Liverpool And Their Calculated Defensive Gamble
Gambling, by its very nature, doesn't always come off.
There can be no debate that Liverpool -- after the sale of Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg -- gambled when they didn't sign a centre half last summer.
Instead, the Reds pushed the boat out to sign Thiago Alcantara from FC Bayern and planned on using Fabinho as their fourth choice centre half.
Now, with long term injuries to both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez that strategy looks shortsighted, …
Ultimate test of Van Dijk-less Liverpool arrives at Man City
Can you think of a more high-profile, damaging injury to a Liverpool player than Virgil van Dijk's at Everton?
I'm not sure there has ever been one that has had the potential to define an entire season like Van Dijk's, such is his colossal stature at the club.
Having had him available throughout almost all of his nearly-three-year stay at Anfield, we now have the horrible prospect of not seeing him in a Liverpool shirt again for almost a year.
…
Nat Phillips Can Provide Temporary Centre Half Relief For Liverpool.
Nat Phillips was picked as the man of the match award in Liverpool's 2-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday last.
The performance -- and individual plaudits -- represents somewhat of a redemption for the 23-year old centre-half.
With 12 Championship clubs chasing the Bolton natives’ signature in the summer, Phillips -- who had been deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield -- saw the writing on the wall for his Liverpool career.
However, a move never materialized -- with Swansea …
Thiago And Passenaccio Approach Could Help Ease Liverpool Defensive
Despite remaining undefeated, with a record of three wins and a draw -- the tie coming courtesy of some of the worst officiating you will ever see, even with the leg up of video evidence -- October feels like a cursed month for Liverpool.
The defensive compartment of Jurgen Klopp's team, in particular, were flooded in misfortune. Virgil van Dijk, the Reds' talismanic Totum of backline dominance, was injured by a horrifically reckless challenge by Everton's Jordan Pickford. The Champions …
Understated Robertson continues superb start to the season
In years and decades to come, Liverpool supporters will look back at this phenomenal team and pick out the poster boys from it, lavishing them with love and praise.
Whereas some great teams only have two or three iconic figures to bore future generations to death about, there are endless contenders in this Liverpool side.
Virgil van Dijk is a defensive colossus who completely transformed the team when he arrived, with the unrivalled Alisson not too far behind in that …
Virgil Loss Will Be a Huge Blow But Liverpool Are Still Brilliant
Let's get the captain obvious statement out of the way at the beginning, shall we?
Liverpool will miss Virgil van Dijk during his injury lay off, which, per reports, could last anything from six to nine months.
If you could manufacture the perfect centre half in a lab, equipped with elite physical, mental, technical and leadership attributes, then the Reds' towering Dutchman would be the ideal prototype.
Any team -- Barcelona with Lionel Messi, FC Bayern with Robert Lewandowski, to …
Tactical Breakdown: Everton 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool's goalless draw against Everton back in June - the first game of the restarted league season - was an intriguing affair in which Everton posed a number of tactical questions to Liverpool, and was able to slow down the red juggernaut. With Ancelotti's coaching clearly making a difference to Everton's performance, this game had an exciting tactical dimension to it. Yet despite Everton's superb form leading into this game, it was one which Liverpool dominated, with a number of …
Liverpool No Excuses Reaction Bodes Well For Future
Rooting through the charred remains of Liverpool's 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa in search of positives is an entirely difficult pursuit.
To concede seven goals -- and, on balance, it could have been even more -- away to a team who just about managed to survive in the Premier League last season was arguably the Reds' worst result in Premier League history. Yes, worse than the 6-1 defeat away to Stoke City in 2015.
But in the reaction to the …
Why Fabinho needs another centre-back
Every top team wants versatile players. In fact, they need flexible players to give them the option of changing things within a match without having to make changes. Liverpool, as an example, have deployed Sadio Mane on the left, on the right and at times centrally. Mohamed Salah has played right-wing and as a centre-forward. Gini Wijnaldum has played, well, he’s played everywhere. But some players should be exempt from this. However, there’s an argument to be made that specialist …
Liverpool, the High Line and Perception
Like it or not, perception is often more important than reality, at least in the world of football. For example, scoring a goal can see a player’s match rating jump from a 6/10 to an 8/10 and a misplaced pass that results in a big chance basically undoes all the prior good work. Liverpool are currently dealing with an unfounded narrative. The champions may have a 100% record in the Premier League but there’s a feeling they’ve been fortunate in …