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    It was 10 years ago this week that we were humiliated at Anfield by Northampton. Obviously the club has come a long way since those dark days and we’re now the best team in the land, but I thought it was quite fitting to see the second string perform like they did at Lincoln.
     
    Northampton wasn't a one off either. We’ve spent decades struggling in these type of cup ties when the big hitters were rested and we had to call on the kids and fringe players. Now? I actually look forward to these games as much I do the ‘proper’ matches. 
     
    Some of the most enjoyable games we’ve had in recent seasons have been when the second string has played in the cups. Arsenal and Everton last season were great. So too was the Shrewsbury replay when it was a team full of kids. This was more of a mixed line up but we had a bit of everything really. 
     
    We had the star quality of Van Dijk, we had the fringe players like Shaqiri and Minamino, the wonder kids Jones and Elliott, the unknown youth teamer unexpectedly thrown in at the deep end as well as a couple of new signings making their debuts (Tsimikas looked good I thought). We also had a couple of lads in Big Div and my boy Grujic who maybe won’t be here much longer. Everyone played their part though.
     
    It was a real mish mash eleven and in the past whenever we’d done anything like this it would usually end up in a risible performance and a cup exit. Spurs away jumps out at me for some reason. I couldn’t even tell you who played that night but I remember it was a real shitshow. Probably people like Degen and Plessis were involved but I’ve kind of wiped it from memory so can’t be sure.
     
    Generally in the past when we've thrown together a team of kids and misfits, they've played like total strangers. That doesn't happen anymore. Win or lose they always look like a Klopp team.
     
    This was great. Not perfect, and the second half wasn’t good defensively after Virg went off, but scoring seven times away from home with a second string against the League One leaders isn’t anything to be sniffed at.
     
    The quality of some of the goals was ridiculous too. Shaq’s free-kick to open the scoring was a belter. I saw that coming a mile off and called goal before he even took it. I watched it at my parents house and as I'm sure I've mentioned before, Shaq is like the son my Dad always wanted. I don’t mind that, I love Shaq as well and wish he was my little brother so I could playfully slap him in a  headlock and ruffle his expensive new hair. Love that little guy, he's fucking boss.
     
    So yeah, anyway, as soon as the free-kick was awarded I said “This is a goal, Shaq will put this in the top corner”. And he did. I was on point with my predictions all night actually as before kick off I called goals for Jones and Grujic. The only one I got wrong was saying that there was absolutely zero chance that Jota wasn’t scoring when he came on. Other than that I was…. what do the cool kids say these days…. oh yeah I was FIRE!!!!
     
    But enough of that, back to the footy. Shaq’s opener was glorious but Minamino matched it with a fabulous first time hit to make it 2-0. He just looks so much more comfortable and settled these days, but that's hardly a surprise as new signings into this team generally take a few months to start showing their form. Some are so good they transcend that. Mané, Salah, Van Dijk and I'm pretty sure Thiago will be another.
     
    So that was a lovely goal that came about from Lincoln trying to pass it out from the back. Lads, you’re League One and we’re the World Champions. You really think you’re going to succeed where the likes of City and Chelsea have failed and play through our high press? Talk about delusions of grandeur.
     
    Jones then made it 3-0 with a superb finish after Origi had cleverly knocked down a long pass from Rhys Williams. Nice moment for Williams and the first half will have been most enjoyable for him. Playing alongside Virgil and basically not really having to do anything other than pass the ball around under no pressure was an ideal debut. The second half was much tougher for him but he did well all things considered.
     
    Jones made it 4-0 with a goal that just reeked of Phil Coutinho. That’s who he is turning into now. A tall, scouse, Coutinho. He shares so many of the same attributes as O Magico and that cut inside and bend it in the top corner thing that Phil had down to a fine art is something Curtis has down to a tee. 
     
    In fact, I might just start calling him “Curtinho”. Yeah I’m pleased with that one. “Curtinho”. Nice. Feel free to use that if you like, I don’t mind.
     
    So yeah, 4-0 and it could have been more as we played some lovely football. Klopp said that if the lads were wearing a different kit he’d still know it was Liverpool based on how they played. They basically were wearing a different kit as that one we were wearing was nothing like a Liverpool kit. 
     
    In general I’m not one for being arsed about kits and I don’t even mind this one even though I know loads hate it. What I don’t like is that the shorts are not the same colour as the shirt and that just makes it look shit. 
     
    I’m sure you were all as surprised as I was that Virgil started the game. With Matip and Gomez unavailable it made some sense for him to play but it’s still not something you expect to see at this stage of the League Cup. I would have thought Nat Phillips was a more logical choice but he wasn’t involved at all, so must be close to a move and they didn't want him cup tied (same with Brewster).
     
    It will have been great for young Rhys to have that half alongside Virg, but the difference in our performance from first half to second was alarming. Was that just because we were so far ahead and took our foot off the gas? Or was it because Van Dijk wasn’t there after the break?
     
    I suspect it’s more the former really. We went 5-0 up within seconds of the restart as Minamino grabbed his second of the game. It wasn’t spectacular but it was a great goal because of the desire shown by Taki. He won the ball initially and then sprinted to get in the box and was rewarded when the loose ball fell to him for a tap in.
     
    He was really lively throughout and thrived in a rare outing as the number nine. He’s pushing hard for a starting spot at the moment given Bobby’s lack of goals. 
     
    So it's 5-0 and I’m thinking we might get ten. And after that, it was a bit shit and all of a sudden Adrian was having to do stuff.
     
    He made a great double save and then followed it up with another good one. Lincoln were slicing through us at will and as easy as it is to put that on Virgil not being there, it has to have been more than that. I just felt as though the intensity of the whole team slacked off and that left the defence more exposed.
     
    Lincoln deservedly pulled one back when Neco was caught trying to do too much and then Rhys was unable to retrieve the situation. Fabinho didn’t cover himself in glory either. 
     
    Neco didn’t have the best of games. He wasn't that bad but sometimes he needs to keep it a bit more simple and not try the stepovers and the chops or whatever they’re called. It’s the way of the modern game now that full backs are all trying to do moves like Ronaldo, but there’s a time and place.
     
    He hasn’t been at his best when he’s played the last few months but if he wasn’t the real deal he wouldn’t be getting these opportunities. We all seen what he could do in his first half dozen or so appearances and I’m sure he’ll come through this little dip.
     
    Apparently he’s had to delete his social media accounts because he was getting stick off ‘fans’. Honestly, I know I keep going on about this kind of shit but I get unspeakably angry about it. It’s bad enough abusing players after a loss, but what kind of despicable little fucking shithouse rat sends abuse to a teenage lad after a 7-2 win?
     
    A law needs to be passed whereby any fucker who does this can be exposed and some lads can be sent around to sort them out. I’m not even joking, these fucking shithouses need a good kicking or even worse. If I ruled the world then death row would be full of cunts who sent abuse to people on twitter.
     
    So Lincoln were making a game of it and they continued to look dangerous, but we did too and Grujic grabbed himself a goal with a low shot from the edge of the box to make it 6-1. Adrian then flapped at a corner to allow Lincoln a second goal before Origi ran clear to score at the death. Jota was inches away from a debut goal but otherwise couldn't seem to do anything right.
     
    I don’t know what to make of Origi’s inclusion in this game. Not just that he started, but that he got to play the full game whereas Elliott was subbed early (I thought Harvey played well and was disappointed to see him brought off). If Div’s going, why is he getting this playing time? The more I think about it, the more I think he might be staying you know.
     
    He probably shouldn’t, because he’s behind Minamino, Jota and possibly even Shaqiri now in the forwards pecking order. Maybe he’s ok with that and just likes being here? In fairness to him, there was nothing wrong with his attitude in this game. He took his goal well (he usually does, he’s a clinical finisher) and he had a nice assist. 
     
    He’s a good player and would be a nice acquisition for someone. He just doesn’t really fit the profile of player we need for any of the forward places. By that I mean we’ve got Minamino now as the deputy for Bobby because he can play the role in a similar way. Jota will do the same with Salah and Mané. 
     
    Origi is just completely different to all of them. Maybe that’s a reason to keep him around another year? I wouldn’t, but then I’m not Jurgen Klopp so there is that. Basically, I’m good with whatever they decide because clearly they know what they’re doing.
     
    If I had to bet on it though I’d say Grujic, Brewster and Wilson will leave and Shaqiri and Origi probably won’t. That should bring in a decent amount to help offset the Covid losses though.
     
    Going back to Klopp’s point about the identity of the team, I feel like that’s actually really important. It was the same last season in the cups. Even when none of the first team were playing you could still see the same shape and patterns of play. That Shrewsbury game was a great example. The midfield trio of Chirivella, Cain and Clarkson pulled off a fine impression of the senior lads.
     
    This was similar in many ways, but it was also different. Shaq was in midfield for one thing. We haven’t seen that before. We might not see it again considering we’ve got about ten players fighting for three spots, but he did well. Curtis was brilliant in there too and he’s got much more chance of getting regular minutes. It’s going to be hard keeping him out of the team at the rate he’s progressing. 
     
    Probably the biggest indicator of how deep we are in midfield though is the performance of Grujic. He was fucking boss I thought. I’ve always liked him but how can you make a case for him playing when there are so many superior players ahead of him? Grujic could play for most teams in the Premier League and he deserves to play regularly. 
     
    He’s been going out on loan but the time has probably come to just let him leave permanently now. Another loan is pointless as it’s not as though a midfield spot is opening up for him in a year or even two. 
     
    He was a contender for the star man but really it came down to a choice between Jones and Minamino. I’m not even going to choose between them, they can both have it and I’ll just happily sit on the fence.
     
    We now have to play Arsenal twice in a week. I’m still pissed off about how we let them beat us in the league and that we didn’t put them back in their box in the Charity Shield. This is a chance to set the record straight and I expect a Thiago inspired rout on Monday.
     
    The cup game is a different story and anything could happen there. Last year’s game was a fucking belter and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw something similar. I actually can’t wait for it.
     
    It’s weird really. I put virtually no importance in the domestic cups these days in terms of actually winning them. We have bigger fish to fry and I’m fully on board with the selection policy we’ve had for the cups. In fact, it’s that selection policy that makes these games so much fun.
     
    I expect we’ll go a little bit more experienced next week and I wouldn’t expect to see Rhys Williams anywhere near the side for that one, but most of the other lads will be involved again. Maybe Grujic will have left by then but Milner can easily step in. I’m surprised he didn’t play in this one actually.
     
    Get him back in there and let him lead the reserves to Wembley. Be boss seeing Milner doing the Hendo shuffle.
     
     
    Team: Adrian; N Williams, R Williams, Van Dijk (Fabinho), Tsimikas; Grujic, Jones, Shaqiri (Keita); Elliott (Jota), Minamino, Origi:
  • So last week I was rejoicing in it being a manc free weekend in the Premier League but both of them were back in action this week and frankly it was great. Well, half of it was.
     
    That United loss against Palace was great fun, as was the subsequent over the top reaction to it. There’s just no middle ground with them is there?
     
    When they’d beaten up on some shit teams their fans and the wider football media got far too carried away by it and convinced themselves that they were much better than they actually are. Now, after they lost at home to Palace, the opposite is happening.
     
    “Ole Out” was trending and there have been various discussions about his future on different media outlets. After one fucking game!!! There’s just something about Manchester United that provokes far more hysteria (positive and negative) than anyone else. It’s similar with us and Arsenal, but just not as ridiculous.
     
    All we’ve heard for months is how United are “back”. I didn’t buy into that and I’m not buying into the notion that they’re completely hopeless now because they’ve lost one game. They are what they are. They’ll be on a similar points total this year to what they managed last year and the year before. Not great, not terrible, just meh.
     
    Far be it for me to be the one to offer up a defence of Solskjaer, but it seems ridiculous that one loss has caused such a big about face. I think he’s shit and I hope they keep him for a long time, but this was one game and there were extenuating circumstances for how shit they were.
     
    Not least that they haven’t had a pre-season. They came in cold against a Palace team that was much better prepared than they were. I’d have been more surprised if they’d won, not least because they’re a bit shit when they can’t play on the counter attack, and Palace were never going to let them do that.
     
    Palace can do this to anyone though. Their record against top six sides over recent years is pretty good. They’ve basically beaten all of us at some point. You don’t want to fall behind against them because they can just dig in and play on the break, and they’re really good at it.
     
    There was nothing especially unusual or surprising about this result. Anyone who thinks there was hasn’t been paying attention or they were swept along by the ridiculous hype United have had since lockdown ended. The one thing that it was, of course, was fucking hilarious.
     
