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    Monday Jan 17:
     
    So Rafa has been sacked and, incredibly even by Everton’s standards, Roberto Martinez is the favourite to replace him. The same Martinez who Moshiri sacked after huge fan protests, and the same Martinez that took them to court because they didn’t pay him enough when they sacked him. That Blue who said last week that he’s convinced this is some kind of social experiment to see how far a group of fans can be pushed before breaking, well I think he’s onto something.
     
    I’m almost at the stage where I don’t even think it’s funny. I’m close to getting annoyed by this shit now, kind of like how Arsenal’s frequent bottle jobs leave me more disgusted than amused. Everton’s continued incompetence is almost approaching the point where it isn’t funny, but its not there yet so hahahahahahah.
     
    Is there a worse run club in football? Half a billion quid spent to get worse. Averaging more than one manager every year, at least half of whom had really good track records until they arrived at Goodison. They appointed a manager that the fans despised (other than Dalglish and Gerrard - who would never have gone there anyway - they literally couldn’t have made a more unpopular choice) and they let him go through the staff like a dose of salts. Scouts were sacked, medical staff were sacked, the director of football was sacked and they let him sell their best player to Gerrard. They also let him buy two new full backs a week before sacking him.
     
    Remember when Kenwright said a director from another club said to him that they ask themselves “what would Everton do, because they always get it right?”. Fucking hell, that’s his best one ever.
     
    Meanwhile, Arsenal are supposedly wanting the semi postponed. The suggestion is they want it rearranged for during the international break, when we’ll be missing the three Brazilians. Cheeky twats. Not a chance in hell that happens because the EFL aren’t hamstrung by their own poorly written rules like the PL are. 
     
    I’m sick of people defending Arsenal (and others, like Leicester for example) and saying they’re just taking advantage of an opportunity presented to them by the PL’s incompetence. Fuck off. There’s no honour here at all. Teams were having games called off because of COVID cases and then all of a sudden cunts like Leicester started trying it on and because they were allowed to get away with it, the likes of Arsenal are now taking the piss as well.
     
    We played against Spurs despite losing our entire midfield. We played against Chelsea despite losing key players and our manager. The game we had called off was only because the training ground was closed and half the squad were isolating (doesn’t matter whether the positives were accurate or not, you still have to then follow protocol). We literally couldn’t play the game even if we wanted to pick kids, because none of them had been able to train that week either.
     
    Yet somehow we’re still the focus of a load of misdirected anger and some cunts are using us as the justification for these other chancers who are calling games off when they only have one or two COVID cases. We’re gonna fuck Arsenal on Thursday and it’s going to be satisfying as hell.
     
    Tuesday Jan 18:
     
    Naby scores a screamer as Guinea progress to the knockouts. He’s been the star of the tournament so far, which doesn’t surprise me because he’d looked sharp before he left. He’ll come back injured though. It’s nailed on. We won’t be getting any of our lads back early though, which is a shame but not a surprise as they all play for nations that would expect to qualify for the knock outs. Now that there’s no chance of them coming back early I hope one of them goes on to win it. 
     
    Over on the other side of the park, Big Dunc is caretaker again as Mad Moshiri decides what he wants to do. Martinez wants to take the job while still coaching Belgium for the World Cup, while now Rooney is being strongly linked. He’s actually doing well at Derby and he’s in a no lose situation there as if he keeps them up he’s a hero and if he doesn’t it’s not his fault anyway. He’d have be thick as fuck to give that up to go back to Eve… ah, yeah I see it, I’ll stop myself there.
     
    Harvey is back in full training. Great news, that probably means he’s back in contention to play in about a fortnight, .
     
    Wednesday Jan 19:
     
    RIP Peter Robinson. Other than players and managers, it’s hard to think of anybody who had a bigger impact on all that success we had. They don’t make them like that anymore, those quiet types that just do a fucking boss job while staying low profile. We replaced him with Rick Parry, which is some Suarez / Balotelli type shit.
     
    Meanwhile, it’s League Cup week so Pep does the presser. Interesting as ever and he had some injury updates for us. Thiago should be back in a couple of weeks but there’s still no sign of Div returning. Klopp said last week he saw him out running, so what’s going on here? Ox is said to be ‘not serious’. Ok, I guess we’ll see him in May then.
     
    He was raving about Harvey’s first day back too and said him and Jurgen would like to pick him straight away but the medical staff would string them up. Encouraging to hear though.
     
    Wait, what’s this I see trending? Suarez to Villa? As Livia Soprano would famously say “I wish the good Lord would just take me now”.
     
    Thursday Jan 20:
     
    Arsenal 0 L 2. Yep, just what should have happened. We don’t need Salah and Mané to beat these fucking bums. We need them if we’re going to score the four or five we usually do, but we only needed Jota to beat them by two. 
     
    I’m being a huge hypocrite here given how absolutely not arsed I’ve been about the league cup in recent years, but I badly wanted this and you could see by the reaction to the goals and at full time that the players did too. There are loads of reasons for why all of a sudden the league cup means more, and the gap that’s opened up between City and us is definitely part of it. Initially I thought that was my main motivation but on reflection it’s not. 
     
    Winning the league changed things because it got the monkey off our back. It doesn’t mean the league is no longer the priority but it no longer needs to be the absolute obsession it had become. The league cup is still bottom of the priority list, but lifting another trophy and updating the Champions Wall, yeah who isn’t going to be excited by that prospect? 
     
    We still have to beat Chelsea, which won’t be easy, but it’s been too long since we were at Wembley in a cup final. I’m buzzing about that but also buzzing about slapping Arsenal back down to size. Where do they get off with the bravado we see from them any time they put a few results together? It’s mental, who the fuck do they think they are? That Ben White sack of shit, laughing at Taki last week. Their fans were loving that too. That’s modern Arsenal. 
     
    One negative today was that cryptic photo Mo’s agent posted. The obvious conclusion to draw from it was that the club have made a contract offer that he and Mo find to be a joke, but keep this shit to yourself knobhead. We’re in a cup semi final and you think it’s ok to post that kind of crap in the build up? Tit. 
     
    Meanwhile, Rhys Williams is back from loan and Nat Phillips might be headed to Watford if they stump up the cash. Williams hasn’t had a good time of it at Swansea but this seems to be a common theme with most of our loan players. That kid held his own in a team that went on a run to qualify for the Champions League next season and he wasn’t being carried by Van Dijk. He was partnering Big Nat. Now he isn’t good enough to get a game at Swansea? 
     
    This is the Klopp effect for me. Players don’t perform as well when they leave him. It happened with loads of Dortmund players and we’ve seen it with loads who have left us. Who has left us and either played as well, or better, than they did under Klopp? Ings has done well but he hardly played for us so we can’t judge. Emre Can, Coutinho, Gini.. even most of the loan lads haven’t thrived. Elliott is the one exception that immediately springs to mind but he’s such a special talent he could shine almost anywhere.
     
    Anyway, glad to have Williams back because he’ll improve far more training with us every day than he will being out on loan. 
     
    See Spurs have had a 315m bid for Adamants Traore turned down? Interesting. If he’s available for anything less than £20m he’s a steal. You know I’d take him, I’ve said it often enough, but I can see why Spurs want him. In Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 he can either play alongside Kane and Son, or he could play the wing back role. Didn’t Victor Moses play there for Conte at Chelsea and turn out to be a revelation? If Traore goes to Spurs he’ll make them better, no doubt about that. And at that price it’s a no brainer. 
     
    Friday Jan 21:
     
    Oh I like this. Looks like we’re making a move for Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. He’s available on a free this summer and he’s meant to be fucking boss. Can play in the front three or as an attacking midfielder, so very much in the Elliot / Jones category. I heard one of the Talksport commentators raving about him earlier in the season and I assumed he was some Portuguese or Brazilian kid they’d signed, but he’s actually an England youth player (born in Portugal) who came through their system with Harvey and he’s seen as being just as good a prospect. Elliott, Gordon…. get them wonder kids signed!
     
