Roberto Firmino's Masterclass Must Win Him More Admirers
Liverpool were sensational at times against Hoffenheim as they reached the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, playing the kind of football that any Reds team throughout history would have been proud of.
The way in which Jurgen Klopp’s side blew their naive opponents away at Anfield, especially in the first-half, really was a sight to behold, and we can now look forward to more great European nights on Merseyside.
This is a competition made for both Klopp and Liverpool …
Liverpool v Arsenal Preview - Welcoming the Gunners
The Details
Venue - Anfield
Referee - Martin Atkinson
Date & Time - Sunday, August 27th @ 16:00 BST
Form
Liverpool come into this game after successfully navigating a potential banana-skin of a Champions League playoff with Hoffenheim of Germany. Since the 3-3 opening day result at Watford, the Reds have won their last three games in a row, beating Hoffenheim twice, either side of the home win against Palace. Liverpool, surprisingly, are aiming for a fourth home Premier League …
Liverpool 4-2 Hoffenheim: A Tactical Breakdown
Anfield, under lights, with a European fixture: the stage was set. Klopp's Liverpool did not disappoint, with perhaps the best team performance of the calendar year, Liverpool's attacking play was simply breathtaking, as the team dispatched Hoffenheim over the first 20 minutes.
With the same midfield as the first-leg, and the first league game of the season, what did Liverpool do differently, and why was the performance so drastically different to the three preceding games?
Stats
Possession
LFC: 45pc (in …
Sadio Mané - Liverpool's Most Important Cog
Mané's importance to the team has been clear right from the word go at Liverpool.
Scoring 13 goals and registering seven assists in 31 Premier League appearances, the Senegalese international needed no bedding in period to make his mark at Anfield and establish himself as a fan favourite.
A fiery goal on his competitive debut against Arsenal is testament to that, showing off his pace to cannon past the defence before smashing the ball into the corner. That was followed …
One Transfer To Save Liverpool's Summer
Keita, Van Dijk, Oxlade Chamberlain... rinse and repeat. The 2017 summer transfer window passed the annoying stage several weeks ago. Since the signing of Mo Salah, the remaining names on the list haven’t changed, neither have Liverpool made any apparent progress in getting these deals over the line. All three would be big additions to a squad with more holes than the old Hitachi kit you have hanging in your closet, but one major problem in concluding these deals is that there is …
Liverpool 4 - 2 Hoffenheim: Job Done at Anfield
Match: Liverpool (2) v (1) Hoffenheim
Date: August 23rd @ 19:45 BST
Venue: Anfield
Competition: Champions League Playoff 2nd Leg
Liverpool lineup -
Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Henderson, Can, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mané
Subs: Karius, Gomez, Solanke, Klavan, Robertson, Milner, Sturridge
Hoffenheim lineup -
Baumann, Nordtveit, Vogt, Hubner, Kaderabek, Demirbay, Geiger, Zuber, Gnabry, Wagner, Kramaric
Subs: Kobel, Bicakcic, Rupp, Polanski, Toljan, Uth, Szalai
Ninety minutes from Champions League football. Ninety minutes from bringing those nights back home. Ninety minutes …
Liverpool 4-2 Hoffenheim: Player Ratings
Liverpool qualified for the Champions League with a huge 4-2 victory (6-3 agg) over Hoffenheim in the second leg of their playoff contest at Anfield.
It was a dominating performance from the Reds in front of a packed out Anfield for their first European match at home since their 3-0 victory over Villarreal in the semi-final of the Europa League in May 2016.
Goals from Mohammed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Emre Can were enough to see them cross the line …
It's time for Emre Can to start dominating football matches
Putting contract issues aside, this season will be a decisive one for Emre Can. Whether he is to have a long term future at Anfield is still unknown but what is clear is that the injury suffered to Adam Lallana which is due to keep him out for at least two months and the ongoing problems with Phil Coutinho means the German powerhouse has a great opportunity to stamp his authority on this team. Despite questions still remaining as to …
Analysing Gini Wijnaldum's Disappearing Act
After having a fairly decent debut season and scoring numerous meaningful goals, Gini Wijnaldum has developed a decent reputation amongst Liverpool fans thus far. Gini's first season playing under Klopp resulted in a return of 6 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League as well as strong performances in the so-called 'big games' against Liverpool's title rivals.
However, although the season is just a few games old, his start to the 17/18 campaign hasn't been good enough and it's …
Liverpool v Hoffenheim 2nd Leg Preview - Finishing the Job
The Details
Venue: Anfield
Date & Time: August 23rd, 2017 @ 19:45 BST
Form
Hoffenheim got their Bundesliga campaign off to a winning start on Saturday, with a 1-0 home victory against Werder Bremen. Now they will be hoping to recuperate before their visit to Anfield as they aim to prolong their maiden visit to the top table of European football.
Julian Nagelsmann will almost certainly have many, many more years to look forward to in the Champions League but …