Champions League

Liverpool F.C – Updates From the UEFA Champions League

Having won the Champions League six times, Liverpool F.C is on its hunt for a seventh title. This season has seen the club dominate European football like never before. After winning all of their group stage games, the club is now on its way to ease through the round of 16, having comfortably won...

Should Liverpool loan out Curtis Jones next season?

Curtis Jones was named in the starting XI for Liverpool’s match against Leicester City. He then didn’t make the cut for the squad in the following three games. It may seem ruthless and a little harsh from Jurgen Klopp, but when everyone is fit, the competition for a place in the matchday squad is...

Konate or Matip: Who should start next to Van Dijk for Liverpool?

We as Liverpool fans are not used to having proper squad depth. It might explain why we’re always so eager to pit players against one another and declare one the winner.  We did it with Kostas Tsimikas and Andrew Robertson earlier on in the season. Instead of marvelling at the fact we had left-back cover...

Under Pressure – Classical Tactical Battle & Superb Salah

It was another double header for the Under Pressure boys: the two-nil victory away at Inter Milan in the San Siro in the knockout stage of the Champions League, as well as the 3-1 win at home to Norwich in the Premier League. While the Reds ended up winning in Italy in the first leg,...

Post-Match RAW: Controlled Victory At The San Siro

It is always going to be difficult travelling to Italy in a knockout Champions League, even more soo when you facing the reigning Serie A holders Inter Milan, a side who rarely lose at home in Europe. They may not be as strong as they were last season under Conte after selling their best...

The Value Of Squad Depth

I recall watching so many Rafa Benitez games when he was the Liverpool manager. The side would often times be very good, with enough elite players to make them a force within the Premier League and Europe. Despite the obvious Istanbul delight, that period is often tinged with what if’s and regrets, as to...

Molby on the Spot: Optimistic Future, Gale Force Winds & Henderson’s Worrying Form

Jan Molby was back with a podcast - hosted by Trev Downey - that included two matches, two wins and plenty to talk about. Topics included the mystifying nature of Diogo Jota, and how to label him as a player; the difficulty of playing conditions versus Burnley; Henderson's worrying drop in form; and the...

Key Stats as Liverpool’s European royals earn an important win at the San Siro

The Reds put in a good performance to take a deserved 2-0 lead into the second leg of their clash with the Italian champions thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. But what were the Key Stats as they move in pursuit of European glory… An exciting debut https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1494023036110000135 The most notable part of a...

Observations on Inter Milan-Liverpool

Liverpool experienced some turbulent times in the early part of the season due to unfortunate injuries and missed opportunities in the league that put them in a tough spot looking up at City in first place, but the Champions League was quite the bright spot in the Reds’ season to date. Jurgen’s boys took...

Trent & The Thiago Effect

The familiar stats regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s assists, appear now in each and every game. His rise to world class status has been truly sensational, and even the most deluded fans (or Gareth Southgate) cannot ignore his exceptional impact on the game any longer. After displacing Nathaniel Clyne some years ago, the slightly built fullback was...