    On that note, I watched a couple of our u18 games in the past week and the left back caught my eye. Callum Scanlon he’s called, and when I googled him it turns out he’s the kid we signed from Birmingham for 500k last year. He’s 16 now and playing above his age group. Looks quality. Mind you, there’s a few kids in that team I like the look of. We might go all the way in the youth cup this year, but we’ve got to get past Chelsea in the next round first.
     
    Stevie takes Villa to Goodison tomorrow and some of his pre match quotes have been gold. Basically said they can give him all the shit they want to because he’s got broad shoulders and can handle it. No doubt they’ll dust of “the baby’s not yours” chant and if that’s the case and Villa win I really hope he breaks out the Bebeto celebration at full time. 
     
    This was funny too. 
     
    “How would you feel, as a player, being on the receiving end of one of Ferguson verbal rants?”  
     
    Stevie: “I’ve never wanted to be an Everton player, so would never be in that position”
     
    Bet they boo the shit out of Lucas Digne too, which would be fair enough if we didn’t know that they’d be cheering him from the rafters if it was Rafa in their dug out and not Duncan. Coutinho and Ing will get it in the neck as well, but the potential for hilarity here is strong if Villa weather the early fire and brimstone and let their football do the talking.
     
    I wouldn’t go within a 10 mile radius of Goodison tomorrow because COVID is transmitted through particles in the air, and will all the screaming, booing, spitting and general bile being spewed out there’s going to be fucking big huge mushroom cloud of COVID over that stadium. 
     
    Meanwhile, Carra reveals on Friday Night Footy that earlier in the season Messi sent him a DM on Instagram calling him a donkey because he said on Sky that Messi wouldn’t be a good signing for PSG. This blows my mind to be honest. Not that Messi called him a donkey as in Messi’s mind anyone who can’t dribble past five players falls into that category. He called Milner one too, let’s not forget. Then Milner beat him 4-0, but that’s beside the point.
     
    Why this shocks me so much is that firstly, what Carragher said wasn’t derogatory or or disrespectful. It wasn’t some flaming hot take either, it was a reasonable shout. But even if it wasn’t, I can’t wrap my head around why Lionel Messi, the second greatest footballer ever (behind Diego, obviously) and the best of his generation, would give a flying fuck what anybody says about him, let alone a pundit in another country. 
     
    I could see why Ronaldo might take issue with something said on Sky as he plays over here, and even if he hadn’t come back he at least did play here before and knows the pundits who are talking about him. For Messi to hear about Carragher saying something on Sky and be pissed off enough to send him an insulting message on instagram is staggering to me. Mind you, you’d get this kind of thing with Michael Jordan all the time back when he was with the Bulls. He took every bit of criticism personally and carried it around with him, wanting to get payback for it. He even made stuff up to get himself motivated, sometimes the greats do have incredibly fragile egos and can be unfathomably petty.
     
    Difference is, Jordan used it as fuel to destroy people and it always worked because nobody could beat him. Messi on the other hand has bottled most of the really big games he’s played, the little shitbag. He took Carra’s criticism of him being a bad signing for PSG and followed it up with… wait for it…. one league goal in six months!! Wow, you really put him in his place there Leo. If I’m Carra I’m posting up that stat along with this….
     
     

     
     
     
    ….and that was the week that was.
  • After sealing their passage to the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool look to get their mind back on league action on Sunday when they travel to South London to take on Crystal Palace. Despite residing in the upper reaches of the second half of the table over the years, Palace love nothing more than when the big boys come to Selhurst Park. They may not always claim the three points, but they make sure you are in for one hell of a battle.
     
    Terence Ford from @RedNBlueArmy1 took us through their current nine year journey in the Premier League, talked about the early impact of Patrick Vieira and the exciting group of fledgling Eagles graduating onto the big stage.
     
    This is the ninth consecutive year that Palace are in the Premier League. A pretty outstanding effort for a club of your resources especially when you think of all teams that have fallen by the wayside during that period. Can you take us through that stretch of time and highlight a few memorable moments and perhaps a few unsung heroes?

    So let’s get the obvious answers out of the way first. Crystanbul. Suarez crying. Dwight Gayle always scoring against Liverpool. Winning three in a row at Anfield. When Sakho celebrated the win with Benteke at Anfield when he was still a Liverpool player. Mile Jedinak’s free-kick at Selhurst. For a good chunk of the early part of those 9 years, we had your number. Sadly, that has since fallen by the wayside and after the feast, it is back to famine whenever we play you.

    You’re not the only ones though. We have recently gone 3 unbeaten in a row at Old Trafford and the Etihad seeing us losing only one game in seven in Manchester. Patrick van Aanholt becoming the first player to score an injury-time winner at Old Trafford in the Premier League era and Andros Townsend’s wonder-volley at City the main standouts from those matches.

    Securing 40 points at Everton in a 3-2 win in the middle of a five-game winning streak at the backend of the first season back in the Premier League was an incredible feeling. Finally, Jordan Ayew scoring the only goal against our rivals Brighton in the final away game before COVID will live long in the memory of every Palace fan. 

    As for unsung heroes, Joel Ward, who was signed as a Championship right-back, has managed to stay in the starting eleven for most of those nine years. He even walked off the pitch in our recent FA Cup win in the South London derby against Millwall singing “fuck off Millwall South London is ours”. The guy is a legend.

    James McArthur has been brilliant since he joined in 2015 and seems to reinvent himself every year. Unfortunately, this game is a bit too soon for him after a long layoff. Marouane Chamakh, believe it or not, is highly thought of by Palace fans. Seeing him play every week made the stick he received when playing for Arsenal seem ludicrous. The guy was very gifted technically and gave his all for the cause. 
     
    Perhaps the biggest of the lot is Jason Puncheon. He singlehandedly kept us up in two of those seasons and scored in the Cup Final to boot. For a sprinkle of Liverpool flavouring, Martin Kelly has been with us for a long time now. Whilst never really nailing down a regular place, he has rarely let us down when called upon and famously scored the only goal at Spurs on our run to the FA Cup final in 2016.

    There has been a bit of a sea change at your club, from one of the masters of old school methods in Roy Hodgson to someone with a progressive mindset in Patrick Vieira. How did the fans view the appointment of one of the most iconic midfielders in Premier League history and what has impressed you in his tenure so far?

    ‘One of the masters of old school methods’ feels like the biggest backhanded compliment I’ve ever heard! Roy did a fantastic job for Palace but most were happy when it all came to a natural conclusion at the end of last season.

    We were all delighted to get in a young manager with fresh ideas and with a want to play on the front foot. The fact that it is such an icon of the Premier League who is largely loved (unless you’re Spurs or Manchester United) was an added bonus.  
     


    In your view how good a player can Conor Gallagher become and do you think there is any hope of keeping him on loan from Chelsea beyond this season?

    When playing as an advanced midfielder in a three, the kid is something special. His understanding of how and when to press is second to none and it results in so many chances and goals for us.

    Comparisons are going to be made to Frank Lampard and that is high praise indeed. It is still very early in his career and he still has much to learn, but it’s hard not seeing him climbing to the top of the game. All that being said, he needs oooooh let’s say three more seasons at Palace to cut his teeth before he makes that climb.

    Jokes aside, he leaves us at the end of the season and gets into the Chelsea team in all likeliness. 

    Speaking of keeping players, are you quietly confident of holding onto Wilfried Zaha for the rest of his career?
     
    Unfortunately for Wilf, the horse has bolted. I do no doubt that he is good enough to step into a top-six team and thrive, but ill-advised contract extensions for three seasons in a row and his importance to our survival made it impossible for us to sell unless the fee was astronomical. At no point could he engineer a situation where he was at the end of a contract meaning we had to consider lower offers. 

    He only has 18 months left on his current contract but I fully expect him to sign a new one in the summer and in doing so he will have a chance of ending his career with the second-most appearances of any Palace player (currently 4th).
     


    From the outside Palace seem to have a squad with a good blend of youth and experience. A couple of young defenders in Marc Guehi (pictured above) and Tyrick Mitchell have certainly caught the eye. While Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze have shown flashes of their raw talent. Do you think that quartet is one that Vieira can look to build a team around?
     