    It was hilarious even before it kicked off, with Patrice Evra saying live on Sky that Zaha was bombed out of United because of the rumours “true or untrue” that he was in a relationship with Moyesy’s daughter. This fella is a fucking idiot. How can you not know that there are certain things that are off limits when you’re on live telly?
     
    He shouldn’t have said anything at all but if he really felt like it was a point that needed making then you say something about ‘there were rumours about his personal life’ or something like that. You don’t just repeat what was essentially just a wild internet rumour. Of course it was hilarious, but Kelly having to apologise for him was excruciating. Make HIM apologise for it.
     
    Anyway, as has been said on countless occasions, Zaha (or more likely his solicitor) pointed out to Sky that the rumours were false and he’d never even met the daughter of David Moyes, let alone done anything else with her.
     
    So anyway, the game gets underway and Townsend gave Palace a deserved lead. He should have made it 2-0 actually as he had a couple more good chances. Palace were looking like they’d score every time they attacked, mainly because United’s defence is shite.
     
    They eventually doubled their lead from the spot in the most hilarious circumstances. Firstly, that’s never a pen in a million years. If that’s a penalty then every time the ball hits a defender’s arm in the box you’re going to have to give one, just for consistency. Or alternatively just keep giving them against United, that works too.
     
    The comedy wasn’t finished there though, as De Gea made a great save to deny Ayew and play went on for a good while before out of nowhere, BOOOOOM, the VAR ref said “nah ah Man United”. De Gea was an inch off his line so it had to be retaken.
     
    The rule is the rule and harsh as it seems, officials have been told they have to clamp down on this from now on. Solskjaer even acknowledged that was the right call but said he didn’t think it was a penalty. I agree with him, but considering how many pens they’ve had over the last couple of years sympathy will be in short supply.
     
    What makes this even better is that Palace not only got to retake the kick, they also got to change their taker. Ayew was fucked off and Zaha stepped up to bury the spot kick to add a capital ‘F’ on the Fuck you.
     
    United pulled one back through Van der Beek but Zaha punished them on the break late on to add a capital… erm.. UCK on the FUCK you.
     
    Goldbridge’s reaction to the retaken penalty was glorious. One of the funniest Goldbridge moments ever this (skip to around nine minutes in):
     
     
     
    It was raining goals this weekend though. I don’t know if that’s a result of no fans in stadiums or just because everyone is completely rusty and hasn’t had a pre-season to hone their defensive shape and organisation properly. It looks a bit amateurish though when so many goals are flying in. Makes for a more interesting MOTD on a Saturday night though.
     
    The Blues put five past West Brom in a game that was shaping up really nicely until Kieran Gibbs stupidly got himself sent off for clouting Rodriguez. Moron.
     
    Diangana, the lad who caused Mark Noble’s twitter outburst when West Ham sold him to the Baggies, put the visitors in front when he ran the length of the field before beating Pickford from the edge of the box. He looks a good player, so I can see why West Ham fans would be upset about him going. Problem is, he plays in a position where they have plenty of players on big wages who they probably couldn’t shift.
     
    Livermore then hit the post before Calvert-Lewin levelled with a back heel. “Hamez” gave Everton the lead and was then involved in the incident that resulted in Gibbs being red carded. He made a right meal of it but he was smacked in the face and it was as blatant a sending off as you’ll see.
     
    It wasn’t a punch and it wasn’t particularly hard, but Gibbs hit him in the face right in front of the linesman. Absolute fucking dickhead. Rodriguez had left a little bit on him but it was nothing that justified such an act of stupidity.
     
    Bilic was fucking livid and he too got his marching orders after confronting Mike Dean on the pitch at half time. I don’t really understand what his beef was, as there isn’t a referee in the world who isn’t giving a red card for that. Bilic even said afterwards it was a red card, which makes it even more strange that he was on the pitch accusing him of “trying to kill us” and saying he should have gone to the screen to check.
     
    Here’s the weirdest part of all this though. Danny Murphy said that Mike Dean should have gone to the monitor but instead he rushed the red card decision and got it wrong. What the fuck???? He hit him in the face. Just because Rodriguez made a dog’s dinner out of it that doesn’t change a thing.
     
    Everyone seems to hate SuperDan these days and he is a terrible pundit. I’ve heard him on the radio quite a bit and he’s good when he’s talking about his own experiences and he does give good insight into certain things. When you show him an incident and ask for his opinion on it though, he’s nearly always so far off that he should be Matt Le Tissier’s replacement on Soccer Saturday.
     
    Anyway, back to the game. The ten men started the second half well and equalised with a brilliant free-kick by Pereira. Pickford though, fucking hell. Proper shite him. He followed it up with another stinker in midweek against Fleetwood. Garbage him, but it makes me laugh hearing people talk about whether or not he’s going to prevent Everton from being successful.
     
    Everton had no problems finding ways not to be successful before Jordan Pickford and they’ll have no problems when he’s gone. Everton, aren’t they?
     
    Terrible West Brom defending from a free-kick saw Kean (Michael, obviously, that other one they have never scores) restore Everton’s lead and after that they ran away with it as Calvert-Lewin completed a hat-trick when he shouldered in from a left wing corner.
     
    It wouldn’t be a Round Up without a contribution from my Mum, and this week’s whipping boy was Calvert-Lewin, who she can’t stand due to his “stupid hair” and because “he looks like someone who would be in the nightclubs trying to impress all the girls by telling them he’s a footballer”.
     
    Probably true but not sure why he’s being singled out for that when it probably applies to half of the players in the Premier League. Whatever. When it comes to having irrational reasons to dislike players I’m not really in a position to throw stones, but it’s obvious where I get it from.
     
    Goals were raining down at Elland Road too as Top Knot FC edged out Fulham 4-3. Not sure there’s ever been so many bad haircuts on the same team before, so fair play for that Leeds.
     
    Helder Costa smashed in the opener but Koch made a cock of himself by lunging in to concede a penalty. The lad played for it and I’m not sure I’d have given it, but if you go sliding in like that and don’t get the ball then the risk is always there.
     
    Mitrovic converted the pen to make it it 1-1. He’s looking mean as fuck this year. Even more mean that usual. He looks like a villain in a show like Chicago PD or the Wire. Someone who sells guns or does a bit of human trafficking. He’s definitely the toughest looking hombre in the Premier League.
     
    Aaaanyway, Leeds regained the lead soon after when my boy and fellow Bon Jovi enthusiast Bamford won a penalty and Klich cooly converted. Bamford then made it 3-1 with a cool finish and then he set up for the fourth for Costa. Great to see my boy doing well and silencing his critics. Choke on that Bad Medicine, Bamford haters. What? You don’t like it? Tough shit, I’m here all season and I’ve got a list of Bon Jovi puns as long as Nial Quinn’s neck.
     
    Bobby Reed came off the bench to fire Fulham back into the game and Mitrovic powered in a brilliant header to make it 4-3 and put the heebeegeebees up Leeds for the last 20 minutes. They held on for the win but I’m still none the wiser what to make of them.
     
    They’ve conceded seven goals in two games, but they’ve also scored seven. What’s more likely to dry up, the goals for or the goals against? Could go either way I think, but I hope they do ok because - longstanding historical rivalry aside - it’s far more interesting having a club like Leeds in the top flight than these fucking yo-yo clubs like West Brom and Fulham. So bored of them already.
     
    Scott Parker’s post match interview on MOTD was fucking hilarious though. When he finished I had this great urge to shout “PARKLIFE!!”. He’s a lively little cockney chappie isn’t he? Right little dapper don he is too. Doesn’t really look like a football manager though. More like a model for George at Asda.
     
    Ok, who else played on Saturday? Oh yeah, West Ham got beat again. They actually played well at Arsenal but they still lost and they’ve got a brutal run of games coming up too. Long term they’ll probably do what they did last year and be fine, but short term I only see misery and panic for the Hammers.
     
    Lacazette headed the opener but West Ham were denied two good penalty shouts. The first when Bowen was clipped was one you’d maybe get 25% of the time (or 99% if you’re Man United) but the handball one looked clear to me. Gabriel missed the header and the ball hit his arm. How is that not a pen when the Lindelof one was?
     
    This shit needs clarifying because we’re only two games in and no-one has a clue what’s happening with defensive handball at the moment. It’s like attacking handball last season. A complete farce.
     
    Antonio levelled and then twice almost put the Hammers ahead as they enjoyed a good spell of pressure. They didn’t take their chances though and substitute Nketiah tapped in with four minutes left to win it for the Gunners. Both Arsenal goals looked offside to me but with the technology they have now I assume they must have been ok, but that didn’t stop Moyes complaining. Have to admire his consistency. He’s never seen a decision he couldn’t complain about.
     
    Onto Sunday now and I must confess I was surprised that Leicester won. I heard on the radio they’d gone a goal down at home to Burnley and my first thought was “Yep, sounds about right”. After the way they ended last season it’s fair to say I’m not expecting much from them, even though I think they’ve got a lot of good players there.
     
    I just don’t trust them after the way they capitulated and usually when the tide turns Brendan ends up drowning. They’re currently top though, which means nothing after only two games I know, but it’s not really what I expected from them. Still, there’s still plenty of time for the arse to fall out of them again. They lost in the league cup this week which was a shame as we would have played them next.
     
    Still, it gives us a chance to beat Arsenal twice in a week so I’ll take that. We’d better fucking beat them or I won’t be able to contain my fury. I tell you, this whole not being able to beat Arsenal thing is taking the shine off all of our recent success. Seriously, what’s the point in trophies when you can’t beat those fucking gutless wastrels? Sort it out, Jurgen.
     
    It was a strange game actually as Burnley probably shaded it on chances. Wood put them in front but Barnes levelled. Leicester then went ahead when a Burnley defender deflected a cross past his own keeper, and then James Justin arrived in the box to make it 3-1.
     
    Jimmy Dunne headed in on his debut to get Burnley back in it. No idea who he is but this was his debut and he’s got the most Burnley appropriate sounding name ever. Throwback team, throwback football and he’s got a throwback name.
     
    Praett made it 4-2 with a crisp strike from 20 yards but Burnley can feel a little aggrieved at the scoreline given they probably had the better chances in the game.
     
    Harvey Barnes seems to get plenty of love on MOTD every week but I’m not completely sold on him. He’s decent enough but I imagine he’s probably one of those players who looks miles better on a spreadsheet than he does to the naked eye. Wouldn’t even be surprised if we were monitoring him.
     
    Elsewhere on Sunday, Spurs fucking smashed Southampton at St Mary’s but it was a weird game. The Saints actually looked really good going forward and could easily have scored more than the two they got from the brilliant Danny Ings, who is again being linked with a move to Spurs. I don’t think he’ll want to go anywhere as why would he want to go back to being a rotation player when he’s currently the main man?
     
    That Southampton defence though. Fucking hell. At times these lot are as bad as anything I’ve seen in the top flight. Fulham a couple of years ago were shocking but these are right up there too. Jack Stephens is a pub level player, Bednarek is no better and that big giant Danish fella is too ponderous to play the style of defending they want to play. What’s happened to Yoshida, he was always fairly competent.
     
    *checks wiki* Ok, he’s at Sampdoria and probably delighted to be away from the train wreck that is that Southampton back four.
     
    It doesn’t seem to matter who they play at centre back, they’re all just fucking woeful. Spurs sliced through them time and again, and all it took to do it was Kane hitting a first time ball in behind for Son to race onto. It’s not like there was anything clever about how Spurs played, they just took full advantage of Southampton’s ineptitude.
     
    I watched most of this game and it was entertaining, but that Saints defence looks like they’ve never been coached in their lives. Old Ralph must spend all of his time on the training field working on their high press, which is pretty damn good. But once you get past it and reach their back four it’s like taking
     
    They don’t have a back line, they have a back zig zag. They’re just all over the place. No organisation, no leader, no clue. I expect eventually they’ll sort it out and they’ll finish mid table again but right now they look like the team that conceded nine to Leicester.
     
    Still, credit to Kane and Son for taking full advantage of it. I despise Kane as you all know, but there’s no doubting his quality. He’s a great goalscorer but he can play too. When he’s not being a greedy selfish cunt he’s more than capable of picking a decent pass.
     
    I don’t know how many of you have watched the Spurs fly on the wall thing on Amazon, but having watched a load of clips from it I’ll defo give it a go when I’ve got the time. The bits I’ve seen have been fascinating, and I’m actually looking at Mourinho in a different light than before.
     
