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01/12/2012
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The second the whilst blew to acknowledge the first half was going to start you could easily tell who was 18th in the table and who was sitting in a disappointing 12th place. The first half of this fixture was easily controlled by a solid Liverpool side. Liverpool held 66.4% of the possession in the first half which is a simple indication of who was the better side. Liverpool had 10 corners compared to Southampton’s 6.
Lucas Leiva was finally back on the field after an agonising 3 month break, only 2 games into the season. His first half performance was solid completing 83% of attempted passes which is good considering not having a long run of games for around a year due to several injuries. Due to Lucas being in the starting 11 Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard were able to move more freely on the pitch.
We got to see the real Allen which plays more of a central midfielder rather than a defensive midfield sitting in front of the defence. It took until the 42nd minute for Liverpool to break through Southampton which was converted by a wonderful header by Daniel Agger, assisted by Glen Johnson. In the first half Liverpool completed 226/273 passes which dominated the Saints’ 93/136 passes. Overall the first half was very successful and demonstrated Rodgers philosophy very well.
As the second half begun Nigel Atkins had clearly had a good shout at half time to get his Southampton side to start playing football rather than spectating. Southampton came out to try and snatch a point from us. Both sides had there fair share of chances but in the second half neither team could convert. Liverpool sealed back to back home wins which will boost the morale of the side.
The second half was not as strong as the first but overall it was a convincing performance after controlling 64% of the games possession. We also had 10 corners to Southampton’s 6. Lucas Leiva put in a fine performance completing 86% of passes after being out for 3 months. Due to Lucas being back, Gerrard and Allen can free roam more which I felt helped create more chances today.
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I was a little bit disappointed with Sterling today by not creating much but we all need to remember he is only 17! Overall I am please with the performance. What will we do without Suarez next week at West Ham? This is the problem with only having 2 strikers! A good win from Liverpool today which makes them rise up the table to 11th only 2 points behind Arsenal who lost 2-0 at home to Swansea today after 2 late goals by Michu who is now tied top scorer with our own Luis Suarez.
-Daniel Morris (@DannyMorris97)
01/12/2012
Mirror
Raheem Sterling has not been made a new contract offer by Liverpool.
Sam Allardyce is keen on taking Joe Cole back to West Ham on loan.
Like if you want to be part of the Red Army
Daily Star
Harry Redknapp wants Liverpool to stump up £5.5million to let Joe Cole join QPR next month.
Daily Mail
Manchester City are keeping an eye on the Raheem Sterling contract negotiations at Liverpool.
Daily Express
Brendan Rodgers wants Liverpool to lead the rush in the January sales.
30/11/2012
Owner – Max
Author – Spyros
Author/Blogger- James
With Enrique looking like his future at the club might be more of an attacking player. We should consider new left backs, or do we? Now I think we can all agree that Downing’s career should be over for Liverpool. Producing terrible performances at Left Wing and Left Back. So in that in mind, should we sign a new Left Back?
Before I get to that we still have many talented defenders in our squad, the main name which we all know is Jack Robinson, a terrific talent no doubt. Producing excellent performances for the Under 21s. He’s already made his premier league debut and he’s made us know he’s got a very bright future. The thing is he ready to step in as a first team player. These things are hard to predict, I doubt anyone predicted Wisdom would be a first team regular for Liverpool. I hope we can give him a couple of games instead of Downing, could produce a brilliant performance and then we could be sorted for the left back situation.
Here is the list that I think we should be interested in and which could come up with a really cheap price. These are very underrated Left Back:
Yuto Nagatamo
1. Yuto Nagatamo
He’s playing for Inter Milan at the moment, and I really think we should aim to sign this guy. This guy is amazing. He tackles very well, he can go up the field a lot and do beautiful crosses and even score a couple of screamers. One thing which impresses me so much is his work rate, he’s like a Dirk Kuyt but faster. He goes up and down the field relentlessly. Also he can play in many positions, e.g. left back, left midfield, left winger etc. Think if we can, we defiantly have to consider him as a target.
2. Domenico Criscito
He is one of the most underrated players in the world, I rate him as one of the best Left Back’s in the world. He plays for Zenit at the moment and I am sure we could persuade him to come into English football. He missed the Uero 2012 with an injury, so he couldn’t prove himself there. I’ve seen Zenit play 2 years ago and he is one of the main reasons why they won the league, with his amazing tackles and powerful shots. He has to be a target for Liverpool.
