Ibrahima Konaté & The First Team Shirt
When Jürgen Klopp became the Liverpool manager his central defenders consisted of Martin Škrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren, and maybe a few more youngsters. As we enter the crunch period of this season, Liverpool possess perhaps the strongest array of central defenders in European football. When they won the Premier League two years ago, it was a Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez pairing which helped propel the Reds to their first title in 30 years. The year prior, Joël …
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, it was the pressing that was a huge part of the match, with both sides vying for the chance to dominate, but no-one ever quite …
Post-Match RAW: Thiago Turns It On
After a goalless first half, and then Norwich's deflected goal to put them one-nil up it looked like any slim hope of a close title run-in with Manchester City were all but doomed. Especially with the Citizens expected to beat an out-of-form Spurs side later that evening.
Step into the breach Thiago Alcantara...
The Spaniard arrived on the scene, coming on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the the hour mark and changed the game. On Post-Match RAW they discuss this, and …
The Curious Case of James Milner
In the past few days, we have seen reports of James Milner signing a new one-year contract at Liverpool Football Club. At 36 years of age, he has become a trusted lieutenant to reds boss Jürgen Klopp, within his elite group of players. The minutes have diminished, the ability has been on the wane for sometime, but the trust in which Jürgen has placed in some of his senior players appears equally as important as on-pitch value alone.
There is …
Observations: Liverpool 3-1 Norwich - What a difference a day makes
Liverpool came into the match safely in the top four, in the thick of three cup competitions and barely in the chase for the Premier League title. The nine point gap with a game in hand wasn’t insurmountable in any normal circumstance, but Manchester City is no normal opponent.
Klopp’s selection reflected that reality as he put out a heavily rotated team that looked more like a Carabao Cup side than one that the manager would put out in a …
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 two players, but regardless, this was certain to be a test for Klopp's team.
On Post-Match RAW, Trevor, Dave and Karl (joined by Guy for the …
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 what could have been if Rafa had been given more.
Narrow margin games (even narrow margin seasons), often came down to a lack of depth halting …
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 likelihood of settling the Champions League tie with Inter Milan in the first leg.
After praise for Jota, and the victories performance over Leicester City at …
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 strong Liverpool line-up was the Champions League debut of Harvey Elliott. Elliott has been exciting fans with his selections before and after his …
Under Pressure: Fabiago, Perfect Pressing & Aggressive Defensive Lines
After a busy week where the Reds faced Rodgers' Leicester City side at Anfield, and travelled to Burnley to face the team propping up the Premier League, it meant a double header Under Pressure podcast. Gags returned to host and was joined by Dan Kennett, Dan Rhodes and Phil Barter. In a bumper edition there was plenty of detailed statistical analysis including the performance when Thiago and Fabinho start, the brilliant pressing versus the Foxes and the number of offsides …