    I’ve always slated him for how he publicly criticises his players but I look at it somewhat differently now. He only does that with ones who are wasting his time and aren’t putting in the effort. He’s not going to slag off Kane or Son because they want to win and will do whatever it takes.
     
    Someone like Deli Alli though? Mourinho called him out for being lazy in training. He then had him in the office and said the same thing and told him that his career has stalled because he doesn’t put in the necessary effort. And he’s right.
     
    I think Mourinho’s attitude is that he’s won everything there is to win and has a CV as impressive as any manager out there, so he doesn’t give a fuck about upsetting players who have achieved the square root of fuck all. That’s why he had a go at United players when he was there, and it’s why he’s singling out some of the losers he has at Spurs.
     
    It’s not necessarily what I’d want to see my manager doing (and thank fuck we have Klopp) but having seen some of that documentary I don’t think it’s as wrong as I did previously.
     
    And yes, Deli Alli is just as big a tit as I suspected he was. Comes to something when there’s an argument and I’m siding with Eric Dier, but that’s what happened.
     
    Final point on this one. Southampton were awarded a pen for handball against Doherty and again, it looked well harsh. He wasn’t even involved in the challenge. One of his team-mates challenged the striker and the ball bounced up and hit Doherty’s arm. Yes his arm is outstretched because he was getting touch tight with the forward. He couldn’t have anticipated the ball would ricochet of two players and strike him.
     
    As I said though, if the Lindelof one is a pen then any time the ball hits a defender on the arm that whistle needs to go, and to be honest I hate it. Except when it’s against a team I don’t like, in which case it’s sound.
     
     
    Brighton’s win at Newcastle was a little surprising. Newcastle have bought well and had a good win to start the season, but Brighton battered them.
     
    The main damage was done by my boy Tariq Lamptey, who absolutely ran Newcastle ragged. He won the penalty that allowed Maupay to set Brighton on their way after just four minutes. Not sure that was a pen though as Saint-Maximin got the ball as well as the man.
     
    Maupay made it 2-0 soon after. Initially the linesman had flagged but VAR showed it was just onside. Lamptey twice went close to scoring himself and Brighton hit the post twice before eventually extending their lead through Connolly, but the game ended on a sour note for them when Bissouma was sent off for dangerous play, as his wild attempt at a back heel caught Lewis in the face.
     
    There seems to be a lot of discussion as to whether that should have been a red card or not but to me that’s clear. It’s reckless swinging your boot like that, and he smashed him in the face with his studs. So yeah, definite red.
     
    Of course Danny Murphy completely disagrees (calling it ‘ludicrous’ and a ‘shambles’) which re-enforces my belief that I’m right.
     
    Jamaal Lewis’ head must have been spinning, and not just with the concussion he got from that challenge. One minute you think you’re signing for the Mighty Reds, the next you’re at St James’ Park having some pint sized teenager making you look stupid and some other fucker is booting you in the face.
     
    Still, it could be worse. His old team-mate and fellow Norwich full back Max Aarons has been denied a move to Barcelona and is still in the Championship. Norwich are doing one hell of a job of ruining their players’ futures.
     
    Onto Monday now. Sheffield United lost again
     
    The Blades had their skipper Jon Egan sent off early on while that prick goalkeeper Villa signed from Arsenal saved a penalty from Lundstram. The sending off was soft. Egan was grappling with the forward but he didn’t drag him down and there’s a good case to be made that the keeper would have got there first anyway. It wasn’t a Christensen on Mané situation even though the punishment was the same.
     
    There wasn’t really anything between the sides but the penalty miss was massive. It wasn’t a bad pen and it’s a great save by Martinez, but I hate saying that because I don’t like the cunt. He was too mouthy in the Community Shield shoot out and I have a long memory over random little things like that. I’ll hold that grudge  for at least another ten years.
     
    Konsa won it for Villa midway through the second half when he headed in at the back post from a corner.
     
    As I said last week, I’m holding off on predictions until I’ve seen everyone play another game or two, but I expect Villa to have a better season than they did last year and I expect the reverse to be true for Sheffield United. I hope I’m wrong on both counts though.
     
    Finally, City beat Wolves on Monday night. Didn’t see that coming as I thought Wolves would turn them over. They did twice last season, and this time they had the advantage of being much more match fit. It didn’t really show though. City were comfortably the better side in the first half and established a two goal lead thanks to a De Bruyne penalty and a Foden effort.
     
    Wolves were proper shite and I don’t know what the hell Nuno thought he was doing. Their best player is my boy Adama. So you’d want him on the ball as much as possible and you’d want him in areas of the pitch where he can do the most damage. Playing him wing back is all well and good when you’re going to be dominating possession and he can get forward, but in a game when you’re on the back foot it’s just fucking bullshit.
     
    It was doing my head in watching this. On the rare occasion he was able to get on the ball in the City half he looked really dangerous, but really he barely had a fucking kick. They went out and signed a right back from Barca this week but from my perspective the horse had already bolted.
     
    I wanted Adama running all over City but instead he had to play in a straightjacket. Wolves were much better in the second half and with better finishing would have got something out of the game. Jiminez pulled one back after some great play by Podence but they couldn’t find an equaliser and City scored a third with virtually the last kick of the game.
     
    We didn’t learn anything new about City in this game. They played some lovely stuff but when they come under pressure they always look like wilting. Wolves had them on the ropes in the second half but they just couldn’t land the knockout punch. Someone else will though. City aren’t that unbeatable force they once were, but as long as they have De Bruyne on the field they’ll always be a force.
     
    Just wish he’d fuck off to a club that actually deserves someone of his talent, humility and class. He’s too good for those petty, small time, cheating fucks.
  • Jurgen Klopp was thrilled by the performance of his team as a second string Liverpool side put seven past League One outfit Lincoln City in the third round of the League Cup on Thursday evening.

    It was the kind of game where the players who do not get consistent minutes in the first team get their moment in the spotlight.

    Virgil Van Dijk was the only first team regular in the starting lineup and he was surrounded by a number of exciting prospects and players who were looking to remind Jurgen Klopp of their qualities.

    Speaking after the match, Klopp outlined his satisfaction but said it is the kind of quality that he expects to see of his players.

    “If a player shows desire, because they all can play football, that’s why they are at Liverpool. 

    “Who shows the desire we saw tonight, who shows the attitude we saw tonight, who shows so many things that I like and we want to see when a Liverpool team shows up, then there’s a big chance you’ll get a lot of games during the season

    One of those players who is really starting to find his feet at senior level is Curtis Jones.

    Once again the 19 year-old grabbed the headlines with two outstanding goals which really pleased the manager but said he is in still in the development phase.

    “I think each game is ideal for Curtis to play in because of the quality he has, the skills he has.
     
    "First half, really good. Start of the second half, really good. And then, yeah, still space for improvement obviously. 

    “But I think everybody knows my opinion about Curtis Jones. He is an exceptional talent and we will have some fun with him, I’m pretty sure, in the future.

    "Both of his goals were difficult.
     
    "I think the second goal, the first touch was absolutely exceptional – between two opponents, little turn, then he opens up, sees the opportunity and finished it off. It was slightly deflected, but that’s just exceptional. 

    Klopp was also glowing in the performance of the other two-goal star in Takumi Minamino who is starting to show why Liverpool was so keen to sign him last January and the manager outlined where the Japanese international may be best suited in a team sense.

    “I loved Taki’s game tonight, to be honest – it was absolutely outstanding and involved in so many situations. More and more, I think we all realise where his qualities are. 

    “Wherever he will play in the end, he will end up in the centre: if he plays on the left wing or the right wing, he will play in the half-spaces or the centre because that’s where he has his real strength. He looked really well. 

    “The opponent had to kick off seven times [after our goals] and the first guy who chased the opponent again when they received the pass was Taki. He set the rhythm for all these pressing and counter-pressing situations, so I really, really liked the game tonight.
     


    Finally, the German gave praise to a fan favourite in Xherdan Shaqiri who opened the scoring with a world-class free-kick and was a constant threat throughout with his creative mindset.

    "First of all it was a super game; a super game from Shaq in a quite, I’m not sure, unfamiliar position – slightly deeper in midfield. He did it really, really well It was my fault [he was substituted] – he was completely fine, he twisted his ankle slightly but it was absolutely nothing.
     
    "He touched it twice and I thought it was his calf, but it is nothing. I think it was anyway good to take him off then, but he played a really, really good game.
     
    "The set-pieces were outstanding – the free-kick he scored with, what a goal that was! There is no doubt about Shaq’s quality, there was never [any doubt] and in the moment everything looks really, really good, it looks promising and we will see."



     
  • Mohamed Salah put down a marker in the opening game of the season by scoring a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Leeds United. The Reds needed the Egyptian to operate at the peak of his powers to overcome the newly-promoted side.
     
    He displayed composure from the spot to notch two penalties - the latter strike to secure the three points. Salah’s effort in between the two spot-kicks was a sumptuous volley that was perhaps Liverpool’s best moment of the night, drilling his effort with power past Illan Meslier in the blink of an eye. In the process of scoring his match-winning hat-trick, Salah became the second-fastest player to score 50 goals in home matches in Premier League history – reaching the feat in only 63 games.
     

     
    It’s achievements of that nature and his all-round brilliance on the field that have seen Salah installed as one of the top contenders in the bookmakers’ odds for the PFA Player of the Year award on a regular basis since his breakthrough season in the top flight in the 2017/18 campaign. Kevin De Bruyne won the award last season, while Virgil van Dijk claimed the prize in the previous term.
     
    The Belgian is considered the favourite ahead of Salah to win the title for the second time in a row, although Salah has solid odds of 5/1 among the leading bookmakers highlighted by SBO.net. There can be value to be found using sign-up offers and bonuses to utilise those odds, which could yield a healthy profit if the first game of the season is anything to go by for the Egyptian.
     
    Salah looked tired at times towards the end of last season, especially in the final matches of the term. He has been available to Jurgen Klopp on a regular basis throughout the past four years – he has barely missed a game due to injury – highlighting his fitness and determination. Having that extra edge on the pitch will be vital for the forward. He’s at his best when he can torment the opposition with his pace and skill as well harassing defenders in possession, creating further opportunities for himself, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
     

     
    The 28-year-old is entering the prime years of his career, and he will have been pleased to have converted all of the opportunities that came his way in the opener. If there has been a slight criticism of his play since the 2017/18 campaign – it has been a slight decline in his clinical edge in the final third. Salah’s goal production has fallen each year in the Premier League since his arrival at Anfield.
     
    It would have been an incredible feat to match the 32 goals he scored in his debut campaign in the two years that followed. However, he then notched 22 and 19 last season, missing some decent chances that he would have buried in his first year.
     
    It’s a harsh statement to make, but if Salah is to win the PFA Player of the Year award for a second time he has to be a cut above De Bruyne, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Harry Kane, Bruno Fernandes and Raheem Sterling. Only a special campaign of the ilk of his debut season with Liverpool will cut the mustard, and his perfect start will certainly aid his campaign to be the top man in the Premier League again.
  • On paper this is one of the three or four most difficult fixtures we’ll have to play this season. In reality though it was pretty easy. It never felt in doubt to me. 
     
    Ok, the sending off just before half time helped massively, and Alisson needed to save a penalty, but  this was comfortable. We had another couple of gears to go to if we needed them. We didn’t need them though.
     
    I thought Chelsea were shite but to some extent that’s to be expected. It’s a good time to play any team that’s trying to bed in new players (although it was only two, its not like they had a whole new team out there) as there’s basically been no pre-season to speak of. Chelsea were disjointed but they weren’t helped by Lampard’s insistence on playing out from the back and inviting pressure, especially in the second half when they were a man down.
     
    They didn’t do much even when they had eleven men. We penned them back and the only time they posed any threat was with the occasional counter attack. Even then Fabinho usually just snuffed it out with the minimum of fuss.
     
    He was terrific, which strangely seems to have taken some people by surprise. This isn’t anything new. He’s been great any time he’s played centre back and now that we have so many midfield options he should be regarded as a genuine option to play at the back if needed.
     
    And he will be needed, because ol’ Big Bird is injured yet again. So frustrating that. I think he’s great. I’d even go as far as to say that other than Van Dijk he’s probably the best centre back in the Premier League. He’s certainly the most under-rated, but then that’s probably because he misses so much playing time that no-one outside of ourselves would be able to pick him out of a line up.
     
    Matip is absolute quality but he’s got those same cheese string muscles that Sturridge and Lallana had, and chances are his career with us is going to end up going the same way. It’s a real shame, but thankfully we’ve got Fabinho who can just step in and perform like this.
     
