Van Dijk

A Chance for Gomez to Shine at Centre-Back?

Kiev only feels like yesterday but Liverpool are almost back in pre-season training. The World Cup has been a lovely distraction from all things Reds - the tournament will still be going on during the first few friendlies, slightly bizarrely - but now it's time to switch on again. Up the 'This Is Our Year' Reds! There...

In-Depth Naby Keïta Analysis – Welcome to Liverpool FC

He's finally here! Liverpool's new number 8, Naby Keïta, is simply a phenomenon. In two seasons, he not only established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga but in all of world football. In buying Keïta, Liverpool are not just improving their side in the present, they are investing in the...

A Long and Red-Empty Summer

It’s only been four weeks since Liverpool lost the Champions League final, and yet I miss football. I miss Mo Salah and Sadio Mané and Bobby Firmino all playing together and not trudging through games for their international sides. I miss big Virgil bossing the defence. I miss the Scottish Roberto Carlos. I miss...

Why Jürgen Klopp is Owed an Apology

The 2017/18 season has been one of the most memorable campaigns in years. Even the 2013/14 league campaign was given a run for its money as the most entertaining season in this millennium as Liverpool romped their way not just across England, but also Europe, putting teams to the sword with a free-flowing, all-smiling,...

Would the 3-5-2 formation suit Liverpool?

Gareth Southgate’s England have been playing a relatively unused and potentially interesting variation of 3-5-2 formation at the World Cup – with a lopsided back three, wing-backs who are multi-faceted and a three-man midfield with only one defensive player in it. It’s a well-balanced formation that suits England very well. The back three is shielded...

Lovren is Part of the Solution

A Central Midfielder is not just a Central Midfielder. Forward is not just a Forward. Neither is a Centre Back just a Centre Back. They are living, breathing, important pillars on which the entire structure of our team is erected. Each is not just a cog in a mighty machine, but rather are the...

Liverpool and the World Cup – Pros and Cons

The World Cup is one of the biggest tournaments in the sporting calendar. It’s the most popular sporting event in the world and is watched by hundreds of millions, if not billions worldwide. For many football fans, it’s the pinnacle of the sport and the pinnacle of sport in general. But for a lot...

Trust Michael Edwards – He’s Smarter Than Us

It’s been a very strange and very fraught weekend for Liverpool fans. The timeline is sketchy, details are even sketchier but on Thursday night, it was announced that Liverpool had wrapped up a deal with Nabil Fekir. On Friday morning, Lyon denounced that, and rumours flooded that Fekir had failed his medical. Those rumours...

How Klopp Could Unleash the Big Guns in the 4-2-2-2

A manager requires perpetual change if he’s to succeed in the savage land that is the Premier League. That’s the narrative that gets swung about on the regular, amidst pundits and fans alike. In Pep Guardiola’s first season, his tactical ministrations were seen as too imposing, not giving English Football’s top tier its due. Jose...

Priceless Sadio Mane Must Not Go Unloved at Liverpool

Football moves at a relentless pace. It only takes a string of good or bad performances to completely alter an opinion on a team or a player, with the modern game as knee-jerk as it has ever been. When it comes to Sadio Mane, this definitely applies, even though any sane Liverpool supporter knows full well...