The De-Evolution of Philippe Coutinho
I remember when we signed Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan. I hadn't seen much of him other than a few games at Espanyol and the odd Inter game, one of which being their 4-3 victory over Spurs when Gareth Bale grabbed a hattrick. It was the Welshman that grabbed the headlines but I was quietly impressed by with the Inter number 29.
Such tight close control, an eye for a pass and the technique to execute it. He had that …
January is Boom or Bust for Liverpool
Just one month ago I wrote on this parish about my excitement for the festive period. It wasn't just the thought of excessive drinking and mounds of mince pies that made me giddy, but the possibility of Liverpool building some momentum.
The Reds had just come off the back of three successive victories and I was full of confidence.
"We’ve overcome our tricky set of away fixtures and are just six points off the top," I wrote. "Drink it in."
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How to Tactically Get The Best Out of Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson's impending return has been greeted with open arms by a large part of the Liverpool fan base. The captain has been missing since the 1-0 victory against Bournemouth way back in the second match of the season and during his extended absence his importance to the team has grown by the week. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The Reds' midfield this season, and by midfield I mean centre-midfielders so I'm not classing Roberto Firmino and Philippe …
Klopp, Comparisons to Spurs and Starting Afresh
When one hears the terms ‘spineless’, ‘bottlers’ and ‘fucking hilarious’, the only thing that could and should immediately spring to mind is the universal sign for ‘slap yourself in the face, kick yourself in the crotch’ style comedy… Tottenham Hotspur. The token orange in your Christmas stocking, a milk-less bowl of own brand cereal, the last seat on the bus next to *that* guy in the unexplainable blood stained trench coat. You get my point. Spurs and unrelenting disappointment go …
No Divine Right To The Top Four, But That's Okay
Jurgen Klopp tried his best to blow away his statement on fans leaving early on Sunday evening. Little did he know that he had addressed an elephant in the room that's been sitting there since he arrived, waiting for the bubble to burst.
A fair portion of our fan base remains stuck in the euphoria of 2005 and the depression of the title that never was. We cling on to the hopes that we will get a new Gerrard and …
Full Throttle Football - A 25 Minute Snapshot
The Klopp effect, the Gen-Gen Pressing machine, the German Maestro’s organised mayhem. Hyperbole had been thrown around for a week in preparation for the enigmatic German’s arrival, and much had been made of Klopp’s tactics in the lead-up to the away trip to White Hart Lane.
“A wild one” was the phrase that stirred already excitable fans to the extreme levels of animation. After years of limbo; of being directed to unexciting, stagnant football curtailed by a lack of direction …
Daddy Cool - Klopp's Solid Liverpool Start
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Sigmund Freud, the only man whose slips are more famous than Gerrard'sWhen noted head-shrinker, Sigismund Schlomo Freud, developed his theory of treating psychopathology by engaging in dialogue with his patients, the cocaine fancying Austrian quickly established himself as the father of psychoanalysis. This clinical method, which stressed the importance of the father in the development of …
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 …
How Important Should Set Pieces Be For Liverpool?
Set pieces are generally under utilised in the modern game. On numerous occasions recently you hear managers say their new £20 million target man can aid their team defensively but let's be honest, that's not why you're spending that money. Let's be honest, If you're spending £20/30 million on a striker you want him scoring set pieces, not defending them. If signing a big striker doesn't lead to an increase in set piece goals then you're using him wrong.
There …
Finding Positives for Liverpool From The 2014/15 Season
2014/15 was an absolute stinker for Liverpool FC, no two ways about it. I went through a full range of emotions with Brendan Rodgers; in October I had hope he could turn it around, in November and December I had sympathy that this once strutting peacock was now a broken shell of a man and by February I was back to hope that he could make something of the season. However, by the end of March the realisation had set …