    Joe was missing as well but his injury is less serious and he’s not as unreliable as Matip. His injury issues have been more bad luck that anything else and he's generally been available for most of the last year or two. I understand why plenty of Reds would like to see us add another centre back but I probably wouldn’t do it because what happens when all four are available? You’ll have one who can’t even make the bench, and that’s going to cause problems. So for now I’d stick with the three we have plus Fabinho. That’s a discussion for another time and place though really.
     
    Back to the game. As I said, Chelsea barely laid a glove on us because their only outlet seemed to be trying to get the limited Werner in on the counter, only any time he ran at Fabinho he got nowhere. Actually there was one time he got away but only because he tried to crudely run straight through him and the ball fortuitously bounced back off Fabinho’s face into his path before he shot wide.
     
    This game showed exactly why I never wanted us to sign him and why I spent months saying it in the diary. He’s a bull in a china shop and has zero guile at all. All he can do is run and shoot, which is fine when you’re playing on the break all the time, but that represents of 5% of our game these days. We rarely have that luxury.
     
    Imagine this fucker trying to play intricate little one twos around the box against a packed defence. He can’t do it. May as well ask him to tie his shoelaces while wearing boxing gloves. He's great at what he does but what he does wouldn't benefit us. The man has no finesse at all. Chelsea are welcome to him at that price.
     
    For all our dominance of the ball though we didn’t exactly create much either. There were some nearly moments but it was difficult as all Chelsea seemed to want to do was defend. Two hundred and odd million quid spent, mostly on attackers, and they’re sat back like Crystal fucking Palace.
     
    Eventually we were always going to find a way through and we would have done just before half time had Christensen not rugby tackled Sadio as he ran onto Hendo’s brilliant ball. Initially I wondered if Kepa would have gotten there first so I could understand why Paul Tierney didn’t immediately reach for the red card.
     
    It all happened so quickly in real time. It was obviously a foul but the keeper arrived on the scene to clear the ball as Mané was hitting the deck. It’s only when you see the replay that it becomes glaringly obvious that but for the foul Mané would have taken it in stride and Kepa would have been stranded in no mans land. After looking at the pitch side monitor Tierney correctly upgraded the yellow card to a red. This is how VAR is supposed to work. Last season was a farce but it’s been better so far.
     
    So with Chelsea down to ten I expected the second half to go well for us and it did. It was one way traffic, aided in no small part by Lampard’s bizarre insistence on trying to play out from the back. Once they went down to ten the first thing he should have done is put Giroud on to give them a focal point to get the ball up the pitch and away from their own goal.
     
    He didn’t though. Every time they had a goal kick they’d take it short and we’d swarm all over them. I lost count of the amount of times they ended up knocking it out for a throw in under pressure. Our lads probably couldn’t believe their luck.
     
    Thiago was brought on at the break and it didn’t take long for us to break the deadlock. What a fucking goal it was too. Just beautiful play between the front three. Absolutely gorgeous football.
     
    Bobby played it to Mo and then went for the return ball which was perfectly delivered to him. He then stood the ball up for Sadio to steal in front of his marker and plant a great header into the corner. Just a fantastic goal and really encouraging to see the front three combine like that.
     
    Five goals in two games for the strikers now. It’s a small sample size but hopefully it hints at a return to the crazy, prolific numbers we saw from them a few years ago. The sooner Firmino gets among the goals again the better. He had one first half opportunity when Salah picked him out, but it was defended well by Christiansen who blocked Bobby’s close range effort for a corner.
     
    The second goal came as a direct result of Lampard’s insistence on his team passing the ball around in dangerous areas. Sadio had given the ball away and was visibly annoyed with himself before he went chasing to try and win it back. Kepa didn’t even really dawdle on it either. He took a touch and then tried to play a pass but Mané was on him so quickly to intercept it and then score.
     
    Kepa is an easy target because he’s shite but that goal is as much on Lampard as it is him and I thought it was cowardly of Lampard to not shoulder some of the blame himself afterwards instead of throwing his under-fire keeper under the bus. A manager worth his salt would have said “I want us to play like that and we know the risks so if you want to blame anyone for that, blame me”. Not Fat Frank though. The snide. Deflect doubts about himself onto a player who is a convenient scapegoat.
     
    Some of the shit he came out with afterwards was embarrassing. I cringed all the way through his post match interview, which was full of passive aggressiveness and was more defensive than his tactical approach to the game. He even had the gall to suggest it wasn’t a clear red card! Tit.
     
    I’d have been fuming at that second half if I was a Chelsea fan. What was the point in all that fucking around at the back? Did he think anything good could happen by having Kepa playing one twos with his centre backs all day? Seriously, what was his end game there? Did he think they were going to go “bang bang bang” beat our press and go the length of the field and score? 
     
    Talk about naive. They never got close to playing through us all day, even when they had ten. Kepa will take all the heat as usual but this moonfaced turd Lampard is a complete fraud. Watching this game removed any doubt about that. I could hardly believe what I was seeing, he played right into our hands. 
     
    You know what this game reminded me of? Arsenal at Anfield last year. They played exactly the same way. Needlessly passing it around in their own six yard box and inviting trouble. 
     
    If we’d wanted to and really pushed for it, we’d have put five or six past them easily. As I say, we had other gears to go up to if needed and if they’d converted the penalty then I’m sure we would have. They didn’t convert the penalty though and for that I’m claiming a double assist.
     
    I told you a few weeks ago when I ripped Alisson for his inability to save pens that you could thank me in a few weeks when he saved one. Not only that, but in this week’s round up I jinxed Jorginho by calling him the best penalty taker around and commenting that he never looks like missing. So yeah, double whammy from me there. Classic reverse jinxing. I'm on a roll with this shit. I got Trent scoring free-kicks again too, don't forget.
     
    I thought the penalty was soft but I'd have demanded it at the other end. Thiago didn’t mean to catch him and in truth he barely did, but there was just enough contact to knock Werner off balance and impact his shot, so I’m not going to complain about it.
     
    It would have been annoying as fuck to not keep a clean sheet though. Other than the pen I think they only had one other shot, which was well saved by Alisson shortly after the penalty stop.
     
    We didn’t exactly force Kepa into a load of saves either. Wijnaldum and Van Dijk both should have scored and Salah had a great turn and shot near the end. Sadio had one from distance well saved too after it took a big deflection.
     
    Generally though we had loads of promising situations but too often they didn’t amount to much of anything and most of the half was spent just controlling the game and passing it around, making Chelsea run.
     
    Milner was brought on for Keita (very quiet I thought) and Minamino was given a late run out for Firmino, but it was another substitute that we all wanted to see.
     
    It was great that we were treated to Thiago for 45 minutes wasn’t it? It was a shame Hendo had to make way for him as - along with Fabinho - the skipper had been our best player to that point. With most new signings it takes a few months for them to get up to speed but there are exceptions to that and Thiago was always going to be just that. You could just drop him into any team and he’d just do his thing. 
     
    That’s not to say he is fully adjusted and familiar with how we play, but he’s such a clever, talented footballer it doesn’t matter. He’ll get better when he has more familiarity with how we play and the strengths and weaknesses of his team-mates, but this isn’t a Fabinho or Ox type situation where he needs to sit for a few months to learn how we do it.
     
    I mean, 89 touches in one half! Kinell. He had the fourth most touches of anyone on the pitch and more than anyone in the Chelsea team. We can see already what he’s going to do. He’ll just completely dominate the ball and allow us to control games even more than we do already. There were a couple of really quick passes into the front lads too that nobody else would have played. It’s going to be fun watching him.
     
    The one negative was the penalty he gave away but I put that down to him trying a little too hard to impress. He knows everyone in our team works like fucking Trojans on quadruple overtime pay and he was trying to show that he’s up for that too.
     
    So two wins from two and one of our most difficult looking fixtures negotiated. Mo and Sadio are among the goals, we’ve got a couple of quality new signings on board and things are looking good.
     
    Star man is a toss up between Fabinho and Mané. I’m going with Sadio because it’s hard to overlook two goals and forcing a decisive red card, but Fabinho ran him awfully close.
     
    We’ve got a cup match next so that’s a chance for Klopp to rest all of his starters and bring in the back ups. Even the second choice line up looks strong as fuck really. The squad now is ridiculous, as strong as we’ve ever had. Even getting on the bench is quite the achievement these days.
     
    I mean fucking hell, look at the players who weren’t in the 18 man squad for this one. Shaqiri, Matip, Ox, Gomez, Williams, Brewster, Jota, Elliott. I’ve probably forgotten one or two as well. Wilson too. See, I forgot him. It’s mad.
     
    We’ll run away with the league again this year. Hopefully Wolves can take care of City tomorrow and ensure they start their season on a downer. If City fall behind us early again they’ll give up like they did last year. And other than them who is there to worry about?
     
    Get in front and turn the screw on the bastards again, Redmen!
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Thiago), Wijnaldum, Keita (Milner); Salah, Firmino (Minaccino), Mané:
  • Gini Wijnaldum seems set to stay at Liverpool after liikely suitors Barcelona have had their hopes dashed by La Liga authorities.

    New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman had earmarked his countryman as a key signing as he looks to rebuild the fortunes of the Catalan club. Barca have fallen from grace in recent seasons and as reported on bettingtips.net they are distant second favourites behind Real Madrid in La Liga betting odds.

    As talks to bring Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool intensified, it seemed just a matter of time that the popular 29 year-old will be on the move after a impressive four season spell.

    However Jurgen Klopp seemed intent to keep one of his most trusted lieutenants and now that seems like that will occur.

    The Mirror reports that Barcelona's dire financial crisis has forced them to shelve plans to sign the Dutchman with the Spanish league's governing body stepping in to block the move.
     


    La Liga clubs are operating under strict financial guidelines following the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Barcelona are struggling with a £510million-a-year wage bill and will not be allowed to buy Wijnaldum and Lyon star Memphis Depay unless they raise the money with player sales first.

    They must also pay the same amount as the transfer fee to the Spanish government following financial help given to clubs during the health crisis.

    For years, observers have wondered how the top two clubs in Spain have been able to cherry pick the best talent from other clubs and at the same time hold on to what they currently have.

    But as Joris Evers, the La Liga's director of communications, explains those days could be a thing of the past.

    “We have a financial system, which goes beyond UEFA’s Financial Fair Play.

    “At UEFA they look at figures when a season is finished, we set the standards before the season starts.
     
    "If Barcelona try to do a deal behind the scenes, our analysts will notice this immediately.
     
    "The clubs agreed on this system as a reaction on a period when they were struggling to pay the wages of the players, because they'd overspent time and time again. Nobody wants to go back to that situation.’’

    They say seven days is a long time in Football.
     
    There was a bit of apprehension creeping in to the fanbase that with no fresh blood coming in, repeating the title triumph could be a task too far.

    They say good things come in threes and in the last week we have seen Thiago and Diogo Jota complete deals and Gini more than likely to remain at the club.

    One player who may be departing is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with the Mirror reporting that Thiago’s arrival means he will slide down the pecking order and Wolves are planning a bid for the midfielder.

    It is speculated that Liverpool will want in the range of £25 million for the 27 year-old.

     
  • Saturday Sep 12:
     
    L 4 Leeds 3. So that was unnecessarily stressful. For all the talk of how well Leeds did, the truth is that we should have won this by a landslide based on chances. Leeds scored from every chance they had and that, combined with them somehow having more possession (certainly didn't feel like it when I was watching) makes this game seem closer than it was. It wasn't that much different to Norwich last year, other than Leeds being much more clinical.
     
    As irritating as this was at times, in the end there was no harm done and actually when you analyse what happened there's not really much to be concerned about. The concern would have been if we'd dropped points, but we didn't. In terms of how the game went, the good was that we looked good going forward and created a boatload of chances. The bad was that we made errors at the back, and we have been doing ever since footy came back after lock down.
     
    That's obviously a concern but it's more of a short term worry than a long term one. We know these lads can defend well and keep clean sheets, but they seem to have lost a bit of focus and concentration. I put it down to there not being any fans in stadiums and it's not something that will continue indefinitely. Fans might not be back any time soon though so they do need to sharpen the fuck up and I expect Klopp will be drumming that into them. Personally I'd be a lot more worried if we looked bad in attack, as this is an easier fix and it's easier to overcome.
     
    How good was Mo though? This was his best performance in a long time. He just looked dynamite all game. The hat-trick was well deserved and even though two were penalties it doesn't really cheapen it because the performance was so good. I hope this is a sign of things to come and we see 2018 Mo again, but one swallow doesn't make a summer.
     