    In the short term, yes, but long term I don’t think that is the strategy. In the last five years we hoarded players, contracts run down, and transfers fees in were few and far between. Now, the idea is to sign young talent, put them in the public eye, and sell them on for big profits. It’s all about keeping the Club as self-sustainable as possible.

    Unless, of course, we somehow ‘do a Leicester’ or break into the top four for a season, then maybe the strategy would be adjusted slightly. Naturally, that is very unlikely. Currently, Eze is still getting up to speed after an achilles injury and is a long way from his best. Olise is an incredible talent and there are flashes of Robben about his game. You’ll be worried whenever he picks up the ball on Sunday. 

    A trip to Selhurst Park to play Palace is certainly a fixture where Liverpool expect to work very hard for the three points. Have you noticed any differences in the way Vieira sets up the side when coming up against the elite sides of the division compared to the rest?
     
    Ironically, the 7-0 at Selhurst last season was actually a lot harder than it sounds! We missed three sitters in the first half and your boys found the top corner every time they shot at goal. 
     
    Seriously, I don’t think we have made it hard enough for you in recent visits to Selhurst but we hope things can be different this weekend. Expect us to press you high and try to force mistakes in your passing out from the back. It worked a treat for us in the 2-0 win at the Etihad this season as the gall of it seemed to shock City into a nightmare of a performance. We hope for a repeat of that this weekend. 

    Both sides will be missing key playing due to AFCON. Despite this, who from Liverpool will Palace need to keep under wraps to get a favourable result?
     
    Mane has 13 goals and 3 assists against Palace in 15 games. We don’t have to fear anyone now. 
     
    That being said, Jota is a goal machine and Trent Alexander-Arnold is on fire so we naturally will have to worry about those two. Que goals from Fabinho and Matip.

    Do you have a score prediction?
     
    A very optimistic 2-2. 

    We are not struggling to score as we have in the last two seasons, but we are leaky at the back and have moments where defending set pieces appear to be considered optional. Hopefully, it won’t be one of those days for us.
     
  • Vindication! That’s what I’m feeling right now. As shite as we were last week I said we’d go to the Emirates and take care of it because we’re miles better than Arsenal, with or without Sadio and Mo. The lads know it too. They were probably as pissed off as any of us that they somehow allowed that bunch of fucking losers to escape Anfield with a draw.
     
    I know I go on a lot about the complete lack of respect I have for this Arsenal team and you’re probably sick of it, but honestly, not beating them would have been a scandal that I’d have struggled to ever forgive. I still bristle any time I think of them beating us in our title winning season. I also bristle remembering how they celebrated it, the self satisfied pricks.
     
    They over celebrated last week too. 0-0 at half time and they're acting like the job is done. Then you've got that Ben White turd laughing at Taki when he missed that late chance. The fucking nerve of ANYONE from Arsenal laughing at ANYONE from Liverpool. Who the fuck do they think they are? This is why they're shit. They think they're better than they are and have massive delusions of grandeur. 
     
    We’re better than Arsenal in every single area of the park. The only one of their players I’d look twice at would be Saka (Martinelli is decent too but he’s always injured) and their manager is a complete phoney. Even the keeper who they're creaming themselves over, I wouldn't even take him over Kelleher.
     
    Arsenal's shitness offends me in so many ways. Let me put it this way. You know how on old school video games at the end of each level there was a boss that you’d have to beat? I’m talking about games like Golden Axe, Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, that kind of thing. Sometimes you’d beat the boss, sometimes you’d lose to the boss.When you lost to the end of level boss of course it was disappointing, infuriating, whatever, but you also know that it’s tough and that there’s no disgrace in losing to the boss. 
     
    Losing to Chelsea in the final would come into that category. Chelsea are an end of level boss that you need to beat.
     
    To get to that boss, however, you have to beat up a load of bums who will generally die when you hit them once or twice. They aren’t there for any other reason other than to make up the numbers and to help you hone your skills for when the big test arrives. Any time I got killed by one of those it was purely down to carelessness and I’d be furious with myself. That’s Arsenal. 
     
    One or two punches kills them and there’s absolutely no excuse for ever letting them even get one hit in, let alone ending your game. They’re the only team to lose to Everton in the last six months or something. Remember that. That’s who Arsenal are. Losers.
     
    And I’m delighted to say we showed that in this game. We weathered a bit of an early… I don’t want to say storm as that would be overstating it, so I’ll say it was an early breeze. Arsenal came out with their tails up, no doubt boosted by their cute little pre-match light show that I assume was inspired by an Elton John concert or something. Looked like loads of them were holding up lighters but it was probably just the lights from their phones, as no-one loves filming the match quite like Arsenal fans.
     
    Anyway, they came out swinging and we didn’t start well. A lot of the ‘threat’ they posed came from us just passing the ball to them. Joel especially kept doing it, while Virgil’s early distribution wasn’t great either. I’ll give credit where it’s due though, part of that was down to Arsenal pressing high and with intensity. Rather than be worried about that though I was happy. Much rather they try and have a go at us than sit back like they did last week.
     
    In fairness, last week’s Mourinho-like display was forced on them because of the sending off and I had no problem with it as going toe to toe with us isn’t something they can do with eleven men, let alone ten. Thankfully this time the inevitable Arsenal red card didn’t come until we were already home and hosed so it had no bearing on the game.
     
    In those early stages they were quite lively and the crowd were into it, but they needed to score in that spell to have any chance because we were always going to settle down and then start to play our football, and when that happened they'd be in trouble. The closest they came to a goal during that spell was a free-kick from Lacazette that Kelleher tipped onto the bar. It might have been hitting the bar anyway but he got a touch to make sure.
     
    I’m glad he got the start in this even though under normal circumstances you’d want the best keeper in the world in your team. He hasn’t been showing the form of the best keeper in the world this season, but he’s still Alisson and normally you’d pick him. But if you say to Kelleher at the start of the season “you play in the League Cup games” then you should stick to it. Last week was harsh on him but Alisson needed the playing time and besides, Kelleher had been able to get the Chelsea league game in because Ali had COVID, so that evened it out. 
     
    It was a big call from Klopp to pick him (and Kaide Gordon, who I’ll get to in a bit) but it was the right call and Kelleher did what he needed to. Which wasn’t much really, Arsenal barely threatened us but Kelleher did see a lot of the ball with his feet and he really caught the eye once again with how calm, assured and impressive he is in that area. In that regard I trust him more than Alisson.
     
    One of the biggest myths in football is how amazing Alisson is with his feet. He really isn’t. In fact he’s better with his head! Seriously though, Alisson is decent with his feet but no more than that. In terms of footballing ability, Kelleher is probably second only to that ugly, tattooed cunt at City.
     
    So anyway, the free-kick was Arsenal’s big moment but it didn’t go in and before long we were ahead. Lovely goal too. Started with Kelleher and we just played right through Arsenal’s press. What was interesting about it is Trent’s position. That had to be something we’d worked on to beat their press because he popped up in an area they just weren’t expecting him to be.
     
    Bobby’s flick found him and then Trent released Diogo down the left. It didn’t look particularly dangerous initially but as soon as he megged the full back he was then cutting inside onto his strong foot and Arsenal’s defence had a problem. Remember the goal he scored against them in the league game from the other side, cutting in on his left and leaving Ben White on his arse? Similar thing, left him on his arse again. Not laughing now are you, knobhead?
     
    The shot wasn’t well struck but it wrong footed Ramsdale and went in. Fowler-esque from Diogo yet again. The similarities between them are remarkable. So many of his goals just look like Fowler. Even this. I can remember a few Robbie right footers that dribbled in just like that.
     
    The camera closed in on Arteta’s face on the touchline a minute or two later and he looked haunted. Like a man who had no idea what to do. The goal really took the wind out of Arsenal’s sails and while I wouldn’t say they gave up, it looked like they had no belief whatsoever. That's them though, they wilt when under any kind of pressure.
     
    Our approach to the game wasn’t exactly what we’re used to seeing though and it seemed to me that we deliberately played more cagey than usual and were happy to concede more possession than we’re used to seeing. We didn’t press high, we dropped off. The whole team was deeper than usual and that worked a treat.
     
