Liverpool Perspective: England Vs Italy Preview
The time is nearly upon us. At 11pm on Saturday night Steven Gerrard will lead Roy Hodgson’s England side out of the tunnel at the Arena Amazonia for their opening Group D game against Italy. The last time these two sides met in an international tournament the game ended 0-0 with Italy winning on penalties. It will all be different this time though right? I mean there could be as many as 6 Liverpool players starting, however ,with Roy in …
The Liverpool Midfield: A Tactical Analysis
To some, the midfield area is one which is overrated. One can look at how many goals a respective team has scored that season, and how many they kept out. Of course, while these spectators acknowledge the importance of a great middle unit, if you are substantially stronger in the first and final thirds, the centre will take care of itself. However, to be a true bastion of domestic and continental football, the midfield should the heartbeat of an effulgent, …
Liverpool's Defensive Errors - Mis-shapes, Mistakes, Misfits
On looking at the league table, it would be easy to blame Liverpool’s failure to win the title on their defence. It would be easy to do, partly because it’s true. However, there are many things to take into account when analysing why a team concedes the goals they do. What follows is a look at Liverpool’s defensive errors in comparison with other teams, and a brief look at whether the mistakes are systemic or the fault of individuals.
Team …
Brendan Rodgers and The Transfer Committee: The Criteria
The dust has yet to settle on the wild and wondrous campaign of 2013/14, yet the transfer rumour mill is in full swing; with Liverpool its traditional epicentre. However, among the traditional nonsensical reports of Ricardo Quaresma finally sealing his move to Liverpool and Simao finally receiving the call from Senor Rafa to board that plane, Kopites have taken to social media sites, forums and pubs to discuss just who is needed at Anfield next season; coupled with those to …
Thank You Brendan Rodgers
Dear Brendan Rodgers,
I hope this letter reaches you in good spirits even if things haven't panned out quite how we all would've wanted on the final Sunday of the season.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your team for all your efforts, not just this season, but both campaigns you have been in charge.
As a Welshman who was lucky enough to see you rebuild your career at Swansea, I was extremely happy to see …
Liverpool FC: Our Hopes and Expectations, Leaked Goals and Revelations
This Sunday at Anfield, a 2013/14 Premier League winners trophy will be present along with some medals, just in case. All we need to accompany this agonising reminder of how close we've come this season is Jim Bowen to tell us what we could have won, before revealing said silverware, Bullseye style. There's still a slither of hope though.
The final game against Newcastle will be a mixture of emotions, as this current Liverpool side have taken us on a …
A Henderson-sized gap: How we've fared without him | Stats
A soul-destroying week has brought our title hopes down from cloud nine to only a slight chance of glory. The two results against Chelsea and Crystal Palace have gifted Manchester City an unbelievable chance of regaining the Premier League title - and even though we'll be cheering on Villa and West Ham like they're our own, it's going to need a miracle to get the trophy back to Anfield. Then again, we know all about them don't we?
You could …
Trio dominant at Old Trafford | Gerrard, Henderson & Allen!
For the first time since I have been alive, Liverpool have gone into a game against Manchester United as the favourites to walk away with the three points.
Some, including myself, were a bit sceptical of this, or just refused to admit what would have been such an outlandish thing to say in the past twenty plus years, mainly out of fear that David Moyes' under-performing side might nick one and make the "David Moyes Is A Football Genius" banner …
Reviewing Liverpool's imbalance & openness in the 1st half vs Villa
"It’s (the Premier League) less tactical, with more space, and more physical than in Spain. You don’t have to wait until the second half here for a game to open up and that is good for me." MichuTraditionally, people think of English football as direct, as physical, as high intensity and sometimes a battle. But there's another aspect that is traditional to English football. And that's the openness within games. Whereas abroad, teams traditionally concentrate more on …
Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 2 | Review and Match Stats
Liverpool’s title winning credentials were all but written off, as Aston Villa boldly walked into Anfield to run the Reds ragged in what was possibly Rodgers’ worst tactical blunder since taking over from Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool lined up with a two man midfield and Villa simply ran Gerrard and Henderson for the entirety of the first half - the Reds were clearly missing the security of a natural defensive midfielder. The result was made doubly painful with Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal …