Joel Matip: The best partner for Virgil Van Dijk
We're four years into Joel Matip's Liverpool career and only now are we getting to see him finally fulfil his potential.
He arrived during the summer of 2016 and immediately had fans on his side purely by not being Martin Skrtel. For years prior, the Slovakian had been one of the mainstays in a leaky backline for the Reds.
Matip was not just seen as an upgrade but as a better fit in general. His first thought wasn't to retreat …
The Cult of Lucas Leiva
Liverpool fans are an emotional and nostalgic bunch. We feel the need to eulogise our players to the point where there always needs to be someone at the club who can be considered a legend. With Lucas Leiva the longest standing player at the club and the only member of the first team who was around the last time we won a trophy except for our captain (and God knows our fan-base will refuse to acknowledge Hendo as a good …
A Year of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Reds, can you believe it’s been a year since the charismatic German took over as Liverpool FC manager? That moment when your wildest football dreams came true, well they certainly did for me. Jurgen Klopp has been in his post for a year and to say it’s been eventful, is a gross understatement. Let's rewind back to October 2015 when Klopp took over a demotivated team that played uninspiring football and the results and league position certainly showed that. Liverpool were …
Klopp's Squad Changes Analysed - What a Difference a Year Makes
It's flown by hasn't it? Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manager doesn't seem like it was a year ago. Everything about him at the club still feels fresh and new but at the same time it feels like he's part of the furniture. It's testament to the man that he's managed to come in and change so much in such a short space of time. It's genuinely scary to think that if history repeats itself Klopp will only be here, at Anfield, …
Klopp's Resilient Reds?
Brittle, frail, delicate, on the brink of collapse and similar to a Creme Brulee with that soft centre are just a few of the creative ways the Liverpool defence has been described over the years. They're not wrong either, not since the days of Rafa Benitez and Kenny Dalglish's second stint as Liverpool manager have the Reds shown any sort of resiliency when it comes to defending.
You can quote the number of clean sheets the team have had all you …
Attack, Liverpool's best form of defence
Three games into the new Premier League campaign, Liverpool have conceded six goals, whilst scoring just five. Experiments with players operating in new positions, no clear preferred back five, or defined midfield protection, result understandably in questions being asked, even at this early stage. The mistakes and uncertainty will fail to alleviate fans fears, that the defensive frailties of seasons past, have once more not been addressed this summer.
When Jürgen Klopp arrived, the area I thought he'd address first …
Lucas Leiva and the Anfield Cull
We all knew when Klopp arrived at Liverpool Football Club, we had unanimous agreement that a massive clearout of players was in order. There was the likes of Jose Enrique and Martin Skrtel that needed to be moved on from the club. Today, even without any European competition this season, the manager has found his Liverpool squad too crowded for a team that would play fifty-odd games this season, at most.
As things stand, there are already a number of …
Jürgen Klopp - No Room For Sentimentality
With the transfer window open and in full swing, it's a time when Liverpool supporters completely lose all their inhabitations and start offering up players to the footballing gods, in hope of the gift of a positive season ahead. To the fanbase, most players are ripe to be the sacrificial lamb, very few are sacred enough to be spared. It's this mentality most hope Jürgen Klopp will adopt, as he goes about moulding, trimming and shaping his squad for the …
Why Joel is Ma-tip For Bargain Of The Summer!
Joel Matip officially joined Liverpool Football Club last week, after agreeing to a move from his boyhood club Schalke on a free transfer in January. The highly rated ball playing centre-back joins a league rich with defensive talent, and a fan base who know a good defender when they see one; the problem is, they haven't seen one in a while.
The truth is, Liverpool conceded more than 30 goals in each of their last seven Premier League seasons and …
The Clash Of Personalities In Liverpool's Defence
Liverpool’s back four has been an issue that most Liverpool fans are aware of, and was the biggest reason as to why we were not able to lift the Premier League trophy 3 years ago.
Our defence has leaked 191 goals in the league for the past four seasons, averaging about 47.7 per season. That by any means is not acceptable for a team looking to challenge for the title, let alone a regular top four position for consistent Champions …