Xabi & Javier - The Reboot
Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso were a magnificent double act for the reds, with vital attributes that suited each other’s games perfectly. The balance of these two players were a joy to see, and we may be about to witness a similar midfield pairing evolve this season, that can become even more effective for Liverpool FC.
The dominance and disruption caused by Mascherano’s marauding ways would upset any and all opposition in his path. His ability to cover fullbacks with …
Where would Luis Garcia fit into this Liverpool team?
It’s easy to imagine how Liverpool greats from the Premier League era would fit into this current side. There’s are obvious places for Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher. You could even shoehorn Philippe Coutinho back into this side, too. Maybe even Fernando Torres at a push.
But very few people would ever think to mention Luis Garcia.
However, I’m of the belief that he’s very much a Jurgen Klopp sort of player and that the German …
Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool's current team is better than that of 2008/09
Former Liverpool and Netherlands star, Dirk Kuyt, believes that The Reds' current team is of a higher standard than the squad he was a part of at Anfield in 2008/09.
Kuyt, under Rafa Benitez's guidance, played alongside talents such as Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano that year. Liverpool lost just two league games all season, finishing with 86 points, but it wasn't enough to beat Manchester United to the title.
Now, though, Kuyt feels that Jurgen …
Xabi Alonso believes Fabinho is crucial to Reds' midfield
Former Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso believes Fabinho is a vital cog in midfield for Jurgen Klopp's current Red machine.
Alonso, who tasted Champions League glory with Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005, says that Fabinho's role in the current Liverpool team is not too unlike his own under Rafa Benitez over a decade ago.
The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star highlighted the similarities in their game.
“I think that we could have similarities in terms of the position, …
Liverpool FC - Getting Smarter
Liverpool football club is not at the top of the transfer food chain. It's an unpleasant fact but we need to accept it. There are clubs that are richer, stronger and can offer guarantees that LFC just can't. So it's natural that some players will use the famous red jersey as a stepping stone to get to supposedly better clubs. This has been happening for years. Even Steven Gerrard considered it at on point. Just in the past 10 years, …
Mascherano to Fabinho: The Long-Awaited Revival of the Defensive Midfielder
Some players are real bastards of the game, plying their trade with the kind of snide and underhanded disregard of the rules that causes outright fury from opposition fans. (See Sergio Ramos for details).
Yet, they’re also the type of player you desperately want in your team. A player who’d go the extra mile, commit the cynical foul and take the booking when the team needed it most. Those individuals are invaluable, doing the dirty side of the game to …
Trent Alexander-Arnold: The Rise of a Local Star
A local lad from West Derby, Trent Alexander-Arnold embodies the very spirit and culture of the city of Liverpool. Growing up within walking distance of Melwood, he would watch Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher through cracks in the wall. He knows the city, its people and its values: he just gets it.
Since Gerrard and Carragher retired there’s been seldom home-grown lads making the grade at Anfield. Two players not just loved for their undoubted ability, every time …
Losing Phil Coutinho is Inevitable
“Liverpool will never progress if they keep selling their best players”.We’ve all heard this argument before. And on many levels, it has merit. How could you possibly hope to improve if you are forever losing your best player? How can you be strong when you are continually weakening your team? And what a weakening it would be, because to lose Phil Coutinho is to lose arguably the most gifted player in the Premier League. Sure, there will …
Liverpool's New-Found Squad Depth Paying Dividends
Since Liverpool stopped ruling English football in 1990, there are many reasons why a return to the summit of the game has continued to evade them.
There have been dreadful signings, bemusing managerial appointments, unprofessional squads and rivals spending vast chunks of money, among many others factors.
One of the Reds' greatest Achilles heels has been a lack of squad depth - something that has held back many of their best teams over the last quarter of a century.
The …
Would Selling Philippe Coutinho Really be the End of the World?
Right then. There's a fair chance you've sent me a tirade of Twitter abuse before actually clicking to read this piece, so I'll thank you for *hopefully* not having wished death upon everyone I know and love. If you have, then here we are.
Philippe Coutinho. What a treasure, Liverpool's darling. The adopted Brazilian that we've all loved for a joyful four and a half year's now, watching his astonishing development ever since that eight-million-pound move from Inter Milan.
Heaven …