Liverpool's academy now rivals their first-team
The Liverpool academy used to be full of false hope.
For a period of time, fans had high hopes for the youngsters on the books. The ones who’d either carved out a reputation having impressed prior to their move to Merseyside or those boosted by what they eventually turn out to be according to Football Manager.
Ultimately, the Reds weren’t getting the most out of the time and money they put into their academy. Those tipped for greatness fizzled out. …
Joe Gomez and the Need for Patience
On Sunday, Joe Gomez made his long-awaited Premier League debut at centre back for Liverpool. Signed from Charlton back in 2015 with an eye to a future as a Liverpool centre-back, Gomez has so far followed the well-trodden path for youthful centre back prospects at Anfield - playing at fullback.
This path has often been a problematic one, with Jamie Carragher the only player I can think of who has successfully carved out a first-team spot at centre back after …
Liverpool FC Summers: Four Meaningful Trips
Being a Liverpool FC supporter living in America is a different kind of commitment. You have to be an early riser to catch matches on weekend morning, you have to block out your work calendars for Champions League afternoons, and most of all you must seize any opportunity offered to you to see the Reds play if they are ever anywhere near you. Such has been the case for me since 2012 when LFC began their regular pilgrimages to North …
Liverpool's Two Ways To Build A Squad
Transfers in football often seem reasonably straightforward. Building a squad is easy - you just isolate areas in your squad where you need another player, either because you’re a player short or because your strongest player in that area is a weak link in the squad. Then... you buy a suitable player. But over the last few years, building a genuine squad has proved problematic for Liverpool. Partly because they’ve bought poorly, partly because there was a lot of deadwood …
Liverpool's Lost Talent XI : 2012-2016
Much has been said about Brendan Rodgers' time at Anfield. He was often lauded for his development of talent, both by the press and by himself. This week's news that Tiago Ilori is likely to move on to Reading had me thinking, how much talent did the Northern Irishman waste or ignore during his tenure?
Yes, Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez become household names, with the latter almost single handedly winning Liverpool the league. But looking back at the …
Liverpool's Defence: The Lost Art Of Keeping A Clean Sheet
…And Liverpool’s right centre back conundrum.
Ever since the halcyon days of Jamie Carragher’s partnerships with Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger Liverpool fans haven’t witnessed a truly balance centre half pairing at Anfield. We’ve seen Skrtel, Kolo and a selection of left sided centre halves trying to fill the void at right centre back.
The club’s transfer committee and last two managers have bought in a growing list of specialist left sided centre backs. Sakho, no doubt the club’s best …
DoF Fantasy Series Part 6 - How I'd Spend £100m at Liverpool
With a move for Sadio Mane all but confirmed, I put my Director of Football hat on to consider what next for Liverpool in the summer transfer window.
Loris Karius, Marko Grujic and Joel Matip already confirmed to join Liverpool ahead of the new season; Sadio Mane represents a change in direction. The aforementioned three were signed for significantly small amounts, whilst Mane will cost £30million or more.
How much money Jurgen Klopp was given to invest in his Liverpool …
Loan Deals Ended - Here Comes The Cavalry?
Liverpool's squad has been put to the best over the past couple of weeks. Injuries to as many as 13 players has lead to Reds boss Jurgen Klopp recalling the likes of Danny Ward, Ryan Kent, Sheyi Ojo and Tiago Ilori from their respected loans.
It was the decision of ex Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to loan out so many players before the season began. What originally looked like a healthy sized squad shrunk dramatically. Out went the aforementioned four …
Liverpool's Loan Star Status | Who's Likely To Stay or Go?
Amidst the heady concoction of blistering pace, razor sharp attacking and, at times, haphazard defending served up by the Liverpool first team over the past season, it may have been easy to forget that the Reds also had twelve players out on loan at various clubs, domestically, across Europe, and even in South America. Liverpool's success in securing a second place finish and, with it, automatic Champions League qualification has made it an absolute necessity to add quality and depth …