Barcelona

Liverpool’s European Hangover – Statistical Analysis

The Reds are marching on Kiev! What a week, what an achievement! Jurgen Klopp managed to reach his second European final with Liverpool in his second European campaign. Hopefully this time he takes the team a step further than the last time around. The German is yet to lose at Anfield in Europe -...

Do Liverpool Still Need to Replace Phil Coutinho?

Euphoria, that’s the feeling washing over most of the Liverpool supporter-sphere at the moment. Their front three are reaching meteoric heights, and their devastating influence on games has become a staple of both the Premier League and Champions League. Teams now fear Liverpool, not simply because of the goalscoring prowess, but also the knowledge that...

Klopp, Liverpool, and How Emotion Conquered Perfection

Ah, the word “passion.” Somewhat overused in the day and age of exposition, Liverpool Football Club has something of a connection to the idea of pure, unadulterated passion in the vast landscape that is football. Everything is magnified tenfold, because of its relation to everything else in the football sphere. So, when people marry the word...

Observations as Liverpool Surge into Champions League Semi-Finals

Liverpool battled from behind at The Etihad to record a 2-1 win in the second-leg of the Champions League quarter-final, taking one step closer to Kiev. A goal inside two minutes set the pulses racing as Manchester City came out all guns play, with Liverpool unable to string any momentum together in an attempt...

“Liverpool Shouldn’t Fear Anyone” – Right?

“Liverpool shouldn’t fear anyone.” This is the common statement, trotted out by everyone from fans, pundits and players. And if you’re expecting this to be the part of the article where I mount an argument that disagrees with this parable, well then you clearly haven’t read any of my articles before. Because I am...

Liverpool’s Best Midfield: What Is It?

Picture the scene: Liverpool are preparing for the Champions League final in May, after a stunning march to the showcase event at Kiev's Olympic Stadium. Having seen off Porto in the last-16, probably despite somehow losing 4-0 at Anfield in the second-leg, they then dispatched of Chelsea and Man United, with last-minute winners in both...

FSG: Buy A New Club, Not A New Player

Disclaimer: Sorry to disappoint the FSGOut’ers, but this isn’t one of those articles. The boys from Boston will be directing the future for years to come. This is an FSG-Figure-It-Out article pondering possible paths to make the club more competitive while these owners are in place. DOUBTING THOMAS This week James Pearce did his “bad news”...

So, farewell then, Philippe Coutinho.

So, farewell then, Philippe Coutinho. ‘I know I signed a contract, but I want to leave now.’ That was your catchphrase. Well, it’s easy to sound bitter and mealy-mouthed. So let’s do that. The announcement of Coutinho’s departure is news and, at the same time, no news at all. The club loves a drama and this one has...

Klopp the Tactician: From Dortmund to Liverpool

Following on from my three-part series "The Klopp Project" which took a longer-term view on things (select the links for part 1, part 2 and part 3), I thought I would assess where Jurgen Klopp is in the present moment. Klopp the innovative tactician in Germany has been well documented. But what about Klopp...

Naby Keita is a Red – Take a Bow, Michael Edwards

So Naby Keita is a Red. In sensational style, it was announced on Monday and confirmed on Tuesday morning by the club, that a deal had been struck to bring main summer target Naby Keita to the club next summer in a deal worth his £48m release clause plus a premium for signing him...