VAR | Liverpool's first exposure to it and why it's here to stay
It's fair to say that every supporter of every club feels like their beloved team has been robbed by refereeing decisions this season. I can certainly say that about every single Liverpool supporter. Football is the most popular sport in the world and yet it is the only major sport to not have some form of video review. The governing bodies of the game decided to catch up with the rest of the world and viola - VAR.
The VAR …
A Reminder of Klopp's Dortmund Cycle
Liverpool are currently experiencing a problematic period in which the team are yet to win in four matches against Manchester City, Sevilla, Burnley and Leicester. Whether we beat Leicester on the weekend or not, supporters of the club are rightly concerned with the club’s current lack of positive results and are further consumed with anxiety when watching the team ‘defend’.
Although these concerns are understandable, the doubts about Jurgen Klopp being the right man for the job are completely ludicrous …
Could loaning Divock Origi cost Liverpool the title?
Amid the madness of Deadline Day, Divock Origi's loan move to Wolfsburg went a little un-noticed.
Touted after the striker wasn't included in squad's for either of the last two Premier League games, Jürgen Klopp granted Origi his wish of more first team football by sanctioning a move to the Bundesliga side.
Liverpool have done well financially from the deal, Wolfsburg paying Origi's wages plus a rumoured loan fee of six million pounds.
On the surface, it seems a good …
Why Liverpool Should Return for Julian Draxler
Following a superbly eye-catching Confederations Cup, the stock of one former German wunderkind turned peripheral star seems to have not been higher.
Julian Draxler, formerly of Schalke and VfLWolfsburg, is a name hitting the rumour mill once again, with the news that Paris Saint-Germain are set to continue on their path to utter and total supremacy via the purchase of Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe. A forward arsenal of Mbappé, Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Àngel Di Maria, Lucas Moura, Goncalo Guedes and Javier …
Alternatives to Virgil van Dijk – Part 2
In Part 1, I analysed why Benedikt Höwedes of FC Schalke 04 should rank highly on Liverpool’s list of alternative centre-backs to Virgil van Dijk. Before reading this Part 2 article, please also see Part 1 for an overview of Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses and the profile of centre-back needed for Klopp’s current style and systems of play. You can find it here.
Nota Bene
At the time of writing this Part 2 article, recent unfortunate events affecting my primary target …
Liverpool fans and the Dahoud fume
So the emotional volcano that is the Liverpool twitter-sphere erupted again this past week when it was announced that Mahmoud Dahoud will be joining Borussia Dortmund this summer. Liverpool had been long linked to the young German midfielder of prolific talent, with the infamous 'monitoring' word used.
Predictably, the responses ranged from it all being FSG's fault to Dortmund being some kind of playground bully that steals players we have been scouting. Maybe, just maybe, Dortmund had been scouting him …
Klopp is the best manager to create attacking teams
“Maybe Klopp is the best manager in the world at creating teams who attack the back four”.
High praise indeed. When you consider it came from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, that’s a monumentally positive review.
The serially successful Spaniard was a treble winner in his first season with Barcelona. His Catalan side once averaged 3 goals per game in a league season. He oversaw the development of one of football’s all time attacking greats, and, around Lionel Messi, helped …
Joel Matip - What Will He Bring?
As of 1st July 2016, Joel Matip was officially a Liverpool player. The Cameroon international will join the reds on a reported 4-year deal after agreeing a pre-contract in January to become a member of Jurgen Klopp’s renaissance.
At 6”3 Matip is a real presence in the air, he won an impressive 75% of his aerial duels last season (much higher compared to Sakho 61% and Skrtel 67%, slightly beaten by Lovren with 78%) and all 3 of his goals in …
Liverpool and Dortmund: Uncanny Resemblance
The Liverpool squad had been granted a clean slate after the club parted ways with Brendan Rodgers and appointed Jurgen Klopp on October last year. It gave them a chance to prove themselves to their new manager, who is arguably the most popular manager in world football. While many have successfully predicted some players would have difficulties to adapt to the intense system Klopp demands of his players, there were was only one who surprised us most. Adam Lallana.
The …
Klopp's first pre-season is vital to a good League start
Liverpool's preseason preparations under Klopp will be a stark contrast to the ones experienced under Brendan Rodgers.
The 2015/16 preseason preparations felt a little too nice. It's all about conditioning for the season ahead and there's a reason Klopp was reportedly disappointed with squads fitness levels when he took over in October. Fans expecting to see a vengeful Liverpool side after the humiliation of the season prior were left feeling a little underwhelmed as the friendlies unfolded. The team had …