How the Liverpool press Nullified Manchester City
The buzzword surrounding Jurgen Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manger in October 2015 was pressing. Gegenpress this, Gegenpress that, counter-press them here and counter-press them there. Basically, Klopp was supposed to turn up and blitz the Premier League with his high pressing, all action, heavy metal football. When it transpired that this wasn't going to be the case many in the media felt a little cheated.
The German maverick wasn't playing ball. To them it was like receiving a toy for …
A Requiem for Doubt: The Rebirth of Liverpool Football Club
As Yaya shot, the nylon net swished, and the dream was dashed for good. Heaps of red clad players sat silently, some lurched over in exhausted pools, others stared blankly into space as if they were too tired or dismayed to process what had just happened. This can’t be how it ends, can it? After all the build-up, all the hope, all the vitality in the run up to the shootout, after all the Mignolet saves and thwarted attacks, our …
Klopp is the Right X-Factor for the Right Time
Just days ago, when an Arsenal fan mentioned Sanchez, Arsene Wenger or their huge stadium as their x-factor, I would have struggled to respond. I would have suffered a similar fate when a United fan talked about their riches, their experienced and accomplished manager. Or a Chelsea fan brought up their world class manager (Mourinho), world class players and an ambitious owner (Abramovic); or a City fan mentioned Aguero, Yaya Toure and the deep wallets of their owners. But today, …
Five Strategic Keys to Champions League Football | Part 2
In Liverpool FC 15/16 | 5 Strategic Keys to Champions League Football - Part 1, we discussed two of the five strategic keys that Liverpool will need to fulfil in order to attain a top 4 finish and Champions League football, including; 1) the need to excel and execute in our plan to play vertical attacking football and 2) to improve our positional discipline and ability in defensive transition. In Part 2, we’ll explore the final three strategic keys; 3) …
Liverpool Needs Its Own X-Factor To Progress
The Oxford Dictionary defines x-factor as “a variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome”. X-factors tend to be the difference between teams that win trophies, those who fail to make top 4 and those that end up being relegated. An x-factor of some sort is therefore a prerequisite for success for any football team. When Chelsea won the league last season they did so with a world class manager (Mourinho), world class …
The Jordan Henderson Dilemma
Jordan Henderson's Liverpool career is a real Cinderella story. From being offered as a makeweight in the Clint Dempsey deal to becoming the captain in waiting within a matter of three seasons. It just goes to show how things change in football so quickly. Add to the fact he's now got an impressive beard coming along nicely and an appearance in the Nivea Ad I fully expect Disney to be on the phone to him soon asking for the rights …