Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace: A Tactical Breakdown
After a late Watford equaliser, Liverpool's Premier League campaign was yet to really get going. A tie with bogey-team Crystal Palace hardly eased nerves, especially as reports of Coutinho's continued unhappiness, and rumours of a knock to Sadio Mané had fans on edge. Nonetheless, the performance was distinctly different to the Champions League first-leg against Hoffenheim, and the Watford match too. Yet, what we also saw were some themes and consistencies, that we may see continue to pop up throughout …
Observations As Liverpool Grind Out 1-0 Win Against Palace
Liverpool picked up their first win of the new Premier League campaign on Saturday afternoon as they made a very welcome return to Anfield. Up against what can only be described as a real bogey team, Jurgen Klopp's side silenced any pre-kick off nerves, grinding out the three points after Sadio Mané put them ahead in the second-half.
Here are the observations from the match.
Promising Debut For Robertson
Making his first competitive start for the club since joining from …
Liverpool 1 - 0 Crystal Palace: Hard-fought win at Anfield
Match: Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Date: August 19th, 2017
Venue: Anfield
Competition: Premier League
Liverpool lineup -
Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Robertson, Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum, Mané, Firmino, Sturridge
Subs: Karius, Flanagan, Can, Origi, Lovren, Salah, Solanke
Crystal Palace lineup -
Hennessey, Fosu-Mensah, Dann, Tomkins, Ward, Milivojevic, Puncheon, van Aanholt, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Benteke
Subs: Speroni, Kelly, Schlupp, Kaikai, McArthur, Cabaye, Lokilo
So, here they come. Liverpool’s bogey team of recent years. Our first home game of the season and it’s against …
Liverpool 1 - 0 Crystal Palace: Player Ratings
Liverpool huffed and they puffed but in the end, Sadio Mane's first Anfield goal of the season ensured that the Reds took their first Premier League win of the season. It wasn't pretty for large parts of the game, as a sluggish Liverpool threatened to be stifled out of the game by a disciplined Palace, but a stroke of good fortune meant that the ball fell in Mane's path for him to calmly slot past Wayne Hennessey.
Here are the …
Is Liverpool's Squad Good Enough to Contend This Season?
‘This is our year.’ It’s been declared year after year by many Liverpool fans and we’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of stick from rival fans, due to the glaring fact we haven’t won the league since 1990, nor any trophy since 2012.
However, in recent weeks I have sensed more pessimism from fans taking to social media to express their concerns about the lack of strengthening the positions we need most. With less than a week …
Milner in midfield - masterstroke or massive gamble?
After Liverpool won their final game of pre-season against Athletic Bilbao 3-1, Jürgen Klopp hinted that Alberto Moreno has managed to save his Liverpool future and that as a result, James Milner will be used in his more natural position in midfield this season, allowing Moreno and Robertson to fight over the left back spot. Naturally, the response to this was calm and considered, with a lot of people acknowledging that perhaps Moreno hasn’t had the chance to settle in …
Liverpool and the Changing Importance of the Full-Back
The Reds 0-3 win at Hertha Berlin was a fine performance and provided a fillip in this most frustrating of LFC summers. Though pre-season score-lines are generally regarded as useless and worthy only for their aerobic benefits, it was interesting to see how the new signings coped. Dom Solanke scored a beautiful goal and we already knew what Salah can do so it was more interesting to see Andy Robertson play the second half.
The young Scot settled quickly and …
Why Liverpool's Current Squad Is Not Enough To Challenge On All Fronts
Over the season 2016/17, Liverpool played 46 games, which amounts to around 4,140 minutes over the season. However, notably, some players struggled with their fitness, which raises questions of how individuals, the team, and the squad will perform in a season that will include a minimum of eight Champions League games (including and providing Liverpool go through the qualifying matches), and perhaps a longer FA Cup run.
The most recent edition of the AI Under Pressure podcast looked at the …
Hertha Berlin 0 Liverpool 3 - Match Report
Location: Olympiastadion
Lineup: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Moreno, Can, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Mane, Coutinho ©, Solanke (4-3-3)
Subs: Grabara, Robertson, Lovren, Flanagan, Ejaria, Henderson, Firmino, Sturridge, Salah, Kent.
Liverpool kicked off their German tour with a friendly against Hertha Berlin to mark the 125th Anniversary of the club with a comfortable victory.
James Milner was absent due to injury, therefore, Alberto Moreno started in his place with £10 million signing Andy Robertson making his debut in the second half. Divock Origi was …
The Importance of Keeping Coutinho
In recent years, Liverpool have acted too much like a small club in the transfer market. The club has developed a reputation for signing high potential players to eventually sell-on for higher fees once those players reach close to their maximum output. Since 2009, Liverpool have lost Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, Sterling, Torres and Luis Suarez for a total of around £235m after signing those players for around £72.2m. This may be considered by some to be good business, as Liverpool …