    Arsenal are only really dangerous on counter attacks so it made sense for us to let them have the ball more than usual and then pick them off when they made mistakes, instead of letting them try to do that to us. 
     
    It felt like we were always in control of the game but as ever, you need the second goal to make sure. I’m struggling to think of any real moments of danger they had. There was a chance for Lacazette that he ballooned over, but can you really call it a chance when it’s him? He doesn’t score anymore and has been shite for a couple of years. The only reason he plays is because Aubamayeng doesn't give a fuck and the only other alternative is Eddie Nketia, a player destined for a modest career in the Championship. 
     
    Lacazette was one foul away from a red card at that point having been booked just before half time and then followed that up with another quick foul. The ref was right not to book him for the second one but it’s one of those where you know it’s probably his last chance.
     
    So he was subbed midway through the second half but Arsenal could have subbed any of their forwards our midfielders not named Martinelli. He was the only one who had any life in him. The others were shite, even Saka who got no change out of the brilliant Robbo.
     
    I've never seen what the fuss was about with Odegaard (average every single time i've seen him), while Smith Rowe was crap as well. He’ll probably look great against Burnley at the weekend because that’s modern Arsenal. Players will turn it on sporadically against shite teams, their fans get all chesty about them and start proclaiming them as superstars until they come up against someone decent and disappear, at which point the fans fury is unleashed all over youtube and twitter. It’s the Arsenal Way.
     
    We had chances to kill them off but it wasn’t going in for us. Konate hit the post with a header from a corner. He’d replaced Matip at half time, a move I assumed had been pre-planned but Klopp said afterwards it wasn’t and that Joel just didn’t look quite right. That’s true, he didn’t, but he had to train on his own one day this week so you wonder if there’s a minor issue there he’s dealing with.
     
    No matter, Konate was very good when he came on and it’s encouraging seeing him go close with that header as we need to see more of that from him. 
     
    Kaide Gordon should have scored but blazed over the bar from close range. He needs to hit the target there as it was on his left peg. Amazing play by Jota to set that up though, he destroyed Ben White out wide and cut it back perfectly for the kid, who had done brilliantly to make space for himself. Just a shame about the finish.
     
    It’s not inconceivable that he could have scored three or four goals already instead of the one he has. He’s had chances each time he’s played and that’s encouraging, because his finishing has always looked really good in youth games so once he hits his stride he could really take off.
     
    He was a whisker away from getting on the end of a brilliant cross by Trent too. Trent was really starting to dictate things in the second half and seemed to be playing much higher up the pitch than he was in the first half. Robbo got forward more too.
     
    Arsenal were the re for the taking and eventually the second goal came via Jota. What a fucking goal that was. Martinelli ran into trouble and fell over, and from that moment Arsenal were in trouble. Trent had the ball with time and space, the Arsenal backline were pushed up the pitch and Jota had peeled away the second he saw Trent had the ball.
     
    It was very similar to the incident in the first leg when Xhaka was sent off. That time it was Robbo picking him out but it was basically the same pass and the same run. Once again Jota took it on his chest, but this time Xhaka wasn’t there to hack him down. Instead White - again, not laughing this time - had to look on as Jota took it in stride and dinked it over Ramsdale with a finish that Fowler would have been proud of.
     
    Great goal, but the linesman didn’t think so as he put his flag up to cut short Jota’s celebrations in front of the away end. I didn’t think he was off but you can’t always tell in real time because of camera angles and not knowing exactly where the line is.
     
    Jota definitely didn’t think he was off but we live in an age when players will appeal for literally anything and then kick off when they don’t get it, so that’s not the best barometer really. I mean, in the first half Martinelli wanted a pen for a Fabinho challenge that was as clean as a whistle.
     
    But Jota was right. The lines didn’t even seem necessary as you could see immediately that Gabriel was playing him on. It was close, yes, but not THAT close. The lines proved it beyond any doubt and Jota got to celebrate again. It was funny because initially it looked like he didn’t know if he should as the moment had gone, but Fabinho was running to the away fans and grabbed Jota to drag him over. Milner then got involved and was pushing him towards the fans and the whole team ended up giving it loads. It was fucking boss, love that.
     
    That was game over as Arsenal were done. They still had time to go the full Arsenal though and end up with ten men. Hilarious. The first booking for Partey was harsh I thought, but the second could easily have been a straight red as it was awful. 
     
    That was just so Arsenal. Honestly, if I didn’t know the identity of the team and you asked me “which team would fly a player back from getting knocked out of AFCON on the day of the game, put him on the bench and then bring him on only for him to pick up two yellows and get sent off and pick up a suspension when they only have one other midfielder available” I’d say Arsenal every fucking time. It’s standard Arsenal behaviour and has been for over a decade.
     
    Partey put out a statement today apologising for it. He’s got some way to go if he’s going to catch Granit Xhaka though, who has issued 19 instagram apologies in his time at Arsenal. 
     
    We could have scored more goals if we’d pushed for them but there was no need and we saw the game out comfortably to book our place in the final. I’m not even really thinking about that yet as its a month away and form can change quickly. Regardless of form I think it’ll be a really tight game but at least we should have Sadio and Mo back.
     
    We have one more important game to negotiate without them and if we can just get those three points at Palace then that’s a huge boost for everyone. We were all worried about the implications of AFCON on our season but so far we’ve negotiated it safely. Just one more win please, lads.
     
    Star man is Jota who was just too hot for them to handle. I like him on the left as he seems comfortable out there. He usually played there for Wolves and it’s probably his best position. I liked his link up with Robbo and Curtis (both had great games) and that side worked well for us.
     
    The other side wasn’t as effective although Trent was obviously massively influential on the game. I expect Minamino will get the nod on Sunday and he’s entitled to be upset that he didn’t start this one. I’m happy for Gordon that he’s getting an opportunity but Taki has been sharp when he’s played this season and leaving him on the bench was a surprising call.
     
    He scored at Palace last season so hopefully he can repeat that on Sunday and we can pick up the win.
     
    I don’t expect many more changes (other than Alisson coming back in) because after this we have yet another fucking break. As much as I don’t like that, the silver lining is that when we come back we’ll have Elliott available again and maybe Thiago as well. 
     
    We’ve come through that iffy spell we had relatively unscathed other than the fact that City have pulled away from us, but as I’ve said before I’m not letting those league ruining cheating twats define how I judge our team.
     
    We’re in a final, we were flying in the Champions League, we’re still in the FA Cup and we’re second in the league, ahead of every other club that’s playing by the rules. Can’t really complain about any of that.
     
     
    Team: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip (Konate), Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Milner), Jones; Gordon (Minamino), Firmino (Williams), Jota:
     
     
     
  • No Salah, no Mané, no problem as Diogol stepped up to get it done and send the Reds to a Wembley showdown with Chelsea in a few weeks.
     
    Chris Smith is joined by Julian Richards as well as TLW Editor Dave Usher to savour a highly satisfactory night for the Redmen who put Arsenal back in their box after the Gunners were smelling themselves a bit too much following last week's 0-0 at Anfield.
     
    Jota was on fire, Robbo was relentless, Virgil dominant, Jones caught the eye and Trent channelled his inner Tom Brady. Not bad for a team that apparently had to fake a COVID outbreak because they were too scared to face the mighty Arsenal two weeks ago. We're on the march with Jurgen's Army!
     
     
  • Jurgen Klopp has hailed the ability of his side to adapt as the Reds booked their ticket to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final after a 2-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
     
    A Diogo Jota goal in either half settled the tie and the manager was a very proud man as he spoke to the media after the final whistle reported by the Official site.
     
    "With our problems we have, there's now not plenty of options to change probably. What the boys put out tonight was really special. The start of both halves I would say was Arsenal time, so they were really aggressive, really straight forward, all these kind of things.
     
    “So we had to adapt to the game but we calmed it down and from that specific moment on in both halves we controlled the game and played really good stuff and, on top of that, scored wonderful goals.
     
    While Liverpool’s performances in domestic Cup competitions have been average in recent seasons, both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders have often talked about the importance of this cup run and after reaching the final, Klopp said it has not been an easy path to negotiate.
     