    Sunday Sep 13:
     
    What the fuck is this? Arsenal are getting £20m for that keeper who played against us in the Charity Shield and acted the cunt during the shoot out. This is mad. I’d never even heard of him until Leno got injured and he got a run of games, but now he’s worth £20m?? And what's with Villa having that kind of dosh to throw around? So much for Covid killing the market. 
     
     
     
    Mind you, we’ve signed a keeper too. Not for £20m like, and we’ll probably never even see him play for us, but we’ve spent a million or so on a Brazilian kid who Alisson recommended. We seem to be stockpiling young keepers and I don’t really understand it. We must have a dozen keepers on the books now, it’s like Jurgen has a fetish for them or something.
     
    Reports today have United having agreed terms with Thiago. Absolute bollocks, I’m just not buying this for a second. Thiago is playing for a much, much better side than United and he’d have to be a fucking moron to swap that to go and play for Solskjaer. It makes no sense. So when reports like this come out, you have to question who benefits from it.
     
    The obvious answer here is Bayern. They’re trying to force our hand, whereas we seem happy to just let it play out until Barca make us an offer for Gini or we can sell someone else to raise the cash needed. All the reports from sources close to Thiago seem to suggest he’s agreed everything with us.
     
    The way it's dragging out is annoying and I can't say I'm sure we'll get him, but he's not going to end up at United, that much I'm confident in predicting. You don't leave the European Champions to sign for Old Gunnar Solskjaer.
     
    Meanwhile, Mbappe again hints at leaving PSG next summer. This is all well and good, but who can actually afford what it will cost to get him? There's only really City, and that's only because they'll disregard the rules to do it. 
     
    Kloppo should be telling Mbappe to stay there for the finl two years of his contract and that we'll come calling for him then.
     
    Monday Sep 14:
     
    Interesting interview with Ox today on goal.com. Specifically talking about us winning loads of games when not at our best, he said  “I felt that for the most part of last season,” Oxlade-Chamberlain says. “When I look back on the season, as amazing as it was, there were a lot of times when I wasn’t happy with how I’d played, personally. That’s me being honest with myself, which I think you have to be. I know I can do better, and I don’t think I was the only one who thought that.
     
    “But if you look at the season before, when we finished second, we had a lot more games where we won 3-0 or 4-0. The difference last season, and it was obvious, was that in the games we didn’t play well in, we were still able to win 1-0 or 2-1. We’d find a way. We were drawing those games before. We’d win 4-0 and look unbelievable, then we’d not quite be on it and we’d draw 1-1, and drop points. That didn’t happen this time.”
     
    Also today, the agent of Marko Grujic says Liverpool want to keep him. Why? What’s the point? He’s 8th in line for a midfield spot and if Thiago comes he’ll be 9th. It’s not really fair to keep him when he’ll never play. So this seems to be a bargaining tactic. Tell Hertha Berlin “yeah if you don’t wanna pay for him that’s sound, we’ll just keep him”. There’s no way we’re keeping him though.
     
    Same with Wilson. Both of them will go as neither will even make the bench unless we have injuries. Not only can we not afford to keep assets like that when they can't make a matchday squad, but on a personal level it's unfair to keep them. That's just not how Klopp operates. Brewster should be concerned too really, as he's not getting near an 18 man squad when everyone is available either.
     
    Tuesday Sep 15:
     
    “You can’t put Van Dijk in the category of Kompany and Ferdinand. He’s too arrogant” said someone on Talksport. Usually you trace this this kind of nonsense to Adrian Durham and his radio clickbait. I swear he doesn’t believe half the shit he comes out with, but if it gets people talking and ringing in then job done. This wasn’t him though, it was a former Premier League player.
     
    I didn’t want to click on the link to the article to find out who it was as that would be falling into their trap. Instead, I had a look through the replies to the tweet and the player in question was….. Gabby Agbonlahor!!! Hahahahaha fucking hell, what kind of a world are we living in when the opinion of this bum is actually deemed worthy of airtime?
     
    Honestly, if you were to compile a list of former players whose opinion I’d value the least, arl Thicky Agbonlahor would be right up there with Dean Windass. He looks like he eats crayons.
     
    He also compared Grealish to “Iniesta in his prime” and said he’s the best player he ever played with. “When I played centre back in training for a bit of banter I couldn’t get near him”. Ok well thats me convinced. Kinell. Take that microphone off him and send him back to the oblivion he’s been in since he got too fat to play footy anymore.
     
    Speaking of Talksport though, Simon Jordan was killing it again today by pulling up Lampard on the bollocks he was talking about Klopp ‘spending big’. It’s ridiculous how so many seem to think Klopp has spent loads of money when the reality virtually all of the big signings have been funded by other players leaving. There’s so much lazy analysis about it, usually from ex pros, but maybe Jordan’s background as a club owner is the reason why he can see the reality of that situation. Or maybe he’s just not a fucking moron?
     
    Speaking of morons, Jim Davidson was trending on Twitter again today. Every time I see that I’m hoping the cunt has died, but every time it’s because he’s been a massive racist again. I’ve got a story about Jim Davidson. Many, many years ago me and a mate went to see him do a show in Southport. The place was about half full, and you could tell from the moment he came out that he had the hump about that, as let’s just say he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about his work.
     
    Anyway, as usual there were a few hecklers. Comedians love that as it gives them a chance to get some cheap laughs at the hecklers expense. Davidson didn’t do that though. He was just a nasty cunt. The thing I remember most about that night though was his act was so fucking shit and the jokes so obvious that my mate was calling out the punchlines before Davidson could get to them (which was way funnier than the actual jokes) and old Jim was fucking FUMING about it. I thought we were going to get thrown out at one point, which would have been doing us a favour. We ended up just walking out anyway as he was such an unfunny horrible twat.
     
    I used to watch a lot of comedy gigs back then and Davidson was by far the worst. He was even worse than Chubby Brown. In fairness, he was good the first time we saw him but I was sober the second time and that made a hell of a difference. 
     
    Frank Skinner and Lee Evans were good but the best one I saw was, surprisingly, Mark Lemarr. He was really funny.
     
    Wednesday Sep 16:
     
    Speaking of comedians, David James tips Arsenal for the title. What the fuck is it with some of these ex pros? I think it’s become such a dog eat dog world now and punditry jobs are in such high demand that some of these lads feel the only way they can push themselves to the front of the line is to say controversial, stupid shit just to draw attention to themselves. There’s no fucking way James actually believes Arsenal are winning the title this year. Not unless he’s been on another 48 hour playstation bender.
     
    By the way, Agbonlahor is also tipping Arsenal to win the league within the next three years, which isn’t as bad as Jamo’s take but is still daft as fuck. 
     
    Also today, I spoke to my mum before and she asked if I was coming round to watch the match on Sunday. As it’s Chelsea we’re playing she somehow shoehorned their game against Brighton into the conversation just so she could absolutely rip into poor Adam Lallana again. She’s not letting that hatred go, this was fucking brutal. 
     
    He’s “a disgrace” apparently. I pointed out that he’s not getting injured deliberately, to which she replied “it was a minute before half time, why couldn’t he have waited? It’s because he knew the manager would tell him to get back on and stop being a wimp”. Jesus.
     
    “He walked off like there was nothing wrong with him. He should have waited until half time but he doesn’t even want to play, he’s a disgrace.” I told her she was talking shite but she doubled down on it and got even more hostile.
     
    “He wanted to get back to the dressing room before the others so he could have the mirror to himself to do his hair or put on his make up”. Then she compared him with Andy Carroll, who she says also doesn’t want to play and on the rare occasions when he does make an appearance “spends the whole game trying to elbow people so he can get sent off and get suspended”. She might actually have a point on that one, but lumping a great pro like Adam in with Big Andy is out of line. 
     
    I don’t even hate Richarlison as much as she hates Lallana, and I REALLY hate Richarlison.
     
    Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a transfer window without us being linked with Ousmane Dembele and the Spanish press have come through for us again, claiming we want him on loan. Who knows, maybe it’s true this time. I think I’d rather bring someone in on loan than spend £40m on Sarr. At least that way we’ll have dosh next summer for arl Kylian when he leaves PSG....
     
    I see the Blues are revelling in the new found fame that “Hamez” has brought them. They were the most watched match in Colombia last weekend and their fan accounts are swinging their dicks about it, which is funny seeing as how they’ve always mocked us for being ‘global’ and revel in their relative anonymity and wear it as some kind of badge of authenticity. Now the first time they get a bit of overseas interest they’re all jizzing themselves.
     
    Sheffield United seem to be the favourites to land Brewster but there’s still talk from the LFC patch journos that he’s been touted around for £25m. How shit is this transfer window? We aren’t getting anyone, or if we do it’s going to be some second rate benchwarmer like Sarr. All the focus seems to be on trying to get money in by selling promising young players like Wilson, Grujic and now maybe Brewster.
     
    Meanwhile, every other cunt is signing players, even notorious mingebags Spurs, who are close to bringing in Bale on loan. Fucks sake, this is annoying.
     
    Thursday Sep 17:
     
    Ohhhhhhhhh yes, I cried that one in good and proper. Nothing like a good little reverse jinx. “We aren’t getting anyone, or if we are it’ll be some second rate bench warmer”. Next day, BOOM!! Thiago. You’re welcome people.
     
    There were actually twitter rumours last night about a private jet flying into Liverpool from Munich but we see so much of this shit that it was generally just disregarded by most of us. Turns out it probably was a pre-cursor to what happened today. I’m not saying Thiago will have been on the plane (he defo wasn’t) but it will probably have been representatives from the club and maybe the medical team.
     
    It was funny seeing the Echo shoot down the Thiago stuff eight minutes before everyone else confirmed it though. I have sympathy for the LFC reporters currently because it’s difficult for anyone to know what’s happening behind the scenes anymore as the club is such a tight ship these days, but the Echo seems to always be behind everyone else now. It’s a shame really as it used to be the go to place to have rumours confirmed or denied.
     
    Thiago though. This is quite the coup and I’m obviously made up, with one caveat. If it means Gini leaves then I’m a lot less thrilled about this deal than I expect most of you are, but equally as I’ve said before maybe we do need to tweak the style and that a player like Thiago might be the next step in the evolution of this great side. If Gini stays as well then I’m over the fucking moon about it.
     
    The thing that excites me the most about it are that I can’t wait to see what it means for the style of play. Thiago is so different to anything we already have that I’d say the change he will bring will be quite drastic. He’ll help us control games because he never gives the ball away, and he should help the forwards be more productive by getting the ball to them quicker and thus giving them that extra yard of space to do their thing.
     
    In addition to what we’re getting from Thiago the player though, the other thing that I’m buzzing off is what this represents. This lad was playing for a team that has won the Bundesliga seven or eight times on the bounce and is currently (along with the Reds) the best team in Europe. They wanted him to stay and offered him a new deal and he turned it down because he wanted to come and play for us. We’re fucking massive right now. This is the place everyone wants to be.
     
    That’s huge really. Remember when we kept losing our best players to other clubs because we’d dropped out of that group of Europe’s elite teams? Now we don’t have to worry about players leaving for ‘bigger things’ because there are no bigger things. This is where it’s at. Everyone wants to play for Klopp. Of course the money isn’t there for us to go and buy anyone we want but I doubt there is a top player anywhere in Europe that wouldn’t want to play here if he could.
     
    I’ve repeatedly said that I’d have rather we signed another forward than a midfielder and I stand by that. I’d have preferred Mbappe, Sancho or even Traore over Thiago just because I feel as though we need to strengthen that area more than midfield. That being said, it was important that we signed ‘a star’ (irrespective of position even) just for the impact it has on the dressing room and on the fanbase. When you don’t sign anyone things can go a little flat and stale. 
     
    A new player though, especially someone who everyone in the dressing room will be excited about, well it just lifts everyone and raises the level of the players. That first training session with Thiago will be off the fucking scale. LFCTV should show that live and charge for it and make a fortune. They won’t, obviously, but I’m just saying, they could because we’d all pay for it.
     
    The other thing to consider here is the fee. £20m plus £5m add ons is good but it’s not that much less than Bayern were asking. We haven’t pulled their pants down on the deal, but by getting them to accept four yearly payments of £5m you have to say this is one hell of a fucking bargain, especially if Brewster brings in £25m which would over the entire deal. 
     
    This sends out a nice, timely little message to everyone else; The best just got better.
     
