The Reds never do things the easy way but a belter from Emre Can secured all three points for Liverpool against Watford. Let's take a closer look at the individual performances, rating each player out of 10 for how they got on. Simon Mignolet - 7 - Not much in terms of shots on...

Dejan Lovren: A Capable Third Choice Centre-Half For Liverpool

There are a number of players that seem to split the opinion of the Liverpool fanbase, but none more so than Dejan Lovren. Since joining for approximately £20million, his Anfield career has been one sickening rollercoaster – with incredible highs such as his winning goal against Dortmund contrasting with his annual shit show against...

Dejan Lovren’s New Contract; Subsets Baying For FSG’s Blood

On Friday, news erupted that under-fire defender Dejan Lovren penned a new contract with Liverpool, which would last until 2021. To put it lightly, this judgement by manager Jurgen Klopp was greeted with a lot of divisive views on social media. The majority of Reds fans were in absolute disarray following the announcement; many believing...

Four Games. Twelve Points.

This is no time for faint hearts. This is no time for shrugs and voices whining ‘What? We have to win all four of them?’ The Mancunian derby did all it could to help the Reds out so let’s not throw away that luck by going into the final sprint with chewed lips and winces. It...

Liverpool and Their Kits

If the sight of Dejan Lovren signing a contract extension at Liverpool has left you in a quivering mess on the floor, blubbing uncontrollably at the prospect of more Skrtel-esque brain fart defending with enough comedy moments to fill a Danny Dyer video, then fear not because just take a look at the new kit he's...

Assessing Klopp’s Tactical Options for Watford

After yet another home loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend, that's the Eagles' third win in as many visits to Anfield, and the Reds' chances of top 4 are hanging in the balance. As a result, Liverpool's trip to Vicarage Road on Monday night becomes all the more important. Despite winning the previous...