3. Christian Ansaldi
Another brilliant left back from the Russian league playing for CSKA. One thing I have noticed when ‘scouting’ , is that Russian League players are fairly underrated and might not cost too much. This guy has blistering pace and his tackles are always precise. He’s also made a lot of interceptions for them, which could prove crucial in the Premier League. He can play at Right back also but his natural position is Left Back. His balance is very good so when sprinting up the field, he usually keeps the ball for a fairly long time.
So what do you think? Should we get a new left back, if so which one? Or shall we give Robinson a chance?
-Max (@LFCFansCorner)
29/11/2012
Liverpool v Southampton -Premierleague- 1st December 2012
Liverpool sit 13th in the table after a poor start to the season while Southampton would actually be happy that they are only a point from saftey and sit 18th.
I am still in shock that us reds didn’t beat Tottenham quite well on Wednesday night. We were in control and only a horrible start prevented us from extending our unbeaten run. But don’t let that fool you. This is a results game and I’m happy to watch good performances but we need points. Rodgers will need time but we shouldn’t sit 13th with the team we have. Rodgers inherited a good team despite what some people think. If we had Suarez of this season, last season then we would have been in the top 6. But it’s taking time to make this passing game click. The midfield has a few players who are over-rated and that needs to be sorted or they need to be dropped. Reina will probably start in golal and desrves to as his confidence is slowly being regained, but he’s still a little bit dodgy. I’d put Wisdom at right back and Johnson left-back, dropping Downing. Downing is no left back Rodgers. Skrtel and Agger need to up their form too but it’s hard when the midfield in front of them isn’t offering them much support. Allen isn’t a great tackler, neither is Sahin who just drifts in out of games. Gerrard is finding this system hard to get adapted to and should be moved into a holding role if Lucas is not fit, Lucas will probably start from the bench. I think Suso deserves a place, I think Rodgers dropped him beacause he’s young and needs a break but he should be brought back in along with Shelvey. Gerrard can sit in front of the back 4 and break up attacks as he’s the only proper hard man in the midfield ranks. Suso and Shelvey can bring it forward and Suso can sit in midfield in front of Gerrard and let Shelvey support Suarez. I think the two wing spots should be given to Assaidi and Sterling. Assaidi has proved time and time again he should start and I’d love to rest Sterling but that can be done when Borini is back. Suarez the main goal threat as usual. Southampton are good going forward but can be dominated and hopefully we can do that.
Amazingly, Southampton lost 8 of their first 10 games. Their only win was against the run of results against Aston Villa. But in the last four games, some breath-taking displays by Lallana, Puncheon, Lambert and Ramirez have got them 2 wins and 2 draws. It’s a massive improvement but the defence is still dodgy. I think Suarez will have fun with the defence, but they just need one of the midfielders to drop back and help them out. Lallana will dictate things in midfield when Southampton are on the ball. He will try pick oue either Ramirez or Puncheon. I think Ramirez came for a massive price but is starting to make a name for himself. Puncheon is a great player. He’s fast, strong and has a thumping shot. He will power through if Allen and Sahin are playing in holding midfield or Downing at left back as he can be versatile. But hopefully Gerrard, Wisdom, Johnson should have his threat snuffed out. That leaves Lambert and if he’s given a chance he will score. Skrtel will have to stay tight on him and I think he’ll just have enough to stop him. But Jay Rodgriguez is also a decent player who I seen play well in the championship. He hasn’t adapted but is still a threat. Fonte is a threat from the backs and will need to be tracked. Schneiderlin has also hit a bit of form so there is options for Southampton going forward.
Liverpool have won a massive 33 out of 47 meetings at Anfield, Southampton just 5. Although Southampton have 3 of the last 4 meetings home and away. I think it’ll be very close but the Suarez factor should get us over the line. I’ll go 60% possession and a 2-1 win.
-Adam Norman
Follow me on Twitter: AdamN1996
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(OldSniperwolfy96)
29/11/2012
There have been rumours that suggested Fabio Borini may return to Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground, on Friday. Borini was injured during training with his country’s Under-21s, leaving Luis Suárez as the only senior striker available to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for a couple months. Suarez has bagged 10 goals in the Premier League earning him the top Scorer there so far.
