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. …
Rating Liverpool's Transfer Window
The new Premier League season is finally upon us, and after last season's changes, the transfer window slamming shut comes with it.
Liverpool were the biggest spenders in England this summer, and fans and pundits alike are touting Klopp's men for a big season. But just how good was their transfer window?
In:
Following the Champions League final on the 26th May Reds fans weren't in the highest spirits. Salah's injury coupled with Karius' blunders (no matter what caused them), …
What next for Loris Karius?
The signing of Alisson was a huge statement of intent from the club. Having reportedly singled him out as far back as January, it was clear that Jürgen Klopp was after a new goalkeeper, even before the closing stages of the 2017-18 season.
Until the Champions League final though, Loris Karius was doing a pretty solid job. He was a clear improvement upon Simon Mignolet and seemed to be growing in confidence as the season went on. His performances began …
Is the Alisson transfer really a statement of intent from FSG?
NOPE. Simple. It's not. I am done here. You can move on now
But wait, you say, how come? A world record fee bid for a keeper. Potentially getting in one of the best keepers in the Serie A and current Brazil #1. If there ever was a statement of intent, surely this is it?
Well, what exactly is a statement of intent? It's when you dramatically change the way you behave in order to achieve a certain objective. The …
Errors - The Worst Currency for a Goalie
So I like stats. I’m an unabashed stats lover. Whenever I can I write using stats, about stats or using stats in my articles. One of the benefits of being in an LFC community is that there are people who are smarter than me on Twitter who occasionally post interesting stats. This is one of those occasions, and one of those articles.
So AI’s own Dan Kennett recently did this thread highlighting goalkeeper error rates:
https://twitter.com/DanKennett/status/1017407619508498435
My reaction to this …
The Karius Conundrum
Liverpool have made huge strides under Jurgen Klopp on and off the pitch; the German’s infectious touchline antics have fuelled a strong feeling of togetherness between the fans and players. Then there’s the enhanced decision making in the transfer window, the cohesion between Michael Edwards and Klopp and a surge of optimism that this side is quietly worming their way towards some silverware.
Yet, Klopp remains imperfect.
Loyalty is a powerful thing. Used in good proportion, it provides players with …
Klopp Runs Rule Over Karius as GK Search Cools
The World Cup in Russia is far from over but Liverpool’s pre-season is officially underway. Jurgen Klopp is without his full complement at Melwood, but this week the process of guiding his new additions and delegating a squad role to each player will begin.
It will, of course, be key to integrate incomers Naby Keita and Fabinho, but Klopp’s most important task this pre-season concerns his incumbent no. 1: he must make a rational and well-informed decision on the much-maligned …
Emre Can - A Player With Potential
Potential is a funny word. It’s a word that can often be used as a backhanded compliment or an excuse for poor performance – well he’s got potential. It can be a word that ignites the feeling of general excitement – he’s got potential. It can be a word to slot in when you’re genuinely not sure on your judgement of someone – he’s got potential.
Now potential seems to be tied to a large extent with age, which is …
Klopp's options to fix the defence before January
As Islam Slimani crashed in Leicester's second on Tuesday night, it sent Liverpool packing from the League Cup and all but confirmed that the Reds would remain winless for a fourth successive game.
After having five put past them by Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp's side could only manage draws against Sevilla and Burnley before being out-foxed by... well, you get the pun.
Just nine games into the new season, Liverpool have already conceded 16 goals.
It hasn't worked so far, …
Observations from Liverpool's disappointing Cup exit at Leicester
Liverpool crashed out of the League Cup with a 2-0 defeat against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The Reds dominated large parts of the game, but their wastefulness in front of goal was punished. Islam Slimani's sensational second goal to add to Shinji Okazaki's opener was enough for the Foxes to progress to the 4th round.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dominic Solanke made their first competitive starts for the Reds, in a disappointing outing at a stadium where Jurgen …