Ageism Is Working Against James Milner
When a footballer hits 30, or at least in and around that age, something instantly changes in the way they are perceived by supporters.
Every bad performance is suddenly due to their advancing years, every misplaced pass is because they’re not as young as they once were and they are used as target practice every time their side suffers defeat.
Steven Gerrard even suffered from it, which says it all.
This is something we are suddenly seeing come to the …
Liverpool's Important Goals And Who's Scoring Them
Liverpool have played 21 league games so far. In those games, they have scored 49 goals, at 2.33 goals per game. Of those 21 goals, Liverpool have scored 23 goals when they’ve been losing or drawing, taking the lead in 18 games and equalising in two of the other three. The Reds have scored the first goal 16 times and gone on to win 15 times, 14 times without ever being pegged back – only Arsenal and Manchester United have …
Milner is this generations McAllister
Cast your minds back to the start of the 2015/16 season. Brendan Rodgers was at the helm of the club and Liverpool had just signed James Milner on a free transfer. The former Manchester City midfielder arrived for nothing having run down his deal at the Etihad but his £150,000-per-week deal raised a few eyebrows, as did the fact he was joining the Reds to play as a centre-midfielder.
It was a role he'd played intermittently during his career but …
Key Stats as Salah seals European progression for Liverpool
You've got me on key stats for this one folk, I apologise. I'm not smart, handsome or nuanced as Tom but I'll do my best to leave you interested.
I checked with Gags over whether I could do statistics on the percentage of Alisson's hair follicles that are perfectly placed (99.87%) or how many times I felt my arse cheeks clench during the game (28), but he told me he'd prefer stuff that relates to the football a little more, …
Observations as late push secures the points for Liverpool
Liverpool travelled to Burnley in search of a win to stay on the tailcoats of City, who had won a day earlier. The fixture, which Liverpool won last year thanks to a Klavan D'Or, needed a repetition. Liverpool delivered the goods late on to stay in pursuit.
The key observations from the game
Testing the depth
This was the fixture many predicted that Klopp would tinker his line up with. While some of the changes were forced due to injuries, …
Why Klopp needs to put the leash back on James Milner
James Milner's long and impressive career has had many strings attached to its bow, the latest coming as part of an ever-growing Liverpool team.
Whilst many have fairly questioned the decision to bring him in on such large wages in 2015, he's done more than enough to prove his worth to the squad - albeit not perhaps at the level you'd expect of someone on £150,000 per week.
Milner has played left-back, centre-midfield, wide midfield and right-back during his time …
Key Stats As Reds Bomb In Paris
Liverpool’s Champions League hopes took yet another battering, this time in Paris, where Liverpool suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of PSG. But what were the key stats from another humbling night for the Reds, which sees their Champions League campaign hanging by a thread?
No Anfield? Big Problems.
Liverpool completed a hat-trick of shambolic away performances and results, making it three away defeats out of three in Europe this season, and five defeats in a row away from …
Appreciating Liverpool's Future Captain
Remember when people said that £75 million was an exorbitant fee?
Liverpool have gone from a notoriously shaky defence, one which is able to instil fear into even the most resilient of Liverpool fans when they conceded a corner, to one which instils fear into event the sharpest of strikers.
And a lot of Liverpool’s surge to European force is down to the arrival of the most expensive defender in world football.
It wasn’t typically Liverpool’s way to fork out …
Fixing Liverpool's Woes with the 4-2-3-1
Liverpool are currently ailing.
It seems almost ludicrous to say, given they currently sit two points behind the automaton that is table-topping Manchester City, but ask any fan and the 2-0 defeat to Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League was not an outlier of a result.
Not when Liverpool couldn’t take advantage of Arsenal’s obvious frailties, not when they only escaped with a point against City because of Riyad Mahrez’ wild attempt at a penalty, and not when Huddersfield …
Player ratings as Liverpool are bruised in Belgrade
That was embarrassing, wasn't it?
Like, really embarrassing.
Red Star 2-0 Liverpool and the sad thing was you knew it was over at 2-0. Couldn't tell you why really. The team has fight, they've displayed that already this season. There's quality going forward, they've proved that this season. But you knew.
An off night, or a result that was coming? I'm throwing 3's and 4's out either way.
Here are your ratings.
Alisson does his best Pickford impression
Alisson (5): How …