Scouting Naby Keita - The Unrivalled Midfielder
He’s the talk of the town.
Will he ask for a move? Will Liverpool pay the money? Will Leipzig bend to a certain fee? Everyone seems to have their opinion on the Guinean midfielder who lit up the Bundesliga last season, breaking out onto the world scene.
So, is he worth all the fuss?
In a word: yes.
Style
Firstly, the concept of Keita only having proved himself over one exceptional season is a fallacy. What last season’s performances at …
Brandt or Pulisic? Which Young Gun Fits Best?
There’s certainly been no hiding Klopp’s fancies. Reliable information is at a premium in this day and age, but two pieces of information all have gotten behind in recent times are Liverpool’s pursuits of two of the Bundesliga’s most captivating young attackers.
It’s more than justified as well; Sadio Mané’s absence from Liverpool has been detrimental to the way the once mesmeric attack functions, and has brought up the lack of depth Klopp has in his attack. A young, dynamic, …
Expect More Coaching Than Chequebook from Liverpool in January
January has arrived, which means another transfer window and Liverpool being the subject of multiple links that stretch the imagination. It is click-bait season for certain sections of the media and it serves to feed the frenzy of some fans, as they piece together a Liverpool XI based on players that the tabloids picked out of a hat.
It's also the time when many fans hope that their dream of seeing players such as Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana …
Liverpool's Late Winners
Learning to Love the Fat Lady’s Tune
When Sadio Mané reacted fastest to the rebound, breaking Everton hearts on Monday night, he unleashed the most primal act in all of us. If you weren’t at Goodison, then, like me, you were up off the couch, fists clenched with the most guttural of roars leaving your throat.
Relief, coupled with mild disbelief, takes over. You watch the players celebrate, dreading the linesman’s flag, then you hear Mike Dean’s whistle during the …
Liverpool and Dortmund: Uncanny Resemblance
The Liverpool squad had been granted a clean slate after the club parted ways with Brendan Rodgers and appointed Jurgen Klopp on October last year. It gave them a chance to prove themselves to their new manager, who is arguably the most popular manager in world football. While many have successfully predicted some players would have difficulties to adapt to the intense system Klopp demands of his players, there were was only one who surprised us most. Adam Lallana.
The …
FSG Have Failed to Deliver
If ever there was a headline to cause debate this is it. No doubt many will read the title of this piece and either strongly agree or disagree without reading the bloody article.
In the last few years I have strongly defended FSG and also given them heavy criticism. There are things they have done very well and things they have done very poorly. Let’s begin with the positives.
On 15th October 2010, much to all our relief, FSG, then …
Forget the Big Name Signings for Liverpool
As this memorable season for Liverpool comes to a close, thoughts begin to drift towards this summer’s transfer window. The press have been awash with transfer rumours and speculation for weeks and in turn, it’s fed the online shopping lists of fans with imaginative expectations of just what this summer holds in store for Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund have some excellent players and naturally, there is the Jürgen Klopp connection, but that doesn’t mean we’ll sign any of them. Bayern Munich …
The Essence of Liverpool and European Miracles
Words can’t quite describe that feeling, can they?
The anticipation that seems beyond its boiling point before the game, suddenly deflates like a balloon within twelve minutes of Dortmund’s blitzkrieg. 2-0 down, journalists and pundits alike believe it to be game over.
Yet there’s something there. Something lurks in the crowd, the buzz and feeling that Liverpool are European royalty for a very, very, good reason. Jurgen Klopp has turned most people from doubter to believer; the aura around Liverpool …
Liverpool v Dortmund: A Dream Draw
It was written in the stars, with an almost certain inevitability to it, that Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund would be drawn together in the Europa League quarter-finals. For Jürgen Klopp and everyone associated with Dortmund it is a very emotional tie; you only have to look back at his final game at the Westfalenstadion to see just the depth of that. I defy anyone to watch those scenes and not have a tear in their eye. “Echte liebe” is Dortmund’s …
Jürgen Klopp's Midfield Unit
Hello again Anfield Index, it's been a while. Sorry I've taken some time since my last article, but apparently being in the final year of your degree is quite time-consuming. Moving on, in this piece I will be attempting to analyse what I consider the most important component of any Klopp system: the midfield. Most will tell you that Klopp's preferred shape is a 4-2-3-1, which I agree with, and I'll start by discussing what the manager tends to expect from …