    “Look, the situation is always a little bit the time of the year, who is available, how many games did you play, all these kind of things. I cannot just pick a team, I have a full squad on paper and then say, 'OK, we go for these 11 and then we let them play.' We have to consider a lot of things and we always did that.
     
    “But you need a little bit of luck in specific moments to get through – we never had that. We had always really tricky draws on top of that pretty early when we played a lot of games and couldn't line up a team from the Premier League three days before.
     
    "I don't say it was always unlucky but we had these moments where we thought, 'OK, away game at Chelsea is now not the easiest draw' and these kind of things.
     
    “So, it's all good. We want to go for everything – we said that plenty of times. Now we are in the final, it doesn't mean we have won it already, it just means we qualify for it. When we will be there at the end of February, we will give it a go – but unfortunately the opponent probably [will] as well."
     

     
    The success of this Liverpool team over the past few seasons has been a squad mentality, when one player is down on form or absent, another steps up to the plate and produces the goods.
     
    That was certainly the case with Jota who the manager described as “ extremely important and the perfect mix of skills for a player.”
     
    And while the likes of Mo Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold get plenty of deserved headlines, it is still remarkable in some ways that a player like Andy Robertson is undervalued in some footballing circles.
     

     
    But as someone who sees him at close range on a daily basis, there is no doubt in Klopp’s mind that he is the premium left back in Europe. 
     
    “Outstanding player and, again, the mix of his skillset and his mentality, that makes him so special. 
     
    “You see the situations when he has the ball that he is a good footballer but the desire in each game when he really wants to defend with all he has, I think that's the biggest improvement since he arrived
     
    "That was a little bit the issue in the early stages when he came from Hull to us; he was already a massive talent but defending-wise we were not over the moon.
     
    “ But he improved a lot and is now the full package, which is really helpful.”
     
  • It almost felt like Chelsea’s trip to City on Saturday was the last throw of the dice for Chelsea and for us in the title race.
     
    If Chelsea could have won then game back on, but if they lost then they were definitely out of it and it would make our task look quite insurmountable too. And unfortunately, Chelsea did lose. And they barely went down with a whimper.
     
    I don’t usually watch City but this was one I felt I needed to tune in to. I switched off as soon as City scored because it was clear the way Chelsea were playing there was never going to be any way back if they conceded. And with Kepa in goal that was always likely.
     
    De Bruyne’s goal was quality but it wasn’t right in the corner and a better keeper saves it. Kepa took a step to his right and then couldn’t get back across. Mendy going to AFCON has fucked Chelsea over there. Well, spending a world record fee on a below average keeper is the thing that fucked them most, but I’m splitting hairs.
     
    I’m not going to waste any time even talking about City. Fuck them and their cheating ways. I’ll just focus on Chelsea because they’re one of the teams we are competing with and that we should measure ourselves up against. As I keep saying, if you’re up against Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France and you’re not on the roids, then you should measure yourself against the other clean cyclists rather than the doped up cheating cunt.
     
    Not that Chelsea are ‘clean’ exactly, but you know what I mean. Compared to City they’re sparkling white. They’re in a really bad run though and I thought they were pathetic in this game, which was actually there for the taking if they’d been braver. By that I don’t even mean throwing men forward. Just passing it forward occasionally would have helped.
     
    Fuck me, it was infuriating. I know Tuchel beat City a couple of times playing defensively but this was never going to get it done. Why pick Lukaku if you’re going to play like that? He isn’t blameless as he missed a great chance, but overall I felt sorry for him and I’ve done a complete 180 on the comments he made the other week that got him in trouble with Tuchel.
     
    Having watched him make countless runs in behind, pointing where he wanted the ball only to then have to stop and come back onside because no cunt would pass to him, I’m 100% on Lukaku’s side now. He could have destroyed City if his team-mates had actually passed to him.
     
    Honestly, I counted at least half a dozen times when Chelsea had the ball between the lines and City were in trouble. Their high line was there to be exploited with the ball into the space and Lukaku was constantly between the two centre backs pointing into the space where he wanted it. And almost every time they went sideways or backwards and let City reset.
     
    No fucking wonder he wants to be back at Inter. I don’t blame him at all, especially as he didn’t want to leave there in the first place. Why the fuck did Tuchel select that Ziyech turd? And why did he leave him on as long as he did? It was infuriating because that was a game Chelsea could have won, but they beat themselves in the end
     
    Their results have nosedived since they lost Chilwell and then James. You’d think they’d have the quality to cope with that and on paper they certainly have, but the results speak for themselves. They were flying and then they started spluttering. 
     
    They were held at home by Brighton in midweek too, something we can of course relate to. If Brighton could turn their dominance into more goals they’d be pushing for the top four. They’re a better coached team than anyone outside the top three that’s for sure.
     
    Chelsea will eventually find their form again as they have too much quality not to, but they’ve gone from looking like serious title contenders to now looking like they’ll struggle to even compete for second. Third place is in no danger because everyone else is shite.
     
    Norwich had lost six games on the bounce and I don’t think they’d scored in any of them. Then along came Everton. The Canaries were 2-0 up in no time. 
     
    That Ukranian they signed to replace Digne is weak as piss. He’s not going to last two minutes in this league, the skinny cunt. Even that Josh Sargent loser gave him the runaround.
     
    Michael Keane put through his own net to give Norwich the lead and then Idah added another one 90 seconds later.
     
    The travelling Blues unveiled their anti-Rafa banners and chants, while the man himself rubbed his hands together and laughed. No really, he did. Obviously he wasn’t laughing because they’re losing but given the way they feel about him it was always going to be taken that way and Everton twitter went ballistic.
     
    Rafa sent on Mina and Richarlison at half time and they made a difference. Richarlison’s overhead kick got them back in it but they couldn’t force an equaliser and were lucky Norwich didn’t rub further salt in their wounds when they hit the post with the last kick of the game.
     
    The Blues sacked Rafa the next day, which was clearly a panic move and wasn’t in their thoughts until this defeat. They let him sell their best player four days earlier and in his brief time at the club he’s seen off the head sports science fella, the director of football and their best player. Those are just the ones I know of, there’s probably more.
     
    He did what he does. He went in to a club, started all kinds of fires everywhere and tried to convince everyone he was the only one who could put those fires out. For a while Moshiri believed him even if the fans didn’t. Losing to Norwich was a bridge too far though and Moshiri finally decided enough was enough and now it’s Big Dunc in temporary charge again.
     
    There’s a lot of things I could write about this but it’ll be in the diary so I won’t do it here. The short version is Rafa should never have been hired in the first place, he can have no complaints about being sacked, but in the grand scheme of things he was nowhere near the top of any list of “what’s wrong with Everton?”.
     
    They’re incredibly shit but you have to wonder how much of that was down to the players wanting to get Rafa sacked. If they suddenly start performing for Ferguson (as they did previously) then it shows just what cunts they are. I’m hoping that it’s just a case of them being fucking shit and that it continues for the rest of the season.
     
    Could they go down? I doubt it, because they have a bit of a cushion between themselves and the bottom four, but if they don’t pick up points in the next three or four games then that would put them right in it. I’ve been pondering the question this week, would I accept Newcastle surviving if it meant Everton went down? I would, but it would be with a heavy heart. Not heavy for Everton, but heavy because I desperately want those Geordie fucks to go down. In a perfect world they’d both go.
     
    How funny was that United - Villa game by the way? I watched the FA Cup game a few days before and Villa fucking battered them but somehow lost. United are dreadful. They just rely entirely on luck, De Gea and the goal power they have from individuals throughout the forward line.
     
    They took the lead at Villa Park when Martinez made a dreadful error to let Fernandes’ speculative long ranger go through his legs. Villa were the better side after that but some of their defensive errors were Everton-like and they kept giving United chances.
     
    Eventually they paid the price when yet another slack pass ended with Fernandes scoring again to make it 2-0. It didn’t look good, but then on comes the little “scouse bastard” Brazilian and within ten minutes he had a goal and an assist and it was 2-2. He’s been gone FOUR YEARS!! Hasn’t that fucking flown by? I was genuinely shocked when I heard them say it was over four years since he last played in the Premier League. It’s scary how quickly time is passing now. 
     