    Friday Sep 18:
     
    HOLY SHITBALLS!!! Not only did we finalise Thiago today, but we’re getting the fourth forward we need as well. Granted, it’s not Mbappe, Sancho or Adama, but I’m not complaining as Diogo Jota is a boss little signing. I like him a lot and had I known he was only 23 I’d probably have suggested him myself but I thought he was a journeyman in his late twenties who was as good as he was ever going to get. Turns out he’s way younger than I thought and still has room to improve and become a genuine star. 
     
    He perfectly fits the profile we look for in strikers. He’s a similar age to what the current front three were when we brought them in and I’d imagine his numbers are pretty similar to Sadio’s as he’s not too dissimilar in what he does. I don’t mean in terms of style (he’s more like Bellamy I’d say) I just mean in terms of his contributions to goals, assists and the general job he’s done at Wolves being similar to that of Sadio at Southampton. 
     
    I’d imagine his nerdy pie chart spider graph thingy is similar to Southampton Mané when it comes to dribbles, sprints, shots and all that jazz. He’s very much a signing that fits in with how we do things and he can play anywhere across that front three. The age he’s at, and the experience he has, means he’s at that point where he’s ready to kick on to the next level as Sadio, Mo and Bobby did after coming here (the main reason I didn’t want Sarr is he’s still a year or two away from that). If he does that then we have the four man rotation I’ve been calling for.
     
    There might even be times when they all play together. Sadio and Jota wide, with Bobby behind Mo. When you look at that, as well as the ridiculous options we’ve got in midfield now, we’re going to be a lot less predictable for teams to plan for because we’ve basically got it all now. These two signings tip us right over the edge and I don’t see anyone even running us close this year. What a fucking day!
     
    Oh, I should also mention Ki-Jana Hoever leaving. Disappointing that but the writing was probably on the wall for him when he was overtaken by Neco. In the long term he might end up at centre back (and I hope we have a buy back clause in there because I still feel he could be really special) but he’s not the tallest and is probably a few years away from being able to play at the level we’d need in a centre back. 
     
    I’m sure the initial plan was for him to break through as a right back but with Trent becoming the world’s best and then Neco’s rapid rise from Academy kid to first team talent there was just nowhere for Hoever to go. Letting him go makes sense, especially as we needed to raise money for Thiago and Jota.
     
    According to reports, only £4m or so of the Jota fee needs to be paid this year, and that's already been covered by the sale of Hoever.
     
    I expect we’ll see Wilson, Grujic and Origi all leave now too. Probably Shaq and Brewster as well. So by the end we’ll have ended up bringing in Jota, Tsimikas and Thiago and still coming out with a profit of around £100m.
     
    As Uncle Junior once said, “what did I tell ya, hold onto your cock when you negotiate with Michael Edwards”. Or something like that anyway, I forget.
     
    Spare a thought for Everton today though. They thought they'd won the transfer window again but not only was that taken away from them, their manager had this to say about Thiago:
     
    “Breaks my heart, breaks my heart. The only good thing about this signing is that he is a neighbour and that’s it. I think he chose the wrong team.
     
    “He could choose the blue team, not the red team. I am joking. He is a fantastic player and my friend, Jurgen, will be happy.”
     
    Ooof!!
     
    and that was the week that was…
  • The first couple of weeks of the season are a Manc free zone, so let’s enjoy that while we can because as soon as either of them has a convincing win over some turd team we’ll be subjected to the nauseating fawning over them. 
     
    The back end of last season was a joke really. All that bollocks about “resurgent United” because they looked decent against a load of slapdick bottom half teams and because Leicester and Chelsea choked like dogs to let them sneak third. They’re still majorly flawed and they’ve still got a manager who got Cardiff relegated. 
     
    Then we have City. Seemingly everyone is tipping them for the title, in many cases because of “how strong they looked after lockdown”. Did they really though? Or are people getting carried away by their flat track bully act? They lost the same amount of games as we did but the perception seems to be that they were great when footy came back and we were shite.
     
    This actually suits me just fine as I’d much rather not be the favourite, but it is a load of bollocks when you actually take a step back and look at it objectively. They shouldn’t be favourites because they’ve done nothing to suggest they’re better than us. Absolutely nothing at all.
     
    People have been completely fooled by City. They win so many games by cricket scores that it influences people into thinking that the bad results they have are somehow just a fluke. The bad results aren’t a fluke. They’re every bot as much who City are as the 6-0 wins. 
     
    City will always finish with the best goal difference because when they get on top of a bad team they pound them into the ground and keep trying to score goals right up until the end. They’ll do it again this season. There’ll be games when they score six, seven, maybe even eight (although their personal bitch Watford getting relegated makes that less likely) and everyone will be going “oh aren’t City just wonderful”. 
     
    Yeah, they are. When they have it their own way there’s nobody like them. At the risk of sounding all Neil Warnock though, the fact is they don’t like it up ‘em. Get City in a close game and you’ve got every chance of beating them. Just ask Lyon, or any of the nine Premier League sides who beat “Pep” last season. I feel like this is lost on most people though.
     
    It’s like how they’re always favourites for the Champions League even though they have zero pedigree in the competition. Why the fuck would City ever be favourites for the Champions League? There’s absolutely no logic to it as they’ve never done anything of note in Europe. Even when they seemed to have a clear path to the final this year they went and lost to a team that finished 7th in a “farmer’s league” for fucks sake. They’re about as welcome in Europe as Nigel Farage.
     
    In terms of the Premier League, on what basis do people have them being better than us? They lost nine league games last season and they finished 18 points behind us. Since then they’ve lost David Silva, while Sergio Aguero is another year older and the squad have had even more time to get sick of the sound of Guardiola’s voice, the fuckin’ weirdo. 
     
    There’s only so much “guys, come on guys… we need to play better guys… ok guys, let’s do this guys” that even the most ardent professional can tolerate before he switches off completely. So I’m not sure why everyone just assumed that last year was a blip when City’s flaws have been exposed on so many different occasions. 
     
    They’re a bully with a glass jaw. They look big and tough when they’re pounding on the weaker kids and stealing their lunch money, but as soon as anyone hits them back they run off crying (to the CAS when it was UEFA doing the hitting).
     
    If they sign Koulibaly that could certainly be a difference maker and if that happens then you could probably make a case for them being at least joint favourites with us. But as of yet they haven’t signed him, yet people are still falling over themselves to tip City for the title. It isn’t based in logic because over a sustained period of time (i.e. two full seasons) we’ve outperformed them massively and neither squad has changed much, other than City have lost Kompany and now Silva.
     
    So while I’m not shouting from the rooftops that we’ll win the title again, what I would say is that if you look at it rationally and sensibly then we should be seen as favourites, but I’m glad we’re not. I won’t be making any predictions in these round ups until we’re four or five games in though. 
     
    Actually no, I’ll make one prediction right off the bat. Fulham are going straight back down. They’re no different to how they were last time they were up. I’ll reserve judgement on Leeds (and West Brom too, I suppose) but my mind is already made up about Fulham. 
     
    They’ve got no chance of surviving, especially as that bum Tim Ream is STILL at the heart of their defence. Incredible. Nothing has changed with them since last time. They played nice football and created some chances against the Gunners, but they lost 3-0. Standard Fulham that.
     
    Lacazette got the first, new boy Gabriel shouldered in the second and Aubameyeng hit a brilliant third. That was a great move and a terrific finish. 
     
    How weird was it seeing Willian playing for Arsenal though? He’s a good signing for them as he’s already their second best player behind Aubameyeng. Arsenal will definitely have a better season than last time but how much better only time will tell. Beating Fulham isn’t an indicator of anything, as everyone will beat Fulham.
     
    Elsewhere, there’s a real dark cloud hanging over West Ham at the moment and for once it isn’t David Moyes. In fact, much as I enjoy ripping into Moyes the fact is he actually did a decent enough job last season in keeping them up. They ended the season in encouraging form, with Antonio scoring goals and there generally being a more upbeat vibe about the place.
     
    That’s gone now though. The fans fucking hate the owners though, and who can blame them? I hate them and they don’t have anything to do with my club. Sullivan, Gold and Brady are the reason I wanted West Ham to go down last season. Other than them (and Moyes, obviously), I’ve got no beef with the Hammers.
     
    I still want them to go down this year but at the same time I do feel sorry for the fans. This isn’t a Newcastle situation where I just think the fans have the owner they deserve. West Ham’s fans have done nothing to deserve these fuckers. 
     
    The unrest has really increased in recent weeks due to their transfer activity. No signings of any note and they sold some kid who had looked good in pre-season and who the club apparently had high hopes for. Things are so bad that club captain Mark Noble took to twitter to express his disapproval at that decision. I like Mark Noble. It’s not a popular view but I think he’s sound and him speaking out against how the club is being run only reaffirmed that.
     
    COVID is the best thing that could have happened for West Ham’s owners as it means no fans in the ground to protest. Can you imagine the unrest there’d be if fans were in the London Stadium right now?
     
    They were convincingly beaten at home by Newcastle and Moyes even admitted as much afterwards.  The Geordies have done some good business this summer. Jamaal Lewis was good enough to attract a bid from us so he’s quite the coup for them. Ryan Fraser may be a turd and a wretched individual (© Simon Jordan) but he improves their squad significantly, as does Jeff Hendrick, while Callum Wilson is EXACTLY what they needed. He will definitely score goals for them. 
     
    He broke the deadlock at West Ham with a poachers effort at the near post and Hendrick’s smart finish wrapped up the win. I could even see them finishing in the top ten this year but I’ll hold off on that for another few weeks.
     
    Can’t believe Southampton lost at Palace though. They were one of the form teams of the second half of last season and looked to be heading in the complete opposite direction of struggling Palace. I had them down as a banker there but Palace are the absolute fucking masters of the “how the fuck did they win that” result.
     
    Zaha got the only goal of the game when he volleyed in a cross by Townsend. Other than that it was mostly Southampton but they couldn’t beat an inspired Gueita in the Palace goal, while in fairness Zaha could easily have had a hat-trick and looked very dangerous. Looks like he might have to stay at Palace another year unless something drastic happens.
     
    The most interesting thing that happened in this game was a red card for Kyle Walker-Peters that was overturned after a VAR review. This was great, really encouraging. Fat Jon Moss got it badly wrong as although the kid was high he didn’t really catch the Palace player. It was never a red card in a million years although in real speed I could maybe see why Moss may have thought it was worse than it was.
     
    So Craig Pawson has a look and then tells Moss to go and check it out on the monitor to see what he thinks. Moss has a look and changes his mind. That’s exactly how this thing was supposed to work when it was brought in. So how come we had that entire year of complete bollocks last season? 
     
    It’s really not difficult, just let the on field ref use the tech and then either stick with his decision or change it. If he sees the video and STILL gets in wrong then we can all hammer the cunt. Which no doubt we will when Moss hands out yet another phantom pen to United and then stands by his horrific decision. It will happen. You know it will.
     
    Still, I can’t believe I’m saying this and the likelihood of it happening against at any point this season is virtually non-existent, but…. well done Jon Moss.
     
    Sidenote on this one. Southampton’s kits this season are sexy as fuck by the way. They wore the away shirt in this one but the home one is even nicer. Just lovely.
     
    Ok, so I know I said I wasn’t making any predictions yet but fuck it. West Brom are going down too. Them and Fulham plus one more as yet unnamed team. There’s just no way either of those are staying up though. I’m prepared for the possibility that I might be writing the Baggies off too early, but no way are Fulham proving me wrong.
     
    West Brom were beaten easily in the end by Leicester but the first half was pretty even. The game changes when new signing Castagne stole in at the back post to head Brendan’s boys into the lead and after that they never looked back. 
     
    He’s their only signing so far despite them bringing in a huge fee for Chilwell. He’s a right back, but they’re well stocked there with Ricardo and James Justin. Why not sign a left back, Brendan? He’s proper shite at transfers isn’t he? Do Leicester have a transfer committee he can blame? What’s Aly Cissokho doing these days?
     
    Vardy then doubled Leicester’s lead with a penalty. Bit of a soft decision as it looked like an accidental off the ball collision. He added another penalty to make it 3-0 late on. This was a stonewaller. Vardy always scores against West Brom and their fans fucking hate him. He's always rubbing their noses in it when he scores and even though the stadium was empty he still couldn't help himself and ran to the home end cupping his ears. Top notch shithousing as usual from Vardy.
     
    Final note from this. I’d forgotten just how much I hate James Maddison’s face as I hadn’t seen him since before lock down. His face and his hair is proper annoying. I feel the same way about him that my mum did about Lallana for all those years. Some faces and haircuts just rub you up the wrong way I suppose.
     
