Liverpool v West Ham United Preview - Key Battles
The World Cup is over. The transfer window has, to use a particular cliché, slammed shut. Now it’s time for the actual thing – the real football. For nine months across the length and breadth of England (and a little bit of Wales), 20 teams to fight it out for one prize. Before a ball has been kicked in the season, Liverpool are seen as closer to that prize than they have been for quite a long time. But that …
Is Michael Edwards as Important to LFC as Jurgen Klopp?
When Michael Edwards first came to the front of most Liverpool’s fans' minds was the summer of 2017, when Edwards’ tenure as Sporting Director exploded into life with the signing of Mo Salah, the first of many extraordinary signings that Edwards has secured as Liverpool’s chief transfer man.
But of course, Edwards has been in the picture longer than that. He was announced as Sporting Director in November 2016 and played a pivotal role in the signing of Sadio Mané …
Alisson the latest addition for Big Money Reds
You awake on a secluded Sardinian beach to a warm Mediterranean breeze and gentle waves lapping at your feet. Your gorgeous wife flashes you a smile as she updates her Instagram. You glance out at your sailboat and notice a bottle has washed up on the shore. Shaking out the rolled up paper, you rub your eyes and squint at the handwriting...
Get the ale in lad, and get yer bird ready. You're a Red now!
We assume such a …
The Curious Case of John Arne Riise
Last week, Leanne Prescott, AnfieldIndex's impish commentator, and I had an email exchange about the changing role of the fullback. Her argument - and it’s one I have no great issue with – is that the modern-day full-back spends as much time in the opponents half as his own.
Gone are the days when the average wide defender could sit back and keep an eye on opposing wingers. Steve Finnan, Alvaro Arbeloa and, latterly, Nathaniel Clyne would need to do …
A Long and Red-Empty Summer
It’s only been four weeks since Liverpool lost the Champions League final, and yet I miss football. I miss Mo Salah and Sadio Mané and Bobby Firmino all playing together and not trudging through games for their international sides. I miss big Virgil bossing the defence. I miss the Scottish Roberto Carlos. I miss Liverpool.
At first, you almost feel relieved. A weekend off. A chance to breathe. A few weeks of being able to plan your social life – …
Would the 3-5-2 formation suit Liverpool?
Gareth Southgate’s England have been playing a relatively unused and potentially interesting variation of 3-5-2 formation at the World Cup – with a lopsided back three, wing-backs who are multi-faceted and a three-man midfield with only one defensive player in it.
It’s a well-balanced formation that suits England very well. The back three is shielded by Jordan Henderson, but ahead of him, there are four very attacking individuals who are able to link up, drop deep and run in behind. …
Liverpool and the World Cup - Pros and Cons
The World Cup is one of the biggest tournaments in the sporting calendar. It’s the most popular sporting event in the world and is watched by hundreds of millions, if not billions worldwide. For many football fans, it’s the pinnacle of the sport and the pinnacle of sport in general. But for a lot of football fans, it’s not that. Many fans of club football have different priorities, especially in England where the national team are less fondly regarded and …
Trust Michael Edwards - He's Smarter Than Us
It’s been a very strange and very fraught weekend for Liverpool fans. The timeline is sketchy, details are even sketchier but on Thursday night, it was announced that Liverpool had wrapped up a deal with Nabil Fekir. On Friday morning, Lyon denounced that, and rumours flooded that Fekir had failed his medical. Those rumours were largely debunked, and speculation ran rampant but the announcement of Fekir never came, until finally on Saturday night, Lyon announced that the deal was dead.
…
Priceless Sadio Mane Must Not Go Unloved at Liverpool
Football moves at a relentless pace.
It only takes a string of good or bad performances to completely alter an opinion on a team or a player, with the modern game as knee-jerk as it has ever been.
When it comes to Sadio Mane, this definitely applies, even though any sane Liverpool supporter knows full well how brilliant he is.
He has been a revelation since joining from Southampton, becoming a key component of Europe’s most fluent, devastating attacking unit, …
Liverpool FC - No Longer Standing Still
As the dust settles on an emotional week for Liverpool supporters, it's almost hard to believe that it began with the heartbreak of seeing our Champions League Final hopes washed away in a flood of tears. Those of Mohamed Salah, cruelly robbed of his chance to shine on the biggest stage in club football, with his World Cup hopes hanging in the balance. Those of Loris Karius, as he begged for forgiveness amid the realisation of the significance of his …