    The most relieved man in the stadium after Coutinho’s equaliser was Martinez, who dived into the crowd to celebrate. I decided I didn’t like him when he acted the twat in the penalty shoot out we had with Arsenal in the Charity Shield, but I warmed to him after what he did at Old Trafford with the Fernandes pen. I think he’s alright now, but I reserve the right to go back to hating him at any time of my choosing.
     
    Wolves have scored 17 goals in 20 games but they’re 8th in the table. Much like Brighton, if they could score more they’d be pushing for fourth.
     
    Wolves were awarded a penalty that was a fucking joke. The defender gets the ball, and then with his second movement he brings down the Wolves player. But he’s already knocked the ball through his legs and the Wolves player isn’t getting near it. That’s just never a pen in a million years but the VAR told the ref to go and look and then the replay they were showing was only the second action, after he’d already played the ball. Awful stuff, especially as Southampton were denied a much clearer one. 
     
    Jiminez converted it to make it 1-0. Southampton rallied and piled on the pressure but poor finishing and great goalkeeping left them frustrated and that knob Coady made it 2-0 with a close range header. Probably been smelling himself all week after that. 
     
    Ward-Prowse pulled one back with a free-kick that was special even by his high standards. Wow. That was fucking ace. I like him a lot, he’d fit in our team like an arse in a bucket. 
     
    Micah Richards described it as “the Ronaldo technique”. Fuck off, Ronaldo is proper shit at free-kicks and is only ever allowed to take them because of who he is. I’d be genuinely stunned if his strike rate was better than one out of every hundred. Ward-Prowse has a better conversion rate on free-kicks than some players have on penalties.  
     
    In an eventual end to the game Southampton hit the bar and then Traore blasted over the bar with the goal gaping. All of you doubters reading this will have been sharpening your knives wanting to have a go at me and Adama for that but he then ran clear and finished well to make it 3-1, so fuck y’all. I still say we should sign him at the right price.
     
    Newcastle failed to beat Watford at St James’ in what was a huge game for both sides. The point is decent for Watford as the one thing they couldn’t do was lose and let Newcastle make up three points on them. For a while it looked like that’s exactly what would happen though as Saint-Maximin robbed the full back and then showed great speed and skill to run through and score.
     
    Hilariously though, with a minute left, Joao Pedro levelled with a brilliant towering header to leave the home crowd devastated. Great stuff Watford, well played. Of all the teams in the relegation fight, they’re the ones I most want to get out of it. Norwich too, as that would be fucking hilarious if they somehow escaped. Hopefully they both do.
     
    Brighton and Palace was decent. Two well coached teams that I enjoy watching. Brighton were awarded a penalty when Will Hughes inexplicably tried to ‘bulldog’ Veltman on a corner. I suppose he figured he could do it because no-one ever gets punished on corners anymore. You can do whatever you like without the refs getting involved, but this was so obvious they decided they had to call it.
     
    Gross missed the penalty. Awful it was. You might even call it… gro…. shite. Maupay then thought he’d scored when he bundled in from close range, but the keeper had both hands on it and as we saw with that Schmeichel incident recently you can’t score if the keeper has his hand on the ball. VAR rightly told the ref to look and he disallowed it.
     
    Gallagher put Palace ahead with another well taken goal. Going to be interesting to see what happens with him at the end of the season. Brighton deservedly equalised through and Andersen own goal on 87 minutes after a brilliant turn and dangerous cut back by Maupay.
     
    Vieira said “If you come to a place like….” zzzzzzzz. Nope, sorry. I really tried.
     
    Onto Sunday now. West Ham lost at home to a bare bones Leeds side. Not good that if they have serious ambitions of top four. 
     
    Harrison put the visitors ahead and West Ham probably should have been reduced to 10 men after a heavy challenge by Antonio. It wasn’t high, but it was reckless, dangerous, he was nowhere near the ball and he was out of control. He’s about 18 stone of pure muscle and if he’s launching himself with his full weight into a challenge like that, it has to be a red surely? Mike Dean though, so *shrugs*.
     
    Bowen equalised with his 4th goal in three games. A sharp header from a corner. Harrison chested in from on the goal-line to make it 2-1 but Fornals levelled early in the second half.
     
    You’d expect West Ham to go on and win at that point but they didn’t. Harrison completed his hat-trick and that was a lovely goal. Perfectly weighted through ball by Raphinha and a nice finish. 
     
    Raphinha then hit the bar with a brilliant free-kick before teeing up Klich to make the game safe with a good finish. At least that’s what they thought. It was disallowed for offside because it hit a Leeds player on the line on its way in. Fucking hell, I mean technically that right be the wrong decision but morally it stinks.
     
    It could have been decisive too as West Ham had the ball in the net not long after but thankfully it was offside and didn’t count. I have no love for Leeds but if they’d been denied the points on a decision like that even I’d have been pissed off for them.
     
    Brilliant from Leeds to be fair. West Ham were shite on the day but that’s a big, big win for Leeds. Moyes said it was tired legs and pointed to the extra game they had to play in midweek against Norwich. He said they haven’t postponed any of their games and that the Premier League are getting it wrong. I’m agreeing with him far too much this season, it’s unsettling me.
     
    We’re being linked with Bowen again. As I’ve said before, good player, nice fit for how we play but he’s nowhere near clinical enough for me. I’m aware of the irony in me saying I’d sign Traore while at the same time criticising the end product of someone who is blowing him out of the water, but I’m not going to justify myself to you lot. The heart wants what the heart wants!
     
    Bowen’s numbers are improving and he’s scored, I think, eight or nine this season. That’s decent, especially considering he’s playing in a David Moyes team, but I still think his finishing is generally shite and he missed an absolute sitter at the end of this game when he chested over the bar instead of just heading it in. No idea what the fuck he was doing there.
     
    As I say though, he is a good little player but I don’t want him because -and this might be way off - he looks like he can only really play on the right and why would we want to sign someone like that unless Mo is leaving? If they think he can play right across the front three then ok, but if he’s Mo’s replacement then he’s on a hiding to nothing, especially with his current level of finishing.
     
    Onto midweek now. I mentioned Chelsea’s draw with Brighton but there were other fixtures too as teams try to catch up on postponed games.
     
    The mancs beat Brentford 3-1 despite getting absolutely fucking pummelled in the first half. They’re so shit these days that even the mild mannered Brentford boss was positively fucking fuming that they lost to this bunch of losers. His post-match interview was hilarious, he all but said “We twatted them, they’re shite. I can’t believe we lost to them losers”.
     
    Ronaldo had a titty lip after being subbed and it just feels like they have a different drama or controversy every week. They’re rivalling Everton when it comes to “spending half a billion quid to get worse”. 
     
    Another manager who couldn’t believe his team lost was Brendan, who was 2-1 up against Spurs before conceding goals in the 95th and 97th minutes. I had no preference who won this, but this was funny as fuck.
     
    Some of the fan videos doing the rounds of it are hilarious, and given the way Leicester fans conducted themselves against us I’ll certainly allow myself a big chuckle at this. 
     
    Brendan’s time there might be coming to an end soon you know. It’s got that feeling about it. I reckon Everton will hire him, just to keep trolling their own fans. God, imagine!
  • Two unsung heroes from last season could be heading in different directions in the January transfer window according to reports.
     
    Nat Phillips remains a player of considerable interest to teams in the second half of the Premier League table.
     
    The central defender has has only made three appearances for the Reds in this campaign as Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have returned to senior action after lengthy injuries.
     
    Currently Phillips is out of action with a fractured cheekbone suffered during his last appearance for the club at the San Siro against AC Milan last month.
     

     
    The Echo reports that the club have rejected two bids during this window, one is believed to be from Watford and more interest is expected to come in the next few days.
     
    Fellow perennial strugglers in Burnley and Newcastle have also had interest in Phillips while a move by West Ham was also mooted due to their own injury issues at centre back.
     
    So while Phillips maybe slowly heading to the exit door, there is set to be a familiar face return with the club cutting short the loan spell of Rhys Williams at Swansea.
     

