Footballs Of Steel
The past weekend saw a remarkable run of results continue, as Liverpool saw off Newcastle at St James' Park. The Reds are in the midst of a battle across three remaining fronts, with Villarreal dispatched after a minor scare in midweek.
Earlier in the year I wrote a piece named ‘Rotation, Rotation, Rotation’, as the Reds continued to smartly use the depth of their squad. It’s always been a tricky subject for clubs that partake in rotation, as the squads' …
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation
The dust has now settled on Liverpool’s triumphant League Cup final, and other competitions now come to the fore.
With a pretty much full strength line up employed for the Chelsea match, there is an FA Cup game against Norwich on Wednesday to contend with. West Ham are welcomed to Anfield on Saturday, with both these games being played out at home. The full strength nature of last Sunday will now inevitably be replaced by mass rotation. The jittering nature …
Why Liverpool's Recent Carabao Cup Woes Aren't Too Worrying
For the second time in consecutive seasons, Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle as they were beaten 1-2 at home by Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea.
Despite putting in a fairly dominant display and having plenty of chances to seal their place in the fourth round, the Reds fell to defeat thanks to a poor refereeing decision and a moment of pure genius from Eden Hazard.
Flashback to 12 months ago, and it was another glum night …
Pressure on Klopp to Rotate Liverpool's Starting Eleven
Having made just one change to his Liverpool side in the opening four games, continuity in selection will soon have to change for Jurgen Klopp. The Reds have only been playing one game a week up until now which enabled Klopp to name an unchanged side for the first three league games. Jordan Henderson replaced Naby Keita away at Leicester to mark the only change to the team up until now. However, with European nights on the horizon, the German …
The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same for Liverpool FC
Seven points from three games represented an excellent start to the new season for Liverpool Football Club and, its embattled manager, Brendan Rodgers. A battling if blunt display against Stoke, followed by an unconvincing showing against Bournemouth had delivered 6 points from 6, before the Reds turned in an impressive display away at the Emirates. Things were looking decent-ish, at least in terms of results, and the performances seemed to be improving. Step forward West Ham at Anfield! Saturday's absolute …
The Rotational Conundrum for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool
You really can’t help being a tad hopeful and optimistic about the Reds’ recent change of fortunes. The Reds are now the team in form, so says pundits, as well as our very own bloggers and podcasters alike. Critics who had their teeth gnashing at Rodgers’ failure to address gaping issues that got us where we are now in the league, are more than bemused with the 180 degree turn in the way his team approaches our opposition. The collapsing …
Does Rodgers Know Liverpool's Best Eleven?
Three games in six days represents a tough week for any team, even Liverpool. A midweek date with Ancelotti's "Galacticos Mark II" was never going to be plain sailing, and the distraction (albeit a welcome one) of playing the planet's biggest club, made team selection for Saturday's league match (against Hull) all the more difficult for Brendan Rodgers.
Managing team selection, rotating the team, bringing players in and out of the side at the optimum time to maximise their talents, …