    One face that I most certainly hadn’t forgotten how much I hate is that Richarlison cunt. I hate his face even more now he’s bleached his hair. I actually think he’s the player I hate the most in the entire league, he’s just such a massive cunt. I’d never tire of slapping him and I reckon Calvert-Lewin probably feels the same way. 
     
    That chance he wasted when all he had to do was cut back to an un-marked Calvert-Lewin was a fucking disgrace. Greedy selfish prick.
     
    On another day it might have cost Everton but not this day, because Spurs were terrible. Calvert-Lewin superbly headed in the only goal of the game to give them a rare win away at Spurs. Lot of nonsense being spouted about this new look Everton and how much stronger they are with their new signings. They’re still shite and they’re in debt up to their eyeballs. House of cards that is.
     
    Spurs are shite too. There’s just no fun about them anymore. It’s all very dull and stoic these days. Maybe Gareth Bale can give them the spark that’s missing but I suspect it’s going to take more than him to completely cancel out the Mourinho effect. They’re just so fucking uninspiring and if they had fans in the ground I suspect there’d be plenty of unrest at how they’re playing. The results have been ok since lockdown ended but they’re boring as fuck to watch.
     
    Doherty is a good signing I think. I like him a lot. Hoijberg not so much. It’s going to be fascinating to see what Bale does though. He was amazing in his last few seasons with Spurs before he left but he seems to be injured a hell of a lot and it remains to be seen how he’ll cope with being asked to play as a second left back in Mourinho’s 6-4-0 system he uses in big games.
     
    Onto Monday now, where there was actually TWO games played. Why were Wolves and Sheffield United playing at teatime? Is this how it’s going to be now, because fans aren’t in the ground no-one gives a shit what time games kick off anymore? I don’t like this. I understand that each game needs to be televised, but this is shit. There were only four games on Saturday
     
    Wolves won this game inside the opening six minutes when they scored twice. A lovely controlled finish by Jimenez set them on their way and Seiss added a second with a great header from a corner.
     
    By the time the Blades had settled the damage was already done. Wolves could have scored more as they hit the woodwork twice. They look to be the best equipped of the “non big six” clubs to break into the top six this season. They should be thinking they can finish above Spurs at least. Maybe Arsenal too. 
     
    Mendez FC are going to be interesting this season as they’ve made a few new signings. It looks like my boy Adama is going to be playing wing back as they’re completely stacked with forwards but sold Matt Doherty to Spurs. Playing Traore there is either going to be a masterstroke or an absolute waste of his talent. 
     
    Maybe he’ll get pissed off and demand a transfer, and we can do a swap with Wilson, Origi and Grujic. What would I give for that? I’m so desperate for us to sign him that if that happened I’d even be willing to oil up his muscles before games. Who’s with me? Let’s grease up this beefcake, gang….
     
     
     
    Chelsea have been getting a lot of positive press too after all the new signings they’ve made. They look to have bought well but there are two reasons why I’m not yet too concerned about them. Firstly, Frank Lampard. His teams concede shitloads of goals and there’s nothing as yet to suggest he’s a top level manager. Secondly, their keeper is SHITE.
     
    It’s funny really. Lampard was lauded last year for bucking the Chelsea trend of spending big and instead concentrating on bringing through young players like Tomori, Hudson-Odoi, Mount, James and Abraham. As soon as their ban was lifted though what happened? Bish bash bosh, two hundred million spent and most of the kids are out in the cold.
     
    James is still in the side and he scored a cracker as they beat Brighton 3-1. It wasn’t the most convincing performance and Brighton gave as good as they got, despite losing Lallana to a first half injury. The poor bastard, it’s just really sad. Hopefully he isn’t out too long but his body just can’t cope with the demands of top flight footy anymore can it? He’s got the same cheese string muscles that Sturridge has and it’s such a shame.
     
    Anyway, Chelsea had taken the lead courtesy of a Jorginho pen (he might be the best in the business as he just never looks like he’s going to miss) but Trossard lashed in an equaliser. Plenty of fingers pointed at Kepa for that, and rightly so. He’s the Spanish Brad Jones.
     
    James hammered in from 25 yards to put Chelsea ahead again before Zouma’s scruffy late deflected effort killed off Brighton. In between those two Chelsea goals though Lewis Dunk missed an absolute sitter at the back post. We’ve got Chelsea next week though so my lips are sealed until then, and if the football fates can just forget everything I’ve written about Timo Werner these last few months too that would be appreciated.
  • Paul Merson is the latest Football figure casting doubt on whether Liverpool can retain their league title this season.

    The Reds won their first game of the new season against Leeds, but were made to fight every step of the way against the newly promoted side.

    That performance carrying over from their lacklusture form to end the last campaign has sparked discussion whether they have the squad depth required to go again.

    So far Liverpool has only added Greek left back Kostas Tsimikas in the transfer window to date, but Speaking on Sky Sports (via Metro), Merson says more is required 

    “Liverpool could easily drop to fourth.

    ‘You look at the goals Liverpool let in against Leeds: wow. I just think they turned up and thought they would wipe the floor with Leeds. ‘

    “I think they need to buy someone. 

    “It would not surprise me if the finished fourth this season, and I thought that before this game.
     
    ‘It’s the same team, and they have a massive amount of players who have to play every week 
     


    “Virgil van Dijk cannot get injured. The full-backs cannot get injured. They have not got anyone to replace the front three if they are injured.

    Merson says in contrast, the Reds chief title rival will be able to cover losses.

    “If Man City get injuries, they will just play.

    “We’ll score more goals than you” anyway. 

    “What we’ll see later in the season is teams like Man City come into the fold massively, because their squad is too big. 

    “That’s why I worry about Liverpool, there’s five or six players who must play week in, week out, otherwise the team is weakened immensely.’

    Merson’s comments follow on the back on former Reds striker Peter Crouch saying that he noticed a bit complacency of late.

    Crouch is certainly not as pessimistic as Merson when it comes to the fortunes of Liverpool this season, but says some new faces would help their prospects.

    “Liverpool are still my idea of champions and their squad is fantastic but there are always areas that need some investment.

    “I looked at the defence against Leeds. They have got three great players in Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip but I believe they could do with another addition there, as I wouldn't want to see Fabinho used as the fourth-choice central defender.

    “Look at the second goal they conceded, to Patrick Bamford. It was a rare mistake by Van Dijk that had a hint of complacency about it. Does he make the same mistake if Liverpool have signed a central defender this summer and pressure is being applied to his place? 

    “Competition raises your standards by an extra one or two per cent."

    Crouch also believes that the front line may need some tinkering and says his old club missed a trick in not signing the highly rated German talent in Timo Werner.

    “There are only so many times Mohamed Salah, who bailed out his team, and Sadio Mane can produce heroics. 

    “Adding another midfielder — such as Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara — or back-up striker would be welcomed. I have a feeling they missed a trick not getting Timo Werner."

    There are some valid points and something that many fans have raised during the off-season.

    At the end of the day, if Jurgen is content with what he has at his disposal and he sees these players on a daily basis, then who are we to argue?
     
  • Turkish club Fenerbache are leading a long list of clubs in acquiring the services of striker Divock Origi according to reports.

    The Mirror reports that a number of Premier League clubs including Aston Villa, Newcastle, Brighton and Fulham have registered an interest, but according to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konor, Fenerbache have made direct enquiries with the Reds.

    The club is said to be open to letting the Belgian striker leave providing the Turkish giants pay a loan fee which will include a obligation to buy clause and Konor said the fee stipulated by Liverpool is around £14 million.
     


    Origi has come to the period of his career where some defining decisions have to be made.

    As someone who has got a contract with the Reds until 2024, the striker who has made 140 appearances in his five seasons at the club is well within his rights to see that out.

    But he will do so in the knowledge that he will be in the backup role to the current front three and regular first team minutes will be at a premium.

    Therefore, Origi who is still only 25 may look to greener pastures where having learnt from the best, can take it upon his shoulders to be the leader of the front line.

    Whatever happens from this moment, Origi will comfortably sit in the category of Liverpool cult heroes having played a major role in getting a undermanned Liverpool side past Barcelona in the iconic Champions League semi final last season and then scoring in the final against Tottenham.



     
  • Not really sure what to think about this. First and foremost I’m relieved we won and contrary to what many seem to be saying, it was completely, totally, 100% deserved. We were by far the better team and created a shitload more chances than Leeds did. We made it unnecessarily hard for ourselves but as this team so often does, they came through to take the points.
     
    So that’s a good thing. The ability to just ‘find a way’ is great and that’s what separated us from Man City last year. When the going gets tough, they lose matches whereas we win them. It would be nice if we didn’t make it so hard for ourselves so often though, and just what the fuck has happened to the defence? 
     
    We’ve gone from being by far the tightest unit in the league to looking like Brendan’s 2014 vintage. Since lockdown the amount of goals we’ve shipped has been alarming. At the back end of last season we could put it down to the lack of intensity after winning the league, but what’s the excuse for this one? 
     
    Rustiness maybe, but I think it’s deeper than that. We’re conceding loads of goals since fans were no longer allowed in to stadiums. It’s hurting us more than anyone and I don’t just mean the ‘Anfield atmosphere’ thing either. Even having a hostile crowd helps with focus, intensity and concentration.
     
    With no fans these games look like training sessions at times and as a result we’re making stupid mistakes and generally not being as switched on as we normally would. That edge that everyone has when playing in front of a packed stadium isn’t there and it’s causing a casualness and lack of focus. 
     
    The lack of intensity in games also doesn’t help us. We’re great when we’re full throttle but when we drop off a touch we’re not as good with or without the ball. I just don’t think this game plays out like this in front of a full house, but there’s no way of proving that one way or the other I guess.
     
    In fairness to Leeds, two of their goals were excellently worked. I can pick holes in how we defended them but it was nice football by them. One of their goals was a gift though, an absolute disgrace in fact. There’s been a real stench of complacency about our defensive play since football returned a couple of months ago. I’m not sure if that’s going to go away until fans are back, but hopefully this serves as the kick up the arse that we need, 
     
    The back four looked ropey for all of the first half and parts of the second. It wasn’t just because of them though. Leeds players seemed to be picking the ball up in space between our midfield and defence much too easily. There were gaps everywhere and the absence of Fabinho was noticeable. Why that was I can’t say. Maybe Hendo was a little rusty or maybe it was because Naby was in the midfield three? 
     
    Fabinho not being selected didn’t surprise me at all. Normally it would, but as I wrote in the diary this week, Klopp had a right go at him last week against Blackpool and subbed him at half time. I wondered if there was something to that, and him not starting this game tells me there was and that a message was being sent. 
     
    The message might have been more effective if we hadn’t had to send him an SOS to go on and shore up the midfield, but hopefully whatever issue there may have been has been sorted, because we’re a better team with both him and Hendo playing rather than just the one of them. 
     
    Fab was belatedly brought on to replace Keita. I was a little surprised by that, more so because I didn’t expect Hendo to last as long as he did. Naby could have no complaints.
     
    This was one of those games where both factions in the “Keita wars” saw the game completely differently. I saw people outraged that he was subbed and I saw others who couldn’t believe he lasted as long as he did. I don’t really know where I stand on this, because I didn’t think he had a bad game as such, but it does concern me that whenever he plays we seem to be wide open and the opposition finds all sorts of space in front of our defence.
     
    He’s really good at winning the ball high up the pitch and did it a few times in this game. They would have led to chances too if the forwards had made better decisions (mostly Bobby). Yet there always seem to be gaps when Keita is on the pitch. Maybe I’m imagining that and it’s more how I perceive it than it is reality, but that’s how it feels. 
     
    I can see plenty of positive things with him but I don’t get how his fanboys can be so vociferous about how great he is. The jury is still well and truly out and if we had to lose one midfielder to make room for Thiago I’d rather it was Keita than Wijnaldum. I’m not saying I’d sell him, by the way, just that he’s the one I’m least convinced by.
     
    Anyway, I’ve gotten a little sidetracked. So let’s get back to the game and go through the goals. We drew first blood from the penalty spot. Amazing that there are people disputing that decision as it’s just blatant. 
     
    I’m one who generally gives the defender the benefit on handball decisions, but when the arm is outstretched like that, away from the body, then it’s just a pen all day. So what if it hit his knee first? His arm is still needless out well away from his side. Apparently they’ve changed that law anyway so this was undoubtedly a pen.
     
    Mo stepped up and buried it right down the middle. I’m not a fan of the down the middle pen as generally it’s risky if you do it too often. For example, I reckon I’d save half of Troy Deeney’s pens just by standing still and letting it hit me. 
     