     
    The 20 year-old who signed a long-term deal in the summer was loaned out to the Welsh club in August as the club wanted him to continue his learning curve and get more first team experience under his belt.
     
    But to this stage of the season, Williams has only made seven appearances (five in the league) with Swans manager Russell Martin outlining the difficult position.
     
    “We’ve been really honest with Liverpool about the opportunities Rhys has had and the potential opportunities he has moving forward, so the ball is in their court.
     
    “We can’t send him back…That’s the danger of doing loans. The parent club is always in control, to an extent. I think Rhys is in contact with them constantly about what’s happening."
     
    Despite his lack of first team opportunities, Martin was full of praise of his professionalism and general attitude.
     
    “I think the frustrating thing for Rhys is that he’s really happy here, he’s enjoying training, he feels he’s improved, but the one disappointing thing for him is that he’s had limited opportunities.”
     
     
     
  • In recent years, the online gaming experience has improved significantly, with the online casino sector now worth more than $92.9 billion dollars. While casino fans used to have to visit a brick and mortar venue to be able to access their favourite games, today’s ever evolving technologies have meant that it's never been easier to access popular casino games.
     
    One issue players experience with online casinos is the huge variety of providers, making it difficult to know which games are the best and how to get a good online casino experience. Below, we’ll take a look at some simple steps you can take to improve your online casino experience. 
     
    1. Incorporate VR Technology
     
    While virtual reality was a fairly new concept a couple of years ago, today there are a number of VR headsets on the market that are accessible to everyday consumers. VR technology enables gamers to fully immerse themselves in the online casino experience by removing environmental distractions and enhancing the gaming world.
     
    VR headsets are particularly great in online poker rooms, allowing the user to bridge the divide between the physical and virtual worlds. They’re also popular with online slot games which are now designed as more of a video gaming experience than just a game of chance.
     
     
    2. Live dealers
     
    When looking for an online gaming provider, try to look for a site that offers live dealers. A live dealer is a real life person who is televised to players and is able to interact with them in real time. This makes the online casino experience more engaging and authentic, while maintaining the same gaming standards as established with an automated dealer. 
     
     
    3. Mobile gaming
     

     
    Love playing online casino games? With mobile gaming options, you can access your favourite online casino games from any place and at any time, without the typical restrictions of a brick and mortar venue. Many online casino providers now offer a seamless and integrated app experience, allowing users to access their favourite games quickly while on their phone or tablet.
     
    What’s more, many online casino apps offer exclusive sign up bonuses and promotions for app users, from free spins to in-game bonus features. 
     
    4. Try on-demand gaming
     
    Used to having to download a gaming platform to play your favourite games? Most online casinos now enable you to stream games online for the easiest and most convenient gaming experience. All you need is a good Wi-Fi connection to be able to play from anywhere, without needing to purchase or download a game.
     
    On-demand gaming also offers the opportunity to play with other players in real time and even compete against them. Take advantage of online poker chat rooms or live poker sessions. 
     
    5. Try a crypto casino
     

     
    If you’ve ever felt uneasy about entering your payment details at an online casino, there’s a simple solution. Crypto casinos operate on blockchain technology, which is a decentralised banking system. This means that payments never go through a central banking authority and do not need to be authorised by your bank, making deposits and withdrawals much faster and easier.
     
    In addition, crypto casinos offer an increased layer of security as you do not need to enter your card details but instead, simply access your online crypto wallet. As crypto payments are much more difficult to track, it adds an additional layer of anonymity for players, which can put them at ease. 
     
    6. Use a VPN
     
    A virtual private network is a great way to add an extra layer of security when playing at online casinos. A VPN blocks internet providers and malicious users from being able to track your activity, meaning your payment details, personal information and gaming history are kept completely private.
     
    There are a range of personal VPN providers, with popular ones including Hola, NordVPN and ExpressVPN. 
     
    7. Explore the latest themed slots
     
    Online slots have gained a lot of attention recently, with themed slots becoming a popular option for online casino players. Themed slots are like a normal slot game but feature a theme from a popular TV show, movie, or even a retro game.
     
    As technology has improved, many themed slot games are now designed to be more like a video gaming experience, immersing the player in a full gaming experience. Many games feature favourite characters, popular items as symbols and even in-game bonus features. 
     
    Some of today’s most popular themed slot games include Indiana Jones, the Pink Panther, Pirates of the Caribbean and more traditional themes like Cleopatra and Zeus. 
     
    8. Use it as a form of stress release
     

     
    Just like watching the reds move up the league table, online casino games can also be a great stress reliever. Online gaming enables you to be in the moment and give your mind a break from everyday activities which can cause chronic stress.
     
    With online casino games being so easy to access, players can grab a quick game while on the commute to work, or even from the sofa after a long day.
     
    Overall, online casino games have significantly improved in recent times. In order to get the full online casino experience, it’s vital that players embrace the latest technologies and try out different online casino providers to find the best options. 
     
  • So, just over halfway there now, but it’s not Bon Jovi but Metallica which comes to mind this time, ‘so close no matter how far’ being a reference that springs to mind.
     
    There’s a sense of doom and gloom around the place, almost a ‘what’s the point?’ sentiment, given the way the League has panned out. I get that, given City’s dominance (36 points out of 36, 11 points clear, etc.) but I honestly think that there are loads of reasons to be positive not just about this season but the seasons ahead.
     
    Since the last time I wrote, after THAT Leicester defeat, we’ve picked up four points out of six in the League, which still puts us on course for 81-82 points (based on our average points haul per game so far, 2.14 points). That could go either way, of course, but based on previous Klopp seasons, you would expect us to be strong in the second half, so we could conceivably get 85 points or more. Will that be enough to win the Title? Probably not, given City’s rhythm at the moment, but there are reasons to think that it’s not over yet.
     
    Yes, City have got 36 points from their last 36; but they only got 20 from their first 30, an average of two points a game. They’ve lost two, the same as us. They’ve won EIGHT games by the odd goal. Sign of champions, certainly, but also a sign they are not all-powerful. We still have to go there in April, and when we do, we need to be within touching distance.
    Say we win our game in hand, that puts us eight points behind them. And if you look at both clubs’ last five games, you’ll see WWWWW for City, a total of 15 points and WDLDW for the Reds, a total of 8 points, in other words a seven-point difference.
     
    So we have literally gone toe-to-toe with this multi-billion petrodollar outfit, who have cheated to get where they are (this isn’t an allegation, it’s been proven to be so in the courts). That run, over the Christmas and new year period has cost us. But even then, the Spurs draw hinged on two scandalous refereeing decisions, notably the push on Diogo and Kane’s yellow; if Mo converts his penalty against Leicester, it’s probably a different game; we were blitzed by Chelsea for ten minutes and threw away a two-goal lead. It’s those draws which have really cost us, as City have moved the goalposts to a stage where you now need to win 30 games a season. Six draws in your first 21 doesn’t leave any margin for error.
     
    We’ve the best attack in the League (55 goals), the fourth-best defence, we’ve taken 24 points out of 30 at home (seven wins and three draws which by most metrics is excellent, except that in this Title race it’s as if we have dropped six points, rather than gained three), we haven’t played the same electric stuff that we did from 2017 to 2020 but there are times we’ve been fantastic, we’ve brought through lots of youth in the Cups which augurs well for the future, we’re still in four competitions and could be looking at Wembley in February, to add to a huge European night and with a favourable FA Cup draw, we could go far in that competition too. We’ve not suffered too much, so far, from the absence of Sadio and Mo and with Elliott due back soon, that creative spark we’ve been missing in the middle of the park could be present.
     
    51 points to play for – which would get us to 96, and given Klopp’s reaction after Brentford, you feel he still thinks it’s possible to have a say in things come April or May.
     
    John Brennan
  • For the second time this season the Reds put three past Brentford but thankfully on this occasion there was no defensive collapse as Jurgen Klopp's side recorded their first league win since mid-December.
     
    TLW Editor Dave Usher, Julian Richards and Ian Brown look back on an important, albeit fairly uninspiring, victory for the Reds. The lads also preview the upcoming League Cup semi final second leg at the Emirates.
     
