The Importance of Wijnaldum Extending Liverpool Stay
For the time being, footballing soap operas have taken a back step, as the world attempts to tackle the pandemic affecting the planet.
At Liverpool, talk of a potential move for Timo Werner remains a talking point, however, as does the future of Gini Wijnaldum - a player who has achieved so much since joining in surprise fashion from Newcastle back in 2016.
The Dutchman is still yet to commit his future to the Reds, with his current contract expiring …
Heat Stroke In The USA For Liverpool
A year ago, Liverpool put a finishing touch to their USA summer tour by dispatching bitter rivals Manchester United in front of a crowd of about 100,000 on a sunny, hot afternoon. Despite coming off a tough loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League Final, the Reds were in fine form against United and put on a show for the adoring fans, who put in their own fine performance being in full voice throughout the match. One year later, …
Naby Keita Ensures Liverpool At Their Best
Naby Keita. Look, I’ve been on board the Naby train since Day One. I maintain that he’s the most complete midfielder that this club has had since… well you know. He’s the best two-way midfielder in the Premier League and possibly in Europe, and he’s an absolutely incredible athlete. I’m getting all the superlatives out of the way in the first paragraph because I don’t want to be accused of being biased or having an agenda later on. Yes, I’m …
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation - Give It A Rest
A change is as good as rest is how the saying goes, but with a maximum of eleven games to go and only four-midweek matches, is it time for Klopp to give it a rest with his rotation game?
The run-in could favour Liverpool, with City having Chelsea, Spurs and Man Utd still to go, while our biggest game is surely against Chelsea at home. Therefore it's surely time for Klopp to pick his best XI in every game — …
Gini Wijnaldum: Prime Example of Trusting Klopp's Transfer System
At £25 million, many Liverpool fans scoffed at the fee Jürgen Klopp forked out when signing Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United back in 2016.
Fast forward almost three years down the line, and the Dutchman is a Kop favourite having cemented himself as one of the club's most important players - something that many didn't ever think was going to happen.
During his career at Anfield, Wijnaldum has adapted to a new, deeper role in Klopp's midfield and his recent …
Liverpool 2018: The Coppack Awards
Look, this is a bit of a cheat. I’ll admit that.
You see, your Anfield Index writers tend to pore over pages of data, argument and counter-argument before committing words to page or screen. That’s not to say that I don’t do the same, but the end of a year allows us to do something else—something which isn’t based on evidence but opinion. Spouting, if you will. Columnist friends tell me that you get one freebie like this every couple …
Key Stats As Reds Flop In Belgrade
Liverpool’s Champions League campaign once again threatened to come off the rails, as following a 1-0 defeat in Naples, the Reds were turned over 2-0 by Red Star in Belgrade. But what were the key stats from what was an absolutely atrocious performance from the Reds?
Attack Stutters As Reds Come Unstuck
Liverpool toiled and toiled, but simply never looked like scoring once Red Star took the lead. Despite having 23 shots, with 20 of them inside the box, the …
Key Observations as Liverpool maintain their 100% record
Liverpool continued their winning record as they won the 5th game in a row to join Chelsea at the top of the table. This start is their best start in the league in over 25 years.
The key observations are as follows:
Liverpool pass their biggest test yet
Liverpool came into the game with 100% record but more importantly looking to redeem themselves against Spurs at Wembley. This was the game last season where Liverpool were soundly beaten, yet kick-started …
Gini Wijnaldum the Enigma
Gini Wijnaldum is one of the most misunderstood players on the club's books. Most fans will be aware of "the Ghost" and similar nicknames bandied around this season. In spite of the stats often showing little involvement over 90 minutes, the team seems to do well in his presence.
My feeling about Wijnaldum is that he is a tactically intelligent player compromising his natural number 10 game, for the greater good of the team. Having analysed him closely in recent …
Sevilla performance tarnished by return of familiar failings
Well that Sevilla game was a sickener, wasn't it?
The model European away performance in the first half, albeit not without its problems. Sevilla sadly proved once more to be a real bogey side; able to smell blood and ruthlessly capitalise on our weaknesses. Add them to a recent bogey team list that contains Manchester United, Burnley, Newcastle and even Southampton (certainly until last weekend).
During the game, I commented in the AI Writer's WhatsApp group that we needed a …