Xabi & Javier - The Reboot
Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso were a magnificent double act for the reds, with vital attributes that suited each other’s games perfectly. The balance of these two players were a joy to see, and we may be about to witness a similar midfield pairing evolve this season, that can become even more effective for Liverpool FC.
The dominance and disruption caused by Mascherano’s marauding ways would upset any and all opposition in his path. His ability to cover fullbacks with …
Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool's current team is better than that of 2008/09
Former Liverpool and Netherlands star, Dirk Kuyt, believes that The Reds' current team is of a higher standard than the squad he was a part of at Anfield in 2008/09.
Kuyt, under Rafa Benitez's guidance, played alongside talents such as Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano that year. Liverpool lost just two league games all season, finishing with 86 points, but it wasn't enough to beat Manchester United to the title.
Now, though, Kuyt feels that Jurgen …
The Bizarre Case of Jordan Henderson's Daft Sending Off
If you could name one player at one point in the history of Liverpool whose sending off would produce the most hysterical reaction, Jordan Henderson in 2018 would be right at the top of the list.
The Reds skipper was shown his marching orders for a stupid second yellow card at Watford on Saturday, leading to the usual deafening criticism in his direction.
Few individuals live quite such a soap opera-style existence through their own fans as Henderson, with his …
How Fabinho Set the Template for Liverpool's Midfield
Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Cardiff has sparked cause for optimism among its fanbase, not just because it’s the first time Liverpool have put four past an opposition this season – a feat that becomes something of a hobby for Klopp’s team last term.
No, it was also momentous for the full Premier League debut of Fabinho, who arrived from Monaco in the summer for around £40 million and has been noticeable in his absence during the opening months of the …
Mascherano to Fabinho: The Long-Awaited Revival of the Defensive Midfielder
Some players are real bastards of the game, plying their trade with the kind of snide and underhanded disregard of the rules that causes outright fury from opposition fans. (See Sergio Ramos for details).
Yet, they’re also the type of player you desperately want in your team. A player who’d go the extra mile, commit the cynical foul and take the booking when the team needed it most. Those individuals are invaluable, doing the dirty side of the game to …
Why Liverpool Will Always Be Bigger Than Any One Player
It took all of eight minutes to remind Anfield of one very special fact.
Liverpool Football Club is bigger than any player.
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain’s driving run, emphatic finish and impassioned celebration perfectly emblemised the oft-romanticised ‘Liverpool spirit’ – the idea that you don’t buy a great player, rather a player becomes great in the cauldron that is Anfield. Like a gladiatorial pit in Rome; Anfield’s coliseum atmosphere is what decides the fate of its competitors, not their previous reputation or …
Losing Phil Coutinho is Inevitable
“Liverpool will never progress if they keep selling their best players”.We’ve all heard this argument before. And on many levels, it has merit. How could you possibly hope to improve if you are forever losing your best player? How can you be strong when you are continually weakening your team? And what a weakening it would be, because to lose Phil Coutinho is to lose arguably the most gifted player in the Premier League. Sure, there will …
Liverpool's New-Found Squad Depth Paying Dividends
Since Liverpool stopped ruling English football in 1990, there are many reasons why a return to the summit of the game has continued to evade them.
There have been dreadful signings, bemusing managerial appointments, unprofessional squads and rivals spending vast chunks of money, among many others factors.
One of the Reds' greatest Achilles heels has been a lack of squad depth - something that has held back many of their best teams over the last quarter of a century.
The …
Red Rant: We Don't Need No VVD
I’m all for the unsubstantiated transfer rumour. Football itself and certainly Twitter wouldn’t be the same without them.
The incremental steps, when Liverpool is rumoured to be monitoring a player, continuing to monitor, then comes the inquiring, then considering a bid, then surprise competition comes in from a rival club, and on and on… it’s all part of the romance, right?
But for clubs at the level of Liverpool the rule has to be that the romance period can only …
Would Selling Philippe Coutinho Really be the End of the World?
Right then. There's a fair chance you've sent me a tirade of Twitter abuse before actually clicking to read this piece, so I'll thank you for *hopefully* not having wished death upon everyone I know and love. If you have, then here we are.
Philippe Coutinho. What a treasure, Liverpool's darling. The adopted Brazilian that we've all loved for a joyful four and a half year's now, watching his astonishing development ever since that eight-million-pound move from Inter Milan.
Heaven …