    Mo occasionally goes down the middle but he’s also gone everywhere else too. He mixes them up nicely though and with that wide run up he has it’s almost impossible to read where he’s going. So if a keeper saves a pen from him it’s because he made a lucky guess as there’s no way you can tell from his run up where he’s going.
     
    Leeds levelled when their left sided player got away from Trent, cut inside and then beat Alisson with a low shot. Initially I thought it was weak as fuck from Trent. He should have made a challenge but held off. Then I watched the replay and he only held off because Gomez arrived on the scene and kind of got in his way while not making a challenge either. Needs better communication from them really. Good goal from the lad though.
     
    Virgil then headed in from a Robbo corner to restore our lead. Some nice movement in the box to clear a path for him and the header was so powerful that the keeper caught it on the line and ended up three yards behind it.
     
    Virg then undid that good work with an appalling piece of defending to gift a goal to my boy and fellow Bon Jovi enthusiast Patrick Bamford. I Always hated him until I realised that he was just Misunderstood and that he has the same excellent musical taste as me. Good Guys Don’t Always Wear White, but Patrick does. 
     
    It’s been a Roller Coaster ride for him at Leeds but it hasn’t exactly been a Bed of Roses for him lately with constant speculation about him being replaced. He’s Unbreakable though is Patrick. When he’s feeling like a Monday he tells himself “Someday I’ll be Saturday Night”. This was Saturday night for him and he dished out some Bad Medicine to us. 
     
    There’s not enough patience in football These Days and this could be the Last Chance Train for Bamford, but I can’t help thinking it might be a Breakout season for him if Leeds Keep the Faith. 
     
    Ok ok relax, I’m done with the Bon Jovi references now but I have No Regrets about any of them and I make No Apologies.
     
    Virgil though. Jesus. Talk about over-confidence. I know he’s done shit like this before and it’s come off, and to be fair we all buzz off it when it does, but this was different because he was too close to his own goal and Alisson was completely stranded because of it. Just fucking head it away and stop showing off.
     
    Mo then rifled in a stunner to make it 3-2 before half time. Ridiculously good strike that, right into the top corner. He’d looked dangerous every time he had the ball and you could see how up for it he was. Sadio had some good moments too but he faded the longer the game went on I thought.
     
    Anyway, at 3-2 I just assumed we’d run away with out, especially having had the half time break to sort out the defensive sloppiness and get everyone refocused. If we’d have scored the next goal I think that’s how it would have played out.
     
    The second half was going well. We were creating chances and - especially after the introduction of Fabinho - looked to have taken the sting out Leeds. Then Henderson was replaced by Jones and immediately we conceded. The change had a direct impact on it too as Curtis didn’t track the runner into the box. 
     
    It’s not a strength of his and this is the kind of thing he obviously needs to work on, but he had literally just stepped onto the field so it’s understandable that there may have been confusion as to who should have been picking the guy up. It may have been partly on Gini too, although he had his back to the runner whereas Curtis could see him, so it’s mostly on the kid. As I say though, he had only just come on and it’s difficult to be immediately in tune with everything that’s happening.
     
    He was terrific aside from that. Demanding the ball, showing great confidence and composure and generally being really positive. It was a real vote of confidence in him that he was sent on ahead of Milner and Minamino and he’s got to be very close to getting a start soon. And not just a “let’s give the kid a game and see how he does” type of start. I mean a genuine, “he deserves to be starting ahead of the senior lads” kind of start. He’s getting closer to that with each week now.
     
    Prior to that goal I didn’t think Leeds had really threatened at all, but because we squandered chances to get the fourth goal there is always the risk that something like that could happen. The lad took the goal superbly and one thing Leeds did all day was flood the box when they had the opportunity. They’ll score goals this season but they’ll probably conceded a ton as well.
     
    Had we been sharper in front of goal they’d have been utterly embarrassed in this game. All this talk about how well they played and how unlucky they were. It’s being hugely overblown. Had we been more clinical we’d have put seven or eight past them.
     
    We weren’t clinical though, and we haven’t really been for some time. Is Bobby becoming a problem? No-one wants to really say it because we love him and he still does enough to remind us all of what he’s capable of and how important he can be, but he’s definitely not playing at the level he was.
     
    Even in this game when he struggled, there was some lovely stuff from him. Not least the graceful turn away in his own half to start a counter attack that would have been a contender for greatest goal ever if Sadio had found the top corner instead of the middle rows of the Kop. Is it enough though? 
     
    I suppose the obvious answer to that is yes it is, because we won the league. When outsiders question him I’m the first to become defensive and dismiss the criticism, yet I do feel like it’s starting to becoming a thing and he needs a few goals just to nip this in the bud.
     
    I know what he brings to the team can’t always be measured by goals, but I don’t think he’s even doing those things especially well of late (by ‘of late’ I’m talking the best part of a year). The one thing I do know is that since the beginning of last season I’ve lost count of the number of games where he’s either been subbed or he was lucky he wasn’t. 
     
    There was a time when you’d never even consider bringing him off, but now it feels as though half the games he plays I’m thinking “Bobby needs hooking” before we even reach the hour mark. Why is that?
     
    Firstly, he’s actually become TOO unselfish. The thing that made him so great is now holding him back because his first instinct in any given situation now seems to be to look for the pass. Shooting is almost a last resort. The early chance when Keita played him in and he tried to square it is a perfect case in point.
     
    Secondly, when he does have clear chances himself he isn’t putting them away with the regularity he did a couple of years ago. I know I go on about this all the time and I’m even boring myself with it now. But the fact is he scored 26 goals in 17/18 while still doing all the things that we love him for.
     
    Bottom line, he needs to sharpen up his finishing. The chance he missed not long before we got the winning penalty was a fucking disgrace. I don’t even think that shot was hitting the target before the defender blocked it. You have to take chances like that, there’s just no getting away from it.
     
    He’s incredibly fortunate that we won the penalty almost immediately, because if we’d dropped points here then that miss would be the big thing people would be looking at.
     
    Thankfully Fabinho forced Rodrigo into a lazy, careless challenge and we were awarded our second penalty of the game. Again, it was blatant and no more than we deserved, especially after Van Dijk had seen a perfectly good goal ruled out for a phantom foul by Jones.
     
    That pissed me right off because it was beautifully crafted by us. Virgil spun away and ran around the back of a pack of players. There was nowhere for the defender to go so he tried to squeeze through a tiny gap between Jones and his marker and tripped over. Fuck all wrong with that.
     
    It didn’t matter in the end because Mo buried another penalty with aplomb (this time putting it in the corner) to give us the points late on. We shouldn’t have to score four goals to win but it’s nice to know we can when it’s needed.
     
    It’s hard not to be at least a little worried about Firmino though, while at the other end Alisson isn’t having his most productive period either. I’m not saying the goals that we’ve conceded since lockdown ended are his fault by any means. 
     
    It might just be a statistical anomaly but he isn’t making many saves. According to a statto I follow on Twitter, he’s saved 17 of the last 35 shots he’s faced, which is really not good. For perspective, there was a period last season when he saved 50/54.
     
    Obviously there are various factors that contribute to this, not least the quality of shot he’s facing. It’s the kind of thing that used to happen all the time under the Mig though. Teams would have three shots on target and two of them would go in. Leeds actually scored three from three in this game.
     
    Were any of them Alisson’s fault? No. Would he normally save at least one of those? Quite possibly, but who knows really? I suspect it’s just one of those weird statistical thing that happen now and again and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s the hero against Chelsea or Arsenal in the coming weeks.
     
    So all in all, I’m made up with the win if not necessarily the way it was achieved. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience at all though. It would have been had I been sat in my seat in the Main Stand. I’d have come out buzzing and the focus would have been on what a thrilling game it was in what would no doubt have been an electric atmosphere. It’s shit that we’re missing out on this.
     
    The first home game of the season is one of the best days of the year. I fucking love it. The sun is always shining, meeting the lads before the game and catching up after the summer, and then there’s the buzz of walking up to the ground. Even better is the buzz of walking up the steps and seeing the immaculate pitch. Then YNWA before kick off. It’s just fucking great, and we’ve been robbed of it this year. And this year would have had an extra edge because it was Leeds.
     
    So yeah there’s a lot of depressing aspects of not being able to go the match, but near the top of it is being subjected to Martin Tyler. He’s the fucking worst, I hate him. He may as well have been wearing a Leeds shirt, a flat cap and had a ferret down his trousers while breeding whippets and racing pigeons. 
     
    Actually, is a ferret down the trousers an actual Yorkshire stereotype or did I just make that one up? Whatever, you get the point. Tyler was rooting for Leeds with every fibre of his being. Which would be fine if he has the same approach when they play City or United, but he won’t. The cunt.
     
    Then there was his constant over pronunciation of “Hhhhhhockkkkkkkkk” just because he didn’t want to say ‘cock’, the fucking cock. He ruined my enjoyment of this game even more than our wretched defending did. The sooner he’s put out top pasture with ‘Motty’ the happier I’ll be.
     
    To be fair he wasn’t the only one going completely overboard about Leeds. You’d think they had stood there and gone toe to toe with us, creating chance after chance and just being desperately unlucky to be beaten by a late penalty. That’s not how it was. Yeah they had a go and played some nice stuff, but they had three chances and scored from all of them. That’s not going to happen very often.
     
    So while I find their style to be refreshing and I actually hope they do alright, I’m not buying the Leeds hype yet. In fact, I won’t be forming any judgement on them for at least another month because I had my fingers burnt last year with Norwich and I won’t be falling into that trap again. 
     
    Yeah, Norwich. Remember them? The newly promoted team that came to Anfield on opening night last year and conceded four, just like Leeds did. Norwich were brilliant that night and created a lot more chances than Leeds did. They didn’t take any of them though. Still, everyone said “well if they play like that against everyone else they’ll do just fine”. How’d that work out for them?
     
    Most newly promoted teams start off like a runaway train because they’ve come from a division in which they’ve been top dogs and are used to playing attacking football. You don’t get promoted by parking the bus, so it stands to reason that when these teams come up they’re going to do what got them to the dance in the first place.
     
    It’s only after a few tonkings they realise that they need to tighten it up a bit. In the case of Fulham two years ago and Norwich last year, they never realised it at all and just kept on entertaining (and losing). So yeah, Leeds looked lively against us but we’ll see how they do when they go to Bramall Lane or how they fare when they have to break down Sean Dyche’s lads.
     
    So anyway, we started with a win and perhaps we’ll benefit from the sloppiness. Maybe it’s a wake up call we needed, because the fixtures over the coming weeks are more difficult than this one and we can’t afford to be so lax in defence against better sides, because we might not be able to score four against them.
     
    Star man is Mo, who was fucking sensational from first minute to last. He looks like a man on a mission to regain the Golden Boot and to put himself back into the Balon d’Or conversation. I’m seeing a lot of talk of him not getting the credit he deserves and how now he’s going to show everyone. I reckon that’s bollocks to be honest. He gets the credit relating to what his performances merit.
     
    The season he scored 44 goals he was the king of the world. He was the name on everyone’s lips and arguably the biggest global star in the game. Since then he’s been scoring around half that amount, so yeah he isn’t being spoken about in the same glowing terms but no-one is saying he isn’t a top player. 
     
    He didn’t make the PFA Team of the Year because he didn’t deserve to. He was probably close and it wouldn’t have been out of line if he had, but he can’t have any complaints about not getting in ahead of the likes of Sadio, Vardy and Aubameyeng.
     
    So let’s put all this “Mo is disrespected” talk on hold shall we. I hope as much as anyone that he goes on another goal rampage this season and hits forty again, but I’m not going to put the cart before the horse just because he scored a hat-trick (including two pens) against Leeds.
     
    I made that mistake late last season when he looked like dynamite against Bournemouth and I said he’d chase down Vardy for the Golden Boot. I don’t think he scored another goal after that. So yeah, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and I’ll need to see him put a consistent run of games together before I start declaring that “King Mo” is back.
     
    This was a great start though as I thought he just looked head and shoulders above everybody else on the pitch. I’m excited by it, I just hope he can keep it up and doesn’t go and miss three one v ones next week at Chelsea. 
     
    As for the rest, some were alright, some were below par and some (Trent and to a lesser extent Hendo) were rustier than a 10 year old patio set that’s been left out in the rain all that time. 
     
    That’s to be expected though really and it might be another month before everyone is fully back in the groove as pre-season was basically a non-event this year.
     
    If we can get through the first five games unscathed then we’ll take some stopping again, but I’d feel a lot more confident about that if the stadiums were full.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Matip), Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Jones), Wijnaldum, Keita (Fabinho); Salah, Firmino, Mané:
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