Tony Evans: Monday's Merseyside Derby is a Watershed Moment for Liverpool
Looking back, it struck me that very few of my favourite derby memories took place at Anfield. Most were at other grounds – Wembley, Maine Road and Goodison.
The standout games across the park were the 3-2 in 1985, when the teams were arguably the two best sides in Europe, and the 5-0 in 1982. Gary McAllister’s winner in 2001’s 3-2 victory was truly remarkable.
More recently, the Sadio Mane late, late winner was a brilliant moment. The Street End’s …
Absent Luis Diaz an underrated reason for Liverpool's struggles
A year ago, almost to the day, Liverpool were completing the signing of Luis Diaz, giving their 2021/22 season a much-needed injection of quality and fresh legs.
History may look back on that campaign differently, as the Reds lay on the cusp of an unprecedented quadruple at one point, but it was a grind at times.
When Diaz arrived, Liverpool were well adrift of Man City in the Premier League title race and their performances were often unconvincing.
Who else …
World Cup Squads 11/11: Van Dijk, Nunez In, Thiago, Fabio out
On November 11th, we saw a clash of the Borussia sides in the Bundesliga, and eight World Cup squads released! Netherlands, Senegal, Uruguay, Argentina, Qatar, Portugal, Serbia and Spain all revealed their teams today. Unsurprisingly, Netherland's captain Virgil Van Dijk was selected, and $85M frontman Darwin Nunez was picked for Uruguay. Thiago and Fabio Carvalho were both sadly omitted from their respective sides, while Jota missed out due to injury. Ex-Red Sadio Mane was predictably picked for Senegal, as were …
Darwin Núñez & His Importance To This Team
I once visited the Amsterdam Arena many many years ago on a youth football trip. We were due to play some games, take advantage of the low drinking age (16 years old back in 1996), and generally have a fun filled trip abroad. The Johan Cruyff Arena is a wonderful venue to visit, and Ajax are a historical European side, much like our own Reds. On Wednesday night Liverpool ran out winners, and for me it was another huge step …
Julian Ward & His Must-Win Transfer Window
When Michael Edwards handed in his notice last year, I immediately saw it as an elite Sporting Director not being backed by his ownership. For any structurally organised sporting entity, success must be garnered a Ross all levels for the on field situations to succeed. Michael Edwards became a wizard of both buying and selling players, yet the on going ‘net spend’ issue must’ve gotten too much for such a gifted operator. Edwards is still waiting for his next post, …
How Liverpool Have Evolved In A Year
In the days leading to last seasons opening games, every single pundit had either Chelsea or Manchester City winning the Premier League. The general feeling was that the return of Cristiano Ronaldo would also propel Manchester United into contention, and Liverpool would be eased down the table.
In hindsight, the uneducated views of nearly all the experts who disregarded Liverpool now seem very foolish. Liverpool had just experienced their most injury-ravished season in history, and had relied on the defensive …
Darwin - Return Of The Number 9
I wrote just prior to the RB Leipzig friendly how patience was required for all new players. I was keen to state how pre season is nothing more than the warm up to the season, and how we had to trust the process of integrating new arrivals. The match score (and more to the point, the scorers against RBL), surely ratify some of those thoughts, and it hasn’t take long for the negative comments to swing round to pure jubilation. …
My First Liverpool Idols
I was born 12th November, 1981. My very first array of visible LFC memories probably started in the early 90’s. There are a few snippets here and there prior to that, but the problematic period between Graham Souness leaving & Roy Evans taking over, is probably my first absolute batch of memories.
I recall my brother and I had a 1992/93 squad photo in our room, the one with the manager front and centre. The most notable players (to me …
Life After Sadio Mane - A Liverpool Legend, An Inevitable Exit
Sadio Mane was the foundational piece of a puzzle that culminated in the greatest Liverpool team I have ever seen; I never thought Kenny's 1988 side would be bettered, it has, and with interest on top!
The sustainable model FSG use with LFC means they are to some extent cheating the system, whilst cumulatively the wage bill is on a par with our rivals; this is merely to have a squad with the depth needed to compete; we simply cannot …
Liverpool Without Mane: How Do the Reds Replace a Legend?
Since Sadio Mane’s £34 million transfer to Liverpool from Southampton in 2016, Liverpool ticket prices have been a hotly debated topic. In the 2017-2018 season, Liverpool made it to the Champions League final. However, their success has not come without its consequences. Ticket prices for the semi-final and the final matches were raised to £77 and £513, respectively.
This substantial increase in ticket prices caused a lot of backlash from Liverpool fans. Some people argue that the high ticket prices …