Oxlade-Chamberlain

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...

Leicester 1-2 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown

After a series of games in which one team opened themselves up to be spatially exploited, and two decided to sit tight and deep, Leicester offered a new and different challenge to those Liverpool have already faced this season. Leicester were far more aggressive than previous opponents, but the game was largely characterised by...

Andy Robertson – Best Left-Back in the Premier League

I must confess that I was amongst those potentially frustrated when Liverpool decided not to spend big money on a left-back last summer, instead plumping for Hull’s Andy Robertson. However, once I did some digging on Robbo, as I have several friends who support Hull, the overwhelming response was that it was a very...

x-Pected Improvement Following Klopp’s Upgrade of the Spine

A mere 3 games into a highly anticipated new season and Liverpool sit atop the Premier League table. While it's still early days, with the integration of new players underway, it's extremely satisfying to see the club hit maximum points thus far. 9 points, zero goals conceded, firing at probably only 60-70% of our true level....

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...

Fabulous but Fab-less: Liverpool’s Patience with Fabinho

Patience is a virtue. Sometimes, especially as football fans, we can struggle to see the bigger picture, the longer term, and we can get focused on the here and now. And we can start to question certain decisions. But we need to remember that a little patience never hurt anyone. Take Fabinho, for example. Liverpool’s...

The Curious Case of Dejan Lovren

It’s good to be a Liverpool supporter right now. The team is top of the table after the first matchweek, and the opener could not have gone any better. The additions in the summer appear to be spot on, and the team looks truly up for it this season. But it’s not 100% sunshine...

Liverpool v West Ham United Preview – Key Battles

The World Cup is over. The transfer window has, to use a particular cliché, slammed shut. Now it’s time for the actual thing – the real football. For nine months across the length and breadth of England (and a little bit of Wales), 20 teams to fight it out for one prize. Before a...

Liverpool 2018/19: A Tactical Preview

How do Liverpool play? It's a simple question, but with the arrival of both Naby Keïta, Fabinho and Alisson, as well as the progression of Liverpool's tactics under Jürgen Klopp since he joined in 2016, the answer requires a more detailed response than the question initially indicates. There are three main tactical phases in football:...

Why Liverpool Must Find Their Coutinho Replacement

Liverpool’s pursuit of Nabil Fekir looks to be over (for the time being), and with it has come another question: do Liverpool currently have their optimal squad? Or should they return to the market once more, with the intent of finally replacing the man who formerly practised his magic at Anfield? Well, quite simply, yes....