He undergoes an operation on his foot which the club also said that he should be back in around 3 months. He was expected to be back around January, but if these rumours are true, he should be back early December.
Fabio Boini hasn’t had the brightest start to his Liverpool career scoring only one goal for them, against Gomel in his first Liverpool game. However him being on the side lines all this time could have some positives Hopefully he has been used to the environment at Liverpool and now knows the players fairly well and has built a strong relationship with them, which could prove vital in the future games to come.
This could be the perfect time for him to be back, seeing as Suarez is at the moment on 4 yellow card in the Premier League, one more and he is banned for a whole match. Hopefully we can get Borini fit before he gets another yellow card.
27/11/2012
Both sides were aiming for a 4th place finish this season. Spurs spent 55million in the summer but still made a 11million profit on transfers in the summer. Liverpool spent 29million but sold many on undisclosed fees. Spurs sit 7th, Liverpool 11th.
7th isn’t a bad position for Spurs considering the starts of WBA and Everton. But they have lost 5 games already and should have converted them into draws at least. Fans will be disappointed with last week’s London derby disaster. But it would have been different if Adebayor kept his head. Only 4 teams have conceded more than Spurs this season and that is a concern. But only 4 teams have scored more. They’ve won 6 of their last 10 which is impressive, but they have lost 4 including 3 of the last 4. The 4-2-3-1 formation is used here too and I think they’re better off using it. Adebayor is a good striker but who can argue with Defoe’s record of 10 goals in all competitions. Fans won’t be happy but Defoe is better up top, with Dembele playing off him, but at the moment it’s Dempsey who started the season poorly. I think Moussa should start and could cause us problems if he does as we have no outright holding player fit. Sandro and Huddlestone will try keep Gerrard and Shelvey/Sahin/Suso quiet. Lennon will cause Downing serious problems if he starts so I hope Johnson or Enrique are put back there. Bale’s pace and strength is key to Tottenham’s chances of winning, he’s the key man. Vertonghen and Walker will overlap and that will cause all sorts of problems and hopefully our wingers track them. The centre-backs are strong but prone to errors and will dread to be up against our main man, Suarez. Spurs can dominate possession or even let us have it and hit us on the break with the latter probably key to winning. We seem to over-pass the ball, Allen in particular. Could be a field day for their attacking players if we are not careful.
I think despite us being eight games unbeaten, we are still making little progress, because 5 of them are draws. But a win here would go a long way. We over-passed against Swansea and still seem to have no link to the forwards. Suarez drops back too often and if he does this game, Sandro and Huddlestone will stop him and frustrate him. He is only 1 yellow away from suspension and we need him in every game. It’s a shame beacause it’s curbed his aggression slightly. Nevertheless, he will start as he should and Sterling should be on the right wing in support. I think Assaidi is very under-rated and should get more of a chance. He should start in my eyes, dropping another under-rated player Suso into midfield where I suspect Allen and Gerrard will be occupying the other two spots. I hope Enrique is put back to left-back to deal with Lennon and Johnson is put on Bale but he will need Sterling’s support to have any chance of stopping him. The centre backs Agger and Skrtel should start and continue their improving form which saw a clean sheet against Swansea. Reina also looked better in goal and should get the nod. So I hope something like this:
———————-Reina—————-
Johnson—Skrtel——-Agger—Enrique
——–Allen—-Gerrard——Suso——-(I’d like Shelvey over Allen but can’t see it)-
—-Sterling——Suarez——-Assaidi—
Liverpool have failed to score in the last 3 meetings conceding 6 and have lost the last 5 at White Hart Lane in all competitions, but with Suarez on form I’ll go 1-1. Bale and Suarez on the scoresheet.
Follow me on Twitter: AdamN1996
26/11/2012
Liverpool FC Fans Corner
: @LFCFansCorner
I know many of you who are reading this blog will think, ‘Yes we do, no question about it’. Some people have been saying Suarez isn’t a world class striker because of his lack of finishing. Well, he’s top scorer in the League. Van Persie is second with 8 goals and two of them were penalties – Many people say he is a world class striker. So do we actually need one?