     
  • That was just what we needed. Nothing special, took us a while to get going but ultimately we picked up three points and looked much better than we had the other night against Arsenal. We were never going to suddenly rediscover our best form and blow Brentford away. It’ll be a steady climb.
     
    This was more or less what I expected. I said the other night that we just need games and that we’d be better on Sunday than we had been on Thursday. I also said it wouldn’t be easy but it would be comfortable and that we’d win by two or three. That’s exactly how it played out so let’s hope I’m also right that we’ll smash Arsenal everywhere in the second leg. That’s if they bother showing up.
     
    It’s not that this performance was anything to get excited about. Far from it, but the longer it went the more we improved and that’s a good sign. More important to me was that some of our big players looked like they’d blown the cobwebs off from the other night and looked like themselves again. Specifically Trent and Hendo, who were both excellent. Fabinho as well.
     
    That’s important. Everyone focuses on Sadio and Mo not being here but if the rest of the team play as they should then we can cope easily enough without them. I wouldn’t want to be facing City or Chelsea without them but Arsenal, Brentford and Palace are games we should win even with no Sadio and Mo. As long as everyone else plays to their usual standard.
     
    It’s not like we’re bringing in bums to replace them either. Firmino, Jota and Minamino are all international footballers. The balance and understanding might not be there, but they are all really good players. Taki didn’t start this one of course, but he finished it and looked great when he came on. He’ll start at Arsenal. He’ll probably score too. I’m calling that one now. He’ll score and we’ll win.
     
    I assume he was left out of the starting line up for this one because he’s only just back from injury and they’re being careful. Milner was out too, which was an obvious call to make. He’s more useful off the bench these days. Jones and Ox came in but surprisingly it was Ox in the front three and Jones in midfield. I’d have done it the other way, mainly because I hate seeing Ox in the front three.
     
    He had some good moments, some bad moments and a whole lot of meh in between. But I don’t hold that against him at all as he can’t play that role. It’s as simple as that. He gave it everything he had though and his application was great, as it always is. I’m made up for him that he scored and just hope the injury isn’t serious.
     
    I wish he believed in himself a bit more though because there were a couple of moments in the first half where I felt he should have driven at the last defender and gone past him, but he didn’t have the confidence to try it. On one of those he tried to play it wide to Trent and badly overhit it. It was terrible, he should be backing himself there.
     
    The first half as a whole just wasn’t good though. We didn’t threaten enough but aside from a weird little few minute spell when we suddenly started passing the ball to Brentford players in our half we never looked in any danger either. 
     
    There wasn’t too much wrong with how we played but we just weren’t quite there at the decisive moments. The final ball, the decision making, basically the attacking players just not getting it done. We were moving the ball around the way we usually do but there just wasn’t that magic in the final third. That’s the difference really. Sometimes you can play like this and be 3-0 up by half time because Salah and Mané have done something brilliant.
     
    We didn’t have those maverick type players though. Jota’s great but he isn’t that kind of player; he’s a different type of forward. Then there’s Ox, who isn’t even a forward. So we needed to do it another way. And we did.
     
    It was clear in the first half that set-pieces were going to be important because other than one bad one from Robbo that hit the first man, it seemed like every corner we had caused them trouble. We didn’t create many openings but every time the ball went in the box in the air Brentford didn’t look like they could deal with it.
     
    So it was no surprise that the opening goal came from a corner. Nice finish by Fabinho and big relief around a previously quiet Anfield. Things had started to get a bit edgy in the lead up to half time as we gave the ball away cheaply a few times and Brentford had a few sights at goal.
     
    Before that the crowd was just really quiet but that got the Kop riled up and for a few minutes at least the atmosphere improved. The second half was back to being shite but at least the players upped their game. The loudest chant of the day was for a manager just sacked by Everton though, which to me really isn’t a good look. Singing it at half time when the news broke was fine, but doing it again during the second half? With gusto? I thought it was embarrassing, but whatever.
     
    The Brentford fans did the predictable “library” and “where’s your famous atmosphere?” chants and for once it was pretty justified. The performance of the team was better in the second half but the crowd were still really subdued.
     
    It was still a struggle for a while because until you get the second goal not much changes. We went close when Jota hit the post and also when he was denied by the keeper when he went clear one v one. He was much livelier in the second half and I definitely like him better on the left than on the right. 
     
    In fairness, Brentford didn’t come here to just defend but it definitely was their priority and even at 1-0 they weren’t going to change their approach. Why would they? They’re not good enough to take the game to us so this was their best chance. Keep it 1-0 until 80 minutes and then throw everything at us when we naturally get nervy because we’ve dominated and not put the game to bed. It’s a standard ploy, so you have to get the second goal.
     
    And we did, thanks to a beautiful cross by Robbo and a bullet diving header by Ox at the back post. I’m made up for him as I was expecting him to be subbed any minute and if that had happened he’d have been really down on himself as usual. He’d lashed a volley into the Kop not long before that and it felt like the writing was on the wall for him with Taki warming up.
     
    The goal was a great moment for him but the joy didn’t last long as soon after he went over on his ankle and made way for Taki. Apparently it was Bobby who was in line to be subbed and Ox would have stayed on so this was a blow for him. Hopefully it doesn’t keep him out long.
     
    Taki scored almost immediately but it owed everything to the unselfishness of Bobby. He won the ball in the Brentford box, collected a return pass from Taki and instead of going himself, gave it back to Minamino to score. He then motioned for him to jump on his back so he could carry him to the Kop. “Happy birthday Taki”. What a team-mate Bobby is.
     
    We could have scored more but I wasn’t particularly bothered about that. I just wanted the win to get us back on track and set us up for Thursday night. However, when Kaide Gordon came on and was sent clear through the middle by Taki I was desperate for him to finish that off. What a moment that would have been, but the keeper denied him unfortunately. That keeper had a really good game actually.
     
    So in summary, there were far more positives than negatives and it’s another game under the belt to help us get back to our best rhythm and form. It’s been so stop - start lately and the team has been really unsettled for various reasons, so the more we play the better we’ll get. Fuck all these breaks, they do us no good whatsoever so let the games come thick and fast now.
     
    Trent looked back to something approaching his best and that’s really important, especially with Sadio and Mo away. We need our best players performing so seeing him and Robbo like this bodes well for the upcoming games. I was worried about Trent after some of his recent displays but this was reassuring.
     
    Jota was much better than he was against Arsenal too. Not that he was particularly great, but he was alright and that’s a massive improvement on last Thursday when he was wretched. Bobby was decent enough too. Curtis was good as well. Nothing special and he can certainly play better, but he gives us something unpredictable in there and I’d definitely give him a run of games in the absence of Thiago.
     
    Star man for me though was Matip. What a man. I thought he was superb again. I know we weren’t exactly overworked at the back but we rarely are. We dominate games and often leave the two lads at the back one v one against their opponent. Joel was left isolated against Toney and Mbuemo a few times but he’s virtually impossible to beat isn’t he? He was brilliant defensively and great on the ball again. He’s getting closer and closer to a Maradona 86 solo goal as well. It’s coming, I can smell it.
     
    So Arsenal next. We have to win that game. There’s a Wembley place at stake but more importantly there’s a record that needs to be set straight. You can’t play that badly against them, have them celebrating a draw like they’d won the cup and then not have a big response. Our players should be steaming about the other night and how they didn’t perform and I reckon they are. 
     
    Bigger picture, we’ve won one of the two league games we have to play without Sadio and Mo so if we can beat Arsenal and then find a way to get the points at Palace next week, we’ll have come through AFCON unscathed. Even bigger picture, the title race is still probably a forlorn hope but the only thing we can do is fight and then hope for the best. 
     
    Klopp was bullish about that afterwards and the triple fist pump at full time felt like a significant gesture. I wasn’t really expecting that but it felt like he was sending out a message. That’s all well and good, but the team need to send out that message over the few weeks or so and then we’ll see where we are. 
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Oxlade-Chamberlain (Minamino), Firmino (Milner), Jota (Gordon):
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