Attacking Through the Middle
Throughout nearly the entirety of Liverpool’s recent domestic and European campaign, Jürgen Klopp’s team was faced with the low-block reality presented by opposition sides. I’ve written before about how elite sides such as Liverpool and Manchester City need to adapt their style of play in order to combat the all too common low-block. Weaker sides have mastered this strategy, and I spoke about how it was a challenge for innovative coaches to overcome.
Manchester City drew first blood this summer …
Rage Against The Machine
Revenge is a dish best served cold, supposedly. Well this Saturday evening represents an opportunity for this Liverpool side to take out their obvious frustrations on Real Madrid, who await them in this season’s Champions League Final. The last final meeting was devastating, and memories clearly still linger with key members of the Reds' squad.
Throughout the entirety of last weekend's final league game, I did everything I could to avoid actually sitting and watching the match. With the eventual …
Under Pressure: Dynamic Diaz, Klopp's Man Management & Naby's New Role
It was another double header for the Under Pressure crew, and it was a review of the Reds' domestic cup double - already - this season as they won the FA Cup final on penalties against Chelsea at Wembley.
In recent seasons it hasn't been a priority for Liverpool, mainly due to the strength of the squad available but this campaign has seen a real desire to succeed in all competitions. Phil Barter reflected on the ability of the manager …
Observations: Don't Panic
Dear Reader, this writer had the pleasure of watching Liverpool vs Villarreal on BT Sport. After a torrid first half in which the Reds were stunned by a daring tactical approach by knockout king Unai Emery (more on that later), there was something of a theme for the coverage. "Bring on Henderson", "need the captain's experience", "there has to be personnel changes from Klopp". The consensus seemed to be that Liverpool's midfielders had struggled, particularly Naby Keita, and therefore substitutions …
Molby On The Spot: The Next Evolution of Klopp's Legacy
As the dust was settling on the Reds' two goal victory in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal, news started to filter through that Jürgen Klopp was discussing the possibility of a new extension to his contract that was due to run out in 2024.
Hours later, and the deal was done. In the blink of an eye Liverpool's manager had agreed to extend until 2026. Trevor and Jan discussed this on the latest edition of …
Observations: Demolition Job
4-0. Against Manchester United. 9-0 across home and away. It's often said that for certain fixtures, form goes out of the window and the derby atmosphere makes anything possible. That was true when Liverpool were struggling and United were top dogs, and it was true for most of Klopp's time the other way. But this year, the Reds have completely demolished the aura of the derby. Old Trafford has been conquered. Mancunian spirits have been broken. And boy, did we …
Manchester City 2 - 2 Liverpool - The Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 7.5
Made a superb early stop on Sterling, before a cruel deflection made De Bruyne’s opening goal unreachable. Was kept busy, and again could do little for the goal from Jesus. Had good moments where his positional sense was vital.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 7.0
A nervy start was extinguished by a lovely opening assist for Jota. Stood up so well to continuous threats, and was a willing taker of the ball. An average game by all accounts, which …
Under Pressure: Salah's Contract & Premier League vs Champions League
It's a topic that, seemingly, will run and run into the summer and maybe even next season. On the eve of the biggest game of the season away against Manchester City, and with Salah himself saying there can be no distractions for the whole team during this crucial period, the Mo Salah contract situation won't be sorted anytime soon.
On Under Pressure, during the international break, the original 'A' Team got together to present both sides of the debate, using …
Observations: Against Benfica, the real Naby Keita stood up
In a recent interview, Naby Keita said 'I don't believe we've seen the real Naby Keita just yet. I've had quite a few injuries & I'm trying to get back to full form & fitness. Recently I've felt 100%. It's my aim to try and establish myself and be seen in the world of football either this season or the next.' Well Naby lad, if you wanted to be seen, then tonight you did everything right to make it happen. …
Who is Liverpool transfer target Vitinha?
There have been murmurs recently that Liverpool are interested in Vitinha. Per reports on O Jogo, the Reds have been keeping tabs on the £33million-rated midfield maestro ahead of a potential summer move.
Now, not a lot is known about the 22-year-old. This is his first campaign as a starter for Porto having been on loan with Wolves last term. His stint at Molineux wasn’t a successful one, however, with the midfielder making just five starts and racking up a …