We play a formation where we have one striker (4-3-3). So if we do sign a world class striker how is he going to play? Replace Suarez, defiantly not! A world class striker wants to get a lot of time on the field. So we can’t put him on the substitute bench all the time. A world class striker means he plays virtually every game. So if we do want Klass Jan Huntelaar or some other good strikers, they won’t be in the first team. Many people would say, ‘let’s sign a world class winger then’, what would we do with Sterling, Assaidi, Suso?
Also a world class striker has high wages, as I dicussed in my previous paragraph. He won’t be playing that much, so we will be wasting our wages. Also the transfer fee would be massive, surely we should spend that fee on maybe a new young Goalkeeper like Jack Butland, who could be a big hit in the future.
Now, I have heard some people say ‘We need a back up for Suarez’, the thing is we do. His name is the Borini and he has big potential. Believe me I have seen his movement of play in Roma. He’s bloody brilliant. One of my only criticisms of Brendan Rodgers is that he played Borini at the wing, not at the striking role – which I don’t really understand why. So he had a broken foot, which led him to be out until January. How many times does this happen? Exactly, doesn’t really happen every season. As he’s returning in January we can make him be our Back up striker again. If you still think we need one; we can use our young ones, for example, Morgan, Yesil, Especially Ngoo. Especially Yesil, he won best German player (Under 21s) recently, beating the likes of Mario Götze.
I would love some feedback from everybody. Has this blog changed your mind a bit? Or do you think we should still sign a world class striker?
25/11/2012
Today (Sunday 25th November), Liverpool faced Swansea in a Premier League clash at the Liberty Stadium. Liverpool created a lot of chances and the hosts had a few decent opportunities, but the game ended 0-0.
In the first 10 minutes of the game, Swansea were playing the better football. Pablo Hernandez looked very bright, and they were creating some decent chances. However, they never really tested Pepe Reina, and after about 15 minutes Liverpool had got into their stride. Jose Enrique was playing brilliantly, threading through some great passes and attacking with real intent, and Suarez and Sterling looked lively. The biggest chance of the first half fell to Sterling, after the ball came back to him from a corner. He took a touch, then smashed the ball ferociously goalwards. It was a wonderful, dipping shot, but somehow stayed out after smashing against the underside of the crossbar. Minutes later, Enrique had a goal disallowed for offside. It was tight, but probably the right decision.
Liverpool continued to dominate the match after the break. Although Swansea were creating some good chances from counter-attacks, LFC looked the most likely to get a goal. However, Steven Gerrard, most unusually for him, was being extremely wasteful in possession. Some of his passes were awful, and had he been more accurate I think Liverpool would have got a goal. After about 60 minutes, the game died down a little, and the teams reached a stalemate, with the two sides playing the passing game that Rodgers introduced to both the clubs. Then, at around the 80 minute mark, Swansea suddenly upped the pace of the game, worrying Liverpool with some penetrating attacks. However, this didn’t last long. After a clearance from a Swansea corner, the ball bounced over a Swansea player’s head, leaving Sterling and Suarez through on goal with only one defender to stop them. This really should have resulted in a goal, but Sterling’s return ball to Suarez was much too heavy, and the huge chance was gone. In the dying moments of the game, substitute Jonjo Shelvey nearly won the game with a great pile-driving shot, which was smartly saved by Tremmel.
It seems that once again I will have to end my article with the same conclusion I keep writing: Liverpool had the majority of the good chances, but weren’t clinical enough. I was impressed with our defending today, and a clean sheet is always a good thing, but I was disappointed not to get the three points. We need to get some wins on the board, and although our long unbeaten run is very respectable, the fact is we still lie 11th in the league. In all fairness to Swansea though, they did play quite well, and maybe a draw was the fairest result.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013
24/11/2012
Brendan Rodgers and Joe Allen will be returning to familiar territory tomorrow.
