Liverpool Eye Monaco's Fofana as Affordable Midfield Option
Liverpool's interest in acquiring Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana this Summer appears to remain, at least according to The Daily Mail. The Reds were the first Premier League club to express their admiration for the 24-year-old, followed by Chelsea's entrance into the fray. However, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool continue to be in the mix.
A considerable part of Fofana's appeal lies in his comparatively modest price tag. With just one year remaining on his contract at Monaco, the Principality team is allegedly …
How Fabinho Set the Template for Liverpool's Midfield
Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Cardiff has sparked cause for optimism among its fanbase, not just because it’s the first time Liverpool have put four past an opposition this season – a feat that becomes something of a hobby for Klopp’s team last term.
No, it was also momentous for the full Premier League debut of Fabinho, who arrived from Monaco in the summer for around £40 million and has been noticeable in his absence during the opening months of the …
The lesson Fabinho should learn from Andrew Robertson
Liverpool fans are dying to see more of their £39 million man Fabinho Tavares, with sightings of the imposing Brazilian still surprisingly rare after his summer switch from Monaco.
While everyone has been quick to quash any negativity surrounding his lack of game time, citing the arrivals of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andrew Robertson as perfect examples of Klopp ensuring that his new men are ready, tactically and physically, before throwing them into the starting XI.
These are two good examples …
10 Young Players That Should be Catching Liverpool's Eye (Part 2)
Tonguy Ndombele
Lyon’s elegantly destructive central midfielder Tanguy Ndombele was called up to the French National Squad for the first time for this international break, and that comes off an extremely impressive 2018. After signing permanently for Lyon in the summer (for a meagre £10 million) after spending the 2017/18 season on loan there from Amiens, Ndombele has become Lyon’s most impressive talent.
Playing alongside Houssem Aouar, Lucas Tousart or Nabil Fekir in Bruno Genesio’s midfield three, Ndombele is tasked …
Midfield Reinforcements For Liverpool: Pre-contract Targets To Add Creativity
Liverpool's midfield benefitted from £100m in investment over the summer with the surprise signing of Monaco's Fabinho, and the arrival of Naby Keita - signed from RBL last summer. However, with the injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain, we've still had to suffer through games with Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner and Jordan Henderson in the engine room.
As we've seen in recent games, the three from last season's team are able to provide a solid midfield to counter teams like PSG and Man …
Integrating Fabinho and the Need for Patience
Patience isn’t a word that gets heeded much in the modern era of football.
Instant gratification has been normalised and expected, and signings are often cast aside as “flops” in as short a space as six months. And that’s fine because some signings don’t work. But, if one casts their mind back to the final season of Brendan Rodgers’ tenure, you’ll notice that Liverpool’s current number nine was far from the maniacal presser and vital fulcrum that he would become …
Klopp's Patience: Taking His Time With Fabinho
Of all the coaching and man management attributes that see Jurgen Klopp rightly ranked amongst the elite managers in world football, patience is perhaps the German’s greatest virtue. A striking example of diligence is in the handling of his second most expensive Brazilian purchase of the summer, Fabinho.
Arriving from French club Monaco for the princely sum of £39M, it was assumed that Fabinho, 24, would instantly become a fixture in Klopp’s side. However, a feature of Liverpool’s’ perfect start …
A Plan of Adaptation: Fabinho Edition
Having spent £40m on Fabinho this summer, some fans would’ve expected him to come straight into the starting eleven and offer a blanket to the back-four we’ve not seen since the days of Javier Mascherano.
Crunching into tackles and feeding the ball to his teammates higher up the pitch, his inclusion would bring Liverpool to new heights amid hopes of a title challenge.
However, the Brazilian hasn’t featured in the opening three games and didn’t even make the bench against …
Injecting Forward Passing Into Liverpool's Midfield
In his first ever press conference as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp was asked about the style of play we should expect to see the team play during his tenure, ‘Umschaltspiel’, he replied. This is a German footballing term but it roughly translates to ‘shift game’, which essentially means ‘transition game’ in England. Two full seasons later, it’s safe to say that Liverpool is now a side that thrives on exploiting moments in transition using speed, energy and the ability to …
Alternative Fekirs: Where should Liverpool turn to next?
It was definitely going to be Thursday, then absolutely Friday, then without question Saturday… but at 8pm Saturday night, the Nabil Fekir saga came to an abrupt halt. Depending on which party you believe, Liverpool had reservations once they had the opportunity to review the details of Fekir’s knee reconstructions from two years prior or Liverpool were simply using the knee as an excuse to try and renegotiate a lower fee at the last minute.
Regardless of who you believe, …