Klavan

Tactical Analysis – Rotations and Movement pull Stoke apart

The last five league matches provide something of a snapshot of the season so far for Liverpool. There has been the good, 4-1 against Stoke 1-0 against Everton and 3-0 against Middlesbrough, the bad, a draw against West Ham and the downright ugly as Bournemouth came out with a 4-3 win. Inconsistent form interspersed with...

Liverpool vs Manchester City Preview: Fireworks expected in NYE battle

Liverpool close a record breaking year out with a mouthwatering clash against Manchester City on New Year's Eve, one which could go a long way to decide who gives Chelsea the biggest challenge at the top of the Premier League table. Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, previous rivals in the Bundesliga, will meet each other...

Rampant Reds keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table

It’s not a sentence Liverpool fans would have expected to hear this season for various reasons but they did after that emphatic 4-1 win against Stoke. The majority of this squad are the same players labelled as bottlers over the past two seasons but with the pressure on they showed an almost alien resilience....

Liverpool 4 Stoke 1 – Player Ratings

Liverpool put in a strong display at Anfield against Stoke, as the Potters were dispatched, in a 4-1 victory. Jon Walters gave Stoke an early lead before Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino sent Liverpool into the break the happier side. A Gianelli Imbula own goal and Daniel Sturridge's first Premier League goal of the season...

Two Sides of Klopp – Part Two: Pace

For all that he's done throughout his career there are still people who believe Jurgen Klopp is a one trick pony. There's a misconception that his playbook had just the one page; the blitzkrieg approach. Pundits and media alike questioned the long-term viability of it because teams who sat back reportedly nullified it. After...

Celebrating the Quiet People: Wijnaldum & Klavan

The recent victories against Middlesbrough and Everton have thrust the usual names into the spotlight. Adam Lallana took the headlines in the North East and, a few days later, fans of both colours were all about Sadio Mane, either with a deep, nourishing love in their hearts or with a ‘jammy redshite bastard’ tone. I'd...

Liverpool vs Stoke City Preview: Reds to unwrap late present of points?

Liverpool host Stoke City on Tuesday in a bid to deliver a late Christmas present to their fans, in the form of three points. In a packed festive schedule full of high-profile fixtures, this one is likely to go a little under the radar, but it's an important one for the Reds to win in...

The Merseyside derby and the perfect Christmas present

So, here it is, Merry Christmas reds, and what a superb early present we got this past Monday with our win across the park in the dying embers of the game vs our Merseyside rivals. Sadio Mane sparked jubilant scenes in the away end with his 94th minute winner vs Everton, but what was more...

Everton 0 Liverpool 1 – Player Ratings

Liverpool left it late to snatch all three points in the Merseyside Derby, with Sadio Mane capping his first appearance in the fixture with a decisive goal. Daniel Sturridge was the orchestrator, letting fly from outside the Everton box only for the ball to come off the post, where Mane was on hand for...

Observations from Liverpool’s late win against Everton

Imagine in the summer, before the fixture schedule was released, someone told you we would go to Goodison Park just six days before Christmas and win 1-0 thanks to a scrappy goal in added-time. Obvious response would have been "Oh yeah, if Carlsberg did football matches"  sort of one, followed swiftly by a "but imagine the...