The result against Wigan was very much a needed one. It was comfortable in the end and we took our chances well, both of which are rare things for Liverpool fans to witness at present, especially at home. Winning it meant less pressure on the lads, it meant no defeats in 7 Premier League games, and if we had lost? They’d be saying it was 4 without a win. Suarez was once again sublime, Enrique linked up with the Uruguayan brilliantly, and Sterling also played very well, and the signs of a blossoming partnership between him and Suarez are there for all to see, and something us reds fans can quite rightly be excited about. Now the Europa League game was sadly a more typical sight. Dominated, and should never have not won the game, but now we’ve got it all to do in a very tough game in italy, due to some needless, poor errors. There were naturally positives given our domination. Joe Cole worked hard and had a good game, Shelvey was sharper than he has been of late, and I thought Sahin put a good effort in with some surprisingly strong defensive work. One thing I’d like to say though, is that people need to not let one decent game against Young Boys make them believe Joe Cole has any sort of future at the club. On that display, should he start ahead of Suso or Sterling in the more important, more difficult games? Or even ahead of Assaidi or Enrique in an attacking role? Not for me, not at all. At that level, and that’s the best he’s been at for us, he’s a useful player. For a man so injury prone with such astronomical wages, a squad role is not an option financially. It makes no sense. Joe Cole must be sold in January, and I remain confident Rodgers will do what he can to move him on, and his undeserved wage bill with him.
On the Swansea game…
A big game for Brendan Rodgers and Joe Allen as they return to their ex club, but more importantly, a big game for Liverpool. Swansea have been very impressive. Their new signings have pretty much all improved their side or at least their squad. Pablo Hernandez, for around £5m or whatever it was, is a very dangerous, very talented right winger, and anyone who watches La Liga regularly like myself knows that was a bargain fee and the man is a very good player. Michu likewise. Fantastic scorer with good all round play. An absolute bargain. But once again, any avid La Liga fan from last season knew this and like myself wanted Liverpool to go in for him, especially at just £2.5m, but sadly only Swansea are making use of the gem-filled Spanish market at present. Anyway the bottom line is, Swansea have a very dangerous side and if anything are the favorites for tomorrows clash.
Focusing more on our own side however, naturally it’ll be good to have Luis Suarez starting. Obviously all the talk has been about Ashley Williams’ controversial comments about our star man, and whether they shake hands or not. But ultimately, I think he may regret his words. As David Moyes found out earlier this year, criticizing the leagues top scorer only seems to fuel him further. Suarez is our best hope of winning the game and I imagine the comments made by Williams, whether they shake hands or not, will only make him even hungrier to get the win. Naturally, one certainty is that Luis will start. But another question over the starting line up for Rodgers is Suso or Enrique? Will he elect for Wisdom at right back, Johnson left back where he has proven himself more than accomplished, and Enrique pushed forwards, or Suso to start with Enrique in his more natural left back role and Johnson put out to right back. I think he will go with something else entirely. Suso in a central role in front of Allen and Gerrard, Wisdom and Johnson the full backs, and Enrique on the left flank of our forward three. Enrique’s great form in that position as well as the fact that central spot is perfect for Suso means this is a good option all round, especially with Sahin still clearly trying to adapt.
Team News:
It seems as if Michael Laudrup will have midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng and defender Kyle Bartley back available for selection. First choice keeper Michel Vorm remains injured though, a plus for the visitors of course. For Liverpool Wisdom is available if needed after an injury scare midweek whilst Lucas Leiva remains a week or so away from any minutes with the first team. Liverpool fans will without doubt relish his return, with him being such a big player for the side
Neil Taylor, Situ and Lita are all certainties to not make the game, as are Borini and Martin Kelly for the reds.
Likely Line ups:
Tremmel, Davies, Chico, WIlliams, Rangel, Ki, Britton, De Guzman, Dyer, Hernandez, Michu.
Interesting Match Stats:
My Tips:
I feel Luis Suarez will be our star man once more and once again will find the back of the net. I also believe the possible signing of the summer Michu will be dangerous and I unfortunately feel he will also get a goal. I have decided to predict a 2-2 draw, but I feel it could easily go either way by just the one goal, with the hosts in my opinion the more likely to edge it with home support. I’ll go with the ex Valencia man Pablo Hernandez to assist one goal for Swansea and also for Sterling to assist a goal, and for me it will be a Suarez goal he sets up, with the two increasingly on the same wave length as they play together more and more.
My Predicted Scoreline: Swansea 2-2 Liverpool
Where to watch the game? SkySports 1 HD, with a 1.30 kick off, at the Liberty Stadium or, as always, on Match of the Day if you’re unable to watch the game live for whatever reason.
Liverpool FC Fans Corner’s Podcasr #2 – Talking about the Young Boys game
Our second podcast, please say how we can improve
