Liverpool's handling of Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate has made just two starts for Liverpool following his £36million transfer from RB Leipzig this summer.
The first arrived in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League and then he was included in the starting XI for the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City. It has now been close to a month since he last featured for the Reds and I’ve seen complaints from some fans.
With injuries stacking up elsewhere, people are starting …
The Rearguard Solution
Centre-back partnerships can offer sublime foundations and turn teams into serial winners. Alessandro Costacurta and Franco Baresi jump to the front of that formidable list, as a partnership that allowed the rest of the side to dominate literally everyone.
In the modern game (especially within the Premier League), the ferocity of play and sheer culmination of games has now enforced adjustment to Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp’s thinking. The reds have started the season in an impressive manner, and the four …
The World Class Upgrade
Under the Roy Evans regime, Neil Ruddock, John Scales, Phil Babb & Mark Wright were the options in defence. They were the central defenders in the mid nineties that saw a period of great attacking football from the reds. The likes of Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman were part of an exciting line up that fell short of major honours, often let down by the sides defensive deficiencies. Robbie Fowler certainly underachieved (in terms of silverware) in his career, despite …
The importance of Virgil Van Dijk
Earlier on in pre-season, Liverpool journalists claimed Ibrahima Konate was likely going to start the season alongside Joel Matip in defence. It was something of a surprise to see Virgil van Dijk named alongside the former Schalke man in the starting XI against Norwich City on Saturday.
He'd come through the friendlies unscathed but it felt like a start in the Premier League was a bit too soon. Maybe Jurgen Klopp felt the Canaries were an ideal team to ease …
Bissouma reaction: Some Liverpool fans will never learn
If you're expecting a memorable summer in the transfer market at Liverpool, you're in for a horrible shock.
Unfortunately, this isn't FIFA or Football Manager, so the Reds won't be splashing an endless stream of cash, as Jurgen Klopp's men look to bounce back from this most dispiriting of seasons.
Given the impact that COVID-19 has had on football, and the fact that Liverpool are highly unlikely to be in the Champions League next year, some perspective is needed.
It's …
Virgil Van Dijk's impact on Liverpool
When Liverpool paid a club-record £75million to bring Virgil van Dijk to Anfield, they hadn’t conceded fewer than 40 Premier League goals in a single season since 2009/10. On a couple of occasions, they’d even conceded 50.
To challenge for a place in the top four, teams generally had to finish with a goal difference of around +30. It is obviously a bit more complex, but if you look back over the years, that, more often than not, seems to …
Liverpool Need To Address Lack of Height In Summer Window
With so many defensive injuries, Liverpool's season has really suffered.
It'll take no level of footballing comprehension to know that without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip for most of the season the Reds have suffered in a defensive sense.
But so many absences in their back-line has hurt the Anfield club elsewhere.
Trent Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson -- the team's creative hubs -- have had to cut their attacking wings and play in a more reserved …
Joe Gomez enters defining period of his Liverpool career
Joe Gomez has now been a Liverpool player for almost six years, which doesn't seem possible.
In fact, he is now the fourth-longest-serving player at Anfield, behind Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi and James Milner, yet is still only 23 years of age.
Gomez's Liverpool career has been a curious one, with endless moments of promise, exceptional runs in the team, but also a worrying list of injury layoffs.
His early performances for the Reds in those first few weeks of …
Virgil & The Reds' System
Virgil, Joe Gomez & Joel Matip represent a core defensive unit of players that have for the most part been unavailable this season. The ramifications of not signing a Dejan Lovren replacement, in the form of Wesley Fofana or an earlier acquisition of Kabak to add required depth now looks foolish. The system, the counter press, the personnel stripped from midfield to assist the back line and the utter disruption have left the reds often toothless since mid December. A …
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
Excuse:
a reason or explanation given to justify a fault or offence.
For some bizarre reason, excuses are viewed as negatives these days. I don’t quite understand why given, per the definition, it is a justification as to why something has happened. Obviously, these truths can be embellished and this might why people seem to associate excuses with lies, but, ultimately, an excuse provides context.
Context is often overlooked in football. This is usually tied to stats, but general narratives …